By the way, what does the MC mean when she said
...The feelings those girls had, the ones that had to disappear, or they had to give up on, it doesn't feel like someone else's problems.. ?
MC and shop lady are basically speaking to each other in code.
SL: Here is a book you should read, which coincidentally (wink wink) is on the subject of GL. Allow me to call attention to a particular chapter, which reminds me of you (wink wink).
MC: I notice that this book that that you loaned to me is on the subject of girls having to give up on their true feelings (wink wink we're talking about girls who like girls but ended up in a heteronormative marriage that's what we're talking about here, right), which happens to be a subject relevant to my interests (wink wink).
Keeping the topic general and abstract but with oh so much subtext. That way there's no embarrassment if they're reading the room wrong, but they can say what they want to say if the other person knows how to parse it.