「飘扬四海，发扬光大」
杨建南立下气势磅礴的愿景，设立「扬贸易图书社」租书店。1978年10月27号于家乡峇株巴辖（Batu Pahat）开业，迄今接近半个世纪，是当地仅存的传统租书店。店内沿着墙面摆满八尺高的书架，陈列着琳琅满目的书籍，以武侠小说为主，其余有科幻小说、恐怖小说、文艺小说等等。
杨叔叔热爱阅读武侠小说，十七八岁在新山打工时，便常光顾当地的租书摊，每逢假日通宵一口气读到天亮。后来他返回家乡，苦于小镇并无租借渠道，只好约三五好友一同购买，凑齐一套，互相交换阅读。随着他入手的册数越来越多，朋友们索性直接向他借阅。毕竟收入微薄，他和朋友们商议分摊买书钱，以便蒐罗更多书籍。眼见他的藏书堆积如山，朋友在谈笑间提议他从事租书生意。
抱着姑且一试的想法，杨叔叔把书装进三轮车里，推到路边，搭起帆布篷，开始了租书生涯。初期的营业模式是按本计算收取一笔抵押金，再依租借期限从中扣除租金。后来，他才采用开户缴纳固定押金的模式，用一本本小簿子，为每一位前来租借的人留下记录，计算租金。熟客若逾期还书，杨叔叔也不计较，不会征收罚金。
流动运作两年后，杨叔叔便攒足租下一小爿店面的资金。80-90年代里，杨叔叔收集的书籍种类越来越繁多，可谓是全东南亚最多的，就连店内贩卖的杂志也多达58种，令来访的媒体和港台书商惊叹不已。当时他在峇株巴辖租书业界一家独大，颇受欢迎。每天营业12小时，从早上10点至晚上10点，顾客络绎不绝，柜台前常排起长龙。热门书籍即使同一本有五套，顾客依然得轮流租借。
杨叔叔无疑是幸运的，能把兴趣爱好与事业完美结合，一路上有无数书籍相伴。店里没顾客时，他便趁机享受一段惬意的阅读时光。这些年来，出于各种缘故辗转搬迁，他所物色的店面随着藏书量日愈壮大，直到12年前买下现址，才终于安顿下来。即便如此，部分旧书籍仍需另辟仓库储存。
2010年智慧型手机和网路盛行之后，阅读纸本书不再是消磨闲暇时光的首选，越来越少人光顾租书店。这时，杨叔叔和妻子在店铺前支起小摊，兼卖切片水果及小吃。中学生们放学后前往附近的补习中心，就会先来果腹。其中最受欢迎的，是杨太太制作的炸蔬菜饼。学生们即使到了外埠或国外深造，总是挂念着这一口滋味，每每返乡都会来寻。
新冠疫情以降，租书店营业时间缩短为早上10点至晚上6点。如今每本租借一星期只需一令吉，算是全马最便宜的了。杨叔叔依然维持着简单的生活，每天开店、关店、看书、睡觉。近年来，他不再引进新书，并渐渐将三万藏书整理出清。据悉有一名熟客向他分批购买，目前已收藏店内半数武侠小说。
日复一日守着租书店，杨叔叔依然醉心于武侠小说，沉浸在快意江湖中，百读不厌。几十年来，他用书香陪伴了不少峇株巴辖人成长，也丰富了精神世界。
※
【迁徙小历史】
扬贸易前后搬迁很多次，整个过程就如同在峇株巴辖小镇上漂泊江湖。杨叔叔非常清楚记得店面搬迁过多少次，每个地点的大小、特点，以及在那里待了多久。
❶ 路边摊
创业初期，推着三轮车在路边搭起帆布篷摆摊，长达两年。
❷ 旧车头
租下十尺宽、八尺深的一爿小店，长达两年。
❸ 妈祖宫一带
因市政府驱赶，搬到妈祖宫一带。向车帆布店分租约四分之一的店面，不足两年。
❹ 巴刹
租下十四尺宽、五十尺寸深的整间店面，长达四年。
当时刚好结婚，在店铺后端隔出房间住下，大儿子在那里出生。
❺ 海墘街
租下十五尺宽，约百尺深的店面，长达六年。
由于毗邻咸鱼店，对面是美食中心，顾客频频投诉停车非常不方便。
❻ 巴士总站一带
搬到现为Toto的店面，二十二尺宽、八十尺深，长达十八年。
❼ 现址
前店主出售店面，于是买下搬来，至今差不多十一、二年。
—
☕ 支持 有你 UNI 继续记录马来西亚的故事
喜欢这则故事，欢迎请我们喝杯咖啡：
https://uni.gallery/coffee/1214
※※※
“Spread fame far and wide.”
With a grand vision in mind, Yeo Kian Lam set up a book rental shop—Yang Trading and Books Company. Officially launched on 27th October 1978, after almost half a century, it is the last remaining traditional book rental shop in the town of Batu Pahat. Lining the walls are eight-foot-tall bookshelves, displaying a vast array of books, predominantly martial arts fiction, alongside science fiction, horror, thriller, literary fiction, and more.
Uncle Yeo is really into martial arts fiction. In his late teens, when he was working in Johor Bahru, he frequented book rental stores there, and on weekends he would stay up all night reading. After he moved back to his hometown, there was not a single bookstore in town, so he pooled resources with a bunch of friends to buy a full set of martial arts fiction, and swap to read. As he acquired more and more books, his friends simply started borrowing directly from him. Given his meagre income, he discussed the possibility of his friends chipping in to buy more books. As his collection grew, one of his friends jokingly suggest he start a book rental business.
Just to give it a try, Uncle Yeo piled his books into a wheelbarrow, went onto the streets, set up a canvas canopy at the roadside, thus began his career in book rental. Initially, he collected a deposit according to the number of books borrowed, then deducting rental fees from the sum based on the rental period. Later on, he adopted an accounts system, where customers pay a fixed deposit to open an account, and he uses small notebooks to keep their rental records and calculate rental fees. Uncle Yeo did not mind if regulars return books late, and he never charge penalties.
After a couple of years of operation as a mobile vendor, Uncle Yeo had saved enough money to rent a small shopfront. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Uncle Yeo’s book collection grew increasingly diverse—arguably the largest in Southeast Asia—and his shop stocked as many as 58 different magazines, to the amazement of visiting media and booksellers from Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the time, he dominated the book rental business in Batu Pahat and was quite popular. Open for 12 hours a day—from 10AM to 10PM—the shop sees a steady stream of customers, with long lines frequently forming at the counter. Even if there are five copies of a popular book, customers still have to take turns to rent it.
Uncle Yeo is undoubtedly fortunate to have perfectly combined his hobbies with his career, with countless books accompanying him along the way. When there are no customers in the shop, he would seize the pleasant opportunity to enjoy me-time reading. Over the years, he shifted shops for various reasons, constantly seeking out new premises to accommodate his ever-growing collection of books; it was not until he purchased the current location twelve years ago that he finally settled down. Even so, a number of the older books still requires separate warehouse storage.
(Full Article: https://uniness.gallery/book-rental-shop-in-batu-pahat/)
—
☕ Support UNINESS to continue documenting Malaysian local cultures
Enjoyed this story? Buy UNINESS a coffee:
https://uniness.gallery/coffee/1372
※※※
#有你UNI #UNIGallery #马来西亚有你 #uniness #uninessmalaysia #有你 #UNI
https://uni.gallery
https://uniness.gallery
© 2026 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD
