Xincheng Street was located in a prosperous city in Jiangdu. Itâs not a pedestrian street where people come and go because of the high-traffic road, but there was a community and school behind it as well as bustling commercial areas on either side of the road. There were shopping malls, movie theaters, various bourgeoisie restaurants, and cafes within a few steps. It could be said that it was a favorite area for young people.
Moreover, after being renovated, the sidewalks on either side had become famous scenic parts of Xincheng Street. The sidewalks were specially designed for the urban environment and were paved with multiple patterns of light-colored tiles, which were beautiful but not distracting. Green bushes and street lights with unique styles were placed beside the sidewalk, carefully separating the areas outside of it from the noisy main road.
There were also some transplanted cherry blossom trees among the green bushes, all of which were native species with delicate branches. The flowering period had already passed, but one could imagine the sight of the street becoming overcrowded in April next year.
The four lane road could be regarded as a large road in a prosperous urban area. There were specially painted brick-red bicycle lanes on either side, bringing a slow-paced comfort within the busy Jiangdu city.
âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ was a new bookstore located near the sidewalk of one of Xincheng Streetâs crossroads. Because of its strategic location, it was as prosperous as the âFlower Tea Gardenâ next to it.
Although there was âTeaâ in the names of both stores, âFlower Tea Gardenâ focused on the flower-filled ambiance within the shop, its own brand of scented teas, and the tea in the tea room of the shop, while âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ was a two-in-one combination of an ordinary bookstore and a coffee and milk tea shop. As a result, the main theme of the two stores were different. Each had its own audience and occasionally attracted the otherâs audience. Business was good, and the relationship between the staff of the two stores were also good.
He always thought that life and business on Xincheng Street would continue in an ordinary and lively manner, but one day, Xu Yuan, a summer worker at âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ and a sophomore in school suddenly noticed a very strange thing.
Between âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ and âFlower Tea Gardenâ⊠there was another shop!
It was eight oâclock in the morning when he discovered this. Xu Yuan, who was rushing to open the shop, got off the beautiful street bus with his bag, hurriedly walked to âCup of Tea Bookstore,â then found that the two shops he knew were suddenly separated by wizards from the wizarding world. There was a completely strange and impossible shop inbetween!
The street was an exact length. With such a store, how could it be possible that there was no impact at all?!
And the glass window of the shop looked very big, not like a small shop in an alley.
Xu Yuan subconsciously wanted to analyze the entire street and the shops he knew well, but when he carefully began to count and measure, he felt that his head begin aching and he was constantly dizzy.
âXu Yuan, whatâs the matter with you?â Walking out of the âFlower Tea Gardenâ was a clean-looking girl in a floral apron. She was Xu Yuanâs university classmate Su Yi. She wasnât a school flower or class flower. <sup>1</sup> She was an ordinary girl who smiled very warmly, and also the reason why Xu Yuan came to work at âCup of Tea Bookstore.â
Xu Yuan knew that âFlower Tea Gardenâ was Su Yiâs motherâs shop. She would work there throughout the holiday, so he went to work at âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ that was only separated from there by a wall. But now, there was an entire shop that appeared as if by magic in front of them!
âI donât know if my vision is blurry or if Iâm crazy⊠Su Yu, have you seen this store?â
The shop that Xu Yuan was looking at had a beautiful but easily overlooked sign with gold letters and a white background. Written on it was an inexplicable phrase âAn Yu Yi Yu.â But Xu Yuan didnât get too conflicted about the name of the store. After all, there were so many similar bourgeois literature and art shops on the street, and many were very charming. What he was conflicted about was the way the store appeared.
âOh, this shop seems to have opened last night. My mother said she rarely sees shops open at night.â Su Yiâs face was still smiling. âBut the shop had been empty for so long, itâs no surprise that a new shop would be opened.â
âNo, this store didnât exist at all yesterday!â Xu Yuan gestured anxiously with his hands. âArenât we the only two stores here?â
âYeah. It was closed before, and this new one only opened last night.â Su Yi and Xu Yuan werenât on the same page at all. They were taking it for granted.
âNo, Su Yi. Take a look at our street. How could there be a closed shop there? Our two shops were originally right next to each other. There were no other shops in between!â Xu Yuan looked a little agitated.
He didnât understand why Su Yi was so calm. Was it only him who thought the store was wrong?
âYouâre really weird today.â Su Yi took a step back, thinking that Xu yuan, who was talking loudly, was a bit scary. âStop talking. Iâm still counting the things in the store. It feels like a thief visited. Although there werenât many things lost, you should open your store right away, okay?â
Thief?
Xu Yuan heard Su Yi say this and put the impossible shop aside. He hurriedly took out the key and opened the door. After all, he was the last to leave the bookstore last night.
The layout of âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ was actually very simple. The boss divided the space in to two floors. The bottom was an ordinary bookstore, and the top sold coffee and milk tea. This layout reduced the number of people who sit in the bookstore and read but donât purchase, so more people who like to read can go upstairs and sit after buying a book. Business has been good.
As soon as Xu Yuan entered, he looked around and found that the shop was still as neat and tidy as it was when he left last night, without any signs of the cash register being tampered with. Xu Yuan was relieved.
As long as the money was safe, other problems werenât so bad. It was unlikely for a thief to break into a shop just to steal books, right?
âHello. Is the shop open yet?â
As soon as Xu Yuan wanted to go out to look at the shop, he saw a figure appear at the door of the bookstore. It was a stranger. Xu Yuan, who had been working in the store for nearly two months, had never seen anyone like him.
He was tall, pale, fair, and had long legs. Even without looking at his face, Xu Yuan felt that the other was the kind of person who would become famous when they stepped onto campus. He had a âstyleâ that would set off a reign of terror among the girls in the support group fan clubs.
After Xu Yuan saw his face clearly⊠Well, maybe both men and women would have bloody fights over him.
Almost no one could resist the silver chain from his glasses that crossed his elegant neck, the smiling eyes behind the lenses, and that face that seemed to only appear in oneâs mind when thinking of ideas to paint.
He didnât know why, but Xu Yuan suddenly felt that the visitorâs smile was a bit like Su Yi. But because of his extremely good looks, the warm smile was more dazzling than Su Yiâs, and it made his heart beat faster.
Xu Yuan felt that he was someone who had experienced many large winds and waves, who had seen things that ordinary humans had never seen before, but he still lost his mind when he saw people come near. He then reacted and said, âWelcome, we are already open for business.â
âThank you.â The visitor walked in with his long legs. His body and temperament were all top-notch. After entering the bookstore area, he made Xu Yuan, who was standing behind the cash register, stare at his back.
The feeling wasnât a sudden infatuation. Most people wouldnât suddenly fall in love based on anotherâs appearance. It was like Xu Yuan was seeing the most beautiful flower in the window of a flower shop. Although he had no money to buy it, he couldnât help but keep looking at it.
He watched the customer walk from the childrenâs area to the student guidance area, then the bestsellersâ area, then quickly walk to the counter with a few books, smiling and placing them beside the cash register.
It was reasonable to say the student guidance books shouldnât appear in a bourgeois place like âCup of Tea Bookstore,â but Xu Yuanâs boss couldnât resist the high profit from them during summer vacation. As a result, he still held a shelf of them, and the income wasnât bad.
But after seeing the customer in front of him buy â300 Sets of Selected Exercised for Early Education: Answer Manual,â Xu Yuan looked at him curiously. After all, this customer didnât look like he had a child. He may have bought it for his familyâs little brother.
Except for the answer manual, the customer bought some common bestsellers. It seemed there was nothing else strange.
âYour total is 114 yuan.â After Xu Yuan scanned all the books, he expertly packed them in a bag. âAre you paying by phone or cash?â
âCash.â
The customer put a few banknotes on the register, then took the bag of books from Xu Yuanâs hand. Xu Yuan lowered his head and counted the banknotes he had received, then realized that the customer had actually given him three 100 yuan pieces. He looked up and wanted to return the money, but found that the customer had turned and left. He even opened the door of the bookstore and walked out.
âVisitor!â
Xu Yuan rushed out, but he didnât find the visitor among the busy workers. If it werenât for the three banknotes still lying quietly on the cash register, Xu Yuan would even think that the person was just a fatigue-induced illusion.
Half an hour after âCup of Tea Bookstoreâ opened, the clerk who worked with Xu Yuan arrived late.
âQi-ge, have you seen the new shop next door?â Xu Yuan asked again without giving up.
âYeah. Thereâs a new store, but I canât tell what theyâre selling.â The full-time cashier replied casually, not at all surprised by the appearance of that store.
âDonât you think⊠that the shop seemed to have popped up out of thin air? Wasnât our neighbor âFlower Tea Gardenâ before?â Xu Yuan waited to hear the answer he wanted from the other party.
But the cashier just smiled and said, âXiao Xu, what are you talking about? Wasnât next door always empty?â
ââŠâŠâ
After transferring his current duties to his full-time colleague, Xy Yuan temporarily left the bookstore with the excuse that he hadnât eaten breakfast yet. He still couldnât figure out where the shop next door came from, so he decided to walk in and take a look.
Xu Yuan walked directly outside the store, looked up at the inconspicuous white and gold sign, then looked through the glass window into the shop. He saw that there were actually two flowerbeds in the window with tall plants growing inside. The plants looked like some kind of unblossomed flower, occupying two large spaces. Xu Yuan rarely saw people plant things inside their shops. After all, everyone had to pay attention to pest problems. This shop called âAn Yu Yi Yuâ obviously didnât care about those things.
Obviously the glass window was very transparent, but when Xu Yuan continued looking inside, he found that he couldnât see clearly because of his reflection in the mirror, so he hesitated for a while before simply opening the door and walking in.
âWelcome.â
After entering An Yu Yi Yu, Xu Yuan felt a little different. When the door was closed behind him, he found that the whole store was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and there seemed to be a refreshing fragrance in the air.
The decorations in the store consisted mainly of white wood. The wooden counters, wooden shelves, and wooden fences around the flowerbeds were all white with beautiful wood grain that looked quite natural. There also seemed to be a lot of greenery in the store. In addition to the flowerbeds, there were also climbing ivy vines on two shelves and enough large pots of green herbs to cover a person were placed on the counter.
A set of white, European-style round tables and chairs were also placed in the shop. The tables were decorated with young green dill.
At a glanceâŠ
Xu Yuan really didnât see what this store was selling.
There were tables, shelves, and flower gardens, but the store didnât feel like it was full of products like a normal store. He didnât know if it was because it just opened, but he didnât know what people would buy after a while.
Xu Yuan had been walking around inside for several minutes, and still didnât hear the âwelcomeâ that he should have heard.
There was one one âpersonâ in the store besides Xu Yuan. That person should be a store clerk. He wore a black shirt buttoned all the way to his neck, which was very snugly covered, but his face didnât look strained. His face was pale and his lips were reddish but tightly pressed. He had long eyelashes, and there were even some malicious spirit tattoos beneath them that looked like tail feathers were flying.
The other party stood quietly behind the counter. He was staring directly at the tablet in front of him, holding a stirring rod in his slender right hand, and preparing an unknown drink in a large glass jug. His fingers were dazzlingly pale. Their texture was like jade hidden underground for a long time, and a crisp sound was made occasionally when he hit the glass jug.
In short, he didnât even look at Xu Yuan who had entered the store.
âAhem.â Xu Yuan, who was ignored, couldnât help but cough lightly.
The âclerkâ who noticed the customerâs arrival finally turned his head and raised his eyebrows, but his eyes seemed to be looking at a big pumpkin in the field. <sup>2</sup>
At that time, Xu Yuan realized that the clerkâs eyes didnât seem to be black. Although the color was very dark and deep, the moment he raised his head, they seemed to appear a little red under the light.
Xu Yuan suspected that the other partyâs eyes were dark red, but he didnât know if the guy with the weird temperament had special contact lenses.
âGhost Umbrella, are there guests here?â The back door to the shop suddenly opened, and a figure that Xu Yuan was particularly familiar with came through the door. It was the customer who he had met in the bookstore who was either âgenerousâ or âcareless.â
âHow is it? Ye Ningâs prepared ingredients arenât bad, right? Drinking water and jugs have also been prepared for you.â The customer walked to the âclerkâ and leaned over slightly to look at the colorful glass teapot. He was near the clerkâs arm, with his eyelashes lowered and a smile on the corner of his mouth, making Xu Yuan, who was watching from the side, feel panicked.
The two people in front of him were completely different styles. The customer had a jade-like temperament and was gentle and elegant. When he reached out to gently adjust his glasses, the corners of his eyes seemed to have a slight smile, like a famous flower that blooms in warmth. But the clerkâs aura was cold, like he was full of monsters, like a dead branch on a bonsai. After an unknown period of time, a red flower suddenly appeared on the end of the branch.
The two people had different temperaments, but when they stood together, they looked like a blooming flower on a dead branch of a bonsai. It was quite a view.
After all⊠theyâre still good looking, right?
*
âSorry, what does the customer need?â When Su Zimo straightened up, he recognized that the new customer who walked in was the clerk from the bookstore next door, but he didnât know why he ran into An Yu Yi Yu and froze for a while. He just stood there motionless.
In the morning, in order to compensate for the small loss caused by the penniless ghost umbrella to the two neighboring shops, Su Zimo took money and ran to both sides. He also asked Ye Ning to prepare some scented tea and fruit tea ingredients from the house. The ghost umbrella who was addicted to making tea dispelled his notions of âborrowing from friendly neighbors.â
He didnât know if it was because it was daytime, but the special shopâs business had been poor. The only business that morning was a young lady who was in a hurry to leave. She spent a dollar to buy a pack of âNightmare Brand Toilet Paperâ from the store. The whole transaction process was smooth and ordinary.
Later, some people visited the store, but because they couldnât find the products they wanted inside, they shook their heads and walked out disappointed.
In the process of entertaining the guests, Su Zimo also discovered something strange. That is, the guests who enter An Yu Yi Yu seemed unable to see the goods on the second shelf. When Su Zimo guided them to the second shelf, every customer had a puzzled expression on their face. Some even got angry because they felt they were being messed with.
Su Zimo was almost certain that those ghost artifacts with stars couldnât be seen by ordinary people. Ordinary people could see ordinary products, while special people could see the special products.
Itâs just that, for the current An Yu Yi Yu, the ordinary products were too few and too crude.
âCustomer, what do you need?â Su Zimo saw that the bookstore clerk was still in a daze, so he could only ask again.
The little clerk kept looking around with weird eyes, sometimes looking at Su Zimo and Ghost Umbrella. It took a while before he said in a strained voice, âI. Sit for a while.â
With that said, the bookstore clerk walked to the white table and chairs and sat down carefully.
The set of white tables and chairs were found by Su Zimo in the warehouse behind the manor. They were tables and chairs that had been removed from the courtyard, but they still looked clean and intact. They also matched the white wood theme in An Yu Yi Yu.
Looking at the somewhat strained bookstore clerk sitting there, Su Zimo tapped his finger on the counter and whispered, âHow about pouring your special tea for our customer?â
Ghost Umbrella was looking at the fruit tea that was about to overflow from the jug. After listening to Su Zimoâs words, the red in his eyes seemed to darken. He immediately walked out from behind the counter with the glass jug in one hand. He was very relaxed, as if he couldnât feel the weight of the jug.
Placing a large glass cup from one hand in front of the customer, the ghost umbrella stood tall, straightened his back, and poured the fruit tea directly from the glass jug.
The customer seemed to be frightened of the way the tea was pouring from the ghost umbrellaâs hand, so he leaned his body back. But in the end, he was surprised to see that all the fruit tea was accurately poured into the glass. It was only full, not overflowing.
âUm⊠I didnât order a drink.â The customer rebuffed, but was frightened by the horrible stare of the ghost umbrella standing beside him, and he didnât dare to get up and leave.
Maybe itâs the relationship between peers, but the other party may see that the âsubstanceâ in the ghost umbrellaâs glass teapot was too extravagant, unlike the free lemonade offered by some generous shops to entertain customers.
âThis is a free gift. Customers can refill the cup after drinking.â Su Zimo glanced at the counter hidden by herbs, and saw that the six large glass jugs he asked the maid to prepare were all filled with Ghost Umbrellaâs âexperimental products.â If no one drinks them, they may ferment soon.
Although it seems that this kind of business venture was at a loss, Su Zimo never intended the store to be profitable in terms of human money.
Only if their service is good would the customers be willing to buy those products that contribute to his life savings, right?
Catching one is catching one!
Thinking of this, Su Zimoâs face filled with a spring breeze smile, and he looked at the customer who had just picked up the glass.
Since the cup of fruit tea was too full, the customer took a sip carefully. After tasting the refreshing sweetness of the fruit tea, he couldnât help but drink it all.
But even while holding the glass, the customer seemed to look through it at Su Zimo, who was standing at the counter.
Su Zimo bowed his head to finish the homework assigned by Su Hewen, so he didnât see the ghost umbrella looking down at the guest. The huge glass jug being held by two fingers tipped over again. The cup in the customerâs hand was filled with fruit tea from the sky before it was put down again.
âAh!â After finding the cup in his hand was filled again like magic, the customer almost dropped it, and hurried forward to take another sip.
âTh- Thank you.â He had to say that this⊠âamazingâ service could make people feel a little scared.
âYouâre welcome. Please concentrate on enjoying it.â Ghost Umbrella leaned forward slightly, emphasizing the word âconcentrate.â
It was clear that Su Zimo had returned to behind the counter, but the customerâs gaze couldnât help but follow him. After he drank most of the second cup of fruit tea in his hand, he lowered his head and realized⊠the cup was full again.
The glass used to entertain customers was very large, almost 600mL. Even if the first glass could be finished, it was impossible to be thirsty again after the second.
But in the blink of an eye, the customer actually drank four full cups under the ghost umbrellaâs gaze. He felt that he had to go to the restroom, but just as he was about to put down the cup and stand, he found that the cup of fruit tea⊠was full again.
âI think⊠I know what to buy.â The customer, Xu Yuan, a university student from the bookstore next door, hurriedly got up and scanned the various daily necessities of unknown brands on the first shelf. He then walked to the second shelf and randomly pointed to the mirror on top. âCan I buy this mirror?â
"
"
In the customerâs eyes, it was a European style round mirror carved with white flowers. It was a gift suitable for family members. It was also the only normal-looking product on the second shelf.
But as soon as the customerâs voice fell, Su Zimo stood up and walked to the second shelf from behind the counter. He asked in surprise, âYou can see this mirror?â
Su Zimo tried several times before. Ordinary customers who entered the shop couldnât see any products on the second shelf. The customer in front of him was the first one.
âThat was exactly my question when I saw your shop before.â The customer looked around the not-so-small shop. âThis shop seemed to pop up so suddenly between our shop and the flower tea shop next door. Itâs so strange that a space that didnât exist before was created between them.â
Su Zimo was certain that among the customers he had asked, the bookstore clerk in front of him was the only one who thought their store was strange.
âHello. Iâm Su Zimo, the owner of this store. Mo from pen and ink. I remember youâre from the bookstore next door?â
âYes. My name is Xu Yuan. Yuan from origin. Iâm a student who works in the bookstore next door.â
âYou must have been to some amazing places?â Su Zimo asked tentatively.
âEh?â Xu Yuan seemed puzzled when Su Zimo asked, and after thinking about it, he said, âOnly places that can be regarded as where normal people donât want to go.â
âIs it dangerous?â Su Zimo raised his eyebrows again.
ââŠâŠâ Xu Yuan was silent again, and continued speaking after a long time. âSometimes there are dangers, but I never go there alone, so the dangers can be overcome.â
âIt doesnât sound like a particularly good tourist attraction, but it sounds like Mr. Xu is forced to go.â Su Zimo looked at the mirror Xu Yuan picked at the beginning, and ran his slender fingers across it. âIn that case, I think our shop has more suitable products than this mirror.â
âReally?â Xu Yuan looked a little absent-minded. He didnât know whether it was because he wasnât interested in what he said, or because he was anxious to find the restroom.
âHow about this one?â Su Zimo picked up the exquisite perfume bottle next to him. He could see most of the liquid through the bottle. âMaybe youâll use it next time you travel.â
The label directly under the âperfumeâ said 200 yuan, so Xu Yuan waved his hand quickly and said with a smile, âSorry, I donât have a girlfriend, and I donât have a habit of spraying perfume on myself. We generally travel to remote areas, so thereâs also no time to waste on such things.â
âCustomer, youâre mistaken. This isnât perfume.â Boss Su arched his lips. âThis bottle is filled with âHoly Water,â which can be used to drive away malicious spirits and invading ghosts!â
When speaking the words âmalicious spirit,â Su Zimo also added a special emphasis. Then he saw Xu Yuanâs face pale while standing opposite him.
Sure enough, the source of customers for this store should be trainers or other non-human beings.
Translatorâs Notes:
~~~
XY: *stares at SZ*
BU: You look a little thirsty . Have some tea.
~~~
AYYY: *appears out of nowhere*
XY: What is this, harry potter?
Footnotes
<ol>Flower here means beautiful, popular girl. Looking at pumpkins in the field means his attention was focused elsewhere.</ol>