Chapter 389: The Poetry Gathering at the Azure Coast

Chen Jianhai rolled his eyes. Others worked hard to run a coffee shop, while you always think about pulling them away to join your barbecue business.

Even though the topic was heavy, they couldn't waste the beautiful springtime. The three of them slumped onto the sofa like lazy bones, enjoying the air conditioning and the sea view, planning to while away the time leisurely.

As time ticked by, Xiao Lang yawned, tears of drowsiness welling up in his eyes.

At that moment, two bright lights shone in the sunlight as they stepped into the island café.

"Boss Chen! So, you're here."

As soon as they entered the café, Zhen Lengchang and Ling Xiao proactively extended their hands.

Chen Jianhai was startled, not knowing why they suddenly sought him out.

He quickly stood up to shake hands with them and then pointed at the thick layer of gauze wrapped around Zhen Lengchang's hand, asking with concern, "Are you injured?"

Zhen Lengchang replied, "It's nothing, just a scratch. Boss Chen, we're here today to inform you about a situation."

"Recently, a lot of backpacking drifters have arrived on the island. They neither stay in hotels nor local homes but head straight to the back mountain upon arrival and never come down except for food and drink. We're not sure what they're up to."

"We followed a few of them yesterday and found that they were heading to the library you built."

"We're worried they might cause trouble at your library, so we came to inform you. If you need any help, you can call us anytime."

Zhen Lengchang said seriously.

Ling Xiao also spoke, "Yes, Boss Chen. If you're worried, we can accompany you to check it out."

Chen Jianhai quickly responded, "No need. I'll go and check it out first. If I need help, I'll ask."

After seeing off Zhen Lengchang and Ling Xiao, Chen Jianhai felt uneasy.

Although his library allowed backpackers to stay for free, usually there were only about four or five youths at most.

Now, with both Ling Xiao and Zhen Lengchang coming to find him together, it seemed the situation might be serious!

"I need to check out the mountain!"

Without a second thought, Chen Jianhai gulped down a cup of coffee and ran towards the mountain.

As soon as he reached the northern hill, he saw several groups of backpackers climbing the mountain.

These travelers didn't look very old, mostly young men, with even two foreign girls among them.

They all seemed to be heading towards his library.

Chen Jianhai frowned but followed them quietly.

When he reached the top of the mountain, he saw five or six figures on the terrace of the Haiya Library, faintly hearing someone reciting.

"She sings of love and the pain of love, she sings of sacrifice, she sings of reunions,"

"Reunions in a better place, where all suffering disappears."

"She sings of the sea of human suffering, sings of fleeting joys,"

"Sings of the other shore, the liberated souls, intoxicated in eternal joy."

Chen Jianhai stood below and listened. You know, the guy reading the poem had quite a good voice, with a rhythmic cadence that really had a touch of Heine.

Pushing open the library door, he saw the spacious interior was spotless. Despite the strong winds on the cliff, the floor was clean.

Unfamiliar, niche blues saxophone music softly played from a golden green gramophone. Movable bookshelves were neatly arranged in rows, and the rotating shelves were filled with small cushions.

By the windows, several young people were either lying on sofas reading or sitting at tables, writing something on paper or laptops. Except for the reciting on the terrace, the environment was incredibly quiet and harmonious, making one want to tiptoe to avoid disturbing the peace.

"The academic atmosphere is quite strong!" Chen Jianhai raised his eyebrows slightly.

This was exactly the kind of atmosphere he had envisioned when he first imagined the place, where strangers on their journeys could temporarily stay in the library, exchanging work for accommodation, discussing poetry and reading books.

Seeing it now, the progress seemed quite good.

While Chen Jianhai was contentedly surveying his surroundings, someone approached.

"Are you here to attend the poetry gathering too?"

Chen Jianhai turned to see a bespectacled young man with a scholarly look.

"What poetry gathering?" Chen Jianhai asked, puzzled.

"The Azure Coast Poetry Gathering, you don't know about it?" The young man was momentarily surprised, then introduced it to Chen Jianhai.

As it turned out, after the first batch of traveling youths stayed here, a travel blog post titled "The Most Beautiful Island Library in China" went viral on a travel literature website.

The blog meticulously documented the natural scenery of Xiao Maji Island through a four-day, three-night stay, with a special focus on the Haiya Library on the island.

From the sunlight streaming through the large windows during the day to the wind-blown pages on the bookshelves, and the nights where strangers from different places slept under the same roof and chatted about everything, this way of resting and finding oneself amid the freedom and comfort of the sea and sky quickly gained popularity on the travel literature website.

Especially knowing that one could work in exchange for accommodation here, many backpackers came, working during the day to organize books, clean, maintain order, read, and write, and at night, they would just lay down a simple mat.

Hungry, they'd go down the mountain to eat; tired, they'd dive into the sea to swim.

The "Azure Coast Poetry Gathering" was also the first seaside poetry event organized by members of this travel literature site.

The entire gathering was completely public and free, just a group of young people who loved reading, writing, and traveling, organizing an offline event.

"We don't have an organizer; I'm just volunteering as a host and volunteer because I came a day early."

The young man smiled.

"Would you like to go up and check out the poetry gathering?"

"Sure!" Chen Jianhai had never seen such a poetry gathering before, and his curiosity drove him to the terrace.

At that moment, on the terrace, five or six people sat in a circle, with a young man in a plaid shirt in the center, reading a poetry collection with great emotion.

Beside him, Sanhua rested lazily on the railing, yawning.

Looking around, Chen Jianhai saw people holding poetry collections or notebooks or iPads, where they wrote their own poems.

"Do you have a poem to read, friend?"

The young man finished reading and looked at Chen Jianhai, full of anticipation.

"..."

Chen Jianhai was momentarily stunned. It was clear this young man was immersed in the poetry, with a spark of "meeting friends through literature" in his eyes.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were on Chen Jianhai.

Damn it!

Chen Jianhai cursed inwardly. If he had known, he wouldn't have come up to watch the excitement.