When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The residual warmth of the micro vapor pen has not completely faded from the fingertips, and the brief joy of successfully separating the first adhesion was quickly replaced by a more severe reality.As the manageable adhesions on the surface are carefully separated one by one, the more troublesome conditions deep in the ancient books begin to be exposed.

Near the middle of the spine, about five or six pages of paper were bonded together into a thick lump. It was dark brown in color, brittle and hard in texture, and had slight cracks on the edges.What’s even more troublesome is that when you look through a magnifying glass, you can vaguely see traces of ink pen annotations on these pages. The ink is stained and stuck, and forced physical separation is likely to completely destroy the handwriting.

Ye Qiulan stopped and took a breath.Ling Xueqing wiped away the sweat on her forehead with a cotton handkerchief again, but she didn’t realize it, all her mind was focused on this “hard bone”.She used the finest soft-bristled brush to brush off the floating dust on the surface, used a steam pen to smoke it very lightly for a few seconds, and then tested it with a thin bone knife.The resistance from the tip of the knife was solid, accompanied by a subtle, alarming sound of fibers breaking.

“No,” she whispered, as if speaking to herself or stating to Ling Xueqing beside her, “The steam cannot penetrate and the structure has changed. If you pry hard, it will break.”

Ling Xueqing had already put down the auxiliary tools in her hands and focused her eyes on the hardened area together with hers.Her brows furrowed slightly, the expression she had when she was deep in thought.She didn’t speak immediately, but moved closer, the tip of her nose almost touching Ye Qiulan’s hair, and carefully examined the texture and subtle cracks in the dark brown area.The refreshing cold fragrance of cedar on her body became clearer due to concentration and proximity, but it was strangely non-intrusive. Instead, it acted like a calm barrier, isolating Ye Qiulan from anxiety.

“It’s not just moisture-induced adhesion.” Ling Xueqing’s voice sounded right next to Ye Qiulan’s ears, low and steady, “Look here, the colors are layered, and there are slight traces of liquid smudges on the edges. It may be that some kind of colloidal liquid was spilled, dried to form glue, and experienced repeated moisture erosion, colloidal degeneration, and some degree of combination with the paper fibers.”

Her fingertips marked several tiny features.Ye Qiulan followed her guidance, and the details that she had originally ignored suddenly connected into clear clues under Ling Xueqing’s interpretation.It is not simply mildew or water damage, but colloid hardening caused by compound pollution.This means that conventional physical or steam separation methods are essentially ineffective and require more targeted treatment.

“A solvent is needed.” Ye Qiulan reacted immediately, but then frowned even more tightly. “The solvent must be chosen with extreme caution. It must be able to soften or dissolve the denatured colloid without damaging the paper fibers and ink. Moreover, the permeability and volatility need to be strictly controlled…” Several possible formulas flashed through her mind, but each one had its own risks and uncertainties.This is a delicate chemical operation with very little room for error.

“You can try a specific ratio mixture of ethanol and deionized water.” Ling Xueqing continued her words with a calm tone, as if discussing what to eat for breakfast. “Ethanol has a softening effect on many denatured colloids, and mixing with water can control the penetration speed and volatility. It needs to be tested first.”

She stood up again and walked to the preparation room.This time, Ye Qiulan’s eyes followed her back until she disappeared behind the bookshelf.Ling Xueqing is always like this. When she encounters a problem, she doesn’t simply offer comfort or encouragement, but goes straight to the core and provides clear analysis and feasible ideas.This strong and stable sense of support reassured her more than any words, and also made the hidden emotions in her heart become more deep-rooted, with heavy dependence and throbbing.

Ling Xueqing came back quickly, holding several small glass dropper bottles with different concentration ratios written on the labels, as well as a stack of brand new test paper with a thickness and color similar to ancient book paper.She put the things on the table without urging, just waiting quietly for Ye Qiulan to make a decision.

Ye Qiulan looked at the drop bottles, took a deep breath, and suppressed the anxiety in his heart.She chose a mixture with the lowest concentration, sucked up an insignificant drop with the finest capillary dropper, and dropped it first on the edge of the test paper.The liquid seeped out quickly, and the color of the leather paper deepened slightly, but there was no obvious dissolution or damage.She waited for a few more minutes, observing the state of the paper after it evaporated, to confirm that there was no residual damage.

“Start with the least important areas around the edges,” she whispered, as if to cheer herself up.

Ling Xueqing tacitly handed over a thinner special metal probe, almost as thick as a hair. The tip of the needle was wrapped with a very small ball of cotton wool, which could accurately pick up trace amounts of solvent.

Ye Qiulan took the probe and his hand was surprisingly steady.She dipped the tip of the needle lightly in the selected low-concentration mixture, and then, holding her breath, pointed the almost invisible droplets with extreme precision into an insignificant, unwritten crack at the edge of the hardened area.

The liquid was absorbed instantly, and the color of the dark brown cake seemed to have an extremely subtle change.They both stared intently.

After a few seconds, Ye Qiulan used another dry soft brush to brush that spot very gently.A small handful of extremely fine, almost powdery dark brown particles were swept off and landed on the white porcelain plate.The paper underneath revealed its original gray-white color. Although it was fragile, it was intact.

efficient!And it’s controlled within a very small range!

Ye Qiulan’s eyes lit up, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.She turned her head to look at Ling Xueqing, wanting to share the relief of this moment.

Ling Xueqing was also looking at her, her eyes were deep, and there was no obvious joy in them, but there was a heavier, rock-like certainty.She nodded slightly, the movement was so small that it was almost imperceptible, but Ye Qiulan understood.That means: Go ahead, you can.

It was this look, this subtle affirmation that made the heavy pressure in Ye Qiulan’s chest, mixed with responsibility and uncertainty, suddenly find a fulcrum.Is it sour?Maybe there is a little bit of it, the pressure of shouldering the heavy responsibility of repair alone, the unspeakable burden of this relationship.But more than anything, it is the sense of being trusted and supported, and the sweetness that penetrates into the heart from the calm presence of the other person when fighting side by side.

She calmed down and got back to work.This time, she was bolder and more cautious.Based on the results of the first test, she adjusted the concentration and amount of solvent, and began to soften the area bit by bit on the edge of the hardened area where there were small cracks but far away from the writing, like ants gnawing.

Ling Xueqing became her perfect assistant.She promptly handed over dry absorbent paper to absorb any excess solvent that might have spread; she adjusted the angle of the desk lamp light so that Ye Qiulan could more clearly observe the penetration of the solvent and the change in color of the paper; she used a bone pick to very slightly pry up the slightly loose edges after softening, creating a tiny space for the next step of processing.Her movements were always just right, anticipating Ye Qiulan’s every need. The cooperation between the two gradually reached an almost instinctive tacit understanding.

Time loses its meaning in intense concentration.The sun had already passed above the head and slanted in from the window on the other side.The number of people in the library changed, and the hustle and bustle calmed down again.Only in their corner, time seems to be condensed in the drop of transparent liquid at the tip of the dropper, in the eyes of the two people that sometimes meet and sometimes focus on each other, and in the delicate air between their breaths that is mixed with old paper and ink, chemical solvents, and each other’s breath.

The hardened area is shrinking extremely slowly, at a speed that is almost imperceptible to the naked eye.The dark brown stubborn “fortress” was dismantled little by little with patience and skill, revealing the sticky but finally legible pages underneath.Traces of ink-pen annotations also began to appear intermittently. Although they were blurry, they proved the value of these pages.

When the last stubborn knot was successfully softened and separated, and the two fragile pages with traces of cinnabar were finally fully exposed, Ye Qiulan’s arms trembled slightly from maintaining delicate postures for a long time.She put down the tool and took a long, silent breath. Only then did she feel that her back was soaked with sweat and her fingers were stiff and numb.

Almost at the same time, a glass of moderately warm water was pushed to her hand.Ling Xueqing didn’t know when she had poured the water.

Ye Qiulan took it and drank half the cup in one breath.The cool water slides over a dry throat, bringing a real, come-to-life feeling.She raised her head and looked at Ling Xueqing.

Ling Xueqing also put down what she was holding and was looking at her quietly.There were also traces of fatigue on her face, and the light blue under her eyes was more obvious now, but her eyes were unusually clear, like a deep pool washed by water.She didn’t speak, just looked at Ye Qiulan, her eyes moving from her sweaty forehead to her eyes that were extraordinarily bright due to concentration, and finally landed on her slightly relaxed but still trembling fingers.

Then, Ling Xueqing stretched out her hand.It’s not about handing tools or doing anything else.Her hand crossed the table and gently and firmly held Ye Qiulan’s right hand that was shaking slightly from working for a long time.

Palms touching.Ling Xueqing’s fingertips were slightly cold, but her palms felt dry and warm.The warmth was not scorching, but it had a strange power. It instantly smoothed out the last slight tremor on Ye Qiulan’s fingertips, and followed the skin next to each other and penetrated straight into her heart.

Ye Qiulan was completely frozen.The blood seemed to stop flowing at this moment, and all the senses were focused on the touch of the wrapped right hand.Ling Xueqing’s hand was larger than hers and could completely wrap her hand. The finger bones were clear and the force was steady.It was not a lingering hold between lovers, but more like a silent and weighty recognition, a confirmation of “I am here”, a touch that transcended all language and condensed all the morning throbbing, the handover of clothes, and the concentration side by side into this moment.

The light in the library has turned into warm sunset gold, passing through the sparser branches and leaves of the camphor tree, casting long and quiet shadows on them, on the ancient books that have just undergone an “operation”, and on the hands of the two of them intertwined.

In the distance, there was a faint ringing of the finishing touches before closing.But none of them moved.

Ling Xueqing didn’t let go of her hand, nor did she use any force, she just held it like that.Her gaze still fell on Ye Qiulan’s face, the deep black pupils reflected the golden sunset, and also reflected Ye Qiulan’s startled eyes, which gradually became watery.There was no usual restraint and ice, only an almost calm, profound tenderness, and a…like calmness that had finally settled.

After being stagnant for a long time, Ye Qiulan’s heart began to beat crazily, hitting her chest hard with every beat, with a force that almost made her dizzy.She wanted to hold it back with her backhand, to feel more of the warmth and strength in her palm, and to confirm that this was not an illusion caused by excessive exhaustion.But she just froze, letting Ling Xueqing hold her, letting the warmth spread from her fingertips to her arms, then to her whole body, and finally gathered at the tip of her heart, turning into a full and strong emotion that made her eyes warm.

That’s not simple happiness.It was too heavy, carrying the hardship and uncertainty of the entire afternoon, all the unspoken undercurrents between the two, and the weight and hard-won nature of the relationship itself.It weighs heavily on my heart, leaving deep traces, but on this heavy background, it blooms with an incomparably clear, incomparably precious and real warmth with body temperature touch.

The sunset is moving, stretching their figures longer, nestling tightly on the ancient red brick ground.

Ling Xueqing’s thumb rubbed the back of Ye Qiulan’s hand very slightly.A small movement that is so subtle that it is almost non-existent, but like the last stone thrown into the lake of the heart, the ripples spread out and drown everything.

Then she let go.The movement is very slow, very slow, as if reluctant to give up, but determined.

The palm suddenly felt empty, but the remaining warmth and touch became more vivid.Ye Qiulan’s fingers curled up, and the coolness and smoothness of the other person’s skin seemed to still remain on his fingertips.

Ling Xueqing had already stood up and began to clean up the various tools, reagent bottles, and porcelain plates scattered on the table in an orderly manner.Her movements returned to her usual neatness, and her profile looked calm in the sunset. Only the base of her ears seemed to have a faint trace of blush that had not faded away.

Ye Qiulan also stood up slowly, his legs feeling a little weak.She watched Ling Xueqing tidy up, watched the ancient book that had just experienced a “life and death rescue” be put back into the wooden box, watched all traces be erased, as if nothing had ever happened.

But everything happened.Those careful separations, those breathless cooperations, the warm and steady hand that held her trembling right hand.

The closing bell rang again, this time more clearly, with an urging tone.

Ling Xueqing packed her things, put on her bag, then picked up the wooden box containing ancient books and looked at Ye Qiulan.”Let’s go.” She said, her voice was a little hoarse but unusually soft, “Tomorrow… we will continue.”

tomorrow.continue.

Ye Qiulan looked at her figure in the golden sunset and nodded.She picked up her canvas bag, with the light gray cardigan still inside.She didn’t speak, she just walked to Ling Xueqing, and walked with her to the library door, which was dyed warm gold by the sunset.

Behind him was the long oak table that held the excitement of the entire long afternoon, and the tranquility that slowly sank into the dusk.Ahead is the approaching night, and the infinitely weighty phrase “continue tomorrow”.

The sound of footsteps on the smooth ground was gentle.The shadows of the two people stretched and overlapped again behind them, and together with them, they disappeared into the warm, hazy, and unknown sunset light outside the door.