Looking for a shop
On Friday evening during self-study, Xu Jianing pushed open the office door.
The room was dimly lit, and Xue Pingsheng was engrossed in grading papers, marking them with red crosses. Hearing the door open, he didn't even look up before blurting out, "What, trying to kick me out again? Not this week. I haven't finished grading your opening exams yet."
Xu Jianing paused in closing the door, her lips twitching almost imperceptibly. She walked in and naturally pulled out the chair opposite her, sitting down. "No, you can stay in the office this week. I'm here to get your leave slip signed."
He paused, then added, "And when have I ever 'rushed' you? Wasn't I using my spare time to help you with exam questions and grading so you could spend more time with your family on weekends?"
Xue Pingsheng clicked his tongue, finally looked up at him, and said with a smile, "Didn't you realize that what I just said was actually to ask you to help me grade the papers?"
“I could tell.” Xu Jianing took a red pen out of her canvas bag and placed it on the table. “That’s why I brought a pen with me.”
Xue Pingsheng was both amused and exasperated. He took half of the papers on the table and pushed them in front of him, saying, "Since you brought a pen, don't just sit there. Help me correct a few papers."
The office fell silent, save for the sounds of turning papers and red pens correcting questions. Halfway through, Xue Pingsheng suddenly stopped, rubbed his temples, and couldn't help but complain, "My questions weren't even that hard, so how come you were the only one in the class who got the last question right?"
As he spoke, his eyes darted around, and he secretly placed the test paper across from him, coughing casually. "Perfect timing, I was just about to tell you. The city is holding a student competition next month, and we from Cangzhong need to send someone there. With your level, you can't refuse, so get ready."
Then he tossed the red pen aside, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.
Xu Jianing hummed in agreement, noticing the other person's little trick but not exposing it, and continued to bury himself in grading papers. Only after finishing grading the last paper did he put down his pen, rub his slightly sore wrist, and put the red pen back into his canvas bag.
The only sound in the room was the ticking of the wall clock. Xu Jianing looked at Xue Pingsheng, who was drinking water from a teacup, and said unhurriedly, "Old Xue, I want to ask you about something."
Xue Pingsheng put down his teacup, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It's rare to see you take the initiative to speak up. So, which question don't you understand?"
Xu Jianing smiled faintly and shook his head: "This time it's not a question."
What is that?
"Not a question?" Xue Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and asked in an exaggerated manner, "Then that's even rarer. Alright, tell me, what kind of difficult question could possibly stump my star pupil?"
"I'd like to inquire if there are any vacant shops near the school."
"shop?"
——
The next day, before dawn, Xu Jianing left the dormitory with a canvas bag on his back.
It's not about going to the usual place, but about leaving the school.
The iron gate was locked. In the guardhouse, there was an old man guarding the gate, wrapped in an old military overcoat, who was dozing off. His head was slowly drooping down and was about to hit the table when he suddenly heard someone call him to open the gate. He groggily raised his head and squinted at the door.
"Who is it, so early in the morning?"
Xu Jianing stepped forward and handed the leave slip in her hand to the other man: "Sir, it's me, Xu Jianing. Please open the door."
The old man recognized him, took the key out of his pocket and fiddled with the lock. "You kid, so early, are you going to the bookstall? It's still dark."
"No, I have some other things to take care of today." Xu Jianing stopped and asked politely, "Sir, you've been guarding this gate for many years. Do you know if there are any vacant shops on the street west of the school gate?"
"A shop?" The old man squinted, looking him over suspiciously. "Why are you asking about this? Are you thinking of dropping out of school to start a business?"
Xu Jianing patiently explained, "No, sir, I'm just asking around for my family, trying to find out more about the situation. My family says that the situation has changed, and it's always better to know more information."
The old man tugged at his old military overcoat, breathed on it, rubbed his hands, and recalled: "The shop... there were a few storefronts on that street to the west. It used to be a branch of the supply and marketing cooperative. They sold things like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, matches, and soap. But business didn't go well, so they closed it down."
He sighed as he said this: "Those storefronts have been empty ever since, locked up and gathering dust all day. Last month I saw people from the neighborhood committee post a notice saying they were looking to lease them out, and anyone interested could register."
"And the result?" Xu Jianing asked.
"And what happened? Nobody went there." The old man waved his hand. "Everyone thought it was too dilapidated. They said the window frames in those rooms were all broken, and it was only good for storing junk. If you really wanted to open a shop, you'd have to spend money on repairs, and nobody wants to go through that trouble."
Xu Jianing nodded thoughtfully, "Sir, what about the rent? Approximately how much?"
"How much more expensive can it be? The neighborhood committee manages it all." The old man put the key back into his pocket and continued slowly, "It can be done for about thirty yuan a month. If you're good at negotiating, you might even be able to get it down to twenty. It's a pity that my old bones can't run around anymore. Otherwise, I would like to open a small shop, sell some cigarettes, alcohol, candy and tea, and guard the door on the side, so I can earn some pocket money to supplement my family's income."
Xu Jianing chimed in with a smile, "Grandpa, you're so energetic, you watch the door more carefully than anyone else, how are you old? If you really opened a small shop, your business would definitely be booming, and all of us students would love to buy from you."
The old man chuckled, "You're quite the smooth talker, no wonder your teachers all like you."
Seeing that the time was right, Xu Jianing asked again, "Grandpa, I've remembered those shops on West Street that you mentioned. What about the east side? Are there any vacant shops on East Street?"
"East Street? That won't do."
"A couple of years ago, a young man from out of town opened a grocery store there, selling soap, kerosene, matches and the like. He lost money and left after less than three months."
At this point, the old man raised his hand and waved to Xu Jianing: "Young man, come over here a bit."
Xu Jianing took a step closer and stood beside him at the iron gate, leaning down to get closer.
The old man lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I heard from the neighbors that the shop on the east side has bad feng shui. Someone died there, but the person died in a hurry. The wooden cabinets and shelves inside are still there. Although they are a bit old, they can still be used after some cleaning. It's much better than buying a new one from scratch."
Xu Jianing nodded, making a mental note of it. The older generation always paid attention to "feng shui," and he was half-believing and half-doubting, but when he heard that "the cabinets and shelves are still there," he was already thinking that if he could really save some money, he could discuss it with his mother later.
He took out a paper package from his canvas bag and handed it to the old man: "Grandpa, these are meat buns I got from the canteen on my way here. They're still warm. Have some to tide you over."
The old man quickly waved his hand, declining the offer, saying, "Oh dear, how can I do this? You students don't have much money. You can have the bun yourself."
“Sir, you’ve given me so much useful information. I’d feel bad if you didn’t accept this small token of my appreciation.”
Seeing his insistence, the old man finally accepted it, his face beaming with joy: "Alright, I'll take it. Once you really open your shop, I'll definitely come and support you."
Xu Jianing smiled and nodded, said goodbye to the old man, and the iron gate creaked open. As he stepped out of the school gate, a gust of cold wind rushed towards him.
He pulled out a piece of paper covered with dense writing from his pocket. It contained the addresses and contact information of several shops. He glanced at it briefly, quickly calculating the route in his mind, and headed west along the street.
It was still dark, and the streets were deserted, with only the occasional early riser pushing a cart to sell fried dough sticks and soy milk, calling out his wares as he went.
Those shops on West Street could be seen from afar; their tin roll-up doors were half-closed, the paint on the walls was peeling and mottled, and old junk piled up at the entrances, indicating that no one had been there for a long time.
Xu Jianing didn't rush over; instead, she found a nearby breakfast stall and sat down.
"How about a few fried dough sticks? Or a bowl of soy milk?" the owner asked quickly.
"Two fried dough sticks and a bowl of soy milk, please." Xu Jianing handed over the change and then casually remarked with a smile, "Sister, your shop is doing really well. There are people lining up before dawn."
The owner scooped out the freshly fried dough sticks to drain the oil, and said with a smile, "Of course it's good. My shop was the first one to open on this street. The dough sticks are freshly fried, and the soy milk is also homemade. All my customers are regulars."
He took the fried dough stick and blew on it to warm it up: "No wonder business is so good. You're really good at making these, sister. They're even bigger than other places' fried dough sticks."
The shop owner smiled and wiped his hands: "How could it be bad? I've been running this stall for over ten years. You must be a student from Cangzhong High School, right? You look quite student-like and have a very pretty face. Just call me Sister Gu."
"Sister Gu, I'll come over to buy your fried dough sticks on my way home from school from now on."
"Okay, sure," Sister Gu replied with a smile, still flipping the fried dough sticks in her hands.
Xu Jianing took a sip of warm soy milk, his eyes glancing at the storefronts on West Street every now and then.
He found it strange that the area near the station, which should have been bustling with people, had all the shops closed and looked deserted for a long time. Occasionally, passersby would walk by, but they would just hurry past without even glancing at the shops.
After the busy morning rush hour subsided, the customers in front of the stall gradually dispersed, and only a few fried dough sticks remained in the pot. Sister Gu then wiped the sweat from her forehead, took a cloth and draped it over her shoulder, and said with a smile, "Finally, I can relax. My hands haven't stopped all morning."
Seeing that Xu Jianing was still sitting on the small stool, his bowl of soy milk was empty, and he hadn't left yet, Sister Gu teased, "Young man, are you waiting for someone, or are you planning something? I keep seeing your eyes glancing over there."
Xu Jianing smiled when she was called out, and put down her bowl: "Sister Gu, I'm just curious. Those shops are right next to the station, and they should be doing good business, so why aren't any of them open?"
"Which ones are you talking about? Those that had problems before."
"Something happened? Wasn't it over on East Street? I've heard people say it's not a safe place there."
“East Street is East Street, and West Street is West Street, each with its own injustices. You may have heard about what happened on East Street; it caused quite a stir. But these shops on West Street have changed hands several times, and none of them lasted long. Some say it's because of bad feng shui, some say it's haunted at night, and others say that things were piled up there before, making it unclean.”
She paused, then sighed, "Anyway, whether it's true or not, if this gets around, who would dare to open a shop? If it weren't for being next to the train station, it would probably have been demolished long ago."
Xu Jianing was taken aback. The old man at the school gate said East Street was no good, and Sister Gu said West Street was no good. According to this, there really weren't many places in the entire Cangshui County where shops could be opened.
As darkness fell and fewer people appeared on the street, he crossed out the last address on the note and felt a sense of emptiness.
I had planned to take this leave of absence and go home to tell my mother the result, but after a whole day, I had searched every street and alley, and couldn't even find a decent shop. Going back empty-handed, I couldn't say anything, only feel more disappointed.
Just as I was about to leave the last shop and head towards the school, a muffled sound came from the horizon, and a light drizzle began.
As Xu Jianing stood under the eaves, preparing to rummage through her bag, she realized she hadn't brought an umbrella. A gust of wind blew, and raindrops drifted in, hitting her face with a cool, refreshing chill, carrying the anticipation of early spring.
He stretched out his palm and felt a cool sensation in his hand, as if the spring rain was fine and dense.
Xu Jianing hesitated whether to run back to school in one go. But she was wearing a cotton coat, and if it got wet in the rain, it would not only be heavy and cold, but she would also have to wait for a sunny day to dry it. Right now, it might rain for several more days, and if it got wet, it would be even more troublesome.
Just as he was wondering whether he should borrow an umbrella, he suddenly heard someone calling him from the sound of rain:
"Xu Jianing?"
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