The alternative function of this bookshop that this man had, set up, as a sort of a transit station for someone's life, a place of rest for the weary, to recharge, and to, start going again, translated…
It's been, the fifth year, since my bookshop started operating in Changbing, I'd gotten, a wider, perspective of my, life, but, there's, less that I can, speak of now, and, a lot of things, I just can't, say it, freely, not so, absolute, and naturally, I'd had, reduced things to post on FB. Although, because I'd, settled down for a long time, I'd no longer, felt, "light", no longer took everything I'd encountered, as, minute, but, due to how I'd, still operated my shop based off of the stay without any charges and working as a manager in my bookshop, every month, there were, two, three different managers of my store from all around the country, with their, brand new views, as they'd, started, working for my shop, with that full curiosity about them, sharing with me, the encounters of their lives, interpersonal, relations with others they'd shared, and it'd, made me, feel even, deeper, that we were merely, passengers in one another's, lives.
Two years ago, an old one-story old estate opened up close to my shop, the landlord asked if I was interested in, renting the place, to put life into it, I'd told him about the "light stay" concept, to allow someone who'd wanted to come to Changbing, to have a short and temporary place that they can, call their, own. The plain-looking one-story residence, that opened space to interact with everybody around, walking distance to the beach, plus, the visits with the neighbors every now and then, it'd, helped those who'd come to say, to have a better chance, of immersing into the living in, Changbing, to connect with the locals more. More importantly, the rent is, quite, cheap, and those who'd come to stay, one, two months at least, and, at most, six, months, to try and live in an alternative, lifestyle, living a life of, not getting everything, cramped in. There are, two breadfruits in the front yard, and I'd named this stay, the "Bread Hostel".
what the writer's shop at Changbing looks like...photo from online
Two years passed, there was, an old man who'd stayed in the "Bread Hostel" for six month, who'd gotten so used to living here in Changbing, he'd decided to, stay, and through the connections he'd, established at the "Bread Hostel", he'd found a tiny place, signed a five-year-contract for the place. Another girl wrote me, told that she hoped to find a stay "close to the bookstore, so she could come over to watch the store for me", who'd had her stay, and returned to visit. Later, she'd, stayed for short periods of time mat the "Bread Hostel" for some time, and, a few friends all recommended that she find a position to teach in school, in the end, she had, passed the examinations successfully too, and currently, she's, working close to a whole year in the schools, and, is going to, continue with her teaching contract with the school.
At the start of this month, a mom who'd applied to move in, took her six-year-old son, moved in to a single's room (there are only, two singles room at the Bread Hostel). The two of them had, lived in the cities, and other than bicycles, they'd not known how to operate any motor vehicles, and can only, walk. It's a 2.5 kilometer walk to the main street here, the mom told, that the first few days, she'd walked around, and there would be those who were kind, to give them a lift. And, a few days later, the mom saw that the children living here are already, quite acquainted with interacting with everybody in the neighborhood, that everybody knows everybody here, one day, she was getting into an engaging conversation with the woman who'd owned the food shop, and her son got bored, and she'd asked him, if she'd wanted to go visit "Book Porridge". That child loves to read, the first few days he came here, didn't know anyone, and only gotten acquainted with the bookstore. The child asked the mom excitedly, "can I go there on my own?" this was his first adventure alone, at age, six, to walk from the center of the street, to the far end. And, I'd heard, that as he was half way to my shop, an elderly woman learned that he was coming to my store, and walked with him, and she'd sat at the entrance of my shop, to wait for him, to walk back.
Every time I'd returned back to Changbing from being a nomad, I'd always gathered with others, and, as I'd heard the encounters of those who stayed at Bread Hostel and my bookstore manager, and, I'd felt, joy, it'd made me wanted to build up places like "Book Porridge" or "Bread Hostel", a sort of a halfway place, a place for the weary to temporarily stay, a place, where life is, changed, forever.
And so, that, is the purpose of your, small, independent, bookstore, not on making the money, but becoming, this place where the locals, and the visitors can visit, to share their lives.
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