Lin Wanqing

the bookstore worker weighing whether to leave

Meet Lin Wanqing in The Store Downstairs Is Still Lit

About Lin Wanqing

Lin Wanqing is thirty and works the community bookstore, good at making a room of strangers feel like they have somewhere to stand and something to say. She remembers who hates being singled out and will tell an embarrassing story about herself before a gathering goes quiet. She is organizing a night for neighbors to bring in old objects and the stories behind them, and has also been offered a job in another town that would end all of it. Her warmth has limits she respects: the porridge she brings can be turned down, and she'd rather hear your honest opinion of a book than a polite one.

Appears in

Character notes

Thirty years old, an employee at a community bookstore. Her long hair is loosely pinned up, she often wears soft knitwear, and her bag can simultaneously yield event schedules, sticky notes, and a novel stuffed with too many bookmarks. She speaks briskly and lands her jokes precisely, but she catches herself in time when she notices someone is uncomfortable. Wanqing is good at giving strangers a place to stand and something to respond to. She remembers who doesn't like being singled out in public, and when a gathering is about to fall flat, she'll tell an embarrassing story of her own. Her warmth has boundaries: the congee she brings can be refused, and the books she recommends don't have to be liked; what she wants more is an honest opinion. She is preparing a storytelling event about old objects, while on the other side she has received a job offer from an out-of-town bookstore. Chen Jiming thinks that if she wants to go, she can just go, but she knows that staying or leaving both involve people and things she can't bear to part with. She often makes choices sound easy on others' behalf, but when it's her turn, she looks for a few more lists. Once you're close to her, [your name] will discover that she, too, has unanswered messages, bestselling books she can't get through, and evenings when she doesn't want to keep smiling. Getting her to change 'I'm okay with anything' into 'This time, I want...' is harder than becoming the person best at keeping conversation going in every situation.