Chapter 1 (Part 2)
At ten o'clock, the bookstore finally had customers. The first customer was always Ju Ming, the owner of the grocery store on the 16th. He would start his day with a cup of the cheapest green lemon tea. As Han Xi made tea behind the bar, Ju Ming rested one arm on the counter, enjoying watching Han Xi busying himself. Eighty percent of the merchants on this street were neighbors who knew each other, living in Changwang New Village and Changhe New Village on either side of Xiaoxi Lane. Some, like Ju Ming's grocery store, had been open for over a decade. He sold anything, whatever the customers needed and whatever made a profit. For a while, he even took on a job nailing crates, running a machine outside the store all day, cutting wood and nailing crates, making all sorts of noise. This caused so much dissatisfaction that the management finally banned him. "Xixi, I ran into your mother yesterday. She asked me to introduce you to someone!" Han Xi didn't respond, but Tian Miao was excited. "Han Xi, your mother even dared to entrust the scoundrel Ju Ming with this. She's desperate!" Ju Ming frowned and retorted, "If not me, would she entrust you, boy?" "What good people do you know?" "Tian Sanshui, watch your words! Don't think I'm afraid of your aunt, that tigress!" "Haha, be careful or I'll tell my aunt you're cursing her behind her back!" "Haha, you and Xixi were classmates in junior high, right? Do you have any evil intentions?" Tian Miao's face immediately flushed, and she grumbled, "What nonsense are you talking about?" "You know it!" Han Xi slammed the prepared green lemon tea down in front of Ju Ming and rolled her eyes. "You're all crazy!" Gan Ling never joined in these verbal disputes. She huddled at her desk behind the bookshelves, head buried in her eyes, pretending to settle accounts. The second customer in the morning was sometimes Gao Qiang, the office clerk, and sometimes Afang, the owner of the fruit shop. Gao Qiang was responsible for supervising and inspecting the shops along the street. He made time to patrol the street at irregular intervals each week, and the used bookstores were always one of his stops. When he came, he wouldn't just order one drink; he'd usually order at least three, sharing them with his colleagues in the same office. Gan Ling had heard that he often accepted gifts from the boss at the bakery, so, to maintain good relations, she asked Han Xi not to accept Gao Qiang's money, but Gao Qiang always insisted on paying. He was a student of Gan Ling's father, Gan Wenkang, and he'd helped secure the bookstore lease. Gan Ling suspected another reason for his politeness was that the bookstore's business was so poor that no one would dare take advantage of him. Ah Fang from the fruit shop loved her red bean and barley tea and loved chatting with Gan Ling. After ordering a drink, she wouldn't wait at the bar, but would instead walk over to Gan Ling's desk, lean against the bookshelf, and chat with her, completely unconcerned about whether Gan Ling agreed or not.
At ten o'clock, the bookstore finally had customers. The first one was always Ju Ming, the grocery store owner on the 16th. He would start the day with a cup of the cheapest green lemon tea.
While Han Xi was making tea behind the bar, Ju Ming put one arm on the counter and enjoyed watching Han Xi busy himself.
Eighty percent of the vendors on this street are acquaintances, living in Changwang New Village and Changhe New Village, on either side of Xiaoxi Lane. Some, like Ju Ming's grocery store, have been open for over a decade. He sells whatever his customers need and whatever makes him money. For a while, he even took on a job nailing crates, running a machine outside his shop all day long, cutting wood and nailing crates together. The noise was so loud that it caused so much dissatisfaction that the management finally shut him down.
"Xixi, I met your mother yesterday, and she asked me to introduce you to someone!"
Han Xi didn't respond, but Tian Miao was excited.
"Han Xi, your mother even dared to entrust the scoundrel Ju Ming to her care. She's really desperate and is trying anything!"
Ju Ming frowned and retorted, "If not me, then you should ask me?"
"What good people can you know?"
"Tian Sanshui, watch your words! Don't think I'm afraid of your aunt, that tigress!"
"Haha, be careful or I'll tell my aunt that you cursed her behind her back!"
"Haha, you and Xixi were classmates in junior high school, right? Do you have any evil intentions?"
Tian Miao's face immediately turned red, and he yelled in a rough voice, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You know it!"
Han Xi placed the green lemon tea in front of Ju Ming and rolled his eyes. "You're all sick!"
Gan Ling never got involved in these verbal disputes. She huddled in front of her desk behind the bookshelf, burying her head and pretending to settle accounts.
The second customer in the morning was sometimes Gao Qiang, a clerk in the management office, and sometimes Afang, the owner of the fruit shop.
Gao Qiang is responsible for supervising and inspecting the shops along the street. He makes time for his weekly street patrols, and the used bookstore is a must-visit. When he comes, he never orders just one drink; he usually orders at least three, bringing them to his colleagues in the same office.
Gan Ling heard that Gao Qiang frequently accepted gifts from the bakery owner. To maintain a good relationship, she asked Han Xi not to accept Gao Qiang's money, but Gao Qiang insisted on paying. He was a student of Gan Ling's father, Gan Wenkang, and had been entrusted with the bookstore lease. Gan Ling suspected another reason for his politeness was that the bookstore's business was so poor that no one would dare to take advantage of him.
Ah Fang from the fruit shop loved to drink red bean and barley tea and also loved to chat with Gan Ling. After ordering a drink, she would not wait at the bar, but would walk over to Gan Ling's desk, lean against the bookshelf and chat with her, regardless of whether Gan Ling was willing or not.
"I've racked my brains, but I can't figure out why you opened a bookstore in this shabby place." Eight times out of ten, Ah Fang would start her conversation with this question, followed by a sympathetic look. "Look around you, is there anyone reading?"
Gan Ling didn't know how to respond appropriately. If she spoke seriously, Afang probably wouldn't understand either. But if she made fun of herself, she would feel a little sorry for herself, so she could only respond with a silly smile.
When Gan Ling was a child, her mother often took her to bookstores. There were many second-hand book stalls in the Nanmen Shopping Mall. On Sunday afternoons after dinner, the mother and daughter would calmly visit each bookstore, looking for books, reading books, and buying books. The feeling of panning for gold in "garbage" was so good that it remains an irreplaceable and precious memory in Gan Ling's heart.
Her mother died of illness when Gan Ling was 12 years old. It took Gan Ling a long time to get over the grief. At that time, she thought her world would stop. However, time does not stop for anyone, and in the blink of an eye, she was already in her thirties.
After experiencing major changes such as divorce and her father's stroke, one evening, her father Gan Wenkang called her to the balcony to talk.
"Xiao Ling, are you tired?"
After the stroke, Gan Wenkang's speech was slurred, as if there was a taro stuffed in his mouth, but Gan Ling could understand him. Sometimes when guests came to the house, she could even act as an interpreter for her father.
Gan Ling shook her head, but she also knew how haggard she looked.
"You've been sensible and obedient since childhood. Regarding marriage, it was Dad who misjudged you, not your fault. Dad wanted you to be happy, but who knew you'd go in the opposite direction... Now that you're divorced, don't force yourself anymore. Do whatever you want to do without any more worries. Dad has figured it out. Nothing in this world must be accomplished. The most important thing is to be happy..."
Gan Ling returned to her room and quietly cried for over an hour. Afterward, her mind gradually cleared, and the tension that had been binding her for so long dissipated. A week later, she resigned from her job and began planning the bookstore.
"...It's really more cost-effective to just focus on making milk tea! I have an idea. I have expired fruit that needs to be processed every day. How about we work together? I'll sell it to you at a low price, and you can make juice and sell it?"
This wasn't the first time Ah Fang had mentioned this, but Gan Ling still shook her head, "I don't have many people in my shop, and I'm too busy to handle it."
"What are you busy with? How many orders do you complete in a day? Do you need to pay rent? Do you need to pay wages? There are hands everywhere asking for money from you. You have to find a way to earn it!"
"The milk tea is ready!" Han Xi shouted fiercely at the bar. Obviously, she had heard Afang's bad ideas, and she certainly didn't want to increase her workload.
Ah Fang patted Gan Ling's desk and said in a friendly tone, "Think about it carefully, okay?"
Around noon, Awei, a worker at Barber Shop No. 33, would come to the shop. There were basically no customers at this time of year.
Awei didn't order tea, he just came here to relax. He was a shy and introverted kid from another place. Nothing about him was good or bad: appearance, skills, background. Like most young people in this city, no one would find it strange if he suddenly disappeared one day.
Surprisingly, A Wei and Han Xi got along quite well. He would stay by her side, watching her work and offering a hand whenever she needed it. The two young people sat quietly, Gan Ling never saying anything, even when it was inappropriate.
But Awei's behavior irritated Tian Miao, and he lost focus on his book. He felt as if a lot of phlegm suddenly formed in his throat, and he kept grumbling. He kept looking in Han Xi's direction, but unfortunately no one paid any attention to him.
Gan Ling couldn't bear to listen any longer, "Tian Miao, go drink some water!"
Tian Miao immediately instructed Han Xi in a high-handed manner, "Han Xi, make me a cup of milk tea. I want jasmine tea!"
Gan Lingxin said, you really know how to use chicken feathers as a token of authority!
Han Xi didn't even raise his head, "Do it yourself!"
Tian Miao shouted, "I can't!"
"If you don't know how to do it, just drink plain water!"
"I just want milk tea, I'll pay for it!"
Han Xi sneered, "Is paying the money a big deal?"
As a result, Gan Ling went behind the bar to make a cup of jasmine milk tea for Tian Miao. She really didn't want to listen to the two people's meaningless bickering.
In the afternoon, a few unfamiliar faces would appear in the store, either tourists strolling into Xiaoxi Alley, or mothers or grandmothers with children from nearby. They'd enter with a fleeting glance, wandering aimlessly past the bookshelves. The confusion in their eyes faded slightly as they turned their gaze to the bar serving milk tea. They vanished quickly, likely believing the bookstore wasn't worth seeing. Before leaving, half of them would take home a drink and a few snacks.
If Tian Meiling wants to come, it's usually after four o'clock. Her human resources company is as busy as a vegetable market every day and only becomes quiet in the evening.
When she walked in, she was clearly alone, but the noise was as loud as if a group of robbers had come in. She was yelling all kinds of complaints, either about the hot weather or about meeting some irritating weirdo again. Anyway, she was troubled by countless troubles every day.
As soon as she arrived, Gan Ling's reading, Han Xi's half-finished handicraft, and Tian Miao's drowsiness were all interrupted, and everyone began to voluntarily revolve around her.
Tian Meiling always ordered the most expensive drink, a creamy Dahongpao for 18 yuan a cup, three at a time, plus a few bags of dim sum. She only drank one milk tea herself, leaving the rest for Tian Miao and Han Xi.
The pastries were cookies and pastries made in a bakery. They had a long shelf life but were mediocre in taste, so neither Han Xi nor Tian Miao liked them. As soon as Meiling left, they would be returned to the display window unopened. After so many times, Han Xi simply deducted the money from Meiling and didn't even bother taking the pastries out of the display window.
Tian Meiling came mainly to ask Gan Ling about Tian Miao's situation. This conversation didn't last more than three minutes, as Gan Ling always said everything was fine. Meiling couldn't leave immediately, so she found a chair to sit for a while and catch her breath.
She is a person who cannot sit still. As soon as her eyes turn, inspiration comes out in strings like bubbles in soda water.
"Xiao Ling, you can't go on like this!"
Gan Ling was startled, "What's wrong?"
"You earn less than you earn and spend more than you earn. You're going to end up spending more than you earn!"
Gan Ling breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't worried about that. She hadn't expected to make money from opening the bookstore in the first place; it was just a dream. If her reserve fund for the bookstore ran out and it closed, she could just go back to work.
However, she didn't tell anyone else about this idea except Gan Wenkang and Kong Yu, because she didn't want others to think she was a fool and a sucker.
"Let's take it one step at a time."
Tian Meiling's eyes sparkled. "I have an idea for you. You can sell supplementary teaching materials. This is very profitable! Someone I know made his fortune this way..."
Gan Ling waited for her to finish telling the story of someone else's fortune, then smiled apologetically, "I only sell used literary books. Teaching materials and these books are not in the same category, so it would look weird to put them here."
"What's the big deal? Isn't it enough to make money?"
“…We’ll talk about it later.”
Mei Ling patted Gan Ling's desk before leaving, "Please think about it carefully!"
These are the main customers of the bookstore, and their common characteristic is that none of them buys books.
The bookstore opens at nine in the morning and closes at five in the evening. At four-thirty, Han Xi puts away his homework and checks his phone, but he doesn't concentrate very closely, his eyes occasionally glancing out the door.
To compensate for Han Xi's low salary, Gan Ling agreed to give her a 20% commission on every book sold. Under the bookstore's normal turnover, this commission would be practically nothing. However, there was one unusual customer who never left empty-handed, always buying dozens or even dozens of books. When he came, he usually arrived just minutes before closing time.
At five minutes past five, Gan Ling followed Han Xi's gaze and looked outside the door. The parking lot was empty.
He won't come today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
