In Jinling in December, although it hasn't snowed yet, it's already so cold that it makes people spit out white mist. This is the kind of weather where snowing on any day is not a surprise.
Yu Dong took a handful of well water and splashed it on his face, and instantly became more awake.
Compared with tap water, pressed well water has a special charm. In summer, it is ice-cold and refreshing. In winter, it seems warm and soft.
After washing up, Yu Dong walked back with the basin in hand.
Ruan Xiaohu was still standing at the door. He was wearing a not thick black coat. Probably because he had been waiting outside the door for a long time, he was shivering a little from the cold. Although he tried his best to control his body, Yu Dong could still see that
He is very cold.
"come in."
After entering the house, Yu Dong poured a cup of hot water and handed it to Ruan Xiaohu: "Warm your hands."
Ruan Xiaohu took the enamel teapot and held it in his hands. He felt a little numb at first, but after a while, warmth gradually came over him and moved along his arms.
He set off from the hotel to Jinyi at around six o'clock in the morning. When the old man in the reception room heard that he was looking for Yu Dong, he was very enthusiastic and told him the journey for a long time.
When he arrived at the door of Yu Dong's dormitory, he saw Yu Dong sleeping through the window, so he didn't knock on the door and waited until now.
As his body warmed up, Ruan Xiaohu couldn't help but look at Yu Dong's room. The room was not big, the layout was very simple, and it looked very neat.
Looking at this room, Ruan Xiaohu remembered what their boss said: the simpler a person looks, the more things he thinks in his mind.
According to the boss, Teacher Yu must be the kind of person whose mind is full of things.
He then saw a pile of grid paper stacked on the table. He was very familiar with these grid papers. It was the kind of paper they stole from Teacher Yu's bag on the train.
"Teacher Yu, are you... writing?" Ruan Xiaohu couldn't help but ask. He had been wanting to ask this question for a long time. He had always wanted to know whether the novel he saw on the train was written by Teacher Yu himself.
Yu Dong smiled and nodded: "Yes, I do like to write something."
Ruan Xiaohu looked at the words on the grid paper, hesitated for a long time, and finally plucked up the courage to ask: "Can I take a look?"
Yu Dong shook his head, "This is a rough draft, so don't read it."
"Oh, okay." Ruan Xiaohu lowered his head. He should have expected this answer, but he was too abrupt.
But then I heard Yu Dong say: "After these are published in the magazine, I will send you a sample."
"Really?" Ruan Xiaohu sat upright in surprise.
"Don't be so surprised." Yu Dongchong waved to Ruan Xiaohu, then stood up and opened his cabinet, "You came here today to borrow books and read them. I didn't bring many books to Jinling, they are all here.
."
This cabinet was originally used to store clothes, but Dong Dong didn't have many clothes, so half of it was used to store books.
There are about fifty or sixty books in the cabinet, some are thin or some are thick.
Some of them he brought over from Shanghai in two batches, and some he bought after coming to Jinling.
Ruan Xiaohu put down the tea cup, walked to the cabinet, looked at the books inside, and saw "Zaikhofu's Masterpiece Collection of Short Stories" at a glance.
Ever since he read this book last time, he had been trying to find it, but he had gone to many bookstores and never found it.
"Is this good for me?" Ruan Xiaohu asked, pointing to "Collection of Tsai Hofu's Short Stories".
"Of course." Yu Dong made a sign of permission, poured himself another cup of hot water, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to like Chekhov quite a bit."
"Chekhov?"
"Oh, that's another translation of Zekhov. He is a very famous Russian writer with many works. There are still a few copies of this masterpiece collection, but I didn't bring them with me. I will bring them with you next time I have a chance.
"
"Thank you, Teacher Yu." Ruan Xiaohu looked grateful, and then asked anxiously, "I've almost finished reading this book. I want to finish it here with you, and then borrow another one to read back. Okay?
What?"
"No problem at all. I don't have anything else to do today anyway. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me at any time."
Yu Dong is going to skip work for a long time today and will not go out. He will spend time transcribing "Closed Loop". If there is still time, he will start writing "Death of a Widow".
Then the two began to do their own things, Yu Dong was busy copying manuscripts, and Ruan Xiaohu was concentrating on reading Chekhov.
About an hour later, Ruan Xiaohu finished reading "Collection of Tsaikhov's Short Stories".
He stood by the cabinet and looked at it for a long time, not knowing which book to choose and borrow to read.
Yu Dong saw that he was struggling, and pointed to the book on the edge: "The book "A Tale of Two Cities", if you are interested, you can read it."
"A Tale of Two Cities..." Ruan Xiaohu found it and held it in his hand, "Dickens, I've heard of his Oliver Twist."
"They are all good works." Yu Dong put his hand on the back of the chair and looked at Ruan Xiaohu: "You can borrow the books for as long as you like, but you have to agree to one condition."
"I promise." Ruan Xiaohu said immediately.
Yu Dong laughed, "You didn't even know what conditions I wanted to put forward, so you agreed?"
"I……"
"Okay, there are no strict conditions. As long as you attach a review every time you return the book. There are no specific requirements for this review, and there is no limit on the number of words. You can use it as you like."
"Is it okay to write just one word?"
Yu Dong laughed even harder, "If you can really express your feelings after reading it in one word, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Teacher Yu, is this the homework you assigned me?"
Yu Dong noticed that Ruan Xiaohu's eyes were shining when he mentioned "homework".
"Yes, it's homework." Yu Dong nodded.
"Okay, then I promise to finish it." Ruan Xiaohu patted his chest and promised.
Handing in homework... For Ruan Xiaohu, no one has asked him to hand in homework since he dropped out of school. Now Yu Dong asks him to hand in homework, which makes him feel like he is still in school.
He clearly knew that he was no longer in school and could not go back to school, but this feeling fascinated him, so he couldn't wait to make a guarantee with Yu Dong.
"Teacher Yu, I will come back to you in a few days."
As if he was afraid that Yu Dong would regret it, Ruan Xiaohu said something, then ran out with the book in his arms.
Looking at Ruan Xiaohu's trotting back, Yu Dong suddenly remembered the time when he "borrowed" "Zaikhofu's Masterpiece Collection of Short Stories" from Hu Yueming. Maybe he was the same as Ruan Xiaohu now.
"I hope he can keep his original intention and keep reading."
Chapter completed!