Zheng Qing stood in front of the San You Bookstore, looking bewildered.
From the age of eight, he trained with his master's calligraphy, he spent his childhood, adolescence, and youth in the San You Bookstore. Ten years can make people forget a lot of things, and it can also make people remember a lot of things.
Like the name of the bookstore, the layout of the bookstore, and the smell of the bookstore.
The San You Bookstore in front of him was just like the shop his master used to run, from the name to the layout, except the scent was slightly different.
Because this bookstore was closed, it carried the smell of abandonment.
The door was tightly shut, and a thick layer of dust had settled on the eaves of the house and the edges of the windows. It looked like no one had visited for a long time.
Zheng Qing leaned in, viewing through the dim glass into the bookstore, everything was pitch black.
There were one or two vague green dots.
He wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"The textbooks are at the Three Flavor Bookstore." Thomas called from not far away: "Over here!"
Zheng Qing slapped the dust off his hand and reluctantly left the window sill.
Inside the room, a Yellow Flowered Cat blinked, sneezing, and blew up a cloud of dust.
The situation of the two bookstores on either side of the stationery shop was completely contrasting.
The Three Flavor Bookstore had a lot of customers, and most of them were young people coming and going.
According to Thomas, this store, like Cloud Think Boutique, were both affiliated merchants of the First University. Many of the school's purchasing requirements were based on their standard.
"First University, the required textbooks for new students. Scholarship students." Thomas said concisely and clearly to the clerk behind the counter.
"Please wait." The clerk produced a professional standard smile, wrote a few words, crumpled the paper, and threw it away.
The crumpled paper floated into the air, turned into a flying crane, and gracefully flew to the back of the store along the aisle.
"Why is the bookstore next to it closed?" Zheng Qing watched the paper crane with envy while he casually asked: "The names of these two bookstores are so similar, do they have the same owner?"
His intuition told him that the closed San You Bookstore next door was the San You Bookstore his master used to run.
But why his master left here and secluded himself in that regular neighborhood is worth investigating.
Countless conspiracy theories, love, revenge, and many other plots of martial arts stories were rolling and spinning in Zheng Qing's mind.
He had to be careful, not fearing to cause trouble for the master.
The stiff smile on the face of the Three Flavor Bookstore's clerk didn't change at all. He looked straight ahead and showed no response to Zheng Qing's question.
Thomas glanced at him and answered leisurely: "Probably the owner was on business. There are so many closed shops in the mall, you should care more about the items on the list that haven't been purchased yet. I still have to drive thousands of miles tonight to fill out the report."
Zheng Qing felt that his gaze was profound, quickly extinguishing the desire to continue asking.
"Here are your things. Please, take them." The paper crane flew back to the counter carrying a paper box. The clerk, with an almost mechanized smile, opened the wooden box and pushed it in front of Thomas.
"Hmm." Thomas glanced at it and pulled Zheng Qing in front of the box: "Check the list."
Zheng Qing took out the list full of book titles and started counting one by one.
"The Standard Curse of Yao XiaoMi, Emma's Astronomy, Zhang SiMa's Basic Runes, Li QiHuang's Potion, Yi JiaZi's fortune-telling, Big History, Karl's Philosophy of Magic... What's this?" When he reached the end, Zheng Qing lifted a simply bound book and asked: "This is not on the book list, is it wrongly given?"
"This is the admission guide given to you by the school. Every year, new students get lost in the school, or accidentally hurt the kappa in Lin Zhong Lake. As a result, the veteran students of the student union compiled this book to help you avoid detours on campus." Thomas sighed: "Although the binding of this book is poor, the information inside is worth reading."
Zheng nodded, putting the "Entering First University" into the paper box.
"Hand over the checklist to the clerk." Thomas instructed.
Zheng Qing handed the greenish book list to the clerk with a rigid face.
The clerk held the paper up to his eyes, his eyes widened, and the eyeballs rolled out with a whirl, emitting two golden rays, scanning the book list several times.
When the book list was returned to his hands, Zheng Qing found that the rows of book titles on it had disappeared. The vanished names were resting safely in the boxes beside him.
"Don't you have space equipment?" Thomas curiously watched Zheng preparing to carry the box away, couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, you're talking about that, I have it." Zheng Qing couldn't help but look around, his face blush: "Before, the master wouldn't let me use it casually outside."
As he spoke, he reached into his chest and took out that palm-sized grey bag with golden runes, shook the bag's opening towards the stacked boxes.
The few boxes immediately turned into a stream of light and plunged into the bag.
"What a gorgeous pouch." The stiff-faced clerk suddenly struck up in a compliment at the side, startling Zheng Qing.
He had always thought that these clerks would only mechanically carry out tasks.
Before leaving the bookshop, Zheng Qing looked back at the San You Bookstore next door.
The deserted doorway looked so unique among the hustle and bustle of the Four Seasons Pavilion.
He decided to find the master as soon as he went home to clarify.
Thomas furrowed his brows, walking slowly at the front, seeming to be pondering something.
The two men fell into an oddly quiet atmosphere for a while.
It was not until they walked past several pet shops, where the chattering of the small animals in the cages outside broke the silence between them.
A Thin Falcon stood on the roof eaves looking majestic and proud, looking disdainfully at everything below.
Underneath the eaves in a mud nest, a few swallows showed their heads looking around. On the tusk of a nearby carrot, there were a few napping bats.
On the wall, two lizards stretched out their long claws, strolling leisurely about. Occasionally they stuck out their vibrant red tongues, threatening the buzzing flies around them.
On the open ground in front of the store, three kittens were beating up a fat rat. At the side, a rabbit was watching attentively with its carrot in hand.
"These little things are really fun!" Zheng Qing gritted his teeth at the miserable big rat, muttering to himself.
"Yes!" Thomas came back to his senses, a satisfied smile on his face: "The biggest difference between us wizards and the common people is our awe and love for nature and the bond we have with these natural companions. As a wizard, you may not like spells, but you will undoubtedly enjoy these little animals."
"Can I buy one then?" Zheng Qing perked up upon hearing this, quickly lifting his head, his eyes showing a trace of desire.
"No." Thomas shook his head decisively, "You are a scholarship student of the school, your scholarship is only enough for you to prepare learning tools. Even your living expenses are something you need to figure out on your own, let alone pets."