This bookstall is quite large. There is a large plastic sheet placed on the side of the road. The material is very worn, and dozens of stacks of books are densely placed on it. Next to it is a three-wheeled motorcycle with its side panel opened. There are also many books on the motorcycle's cargo box. In addition, there is a sunshade. The seller is an old man who looks to be nearly seventy years old and not in good spirits.
"What kind of book would you like to read?" asked the old man.
"It's okay, just look around." Bai Song was wearing casual clothes and didn't drive a car. He just squatted down slowly and started to search casually on the bookstall.
The books here are not arranged neatly, probably because they have been flipped many times. The old man seems to be in good health, but moving books is very tiring after all. I guess he only moves books up and down once a day.
There are five or six books in a pile, of all kinds, mostly novels. In addition, there are many history books, biographies, strange stories, cooking books, daily knowledge and the like, which are all common things in people's lives.
With the development of the Internet in recent years, these pirated book sellers have gradually lost their sales. However, 2012 was indeed the time when smartphones were just beginning to become popular, and it seems that the old man can still make a living. At this moment, there are still a few people flipping through the books, and one of them bought two copies.
Bai Song flipped through several history books, then picked them up and looked at them. These books were not necessarily history books, as they were placed in a mess.
But books are not just a piece of paper, so how could you buy the wrong book? Could it be that the scarred guy just read a few and took the whole stack away?
Whether it was theft or forced purchase without payment, Bai Song had no doubt that Scarface was capable of doing such a thing.
After thinking for a while, Bai Song walked to the side of the tricycle, and when no one was around, he quietly asked the old man: "Uncle, I have something to ask you, please don't tell on me."
"Just say it." The old man spoke fluently.
"Well, it's like this. About 20 days ago, I have an elder brother who was obsessed with reading. He said he wanted to go out and buy some books to read. In the end, he actually brought several books home, but he had no money. After my mother found out about this, she asked me to ask around at the nearby book stalls if there were any cases of several books being stolen at once or forcibly taken away during that period. If so, let me make up the money." Bai Song made up a story.
"Hmm?" The old man glanced at Bai Song, took a closer look, and then said, "There is such a person, but you can't be his brother."
"Hmm?" Before Bai Song said that, he had thought of several excuses, but he really didn't expect this answer. Is the old man so insightful? So terrifying?
Bai Song is not actually very good at lying, but he does have some speaking skills. When chatting with people, he can always get out some useful information without harming others.
Well, it's called observing confidentiality.
But, he was in trouble just like that? Bai Song quickly calmed down and said to the old man, "He's my friend after all. Since it's yours, there's no problem. I'll pay the compensation no matter how much it costs."
“No need.” The old man waved his hand and wiped the dust off the books with a towel. “Let it go. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a few books.”
"Ah?" Bai Song was really surprised. How could there be such a person as this old man?
"You and he have completely different temperaments. If he is a bad guy, then you should be a policeman, right?" The old man said directly: "If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."
…
How does it feel to be slapped in the face for trying to be cool in the field you’re best at?
…
Fortunately, Bai Song was very thick-skinned and recovered quickly. He asked, "It's necessary for work. Uncle, please understand."
"No problem."
"Okay," Bai Song looked at the old man with an unfathomable look, "Uncle, I am indeed a policeman. I found out that someone may have taken a few books away from here, and it should have been taken by force. Now I want to know, what books did this person take away?"
"Oh, about this matter." The old man fell into deep thought.
There is a chance. Bai Song was full of anticipation. Looking at the old man thinking, his face was full of wisdom...
"Well... I can't remember clearly." The old man nodded.
…
"That's normal. I have so many books here, how would I know if a few were missing?" The old man said as if it was a matter of course: "Oh, yes, I remember there is a book on basic chemistry in it. Yes, I can remember this."
"Basics of chemistry? Aren't there any history books or something like that?" Bai Song asked.
"Well... yes, oh, yes. There used to be a few books about some strange stories in Dashan Province, but I think they were taken away by him. I don't remember the rest, just miscellaneous books." The old man nodded.
"Well, do you still have the books you mentioned?" Bai Song continued to ask with courage.
"No more. I used to have several copies, but they were all bought a while ago. The one taken by the person you mentioned should be the last one." The old man said this and rummaged through his car. "But I still have Fundamentals of Chemistry here. Let me show you."
After saying that, the old man took out a book from the car and handed it to Bai Song.
Bai Song flipped through the book and found that it contained mostly chemistry knowledge from middle school and high school. Although he had forgotten a lot of it, he could still understand it. He muttered as he read, "Why does he need this book? What's the use of these basic chemistry books..."
"Basic Chemistry?" The old man was happy when he heard it. "Okay, it seems that your foundation is not bad. I have a few books here. Can you read them and understand them?"
The feeling of the old man flipping through the books was a bit strange, very much like the old man that Stephen Chow met when he was learning the Tathagata Palm in the movie. The old man quickly took out four books from under the seat, all of which were very thick.
Bai Song glanced at the cover and was overwhelmed.
Analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry.
"These are all the basics. Which one do you want to learn? You can take the book away if you are interested." The old man was very easy-going.
"Huh?" What kind of plot is this? Bai Song couldn't help but complain: "Why do you feel like a university professor..."
"Oh... it was."
…
A retired university professor is selling pirated books? ! ! Bai Song was shocked. He shook his head and put the four books aside. He asked, "Uncle, let me ask you first, what are those books that person bought? Can you think about it carefully? Thank you."
"Hmm..." After hearing this, the old man frowned and thought carefully for almost a minute, then said, "I don't remember."
…
"However," the old man said, "I don't remember the name, but I can roughly remember what the book is. If I see it, I can remember it. I'll look for it at the wholesale bookstore."
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