When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The electronic reading room attached to the Special Collections Department of the library is quieter than the main reading area. The air is filled with the extremely low hum of precision instruments and the slightly astringent smell of paper static electricity.Rows of terminal screens emitted cold white light, reflecting expressionless faces immersed in piles of old papers.Ye Qiulan sat in the corner, the screen light casting light blue shadows on her focused brows.

The temporary permission Ling Xuequing applied for is very useful.She logged into the advanced literature repository that was usually only open to faculty and certain graduate students.The interface is simple and the search method is complicated, but the amount of data is staggering.Following the ideas she compiled last night, she began to systematically screen the epitaph records related to Liu Zongyuan.

Keywords are entered one by one, and the limiting conditions are superimposed layer by layer.Time passes quietly with mouse clicks and page jumps.She found several records of epitaph rubbings from the Tang Dynasty that may contain references from Liu Zongyuan’s lost text, but most of them were unclear or only had catalogues, and the physical objects were hard to find.She recorded them one by one, marking any doubts.

Progress was slow but methodical.This slightly calmed down the anxiety in her heart caused by the huge workload.She began to understand that Ling Xueqing’s method of building a framework and then searching was indeed much more efficient than blindly running around.

Just when she was about to turn to retrospective documents since the Song Dynasty, an inconspicuous link within the database attracted her attention: “Local Chronicles Map Database (Beta Version)”.She thought of the private map drawn by Ling Xueqing, her heart moved, and she clicked on it.

When the interface loads, it scans and uploads map pages from local chronicles from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and even the Republic of China. They are roughly classified according to region and year, and the search function is simple.She tried entering “Yongzhou” and “Guishui”.There are only a few results, most of which are local chronicle maps revised in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, with simple annotations and unclear correspondence between river directions and ancient place names.

She was a little unwilling and entered “Lingling” again.There are more results that pop up this time.She clicked through them one by one.Most of them are boring general maps of territories with symbolic landscape symbols.Her mouse stopped until she clicked on a scan of the frontispiece map titled “(Kangxi) Yongzhou Prefecture Chronicles”.

This map is relatively finely drawn, with clear landscapes and clear lines. Towns, passes, and Jindu are all marked.She searched carefully along the tributary of the “Xiang River” marked in the picture, and found a very thin waterway with “Guixi” written in small characters on the side in the halo pattern indicating the mountains near the southwest edge of the picture.It’s not “Guishui”, it’s “Guixi”.But the directions are roughly consistent.

What made her breath even more stagnant was that in the upper reaches of this “Gui Stream”, in a fold with mountains on its back and water on its side, there was a small abstract symbol similar to a pavilion and a pavilion on the picture, with two words written next to it that were almost as faint as “Yun Yun”.

Yiyun Pavilion?Or Yiyuntai?The legend is incomplete and cannot be confirmed.But this name, this architectural symbol marked next to a remote stream, made the weak fire in her heart suddenly surge higher.In Liu Zongyuan’s landscape travel notes, he often places his affection on pavilions in such secluded places.Could this be the clue?

She immediately took a screenshot of the picture and saved it, writing down the file number.His fingers were trembling slightly with excitement.She clicked on the electronic version of the catalog index of this mansion chronicle and quickly searched for the “Art and Literature Chronicles” or “Historic Sites” sections, hoping to find more detailed records about “Heritage”.

The catalog is lengthy and the scanned copy has limited clarity, making it difficult to read.She leaned closer to the screen, the tip of her nose almost touching the cool glass.While he was concentrating, the air flow around him seemed to have undergone extremely subtle changes.

A familiar, crisp scent of cedar, very light but unmistakable, penetrated into the unique smell of dust from the heat dissipation of electronic equipment and old paper scans.

Ye Qiulan’s fingers were frozen on the touch pad.She didn’t look back immediately, but her heartbeat skipped a beat uncontrollably, and then accelerated.The writing on the screen blurred for a moment.

With a soft, almost inaudible “click”, a dark blue thermos cup was placed on the table at her hand.Fine water droplets condensed on the wall of the cup, making it slightly cool to the touch.Then, a figure sat down in the empty seat next to her, bringing a very slight air flow with the temperature of the outdoor sunlight.

Ling Xueqing is here.There was no greeting or inquiry, he just appeared naturally, as if he was just passing by and sat down.

Ye Qiulan slowly turned his head.Ling Xueqing was wearing a simple white T-shirt and khaki casual pants. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail, with a few strands of hair falling on the side of her neck.Her eyes fell on Ye Qiulan’s computer screen, looking at the open scanned ancient map marked “Guixi” and “Yiyun”. Her eyes were focused and her face had no expression except for an almost imperceptible raise of her eyebrows.

“Found it?” Ling Xueqing said, her voice low, but extremely clear in this overly quiet electronic reading room.

“…Not sure yet.” Ye Qiulan heard that her voice was a little dry, and she pointed at the screen, “The picture in “Kangxi Yongzhou Prefecture Chronicle” is labeled ‘Guixi’, not ‘Guishui’. But the direction is close. The mark of ‘Yiyun’ next to it, I don’t know what it refers to specifically.”

Ling Xueqing leaned closer and looked at the screen carefully.Her arm almost touched Ye Qiulan’s arm, and the smell of cedar became clearer, mixed with the smell of clean, sun-dried cotton on her body.Ye Qiulan could see her lowered eyelashes and tight, light-colored lips.

“The Qing Dynasty local chronicles’ records of historical sites from previous dynasties sometimes used the old names, and sometimes changed the pronunciation or meaning.” Ling Xuequing analyzed in a low voice, scanning the other annotations on the map, “‘Guixi’ is probably another name for ‘Guishui’ or a section of it. The key lies in this ‘legacy’.She tapped the small symbol with her slender fingers, “Check the ‘Historic Sites’ or ‘Temple Ceremony’ volumes of the same chronicle to see if there are any relevant records. If not, check the earlier local chronicles of the Ming Dynasty or Song and Yuan Dynasties to see if the ‘Yun’ is related to the activities of the literati of the previous dynasties.”

Her thoughts are always clear and direct, and she points out the next step in an instant.Ye Qiulan nodded and started operating immediately.First exit the current page, find the “Historical Records” section of the electronic version of “Yongzhou Prefecture Records”, and start quickly browsing the scanned pages page by page.

Ling Xueqing did not leave, nor did she say more.She sat next to him, took out the dark blue hard-shell notebook and a pen from her backpack, spread them out, and seemed to start to deal with her own affairs.But Ye Qiulan could feel that part of her attention always remained on her side of the screen.

In the electronic reading room, there is only the slight sound of the keyboard and mouse and the low sound of the air conditioner.Time passes by with the flipping of e-book pages and the occasional rustling of the pen tip across the paper.Ye Qiulan searched very carefully, but the “Historical Records” contained many volumes and trivial records, and it was difficult to find an entry directly related to “Yun Yun” for a while.My eyes started to feel sore.

At this moment, Ling Xueqing suddenly stopped writing in his hand.She pulled out a folded note with some frayed edges from her notebook and pushed it to Ye Qiulan’s hand.

Ye Qiulan picked it up doubtfully and unfolded it.It was Ling Xueqing’s handwriting, listing several book titles and approximate volume ranges: “(Wanli) Yongzhou Prefecture Chronicles”, “(Chenghua) Huguang General Chronicles”, “Yudi Jisheng” (Song Dynasty)… There was even one she had never heard of, “(Baoyou) Lingling Supplementary Chronicles”.

“These,” Ling Xueqing’s voice remained calm, “may be recorded earlier, or recorded from different angles. Some of them only have film or paper copies in the special collections library, and you need to fill out a retrieval form.” She paused and added, “I have already collected the retrieval form for you. It is under the thermos cup.”

Ye Qiulan lowered his head and saw two blank Special Collections Department access application forms under the thermos cup, with pens ready.She looked at the note filled with books and the call sheet in her hand, and the heavy emotion in her chest began to surge again.Ling Xueqing not only gave her directions, but even prepared the most complicated procedures in advance.

“…Thank you.” She held the note and spoke softly.

Ling Xueqing said “hmm” without saying anything else, and lowered her head to look at her notebook again.But Ye Qiulan noticed that there seemed to be a very faint, almost invisible pink color on the edge of her auricles.

Ye Qiulan suppressed the throbbing in his heart, picked up the pen, and began to compare the books on the note and fill out the requisition form.After filling it out, she stood up and prepared to go to the service desk of the Special Collections Department to submit it.After taking two steps, he stopped and looked back.

Ling Xueqing was still sitting there, with a calm face. The light that slanted in from the high window in the afternoon cast a clear shadow on the side of her straight nose.She seemed to be aware of Ye Qiulan’s gaze, raised her eyes and looked at her with questioning eyes.

“I… will hand in the order.” Ye Qiulan said.

Ling Xueqing nodded and looked back at the notebook.

Ye Qiulan walked to the service desk and submitted the transfer application.The administrator told her that it would take time to review the film and some paper documents, and the results would be available in about an hour.She thanked her and walked back to her seat.

Ling Xueqing is still there.On the notebook in front of her, there seemed to be some complicated schematic diagrams drawn. They were not maps, but more like some kind of structural or process analysis.Ye Qiulan didn’t look carefully, sat down next to her, returned his attention to the computer screen, and continued to search in the existing electronic resources.

The two fell into their own silence again.But this time, the silence is no longer empty.The water vapor in the thermos cup next to it is thick, the handwriting on the note paper is clear and powerful, and the lingering and comforting cold fragrance of cedar all together creates an invisible and collaborative field.In this field, Ye Qiulan felt a strange sense of peace.Those confusions and loneliness when facing the vast literature alone seemed to be shared quietly.

An hour later, the administrator called her name.She got up and went to get the document film and two paper photocopies of ancient books.There were a lot of things, and it was difficult for her to carry them alone.

Ling Xueqing stood up at some point, walked to her side, and naturally took the two thickest photocopies.“Go to the film reader over there,” she said, pointing to several separate reading tables with tiny projection screens on the other side of the reading room.

Ye Qiulan followed her with the film box and the remaining information in his arms.The reading table is not very spacious, and after the two of them sat down, their shoulders were almost touching.Ling Xueqing spread out the photocopy and quickly browsed the catalog.Ye Qiulan began to install the film and debug the reader.

The miniature projection screen lit up, and the yellowed film image was enlarged, showing ancient and slightly blurred handwriting.The two of them stood head to head and looked at it together.Ling Xueqing read very quickly, moving her fingers quickly on the photocopied pages, pausing occasionally to make marks with a pen.Ye Qiulan was responsible for operating the reader, slowly turning the film, his eyes closely following the text scrolling on the screen.

The rhythm of collaboration is established again.Occasionally, Ye Qiulan would point out an illegible word on the film, and Ling Xueqing would get close to the screen and identify it carefully. Sometimes he could recognize it, and sometimes he could only be suspicious.More often than not, it was Ling Xueqing who found relevant passages from the photocopies and signaled Ye Qiulan to move the film to the corresponding position for comparison.

The air was filled with the unique slightly sour smell of old film and the dusty smell of photocopied paper.The two of them breathed very softly because of their concentration, but they were still clearly audible in this small space.Ye Qiulan could feel the warmth radiating from Ling Xueqing’s body, and could smell the very light shampoo fragrance in her hair, mixed with the consistent cedar undertone.

Just as Ye Qiulan rolled the film and browsed to the “Lingling County·Historical Sites” section of “(Chenghua) Huguang General Chronicles”, Ling Xueqing’s fingers suddenly pressed on a certain line on the photocopy.

“Here.” Her voice was low, with a hint of unnoticeable tension.

Ye Qiulan immediately stopped moving and looked at where Ling Xueqing was pointing.That is a short record about “Yiyun Pavilion”: “Yiyun Pavilion, on the bank of Guixi River in the west of the county, was said to be a recreation place for Tang Xian. It has been ruined for a long time. The stone foundation still exists. From time to time, woodcutter Mu Jian picked up broken bricks and tiles. There are notches on them, and the water is unrecognizable.”

Tangxian Recreation Area!The foundation remains!Notch!

Ye Qiulan’s heart beat wildly.She looked at Ling Xueqing, who was also looking at her. There was a glimmer of light in the depths of his eyes, a confirmation, and a sharp look when he was confirmed by clues.

“Look at the same part of the film to see if there are any earlier records or additions.” Ling Xueqing said quickly.

Ye Qiulan quickly operated the reader and quickly browsed the relevant parts of the “Huguang General Chronicle” film before and after.In the later records about “gold and stone”, another article was found: “The remaining stone of Guixi Yiyun Pavilion was excavated by the villagers on the bank of the stream. There are numbers such as ‘Yuanhe…’ on it. The rest are indistinguishable. It is suspected to be carved in the Tang Dynasty.”

Yuanhe!The reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty, the era when Liu Zongyuan lived!

The chain of evidence suddenly tightened.Ye Qiulan’s fingers were trembling slightly with excitement.She looked at Ling Xueqing, and the corners of Ling Xueqing’s mouth seemed to curve upward in an extremely subtle and fleeting arc.But her eyes remained calm, even more focused.

“More direct evidence is needed to clearly connect the ‘Yiyun Pavilion’ with Liu Zongyuan himself.” Ling Xueqing said, tapping her fingers on the table unconsciously, “Poetry from the same period, records from friends, or… rubbings of inscriptions on the remaining stones of the pavilion, if they can still be found.”

“Rubbings…” Ye Qiulan murmured, looking towards the dense cabinets marked “Epigraphic Rubbings” deep in the Special Collections Department.That is another vast world.

Ling Xueqing followed her gaze and glanced.”Let’s stop here today.” She closed the photocopy and began to organize things. “The existing discoveries are enough to support a strong fulcrum of the report. The search for rubbings can be listed as a direction of long-term attention in the future.”

She is decisive in decision-making and knows how to stop when it is appropriate and not to go too far blindly.Although Ye Qiulan’s heart was racing, he also knew that she was right.She nodded and began to carefully pack the film and information.

The two of them returned the borrowed documents to the service desk together.When I walked out of the electronic reading room of the Special Collections Department, it was already evening outside.The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the corridor a warm golden orange color.

They walked side by side in the quiet corridor, their footsteps could be heard clearly.No one spoke, but the air was filled with a tacit sense of relaxation after completing a successful investigation together, as well as a faint excitement caused by the breakthrough of clues.

Arriving at the door of the main reading area, Ling Xueqing stopped.She looked at Ye Qiulan, her eyes lingering for a moment on her eyes that were slightly shining with excitement.”I will be responsible for writing the main framework and core arguments of the report. You,” she paused, “organize the clues of the ‘Yun Yun Pavilion’ discovered today into detailed research notes, focusing on the excavation process from local chronicles to key records. Tomorrow afternoon, I will go over the first draft at the same place.”

“Okay.” Ye Qiulan nodded vigorously, his heart full of solid motivation.

Ling Xueqing nodded, said nothing more, turned around and walked in the other direction.Her back was long in the sunset, and her gait was still smooth and calm.

Ye Qiulan stood there, watching her walk away until the figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.Then, she slowly turned around and walked towards the exit.In the chest, the heavy canvas bag seemed to be no longer just a weight, but also contained the shimmering ancient clues that had just been unearthed, and the clear and warm aftertaste left by an afternoon of close collaboration.

Twilight fell softly.She knew that tomorrow afternoon, what awaited her at that long oak table would no longer be at a loss and groping alone, but a prepared and solemn delivery of a joint discovery.And the river named “Guixi”, together with the long-extinct “Yiyun Pavilion” by the riverside, seemed to have quietly built a new, silent bridge between her and Ling Xueqing, composed of ink marks and textual research.