Chapter 5: Bookstore Encounter
On the weekend, Qing Tian woke up early, got everything ready, and slung her schoolbag over her shoulder. As she reached the doorway, Li Yueqing called out to her.
“Qing Qing, where are you going so early in the morning?”
Qing Tian tied her shoelaces and looked up at Li Yueqing, saying, “Aunt, I won’t be back for lunch. I’m going to the bookstore to buy something!”
Hearing that Qing Tian was going to the bookstore, Li Yueqing immediately took a hundred yuan from her pocket and pressed it into her hand, saying, “You don’t have much money, so don’t always spend it on books. Don’t skimp on food, understand?”
Qing Tian looked at Li Yueqing with a bit of heartache and nodded numbly.
Li Yueqing continued, “Has Shishi been causing any trouble at school lately?”
Qing Tian hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and saying, “No!”
Li Yueqing: “That’s good. If anything happens, you must take good care of Shishi. She’s been spoiled by her family!”
Qing Tian looked at Li Yueqing with wide eyes, “Aunt, I understand!”
Li Yueqing: “Then hurry up and go. Be careful on the way!”
As Qing Tian walked outside, she said goodbye, “Goodbye, Aunt!”
As soon as Li Yueqing closed the door, the Old Master spoke, “Yueqing, who were you just talking to?”
Li Yueqing walked into the living room and saw the Old Master sitting on the sofa, wearing reading glasses and reading a newspaper. She quickly went over and said, “Qing Qing said she was going to the bookstore to buy books early this morning. I told her to be careful on the way!”
Speaking of Qing Tian, Old Master Song sighed, “Our Qing Qing has such a hard life!”
Li Yueqing had heard this for six years and was already numb. She comforted him, “Isn’t she living well? She doesn’t have her parents’ love, but she has us. You know I treat her like my own daughter!”
The Old Master said worriedly, “When she grows up and gets married, I’m afraid she’ll be looked down upon!”
Li Yueqing said loudly, “That’s ages away. Why are you worrying? If you love her, you’ll protect her. A child as filial and sensible as Qing Qing would be a blessing for anyone to marry!”
The Old Master took off his reading glasses and looked at his wife with a smile, “Of all the wives, you have the kindest heart and the sweetest tongue.”
Li Yueqing smiled and said, “Only you would praise me like this!”
As soon as Qing Tian arrived at the bookstore, she took out the book that had been soaked in water and asked the sales assistant, “Miss, is this book for sale?”
The sales assistant looked at the book and shook her head, “We just ran out of that. Why don’t you try Xinhua Bookstore?”
Qing Tian nodded in disappointment, not forgetting to say thank you!
By the time she arrived at Xinhua Bookstore, it was already crowded. Unlike the previous bookstore, here you had to find books by category yourself.
Qing Tian first found the classical literature section and then searched for information related to Li Bai. After several attempts, she finally found a book with a unified year. She happily put the book away and then found a novel by Zhang Xiaoxian to read on the spot.
She rarely came here to read before because it was usually very popular, and since she preferred to be alone, she was even more reluctant to come here.
She had only flipped through a few pages when her thoughts were disturbed by students walking back and forth. So, she decided to get up and find a more secluded spot to sit.
There were only two or three other people reading around her. Only then did she have the mind to look at the book in her hands. The book was called: Thank You For Leaving Me!
The cover read: Heaven is not above my head, but in my heart. The love I have enjoyed is the small boat that carries me across time to the shore of heaven.
Qing Tian’s heaven was neither above her head nor in her heart, because her heaven had been destroyed six years ago. Her world’s heaven had long ceased to exist.
Just as she was engrossed in reading, a note was placed on her book. She didn’t look to see who it was from first, but opened the note to read its contents.
It read: One day, you will smile at the pain of the past. You will be grateful to the person who left you.
After reading it, a hint of bitterness touched her lips. She couldn’t quite describe her emotions, but the words felt like a branding iron, searing themselves into her heart.
She looked up at him. He was still backlit, looking down at her. She gazed at his features in the dim light; even without a beam of light, he was still so dazzling. And his handwriting, like him, was elegant!
Her curled eyelashes fluttered with her blinking, like the privet tree leaves that had fallen in the wind that day, sending a tremor through his heart. He couldn’t explain the strange feeling, only that it felt as if something had filled that space, making him feel content, satisfied, and happy.
They remained in that posture, neither speaking, as if the scene would shatter if either of them spoke.
Ji Xiangyu sat beside her, silently looking at the book in his hands. It was a slightly yellowed book that had been read by many people. The story within made his heart ache involuntarily. He wasn’t an emotional person, but he was deeply moved by the story.
He felt that the words were beautiful, so beautiful that he too became engrossed. It read:
The slanting afternoon light, and our time together has ended. I cannot tell you how much beauty remains this season. I choose absolute or zero, not some or in-between. If there are any memories left, keep them for yourself. The past is like a silent shadow by your side. This season has ended, and the dream should be over. This day has ended. I should be going too!
He looked up at her. She was intently reading the book, her head slightly tilted, her face looking very serene, her eyelashes blinking rhythmically. His heart stirred, and he uncontrollably reached out to tuck away a stray strand of her hair.
At his touch, her spine stiffened instantly, and she looked at him warily. His hand froze in mid-air, and he looked at her with a slightly awkward expression, not knowing what to say.
He sighed softly and reached out again to tuck her hair, but she dodged it directly.
He said, “I just…”
She didn’t want to hear his explanation. Her heart filled with both joy and conflict as she interrupted him, “I know!”
Hearing her words, he chose to remain silent and continued to look at the book in his hands, but couldn’t read a single word. His mind was in turmoil.
He regretted his previous action and was also dejected by Qing Tian’s avoidance.
His intuition had always been accurate. For a long time, he had noticed Qing Tian secretly watching him in some corner on certain afternoons. He thought she admired him.
But when he approached her, she had an expression that kept him at arm’s length, which confused him. No wonder the ancients said: A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea!
Perhaps she just habitually sat in corners to observe things!!
