When The Snow Falls In Autumn Chapter 67

Chapter 67

On Saturday morning, the sky was a washed, clean light blue, the sun was clear and there was not much temperature.The wind carried the dryness and coolness of late autumn, picking up the last few dead leaves of the French taulownia on the roadside and swirling them down.

Ye Qiulan arrived at the school gate ten minutes early.She wore a light gray thin down jacket, an ordinary striped sweater, dark jeans, and canvas shoes.I put an old backpack on my back, which contained a notebook, pen, power bank, a small bottle of water and two packs of biscuits.She stood under the camphor tree next to the bus stop, her fingers unconsciously holding the strap of her backpack, and her eyes fell in the direction of the traffic.

My heart is beating faster than usual, I can’t tell if it’s because of nervousness or something else.She barely slept last night, and her mind went over the “techniques” mentioned by Ling Xueqing, as well as the fragmentary information about family trees, private seals, and disappeared surnames.She didn’t brew the two packs of soothing tea, but just put them next to her pillow. She smelled the faint smell of medicinal herbs, and her heart was in a mess. Sometimes it was her father’s suppressed cough at night, and sometimes it was Ling Xueqing’s pale profile in the dim light of the warehouse.

At eight o’clock sharp, a familiar figure appeared at the school gate on time.Ling Xueqing wore a long black woolen coat today, with the buttons unbuttoned, revealing the light gray turtleneck sweater underneath.Still wearing dark trousers and black short boots.The long dark hair was loosely braided on the side and hung on the shoulders. It was a little less sharp than the way it was usually tied up, and a little more…indescribable softness.She was carrying a heavy-looking dark brown leather satchel, and she was holding a transparent document bag in her hand. Paper and a notebook with a dark blue cover could be seen inside.

She walked straight to the stop sign, glanced at Ye Qiulan, and nodded slightly.”Morning.”

“Morning.” Ye Qiulan replied, his voice a little dry.She noticed that the light blue color under Ling Xueqing’s eyes seemed to be more obvious than the day before yesterday.

The bus came quickly. It was not a rush hour and there were not many people on the bus.The two of them put in coins, walked to the back half of the carriage, and sat on the double seat side by side.Ling Xueqing leaned against the window, and Ye Qiulan leaned against the aisle.The car started, and during the slight shaking, the two people’s shoulders occasionally touched each other, and then separated quickly.

The street scene outside the window flows backward.Ling Xueqing took out a few pieces of printing paper from the document bag and handed them to Ye Qiulan.”These are a few family surnames that you may want to focus on today, as well as known related figures and approximate active years. Take a look at them first to get an impression.”

Ye Qiulan took it.There were four or five surnames listed on the paper, followed by densely packed notes in small print, and some even added relevant clues in handwriting.The handwriting is unique to Ling Xueqing, clear and slightly hard.She lowered her head and looked carefully, trying to remember those unfamiliar names and relationships in her mind.

Ling Xueqing took out the dark blue notebook from her bag, opened it to a certain page, and wrote something on it with a very thin silver pencil.The sun shines through the car window and falls on her lowered eyelashes and the well-joined fingers holding the pen, coating them with a light golden halo.Her expression was very focused, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she was completely immersed in her own thoughts.

The carriage was quiet, with only the hum of the engine and the station announcement.Ye Qiulan read a few pages of information and felt his eyes were a little sore. He raised his head and his eyes fell on Ling Xueqing involuntarily.The way she writes, the small movements of unconsciously biting her lower lip when thinking, the shells of her ears that are almost transparent when illuminated by the sun… These details are infinitely magnified at such a close distance and in the quiet carriage, with a palpitating sense of clarity.

Ye Qiulan hurriedly looked away and looked out the window.My heart was beating a little wildly.That sour feeling surfaced again, not because the information was difficult to remember, but because of the gap that became increasingly clear and made her feel more and more powerless between the seemingly natural closeness sitting side by side at this moment, and the unspeakable longing in her heart that she dared not delve into.

The forty-minute drive passed quickly.The Municipal Archives is an old Soviet-style building with gray-yellow walls, tall windows, and several wide stone steps in front of the door.There were not many people here on Saturday, so it seemed very quiet.

Ling Xueqing showed the letter of introduction and their student ID cards, and made detailed registration at the registration office.The person on duty was an aunt in her fifties and wearing reading glasses. After reading the letter of introduction, she looked up at them, especially Ling Xuequing.”Department of history? Are you doing research?” His tone was somewhat routine and lazy.

“Yes, please.” Ling Xueqing’s attitude was respectful, but her tone was calm.

“The uncataloged batch of donated documents is in the west warehouse on the second floor. The key is here with me. You can only look at it in the outer reading room and cannot enter the inner warehouse. If you want anything, tell me and I will get it for you.” The aunt slowly said the rules, “You can only take one box at a time, and then take another box after reading it. No photography, no photocopying, only hand copying. Notebooks and pens cannot be brought in, use the ones we provide.”

Terms are strict.Ye Qiulan felt a little numb after hearing this.Ling Xueqing just nodded, “Okay, I understand.”

They followed their aunt to the second floor.Outside the West Treasury is a small reading room with several heavy wooden tables and chairs. The light mainly comes from a few fluorescent lamps above the head, which is a bit dim.The air was filled with the smell of old paper and insect repellent, which was a bit choking.

The aunt opened a locked cabinet and took out two thick registration books with frayed edges. She also gave them two pencils and a few piles of rough manuscript paper.”Use this. You have to check the notes before taking them out.” After saying that, she pointed to a row of iron cabinets against the wall. “The uncatalogued ones are temporarily put there. They are roughly classified according to the pinyin of the last name, but it is very messy. You can find it yourself.”

Ling Xueqing thanked her, and after her aunt left, she walked to the iron cabinet and looked at the vaguely written label affixed to it.With a clear goal, she directly opened the cabinet door labeled “L”, “Z” and several possibly related surnames.

The cabinets were stacked with cartons and file bags of different sizes and materials, and even some loose pages tied directly with hemp rope, gathering thick dust.Without any hesitation, Ling Xueqing reached out and started rummaging.Dust rose up and danced in the light.She seemed unconcerned, moving quickly and carefully, her eyes scanning every box or file for possible information.

Ye Qiulan also leaned over, imitating Ling Xueqing’s example, and rummaged through another cabinet door.The dust made her want to cough, but she was afraid of disturbing the quiet, so she held it back.My fingers were quickly covered with dust, and many of those cartons were already brittle, and a corner might fall off if you were not careful.

After about ten minutes, Ling Xueqing pulled out a flat, dark blue cloth-covered box from a pile of yellowed paper boxes, with the vague “Fenyang Han family tree (remnant)” written in writing on it.Her eyes lit up, she walked to the table holding the box and opened it carefully.

Inside was a thread-bound booklet, the paper was burnt and the edges were badly moth-eaten.Ling Xueqing put on the thin cotton gloves she brought with her and opened them very carefully.Ye Qiulan also walked over and stood beside her, watching.There are vertical calligraphy in the booklet, recording family lineage, life, marriage, and burial place.The handwriting is neat, but it’s been a long time and some places are unclear.

Ling Xueqing read very slowly, flipping through the pages, her fingertips hovering above the pages, searching with sharp eyes.Ye Qiulan couldn’t do much to help, he could only watch with bated breath.The reading room was so quiet that only the slight rustle of paper was turned and the faint murmur of the street in the distance.

Time passed little by little.Ling Xueqing finished reading the first volume, closed it, thought for a moment, and shook her head.”No. The lineages don’t match up, and the migration routes are far different.” She put the book back into the box, got up and continued to rummage.

Ye Qiulan also returned to the cabinet.The dust seemed thicker and the light seemed dimmer.In a corner, she saw a small package wrapped in oil paper, tied with fine linen rope and tied tightly with a knot.She tried to untie it, but failed. Instead, she tore a small corner of the oil paper, revealing the black edge of the paper inside.

She was a little panicked and just when she didn’t know what to do, Ling Xueqing came over.”What’s wrong?”

“This… seems to be very old, and the rope cannot be untied.” Ye Qiulan whispered, pointing to the broken corner.

Ling Xueqing knelt down and looked carefully at the oil paper bag, then at the binding method and knots.”It’s the ‘cross’ buckle from the collection system. It has hardened over time.” She said, and took out something from the inner pocket of her coat – not a key, nor a knife, but… a slender, polished bamboo stick, with one end carefully wrapped in a small piece of soft leather.

Ye Qiulan looked at it in surprise.

Ling Xueqing didn’t explain. She used the bamboo stick to very gently and carefully penetrate the gap in the knot, and slowly picked, plucked and loosened it.Her fingers were steady without a trace of trembling, and her eyes were as focused as if she were performing a delicate operation.After about two or three minutes, she loosened the knot a little bit, the rope fell apart, and the oil-paper bag was unfolded without causing any further damage to the paper inside.

Inside the oil paper were several loose pages of the contract stuck together. The paper was darker and brittle, and the ink was dim.Ling Xueqing quickly glanced at the beginning and signature, and frowned.”It’s a land deed from the Daoguang period. It has nothing to do with what we are looking for.” She carefully folded the loose pages as they were, wrapped them again in oil paper, and put them back in their original place.

“How…why do you have that?” Ye Qiulan couldn’t help but ask, pointing to the bamboo stick in her hand.

Ling Xueqing put the bamboo stick back into her pocket, her tone as calm as if she was talking about today’s weather.”I learned it from the teacher in the restoration department before. Some old bindings cannot be removed by force. This is sometimes easier to use than a knife.” She paused and glanced at Ye Qiulan, “This is also one of the ‘skills’.”

Ye Qiulan suddenly realized.It turns out that the “skills” she was talking about didn’t just mean how to find information, but also how to deal with these fragile historical objects themselves.A mixture of admiration and deeper astringency came over him.Ling Xueqing’s preparation and proficiency in these details were behind how many times she had faced these piles of old papers alone?

They continued to search.I also dug out several fragments of genealogy, some family journals from the Republic of China period, and even a few manuscripts of boudoir poems with yellowing paper and beautiful handwriting.Ling Xueqing examined each one quickly and carefully, but could never find any clues that might be related to the private seal.Her expression gradually tightened, her lips pursed into a straight line, and her browsing speed increased instead of slowing down, with an almost stubborn energy.

Ye Qiulan couldn’t really help, so he could only try not to cause trouble, handing her a pencil or manuscript paper when she needed it, or helping her gently hold down the footer on the other side of a thick book.The two were so close that she could smell the very faint scent of cedar on Ling Xueqing’s body, which was slightly obscured by the dust, as well as the subtle static electricity warmth generated by the friction of the fibers of her sweater.

Unconsciously, the clock on the wall pointed to 12:30 noon.The aunt on duty opened the door and came in, holding two enamel lunch boxes in her hands.”It’s time to eat. The reading room will be closed for one hour. You can come back in the afternoon.”

Ling Xueqing raised her head from an account book, her eyes a little dazed, as if she had just escaped from another time and space.She glanced at the clock and nodded, “Okay, thank you.”

They cleaned up the things on the table, put the reviewed materials back to their designated locations, and then walked out of the reading room.The sunshine at noon was a bit dazzling. There were several tall cedar trees planted in the courtyard of the archives, and there were stone benches under the trees.

Ling Xueqing walked to a stone bench with the wind behind her and sat down. She took out a brown paper bag from her bag. Inside were two still warm rice balls, wrapped in plastic wrap.She handed one to Ye Qiulan.”I bought it this morning. Just make do with it.”

Ye Qiulan took it. The rice balls were simple white rice stuffed with meat floss and pickled mustard.She was indeed hungry and began to eat in small bites.Ling Xueqing also ate slowly, looking at the pine needles on the ground with a somewhat relaxed look.

“It’s hard to find, isn’t it?” Ye Qiulan asked softly.

“Yeah.” Ling Xueqing swallowed a mouthful of rice balls, “It’s more messy than expected. A lot of information is just piled together randomly without any preliminary sorting. Sometimes the clues of a family may be scattered in several unrelated files.” She rubbed the center of her eyebrows, and the tired look became more obvious in the sunlight.”Moreover, even if the relevant surname is found, if you want to pinpoint it to a specific person and then contact the private seal on the land deed… the hope is slim.”

Her tone was calm, not complaining, just stating a fact.But Ye Qiulan could hear a hint of disappointment and…exhaustion hidden deep beneath the calmness.It is the recognition that the search itself may be futile, and it is also the consumption caused by carrying this pursuit for a long time.

“Then… do you want to continue looking for the afternoon?” Ye Qiulan asked.

Ling Xueqing was silent for a few seconds, finished the last bit of the rice ball, carefully folded the plastic wrap and put it into the paper bag.”Looking for it,” she said, her voice low, but with a determination that could not be changed, “Now that you are here, at least go through the relationship between the ‘Z’ and ‘L’ surnames. Just in case there are clues.”

She stood up and threw the paper bag into the trash can nearby, her movements neat and tidy.At that moment, the calm, rational, and never-giving Ling Xueqing came back.

The search in the afternoon was even more boring.Dust seemed to be sucked into the lungs, the throat was dry, and the eyes were sore and tearful from staring at the blurred handwriting for a long time.Ye Qiulan gradually felt a little dizzy. It might be due to lack of air circulation or lack of rest.She steeled herself and helped Ling Xueqing move the heavy file boxes.

Ling Xueqing’s condition didn’t seem to be very good either.Her face became paler and paler, and she would occasionally stop while browsing, close her eyes and press her temples before continuing.But she never asked for a break or slowed down.

Just when Ye Qiulan felt that he was about to lose his support, Ling Xueqing suddenly let out a very light, suppressed gasp.

Ye Qiulan immediately turned around and looked.

Ling Xueqing was facing a thread-bound book with badly damaged edges. Her fingers stopped on a certain page and trembled slightly.Her eyes were wide open, staring at a vague vermilion mark at the top of the page.Only half of the imprint is left, and the edges are blurred, but the remaining strokes can be vaguely discerned as part of a complex seal character.

She quickly turned to the title page of the booklet and checked the title and the year of compilation – “Three Revisions of the Genealogy of the Luo Family in Lujiang (Guangxu)”.Her hands trembled even more, and she quickly turned back to the page before, carefully looking at the annotations in small regular script next to the mark.

“Luo Yunqian… named Shenzhi… was a member of the Renxu imperial examination in Tongzhi… had experience in Yongzhou Prefecture…” She muttered in a low voice, speaking very fast, with suppressed excitement in her voice, “… returned home in his later years, was fond of gold and stone, and had a rich collection of ancient seals… died in the 19th year of Guangxu…”

She raised her head suddenly and looked at Ye Qiulan, with an almost burning light shining in her eyes.”Yongzhou Mansion experience… the land deed belongs to Yongzhou! He collected ancient seals! This residual seal…” Her fingertips touched the half of the vermilion mark, “This arc, this stroke… are very similar! Very similar to the missing part of the vague private seal on the back of the land deed!”

Ye Qiulan’s heart also started pounding, and his dizziness seemed to lessen.”Really?”

“Need a comparison.” Ling Xueqing took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.She took out her notebook and turned to a certain page, which showed the remnants of the land deed’s private seal that she had traced earlier.He took out a pencil and paper and carefully copied the half of the mark on the family tree as accurately as possible.

Her fingers were still a little shaky, but her writing was extremely steady and her lines were meticulous.The sunlight slanted in from the high window, shining right on her focused side face and slightly trembling eyelashes.Ye Qiulan held his breath for fear of disturbing her.

Time seems to have frozen.There is only the rustling sound of pencil scratching rough manuscript paper, subtle but clear.

Finally, Ling Xueqing finished the painting.She placed the copy paper and the tracing drawings in her notebook side by side, lowered her head and compared them carefully.Her body leaned forward and her neck curved in a tense arc.

After a while, she slowly straightened up and breathed a long, silent sigh of relief.The shoulders slumped a little, and the tight string seemed to loosen a little.

“It’s right.” Her voice was very soft, with a husky tone of relief, “At least 80% sure. This Luo Yunqian is probably the owner of the private seal behind the land deed, or at least one of the handlers.” She looked at Ye Qiulan, the burning light in her eyes slowly settled, turning into a deep and complex emotion, including excitement, relief, and deeper confusion.”Found…a point.”

Just a point.Distance restores the entire clue, restoring the lost “Rishui River” and the cold-scented grass in my mother’s memory, still separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.But after all, it is a conclusive point that can continue to be pursued.

Ye Qiulan looked at the confusion that flashed in her eyes for a moment, and his heart felt as if he was lightly hit by something.The joy of finding clues is real, but so is the larger and more difficult pursuit that follows.That weight was still heavy on her shoulders.

Ling Xueqing carefully marked the page of the genealogy on manuscript paper and closed the book.She began to organize things and quickly and neatly copied the key information that needed to be recorded on the manuscript paper provided.Her movements were fast, but still methodical.

The aunt on duty came in to remind me that the restaurant was about to close.Ling Xueqing happened to finish copying the last few words.She returned all the materials she had reviewed, handed back the pencil and the remaining manuscript paper, and after inspection, got back her notebook and the key copy paper.

When we walked out of the archives building, the setting sun had already set, giving the gray-yellow building a warm golden edge.The wind was cooler than in the morning, blowing on my sweaty and dry skin, causing a shiver.

The two walked to the bus stop in silence.Ling Xueqing carefully put the copy paper into her dark blue notebook and put it in her bag.She hasn’t spoken much, seeming to be digesting today’s findings.

The bus is coming.Still sitting side by side.After the car started moving, Ling Xueqing leaned against the car window and closed her eyes.Her face looked particularly tired and even a little fragile in the afterglow of the setting sun.The long eyelashes cast thick shadows under the eyes.

Ye Qiulan looked at her side face and her slightly frowned eyebrows, and the sour emotion in his heart spread silently, soaking into her limbs.She wanted to ask “Are you okay” and “Let’s take a rest”, but all the words were stuck in her throat and she couldn’t say a word.

She could only sit quietly, watching the scenery outside the window recede rapidly, watching the sky get darker little by little.

After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xueqing suddenly spoke softly, her eyes still closed.

“Ye Qiulan.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for today.” Her voice was low and full of tiredness, but it sounded more real than ever. “Without your help in searching, I… might not be able to see there by myself.”

Ye Qiulan’s nose felt sour, and he hurriedly turned away and looked at the street lights passing quickly outside the window.”I didn’t do anything…”

“You’re here.” Ling Xueqing interrupted her, her eyes still closed, and her tone was calm, but she seemed to be stating a crucial fact.

Ye Qiulan’s breathing stagnated.She’s here.Just “being” seems to have a different meaning to Ling Xueqing.This realization was heavier than any specific thank you, and it made her heart tremble more.

She quietly turned back and looked at Ling Xueqing.The other person seemed to have really fallen asleep, his breathing became even and long, his head leaning against the car window was nodding gently with the shaking of the car, his braids hanging on his chest, and a few strands of hair sticking to his smooth forehead.

Ye Qiulan stared at it for a long time until his eyes became numb.Then, very gently and carefully, she slipped a little bit of her shoulders and moved an inch closer towards Ling Xueqing.