章節 112: Chapter 112: New Book Release
At the Mong Kok Hanlin Bookstore, a longstanding bookstore that had been in business for decades, the location was excellent and the business was thriving in the past. Early in the morning, the bookstore's entrance was crowded with people, with more continuously joining the crowd.
This scene caught the attention of many passersby.
"Hey, what's going on here? Why are there so many people gathered? Is someone giving away money?" A middle-aged man with glasses, who was riding a bicycle, couldn't help but stop when he saw such an unusual scene. He asked a young man at the edge of the crowd who had a face full of acne.
"Uncle, have you ever seen a store giving away money?" The young man with acne rolled his eyes and responded helplessly. If it weren't for the fact that he was talking to an older man, he would have retorted sharply, annoyed by such thoughtless questions. "This is the release location for Xia Yu's novel *The Qin Empire*. I came here to buy *The Qin Empire*. I didn't see the full details in the newspaper, and I've been waiting for this day for so long. I'm really excited!" The young man's tone grew increasingly animated, his fists clenched and his face flushed.
"*The Qin Empire*? It's being released today? I've read it too; it's really good!" The middle-aged man's eyes lit up with interest.
"Wow, so you've read it too, Uncle? Hurry up! I heard that Jiuding Daily couldn't print enough copies, and the number available is limited. It's first come, first served. If you don't get it now, you'll have to wait a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here so early. I'm just afraid I won't be able to get a copy!" The young man with acne said, expressing his concerns.
"Is that so? Then I must hurry and buy it. Wait a minute, I'll lock my bike first!" Hearing the young man's words, the middle-aged man became anxious. He locked his bicycle on the side of the road and joined the waiting crowd.
As time passed, the bookstore still hadn't opened its doors. The crowd outside continued to grow, and many people became impatient, as they had other commitments during the day. A lot of them still had to go to work!
Next to the bookstore's door, there was a large promotional poster with the cover of *The Qin Empire* and a description of the novel.
"Why isn't the boss opening the door yet? Doesn't he want to do business?" A white-collar worker who had been waiting the longest looked at his watch anxiously, showing signs of impatience. But seeing the large crowd behind him, he had no choice but to be patient.
After all, if he left now and the book sold out, he would have to wait several more days. How could he endure that?
When *The Qin Empire* was not yet published, it was fine; no one could read it, so there was no sense of imbalance. But now that it was published, if others got to read it while he didn't, it would be unbearable! He would be frustrated to death!
Moreover, he had been waiting since six in the morning, so he might as well wait a little longer.
"Let it be late; I must get *The Qin Empire* today!" The white-collar worker thought to himself.
As impatience grew among the crowd, a middle-aged man in his forties with a mole on his chin appeared at the end of the line.
Seeing the large crowd in front of the store, he was astonished. But as he heard people around him talking about *The Qin Empire*, his expression quickly shifted to one of surprise and smug satisfaction. He secretly praised himself for his foresight, having ordered 150 sets of *The Qin Empire*, each set consisting of 150 copies, totaling 300 copies.
Now, he counted and saw that there were definitely no fewer than eighty people gathered at his store's door. If they were all there to buy *The Qin Empire*, he would make a huge profit.
"Better get the money safely into my pocket!" The middle-aged bookstore owner thought to himself.
With that in mind, he started shouting as he squeezed his way inside, "Make way, make way in front! Let me in!"
Unfortunately, despite his efforts, he couldn't get in; the crowd was too dense, and everyone was eager to buy as soon as possible, resulting in a tightly packed throng.
"What's the rush? Don't you know how to queue? Stop pushing forward!" A person at the very front of the line, irritated by the pushing, turned around and glared at him, showing impatience.
"I'm the bookstore owner. How can I open the door if I can't get in?" The middle-aged owner's mood soured after being rebuked. Even though he was a customer too, this was clearly a seller's market, so he stood his ground and became more assertive.
The person who rebuked him blinked, quickly realizing the situation. His face changed to one of enthusiasm, and he promptly made way for the owner, gesturing him to enter. "Please, Mr. Owner, go ahead and open the door!"
"Hey, everyone in front, make way for the boss to open the door. Otherwise, no one will get to buy anything!" The person then yelled loudly to the people at the front.
Hearing this, the people at the front looked back and saw the peculiar-looking middle-aged owner. Quickly, a path opened up, revealing a clear space where before there had been a crush of people.
Seeing the open path and the eager looks of the crowd, the middle-aged owner felt pleased and strode confidently towards the store's door.
He hadn't encountered such a scene in a long time; the last time was probably when Jin Yong's final novel *The Deer and the Cauldron* was published in 1972!
He didn't expect that Xia Yu's *The Qin Empire* would create such a scene, and it was still being serialized!
Reaching the door, the middle-aged owner turned to address the crowd, "Don't crowd. Form a line, or I won't open the door!"
He worried that if everyone surged in together, they might knock over his bookshelves or someone might steal books. He couldn't handle the money alone if that happened.
As people began to queue, the owner opened the door with a satisfied expression. Immediately, everyone pushed inside, and the middle-aged owner was pushed into the store by the crowd. His previous warnings were for naught!
Seeing this, the owner quickly went to the counter, opened the cash register, and prepared to collect payments!
The long-awaited white-collar worker saw *The Qin Empire* prominently displayed in the center of the shelves as soon as he entered the store. He hurriedly grabbed four copies—two each of the first and second volumes. He needed one set for himself and another for someone else.
After picking up the books, the white-collar worker quickly moved to the counter to pay. The owner, moving swiftly, made change for him as other customers lined up to pay.
"Hey, hey, don't grab so many! Just buy what you need. If you take too many, what about those of us behind you?" A person in the back, noticing someone taking a large number of books—at least ten—became anxious and shouted out, worried that he might not get a copy.
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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