Chapter 43: A Sudden Rise to Fame

Lunch was prepared by Zhang Suxin and Wang Ping.

Originally, Lu Anzhi had promised Wang Ping that she could take the afternoon off to pick up her grandson and attend to chores at home. He didn't have much to do anyway, so minding the shop during the lunch hour wouldn't be a problem. If things worked out over time, he could hire another clerk to help Wang Ping out. If not, that was fine too; he would simply close the shop during the lunch break. It was just a small business, after all, and he had no intention of wearing himself out.

However, Wang Ping insisted that today was different. It was the grand opening of Three Flavors Bookstore, which carried a special significance, and since her grandson wasn't around, there was no need for her to rush home.

Thus, Lu Anzhi stayed downstairs to mind the shop while keeping Qianqian company, while Zhang Suxin and Wang Ping went upstairs to cook.

Lu Anzhi took a few children's picture books to read to Qianqian. The content was similar to the books Zhang Suxin kept at home—very simple stories featuring anthropomorphic animals dealing with everyday themes like eating, drinking, and brushing teeth, accompanied by basic sentences. Yet, little Qianqian sat on Lu Anzhi’s lap, listening with great delight. One book after another, she finished them all and then insisted, "Again! Again!" She made Lu Anzhi go through every single one of them again.

Lu Anzhi had no choice but to comply. But it became an endless cycle of repetition. Since the books consisted mostly of pictures with very little text, he could finish one in no time at all. He grew increasingly restless, praying for Zhang Suxin and Wang Ping to finish cooking soon so he could be liberated from this monotonous storytelling. But the two women insisted that, as it was an important day, the meal had to be elaborate, and there was no sign of it being ready, which left Lu Anzhi feeling utterly exasperated.

"Again, again! Daddy, I want to read more."

After Lu Anzhi finished another round, Qianqian grabbed another book and said, "I want to read this: I! Want! To! Take! A! Bath!"

*I Want to Take a Bath* was the title of the book in her hands. The little one nodded with every word, enunciating the title clearly.

*That’s not reading... that’s just listening...*

Lu Anzhi took the book, too weary to protest. He thought to himself that he really needed to write some fairy tales soon, have them produced as picture books through Maple Tree Under, and read those to Qianqian instead. After reading so many books with her, he realized that the little one didn't have high standards for the content; she simply loved the act of reading. What mattered most was having someone to accompany her and having pictures to look at.

"The little bear is dirty, so his mommy tells him to take a bath, but he doesn't want to..." Lu Anzhi began reading again. Qianqian listened, nodded, and remarked, "The little bear is stinky."

"Excuse me, Boss, do you have *Dragon Tribe 3* in stock?"

A sudden voice interrupted Lu Anzhi’s storytelling.

Lu Anzhi felt a sense of relief. He and Qianqian both looked up to see a boy around the same age as the two girls who had been reading in the shop earlier that morning. He looked like a middle school student.

"Yes, we do. Second shelf from the front, on the right," Lu Anzhi pointed inside.

The boy hurriedly nodded and said, "Oh, great, thank you."

"You're welcome," Lu Anzhi replied.

The boy headed straight for the shelf, grabbed a copy of *Dragon Tribe 3*, paid, and left. Lu Anzhi took a deep breath, intending to resume reading to Qianqian. But before he could even lower his head, more people entered the bookstore.

Two more students, also appearing to be in middle school, walked in. They didn't bother asking Lu Anzhi and headed straight inside.

"It’s over there, it’s actually here!"

"Where?"

"Are you blind? Second shelf on the right."

They chatted as they walked to the shelf, picked up two copies of *Dragon Tribe 3*, and came to the counter to pay. As Lu Anzhi was processing the payment, more people entered, all around the same age, all heading straight for *Dragon Tribe 3*.

Soon, a steady stream of customers filled the shop, and Lu Anzhi could no longer continue reading to Qianqian. Qianqian didn't seem to mind; her attention was now captured by the people pouring into Three Flavors Bookstore.

"Here comes another one!"

"Wow! Another one!"

"Daddy, check them out!"

"This brother needs to pay!"

"Dragon Tribe 3!"

The little one was quick to pick up on the situation, and before long, she had memorized the title.

While busy, Lu Anzhi checked his watch. It was nearly 1:00 PM, the time for a lunch break. Why were all these students flocking here to buy books now?

"Wow, she's so cute!"

"Is that the little girl? She’s even prettier than they said!"

"The boss is really handsome, too!"

Lu Anzhi heard the two girls who had just left whispering, and suddenly, it all clicked. These students had a specific target: *Dragon Tribe 3*. Thinking back to the two girls from the morning, he was certain they had sent all these people. He hadn't expected them to secretly comment on his and Qianqian’s looks!

Lu Anzhi stroked Qianqian’s cheek, feeling a sense of pride. He didn't care about compliments directed at himself, but hearing others praise Qianqian made him secretly thrilled. He wished he could hear more of it. And... there were so many of these students! How many book lovers did those two girls know?

Lu Anzhi was amazed. He didn't realize that these students weren't just the two girls' classmates. Once "No Regrets for Youth" and "No Reluctance for Time" had shared the news about Three Flavors Bookstore and the availability of *Dragon Tribe 3* in their group chat, the information had spread like wildfire through their school and even beyond, via the internet.

The bookstore, which had been quiet that morning, was suddenly on fire. When Zhang Suxin and Wang Ping finished cooking and came down to call Lu Anzhi and Qianqian for lunch, they found that Lu Anzhi couldn't step away. They had to take turns eating, with one of them always remaining at the counter to handle payments.

No matter how big the bookstore was, it couldn't keep up with this level of demand. By the afternoon, the entire inventory was sold out. Lu Anzhi quickly had Wang Ping write a "Sold Out: *Dragon Tribe 3*" sign to hang on the door, and only then did the store quiet down.

He thought to himself that it was exhausting and that he should be more careful about stocking such popular books in the future. But then he reconsidered—in this world, those popular books were essentially his own creations. If he owned a bookstore, how could he not stock his own works? Having his past life’s books fill the shelves had been his biggest motivation for opening a bookstore in this world.

*Forget it, let it be exhausting,* he thought. *At most, I’ll just raise Sister Wang’s salary and rely on her a bit more.*

...

Meanwhile, in the class group chat of "No Reluctance for Time" and "No Regrets for Youth," someone was absolutely furious:

*Who leaked the intel?! I went to that Three Flavors Bookstore, and they’re all sold out!*

*Yeah, I barely managed to get one; there were so many people there.*

*Where’s the traitor? Catch the traitor!*

The students were in an uproar, while a student with the handle "Chasing the Wind" remained suspiciously silent.