At the age of thirty-four, Jiang Yubai did the most impulsive thing in his life—resigned from public office and returned to the ancient city to open a bookstore.
The former prosecutor had many ideals: floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden bookshelves, and only selling humanities and social sciences. The reality is very skinny: the turnover on the first day of opening was 87 yuan, and a seal was posted on the fifth month.
On a rainy night, he squatted on the curb and read the seal written in black and white, stepping through the stagnant water with a pair of high heels. Looking up, there was a bald woman holding a stray cat in her arms.
"This cat wants to buy a book. Can I get it on credit?"
He recognized the mole - Su Nian, his deskmate in the third year of high school, who had disappeared for fourteen years.
She was in the top three of her grade, but one day her grades plummeted. He once thrust his physics notes into her hands, and she returned them the next day with a pig drawn on them. He didn't know that at that time her father was in jail and her mother was seriously ill and was about to drop out of school.
Now she carries a piggy bank full of coins and wants to set aside a corner of his bookstore for a manicure.
An idealist who was beaten black and blue by reality, a woman who crawled back from hell and never wanted to be decent again. They are in the ruins of the bookstore, trying to repair a life that has been overdue for too long.
The best thing is not to be afraid of being late, but to be afraid of not waiting.
