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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Xin, wearing a monk's hat, sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in front of the Buddha statue in the Main Hall, chanting scriptures. Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan arrived at the hall, guided by a Nun.
The Nun bowed to Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan and said, "The Sister Qingkong is right here!"
After Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan returned the gesture, the Nun left. Only Zhang Xin, Tao Ziwen, and Wang Zhiyuan remained in the hall.
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan also found cushions to sit on, then began a calm discussion with Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin said, "I used to think my father was a Warlord. With just one command, he could mobilize thousands of troops. What power and glory that was! As his daughter, I lived a life of luxury without anyone daring to bully me. I always felt proud of my identity. It wasn't until Cui died and my father killed Master Chen that I realized my father only knows how to kill. Moreover, he isn't as kind to me as he appears."
Tao Ziwen asked Zhang Xin, "How do you know?"
"I just know!" Zhang Xin looked at Tao Ziwen, as if she had more to say but held back.
Wang Zhiyuan said, "My dear sister Zhang, during your time away from home, the Supreme Commander has been restless. Didn't you see how much weight he lost thinking about you yesterday afternoon?"
Zhang Xin replied, "You don't need to persuade me anymore. I have nothing to miss about the Zhang Family. Why should I go back?"
Tao Ziwen urged, "Can you please stop being so stubborn? If you go back, your father will only kill more people!"
"Then let him kill!" Zhang Xin retorted. "After I return, won't he still kill whoever he wants?"
"That's different!"
"How is it different?"
"If you don't go back, these people will die because of you! This entire Jingxin Monastery could be destroyed because of your momentary decision. Why should they die because of you?"
Listening to Tao Ziwen's argument, Zhang Xin blinked as tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks: "If I go back, can things return to how they were before? Cui is gone; there’s no one left who can share my innermost thoughts!"
Tao Ziwen couldn't help but embrace Zhang Xin, letting her tears soak into his shoulder: "After you go back, you can come to the police station anytime to find me. Just think of me as Cui; you can share anything with me."
Wang Zhiyuan added from the side, "That's right! Both Ziwen and I are your friends!"
Zhang Xin asked Tao Ziwen, "So will you like me?"
Tao Ziwen fell silent again.
Wang Zhiyuan felt anxious for Tao Ziwen again and hurriedly said, "Sister Zhang, once you go back, we can discuss this matter at length!"
Zhang Xin replied, "I don't want to wait until after I go back. You are my fiancé, and I want you to swear that you will treat only me well for the rest of your life! As long as you make that vow, I won't interfere with your investigations anymore, nor will I ask you to accompany me shopping at the police station. From now on, I will listen to you about everything. Just swear now, and I will trust you for a lifetime."
Tao Ziwen pushed Zhang Xin away, hesitating and ultimately unable to make a decision.
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan had failed again. They left Jingxin Monastery and walked along the road to the inn.
Wang Zhiyuan complained, "What's wrong with you today? It's just a vow! If you had sworn back then, Sister Zhang might have immediately come with us."
Tao Ziwen remained silent, and Wang Zhiyuan nudged his arm with his elbow. "Hey, hey, Ziwen, I'm asking you a question!"
Tao Ziwen replied, "I can't do anything that would betray Wan'er."
Wang Zhiyuan said, "You like Wan'er, but she's about to get married! Besides, Sister Zhang is from a good family and is young and beautiful—doesn't she compare favorably to Wan'er?"
"If she's so great, why don't you marry her instead!" Tao Ziwen quickened his pace.
Wang Zhiyuan chased after him. "The person she likes is you, not me!"
...
At work, Li Ruolan and Guo Zhiqian were translating the first volume of the Foreign Sonnet Collection within their scope of work. To gain Jia Guangren's recognition and promotion, Li Ruolan had to take the second volume of the Foreign Sonnet Collection home in the evening to help Jia Guangren complete its translation.
Li Ruolan rented a shabby wooden shack built on the rooftop. When she returned from work and opened the door with her key, she gently pushed it, and the entire door fell off its frame with a loud crash inside.
Hearing the noise, the landlady climbed up the ladder to the rooftop and fussed loudly, "Oh dear! My goodness! This door isn't sturdy at all; you need to be more careful. Look at this—it fell off! Who's going to pay for fixing it?"
Li Ruolan looked apologetically at the landlady. "Landlady, please just add this cost to my rent."
"Add it to your rent? You haven't paid rent for two months! If this door falls again, you might as well move out!"
The landlady grumbled as she descended the ladder.
Li Ruolan walked into her room alone.
The wooden shack was crude and drafty, with large gaps between the boards that could fit a fist.
After Li Ruolan lit the Coal Lamp, she struggled to lift the heavy door panel with her slender frame and leaned it against the entrance. She took out the English version of the Foreign Sonnet Collection from her cloth bag and placed it on the table. Then, she pulled out some sheets of manuscript paper and spread them out on the worn wooden table. By the faint glow of the fire, she began to write with a fountain pen, translating the content of the original English text until she could barely keep her eyes open, exhausted and eventually falling asleep on the table.
Outside Li Ruolan's home, an old newspaper fluttered in the air, moving closer until it drifted past the roof of her shack. Dust from the rooftop was lifted by the wind, causing the windows of Li Ruolan's house to rattle.
The wind whistled through the gaps in Li Ruolan's wooden walls, while fine sand slipped through the large crevice at the door and into her home.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, bringing with it a torrent of paper scraps and dust from below, sweeping toward the dilapidated shack. With a loud bang, the wooden door fell back inside. The fierce wind rushed into the shabby wooden house. The manuscript papers filled with writing were instantly lifted into the air, while the English version of the Foreign Sonnet Collection rustled as its pages flipped wildly.
Li Ruolan was startled awake by the noise. She hurried to chase after the manuscript papers that were swirling in the wind, many of which flew away through the open door. She chased them outside just as a blinding flash of lightning struck, followed by a torrential downpour. Li Ruolan stood frozen in place as rain poured down on her. She quickly turned and ran back inside.
The roof of Li Ruolan's shack crackled in the storm as strong winds swept rainwater through gaps in the roof and surrounding areas, flooding the interior with water in an instant.
Li Ruolan picked up each soaked manuscript page from the rainwater; their writing had become blurred and illegible. She also held close to her chest the drenched English version of the Foreign Sonnet Collection. Soaked to the skin, she stood inside her shack, battered by wind and rain, cradling these papers and poetry collection protectively as she let the storm lash against her back.
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