Miss Lin is a hunky VTuber today?

Without hesitation, the two walked into the food street, knowing the way well, as they knew there was a small shop selling pineapple rice there.

The taste wasn't particularly good—how good can the so-called specialty food in a snack street be?

But it's definitely enough to fill your stomach.

"Next! Crystal shrimp dumplings~ Shrimp dumplings~"

The young lady shoved the pineapple rice she had just eaten two bites into Xu Lin's arms, and then "whoosh~" ran to the stall next door.

"Then you buy it first! I'll go buy some roasted chicken feet!"

Xu Lin quickly called out and went to find his favorite food.

And so, they bought and ate their way through the food street, which was not long, and soon came to the end. The two of them walked aimlessly forward and did not pay attention to the dwindling number of pedestrians. They chatted and laughed, and every now and then the young lady would feed Xu Lin a few bites. They slowly walked to an ancient blue stone alley next to the food street.

This is a site that has been specially preserved, combining tourist attractions and residential areas. The residents here are all elderly people who have lived here since that era.

There are several secondhand bookstores inside, which have been run by people who have lived here for generations. When the two of them come here to shop, they always like to browse around and find old books from the last century to collect.

This time is no exception.

P.S.: Well, actually, these two also went shopping like this before Xu Lin transformed (laughs).

Chapter 40, Section 40: The Old Man Selling Books in the Ancient Alley

In the ancient alley of bluestone, the first thing you see when you walk in, and what tour guides love to take tourists to, is a wide road along a stream.

The roadside is deserted, and although it looks quaint, it's full of unscrupulous shops.

When Xu Lin first came here to study at university, he almost fell for a scam. A pot of ordinary tea cost two or three hundred yuan, while a few industrial assembly line handicrafts were sold at the price of handicrafts. With the added markup from tourist attractions, tens or even hundreds of yuan were common.

It's an absolute rip-off, and also an absolute waste of money. At least people who have stayed in Yehai for more than six months will not buy anything here.

However, Xu Lin and his companion were not originally there to browse around.

Their destination was a secluded alley behind this street.

"It's still so quiet here, even though it's so close to the commercial street and food street."

As they continued forward, turning two corners in the alley, Xu Lin and her companions were no longer greeted by the antique yet brand-new wooden houses, but rather by some small, slightly dilapidated houses built of bluestone.

"Of course, since tourists usually can't find this place, lol."

The young lady said with a light laugh.

To be honest, the two of them discovered this alley by accident. They had just wandered around aimlessly that day and got lost, which led them to this old street that seemed to have traveled from centuries ago to the present.

An elderly woman by the roadside was washing clothes by pounding the water from the stream in front of her door. The heavy wooden planks in her hands made a rhythmic sound with each beat. The scorching August sun was blocked by the towering willow trees overhead, and a cool breeze was blowing in her face, instantly dispelling the fatigue from wandering the crowded streets.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting dappled light on the uneven path paved with heavy stone bricks, worn smooth by time. It was as if it were a road leading back to the Republican era, but Xu Lin and the young lady were completely out of place in this antique world.

"Grandpa, I'm here again! Do you have any good books to read today?"

As soon as Xu Youyue entered, she greeted an elderly man with white hair inside with great enthusiasm and a bright smile, showing no trace of the willfulness of a young lady.

"Oh! Kid, you're here! You finished that book I recommended to you last time? You didn't just skim through it and then throw it aside, did you?"

The old man was already eighty-two years old, but he was in very good health. His hearing was not bad at all. When he heard the young lady's voice, he took his gaze off the book on his lap, adjusted his reading glasses, and smiled.

The book he gave this young lady last time was the "I Ching," which was enough to study for a lifetime. It was impossible for her to understand it so quickly. He was just teasing the young lady!

"That's why I came to you for some simpler recommendations—I didn't understand them!"

Knowing she was in the wrong, the young lady stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it.

"I knew you young man wouldn't have the patience to study the I Ching. Alright, I just happened to pick up a few books of essays at the morning market. Go take a look and see if there's anything you like."

The old man had a large collection of books, but they were all his treasures, and he was reluctant to sell them. As for the old books he was selling, Xu Lin and the others had asked about their origin when they came before.

This old man has had a habit of browsing for old books at the nearby morning market since he was young. The old books there are cheap. I can't remember what the price was before, but now they are sold by weight. The better ones are about 12 or 15 yuan per kilogram, and the more damaged ones are only 5 or 6 yuan per kilogram.

The old man didn't buy much each day, but over the years he accumulated it all. The several large bookshelves in the house were completely full. If he wanted to put more things in, he would just take out some less important items to sell.

(Actually, I just couldn't stand my spouse nagging me every day.)

So, starting more than a decade ago, the old man placed a few wooden tables in his yard and cleaned out some old books that had little collectible value and that he didn't particularly like, in order to find a reader for these books.

Anyway, they don't sell on cloudy or rainy days, or when there's a strong wind or blazing sun. Sometimes, it's common for them to go a whole month without any business due to bad weather. They don't make money from this anyway.

The young lady was led inside to get the books, while Xu Lin browsed the small stalls outside to see if there was anything that interested him.

After all, this old man sells all kinds of old books. As long as you have patience, you can find anything. When Xu Lin came last time, there was even a famous book by his brother. It's a collectible that's hard to find online even though it's priced at hundreds or thousands of yuan. Here, it's just a few dozen yuan a book sold at his stall.

The old man himself has eclectic tastes, and the books he puts on sale cover all sorts of topics.

The books Xu Lin had seen varied greatly in age, ranging from old books published in the 1980s and 1990s to modern publications like Reader's Digest. The range was also quite chaotic, from highbrow books on the I Ching and Bagua to pirated novels from the past. Xu Lin even bought two copies of the light novel "Shakugan no Shana" from here last time, but he didn't know if the old man had read them or not.

"Xu Lin! Look, look, what is this?"

Before long, the young lady came out of the old man's room carrying two books. She skipped and hopped over to Xu Lin, who was holding a copy of the Reader's Digest jokes section, and showed it off.

"Hmm? This is..."

Xu Lin looked up, took the book, glanced at it, and was slightly surprised.

"A collection of essays? By Zhang? Which edition is this?"

"A reprint from the 1980s, hehe~"

The young lady hugged the book, her face beaming with the joy of having found a treasure.

She doesn't actually particularly enjoy reading essays, especially Zhang's, since she doesn't have much emotional experience herself and can't understand that kind of thinking. But the joy of finding something good is no different.

"A reprint from the 1980s? That must be quite expensive, right?"

These books are from the 1980s, decades ago, but Xu Lin saw that the two books the young lady was holding were in very good condition, if they hadn't remained unsold in bookstores all along. He wondered why they had been sold.

"Hey, these two books are a gift from me to the little girl, they're free."

As he spoke, the old man came out of the house, waved his hand, and said generously.

"Thank you so much, sir! I'll definitely buy books from you again next time!"

The young lady's eyes crinkled with laughter, like a little gluttonous cat stealing a bite of ham.

"Grandpa, could you please check how much these two books cost for me? I'll take them."

Xu Lin thought for a moment, then picked out two books he had just looked at and handed them to the old man to set the price.

That's right, the old man sets the prices for everything here on the spot, but the prices aren't expensive. Sometimes, when people buying books are happy and want to give the old man extra, he won't accept it.

To put it bluntly, they don't need that little bit of money.

after all.

A bluestone house with a courtyard in this area costs almost as much per square meter as a traditional courtyard house in Beijing.

Section 41, Chapter 41: What will virtual humans broadcast during outdoor live streams?

"Could you please tell me how much these two books cost?"

Xu Linke politely handed over the two books, acting as if they were complete strangers.

She hadn't forgotten that she was no longer the person she used to be. Apart from the young lady and a few others, all her interpersonal relationships had been completely reset, and the same was true for the old man in front of her whom she had only met a few times.

"Oh? Who are you?"

The old man took the book but didn't rush to read it. Instead, he carefully examined Xu Lin, as if he were looking at some rare object.

She's my friend!

The young lady picked up the conversation, somewhat puzzled, not understanding what the old man was looking at.

After all, although girls with albinism are rare, and it's even more rare to see someone with albinism who is as beautiful as Xu Lin and completely unafraid of sunlight, the old man, with his manners, shouldn't have looked at her so rudely.

"Oh? Where did that boy who came with you before go?"

The old man snapped out of his daze and gave the young lady a meaningful glance.

"He...he was busy today and couldn't come. Besides, I went shopping with my best friend, why would I bring him along!"

The young lady was a little flustered. They say that old people are shrewd and wise. Could it be that the old man has figured something out?

"Ha, you little brat, you're just fooling me."

The old man slapped the young lady lightly, clicked his tongue, but didn't say anything more.

"Consider these two books a gift from me to you; they're free."

"this..."

Xu Lin hesitated for a moment.

It's not about the few dozen yuan for the two books, but rather whether this mysterious old man has figured something out.

If we knew, would there be a solution?

"What did the old man mean by what he just said?"

In the end, Xu Lin decided to ask a couple more questions, otherwise he would feel a little unsatisfied.

"The atmosphere between you and this little girl is so ambiguous, why are you asking me what it means?"

The old man smiled.

"Alright, I'm not some old-fashioned person, and you don't need to explain anything to me. I'll give you this book. If you have the chance, let this little girl tell you about that young man."

The old man rarely spoke at length, but his words were profound and insightful. He was a shrewd old man who immediately understood the atmosphere between the two men, but...

How embarrassing.

This is clearly cross-server chat, isn't it?

Xu Lin gave a wry smile.

"Then thank you, sir."