Hwang Seong headed to the Tea Bookstore today as well.
The boycott movement of the Tea and Book Club was having a bigger impact than expected.
People from all walks of life in Yichang were buying books, but who do you think bought the most?
It was, of course, the students.
Hwang Seong and the members of the Tea and Book Club convinced their fellow students and teachers not to use bookstores other than the Tea Bookstore.
An author who had been hidden in seclusion was now beginning to blossom with talent but was caught in the schemes of thugs. And that situation could be helped with just the act of boycotting.
How could they not help?
After all, they were all bookstores selling books at similar prices. In this business, reputation is really important. The students chose to walk a bit more just to use the Tea Bookstore instead.
“I hope Ho Pil gets back on his feet soon.”
He heard that Ho Pil had stopped eating and was lying ill. Hwang Seong hoped earnestly that Ho Pil would regain his strength as he opened the door to the Tea Bookstore.
As Hwang Seong opened the door, he saw a dozen or so members of the Tea and Book Club standing in front of the door, not going upstairs.
“What are you doing just standing there?”
Hwang Seong asked a fellow club member he was close with.
“The store manager is about to reveal Ho Pil’s new letter.”
“Ho Pil’s new letter? Is, is it possibly about the release of Volume 2?”
“It could be about the release date of Volume 2, or an announcement that he’s giving up writing. Everyone’s standing around because they don’t know.”
“I really hope it’s news about the release of Volume 2.”
“Ah, here comes the store manager.”
The store manager, with black hair, bowed to the members of the Tea and Book Club and began to attach a letter prominently displayed on a sign.
“Let’s check the letter together.”
“Move your head out of the way!”
Was this how the announcement of passing candidates felt? The members of the Tea and Book Club couldn’t wait for the manager to finish putting up the letter and started reading it as soon as it was posted.
[This is Ho Pil….]
[I will stop writing. How can I face those who helped me in this desperate situation when I cannot repay them? I have lost my will to live and have not eaten or drunk anything.]
“Ha ha ha. The store manager’s words were true. Ho Pil must have really been shocked.”
“He had his writing stolen. Of course, he would be devastated.”
“Could it really be that he’s going to quit writing like this?”
The despair of the Tea and Book Club was lifted immediately by the next line.
[Before hearing from my readers.]
[I was going to quit, but the news was too delightful. Because of that, today, I could not keep my promise to myself and took a cowardly spoonful of porridge. With that spoonful of porridge, vitality has returned. I felt the support of my readers.]
“Ho Pil is back on his feet!”
“Yes! He said he got his strength back because of us. Does that mean he’s finally going to write again?”
[At the same time, despair flooded in.]
[Once I finish this porridge, what then? I thought I could enjoy a plate of somen if I succeeded, but now I’m too scared to even take a spoonful of porridge. They say they will help me at the Tea Bookstore, but what face do I have to take their money?]
[Thinking that my efforts only serve to fill the bellies of the thugs is deeply frustrating. I, Ho Pil, will just momentarily divert my eyes from my bleak future and await news from my readers while recovering my health.]
Ho Pil’s letter ended there.
“Somen! Ho Pil can’t even eat somen!”
“Ugh! Such a simple and tasteless dish! He should be eating Neapolitan spaghetti instead!”
“What’s this Neapolitan spaghetti! How can you recommend a dish from that strange country to Ho Pil? He should be eating delicious carbonara with cream sauce!”
“Carbonara with cream sauce? That’s just heresy! That’s not authentic pasta!”
“Heresy, you say? Who are you to talk about that while munching on Neapolitan spaghetti? Go taste some cream and then talk!”
“Is this really the time to argue about food?”
Hwang Seong barely managed to stop two of the Tea and Book Club members from fighting over what authentic pasta was.
“Even though we’ve gained strength from the support, does that mean there’s been no improvement in profits?”
A member of the Tea and Book Club read Ho Pil’s letter calmly and sighed.
“I will buy 10 copies of The Rise of the Tang Family for Ho Pil today at the Tea Bookstore.”
“Ten copies? I’ll buy more than 20!”
“Is Ho Pil going to write, or not?”
“Isn’t it obvious?! If those bookstores keep selling The Rise of the Tang Family, he’s not going to write!”
“This is all the bookstore’s fault! We need to show them what’s up.”
“Ho Pil has finally eaten! Let’s give it our all!”
“Before Ho Pil gives up, let’s show those bookstore thugs our strength!”
The Tea and Book Club discussed Ho Pil’s letter and then dispersed.
Hope arose. Ho Pil had regained his strength. They just needed to get revenge on the bookstores.
What remained for the Tea and Book Club was nothing but a greater display of strength.
——————-
The start of that demonstration was the strengthening of the boycott.
One student glanced around cautiously and entered a bookstore.
“Hey, what are you doing in here?!”
As he was choosing a book inside the bookstore, a fellow student from the Tea and Book Club approached him with a subtle fury on his face.
“Wh-what are you doing here?”
The student startled and stammered.
“I have a question for you.”
“I heard this bookstore is selling books at a 20% discount. I was just picking one.”
“I know you’ve been struggling financially, but what you’re doing right now is buying your conscience at a discount!”
“No. What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Do you know how much I’ve spent on buying meals and drinks for you, knowing your situation? And now you want to throw away that loyalty for a measly discount?”
Feeling ashamed by the club member’s words, the student lowered his head. Even though his friends were boycotting, he was blinded by that piddling discount.
“I get it. I think I’ve been wrong.”
“Customers! We are selling at a 20% discount!”
The store clerk, delighted to see a customer after a long time, turned pale as the student put the book down.
“Stop! I’m buying books at the Tea Bookstore today.”
“Customer! Customer!”
Ignoring the clerk’s worried expression, the student left the bookstore.
“I can’t go with you today; I have things to do. But here, I’ll gift this to my loyal friend.”
The Tea and Book Club member handed a book to his friend from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“This is The Rise of the Tang Family.”
“This is that famous The Rise of the Tang Family! I’m embarrassed to say I couldn’t even consider buying it due to my poor finances. Are you really giving this to me?”
“I’ve already bought dozens for distribution. Don’t worry, just take it.”
“Thank you! I’ll be heading to the Tea Bookstore now.”
The Tea and Book Club member sent his friend off toward the Tea Bookstore and then settled back into a secluded alley where he could see the shameful bookstore.
“I’ll have to keep watch until the changeover crew arrives.”
The Tea and Book Club.
On watch for the boycott.
———–
“Again with this nonsense!”
The people running bookstores in Yichang found themselves screaming the same cry every morning.
“Who in the world keeps throwing this much trash overnight?!”
There were piles of trash dumped in front of bookstores every night lately, ranging from small bits of trash to large debris, even food waste.
The stench and ugliness emanating from the trash had become so unbearable that people walking the streets in the early morning avoided the bookstore area.
“We’re done for the morning. It’s another loss.”
With the risk of getting grime or bad smells on them, no customer would venture through the garbage to enter the bookstore. The bookstore owner started the daily routine of cleaning the trash.
If there was a culprit consistently dumping large amounts of trash, they could just catch and deal with them, but the despicable part of this trash dumping was that it was not just one or two culprits.
Someone would throw trash in front of the bookstore. Then, another would come and throw their trash. This repetitive action turned the front of the bookstore into a junkyard in no time.
When the bookstore owner managed to catch one of the trash throwers, that person would respond with something like this.
“I saw trash lying around, so I thought this was a trash dumping place. Why don’t you just clean it up and live your life?”
In anger, the owner brought the person to the government office, only to see students protesting in front of the government office, questioning how it made sense to imprison a friend just for throwing trash.
The bookstore owner felt like he was about to go mad. They say to be careful with connections and relationships. Even if feeling wronged, there was no one to turn to.
Ultimately, the bookstore owner had no choice but to continue cleaning the trash outside the bookstore every morning.
“If just one brat did it, we could have caught him by now. Damn it! What’s this?!”
While the bookstore owner was cleaning up trash, a rotten egg flew through the air from somewhere.
“Save Ho Pil! The bookstore must uphold its integrity!”
“That brat!”
The bookstore owner chased after the fleeing figure, but he couldn’t match the speed of youth. With stench streaming down his forehead, the bookstore owner could only let out a sigh.
“This is a big deal. I need to meet with other bookstore owners to come up with a solution.”
If this continues, he might go out of business.
The bookstore owner hurried his steps, trying to meet with other bookstore owners while desperately hiding his anxious premonitions.
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