Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Most second-hand transactions are highly unpredictable because there is no clear set of rules; the asking price entirely depends on which party can bluff the other better.

Shan Ling had previously seen Shen Qingyi buy a few second-hand books and had taken the opportunity to look at them while they were being delivered by courier.

The second-hand books Shen Qingyi collects are mainly original editions, which are indeed difficult to read but also have high collection value. If the craftsmanship of the book is even better, the collection value increases even more.

For example, on Shen Qingyi’s bookshelf, there is a book about gemstones, which is strictly speaking not a book but a small box, placed on the bottom shelf.

In addition to pictures, the book also contains tiny, genuine gemstones, each one authentic. Shan Ling heard that Shen Qingyi spent over 30,000 yuan to acquire it.

Shan Ling doesn’t have that much money to buy such expensive gemstone books for her, so she can only search on some second-hand websites to see if she can find any peculiar books.

In the second-hand book trading forum, Shan Ling saw many people looking for specific books, and many people selling their collected books, with prices varying greatly, some dozens or hundreds, others thousands.

“Why are these things so different in price?” Shan Ling held the tablet computer, scrolling with her finger, looking at the posts on the forum.

On the used goods website, there are many second-hand book transactions. Whether selling or buying, the posts specify the book title, price, and other details. If possible, pictures are also attached, allowing people to more intuitively see the current condition and a small sample of the book’s content.

It was a rare weekend. Shan Ling sat on the balcony basking in the sun. The winter sun was the warmest, making her feel like she was melting. She had yawned several times while nestled in the chair browsing the posts.

A few small birds were chatting outside the window, chirping about their daily affairs. Shan Ling treated their sounds as background music, aimlessly scrolling through the posts on her tablet.

Just then, Shen Qingyi walked out of the study on the phone. She went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Shan Ling could hear her talking in the kitchen, seemingly finalizing a transaction.

“Just send the item over. Our working hours end at 5 PM, so you can deliver it after five.”

The sound of the kettle boiling water started up. Shan Ling heard Shen Qingyi “hmm” twice to the person on the other end of the phone, then said “thank you for your effort” before hanging up.

“Is it about the coffee shop?” Shan Ling tilted her head and asked, looking towards the kitchen.

Shen Qingyi didn’t immediately realize Shan Ling was talking to her. She paused for a moment before saying, “Yes, a machine we purchased earlier has arrived. They said they can deliver it tomorrow.”

“Do they have to wait until after we finish work to deliver it?” Shan Ling asked curiously, lying on the chair.

“Yes.” Shen Qingyi poured a glass of hot water and walked out of the kitchen, saying, “It’s not good to move things in front of customers, and we also need to test it. Nuonuo and I will both have to work overtime then.”

“Then I’ll work overtime with you too,” Shan Ling walked over from the balcony, holding her tablet, and said to Shen Qingyi, “It’s not right if you both work overtime and I’m the only one with nothing to do.”

Shen Qingyi thought about it. It would be good to have Shan Ling accompany them if she had to work overtime. Three people are always more efficient than two, so she smiled and said, “Okay, then the three of us will work overtime tomorrow. I’ll treat you two to dinner afterwards.”

Shan Ling nodded happily.

“But you don’t need to help move things. Isn’t your waist still hurting a bit?” Shen Qingyi leaned against the dining table, her gaze lingering on Shan Ling’s waist as she asked concernedly, “If it hurts, tell me. You still need more rest.”

“I think I’m fine now. It doesn’t hurt when I bend over or lift things,” Shan Ling said with a smile. “Even the doctor praised my recovery, so you don’t need to worry too much about me.”

Shen Qingyi’s eyes were filled with a smile. She took a sip of hot water, then looked at the tablet in Shan Ling’s hands and asked, “I’ve seen you holding this tablet these past two days, not watching TV or playing games. What are you browsing?”

Hearing this, Shan Ling quickly hid the tablet behind her back, laughing as she took two steps back: “Nothing, just casually looking at forums.”

“Forums?”

“No, I’m not just looking at forums. I’m looking at everything, just browsing around.”

Shen Qingyi slightly narrowed her eyes at Shan Ling’s “protesting too much” explanation. She said to Shan Ling, “The crackdown is strict now, don’t visit too many adult websites.”

Shan Ling was slightly stunned: “What are adult websites?”

Shen Qingyi winked at her, took a drink of water to hide her smile, and said, “Nothing. I have other things to attend to. You enjoy yourself.”

Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi returning to the study, confused. She then glanced at the tablet in her hand, tilting her head in confusion.

The next day, the coffee shop still had many customers.

Monday was a bright and clear day. The sun has been this bright these past few days, and the temperature has risen by five or six degrees compared to last week. Wearing just a base layer in the coffee shop makes one feel a little warm, suggesting the arrival of spring.

“Spring will begin right after the Spring Festival,” Nuonuo made herself a latte and stirred the coffee with a small steel spoon, saying with emotion, “Spring is coming soon~”

Shan Ling nodded upon hearing this. She really liked spring. To be precise, no small animal dislikes spring.

A small mountain sparrow like Shan Ling naturally likes it even more, as it signifies a brand-new beginning for everything.

“Did Yiyi tell you about working overtime today?” Shan Ling played with the towel in her hand boredly, leaning against the wall next to Nuonuo and chatting with her: “She said some machine is arriving today, and it can only be delivered after closing time, so we have to work overtime for a while.”

“Yes, the boss told me this morning,” Nuonuo said leisurely, sipping her coffee. “This machine is a German-imported coffee machine. With it, my coffee-making skills can reach a new level!”

She didn’t have anything to do at home anyway, and since it was a rare request for overtime from Shen Qingyi, she couldn’t refuse, so she immediately agreed.

Shan Ling widened her eyes at the comment: “Will the machine-made coffee be better than yours?”

Nuonuo smiled and whispered, “It’s mainly for cutting corners. Actually, my hand-poured coffee is still tastier. It just helps me out.”

“Then if a new coffee machine is brought in, what about the old one?”

“The old ones still have their uses, they are all still usable, we are just adding a new partner.”

Shan Ling didn’t fully understand coffee-making. All the coffee machines, big and small, in the back kitchen were used by Nuonuo and Shen Qingyi. Even when she brewed tea, she only needed boiling water and sugar and didn’t understand anything else.

The two chatted for a few more sentences before separating when a customer came to order.

The day passed quickly. Shan Ling occasionally tried to contact the missing Fang Ran these days, but still couldn’t reach her. Occasionally, the other party would reply to her, but only after a day’s delay.

Fang Ran seemed to have gone to a new city. There weren’t many high-rise buildings there. Although it was a bit underdeveloped, Fang Ran liked it and planned to stay there for a short period.

As for Song Qinglan, there was even less news of her.

Her Weibo hadn’t been updated, and a big celebrity’s schedule is usually confidential, so an ordinary citizen like Shan Ling couldn’t find out.

At 5 PM in the evening, customers gradually left, and Shen Qingyi hung up the “Temporarily Closed” sign at the door.

“The driver just contacted me. He’s almost here, but there’s a bit of a traffic jam, and he’s not very familiar with the route,” Shen Qingyi walked in from outside and said to the two people sitting nearby, “Nuonuo, come out with me to meet the driver later. Shan Ling, you stay here and look after the shop.”

Shan Ling and Nuonuo both nodded.

“Is it cold outside?” Shan Ling glanced at the sky outside and said, “You two should wear more clothes when you go out, don’t catch a cold.”

“Xiaoling is so gentle, even reminding us to wear more clothes.” Nuonuo teased Shan Ling with a smile for a couple of sentences, then realized it might not be appropriate to tease the boss’s partner in front of the boss, so she stopped smiling and seriously said to Shen Qingyi, “Boss, let’s wait at the intersection then. Isn’t he arriving soon?”

“Yes,” Shen Qingyi also nodded, looked at Shan Ling, and said, “Don’t sit out here. It’s quite cold with the heating turned off. Go rest in the locker room and turn on the air conditioning.”

After arranging the division of labor for the three, Shen Qingyi put on her jacket and went out with Nuonuo.

As soon as they stepped out, they were met by a cold wind. Nuonuo shivered, then jogged to catch up with Shen Qingyi who was walking ahead.

At this moment, Nuonuo didn’t know if she was seeing things, but she saw a man in a black jacket flash past from the side alley. At the end of that alley was a garbage station.

“Boss, I think I just saw someone pass by,” Nuonuo caught up to Shen Qingyi and reported the situation to her.

Shen Qingyi looked back. The sky was already beginning to darken, and the surroundings were almost completely dark. There was only a slight orange glow on the horizon. The streetlights on both sides of Central Park were quietly lit, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“It’s probably just someone passing by at this hour,” Shen Qingyi turned back and said to Nuonuo, “It’s already dark. Let’s finish moving things and get off work. I’ve already promised Shan Ling we’d eat together. You can start thinking now about what would be good to eat.”

“Hey, the boss is treating again?” Nuonuo immediately forgot about the man who flashed past, leaned in and said with a smile, “Is something good happening that you’re treating me to dinner? Seriously, Boss, why haven’t you managed to win over Shan Ling after more than two months? Aren’t you really worried someone else will steal her away?”

Shen Qingyi glanced at her, and said helplessly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense,” Nuonuo wrapped her coat tighter against the cold wind and said to Shen Qingyi, “Xiaoling is a great girl. I can see she has feelings for you too. Boss, are you really not planning to make a move? Maybe she’s waiting for you to confess.”

In fact, it wasn’t just Nuonuo; Shen Qingyi also knew that Shan Ling had a different feeling towards her.

They ate and slept together, even living under the same roof.

But Shen Qingyi wasn’t sure if Shan Ling could accept her, and the most crucial point was that Shen Qingyi didn’t want to confess.

She felt that whether Shan Ling was willing to accept her or not, Shen Qingyi had no reason to harm a perfectly good girl. Being with Shen Qingyi meant that one day she might lose control and do things like her mother did.

Even though Zhou Shu and Shen Hongjun both said she wouldn’t have a relapse, who could truly guarantee it?

Shen Qingyi sighed inwardly and said to Nuonuo, “I don’t plan to confess, and I don’t want her to know I have feelings for her. Don’t talk nonsense in front of her again. Shan Ling is a very good girl. Don’t cause her unnecessary trouble.”

Nuonuo was stunned upon hearing this. She looked at Shen Qingyi’s lowered eyes and stopped in place.

After a moment, she puffed up her cheeks and said angrily, “Boss, if you don’t confess, how will you know if Xiaoling has feelings for you? If you don’t take the initiative, how can the two of you have a story? Boss, trust me on this, Xiaoling definitely likes you, Boss!”

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