Xin You was no less surprised to see He Qingxiao than his clerk Liu Zhou.
She even couldn't help but glance at the row of bookshelves, congratulating herself on how hard she worked so hard just to, oh, read books.
He Qingxiao was actually surprised to see Xin You.
He felt that the bookstore was not always clean, so he came here early in the morning to read the end of the travel book. He did not expect that Miss Kou would be there at this time.
Miss Kou is so attached to the bookstore, no wonder she can bring Qingsong Bookstore back to life.
Seeing that both of them were silent, Liu Zhou reflected on whether he and Shitou were in the way, and then went to greet him: "Good morning, Sir, please come in quickly."
He Qingxiao nodded politely to Liu Zhou and walked inside.
Xin You smiled and said hello: "Good morning, Sir."
"Good morning, Miss Kou."
After greeting the two, one sat back in his chair and the other walked towards the bookshelf.
Liu Zhou was confused.
That's it? Not an appointment?
He glanced at Xin You quietly and saw a book spread out in front of Xin You, but her eyes were closed.
The boy watched helplessly as his boss narrowed his eyes until Master He left, looking up to the sky speechlessly.
Mr. He came to read a book while he was quiet. His boss didn't sleep in the big bed and came here to take a nap. What was he doing?
Shopkeeper Hu came over and saw Xin You, and asked in confusion: "My boss, are you here so early?"
Xin You rubbed his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Come and take a look. I didn't sleep well last night and felt sleepy as soon as I sat down. How about the book printing shop?"
Shopkeeper Hu came from the printing house, and he became more energetic when he mentioned this: "Don't worry, boss, everything is going smoothly. The villain and Manager Zhao will keep a close eye on it to make sure there won't be any typos."
Typos are minor matters, the main thing is to prevent Li Li's situation from happening again.
"Thank you for your hard work, shopkeeper. When you finish working for a while, I'll invite you to a restaurant."
Shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou thanked each other hurriedly, Shitou smiled and scratched his head.
Ji Cailan and Zhou Ningyue arrived earlier than Xinyou expected.
Seeing Xin You in the hall, Ji Cailan looked surprised: "Sister Kou, what a coincidence that you are here too."
"I'm the owner of the bookstore. I'll come over if nothing happens." Xin You looked at Zhou Ningyue.
Ji Cailan hurriedly introduced: "This is my cousin. Her name is Zhou Ningyue. She is one year younger than you, sister Kou. Cousin, this is the owner of Qingsong Bookstore I mentioned to you. You call her sister Kou."
"Sister Zhou." Xin You greeted with a smile.
Seeing that Xin You was as gentle and amiable as her cousin said, Zhou Ningyue also smiled: "Sister Kou."
After the introduction, Ji Cailan held Xin You's hand: "Sister Kou, your bookstore's "Painted Skin" is so beautiful. When will the second part be released?"
At this time, people were already entering the bookstore one after another, and everyone pricked up their ears after hearing this.
Zhou Ningyue was a little sensitive since she injured her leg. After noticing it, she quietly pulled Ji Cailan's hand and signaled her not to ask random questions.
Xinyou smiled and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Shopkeeper Hu's temporary resting place has been modified to be more suitable for entertaining guests. When Xin You walked in with Ji and Tuesday, they heard the dissatisfied voices of the guests.
"Hey, why are you still whispering? When will the second part of "Painted Skin" come out?"
This living room is separated from the study hall by only half a curtain, so loud sounds can be heard clearly.
Ji Cailan looked embarrassed: "Sister Kou, have I caused trouble for you?"
"How could it be?" Xin You poured tea for the two of them, "This is not a secret. I wish everyone would pay attention to the release date of the new book."
Shopkeeper Hu's voice comforting the guests came: "Hurry, hurry, no more than two months at most..."
Ji Cailan felt relieved and resumed her talk: "Painted Skin is really beautiful. My cousin also came to buy Painted Skin."
Zhou Ningyue smiled and said: "My cousin lent me "Painted Skin" and I was fascinated by it as soon as I read it. I often read the books I like, so I came to buy one."
"Sister Riji came to buy "The Peony Chronicles" that day. I heard that it was also for Sister Zhou." Xin You naturally mentioned "The Peony Chronicles".
When Zhou Ningyue heard "The Peony Story", she frowned subconsciously.
Xin You looked apologetic: "Did I say the wrong thing——"
Zhou Ningyue had a very good impression of Xin You and said hurriedly: "Sister Kou, don't worry too much. I suddenly thought of what happened on the way to Beijing."
Xin You looked confused.
Zhou Ningyue pursed her lips. Obviously it was not a pleasant memory, but she still said it: "I originally lived in Wanyang. At the beginning of the year, my father came to Beijing and stayed in the capital as an errand. Then my mother brought me to the capital to be with my father. Reunion, I didn’t expect that I accidentally fell out of the carriage on the way and broke my leg..."
"Is it serious?" Xin You said with concern in her tone.
"The pain was severe at the time, but fortunately I met a kind-hearted lady who helped me set the bone..."
Listening to Zhou Ningyue's story, Xin You's heart sank.
By now, it is almost certain that Zhou Ningyue did not know about her mother's death, otherwise she would never have mentioned it to someone she had just met in a guilty conscience.
If it wasn't Zhou Ningyue, would it be Zhou Ningyue's mother who brought the disaster to her mother? Or was she looking in the wrong direction from the beginning?
The latter possibility made Xinyou feel cold in his heart and his hands and feet were cold.
After drinking a cup of tea, Ji Cailan smiled and said: "The bookstore business is so good, we won't disturb Sister Kou. My cousin and I will treat you to tea another day."
Xin You suppressed the turmoil in her heart and stood up as if nothing had happened: "Okay, let's make an appointment later."
She wanted to give "Painted Skin" to Zhou Ningyue, but Zhou Ningyue firmly refused and accepted the money at a 10% discount after being polite.
"Thank you very much, Sister Kou."
"You're welcome, Sister Zhou. If you come to buy storybooks, you are taking care of my business. It is I who should thank you."
Xin You sent the two of them out of the bookstore.
After walking a certain distance, Zhou Ningyue turned around casually and saw Xin You still standing at the door of the bookstore. She waved her hand to Xin You and said in a good mood: "Cousin, Sister Kou is really good."
Ji Cailan smiled: "So cousin, don't stay at home all day. Now that your legs are better, go out for a walk more often and make more friends."
"Um."
The cousins walked away talking and laughing.
Xin You suppressed her smile and lowered her eyes slightly. There was a small jade pendant lying in her open palm.
Of course she wouldn't give up just like that. Since it was unlikely that Zhou Ningyue had any problems, she should meet Zhou Ningyue's mother.
After returning to the bookstore and reading for a while, Xin You estimated that it was almost time, so she rushed to Maoer Alley in Jixiangfang.
There were many people sitting at the entrance of the alley enjoying the cool air and chatting. Xin You asked politely, "Is there a girl named Ji who lives nearby?"
"Are you looking for girl Cailan?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Sister Cailan."
Seeing that Xin You and Ji Cailan were similar in age, the neighbors naturally thought that she was Ji Cailan's playmate, and they enthusiastically pointed the way: "Well, her house is in the third house in the alley."
Xin You thanked her, walked into the alley and knocked on the door of the third house.
(End of chapter)
