Chapter 105 Qin Tian, I can take care of him with you
Lao She said: To love or not, the poor have to decide based on money, and romantic people are only born in wealthy families.
Qin Yunjie's sleeping face was right in front of her. She rarely saw his face. In her memory, he still looked middle-aged. She had forgotten the time.
Just last night, she'd thought she was qualified for love. It was his gentleness that had lulled her into a dream, oblivious to reality. What qualifications did she have? Even if we set aside the barriers of work, distance, nationality, and values, all she had was a job and a father with Alzheimer's. What could she possibly offer to be with Tong Zhongyuan?
The nurse said she wouldn't be able to see Director Qian on weekends. If she wanted to understand the patient's condition, she'd have to come on a weekday. She said she'd come back tomorrow.
She went to the hospital store to buy some supplies, and when she returned to the ward, she saw Tang Zhixu. He was sitting in a chair at the head of the bed, reading a medical record. Qin Tian tiptoed over and pulled him out of the ward.
"Why are you here?"
"Didn't you say you were accompanying your dad? I came over to see you."
"What's so good about my dad? He's just like that. You only returned to Shanghai at noon and didn't go home to rest." Qin Tian muttered to him.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" He regretted it the moment he said it. How could she possibly say she needed help? He changed the subject and said, "Let's take turns coming here from now on."
"No need. This is already the second phase of the experiment and it will be over soon."
"What then? What are you going to do?"
She couldn't bear to hear the subject; she hadn't even considered it. What could she do? If he could take care of himself, it would be the same as before. What if he couldn't?
She stood at the door of the ward in silence. He knew this was not a good time, but the emotions in his heart had already risen to his throat and he could no longer swallow them.
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Qin Tian paused. The thought of that day surfaced again. Tang Zhixu, was he really interested in her? If so, what should she do? He hadn't made it clear, so how could she politely reject him? Or was she just being too sentimental?
"It would be good if you just don't make things more complicated." She performed Tai Chi nonchalantly.
He turned his head. Just this morning, on the plane, he'd been thinking, he'd realized it a little late, but she was still there, he hadn't missed her. But now, he felt powerless. Maybe she'd known it all along, or maybe he'd been rejected by her long ago and still hadn't realized it.
"I won't wait for my dad to wake up. Let's go together."
She gently opened the door and took out her bag. She also had a file bag in her hand. He pulled it out and asked, "What is this?"
She was too lazy to explain to him: "Information about cultural relics."
He opened it, took a look, and asked, "A Qing Dynasty imitation? Are you researching this?"
She was stunned. This was information about a Han Dynasty gilded plate, and she had wanted to discuss it with Qin Yunjie. The images on the plate were all Han Dynasty-style, so how could he say it was a Qing Dynasty imitation?
"How do you know it's from the Qing Dynasty?"
Tang Zhixu pointed to the names engraved next to the figures in the sacrificial picture.
"The character 丘 (Qiu) with the radical 丘 (Qiu) becomes 丘 (Qiu). This was a taboo character designated by the Qing Dynasty during the Yongzheng reign."
Qin Tian snatched the photo away. On the right side of the second row of people on the left was a faintly engraved character for Qiu. She knew that character, of course, but she had never imagined it was actually Qiu! Confucius, as a sage, had a name that was taboo, and throughout the dynasties there were various ways to avoid using the character Qiu.
"Are you sure??"
This was the first time she had looked at his face that day, eager and expectant.
"I'm sure this character was a taboo during the Yongzheng era. I need to check the exact year. Also, this line of inscriptions is in a style popular during the Qing dynasty. Is this plate important?"
Qin Tian put the photo under his nose: "What else can you see?"
Without her saying anything, he knew this was probably more than just work; it seemed very important to her. He moved the photo away and put it back into the file.
"That depends on your performance." He smiled and took Joe.
Normally, she might have played around with him. But with that thought, with that thought, she couldn't seem to get close to him anymore. She said stiffly, "If you don't want to, forget it. I won't show it. You can say it if you want."
He didn't notice her abnormality, and as usual, he hooked her shoulder and took her out of the hospital.
"Let's see what you're treating me to tonight. Let's talk about it slowly."
Pigeons strolled through the People's Square, embracing the morning sun. Qin Tian walked among them, and they showed no sign of shying away. She pulled some corn kernels from her pocket and scattered them, their cheerful "cooings" echoing one after another.
She looked for a moment and then moved on.
She walked into the office, put down her bag, and turned on her computer. The Cultural Heritage Department had sent her a rubbing of the inscription on the Western Zhou chime bells. It contained 323 characters, two of which were missing.
Controversy was bound to come sooner or later, and the only thing she could do was translate the inscription before it broke out.
There is one more thing.
The last time I spoke to Tong Zhongyuan on WeChat was when he sent me a photo from Pirates of the Caribbean. It had only been a day, but it felt like a lifetime ago. That day, he said he was here to repair the Western Zhou chime bells. Does that still count?
Asking or not is a difficult question. If she asks Dai Lihua directly to do the restoration, it would seem disrespectful to Tong Zhongyuan. But if she asks him about the restoration again, he said that night that she treated him as a tool. She doesn't want to open up the scars again. She asks herself, when she asked him if he could stay to restore the Yuan blue and white porcelain, did she have any distracting thoughts? She did. From her mood, she certainly wanted to keep him for a while, but she used the excuse of the Yuan blue and white porcelain because she wanted it to be restored. He was very perceptive, how could he not hear it?
During the past two days, she could go to the hospital during the day, study the gilded plate, and do her best to hide where she couldn't feel him. At night, his eyes, his scent, the warmth of his palms—he effortlessly found her hiding place, omnipresent. She had experienced this feeling before, a journey from the source of time. First, there were the sleepless nights, the longing to watch the spring blossoms with him, to experience the first snow with him, to walk hand in hand with him every step, every day. Then came the endless waiting, like a flame without oxygen, burning out all hope, leaving only ashes.
It was the wonderful atmosphere at Disneyland that day that made her lose her mind. She and Tong Zhongyuan had no future. His family, career, work, and friends were all in England. He had nothing here. And it was even more impossible for her to go to England. Besides, it was likely that he had only developed a false impression of her because he was lonely here. She understood the truth: a hopeless relationship, once was enough. No matter what his feelings for her were, no matter how long he planned to stay, she would no longer pursue false happiness. She would retreat to the position of friend, where she belonged.
She put down her phone, picked up the breakfast on the table and went to the restoration room. She thought that at this time, only Tong Zhongyuan should be there, but unexpectedly, Tong Zhongyuan was not there, but Song Suiyang was. Song Suiyang saw the breakfast in her hand and happily reached out to take it: "You brought me breakfast? I just didn't eat."
Qin Tianxia subconsciously retracted his hand, and Song Suiyang got nothing.
"It's not for you, it's for Tong Zhongyuan."
"What?" Song Suiyang suspected that he had heard it wrong. Was the sun rising from the west?
"Where are the others?" Qin Tian asked.
"He came in and left again. I don't know where he went."
Song Suiyang stared at the breakfast in Qin Tian's hand. She had bought a lot: scallion pancakes, fried dumplings, soy milk, and rice cakes. She must be trying to stuff Tong Zhongyuan to death. Besides, Tong Zhongyuan had breakfast at the hotel, and she had never seen him eat breakfast here.
Qin Tian had originally thought of leaving breakfast on Tong Zhongyuan's desk and returning to him later. Then, she thought, there was no guarantee Song Suiyang would steal some. Furthermore, Tong Zhongyuan was a proud man, and if he left breakfast on his desk, he might not accept it and simply throw it away. She sat in his chair and waited for about ten minutes. When Song Suiyang finished washing the cup, he was even more surprised to see her still there.
"What do you want from him? Why not just call him on WeChat?"
She was about to answer when the door opened. Tong Zhongyuan walked in, paused when he saw her, and greeted her calmly, "Good morning."
She stood up: "Good morning, I brought you some breakfast."
He glanced at his breakfast: "I've eaten."
Knowing that he had eaten, Song Suiyang continued: "I haven't eaten yet, let me eat."
Qin Tian reluctantly handed her the breakfast. Song Suiyang rummaged through the bag and said in surprise, "You bought it from several different stores. The Shengjian is plentiful, and I like the leavened dough the best. There's always a line for the Abi Da Scallion Pancake, and they close early, so I haven't tried it yet."
He didn't look at her. He picked up some pens and sandpaper from the tool box and started preparing.
"What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Western Zhou chime bells. I'll ask Dai Lihua to repair them later. Do you think it's okay?"
She asked for his opinion in the most sincere tone. This was the most respectful way she could think of.
"Is that all?" he said calmly.
She remained silent. Did he think she was making a big deal out of nothing? Or did he have other expectations that she hadn't grasped?
"Yeah, that's it."
He raised his eyes, a vague sense of unease. That night, she had desperately held onto him, tried to keep him, and apologized to him. In his rage, he had lost his mind. He had only heard her hurtful words, but hadn't seen her concern for him, her care for him. Only a day and a half had passed, and now, facing him, she wasn't nervous anymore.
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