Shi Heng pulled her to sit on the bench in the corridor and said in a low voice, "Thirteen elderly people are missing."
"But the strange thing is that the yard they live in is very tidy, with no signs of fighting..."
"Stop talking." Gu Youran interrupted him with a trembling voice.
She thought of the old people standing at the village entrance waving goodbye when she left, and her stomach ached.
Shi Heng held her in his arms and felt her whole body trembling.
"If we hadn't gone back, they would still be enjoying the shade under that old pear tree... It's all my fault."
Her voice was muffled and nasal.
"Youbao, look at me."
Shi Heng held her face in his hands and brushed his thumb across the corners of her wet eyes. "This is definitely not your fault. There must be another reason why they suddenly disappeared."
"But those old people..." Gu Youran's tears rolled down.
Shi Heng interrupted her, "I have mobilized all resources to investigate this matter. Believe me, I will find them."
"Aheng..." Gu Youran could no longer hold back her tears.
Shi Heng gently stroked her back, feeling her breathing gradually calm down.
"Oh, right," he suddenly said, "my uncle told me yesterday that his Taoran Pavilion has just received a batch of ancient books, including that handwritten copy of the Compendium of Materia Medica that you've always wanted to read."
"You don't have to film this afternoon, do you want to go and have a look?"
Gu Youran raised her head and her red and swollen eyes met his concerned gaze.
She knew what he meant and nodded gently, "Okay."
…
An hour later.
Shi Heng's Maybach slowly drove into a quiet alley.
Gu Youran looked out the car window and saw old gray brick walls on both sides, with ivy climbing all over the top.
"We're here." Shi Heng stopped in front of a wooden door. The copper ring on the door had turned black.
Gu Youran got out of the car and asked doubtfully, "Is this 'Taoran Pavilion'?"
Shi Heng took out a brass key from his pocket and said, "The main entrance is on the other side. This is the special passage my uncle gave me."
"The Tao family's ancestors started collecting ancient books a long time ago. This courtyard has at least three hundred years of history."
The wooden door opened, and Gu Youran's eyes suddenly opened up.
The rockery pond surrounds a three-story wooden attic, with bronze wind chimes hanging under the eaves.
I didn’t expect that there was such a building hidden within the Second Ring Road.
Shi Heng took Gu Youran's hand and walked in. "This is the ancestral property that the Tao family has saved with a huge sum of money. My uncle said these books are more valuable than land."
"This place is not open to the public. It is only for certain people to consult ancient books."
Walking through the winding corridors, Gu Youran noticed that the courtyard was full of traces of careful design.
Although the entire space is located in a bustling city, it has a sense of seclusion and tranquility.
In front of the main building, Tao Nianyuan, wearing a moon-white gown, was bending over to feed an orange cat.
Hearing footsteps, he stood up and said, "You're here."
Gu Youran nodded politely, "Hello, uncle."
"Let's go in and talk." Tao Nianyuan turned and pushed open the carved wooden door. "We just got a new batch of Pu'er tea from Yuncheng."
Inside, bookshelves on all four walls reach up to the ceiling, with densely packed thread-bound books neatly arranged according to categories.
Several ancient books were spread out on a large mahogany table, and next to it was a set of blue and white porcelain tea sets, with steam coming out of the spout of the teapot.
Gu Youran's attention was attracted by a star map hanging on the east wall.
The twenty-eight constellations are drawn on it, and the positions of the Big Dipper are specially marked with cinnabar. The surrounding area is filled with annotations in tiny regular script, some of which have faded.
"You Ran also studies astrology?" Tao Nianyuan asked, following her gaze and handing her a cup of tea.
Gu Youran shook his head, "I just think this pattern is very special."
She took the teacup with both hands and said, "Thank you, uncle."
Tao Nianyuan poured Shi Heng some tea again and said, "This is a replica. The original is in the National Museum."
"Speaking of which, Xiao Heng has also made a lot of efforts. Taoran Pavilion is able to collect so many classics thanks to his continuous donations over the years."
The three of them sat around the tea table and chatted for a while.
Shi Heng stood up and said, "Youbao, I'll take you to the west side of the second floor. There are many medical books there."
Gu Youran put down the teacup, and the two of them walked up the carved wooden stairs to the second floor.
The collection of books here far exceeded her imagination.
From the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine to the Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases, and then to various medical books from different periods, all are neatly arranged in chronological order according to dynasties.
There are even quite a few unique copies of books whose titles have only been seen in literature.
Gu Youran took the handwritten copy of "Compendium of Materia Medica" from the bookshelf and sat next to it to read.
Shi Heng said softly, "Just watch first. I'm going downstairs to talk to my uncle."
She said "hmm" without looking up.
Back on the first floor, Shi Heng took out a small bag from his pocket and said, "Uncle, take a look at this."
He carefully poured out a small, dried white flower and said, "It's called 'Seven-Day Corolla'."
Tao Nianyuan pushed his gold-rimmed glasses and leaned over to take a closer look. Although the flower had withered, one could still see that its shape was like a miniature version of a lily, but the center of the flower was a rare blue-purple color.
"Where did you get this flower?"
"A special channel. I want to know what this flower is used for."
Shi Heng didn't want to reveal the origin of the flower until the matter was thoroughly investigated.
Tao Nianyuan stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Qiritan... I'm sure I've seen this name in some ancient book."
He placed the small white flower on a porcelain plate and examined it carefully. "I can't remember it right now. Why don't you leave it with me? I'll go to the library and look up some ancient books when I have time."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Tao Nianyuan's assistant pushed the door open and said respectfully, "Teacher Tao, Professor Li and his team are here. They want your help with something."
"Please invite them in." Tao Nianyuan put down the porcelain plate and stood up to greet them.
An old man with half-white hair walked in from outside the door, followed by two young students.
Shi Heng looked up and was stunned.
The visitor turned out to be Professor Li Mingde from Huaqing University, who specializes in botany.
"Shi Heng?" Professor Li recognized him immediately and went forward to shake his hand with surprise. "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here!"
He patted Shi Heng's shoulder and said, "Back then, I tried my best to persuade you to stay in our college, but you insisted on studying abroad."
Shi Heng said respectfully, "Professor Li, long time no see."
Everyone sat down, and Professor Li's attention was attracted by the small white flowers on the table.
He put on his reading glasses, took a closer look, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This...is this the 'Seven-Day Copper Flood'?"
"Do you know this flower?" Shi Heng asked.
Professor Li carefully picked up the white porcelain plate. "Of course I know! This flower blooms only once every seven years, only at midnight, and withers before sunrise. Used alone, it's an excellent tranquilizer, but..."
He paused suddenly, then said thoughtfully, "I vaguely remember a record in the Secret Records of Strange Herbs in Lingnan, which suggested that this flower seemed to have some special medicinal properties."
Tao Nianyuan said, "Xiao Heng, go look for it on the bookshelf on the east side of the third floor."
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