Ever since An Yin agreed to Jiang Keke’s invitation to attend Bao Shaojin’s birthday party, her mind was preoccupied with whether she should buy a gift.
It would be embarrassing to go to soone’s birthday empty-handed!
With this thought in mind, An Yin began to contemplate what to buy.
After class that day, Jiang Keke was directly picked up by Bao Cheng.
An Yin also left the school gate.
As she was worrying about where to buy sothing, the words "Jianjia Alley" suddenly flashed in her mind.
That alley had all sorts of items.
Last ti, it was crowded, and she was jostled in the crowd, so she didn’t get to shop properly. Besides, that place was just over thirty minutes away from the school, so it was perfect for her to go there now to pick a gift.
Pressed for ti and fearing the shops there might close early, An Yin hailed a cab.
By the ti she arrived, it wasn’t dark yet.
It was dinner ti, so the number of people leisurely strolling in the alley was cut by more than half.
The first few shops were milk tea and food shops. An Yin, carrying a small bag, clutched the strap in front of her chest tightly, moving her steps slowly.
Her petite stature and delicate appearance made her look like a classical beauty in the alley.
Passersby frequently turned their heads to look at her.
An Yin was fully focused on buying a gift and didn’t notice the gazes of others at all.
As she was about to reach the end of the alley, An Yin started to feel anxious. She raised her eyes and saw a sign, "Ceramic Ornants Photo Spot!"
Through the panoramic glass window, An Yin saw so adorable ornants.
Between the floor-to-ceiling windows were images of animals, plants, and cartoons, allowing people to spot the store’s specialties at a glance.
With just one look, An Yin couldn’t move her feet.
"Miss, co in and have a look. There are all sorts of ornants here, surely there’s sothing you’ll like." The store owner, who was originally wiping the glass, saw a beautiful girl staring at his shop and happily ca out to greet her.
Suddenly hearing a male voice startled An Yin, and she shakily greeted, "Hello!"
Then, An Yin followed the store owner’s steps and walked into the shop.
Sure enough, once inside, her view was filled with ceramic ornants, even so of the images from her WeChat sticker pack had been made into lifelike ceramic ornants, full of adorable charm.
Seeing the girl entering, the store owner’s eyes sparkled with pride.
"Feel free to have a look around. If you find one you like, let know. If not, you can pick an uncolored ceramic piece and design it yourself."
"I can make it myself?" An Yin really didn’t expect that.
Making this would surely take a lot of ti, and she had to hurry back to school later, so she’d better choose a ready-made one for convenience!
"Of course," the store owner replied.
"Then I’ll take a look around first." While speaking, An Yin was already slowly moving and carefully examining the ornants.
The gift for Bao Shaojin must be chosen carefully!
"Alright." The store owner didn’t disturb her and went back to a corner, sitting at a long table to start painting so white ceramic pieces.
An Yin thought every piece had its own charm, and she liked most of them.
But the gift was for Bao Shaojin; would it matter if she liked them?
Just as she was feeling conflicted, a milky-white ceramic puppy caught her eye.
The puppy had so small black spots on its body, looking a bit clumsy and cute, forming a stark contrast with Bao Shaojin’s noble and aloof image.
Was she really comparing the dog to Bao Shaojin? Realizing her thought, An Yin’s eyes filled with laughter. Luckily, Bao Shaojin wasn’t here to see this ridiculous notion.
But seriously, should she buy this?
In An Yin’s mind, Bao Shaojin’s WeChat profile picture was also a puppy, though it looked quite fierce.
Perhaps he really liked dogs!
After so thought, An Yin made her decision.
"Boss, how much is this puppy ornant?" An Yin conveniently picked up the ceramic puppy and approached the store owner.
"Business has been slow today. It’s rare for you to stop by, so I’ll give you a discount." The middle-aged man paused his work, stood up, headed to the counter, sighed, and after calculating, said, "One hundred and ninety-eight yuan."
So expensive!
An Yin didn’t expect such a small ornant to be so pricey and hesitated a bit.
Quickly, she thought of how she had once dirtied the car seat cover in Bao Shaojin’s car...
He bought her shoes...
A coat...
"Boss, I’ll pay by scanning the code!"
An Yin paid the money, feeling a slight twinge of reluctance.
"Miss, wait a mont, I’ll wrap it up for you." The store owner’s tone was kind.
"Alright, thank you, boss." An Yin smiled sweetly.
"You’re welco." The store owner, chard by the polite girl with a distinctive southern accent, carefully selected an ornate wooden box for packaging.
An Yin glanced outside the store; the sky had grown dim, and all the streetlights in the alley were lit.
She noticed that the alley’s streetlights were different from those outside, and, driven by curiosity, she walked out of the shop.
"Miss, you haven’t taken your items yet!" The store owner thought the girl was leaving and imdiately called out.
"Boss, I’m just going to take a look at the entrance." An Yin replied shyly.
"Go ahead. The night view of this alley is quite beautiful." The owner praised the alley without reservation.
"Okay."
Standing at the store entrance, An Yin was unconsciously attracted by the streetlights lining the road.
No wonder she found the alley’s streetlights unique a mont ago.
Looking up, each streetlight appeared simple and elegant from the outside, with no excessive decoration but exuding a rustic beauty. The lampshades were specially designed, both vintage and full of charm. Beneath their long lampshades, they emitted a soft yet bright light.
An Yin always considered this a vintage-style alley but never expected that every scene in the alley embodied the creator’s ticulous efforts!
No wonder such a seemingly simple alley could attract so many people!
An Yin’s gaze inadvertently drifted to the end of the alley.
It was as if sothing there was beckoning her, making her reluctant to snap out of her reverie.
"Miss, the packaging is ready." The store owner, who had sohow appeared beside her, noticed her gaze on the distant courtyard and curiously said, "That’s a mansion of a big family! I’ve been doing business here for at least ten years, and I’ve never seen the owner of that house."
Speaking, the owner touched his one-centiter beard, appearing sowhat contemplative.
"Is that family’s na An?" Otherwise, why would the plaque say "An Residence"?
"I suppose so." The owner replied vaguely, actually not knowing either.
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