Good news! My sister Lin finally stopped being abstract today!

Chapter 100 Vintage Shop

That evening, Lin Zhihao and He Manman went to the mall together.

"A birthday gift? If you're giving a gift to an elder, you'd usually give something like a tea set or a famous painting," He Manman suggested to Lin Zhihao.

"But, Sister Lin~ my birthday is coming up soon. What have you prepared for me?" He Manman playfully punched Lin Zhihao's chest with a shy expression.

Lin Zhihao rolled her eyes and removed He Manman's hand from her chest. "Get out!"

"Humph~"

The two walked around the mall but couldn't find a suitable gift to give as a present.

"Wow!" The two sat down on chairs in the mall lobby. "This place is huge. Should we get a car?"

“I think so too.” He Manman nodded in agreement.

"Huh?" Lin Zhihao suddenly sat up straight, squinting as she looked at the top of her head.

"What's wrong?" He Manman looked in the direction Lin Zhihao was looking. "Uh, there's nothing there."

"There seems to be a sign pointing to a vintage clothing store," Lin Zhihao said, pointing to a small, inconspicuous sign on the wall: 'Old Shen Vintage Clothing Store'.

"Yeah, hey Lin, these kinds of shops usually have some old pocket watches or something, we could find one for your grandpa as a birthday present."

“Yes, let’s go, let’s go take a look.” Lin Zhihao grabbed He Manman’s arm and walked in the direction indicated by the sign.

After several turns and through some inconspicuous passages in the mall, the two finally found the store after navigating the winding "mountain road".

He Manman, panting heavily with her hands on her knees, exclaimed, "No, hah... where am I? Why is this place so hard to find!"

Lin Zhihao was also panting heavily, hands on her hips. "Found it, found it."

Before them stood a brown wooden double door, with a couplet hanging beside it: "The road ends, the mountains rise and fall; when will we return home?"

An oil lamp hung beside the couplets, and the entrance was surrounded by vines. The door was closed, and a business sign hung on the doorknob.

"Sister Lin, something doesn't look right to me," He Manman said, clinging to Lin Zhihao's arm and hiding behind her, her voice trembling.

"Um... what's there to be afraid of?" Lin Zhihao gripped the ground with her toes, but still comforted He Manman.

"How about we forget it, Sister Lin? Let's go buy something else. I feel a bit scared here." He Manman looked around. She was in a small front yard with wooden openwork bay windows on the wall. Only a narrow path led to the yard, and the door was closed. Although there was sunlight in the yard, it made her feel chilly.

He Manman pulled her clothes tighter and looked around warily. "Sister Lin, I feel a little chilly."

Lin Zhihao was speechless, then reached out and pulled He Manman's open coat up. "It's almost winter, you're wearing so little, how can you not be cold with it open?"

There's air conditioning inside the mall, but now that we've been wandering around for so long, we're probably quite far outside the mall, so of course it's cold.

He Manman; "..."

"Alright, let's go in." Lin Zhihao walked in first, pushed open the door, and creaked open it.

A long corridor with only faint lighting appeared before the two of them.

Lin Zhihao had just stepped one foot through the door when nothing happened. She walked boldly forward, and He Manman followed behind her.

Suddenly, a black cat fell onto Lin Zhihao.

Before Lin Zhihao could react, He Manman screamed, "Ahhhhh, black cat!"

"Meow~" Suddenly a Persian cat jumped into He Manman's arms, and He Manman reflexively caught it. "Ahhh, it's a cat!"

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Lin Zhihao and He Manman screamed as they hugged each other, their eyes tightly shut.

"Haha ...

The old man laughed heartily, tapping his cane on the ground repeatedly, a triumphant smile on his face.

Hearing an old man's voice, Lin Zhihao looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man wearing a black suit hat waving his cane around.

The man standing behind him looked at Lin Zhihao with an apologetic smile.

Lin Zhihao: "..."

"Sister Lin, are you here? Are you here? Waaaaah!" He Manman was still hiding in Lin Zhihao's arms. Lin Zhihao patted her back and said, "It's alright now."

He Manman tentatively peeked out from Lin Zhihao's arms and also noticed the two people not far away.

Seeing that there were living people, He Manman finally stood up straight.

The man in the suit reached out and turned on the corridor light. "Hello, is there anything you need to buy? This is our shop owner." The man pointed to the old man, who still looked excited.

“We’d like to find a pocket watch to give to an elder in our family,” Lin Zhihao replied.

"A pocket watch?" The old man moved closer to Lin Zhihao. "How old is this for?"

"Uh, sixty-six years old."

"Oh," the old man said, turning and walking inside. "I also have a son who's turned sixty-six."

"Huh?" Lin Zhihao frowned as she listened to the old man muttering to himself. She thought he was talking to her, but as soon as she spoke, the old man fell silent.

Lin Zhihao and He Manman exchanged a glance, 'What a strange old man.'

Stepping inside the store, I saw a collection of merchandise imbued with the scent of bygone eras.

The two girls opened their mouths wide in an "oh" sound.