Chapter 11

【ps: This is the third chapter of today, there will be another one in the evening~】

"Surely you're not asking me to help you watch the store, are you?" Tong Yan read Liu Ming's eyes.

"Living up to being my little brother, you're smart!" Liu Ming snapped his fingers, "Tomorrow I'll go to the city to buy a computer. Can you help me watch the store for a day? Just one day, how about it?"

"I can definitely manage the time, but I don't know how to sell books."

"That's very simple. Sell the magazines at the marked price, and the tutoring books at a discount, since they're all pirated, you won't lose money. As for these novels and comics, some are for sale, and some are for rent. For sale, you discount the price, and for rent, you have to keep track. I have a notebook here with the names and dates of people who rent and return books. The deposit for comic books is 10 yuan, and the daily rental fee is 50 cents. The deposit for these novels is 20 yuan, and the daily rental fee is 1 yuan. It's very simple."

Liu Ming took out his ledger and taught Tong Yan step by step. Tong Yan basically understood it. Just then, a few customers came to return and rent books. Tong Yan followed his cousin's instructions and managed to handle it quite easily.

"You see, it's very simple. Even a fool can run a bookstore," Liu Ming said, satisfied.

"Is that your way of boasting?" Tong Yan blurted out.

Liu Ming: "..."

The matter was settled. Tong Yan didn't go home all day and stayed in the Five Flavors Bookstore to read "The Legend of the Little Soldier." His progress was incredibly fast, and he finished almost a third of it in one day, equivalent to the length of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

This was the first time Tong Yan had encountered a web fantasy novel. He was thoroughly captivated by the author Xuan Yu's boundless imagination. Although the book lacked groundbreaking scientific concepts and even had many flaws, the lack of traditional sci-fi constraints allowed the protagonist Tang Long to act without restraint, destroying planets and disrupting time and space, creating a sense of satisfaction that traditional sci-fi novels couldn't match.

The writing in such novels wasn't particularly outstanding. Tong Yan even thought it was worse than his own essays. The frequent use of common words revealed the author's limited vocabulary, and many grammatical errors and awkward sentences indicated that the author prioritized speed over quality.

Yet, despite these flaws, the story was so engaging that it made readers overlook the writing issues. These flaws even became strengths, as less refined language allowed readers to read faster and enjoy the story more.

This kind of pleasure was free from moralizing, metaphors, and philosophical insights, making it closer to the essence of reading. Tong Yan was so engrossed in "The Legend of the Little Soldier" that he kept thinking about the plot even after he got home. Tang Long had already gained some power in the universe, with people, resources, and territory, and a group of loyal female subordinates. A broader horizon and greater achievements awaited him.

Tong Yan didn't dare bring "The Legend of the Little Soldier" home that night. The book was too big and easy to spot. His parents didn't mind his love for reading, as it helped his Chinese grades and broadened his knowledge, but they might not approve of "strange" books. He was afraid they would consider "The Legend of the Little Soldier" one of those "strange" books, so it was better not to risk it.

As the saying goes, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." Perhaps because he was so engrossed in "The Legend of the Little Soldier," his dreams that night were filled with cosmic journeys. In the morning, he hurriedly ate breakfast and ran to the Five Flavors Bookstore, telling his parents he wouldn't be back for lunch or dinner. He had already asked his mother for permission to help his cousin.

After seeing his cousin off, Tong Yan was the only one left in the bookstore. Today, he would independently manage the store and experience the feeling of being in charge.

It was still early, and there were no customers. Tong Yan didn't rush to read "The Legend of the Little Soldier." Instead, he first checked what books were in the store and where each book was located. This way, when a customer came looking for a specific book, he could quickly determine if the store had it and find it immediately, making it convenient for both the customer and himself.

Tong Yan had a natural affinity for books. Based on this, he quickly memorized the store's inventory and their locations, giving him more confidence in managing the store.

After preparing, Tong Yan finally opened "The Legend of the Little Soldier" and started reading.

However, he had only read two pages when a customer came in. It was a slightly handsome boy with small eyes, about the same age as Tong Shan, probably a middle school student.

This customer was clearly a regular. He glanced at Tong Yan and asked, puzzled, "Why is there a new owner?"

Tong Yan stood up and explained, "The owner is my cousin. He has something to do today, so I'm helping him watch the store."

"Oh, I see," the boy nodded, "I'm here to return a book and borrow another one."

Liu Ming had explained this situation to Tong Yan. No additional deposit was needed. He just needed to find the customer's name in the ledger, cross out the previous book, and replace it with the new one, with the time counted from the previous book. Of course, he had to check if the previous book was damaged, and if it was intentionally damaged, the customer would be held responsible.

The book the boy wanted to return was "A Vague Journey." When Tong Yan heard this, he had a similar feeling to "The Legend of the Little Soldier." He vaguely remembered another book that was often mentioned alongside these, but he couldn't recall it. Why did his mind always have these strange thoughts!

Putting those thoughts aside, Tong Yan found the boy's borrowing record by his name. He was called Zhang Xiao, and he had borrowed "A Vague Journey" the day before. Tong Yan was somewhat surprised as he weighed the thick book, which was even thicker than "The Legend of the Little Soldier." What a talent, to finish such a thick book in just two days.

Tong Yan was updating Zhang Xiao's borrowing record when the boy started looking for a book on the shelves. Tong Yan could tell he was looking for a specific book but couldn't find it, so he asked, "What book are you looking for?"

"I remember you have 'The Legend of the Little Soldier.' I've already read 'A Vague Journey' and 'Journey to the Immortal,' so I just need 'The Little Soldier' to complete the three great oddities," Zhang Xiao muttered.

Tong Yan cursed inwardly, "You little brat, why do you have to read 'The Legend of the Little Soldier'!"

Liu Ming hadn't mentioned this situation, but Tong Yan had his own thoughts. Since he was in charge, he should prioritize the store and business. Reading the book himself wouldn't generate any value, but renting it out would earn him a yuan a day. So, he proactively found "The Legend of the Little Soldier" for Zhang Xiao.

"Here you go, I just flipped through it," Tong Yan implied that he was deeply engrossed and suggested Zhang Xiao choose another book.

The boy didn't catch the hint, quickly took the book, and picked a middle school English tutoring book, ready to leave.

Tong Yan couldn't hold back any longer and finally asked, "By the way, what are the three great oddities you mentioned?"