When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 17

Chapter 17

When the morning light once again filtered through the gap between the camphor trees in the west window of the library, the ancient books covered with acid-free plywood were already lying quietly on the oak table, next to the prepared flattening tools, humidity regulators and various reinforcement materials.The cold touch left by the metal cabinet key that sealed the remaining pages yesterday seemed to still be vaguely left on Ye Qiulan’s fingertips.She looked at the plywood, as if she could see through the glass the sleeping pages inside, waiting for final flattening and reinforcement, as well as the inscriptions that had not yet been fully revealed.

Ling Xueqing arrived a few minutes later than her.She put down her bag and did not move the plywood immediately. Instead, she checked the reading of the indoor thermometer and hygrometer, and then adjusted the angle of the curtains to allow the light to spread more evenly on the table.After doing this, she sat down opposite Ye Qiulan and her eyes fell on the plywood.

“Enough time for pressure.” She said, reaching out and unbuckling the splint with the utmost care.The glass plates were removed layer by layer, revealing the pages inside that had been under pressure overnight and had significantly smoothed edges.The paper no longer curls slightly as it did when it was separated yesterday. The fragile parts are also supported, and the overall condition is much more stable.

Ye Qiulan handed over the soft brush.Ling Xueqing took it and gently brushed away the very fine particles that might have fallen off from the plywood material on the surface of the book page.Both men put on new thin cotton gloves.

“Start with the least damaged pages,” Ling Xueqing planned in a low voice, “Finally, deal with the core area near the separation seam and Zhu Pi. The movements should be slow and the intensity should be even.”

Ye Qiulan nodded and picked up the first smooth, rounded edge agate stone – this is a traditional tool used to flatten the paper in the restoration of ancient books.She covered the page with a special piece of extremely thin lining paper, and then used an agate stone to roll it along the direction of the paper fibers, very lightly and slowly.This is a repetitive work that requires patience and absolute stability. Each rolling path, force, and even the rhythm of breathing will affect the final effect.

Ling Xueqing did not watch.She tackles another page.The two of them each sat at one end of the table, lowered their heads, and focused on the small area under their hands.The morning light enveloped them quietly, with only the almost inaudible rustling sound of the agate stone rubbing against the lining paper, and each other’s shallow breathing.

Time crawls slowly in this repetitive, almost mechanical work.The sunlight gradually became brighter and moved across the table.Occasionally, Ye Qiulan would raise his head, stretch his stiff neck, and his eyes would drift involuntarily to Ling Xueqing opposite.Ling Xueqing always lowered her head slightly, her profile was calm, her eyelashes cast a shallow shadow under her eyes, her fingers holding the agate stone were steady and strong, and every movement was precise and controlled.Her existence itself was like a silent calibration, allowing Ye Qiulan’s chaotic mind to slowly settle and refocus on the strength and angle of each roll of his fingertips.

When most of the pages were initially smoothed and it was the turn to separate and sew the core areas of Zhu Pi’s pages yesterday, the two of them stopped the work at hand.This part is the most fragile, and the cinnabar ink is most afraid of undue pressure.

“It needs to be partially reinforced before pressing.” Ling Xueqing judged.She brought the silk protein reinforcement solution she had used yesterday, but this time, after dipping it in the solution, she did not hand it to Ye Qiulan, but motioned for Ye Qiulan to come over.

Ye Qiulan walked around to her side of the table.The space suddenly became a little crowded.Ling Xueqing stepped aside, but did not completely distance herself.The two of them were almost side by side, leaning over to look at the key pages of paper.Ye Qiulan could clearly smell the refreshing scent of cedar on Ling Xueqing’s body, mixed with the very faint sweetness of silk protein liquid.

Ling Xueqing used the thinnest pen tip to begin to reinforce the edges of the separation seam and around Zhu Pi’s writing.Her wrists were hanging in the air, incredibly stable.Ye Qiulan watched with bated breath, ready to hand over absorbent tissue paper at any time.

Just when Ling Xueqing came to a stroke with a particularly strong cinnabar color and a particularly dark paper fiber, her pen tip paused slightly.The color of the paper in that area, under the influence of the strengthening liquid, seems to… fade faster than the surrounding areas?Revealing an unusual, lighter undertone underneath.

“Wait.” Ling Xueqing whispered.She stopped writing, picked up the magnifying glass, and looked closely.Ye Qiulan also moved closer, and their heads were almost touching.

“Here,” Ling Xueqing pointed with the tip of her pen, “there is something under the cinnabar. It is not the original color of the paper.”

Ye Qiulan looked at it intently.Sure enough, under a magnifying glass, you can vaguely see a very light, gray-black line trace on the edge covered with thick cinnabar, like the remnants of another kind of ink stain covered by cinnabar.

“Is it a modification?” Ye Qiulan guessed, “You wrote something else first, and then you covered it with cinnabar?”

“It’s possible.” Ling Xueqing put down the magnifying glass and frowned slightly, “If so, hastily reinforcing or flattening it may cause the surface cinnabar to shift, revealing the covered writing underneath. Moreover, this kind of covering cinnabar may have problems with its adhesion.”

Things get complicated.What was originally just a flat surface may now involve layers of covering up writing marks.How can we protect the fragile paper and surface ink without destroying the underlying information that may exist?

Both of them were silent, staring at the unusual trace.The sun was shining on my back, making it a little hot.There were gradually more people in the reading area, and there were whispers in the distance.

“Try local cold steam, a very small amount.” Ling Xueqing thought for a moment and then said, “Only act on the edge covered with cinnabar, use the very slight expansion force of the steam, and use a very fine probe to test whether there is really a separation layer underneath. If there is, we can try to do a micro ‘peeling’ exploration, record the traces of the underlying layer, and then decide whether to restore it to the original state.”

This is a bolder and more risky plan.The humidity and temperature control requirements of cold steam are extremely high, and the operation of the probe requires absolute stability and keen tactile feedback. If you are not careful, even the surface cinnabar may be damaged.

Ye Qiulan looked at Ling Xueqing.Ling Xueqing also looked at her, with no hesitation in his eyes, only a quiet inquiry waiting for her to follow.She knew that Ling Xueqing’s proposal of this plan meant that she had weighed the risks and was quite sure.And do you dare to step into this unknown, delicate and dangerous level again?

She remembered Ling Xueqing’s words “What should be done has been done” when she sealed the remaining pages yesterday.So now, is this unexpected trace found in front of us, which may reveal another layer of history, part of what we should do?

“Okay.” Ye Qiulan heard himself say, his voice steady.She walked back to her side and began to adjust the cold steam pen, setting the lowest steam volume and temperature.Ling Xueqing prepared a special metal probe that was as thick as a human hair and had an extremely smooth tip.

The two stood again in front of the fragile page, getting closer.Ye Qiulan holds the steam pen, and Ling Xueqing holds the probe.Ye Qiulan aimed the steam outlet at the suspicious edge and blew out an almost invisible wisp of white steam in a very short period of time.Almost at the same time, Ling Xueqing’s probe gently penetrated the lower layer of the cinnabar edge that was slightly moistened by steam at an almost impossible angle and strength.

Time seems to be stretched.Both men held their breath.Ye Qiulan could feel the tension in his arm muscles, and he could also feel the same concentration of tension transmitted from Ling Xueqing’s body.Their eyes were locked on the tip of the probe.

The probe entered a trace.Ling Xueqing’s fingertips felt an extremely subtle resistance feeling that was different from paper fibers – it was an empty layer!There is indeed an extremely tiny gap between the cinnabar covering and the paper underneath!

She didn’t go deep, she stopped immediately and signaled Ye Qiulan with her eyes.Ye Qiulan turned off the steam.Ling Xueqing withdrew the probe extremely slowly and smoothly.The moment the probe left, with the help of a magnifying glass, they saw that the edge of the cinnabar coating slightly lifted up by the probe revealed clearer, gray-black strokes underneath – the remnants of a completely obliterated word!

Although it was just a glimpse, the structure of the strokes was vaguely discernible.Ling Xueqing quickly used the sketchbook next to her to sketch out the shape of the remaining brushstrokes she saw as quickly as possible.Ye Qiulan immediately used a very small, slightly sticky transparent film to gently cover the slightly disturbed cinnabar edge, temporarily fixing it back to its original position to prevent further displacement.

After doing all this, they both straightened up at the same time and breathed a sigh of relief.The vest is already covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Ling Xueqing looked at the incomplete strokes in the sketchbook and fell into deep thought.Ye Qiulan also looked at it, trying to identify it.”Is this like…a part of the word ‘dispute’? Or is it ‘litigation’?”

“It’s all possible.” Ling Xueqing whispered, “If it was originally written as ‘fight for land’ or ‘lawsuit for land,’ and was later changed by Cinnabar to a milder or more ambiguous expression…” She looked at the other inscriptions on the ancient books. Those words about the “agreement” and “return” of the land suddenly had another possible meaning – it might not be the original record, but a modified version.

This discovery, although small, may shake up the understanding of the entire record.It reminds that even in the “formal” annotations within the clan, there are also obliterations and rewritings, and history may have been modified at the moment it was formed.

What should they do with this discovery?Like sealing the remaining pages, recording them, and then covering them up?Or…

“Continue to smooth the other parts first.” Ling Xueqing closed the sketchbook and her voice returned to the calmness of her daily work. “Here, temporarily fix it with a film and do not disturb it. After all the smoothing and reinforcement is completed… we will decide whether to conduct further exploration or how to record it.”

She put her choice on the back burner again.It’s not not to do nothing, but to wait for a more appropriate time and a more comprehensive judgment.

Ye Qiulan looked at the cinnabar edge carefully protected by the transparent film and nodded.The two stopped talking, returned to their respective positions, picked up the agate stone, and continued the long and meticulous smoothing work.The morning light has long since turned into bright morning light, and the shadow of the camphor tree has shrunk to a minimum.

However, when Ye Qiulan rolled the agate stone again, the feeling on his fingertips seemed to be sharper.She not only feels the fibers of the paper, but also seems to be able to feel through the paper the weight of the layers that have been written, daubed, and buried by time.Ling Xueqing’s calm and focused profile opposite him, at this moment, was not only a reliable companion, but also the only clear and firm coordinate standing together on the bank of a long and endless historical river full of fog and dark marks.