Chapter 4, The Bookstore (Part 2)

Among the most troublesome aspects is the computation; the computers in the laboratory are quite inadequate, and even slightly complex equations take several hours to solve. That paper on number theory is purely theoretical, requiring nothing but computation. Meng Ti pondered for a moment and slapped his thigh: "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools!"

This fact is simply shocking. Meng Ti thought to herself that she was truly lucky today. She quickly flipped through a few pages of that book; she would never mistake that familiar writing. The front page even had a blue stamp with the words "City Library" on it. Then she turned to the copyright page, where the date clearly indicated that this was the first edition from ten years ago, with a print run of only five hundred copies, the same as "The Reverse Journey".

The box of books appeared somewhat damp and soft; a casual touch would send dust swirling into the air, and the pages rustled softly, as if they were weeping in a low, mournful tone. Many of the books were so unadorned that they lacked even a cover, and encountering a somewhat tidy book would be a refreshing sight.

Therefore, the word 'serious' is the most difficult in the world, Meng Siming said, "You started down the wrong path, resulting in a summer's worth of grades being wasted. The loss is exceptionally severe."

That old bookstore is located in the corner of the book market. By strolling along the main road and turning into the fourth forked alley, one enters the realm of old books. This alley is not wide at all, with small shops lining both sides, the green brick houses standing face to face on the narrow street, each revealing its own character to the world.

In previous years, she mostly spent her holidays traveling, but this year she feels such deep regret that it is almost overwhelming. When she was calculating problems to the point of frustration, she and Wang Xiru held hands and exchanged tearful glances—such a mistake is truly enough for a lifetime.

Meng Ti is most afraid of lectures, nodding like a chick pecking at grains: "Dad, I know, just help me think of a solution first"

Then I realized I had made a mistake, and suddenly remembered that I had taken my wallet out with the *picture* book last night and had actually forgotten to put it back in my bag. Meng Ti felt a rush of regret, her blood seemed to flow backward, and heat surged up; she quickly said: "I will go back to get the money right away, boss, please keep the book here, and make sure no one buys it."

Through years of accumulation, Meng Ti has long developed her own set of experiences from browsing used bookstores, honing a discerning eye. Most importantly, she is not afraid of dirt or trouble, and often, there is a touch of luck involved.

Beautiful girls are always easy to talk to, the boss smiled and comforted, saying: "Everyone makes mistakes. Don't worry, take your time to go back and get the money. I will keep the book for you. It can be for as long as you need."

Wang Xiru joyfully asked, "Do you have an idea?"

Meng Ti said: "You can rest assured to teach your senior high school students. After working so hard for so long, let's take a break for the next couple of days."

Thus, in addition to attending classes, the two of them also spent countless nights in the laboratory discussing matters. They would return to Mengti's home in the evening, sitting on the bed to deliberate, proposing one plan only to reject another; everything was not so easy. The thesis, which had taken a busy summer to complete, now needed to be fundamentally revised, requiring them to start the building blocks from scratch, which would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time

Currently, Wang Xiru still has tutoring classes to attend, and Meng Ti feels the weight of her responsibilities increasing. She is acutely aware of the gap in mathematical ability between herself and Wang Xiru. Although the apparent difference between them is that of first and second place, she knows it is far more complex than that. Half of the content in the notes organized by Wang Xiru and the books she reads are beyond her comprehension. Fortunately, she possesses another impressive strength: the ability to find information. As long as the information exists online, she can almost always locate it. This method of learning while searching has sustained her until the eleventh hour.

It was still early, and Meng Ti thought for a moment that as the National Day holiday was coming to an end, she should make the most of the remaining time to accomplish what she wanted to do. Thus, she rode her bike out of the school gate and turned a corner towards the book market near the school

Meng Ti took a deep breath and stepped up the stairs, mentally crafting her speech, feeling justified and inspired as if ideas were flowing like a spring. With a calm demeanor, she raised her head and reached out her arm towards the curtain, and in an instant, the curtain was drawn aside from within. The person behind the curtain was dressed in plain clothes, exuding an elegant demeanor, their fingers lifting the fabric of the curtain, slightly squinting due to the sunlight that dazzled their eyes, with a shimmering brilliance swirling in their gaze. They resembled a figure from a painting.

However, unexpected events always occur. In fact, these are all familiar stores, and she has basically read all the old books. As soon as she arrives, she directly asks the owner, "Are there any new books?"

Meng Ti rode her bike with the enthusiasm of a competitor in the Olympic cycling event, racing home at an unprecedented speed, and returned with her wallet. It is worth mentioning that she clearly knew the book was right there and wouldn't go missing, yet her heart raced with urgency, as if a meteor had struck her foot. She felt she was moving quickly, but it still took her fifty minutes in total. When she returned to the old bookstore, she was nearly exhausted, so tired that she could hardly speak. It is worth mentioning that she clearly knew the book was right there and wouldn't go missing, yet her heart raced with urgency, as if a meteor had struck her foot. She felt she was moving quickly, but it still took her fifty minutes in total. When she returned to the old bookstore, she was nearly exhausted, so tired that she could hardly speak.

This matter was exhilarating, so the next morning she hurried over to find Ou Yongming to finalize it. Ou Yongming was very accommodating, indicating that it was no trouble at all, and explained everything very clearly. After leaving the Computer Science Institute, the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipated, and she felt that the world was truly vast and boundless, like a fish leaping in the sea.

At that moment, Meng Ti discovered an old book that was贴在箱子上的. Instinctively, she grabbed it to take a look. The four corners of the cover were pitifully damaged, resembling the tragic appearance of a beautiful woman who has fallen into the dust. Fortunately, the title was clear: "Covered in Dust." It was an unremarkable name, and just as Meng Ti was about to toss it aside, her eyes precisely caught the author's name—Ku Huai.

It is still early, and many storefronts have only just lifted their rolling shutters halfway. The sunlight slants in, casting a half-lit, half-dark hue over the old bookstore, much like the yellowed pages of the books within. It resembles a warm-toned oil painting, with a lingering sense of warmth.

What is there to discuss!

To others, the eleventh is a holiday; for her and Wang Xiru, it is nothing but a torment shrouded in darkness. After the last elective class of the week before the eleventh, Zhao Chunian specifically stopped her after class, attempting to invite her for a trip to the suburbs. However, Meng Ti had no leisure to care about this, waved her hand to refuse, and hurriedly grabbed her backpack to head to the laboratory.

Ultimately, it is the father who has the dignity. Although retired, his words and actions still resonate with others. Meng Ti quickly found his former student, now the associate professor of the Computer Science Department, Ou Yongming, at the College of Computer Science. He borrowed a high-performance mini-computer that the college had just purchased for nearly 10 million, and starting next week, he can use it for two hours every evening from 7 to 9.

Generally speaking, merchants always hold out for a good price on rare goods. Meng Ti was taken aback; good fortune is often fraught with difficulties, and unexpected setbacks are particularly infuriating. She stood up abruptly, her expression changing as she snorted, "How much did he offer you? Ten times? I can offer that too! Just hand me the book!"

As soon as Meng Ti sat down, he handed over the money and said, "Give me the book."

Meng Ti was overwhelmed with excitement, feeling her hands tremble; she was surprised at how calmly she could hold the book to her chest while continuing to methodically search through the box for other works by Fan Ye. After a long search with no results, she finally felt that perhaps her luck for the day had run out. She then stood up, took the book to the cashier, and asked the owner, "How much is this?" At the same time, she picked up her large crossbody bag, unzipped it, and began to rummage for her wallet. After a long search with no results, she finally felt that perhaps her luck for the day had run out. She then stood up, took the book to the cashier, and asked the owner, "How much is this?" At the same time, she picked up her large crossbody bag, unzipped it, and began to rummage for her wallet.

One of Meng Ti's greatest hobbies is visiting bookstores, especially second-hand bookstores. There is a large book market outside the west gate of the school, which is also the largest book wholesale market in the city. Most of the time, it is crowded with people. If there are any events or holidays, the book market completely turns into a temple fair

The used bookstore is one of Meng Ti's bases for purchasing books, and buying used books is also one of the deeply rooted hobbies she inherited from her father, Professor Meng Siming. Although the vast majority of Chinese books in the world can be found in libraries or online, she still enjoys the feeling of holding a book in her hands. Compared to new bookstores, used bookstores often carry a greater sense of cultural nostalgia, which is why it is said that anyone who loves books cannot help but love used bookstores.

In the past, Meng Ti would browse bookstores without any specific purpose, much like a fisherman standing on a fishing boat at sea, casting his net without expecting to catch a particular type of fish; today, however, she is much more purposeful, coming solely for one author. In truth, she is well aware that her hopes are not high, as she cannot find any trace of the book online, not even a single review of the novel, and the possibility of finding it in a second-hand bookstore is even slimmer.

She has achieved countless accolades here, boasting numerous impressive accomplishments. Among her spoils are a three-volume set of "Complete Literature of the Ancient Three Dynasties, Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms, and Six Dynasties," a 1950s edition of the complete works of Li Bai, as well as several books that are said to have long been lost, along with many obscure texts that few have ever imagined could exist in the world, such as books discussing the art of cricket fighting, of which she purchased three different editions.

Upon thinking of this occasion, Meng Ti could no longer contain herself. She rolled up her sleeves and adopted the attitude of a determined woman who would not rest until her goals were achieved, striding forward. The bookstore across the street primarily dealt in old books from before the founding of the nation. Meng Ti had visited it multiple times, and it was here that she had found the first edition of "Ancient Texts and Illustrated Books". The store was decorated in a very antiquated style, with even the long bricks on the floor bearing an elegant patina. Not to mention the blue fabric curtain hanging at the entrance, which, under the sunlight, draped with naturally smooth lines, embroidered with several vividly depicted bamboo stalks.

After a busy summer, she and Wang Xiru finally submitted their paper to Professor Song Zhanghan of the Mathematics Institute for review a couple of days ago. They had thought it was a perfect article, but to their surprise, it was discovered that there was a problem right from the establishment of the mathematical model, leading to a minor error that resulted in a significant deviation. The two of them stood in Professor Song Zhanghan's office listening to his admonishment, and when they came out, they were so stunned that they couldn't even cry.

Meng Siming sighed over the long-distance phone call, saying: "Do you still remember the story about the decimal point that I told you when I was a child?"

The cheerful middle-aged bookstore owner in his forties pointed to a cardboard box and said, "Here it is, young lady, take your time to look. However, it hasn't been organized or restored yet."

The boss shook his head, yet did not take the money, looking at Meng Ti with a face full of difficulty. "Half an hour ago, a young man came and browsed around, saying he also wanted to buy that book. He said he was willing to pay ten times the price."

I only want to show that person a bit of my anger. How can I allow others to sleep peacefully beside my bed! How can I permit others to covet my beloved book!

Although she had the thought, she still did not dare to make a rash decision. She took the opportunity to mention this matter when her parents called back that day

The boss came out of the store, saw her drenched in sweat, and immediately brought out a stool for her to sit down.

Do you know the story of Gagarin

Uh... it's not just about the money, the boss thought to himself, how coincidental it is today, both of them came to ask for this book, and they both seem determined not to give up until they get it. He gestured towards the old book stall across the way that had curtains hanging, "He just went to that shop over there, saying he would wait for you to come back. You two can discuss it first."