ebookland Chapter 252 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 23
Chapter 252 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 23
Huo Xingzhou put his foot down again and turned to look at her with a hint of helplessness: "I'm not that much older than you, so you don't have to address me with 'you' every time."
Shen Shuwan was taken aback, not expecting him to suddenly stop and say this.
She raised her hand slightly awkwardly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing her cheek, and her voice lowered: "Ah, um, sorry... I'll be more careful next time."
Her somewhat helpless yet forced composure, in Huo Xingzhou's eyes, revealed a lively quality that differed from her usual cautiousness.
He looked at her slightly reddened earlobes, the helplessness in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a faint, almost amused expression.
"Hmm." He didn't say anything more, just responded, and then turned around to continue leading the way.
We arrived at the study quickly.
Huo Xingzhou pushed open the door and stepped aside to let her go in first.
The study was more spacious than I had imagined.
The floor-to-ceiling windows covering the entire wall were partially covered by heavy, dark green velvet curtains, and sunlight streamed through the gaps, casting bright bands of light on the floor.
The air was filled with an even richer aroma of old books, ink, and fine wood.
The two walls are floor-to-ceiling dark walnut bookshelves, densely packed with books, both in Chinese and English, the gold lettering on the spines gleaming faintly in the light.
On the other side against the wall was a large mahogany desk, on which were neatly stacked documents and files, and a heavy green glass table lamp.
A huge Persian carpet with an intricate pattern was laid in the center of the room, with two comfortable high-backed armchairs and a low table casually placed on it.
"The books are all over there," Huo Xingzhou pointed to the two bookshelf walls. "The categories aren't particularly organized, but they're roughly arranged by area. You can take a look and see if there's anything that interests you."
After he finished speaking, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he walked behind the desk, sat down, and picked up an unfolded document, seemingly intending to handle some matters there.
Shen Shuwan was somewhat surprised.
She thought he was just showing her around the place and would leave.
His presence here thwarted her original plan to casually browse around, grab a book, and leave.
Seeing that she was a little reserved, Huo Xingzhou said, "Don't be shy, just pretend I'm not here."
That's easy for you to say.
Shen Shuwan thought to herself, how could such a big person sitting there be ignored?
But she nodded nonetheless and tiptoed toward the nearest bookshelf.
Her fingertips brushed against the cool, smooth spine of the book as she browsed through the titles.
The bookshelf was filled with foreign language books that she couldn't understand, printed with unfamiliar letters.
Some of the letters were arranged in the shape of English letters, which made them seem vaguely familiar to her.
Others are even more unfamiliar, with strange cursive script, perhaps French, or perhaps... Arabic?
Besides foreign languages, the Chinese books here cover a wide range of topics, including classics, history, philosophy, geography, and even many modern translated novels and science magazines.
But has he read all of these books?
Shen Shuwan's fingertips traced the spine of the book, but her gaze couldn't help but frequently fall on Huo Xingzhou.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, Huo Xingzhou looked up from the open documents.
"What's wrong?" he asked, meeting her gaze and voice. "Didn't find anyone you liked?"
"No, no," Shen Shuwan quickly waved her hand, probably not expecting her gaze to be caught on the spot, a little embarrassed that her cheeks flushed slightly, "It's just... I'm a little curious."
She pointed to the towering bookshelves behind her, "Mr. Huo, have you... read all the books here?"
After asking the question, she realized that her question was a bit silly.
There are so many books, how could one person possibly read them all?
Huo Xingzhou put down his pen, leaned back in the large leather chair, and followed her gaze as it swept over the two towering walls of books.
"Of course I haven't seen them all."
He answered frankly, his fingertip lightly tapping the smooth mahogany armrest: "Some of these are from my ancestors' collection, some were gifts from others, and some... I kept them because I thought they might come in handy."
“However,” he said, his gaze returning to her face with a faint hint of sharing, “I have read quite a few of those travelogues, notes, and geography books on the left side of the third row by the window.”
Travelogue?
Shen Shuwan tried hard to piece together the scene in her mind of him sitting upright behind this large desk, solemnly flipping through the books that recorded his experiences of mountains and rivers and the trivialities of city life...
No matter how you look at it, this scene exudes an indescribable, almost endearing sense of incongruity.
Perhaps it was this unexpected discovery of their "down-to-earth" nature that subtly dissolved the sense of distance created by their different social statuses between them.
Shen Shuwan's initial restraint subtly eased, even taking on a hint of lighthearted teasing that she herself wasn't aware of: "I thought someone like Mr. Huo would prefer those..."
As she spoke, she pointed to the thick, seemingly profound and difficult-to-understand classics or foreign books on the other side of the bookshelf, “Even more ‘powerful’ books.”
“Awesome books…” Huo Xingzhou repeated the word, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, as if he found the statement amusing. “It’s just reading books, what’s the difference between awesome and not awesome?”
He leaned back slightly, his posture more relaxed than when handling official business.
“Then…” Shen Shuwan grew a little bolder, took two steps forward, getting closer to the desk but still maintaining a distance, “Mr. Huo, which one do you like the most? Or, which one do you find the most interesting?”
"If we're talking about interesting things..." he began slowly, "you could take a look at the illustrated edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It records the scenery of all directions, strange mountains and rivers, rare birds and auspicious beasts. Although much of it is absurd, the imagination it evokes is much more interesting than many rigid records."
He continued, speaking casually, as if discussing the weather: "In the early days, the Huo family's ships sailed to Southeast Asia and the Western Ocean. The overseas tales passed down by word of mouth among the crew sometimes do match the records in books. Although they cannot be entirely believed, they have provided plenty of material for conversation."
Shen Shuwan listened intently, blinking as her initial surprise was gradually replaced by curiosity: "It can... match up?"
"Hmm." Huo Xingzhou responded, "I remember that the few gray-covered volumes next to this one were the records kept by the elderly members of my family who traveled on ships in the early years."
Seeing her interest, Huo Xingzhou continued, "From Fujian and Zhejiang to Southeast Asia, I've recorded all sorts of things I've seen and heard at the docks, the prices of local products, and even some of the strange customs of the locals. The writing is rough, but the value lies in the fact that it's based on my own observations, which makes it quite interesting."
He spoke calmly, but Shen Shuwan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This sounds even more appealing than a simple travelogue!
That was a vivid, firsthand record, imbued with the salty smell of the sea breeze and the dust of an exotic land.
"Then...can I take a look at those handwritten copies?"
Huo Xingzhou paused almost imperceptibly as he watched her interest ignite instantly and her eyes, which shone brightly in the sunlight reflecting off the bookshelf.
“Yes, that’s fine.” He nodded, his tone still steady. “But it’s quite old, and the paper is fragile, so you need to be careful when turning the pages.”
"I'll be careful!" Shen Shuwan quickly assured him, her voice filled with barely concealed joy.
As if granted a pardon, she walked briskly to the bookshelf and began searching for the handwritten copies he had mentioned.
Huo Xingzhou's gaze followed her back, her profile appearing focused and vivid in the light and shadow.
Her undisguised joy seemed to dispel some of the usual somber atmosphere in the study.
He looked away and returned his gaze to the document in front of him. He twirled the pen between his fingers but did not immediately put it down.
The soft, rustling sound of her rummaging through the leaves was in my ears, like silkworms eating leaves, and it wasn't annoying at all.
After a moment, as if remembering something, he looked up again and added a sentence to her retreating figure:
"If you see any unfamiliar local dialects or place names, feel free to ask me."
Shen Shuwan was pulling out a gray notebook when she heard this. She turned around and her eyes curved into a smile: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Huo!"
That smile was like a clear autumn sky, pure and unblemished.
Huo Xingzhou watched her turn away nimbly, his fingers gripping the pen unconsciously tightening slightly before slowly relaxing.
He lowered his head again, his gaze returning to the open documents. The usually tedious official business now seemed to have gained a subtle, inexplicable interest.