Chapter 1 Late Night Customers

2.9K 19 8
                                    


The capital of the Great Xia Federal Empire, Viceroyalty region of Guangnan, Jiangcheng city.

An industrial city along the coast.

Famous worldwide for its automotive manufacturing and refinement.

It was almost eleven o'clock at night.

In a small alley in the eastern part of Jiangcheng City, Ling Ping looked at the streets that had gradually lost their silhouettes and sighed leisurely, "How come business is getting worse and worse."

"At least I was able to make some money for the utility bill last month. ......"

"I didn't even earn a single penny to pay for the utility bill this month!"

Ling Ping is the owner of this bookstore called 'Qi Yuan'.

The bookstore was located in a small alley next to the Chengdong industrial park in the eastern part of the city, and business was once booming.

But since Ling Ping took over, the business has inexplicably gone downhill.

At first, it was able to make some money, but gradually it could only make some living expenses, and now it has not made a single business transaction in a month.

It seems that the presence of bookstores in the area has become more and more scarce since the arrival of Ling Ping.

At first, people remembered a bookstore called Qiyuan, which had a lot of books and was very affordable, and they often came to buy books.

But gradually, people don't seem to remember this thing.

Many people don't remember that there is a bookstore just down the alley from their house.

The strange thing is that all the neighbors are familiar with Ling Ping.

They would greet each other daily, shushing each other, and asking for advice.

It's just that when it came time to buy a book, they forgot about it.

The good news is that the store is home-owned.

So there is no overhead, and Ling Ping can still write some online novels and earn some manuscript fees.

Besides, there are subsidies and preferential policies for college students to start their own business in the center of the federal empire, so life can still go on.

It was this lack of business that made Ling Ping feel nerve-racked.

Pulling the shutter down, Ling Ping looked back at his bookstore.

The space was not large, just thirty square feet.

There was an old counter at the entrance for the cash register, and an old computer next to an old model cash register.

In the window behind the counter, there was a picture frame that looked like a family portrait.

It was just that the frame was so old that the pictures were yellow and blurry, making it hard to see.

Past the counter, rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged.

A nameplate, dividing all the books into categories.

There are popular science books, educational books, and various kinds of reference books and bestsellers.

There's just no business.

"This month, no matter what, I have to sell a book......" thought Ling Ping, "or else I'll be too much of a failure."

While thinking about this, Ling Ping couldn't help but touch his cell phone.

I Really Am Not The Lord of DemonWhere stories live. Discover now