When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The corridors in the staff dormitories are narrower than those in the student dormitories, and the lights are darker.The old-fashioned incandescent light bulb was covered with thick dust, and the light was dim and weak, barely illuminating the badly worn terrazzo steps underfoot.There is an old smell in the air, mixed with the smell of oil smoke, Chinese medicine and dust. The walls are covered with long-faded safety notices and small advertisements for unblocking sewers.

Ling Xueqing walked up step by step.The iron handle of the hot water bottle in his hand was wrapped around his fingertips. It was heavy and carried a little warmth from Ye Qiulan’s palm.The brief touch in the darkness at the corner of the second floor was like a spark, unexpectedly splashing onto her frozen lake of heart that was accustomed to being tightly controlled, causing a tiny, trembling ripple.The soft touch of Ye Qiulan’s skin and the rapid beating of her pulse seemed to remain on the inside of her wrist.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus on her breathing and steps.The dizziness and weakness caused by hypoglycemia did not completely subside. It enveloped her like a clammy veil, making her thinking become a little sticky.The tense nerves at the review meeting in the afternoon, the non-stop compilation of materials and replying to emails after the meeting, coupled with the continuous lack of sleep and loss of appetite in the past few days, were probably the triggers.She hasn’t been like this for a long time. The last time… seemed to be before the college entrance examination.

Teacher Zhao’s dormitory is on the fifth floor, the top floor.There is no elevator.Halfway to the fourth floor, she had to stop again, leaning against the cold wall, panting slightly.Sweat broke out on his forehead again, clinging to his scattered hair.His stomach was so empty that he even felt a little twitching, but the overly sweet fruit candies and dry biscuits that Ye Qiulan gave him just now aroused an even stronger feeling of discomfort.She doesn’t really like sweets.

After resting for a few seconds, she took another breath and walked up the last few steps.

There are only two households on the fifth floor, and Teacher Zhao lives in the one to the west.The dark green old-fashioned iron door was tightly closed, with a faded “福” on the top of the door frame.She put down the hot water bottle, raised her hand and knocked on the door.The iron door made a dull “dong-dong” sound, echoing in the empty and silent corridor.

After waiting for a while, there was the sound of slippers scraping the ground, and then the door opened.

The person who opened the door was Teacher Zhao’s lover, an old lady with gray hair and a kind face, wearing reading glasses and holding a handful of green vegetables in her hand.”Hey? Xue Qing? Come in, come in.” The old lady obviously recognized her and stepped aside enthusiastically, “Old Zhao is in the study. He was saying it was time for you to come.”

“Hello, Mrs., excuse me for disturbing you.” Ling Xueqing bowed slightly, picked up the hot water bottle and walked in.

The house is not big, the furnishings are simple but neat, and full of life.There is an old-fashioned wooden sofa in the living room, covered with a plain crocheted cloth. There is a fruit plate and several medicine bottles on the coffee table.There is a faint fragrance of tea and the warm smell of stew in the air.

Teacher Zhao heard the sound and walked out of the study.He wore a homely gray undershirt and glasses and held an open book in his hand.”Xueqing is here? Sit down.” His eyes lingered on Ling Xuequing’s face for a moment, and his brows moved imperceptibly, “Why does your face look so bad? You haven’t eaten yet?”

“Have eaten.” Ling Xueqing replied calmly, placing the hot water bottle gently in the corner, “Teacher Zhao, you said in your email this afternoon that you want to confirm with me in person some details about the local records quoted in our report?”

“Oh, there’s no rush about that.” Teacher Zhao waved his hand and motioned for her to sit down on the sofa, “You sit down and rest for a while. My wife, give Xue Qing a cup of hot water and add some sugar.” He turned to his wife and said.

“No need to bother, Mistress…” Ling Xueqing wanted to stop her, but Mistress had already walked to the kitchen with a smile.

Teacher Zhao sat down on the single sofa next to him, took off his glasses, and wiped them with the corner of his clothes.”I heard Lao Li mention it during the review meeting, saying that your presentation was good and your arguments were solid.” He looked at Ling Xueqing, “However, the reason why I came to you is not entirely about the report.”

Ling Xueqing raised her eyes and looked at him.

Teacher Zhao pondered for a moment, seeming to be considering his words.”This afternoon, people from the library’s security department came to see me again.” He lowered his voice, “About the stolen fragment. They checked the longer-term surveillance and found… In the days before the theft, more than once, there was the same figure wandering near the storage area of the ancient book restoration department. His face was not clear, but his clothing and body shape were very similar to those on the night of the theft.”

Ling Xueqing’s heart sank slightly.”Is it the same person?”

“Nine times out of ten.” Teacher Zhao nodded, “Moreover, judging from the monitoring time, the time period when that person appeared… happened to be the days when your team frequently went to the Special Collections Department to retrieve relevant documents.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.From the kitchen came the hum of the kettle and the soft sound of the mistress washing the cups.

“You mean,” Ling Xueqing’s voice remained steady, but the fingers on her knees curled up unconsciously, “That person is observing us? Or…is confirming what information we are accessing?”

“It’s possible.” Teacher Zhao sighed and rubbed his eyebrows. “This also explains why the volume you focused on was stolen. The other party’s goal is very clear, that is, they don’t want you, or anyone else, to come into contact with the contents of that fragment.”

“But,” Ling Xueqing frowned, “We have repeatedly checked the contents of that fragment, and it is just ordinary farmland and village records. Unless…”

“Unless there is something hidden in it that we didn’t notice.” Teacher Zhao continued, his eyes became sharp, “Xueqing, do you still remember the state of preservation of the fragment when you reviewed it? Is there anything… special? For example, the paper is particularly fragile? Or, are there signs of being repeatedly read or folded? Especially those pages that you did not focus on?”

Ling Xueqing quickly recalled it in her mind.The paper in that fragment was indeed brittle and a few pages were stuck together. Teacher Zhao had specifically warned me.At that time, they focused on searching for place names and “legendary rhyme” related records in the Guixi River Basin. They just quickly flipped through the preface, table of contents, and some irrelevant miscellaneous notes at the back…

Her eyes suddenly froze.

“Behind the catalog page,” she spoke slowly, as if she was carefully capturing the fragments of memory, “it seems… there is a blank page, or almost blank, with only some mildew spots and water stains on the edges. But the texture of the paper… seems to be different from the front and back pages. It is thicker and slightly darker. I thought it was the paper used for lining during repair, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.”

Teacher Zhao leaned forward.”What about near the binding line? Are there any pinholes? Or particularly neat cutting marks?”

Ling Xueqing tried hard to remember.The dim lights of the Special Collections Room, the fragile paper, and the fingers carefully flipping the pages… it seems… there are irregular, tiny bumps on the page near the inner binding line, which are not like mold spots, but more like…

“It seems… there are traces of being pasted and then torn off? Very slight.” She said uncertainly.

Teacher Zhao suddenly slapped his thigh, and his expression became excited: “That’s right! It’s very possible! There was something else hidden in the fragment! A note, a small picture, or something else! It was taken away! And the entire fragment was stolen just to cover up the fact that the folder was taken away!”

This speculation is more disturbing than mere theft.Not only did someone not want them to see certain contents, they even used a precious fragment of an ancient book as a cover to take away something contained in it.

“What could that be?” Ling Xueqing asked, her voice a little dry.

“I don’t know.” Teacher Zhao shook his head and his expression became solemn again, “But it must be very critical, or something very sensitive to some people. It may be related to the ‘Yiyun Pavilion’ you are checking, or… it may be related to Zhao Zhenlu from Zhaojiaba.” He looked at Ling Xueqing, “Last time you asked about Zhao Zhenlu, IThe friend later remembered something and said that the Zhao family fell into decline and the family property was wiped out, but there seems to have been a rumor that Zhao Zhenlu did not leave some important manuscripts and letters he collected in his later years to his descendants, but secretly hid them somewhere.They were not recorded in the local chronicles, but were passed down through the mouth of the clan, and I don’t know whether they are true or not.”

Secret manuscript?hide?

Ling Xueqing felt a chill spreading down her spine.If the rumors are true, and if the stolen fragments contain clues about the hiding place…then the purpose of the person who stole it is not just to prevent academic research.

“This matter,” Teacher Zhao looked at her pale face and said in a serious tone, “Don’t go any further. The report has been submitted, the review has passed, and the academic work that needs to be done has been completed. The rest is a matter for the library, security department, and even the police. You are students, safety first, do you understand?”

Ling Xueqing was silent.She knew what Teacher Zhao said was right, and her reason told her that she should stop there.However, when she thought of the figure peeping in the dark and even destroying ancient books, and of the missing folder that might contain important historical information, a strong reluctance and a deeper sense of curiosity and responsibility that belonged to the instinct of an academic researcher surged in her heart.

The mistress came out with sugar water, which was steaming hot.”Come on, Xueqing, drink something while it’s hot. If your face is so pale, you must not have eaten well.” The old man put the cup into Ling Xueqing’s hand and warmed it under his tentacles.

Ling Xueqing thanked her and held the cup in both hands.The warm sugar water slid down the esophagus, temporarily dispelling some of the chill and emptiness in the body.But the heaviness in my heart has not eased at all.

I sat at Teacher Zhao’s house for a while and confirmed a few irrelevant quoted details in the report.Ling Xueqing declined the teacher’s wife’s invitation to stay for dinner and stood up to leave.

After walking out of the dark green iron door, the dimness and silence in the corridor enveloped her again.She walked down the stairs slowly, her steps heavier than when she came.The conversation just now was like a bigger stone, pressing on the heart that was already breathless.

When she reached the corner of the second floor, her steps paused unconsciously.His eyes fell on the wall he had been leaning against before, where he stood with Ye Qiulan handing her candy and biscuits.The touch in the darkness seemed to still have a faint electric current.

Ye Qiulan…does she know this?Probably don’t know.She just stumbled upon the clue, devoted herself to organizing and appendixing it, and experienced an unexpected theft and a tense review meeting.She didn’t need to know that there might be something more complex or even dangerous behind it.

A strong impulse to protect her struck Ling Xueqing’s heart without warning.It’s clearer and more urgent than ever.She didn’t want Ye Qiulan to get involved in these obscure troubles, and she didn’t want her clear and gentle eyes to be cast by the shadow of worry and uneasiness.

However, they are already involved.It started when Ye Qiulan found the “Yongzhou Old News Collection” in the corner of the ancient books reading room, when their names appeared together in the access records, and when the fragment was stolen.

Ling Xueqing clenched her fingers, her fingertips were cold.She took a deep breath, suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart, and continued walking down.

When I walked to the door on the first floor, the night outside was completely thick as ink.The streetlight was on alone, casting its own lonely circle of light on the ground.The evening breeze was moist, blowing on my face, which made it a little cold.

She stood at the door and did not leave immediately.His eyes were subconsciously cast in the direction of Ye Qiulan’s dormitory building.The lights were brightly lit over there, warm light came from the windows, and faint laughter could be heard.

What is Ye Qiulan doing now?Do you continue to organize notes at your desk, or chat with your roommates?Were you unhappy because of the little episode at the end of the afternoon judging session?Are you…like her, still thinking about that brief moment in the dark corridor?

Ling Xueqing didn’t know.She rarely guessed other people’s thoughts, especially Ye Qiulan’s.Ye Qiulan’s thoughts are like the dewdrops on the lotus leaves in the early summer morning, clear and fragile, with a subtle brilliance that she may not be fully aware of.She could see it, but she didn’t dare to touch it easily, for fear of breaking it, and also for fear that… once she touched it, she would never be able to take it back.

After standing for a while, the night wind made her feel a little cold.The feeling of weakness caused by hypoglycemia seems to be returning faintly.She stopped staying, turned around, carried the already cold thermos bottle, and walked towards the East District graduate apartment.

The footsteps echoed clearly in the silent night.The figure was stretched by the street lights, then shortened, and finally merged into the deeper night.

The mess in my heart became tighter and more confusing because of the new information revealed by Teacher Zhao.But the soft touch of the skin on Ye Qiulan’s wrist, and the shimmering eyes with concern and confusion in the darkness, were like two weak, warm stars, stubbornly embedded in this chaotic and heavy night, guiding a direction that she didn’t understand yet, but couldn’t ignore.