Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Outside an antique shop in an old neighborhood in the city center, Shen Qingyi struggled to park her car in the alley. The road here was extremely narrow, and with various debris and vehicles piled up on both sides, it could barely accommodate one car.

Having been here many times, Shen Qingyi knew it was better to park farther away than to try to squeeze in; it was easy to get in, but very difficult to get out.

After finally parking the car, Shan Ling withdrew her head and told Shen Qingyi, “I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

In fact, this alley wasn’t far from where Shan Ling often wandered in the city center. The two had even shopped in the commercial street across the way, but she had no idea there was an antique shop hidden deep inside this alley.

The shop was very inconspicuous, surrounded by a school and residential areas. The midday sun was blocked by the tall buildings nearby, making the entire alley look dim and gloomy.

It was tolerable on a sunny day, but during the rainy season, the alley would likely be covered in moss.

“I only found out about this place through a friend’s recommendation,” Shen Qingyi got out of the car, held Shan Ling’s hand, and stepped over a railing that was only shin-high. She told her, “It’s still a bit of a walk inside. This used to be a stone slab road, which got muddy on rainy days. They only paved this cement road later, or it would be even harder to walk.”

Shan Ling nodded and walked further into the narrow alley entrance.

The alley was truly narrow. It was difficult enough for two people to walk side-by-side; carrying any bulky items would make it impossible to move.

“Is there really a shop here?” Shan Ling curiously looked at the grapevine extending from the wall. However, it was still cold, and the grapevines were mostly dead, leaving only brown and black withered branches clinging to the wall, creating a sense of broken decay.

Shen Qingyi led Shan Ling inside, chuckling: “If it hasn’t closed down, there should be a shop.”

After walking for about two minutes and turning a corner, Shan Ling saw a small uphill path.

The path was lined with several fruit trees, which were only slightly taller than Shan Ling. They grew scattered along the path, sheltered from the sun by the surrounding high-rise buildings, appearing mostly listless.

At the end of the path was an open iron gate. Beside the gate grew a few tall, nameless flowering branches and some evergreen shrubs. It was evident the owner was a thoughtful person who enjoyed life.

“This is the place,” Shen Qingyi led Shan Ling into the sign-less antique shop. Upon entering, she saw the courtyard was filled with various flowers and plants. Several birdcages hung under the eaves, with a few Hwamei birds singing loudly, instantly quieting down when people entered.

This was a shop converted from a residential building. The small courtyard was clean and tidy, with a stone table and chairs. This was also one of the few places that received sunlight, and the fruit trees in the courtyard grew much better than those by the roadside outside.

Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling were not the only customers in the courtyard. There were quite a few others. The shop owner was an old man with gray hair and reading glasses. He didn’t bother greeting customers and just sat at the counter, which caught the sun, flipping through an old newspaper from who knows when.

The customers in the shop were also very quiet. Some came in pairs, some were alone, and a few were students in school uniforms, likely from the nearby school.

Shen Qingyi gestured for Shan Ling to remain silent. She didn’t greet the owner but led Shan Ling into the shop. After passing a few shelves, they reached the last two rows dedicated to books.

“These are all the books here. The rest are other items. You can look around if you’re interested,” Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling. “Maybe you can find something very interesting.”

Shan Ling quietly and curiously asked, “What kind of interesting things?”

Shen Qingyi teased her with a smile: “Go look around, and you’ll find out.”

Shan Ling didn’t ask further. She nodded and looked around.

The two entire rows of bookshelves held many books, many of which Shan Ling had never heard of or seen before. There were also many English and foreign-language books, likely original editions.

These books were not very well preserved. An amateur like Shan Ling could tell that some books were already yellowing, and even those untouched in the corner had green mold growing on them.

As Shan Ling looked around, she suddenly caught sight of long, wine-red hair.

The person was on the other side of a bookshelf, standing with her back to Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi, focused on flipping through a book in her hands. She didn’t seem to notice the two people behind her.

It was Hu Aicai, whom they had met at Professor Hu’s house yesterday, the granddaughter with half-fox blood.

Shan Ling was genuinely startled. Shen Qingyi, who was holding her hand, naturally felt it. Following Shan Ling’s gaze, she looked over and also spotted Hu Aicai.

Perhaps their gaze was too intense, but after a short while, Hu Aicai turned her head and met the eyes of the two people standing not far behind her.

Shan Ling was still timid, but Hu Aicai was only a half-fox, and her presence was far less intimidating than Professor Hu’s. She didn’t seem very aggressive, which lessened Shan Ling’s sense of threat. Shan Ling held her ground in front of Shen Qingyi, showing no weakness.

Hu Aicai hadn’t expected to run into them here. She seemed to hesitate slightly, but eventually nodded, then turned her attention back to the book in front of her, no longer looking at them.

Being ignored?

Shan Ling felt somewhat strange. She stared at Hu Aicai for a few seconds, then looked at Shen Qingyi, asking with her eyes what they should do now.

Shen Qingyi seemed to be contemplating something. She looked at Hu Aicai’s back for a long time before telling Shan Ling, “Let’s look at our own things first. She doesn’t seem to want to greet us.”

In the quiet antique shop, everyone seemed to abide by the rule of silence. Even when they occasionally spoke, they did so in soft whispers, close to each other, without disturbing others.

If it weren’t for the fact that there were no seats other than the counter, many people would probably use this place as a study room.

Shan Ling originally planned to walk around Hu Aicai, but she realized there was no need. The other woman held her book and stood in the same spot, reading intently for half an hour without even raising her head.

Shen Qingyi loved books, so she also browsed the shelves, planning to find a few books that interested her.

Shan Ling wasn’t as interested in reading. Although she had once said she wanted to buy a gift for Shen Qingyi, she didn’t understand used books. Besides, books are interpreted differently by a hundred people, so Shan Ling wasn’t confident in her choice.

On the other shelves, Shan Ling discovered many interesting items.

There were pocket watches from the last century, old-looking porcelain basins with peony designs, silver jewelry, and various ornaments. These were things not commonly sold in shopping malls. Even on the more frequently used second-hand trading apps, such old items were rarely seen.

Shan Ling picked up a woven bamboo fan and gently fanned herself. This fan was woven with very thin bamboo strips, looking almost like grass stems if one didn’t look closely. It was very unique, and she wondered which artisan made it.

Besides the bamboo fan, Shan Ling also found a stable lantern.

She wondered how old the lantern was. Shan Ling examined it and smelled a hint of kerosene, suggesting it was likely a kerosene lamp.

The lamp was encased by four rectangular pieces of glass, converging at the top into a pyramid shape. A metal hook hung from the top, making it look very unique and having a retro charm.

Shan Ling thought the lamp was nice. Perhaps it could be a good decoration, hanging near the counter or outside the coffee shop once the renovations were complete.

It was her first time visiting the shop, and Shan Ling didn’t know how much this item would cost. Counting her small savings, she decided to buy it if it wasn’t too expensive.

“Yiyi.”

Just as Shen Qingyi walked over, Shan Ling pulled her to look at the lantern on the shelf and asked, “Do you know how much this costs? There’s no price tag.”

Shen Qingyi leaned in to look at it, examining the lantern and saying, “The items displayed here aren’t usually very expensive. The most expensive probably won’t exceed a thousand yuan. This lantern doesn’t look particularly exquisite in craftsmanship, mainly just having an antique style and being well-preserved. It probably won’t cost much.”

Kerosene lamps were products of the old society, so they were definitely not considered antiques. At most, they were old items with some collection value. Shen Qingyi guessed it wouldn’t cost much, though it would need a thorough cleaning after purchase.

But that wasn’t a major issue. Shen Qingyi was an experienced artisan; if books could be restored to their original state in her hands, a simple stable lantern was even easier.

Shan Ling was very happy at this. She took down the lantern and told Shen Qingyi, “It looks a bit dirty. It should be prettier after we clean it at home.”

The black lantern felt heavy in her hand. Shan Ling was thrilled to have found something she liked on her first treasure hunt. Contagiously affected by her smile, Shen Qingyi held the two books in her hands and said, “I’ve made my selections too. Let’s go pay the owner.”

The two took their items to the owner. The elderly man looked up from his old newspaper, glanced at the items they had selected, and slowly spoke: “That’ll be 310 yuan in total, young ladies.”

That cheap?

Shan Ling originally thought such old items would be very expensive. She was surprisingly wrong; adding the two books Shen Qingyi selected, the total was only a little over a hundred yuan, unexpectedly cheap.

Before Shen Qingyi could pay, Shan Ling settled the bill immediately. The old man stood up, wrapped the two books in old newspaper, and then took an insulated takeout bag to pack the lantern for Shan Ling. He then turned to ask the person behind Shan Ling, “What did you get?”

Shan Ling turned around and saw Hu Aicai standing behind her at some point. She glanced at Shan Ling, taking in the little mountain sparrow’s startled expression.

Hu Aicai’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes were unusually curious. She stared at Shan Ling for two seconds before turning to the shop owner and saying, “Just picked out a few books.”

The shop owner casually glanced at them, then suddenly commented, “You picked books on intangible cultural heritage. Few people read these kinds of books anymore. Since you have an affinity for them, I’ll charge you 30 yuan.”

Support