Chapter 1073: Temple of Literature
After visiting several shops, Song Zijun became interested in many old items in the shops, especially some items from the days when Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan were educated youth.
These toys are rarely seen outside, but there are quite a few of them here, and there are also some remakes of old photos and so on. When placed in the store, it has the flavor of that era.
As the daughter of Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan, Song Zijun had heard her parents talk about their days as educated youth since she was a child. Qin Zhengguo and Li Daqi had also experienced this era, and every time the elders got together and were in a good mood after drinking, they would talk about this.
But hearing about it is different from experiencing it in person. Song Zijun was very curious about that era, but she didn't have the same feelings as Song Yuanchao and the others. But when she saw these old items today, she immediately became interested. She looked here and there, and when she saw something she liked, she asked the owner about the price.
Of course, the bosses here just quote prices right away. Seeing that Song Zijun is a young girl, they naturally think that she has met a rich man, and the prices they quote are simply rip-offs. Song Zijun is not stupid, so after hearing the prices, she just smiled and said nothing, and left after taking a look around.
Just walk forward towards the Confucian Temple , it is much more lively there.
Today, the Confucian Temple is the largest wholesale book market in Shanghai. There are many kinds of books in it, especially the pocket books and romance novels that young people like. Of course, there are also traditional martial arts novels, etc., and yes, comics.
The small shops near the Confucian Temple are basically bookstores, with stalls inside. There are many people who come here to shop, most of them are young people or even students with backpacks. They look for books they like in these books, and then pay for them and take them back happily. It doesn't matter if you are short of money, you can read books here at will, and the owner will not drive you away as long as you don't damage the books.
Song Zijun had heard of this place, but it was her first time here. Girls naturally like comics and pocket books, and there are many young people who come here to browse and buy books, and there are also many girls of her age.
Seeing so many books, Song Zijun became more interested. She hurried over to see what books were there. After seeing the dazzling array of books, she became even more interested.
And when you ask about the price, you will find that the books here are much cheaper, especially the new books are the cheapest. You can buy four pocket books for ten yuan. This price makes Song Zijun's eyes light up.
It's different with old books. Some original old books are much more expensive, but the price of reprints is not expensive. Moreover, you can find many picture books that have long been extinct here. Song Zijun had seen this kind of picture books several times when he was a child, but rarely saw them later. His brother Song Yangming had a set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" given to him by Song Yuanchao. He usually hid it like a treasure and didn't let anyone touch it. But today Song Zijun saw the same picture book here.
"Boss, how much is this set of books?" Song Zijun pointed at the set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and asked the boss.
The boss was sitting in the booth, reading a book in his hand. He looked up and saw a girl like Song Zijun, but he didn't care and directly quoted a price. Song Zijun became interested and asked if it was a complete set. The boss said of course it was a complete set, otherwise how could it be sold here. Song Zijun paid for it without saying a word. The boss stood up and took out a cardboard box from the back, which contained a complete set of 60 volumes of the comic book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
This set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a reprint of the 1957 edition. It is very well made and comes packaged in a cardboard box. It feels heavy to carry.
Song Zijun checked the book and paid for it after making sure there was no problem.
Then, she took a fancy to a set of "Journey to the West", and then asked the boss if he had "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Water Margin". The boss said he had both, and he had all the four great classics.
Song Zijun asked the boss to take out the books for her to look at and then happily bought them all. However, there were too many things and a little girl like her couldn't carry them all away, besides, she hadn't finished shopping yet. She immediately discussed with the boss whether she could take them when she left. The boss smiled and agreed, put the set of books next to him, and told Song Zijun to come over later to get them, and assured her that there would be no problem with the books.
"Thank you, boss!" Song Zijun thanked him happily, feeling very proud. Didn't Song Yangming treasure his set of books? Now, I have a set myself, and I have collected all four famous classics. I will show them to him when I have the chance. I will envy him so much. Who made him hide them from me when he was a child?
The unexpected surprise made Song Zijun feel that it was a good decision to come here. She continued to wander around, staying a little longer when she saw something she liked, and bought it directly after asking if the price was right. Before she knew it, Song Zijun had bought a lot of books. When she was about to leave, she suddenly realized a big problem: she had no way to carry so many books!
Helplessly, Song Zijun asked the bookstore owner if he could deliver the goods. The bookstore owner waved his hand and said that he definitely could not deliver the goods. First, they did not have the means of transportation, and second, they did not have the time. He still had to run a business, so how could he leave the stall to deliver the goods to Song Zijun?
You feel happy when you buy something, but you feel sad when you leave.
Song Zijun looked at the books piled up like a mountain and didn't know how to get them back for a moment. Just as she was thinking about whether to call Qin Wenchang and ask him to come and help, a voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Little sister, do you have too many things to carry?"
Looking back, she saw a young woman standing behind her. This woman looked about six or seven years older than her, with medium-length hair. She was quite pretty, but her face was weathered by hard work.
The woman was wearing ordinary clothes and holding a pair of gauze gloves in one hand, and no one knew what they were for.
"Can you deliver the goods?" Song Zijun asked curiously.
"That's just the number of books, right? Where are you going to send it? Is it far?" The woman smiled and pointed at the pile of books that Song Zijun bought from various stalls and asked.
"It's not far. My car is in the parking lot in front. Just help me take it to the parking lot." Song Zijun said, pointing in the direction of the parking lot.
"Oh, I know that place. Please wait a moment." The woman said this, then asked Song Zijun to wait for a moment and went to the front. A moment later, she saw her coming back pushing a small human-powered tricycle.
Without saying anything, the woman put on her gloves and helped Song Zijun carry the books, placing them neatly in the bucket of the tricycle. After a short while, she was done, clapped her hands, said hello to Song Zijun, and said it was time to go.
There were many passers-by, and the woman did not ride a bike, but just pushed the bike. Song Zijun followed the woman and felt curious when he saw her pushing the bike skillfully. Could it be that this woman was specifically here to help deliver goods?
Suddenly, Song Zijun remembered something. She had forgotten to ask how much the delivery would cost. She also blamed herself. She had forgotten to ask the woman to put all her books on the tricycle. Now, the tricycle had been pushed for a while. What if the other party gave her a high price when they got there? Song Zijun blamed herself for being young and inexperienced. Why didn't she ask for clarification in advance?
But there was no point in asking now. There was no difference between sending it halfway and sending it there. Besides, if the other party really offered a high price, what could Song Zijun do? He couldn't just abandon the books or quarrel with the other party, right?
"Little sister, is this your first time here?" the woman asked with a smile while pushing the cart.
"No, I've been here a few times before." Song Zijun answered subconsciously.
The woman smiled and said nothing, but she could conclude that this was Song Zijun's first time buying books here, otherwise he wouldn't have bought so many books that he couldn't carry them. Normally, people who come here often don't buy too much, at least they can take them away by themselves. If they buy a lot, they will prepare a small trailer in advance. How can you be like Song Zijun?
But since Song Zijun said so, the woman did not ask further questions, and then asked Song Zijun if she was still in school? How old was she? Song Zijun was alert and just evaded the question. She did not want to say too much to a stranger.
It was quite a distance to go around the back and get back to the parking lot, and it took them about fifteen minutes to get there.
After arriving at the parking lot, the woman asked Song Zijun where his car was. Song Zijun pointed in a direction. The woman continued to push the car to Song Zijun's car and asked Song Zijun to open the trunk.
After the trunk was opened, the woman helped take the books out of the bed of the tricycle and put them neatly . After everything was put away, the woman also helped close the trunk, then clapped her hands and said it was done.
"This...how much does it cost?" Song Zijun watched the woman put the book away enthusiastically before asking.
"Money? Haha, no money." To Song Zijun's surprise, the woman did not ask for an exorbitant amount of money. Instead, she gave an answer that she did not expect.
"Don't want money?" Song Zijun asked with eyes wide open.
"Why should I charge for such a short distance? Besides, it's just a small favor. Little sister, you don't think I'm someone who helps people transport goods and cuts off customers, do you? Hahaha, don't worry, I'm not that kind of person. I'm doing business over there. I was just delivering some goods to an old customer, and I happened to give you a ride on the way back." The woman understood something instantly when she saw Song Zijun's surprised look, and explained while pointing in a direction with a smile.
As soon as these words came out, Song Zijun's face turned red instantly. She had never thought that the other party was helping her for free. When she thought about what she had just thought about, she felt extremely ashamed for a moment.
"Sister, how can this be so embarrassing?"
"Okay, okay, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's inconvenient for a little girl like you to carry things. And I also have to go back to the stall, so it's on my way anyway. Okay, you should go back early. I've been out for some time. I asked the boss next door to help watch the stall. I have to go back to do business." The woman waved her hand cheerfully, then turned the tricycle around and was about to leave.
"Sister, thank you for coming today! By the way, sister, what business are you doing? I'll visit your stall some other day, maybe I can help you with your business." Song Zijun asked hurriedly when he saw her leaving.
The woman waved her hand and smiled, "I have a small stall in the market in front, selling small commodities and accessories. If you have time to come again, you are welcome to visit me. You call me sister, so I will give you something next time you come. My stall is a little inside, number XXX. If I'm not there, just ask the owner of the stall next to you and say you are looking for Wang Aiping. I'm leaving, little sister. See you later!"
He pushed the cart farther and farther away, and soon left the parking lot, his figure disappearing in the endless stream of people outside the parking lot.
