A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

November 26th, Saturday.

When Zhou Min arrived at Nanjing Road, it was only 8:40. Xinhua Bookstore opened at 9:00, so she had 20 minutes to spare. She then took out her phone and sent a text message to Xiao Lin: "I've arrived. How much longer do you have?"

The reply was quick: "Traffic jam, about fifteen minutes. Get in line first! Don't let them all get it!"

Zhou Min glanced at the empty bookstore entrance—there were only two people in line: an old man in a military green cotton-padded jacket and a middle school student with a backpack. The old man was carrying a bag of fried dough sticks and looking down at his phone, while the middle school student was squatting on the ground with an English textbook spread out on his knees.

Zhou Min replied with a text message, "What's the rush? There are only three people at the door, one buying study materials and the other buying fried dough sticks."

"People who buy fried dough sticks are also buying books?"

"It's possible to buy books and then fried dough sticks, or it's possible to buy fried dough sticks and then books; the order doesn't matter."

After sending the text message, Zhou Min put her phone in her pocket, walked to the bookstore entrance, and stood there. The old man in front of her turned around, glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a second, and then spoke: "Young lady, are you here to buy that too?"

"Which one?"

"That...that book about spiders. My granddaughter wants it; she called last night saying, 'Grandpa, you absolutely have to buy it for me tomorrow.'"

After the old man finished speaking, he pulled a fried dough stick out of the bag and took a bite.

How old is your granddaughter?

"She's eight years old, in second grade. Last night she told me that all her classmates are talking about this book, and whoever can't buy it will be out of the loop."

About five minutes later, the number of people at the bookstore entrance gradually increased. A girl in a pink down jacket jogged over, holding a cup of coffee, panting as she joined the queue behind Zhou Min. Not long after, a young couple arrived; the boy held the girl's hand, and the girl held a slip of paper with the book titles written on it in her other hand. A few minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase walked over. Standing in the queue, Zhou Min glanced back and saw that there were already more than a dozen people in line. She looked down at her phone; it was 8:55.

She ran up to Zhou Min, bent over and took a few breaths, then took off her scarf from her neck. "It's so congested. I sat in the car for forty minutes, my butt is completely flat."

"It wasn't that much perky to begin with."

"You're just plain stupid!!!"

It's 8:59. The line has already grown to more than twenty people.

A rustling sound came from inside, and the roller shutter began to roll up.

"It's open! It's open!"

"Let go, it hurts."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kobayashi let go of her hand.

The old man in front of me was the first to go in. He walked to the cashier, glanced at her, and asked, "Young lady, where... the book about spiders?"

The cashier thought for a moment, "The fairy tale section, on the right as you enter, the third row of bookshelves."

The old man nodded, turned and walked to the right. Zhou Min followed behind him. When they reached the third row of bookshelves, she immediately spotted the book.

The pale green cover stands out quietly among a pile of brightly colored children's books. A large gray spider hangs on its web, while a pink pig stands below, looking up.

Zhou Min stood in front of the bookshelf, picked up a book. The book was heavier than she had imagined. She took two books, and Xiao Lin next to her also took two books. The two of them walked towards the cashier.

Finally, it was Zhou Min's turn. She placed the four books on the counter, and the cashier scanned the barcode. "Four books for a total of one hundred."

Zhou Min took out a hundred-yuan note and handed it over. The cashier put the books into two bags, two books in each bag. Zhou Min took the bags, carried one bag in her hand, and handed the other bag to Xiao Lin.

Zhou Min turned around and said, "Let's go to the noodle shop."

"Going again? Last time we waited in line for forty minutes."

"It's Saturday today, so if we go early, there shouldn't be that many people," Zhou Min said as she walked towards the door.

Kobayashi caught up, "Why are you so obsessed with this noodle shop?"

"It's not an obsession with noodle shops. After reading 'Spring Blossom Noodle Shop,' I felt that the shop had a magical charm." Zhou Min pushed open the bookstore door, and a gust of cold wind hit her. She pulled her scarf up a little. "Are you coming or not? If not, I'll go by myself."

"Go away, you're already here." Kobayashi sighed.

The two walked across Nanjing Road and turned into the alley. There were already people in the alley—not people queuing, but several reporters carrying cameras, setting up their equipment in front of the noodle shop.

"What's going on?" Kobayashi was taken aback.

Zhou Min was also stunned. She stood there, watching the female reporter in red speak to the camera, her voice coming through intermittently—"...It's this Chunhua Noodle Shop...an article in 'Story Club'...the proprietress Zhou Chunhua..."

Kobayashi leaned closer. "Seriously? This is ridiculous! Reporters are here?"

"It's news, the long queues at the Nanjing Road Sports Center are considered news about people's livelihoods," Zhou Min said, pulling Xiao Lin forward.

The line outside the noodle shop was much shorter than last time, with only about a dozen people.

Zhou Min walked to the end of the line. In front of her was the middle-aged man who had been queuing at the bookstore earlier. He glanced at the bag in Zhou Min's hand and asked, "You came here after buying books too?"

Zhou Min held up the bag in her hand. "Yes, I just bought his book from the bookstore. Did you buy yours too?"

"Yes, I'll grab some noodles after I buy everything."

The line moved forward a few meters, and the female reporter in red at the entrance had finished her interview and was watching the playback with the cameraman. The cameraman shook his head, probably because the footage wasn't good. The female reporter frowned, straightened her clothes, and prepared to record again.

"One more take." The female reporter took a deep breath and gave the camera her standard smile. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am currently on Nanjing Road..." Her voice was gentle and sweet, a stark contrast to her previous frowning and complaining demeanor.

Xiaolin whispered, "His face changes faster than my mom's."

Zhou Min couldn't help but laugh.

After a while, it was finally Zhou Min's turn. The door opened with a creak—exactly the same as when Zhou Min first came.

Zhou Chunhua looked up from the pot and saw Zhou Min. She recognized her immediately. "You're here again? The one from last time?"

"Yes, it's me, I'm here again." Zhou Min walked in, found a corner seat and sat down, with Xiao Lin sitting opposite her.

Zhou Chunhua walked over carrying a tray with two bowls of noodles on it, placing them steadily on the table. "Are you here to eat noodles or to buy books today?"

"Come on, everyone, I just bought his book from the bookstore." Zhou Min held up the bag to show her.

Zhou Chunhua glanced down, her smile deepening. "This is it? The one Xiaonan wrote?"

"Yes. Charlotte's Web is a story about a spider and a little pig."

"This child is really promising; he can write a book at only sixteen. My son is also sixteen, and he plays video games all day long." After saying this, Zhou Chunhua turned and went back to the kitchen.