When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 10

Chapter 10

On the fourth long oak table by the window on the west side of the library, the early morning light is creeping from one end of the table to the other at an extremely slow speed.The dust particles floating in the light spot are clearly visible.

On Ye Qiulan’s knees, the light gray cardigan was folded squarely, like a quiet declaration.Her fingertips unconsciously traced the delicate texture of wool, but her eyes fell on the page opposite Ling Xueqing’s pen.Ling Xueqing had put away the word “return” that she subconsciously wrote, replaced it with a blank piece of paper, and was making a list of supplies for repairing ancient books.She wrote with concentration, and the lines of her profile looked calm in the morning light, as if the silent and thrilling handover of clothes had never happened.

But something in the air had definitely changed.A denser silence with a hidden electric current enveloped this space.

What broke the silence was the sound of slightly hurried footsteps.

Teacher Zhao from the Ancient Books Department, an old man who always wore white cotton sleeves and always had a faint smell of paste and moldy old paper, walked straight towards their table holding a flat, dark brown wooden box.His expression was a little serious, his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes wandered around the reading area, and finally locked on Ye Qiulan.

“Xiaoye,” Teacher Zhao stood still at the table, his voice was very low, but it carried a weight that could not be ignored, “I have something urgent at the moment, I’m afraid I have to trouble you.”

Ye Qiulan immediately sat up straight and gently placed the cardigan on his knees on the chair next to him.”Teacher Zhao, please tell me.”

Ling Xueqing also stopped writing, raised her eyes, and looked calmly at Teacher Zhao and the wooden box in his arms.

Teacher Zhao carefully placed the wooden box on an empty space on the table, as gently as handling a fragile eggshell.The surface of the wooden box is dark brown, with signs of wear and tear on the corners, and the brass buckle has a dull shine from years of use.”This was found in a batch of donated documents that were just received.” He opened the wooden box, which was lined with acid-free tissue paper. Lying was a thread-bound book about two fingers thick. The pages were of different shades of color, the edges were severely corroded, and there were traces of water stains in many places. To make matters worse, there seemed to be adhesions near the spine. “The condition is very bad, but preliminary judgment shows that the content may involve local historical materials of late Qing squire, which is of certain value.” He paused and looked at Ye Qiulan. “The donor hopes to make a preliminary assessment and stabilize it as soon as possible.The manpower in the museum who knows about fine repairs will be full in the past few days. I have been thinking about it…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.Ye Qiulan is a part-time assistant in the restoration of ancient books. His craftsmanship was mastered by Teacher Zhao. His meticulousness and patience are far beyond those of his peers, and he is especially good at handling this kind of fragile and decayed paper.

Ye Qiulan looked at the “dying” ancient book in the wooden box without hesitation.”I’ll try.” Her voice was low but firm.For her, restoring ancient books is not just work or study, but more like a calming ritual that can calm her chaotic mind.

Teacher Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed a little.”I knew I was looking for you.” He pointed to the wooden box. “The preparation room behind the reading area for tools and basic materials is available. I will have the specially formulated paste and replacement paper delivered later. The key is,” his expression became solemn again, “the pages of the book are stuck together strangely, as if they were wet and then pressed hard. Forcibly separating them may cause extensive damage. You need to determine the nature and scope of the adhesion first, and you must not force it.”

“I understand.” Ye Qiulan nodded, his eyes already carefully examining the condition of the ancient books.

Teacher Zhao explained a few more precautions and left in a hurry, leaving behind the wooden box and a sudden and urgent task.

Ling Xueqing’s gaze moved from Teacher Zhao’s departing back to the wooden box, and finally landed on Ye Qiulan’s profile, which instantly became extremely focused.Those eyes that always seemed warm and ignorant were crystal clear at this moment, and all the shyness and panic were replaced by a calm and professional light.She leaned forward slightly and carefully observed the ancient book. The tip of her nose almost touched the page, but she did not reach out to touch it rashly.

Ling Xueqing looked at it for a while, then she gently closed the books and notebooks she had spread out, pushed them to the side of the table, and cleared most of the table in front of her.Then, she stood up and walked to the preparation room behind the reading area without saying a word.

Ye Qiulan’s attention was all on the ancient books. He only vaguely felt the movement on the opposite side and did not raise his head.

A few minutes later, Ling Xueqing came back.In his hand was a white porcelain plate with a shallow bottom, several soft-bristled brushes of different types, a stack of special absorbent tissue paper, and a small bottle of distilled water.She gently placed these things on her empty table, and then moved the wooden box containing the ancient books and some scattered items in front of Ye Qiulan to her side, leaving only enough space for Ye Qiulan to operate and observe.

Ye Qiulan then raised his head and looked at her with some surprise.

Ling Xueqing had already sat back, picked up the smallest soft-bristled brush, slightly moistened the tip of the brush with distilled water, and then handed it to Ye Qiulan.”Clear the floating dust first.” Her voice was steady, with no emotion. She just stated a step, “Start from the edge and avoid the adhesion area.”

She didn’t ask “Do you need any help?” nor did she say “I’ll help you.”She intervened directly with action.In an unmistakable, yet extremely natural way, it became “our” thing.

Ye Qiulan looked at the small brush handed to him. The tips of the bristles were wet and crystal clear.She took it and her fingertips touched Ling Xueqing’s fingers for a brief moment.She didn’t speak, just nodded, leaned forward again, and devoted all her attention to the fragile fragments of history in front of her.

Cleaning up floating dust is a job that requires patience and a steady hand.Ye Qiulan held his breath and used a small brush to brush extremely gently over the unadhered areas on the edges of the pages, sweeping the accumulated dust into the white porcelain plate bit by bit.Her movements were surprisingly steady, with her wrists hanging in the air and only her fingertips moving slightly.The sun shone on her lowered eyelashes and the tip of her focused nose, casting a soft halo.

Ling Xueqing didn’t look at her again.She picked up another slightly larger soft-bristled brush and began to clean the non-paper parts inside the wooden box and the covers of ancient books.Her movements were equally gentle and meticulous, but more efficient, with a calm order.The cleaned dust fell into another porcelain plate.

There was no conversation between the two, only the slightest rustle of brush hairs brushing against the paper, and each other’s shallow breathing.But a strange sense of synergy was quietly established in the silence.Ling Xueqing can always hand over the needed tools in a timely manner – dry tissue paper to absorb excess moisture, tweezers to pick up stubborn dust particles, and a magnifying glass to observe the fiber condition.She was like a silent and precise assistant, stepping on Ye Qiulan’s needs every step of the way, as if she could predict her needs.

Ye Qiulan concentrated on it, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.She encountered the first problem: the adhesion areas were more complicated than expected. Not only were the pages between the pages, but some of the paper itself had become extremely fragile due to water damage and mold. The color was so dark that it almost broke when touched.

She stopped, frowned slightly, and looked at the area carefully with a magnifying glass.

“We can’t separate directly.” Ling Xueqing’s voice sounded from the side.She had finished cleaning up the things on hand and was looking at the area Ye Qiulan was looking at.”Look here,” she pointed her finger at a slightly lighter area on the edge of the adhesion area. “There are traces of salt analysis left by water stains, which may be one of the main causes of adhesion. It needs to be fumigated with steam to soften the crystals before trying to separate.”

Ye Qiulan looked in the direction she pointed and saw extremely fine white crystal particles.She suddenly realized that she had been too focused on the adhesion itself and ignored the surrounding clues.”Steam…the amount and distance need to be controlled very precisely.” She whispered, as if thinking, but also seeking confirmation.

“Yeah.” Ling Xueqing responded, already standing up, “I’ll go to the preparation room to adjust the steam pen. You deal with other parts that can be cleaned first.”

She left again.Ye Qiulan looked at her back, and the string in his heart that was slightly tense due to the difficult task seemed to loosen a little.With Ling Xueqing here, those complicated technical problems no longer seem so daunting.

Ling Xueqing came back soon, holding in her hand a precision instrument the size of a pen and connected to a slender hose – a micro steam pen.She adjusted the steam volume and temperature, then sat down and handed the steam pen to Ye Qiulan without doing it herself.”You do it. I’ll fix the angle of the pages for you.”

Ye Qiulan took the steam pen which was still slightly hot.Ling Xueqing carefully used two specially made bone picks with silicone-covered tips to gently pry up the unadhered parts of the ancient book, forming an extremely subtle angle that allowed steam to penetrate.Her fingers were as steady as a rock, and her eyes were focused on the gap.

Ye Qiulan calmed down, pointed the outlet of the steam pen at the gap, and moved it very gently and slowly, allowing the mild steam to evenly fumigate the adhesion area.This is a step that requires a high degree of cooperation. The hand of the writer must be steady, and the hand of the fixer must be even more steady. The slightest shake may cause steam to damage other intact pages.

Their breathing was almost synchronized at this moment.Ye Qiulan could smell the moist smell brought by the steam, mixed with the musty smell of old ancient books, and the refreshing cold fragrance of cedar on Ling Xueqing’s body very close at hand – because of concentration and proximity, it seemed to be clearer than before.All her senses were concentrated between her fingertips and the square inch in front of her eyes. The rest of the world faded away, leaving only the fragile book, the slightly hot pen in her hand, and the steady supporting hands beside her.

Time passes in silent and precise operations.The sun is gradually getting higher and the temperature is rising.More beads of sweat appeared on the tip of Ye Qiulan’s nose, and one drop almost slipped off.She subconsciously wanted to tilt her head and rub her shoulder.

A dry and soft cotton handkerchief was quietly handed to her cheek.

Ye Qiulan paused and turned his face.Ling Xueqing still held the bone sign firmly in one hand, and held up the cotton handkerchief in the other hand. Her eyes were still on the gap between the pages of the book, as if handing over the handkerchief was just a matter of convenience.

Ye Qiulan’s cheeks were slightly warm, and he took her hand and gently pressed the sweat on the tip of his nose and forehead with a cotton handkerchief.The cotton handkerchief is dry and soft, with a clean smell that has been exposed to the sun, and a very light cold fragrance that belongs to Ling Xueqing.After she finished using it, Ling Xueqing naturally retracted her hand and put the cotton handkerchief aside. There was no eye contact during the whole process, and it was as smooth as if it had been rehearsed thousands of times.

The fumigation lasted about ten minutes.Ye Qiulan turned off the steam pen.Ling Xueqing let go of the bone tag, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

“Try it now.” Ling Xueqing whispered.

Ye Qiulan picked up an extremely thin and smooth bone knife, held his breath, and carefully inserted the tip of the knife into the edge of the gap softened by the steam.Very lightly, slide sideways.A page that had been stuck together for countless years separated obediently and silently, revealing another equally fragile but finally independent page underneath.

The first step was successful.

A bright joy flashed in Ye Qiulan’s eyes, and she subconsciously looked up at Ling Xueqing.

Ling Xueqing was also looking at her, her eyes that were always as calm as a deep pool reflected the skylight outside the window and her small smile with a sense of accomplishment.The corners of Ling Xueqing’s mouth curved upward in a very subtle and almost imperceptible manner. The arc was so brief that it seemed like an illusion, but it made the entire cold face soften in an instant.

That glance, that fleeting arc, was like a small piece of honey, falling unexpectedly into Ye Qiulan’s heart. The sweetness melted away carefully, diluting all fatigue and tension.

They didn’t celebrate or even say a word.Ling Xueqing had already handed over the dry absorbent tissue paper, covering it on the newly separated pages, pressing it gently to absorb the excess moisture.Ye Qiulan continued to deal with the next adhesion.