Late Night Bookstore - Chapter 21

Dr. Lin got out of the car just as Zhou Ze was walking over. The two of them had a tacit understanding, neither speaking a word as they silently made their way to the other entrance of the mall.

This mall was already “dead”. Other than the small shops run by Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang, there was only a cinema and a buffet restaurant still in operation. Due to the overarching economic downturn, the cinema was likely running at a loss as well. On regular days, very few people came to watch movies here, making it easy to buy a ticket and have the whole theater to yourself.

However, because it was the New Year season and most people were on holiday, it became common for families to go to the movies together, adding a rare touch of liveliness to this otherwise deathly quiet cinema.

However, in Zhou Ze’s eyes, this apparent liveliness seemed more like the final flare of life before death. The great edifice was on the verge of collapse—when the nest is overturned, not a single egg remains intact.

Zhou Ze bought the tickets and a couple’s combo, checked the time, and then walked into the cinema with Dr. Lin.

Because they arrived a bit late and Zhou Ze had bought tickets for the next immediate showing, all the good seats were already taken. Zhou Ze and Dr. Lin could only sit in the first row.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t wait for the next showing, but the mall had nothing else to see, and since “Neon Street Detective 2” was a 2D movie, sitting in the first row wasn’t too bad.

Dr. Lin had been quiet the entire time, and now, she silently crossed her legs and looked up at the screen.

Zhou Ze handed the popcorn to her, but Dr. Lin shook her head, indicating she didn’t want any.

Zhou Ze sighed. As someone who had been single his entire past life, pursuing a woman was a completely unfamiliar territory.

The movie was quite humorous, and Zhou Ze would occasionally laugh. Dr. Lin also laughed from time to time, but her laughter was quiet, restrained, and very beautiful.

However, to Zhou Ze, the atmosphere of this movie didn’t quite match his expectations.

It felt a bit bland, like a dish with no salt.

When the movie ended, Zhou Ze and Dr. Lin walked out side by side. It was only seven o’clock—not too late—but outside the cinema, the rest of the mall was already pitch black.

Dr. Lin continued to walk silently, merely following Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to begin.

He was the one who had said he wanted to end things yesterday, so if he suddenly acted overly enthusiastic today, would she think he was crazy?

“Want to come to my bookstore…”

“Want to sit at your bookstore for a while…”

Both seemed to be trying to break the awkwardness and came up with the same idea simultaneously.

Back at the bookstore, Zhou Ze noticed the noodle shop was already closed, with its shutter door unusually pulled down. He didn’t know if Xu Qinglang was still in the shop.

Dr. Lin picked up a magazine and sat in a chair behind the counter. Zhou Ze grabbed a book as well and sat beside her, casually flipping through it.

Two cups of hot tea steamed gently on the table.

Zhou Ze suddenly felt he had no right to mock Xu Le anymore. After all, he had just turned his first date into something so literary and courteous that it was worthy of a slap on the face as a reward!

“So, you’re not closing up now?” Dr. Lin asked, hinting that she wanted to leave. After all, it was already late, and if Zhou Ze were to close the store, she could take the opportunity to say goodbye.

“Oh, I usually open in the evenings.” Zhou Ze didn’t catch her implication and answered truthfully.

Dr. Lin was momentarily speechless. She smiled, gently brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, and continued reading her book.

Creak…

The bookstore door opened, and in walked two men and a woman.

They looked young, just over twenty. The two men were clearly drunk, with one of them flushed red from the alcohol.

“Boss, do you have water?” the woman asked.

Zhou Ze pointed at the water dispenser on the wall.

The woman poured a few cups of hot water for her friends and then walked up to the counter, asking, “How much?”

She took out her phone, clearly preparing to scan a QR code for payment.

“Thirty.” Zhou Ze replied.

“Wow, boss, it’s New Year’s and you’re still charging so much. Thirty yuan for three cups of purified water?” the woman laughed and complained, but still paid the amount. She then turned to her two male companions and said, “Let’s rest here and read some books.”

They were treating the bookstore as a temporary rest stop, and the thirty yuan Zhou Ze charged was like the minimum spend required at a teahouse, which was understandable.

“Read? What’s there to read?”

The slightly tipsy man shouted loudly, “I want to read ghost stories, horror novels. Do you have any here?”

He laughed uproariously at his own words.

Zhou Ze sighed, took out two collections of horror stories from under the counter, walked over to the man, and handed them to him, while subtly brushing his fingers against the man.

Hmm, he’s human, not a ghost.

Tonight’s date had already been a failure, and Zhou Ze didn’t want Dr. Lin to experience another “Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts¹” like with those five migrant workers. He didn’t want that at all.

If it’s a human, that’s fine. Even if he’s drunk, he’s still cute.

Zhou Ze didn’t bother to touch the other two, as it would be inconvenient.

The drunk man sat down, and his male and female friends also sat on plastic stools, casually flipping through books while occasionally playing with their phones.

It seemed they just wanted to get their thirty yuan’s worth.

“What kind of nonsense is this ghost story?” The man tossed the book aside, coincidentally landing it near the water dispenser.

The woman went to pick up the book, only to find it was wet because she had spilled some water earlier.

“Boss, how much is it?”

“The marked price is 20% off.” Zhou Ze was quite amused. These three young people had surprisingly good manners.

Of course, Zhou Ze secretly wished the drunk man would throw every book off the shelf and dirty them all, so he could clear out his stock.

The woman reluctantly scanned to pay and then turned to the drunk man, “Let’s go. Stop making a fuss.”

“What kind of ghost story is this? The writer clearly hasn’t seen a ghost.” The drunk man insisted.

Zhou Ze lightly responded, “Hmm, you’ve probably seen a ghost before… right in front of you.”

“I’m not going back. I won’t sleep tonight!” the man continued, “Every time I go home, I see a ghost. Every time I sleep, I see a ghost. I’d rather spend the night here at the bookstore. At least here, I won’t see any ghosts!”

“……” Zhou Ze.

Dr. Lin put down her book and looked at the drunk man, evidently finding this interesting.

“Oh, Liu Ge, is your house haunted?” The other male companion teased.

The woman gave him a sharp look, signaling him to stop making trouble.

“Go to hell! Your house is haunted!” The drunk man stood up, “Damn it, every New Year, that ghost only comes to me, doesn’t bother the others. I’ve got three brothers, a sister, plus my parents and grandparents, but it doesn’t go after them, just me!”

“A female ghost?” The male companion teased again.

“If it were a female ghost, that’d be fine. But it’s a female… dog!”

“Pfft!”

The two companions of the drunken man instinctively laughed.

Even Zhou Ze and Dr. Lin lowered their heads, coughing a few times. It was genuinely funny.

Especially when the drunk man’s face was full of grievance as he explained it wasn’t a female ghost but a female dog.

His heart was bitter, and he wanted to vent after getting drunk!

“Every New Year, during those few days, it comes for me! Every time I fall asleep, it appears. Damn it!”

Although the drunk man was venting his frustration, he remained somewhat restrained, not making people feel threatened—if anything, it was quite amusing.

“It started seven years ago and has continued ever since. Every New Year’s, it shows up on time, more punctual than my parents giving me New Year’s money!” He held his head and squatted down, crying, “Damn it, I can’t live like this anymore!”

“What’s going on? Do you know that dog?” the male companion asked.

“It was a dog we raised before. Because it tore up the money my dad hid under the bed, we killed it and ate it.”

“It must be the dog refused to accept it and came back for revenge.” The male companion analyzed.

“Damn it, I don’t get why it only targets me? Back when we killed the dog, it was me, my brothers, my dad, and my grandpa! When we ate it, it was the whole family together. We just treated it as an extra dish for the New Year! The dog chewed up five thousand yuan—it deserved to be eaten! But why does it hold a grudge only against me?”

The drunk man nearly wailed, “I’ve asked around. My brothers, my dad, my grandpa—they’re all fine. Why just me?”

“You’re drunk. Let’s go. I’ll take you home.” The woman helped him up, signaling the male companion to assist.

The group left the bookstore, and the lively atmosphere turned quiet again.

“Why do you think that is?” Dr. Lin looked at Zhou Ze, uninterested in the truth of the matter, merely engaging in small talk after hearing a story. “Why does the dog only target him? Does he have something unique about him?”

“You’re really interested in this?” Zhou Ze asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” Dr. Lin nodded.

Zhou Ze smiled, “Actually, it’s simple. To understand a dog’s mindset, you have to put yourself in its place.”

“What do you mean?” Dr. Lin smiled softly, “It’s hard to put yourself in a dog’s shoes.”

Indeed, how could a human think like a dog?

“A dog’s soul coming back for revenge is because it harbors resentment,” Zhou Ze explained. “This should be similar to human emotions.”

“Then why doesn’t it go after the other family members?”

“Perhaps it has to do with the money. The dog was mischievous and tore up part of it, but another portion may have been secretly taken by this guy when he was still young. So, the dog felt it was unfair. It tore up the money, got punished, killed, and eaten—it felt it got what it deserved. But why—

Why does that person, who also stole part of the money, get off scot-free? So, it’s not satisfied. It doesn’t go after the other family members, only him.”

Dr. Lin shook her head, somewhat surprised. “It was just a drunken man’s nonsensical story, but your analysis makes it sound like it’s real.”

Zhou Ze walked over to where the group had been sitting and found a wallet on the ground. He picked it up and walked to the door.

At that moment, the woman came running back.

“Excuse me, there’s a…”

Zhou Ze handed her the wallet.

“Thank you so much!” The woman bowed in gratitude, “If that guy went home tonight without his wallet and documents, his family would have scolded him again.”

“It’s fine.” Zhou Ze waved it off.

The woman waved back and then hurried to catch up with her friends.

Under the moonlight,

As the woman ran,

Beneath her coat,

There seemed to be a fluffy yellow tail gently wagging…

TL Notes:

1. “Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts,” is a cultural reference originating from Japanese folklore, known as “百鬼夜行” (Hyakki Yagyō). It refers to a mythical event where a procession of demons, ghosts, and supernatural beings roams the streets at night. Anyone who encounters this parade may suffer harm or even death.