When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The breakfast rush in the cafeteria has not yet completely passed, and the warm and sweet aroma of porridge and rice and the greasy aroma of fried pasta are floating in the air.There was a buzz of voices, plates clattering, chairs shuffling.Ling Xueqing chose the corner seat by the window. It was relatively quiet here and she could also see the gradually brightening sky outside.

She placed Ye Qiulan’s canvas bag on the empty chair next to her, then turned and went to the window.When I came back, I had two more dinner plates in my hand.A bowl of white porridge, a plate of fried bean sprouts and a steamed bun were placed in front of Ye Qiulan.She also had a bowl of porridge in front of her, but only a small plate of shredded pickled radish.

“Eat.” She handed a pair of clean chopsticks to Ye Qiulan, picked up the spoon first, scooped out a spoonful of porridge, and blew slowly.

Ye Qiulan looked at the simple but steaming breakfast in front of him, and then looked at Ling Xueqing’s calm profile.The discomfort in my stomach and the uneasiness about the conversation in the office just seemed to be diluted a little in the face of the real heat of the food.She picked up the chopsticks, picked up some bean sprouts, and put it into her mouth.The flavor is light but very crunchy.

The two ate in silence.Ling Xueqing ate slowly, chewing every bite carefully, her eyes lowered, as if she was thinking about something.Ye Qiulan sipped the porridge in small sips, and the warm rice soup slid into his stomach, bringing a slight warmth.She wanted to speak several times, asking how Ling Xueqing planned to make that list, or what she thought about Teacher Zhao’s speculation just now, but she swallowed her words when she saw the way Ling Xueqing was immersed in her own thoughts.

The sunlight outside the window gradually became brighter, passing through the glass and casting diamond-shaped light spots on the dining table.The number of people in the canteen gradually decreased, and the noise decreased, leaving only the sound of cleaners clearing away tableware in the distance.

Ling Xueqing finished the last mouthful of porridge, put down the spoon, picked up a tissue and wiped the corners of her mouth.Then, she took out Ye Qiulan’s familiar dark blue hard-shell notebook and a black water-based pen from the dark shoulder bag she carried with her.

“Start now.” She opened a new page in her notebook, her pen tip hovering above the paper, and she looked up at Ye Qiulan.”The first draft of the report directly quotes the original text, first article, page number, and content of the second volume of the hand-written supplementary fragment of the stolen fragment “(Kangxi) Yongzhou Prefecture”.”

Her cut was direct and efficient, instantly pulling the two of them from the brief relaxation of breakfast back to the intense business.Ye Qiulan quickly put down his chopsticks, took out the printout of the first draft of the report from his canvas bag, and quickly turned to the quotation section.

“Page 3, footnote 1,” she read, “Quoted content: ‘Volume 7, Tian Fuzhi, east bank of Guixi River, Zhaojiaba, 320 acres of private land, cleared in the 24th year of Hongwu.'”

Ling Xueqing lowered her head, moved her wrist steadily, and wrote in the notebook: 1. P3, footnote 1, Volume 7 Field Fu, Zhaojiaba Field Acres, Hongwu Twenty-Fourth Year.

“Go on.” She didn’t even look up.

Ye Qiulan read on one by one.There are not many quotations from this fragment in the report. It mainly focuses on explaining the distribution of villages and land reclamation in the Guixi River Basin in the Ming Dynasty, providing historical background support for the possible geographical environment of “Yiyun Pavilion”.The quotes are all neutral numbers of acres, village names, and simple product records, such as “Linjiachong, a mountain pond, fifty acres of irrigated fields”, “Wujiapo, produces fir and tung trees”.

Ling Xueqing succinctly recorded each item she read.Her handwriting is clear, strong and neatly arranged.The sun danced on her lowered eyelashes.

Soon, the direct quotations were listed.Ling Xueqing’s pen tip paused.”In the text of the report, are there any extended speculations or associations based on these quotes? Even if it is a very subtle hint.”

Ye Qiulan thought carefully, turning over the manuscript paper unconsciously with his fingers.”When demonstrating the environmental possibility of the ‘Yiyun Pavilion’ as a recreation center for Tang Xian, it was mentioned that ‘the area was still inhabited by Zhao, Lin and other ethnic groups during the Ming Dynasty, and the distribution of mountain ponds and weirs can give a glimpse of the remnants of the human settlement environment during the Tang and Song Dynasties’… Does this count?”

Ling Xueqing quickly wrote down: Speculation 1: The continuity of the Zhao, Lin and other ethnic groups’ settlements is related to the legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

“Any more?”

Ye Qiulan thought about it again and shook his head.”The others are purely geographical and documentary research, and do not point to any specific family or location.”

Ling Xueqing closed the notebook but did not put down the pen.Her fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth cover, and her eyes fell somewhere outside the window. Her eyes were a little vacant, and she was obviously integrating information quickly.

“Zhaojiaba, Linjiachong, Wujiapo…” She repeated these place names in a low voice, “They are all small place names in the Guixi River Basin. I’m afraid they have been renamed or disappeared. Farm acres, mountain ponds, products… are the most common rural economic records.” She raised her eyes and looked at Ye Qiulan, “From these alone, there is no value worth risking and stealing.”

“Unless,” Ye Qiulan followed her train of thought, feeling a little uneasy in his heart again, “As Teacher Zhao said, there is something in the fragments that we didn’t notice but that others care about? Maybe it’s not in the pages we quoted?”

Ling Xueqing was silent for a moment.”It’s possible.” She reopened her notebook, started a new line under the previous record, and quickly wrote: “Doubtful points: 1. Is the target the content of the non-quoted page? 2. Is the target the fragment itself (physical properties such as paper, binding, interlayer, etc.)? 3. Is the theft an interference or a warning?”

The nib of her pen was slightly heavier as she reached the last point.

Ye Qiulan felt cold as he looked at the words.”Warning? Warn us…not to continue investigating?”

“Not sure.” Ling Xueqing closed her notebook, her voice calm, but something deep in her eyes sank, “But it happened after our report attracted attention. This is a fact.”

There was almost no one in the cafeteria.The janitor began wiping down the table next to them, the rags smelling of disinfectant.

“What should we do next?” Ye Qiulan asked, his voice a little dry.

Ling Xueqing put her notebook and pen into her bag and stood up.”Two things. First, the report continues to be revised and improved, but the specific place names and descriptions of families in the Guixi River Basin are all blurred, and only the core geographical and documentary evidence chains are retained. Second,” she paused and looked at Ye Qiulan, “I know a teacher of local history who has done some research on family changes in Yongzhou. I asked him whether anything special happened in places like Zhaojiaba and Linjiachong during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, or any notable figures.”

Her arrangements are still methodical, like facing a complex academic problem, breaking it down and solving it step by step.Ye Qiulan nodded, and another thread seemed to be clarified from the mess in his heart.

“Then I…”

“You first mark the citation list and the parts that need to be blurred. Leave it to me in the afternoon.” Ling Xueqing interrupted her, her tone was unquestionable, “Now, go back and rest for a while. You still don’t look good.”

Ye Qiulan touched his face subconsciously.Fingertips are cold.

Ling Xueqing had already picked up her own bag and Ye Qiulan’s canvas bag, and walked towards the food table.Ye Qiulan quickly picked up the dinner plate and followed.

When we walked out of the cafeteria, the morning sun was already a bit scorching, and it was slightly hot on our skin.People were coming and going on campus, students holding books, figures riding bicycles speeding past, everything was business as usual.It was as if the theft in the corner of the library last night was just an unreal nightmare.

At the intersection leading to the library and dormitory area, Ling Xueqing handed the canvas bag to Ye Qiulan.

“It’s three o’clock in the afternoon,” she said. “If I’m not here, there’s something delaying you. You start first.”

“Okay.” Ye Qiulan took the bag, which seemed heavier than in the morning.

Ling Xueqing nodded to her, turned and left.Her back was dazzlingly white in the bright sunlight. She walked quickly and merged into the crowd of people on the avenue in a blink of an eye.

Ye Qiulan stood there, looking in her direction until he could no longer see her.Then, she slowly turned around and walked towards the old dormitory building in the West District.The canvas bag in his hand was heavy, containing the report that suddenly became difficult, and a heart full of butterflies in his stomach.

When I returned to the dormitory, it was still empty.She put the canvas bag on the desk and did not start working immediately. Instead, she walked to the window and opened it.The hot and humid wind rushed in, bringing with it the strong and somewhat suffocating fragrance of the roses in the flower beds downstairs.

She leaned against the window frame and looked out at the campus that was whitened by the sun.Ling Xueqing should go find that local history teacher now, right?What will be asked?Zhaojiaba, Linjiachong… What secrets are hidden in these strange place names that have long been lost in the pile of old papers?What does the man in the dark hoodie trying to pick the lock of the cabinet want to gain, or prevent?

There was a vague feeling of distension in my stomach again. I don’t know if it was due to lack of rest or continued tension.She thought of the medicine Ling Xueqing gave her, and there was only one pill left.She walked back to the table, dug out the medicine from her bag, dug it out, and swallowed it with the half glass of cold water left last night.

Then, she sat down, spread out the first draft of the report, picked up a red pen, and began to follow Ling Xueqing’s instructions to carefully search for the specific place names and family references that needed to be blurred.The tip of the pen scratched the paper, making a monotonous rustling sound.

The sunlight slanted in from the window, moving slowly, enveloping her in the beam of light, and the dust danced in the light.Time passed little by little, and there were more and more red marks on the manuscript paper.The specific details that were originally quoted to enhance the persuasiveness of the argument were now like thorns, making her feel hesitant and uneasy when writing.

“Zhaojiaba” was changed to “a village on the east bank of Guixi River”.”Property of the Lin clan” was changed to “Property of the local clan”.Every change made the originally clear chain of argument a little blurrier, and also cast an unspeakable shadow over the report based on rigorous research.

She stopped and looked at the pages of manuscript paper that had been modified beyond recognition in red, feeling a strong sense of frustration in her heart.They just want to do an academic project well.

The phone vibrated on the table.

She picked it up and read it. It was a message from Ling Xueqing. It was very brief: “I heard about it. I’ll tell you in detail this afternoon.”

No specific content was disclosed, but the news itself was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing ripples of uneasiness in her heart.What did you find out?Good news, or worse news?

She stared at the line of words for a long time until the screen automatically dimmed.

Outside the window, cicadas began to chirp at the top of their lungs, announcing the official arrival of the midsummer afternoon.The hot and sticky air pressed down heavily.

She picked up the pen again, took a breath, and forced herself to continue.The red handwriting snaked across the paper, like some kind of subtle warning, and also like the unknown and foggy realm they were forced to step into at this moment.The report still had to be completed, the clues still had to be sorted out, and the empty storage box deep in the library, and the secrets about those ancient place names that Ling Xueqing was exploring at the moment, had become a sudden, dark and uneasy crack in front of their academic path.