I Quit My Job and Returned to My Hometown to Open a Bookshop

[Completed. Thank you for supporting the official edition!] After three years at work, Song Shu nearly died from overwork. He spent two weeks alone in the hospital, trapped with nowhere to escape the gloom of loneliness and death. So he decided to quit his job and take a train to Qingcheng Town. Qingcheng Town was Song Shu’s hometown, where he had lived with his grandparents until he was five. After leaving for twenty years, he returned to find the house dilapidated, the courtyard overgrown, and snakes and insects everywhere. Settling down would be a major undertaking. Renovate the old house and keep out insects and snakes; plant crops and raise geese, and get along with the neighbors; and that wasn’t all. To keep from living off his savings, he would also have to start a business. After much thought, Song Shu decided to open a bookstore. With online stores on the rise, brick-and-mortar bookstores had become a sunset industry. Reviving one in a backward little town would be no easy feat. But seeing the elderly arrive promptly at eight every morning to buy books and newspapers made him all the more determined. To keep the bookstore afloat, he started livestreaming at his grandniece’s urging. In front of the camera, the quiet, handsome young man stammered through an introduction: “Hello, everyone. My name is Song Shu. Welcome to my bookstore.” * The old house had more than just bugs and snakes. It also had a local guardian spirit. The Door God was a locust tree spirit. Every day, he did nothing but eat and sleep. He had a terrible temper and was possessive about his food, and when he got angry, he made Song Shu work overtime in his dreams. Song Shu once asked out of curiosity, “Do monsters fall in love with humans, like in stories?” Yan Jiu scoffed. “That’s foolish.” Later, in April, the locust tree blossomed, and Song Shu chased away people who coveted the old tree. Anyone who dared to touch Yan Jiu’s flowers right under his nose was asking to die. But Song Shu had never tried locust flowers. Curious, he sneaked over to a neighbor’s house to mooch some, then came back to find Yan Jiu glaring at him. He guiltily covered his mouth and quietly shuffled away. “I just...” A cluster of snowy white locust flowers was offered to Song Shu. He gathered them in his arms, his eyes instantly curving into a smile. “Thank you. Locust flowers are delicious!” Yan Jiu snorted and turned his head away, the tips of his ears bright red. Gentle, aloof shou x Tsundere, grudge-holding Door God gong P.S. A slow-paced story, with a touch of ghosts and monsters, about modern young people enjoying retirement. The town in this novel is fictional! Theme: Facing loneliness takes courage, and so does leaving it behind.