14. Trip to the North (V-list notification)
"This is probably how her and Qi Yanzhou's lives will be."
think.
But she didn't dare.
Her remaining rationality led her to shake her head, which was quite dishonest.
He wasn't surprised at all, maintaining his calm yet polite demeanor: "Go wash your face now, then go to your room to sleep. Call me if you need anything; I'll be outside."
The effects of the alcohol on Song Chiyu subsided the moment she saw him. Now that she was mostly sober, she couldn't stay any longer and sat up from the sofa. "It's okay, you go ahead with your work. I'll be fine in a bit."
Qi Yanzhou didn't understand what she meant by "take a break."
Song Chiyu explained, "Once I feel a little better, I'll take a taxi home myself. You don't need to worry about me, go to sleep."
Qi Yanzhou noticed that she was trying to avoid him, but he sat down beside her as if he hadn't heard her and said, "Then call me when you're ready to go back, and I'll take you home."
In the huge living room, only the dining room light was on; the rest of the room was pitch black.
Song Chiyu became increasingly lucid, her fingers curling up on her knees: "I can go back now."
"I'll see you out." Qi Yanzhou stood up calmly.
After much deliberation, Song Chiyu decided to take responsibility for her recklessness. She suddenly stood up and bowed to him, but as soon as she bent down, she lost control and fell into his arms.
Qi Yanzhou caught her quickly, "Miss Song, you should rest a little longer."
Song Chiyu forced herself to stand up despite feeling dizzy: "Teacher Qi, I'm sorry, I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said in the car just now."
“It’s alright,” he helped her sit back down on the sofa. “I don’t mind.”
"Hmm." She thought he was going to lecture her, and subconsciously responded, but then suddenly realized something was wrong and looked up in surprise: "Hmm?"
"I just don't want you to treat me like someone else." His calm and frank reply completely extinguished any lingering romantic thoughts she might have had, leaving her only with remorse for her impetuousness.
Song Chiyu found it difficult to describe her feelings at that moment. She didn't see him as anyone in particular; she simply felt a long-lost happiness the instant he pulled her head close.
She had only experienced this kind of happiness when she first started dating Xie Yunjin. Later happiness was always mixed with grievances, and she never thought she could experience this kind of happiness with Qi Yanzhou. In her impression, he was more like a gentle elder with a slight distance than a partner. So, she unconsciously put herself in the atmosphere of that time and turned the teacher Qi in front of her into a more intimate person in her imagination.
The problem wasn't that she mistook him for someone else, but that he had clearly stated he had no such feelings for her, yet she, after having a few drinks, started harboring malicious intentions. Song Chiyu clasped her hands together above her head and said, "Teacher Qi, you don't need to see me off. I can just take a taxi home myself."
If she could, she'd rather find a crack to crawl into right now.
"Don't think about it anymore," he said, noticing her embarrassment, and gently patted the back of her head a few times. "I'll take you home."
On the way, Qi Yanzhou didn't mention the matter again. Although she was almost sober, he still escorted her to the corner of the stairs, watched her go inside, and then turned to leave.
Song Chiyu could tell from the sound of his footsteps as he left that the incident had no impact on him, but she still felt guilty.
What did she do to such a good teacher like Mr. Qi? He had no feelings for her and didn't mind letting her touch him, but she made him think that he treated her like someone else.
Not to mention Qi Yanzhou's unwillingness, she herself felt it was a great disgrace.
Song Chiyu lay on the sofa, on the verge of tears. In any case, it seemed she wouldn't see Qi Yanzhou for a long time to come.
Don't ask.
The answer is simple: I'm a woman who cares about her reputation.
**
Because of Xie Yunjin's matter, Song Chiyu developed a rift with her colleagues in the new department, and could only eat lunch with He Zhu and the others every day.
He Zhu almost laughed herself silly when she heard about what happened that night. "Do you know what the people in the metal repair room think of you? They say you're too secretive, too calculating, and not worth getting close to."
For the first time, Song Chiyu understood what it meant to be "unable to defend oneself with a hundred mouths," and shook her head helplessly.
He Zhu comforted her: "Hey, why bother with them? Some of the people who say these things are embarrassed because they made a fool of themselves, and some are because Qi Yanzhou is psychologically unbalanced. People's words change every day, there's no need to care."
Song Chiyu never expected to hear such profound wisdom from her.
thumbs up.
Unexpectedly, this planted a thorn in the heart of the young girl who took over Teacher Zhou's position. Every now and then, she would cause trouble for He Zhu and the others, making them all miserable and full of complaints.
Actually, before the young woman took the position, Song Chiyu's direct supervisor had spoken to her, implying that the young woman had used connections and that Song Chiyu should also use them. For example, her rumored professor husband. This level of job transfer wouldn't be a big deal for a university professor, but Song Chiyu still refused.
He Zhu did not distance herself from Song Chiyu because of this; on the contrary, she and the girl became increasingly incompatible.
Song Chiyu didn't know what connections the young girl had made. The young girl couldn't get along with He Zhu and the others, and the leader instead told her to keep her distance from her former colleagues, as if she were the one who caused all the trouble.
Song Chiyu also accepted it.
After all, seeing He Zhu and the others suffer every day made her feel bad. She still vividly remembered how united and pleasant the ancient book restoration room used to be, and she didn't want to change all of that because of her.
After spending some time together, some of her colleagues in the metal repair room gradually accepted her at work. However, she still ate alone most of the time. In fact, because she had little contact with Qi Yanzhou, rumors about her being "unhappy in her marriage" and "about to get a divorce" resurfaced.
Song Chiyu never took these words to heart and focused on her work.
She is a very dedicated person when it comes to her work. She is very meticulous about whatever she does and practices at home every day with replicas. As a result, she had just become familiar with the restoration of metal artifacts when her unit announced an archaeological project for an ancient city site in the Northwest.
This project is led by researchers from the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and in addition to archaeologists, it also requires some restoration personnel.
Song Chiyu was included in the project list because a large number of brocades and documents were found among the stolen cultural relics, requiring professional ancient book restorers.
Now she is a professional ancient book restorer.
Why didn't you do that earlier?
When Teacher Zhou was around, she was in charge of these projects. Besides her authority, she also demonstrated her leadership. Now, Song Chiyu, a metal repairer, has been put in charge in this critical situation.
Song Chiyu had no objection to the work arrangements.
Before leaving, she went to the office of the vice president in charge. Vice President Chen Lei was a young man not much older than her. Seeing that she had come in aggressively, he poured her a cup of tea and told her to speak slowly.
Song Chiyu didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Dean Chen, the institute arranged for me to participate in this project primarily because they recognize my professional abilities, right?"
"certainly."
"Then why was I transferred to the metal restoration room after Professor Zhou retired?"
"Because the institute wants to cultivate you into a well-rounded talent."
"So, is the academy training me like this so that I'll take over your job in the future?" Song Chiyu asked with a forced smile.
Dean Chen frowned slightly: "Song Chiyu, what do you mean by that? Are you dissatisfied with the arrangements made by the institute?"
“I wouldn’t dare,” Song Chiyu continued aggressively, “It’s just that the academy has been cultivating me so much, but I didn’t even realize it. I thought I was in someone’s way and was going to be cleared away as an obstacle.”
"How could you think that..."
“After all, that’s what the institute meant by transferring me from the ancient book restoration room.” Song Chiyu didn’t slam his fist on the table with him; in fact, he was quite amiable: “The institute’s arrangements are the institute’s arrangements, but it’s wrong for someone to use the institute’s name to arbitrarily assign other people’s work and make way for those who are not professional.”
"Who are you calling someone who uses the institute's name to arbitrarily assign jobs to others? Every job transfer in the institute is approved by the relevant authorities." Director Chen sensed her veiled criticism and unconsciously raised his voice.
"Will it be proven in a meeting that the person who made this suggestion had no ulterior motives?" Song Chiyu didn't mention him by name, but every sentence was about him. "I'm just asking you, after training me like this, are you going to give me this position in the future?"
"I'm afraid my position is too small. From now on, you can have the director's position."
“Alright,” Song Chiyu nodded, “Then I’ll thank Dean Chen in advance.”
Chen Lei: "..."
"Don't just focus on me. I'm not in any trouble, but there are too many people in this unit who are more capable than her, and any of them could be a threat to her. I suggest you let her take your place. There are fewer people here, so it won't matter if she's a little less capable."
He cursed her along with him, pointing at her and saying, "Do you believe I'll go to the station right now and report what happened to you today?"
"What are you complaining about? Are you complaining about the institute wanting to groom me for the position of bureau chief, or are you complaining about someone abusing their power for personal gain, making things difficult for me, and forcing me to make way for others?"
"Who is abusing their power for personal gain? If you didn't compete for that position, it's because you weren't capable enough, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Huh?" she said, looking puzzled. "Didn't the department just recognize my professional abilities and let me participate in that project? How come when it comes to promotion, they say I'm not capable enough?"
Chen Lei took a deep breath, picked up the phone on the table, called her direct supervisor over, and asked the supervisor to take her out.
Song Chiyu didn't expect anyone to seek justice for her. All she could do was let out this final cry. Anyway, she was leaving soon, and she couldn't leave in a huff.
Before her direct supervisor arrived, Song Chiyu had already left his office, reminding him to keep in mind the matter of grooming her to become the bureau chief.
He Zhu asked her if she still wanted to come back after talking so harshly to Chen Lei.
Song Chiyu didn't have time to think that far ahead; she only felt a sense of relief the moment she stepped out of the courtyard.
She didn't tell Li Li about her upcoming job in another city, only informing her when she was about to leave. Li Li instinctively asked, "Does Qi Yanzhou know about this?"
Song Chiyu didn't understand why Qi Yanzhou needed to know about this.
Li Li explained, "He's a university professor, isn't he? Doesn't he even have this much ability? Just letting you get bullied like this?"
"What bullying? It's just a work arrangement." Song Chiyu said without revealing her true feelings, "I agreed to go myself, and he respected my decision."
“Okay,” Li Li didn’t realize she was using a quirky tactic and could only respect her words: “Then tell me specifically where it is.”
Song Chiyu gave an address, and Li Li felt a little relieved to see that it was in the county town, but she was still worried: "Why don't you go with Mom?"
"What are you going with me for?" Song Chiyu protested. "That place isn't remote, and the company even provided us with a dormitory. You're going back to Xizhou to be with my dad. To be honest, I feel really bad about keeping you two apart since I started working. Besides, I'm not alone; I have several colleagues from the archaeological team with me."
Li Li breathed a sigh of relief and reluctantly agreed.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Song Chiyu set off for the airport before dawn. Just as she was about to board, Li Li called, "Yu'er, where are you now? I've been thinking about it all night, and I'm still worried about you going alone. I'll go with you."
"Mom, I'm already on the plane."
"What?" Li Li exclaimed in surprise, "So fast?"
"kindness."
"So Xiao Qi didn't say anything about you going so far away?" She, as the mother, couldn't go, but Xiao Qi, as the husband, should at least send her over and see if she needed any help, right?
Song Chiyu sighed silently.
"Mom, I know you care about me, but he has his own things to do. I don't need to bother him with things I can handle myself."
"But this is such a big matter..."
"Mom, I'm a grown woman. People will laugh at me if I take my husband and mother with me on a long trip." Song Chiyu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she could only use this reason.
"All right."
"Don't call Qi Yanzhou about this anymore. He's already done a great job. Don't keep making things difficult for him."
*
Song Chiyu lied to Li Li about the address.
The excavation site she was going to was located at the border of two provinces, a vital passage on the Silk Road, surrounded by vast Gobi Desert. Forget about county towns; the nearest town was over forty kilometers away. There were no direct flights from there; she would have to fly to the provincial capital first and then take a slow, old-fashioned train.
The people who came to pick them up were Zhao Qiu, the team leader for this project, and his two graduate students. On the way, Zhao Qiu kept reassuring them as if he was afraid they would run away, saying that the road conditions here were just a bit bad, but the environment at the work station was very good. The building was newly built, two stories high, with electricity, internet, and water, and hot water was available 24 hours a day. There was also a basketball court at the entrance.
Song Chiyu looked out the window, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
If she hadn't been certain of the other person's identity, she would have jumped out of the car to save her life. The white van drove off the national highway, weaving through layers of hills. The wind-eroded hills formed a unique Yardang landform, and the surrounding area was deserted for miles around. Every time the wheels rolled over, they stirred up a cloud of dust.
“The conditions here are really good,” nodded the archaeological team colleague sitting next to Song Chiyu.
Song Chiyu turned around and looked at him in disbelief.
He thought the other person was flattering him, but the other person looked genuinely sincere and clearly thought so from the bottom of his heart.
"There are more wild animals around here at night, but it's safe as long as you don't leave the work station," Zhao Qiu replied from the passenger seat.
"What wild animal?" Song Chiyu asked warily.
"Mainly lizards, gazelles, wild camels, foxes, and wolves, but I haven't seen them much," Zhao Qiu replied, glancing at the geological compass in his hand and pointing towards the windshield.
No wonder I sent her.
Song Chiyu licked her lips and nodded.
“Professor Song usually stays in the cultural relic restoration room and has not been out in the field much.”
"It's alright, we don't need to go down into the pit," Zhao Qiu smiled to ease her tension. Just as she was about to speak, the student driving beside her suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Teacher Zhao, there are new tire tracks."
Zhao Qiu seemed not to hear and continued to say to Song Chiyu, "There is only one master craftsman in charge of cultural relic restoration right now. He is not a bad person, but he has a bad temper and is impatient. Just ignore him."
Song Chi was somewhat absent-minded, still bothered by her student's words, but apart from her and Zhao Qiu, it seemed that no one else on the bus had heard it, so she didn't want to make a big fuss about it.
Once they arrived at the workstation, everyone else got off the car one after another. Only then did Song Chiyu ask in a low voice, "Teacher Zhao, what did you mean by the ruts you mentioned earlier?"
Zhao Qiu was taken aback for a moment before realizing that he had overheard his student's words. He smiled helplessly and said, "Poaching."
"What?" Song Chiyu thought she had misheard.
“Didn’t I tell you that there are many wild animals here? Some people have disguised themselves as caravans to come in and poach.” Zhao Qiu’s brows furrowed involuntarily, but she still forced a smile and said, “I have already reported it to the Forestry Bureau, so don’t worry too much.”
Song Chiyu was skeptical.
But seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it, Song Chiyu didn't press him any further.
The environment of the archaeological workstation was indeed as Zhao Qiu described. Compared to the desolate desert along the way, there was some greenery to be seen, and villages and settlements could be seen several miles away. Currently, the entire workstation only has a dozen or so staff members, so the original plan was to have four people share a dormitory, but now most people are living in single rooms.
The workstation is located on high ground in this area, and the excavation site, which has already been fenced off, can be seen from the gate of the compound.
Song Chiyu's workplace was on the first floor, and her dormitory was on the second floor. As she was tidying up her things, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the setting sun over the desert.
A lone plume of smoke rises straight from the desert, while the setting sun hangs round over the long river.
Suddenly, I realized that this place wasn't as bad as I had imagined.
After she made the bed, someone in the yard invited them to come downstairs for dinner.
Song Chiyu took her lunchbox downstairs, and the student Zhao Qiu was driving just came out of the cafeteria and hurried toward the van parked by the roadside.
Song Chiyu was puzzled, so Zhao Qiu explained, "Something happened at the construction site, he went to check it out and will be back soon."
The others didn't care, and Song Chiyu didn't press the matter further.
During lunch, she didn't see the temperamental old master chef that Zhao Qiu had mentioned. Other staff members said that the old master chef never ate or lived here. He was never seen except during working hours.
"Where does he eat and live?"
"I heard he found a wife in a village down there, they should be there, right?"
"Huh?" Song Chiyu was startled.
The staff member who answered her question didn't know much either. Faced with her question, they could only shrug helplessly: "There's nothing we can do. He doesn't talk to us, and we don't know anything. We only heard this from the kitchen auntie."
How did the kitchen lady know?
"She's from that village too."
The next day, Song Chiyu met the legendary master craftsman in the restoration room. He was thin and had gray hair. When he saw her enter, he only glanced at her before continuing with his work. Song Chiyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward: "Hello, teacher, I am Song Chiyu, the new restorer."
"Who is your teacher? What did I teach you? You have to call me teacher?" the old master said without looking up.
Song Chiyu didn't hear what he said, but she could tell from his tone that it wasn't anything nice.
She chuckled twice and said, "Teacher, you're from Anxi, right? My husband is from there too."
The experienced worker completely ignored her.
Song Chiyu also gave up, put on an apron and a mask, and sat down at her workstation. The excavation of this site was due to the police cracking down on a cross-border cultural relic trafficking gang two years ago, some of the brocades and documents of which came from this vast Gobi Desert.
According to the gang's confession, they found the brocade and bamboo slips here, and they were caught before they could do anything about what was there.
Zhao Qiu and his students spent more than half a year collecting "junk" on this Gobi Desert, gathering a lot of scattered pottery shards. It wasn't until a rare sandstorm blew out the dried-up riverbed and the top of the city that they confirmed the existence of a city here.
After a year of exploration, Zhao Qiu confirmed the existence of a city that flourished during the Han Dynasty and declined during the Tang Dynasty. Formal excavation has only just begun, and no one knows what lies beneath the surface. Every member of the archaeological team is as excited as if they were opening a blind box when they descend into the excavation pit.
Song Chiyu stared at the ancient book in front of her, which was acidified, brittle, and moldy. She carefully put it into a plastic bag and placed it in a container to steam it. This would increase the paper's toughness and remove the glue that was stuck together.
While waiting for the ancient book to be steamed, she glanced at the master craftsman next to her and was immediately speechless with amazement at his professional and skillful technique. He was clearly a master restorer of the Northern School, no wonder he had such a bad temper.
Having figured out where the other party came from, Song Chiyu no longer dared to provoke him rashly.
Everyone does their own thing, and we keep to ourselves.
After spending a few days together, Song Chiyu discovered that although the old master had a bad temper, he wouldn't scold you for no reason. Therefore, apart from the first day, Song Chiyu didn't speak to him for a long time afterward.
**
Song Chiyu didn't expect that Qi Yanzhou could still guess her job change from the few words Lao Song said to him on the phone and take the initiative to call her to ask about her job.
Compared to her unease, he asked as if nothing was wrong, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Hearing his gentle and polite voice, Song Chiyu's shame gradually faded, and she gently shook her head: "No need, I've taken care of everything."
"How was it handled?" He didn't believe it, but he didn't press the issue aggressively.
“My supervisor told me that I was sent here specifically to study in order to cultivate me into a well-rounded talent,” she said, without mentioning any of the difficulties she encountered. “There are indeed some very capable teachers here, and I can learn a lot.”
Qi Yanzhou pondered for a moment: "Where?"
"It's in a county town in southeastern Suzhou. It's very convenient to eat and buy things, and my colleagues are all easy to get along with."
"Is it just studying?"
"Mm." Song Chiyu pursed her lips.
Qi Yanzhou did not answer.
Song Chiyu: "Don't listen to my parents' nonsense. They're just worried about me. They can't help but exaggerate when they think about me going to study in another city."
Qi Yanzhou lowered his eyelids slightly and sighed silently.
"Miss Song."
"Hmm?" Song Chiyu thought he had discovered something, and her heart involuntarily jumped.
"When will you be back?" Fortunately, he didn't discover anything.
Song Chiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "I don't know yet, but I don't think I'll stay here for too long."
“Okay,” he said in a calm tone, “then you can contact me anytime if you need anything, and I’ll be happy to help.”
“Okay.” Song Chiyu agreed immediately, afraid that he would become suspicious.
Where in Suzhou are you located?
"Yuchi County".
Does such a county exist?
"Why not?" Song Chiyu had never been there either; she had only seen such a road sign on the way here and it came to mind on her own.
He didn't investigate further.
"Are you getting used to it?"
"It's a habit," Song Chiyu replied without thinking.
She answered too quickly.
Qi Yanzhou saw through it but didn't say anything. "Then call me if you need anything. I have friends in Suzhou who can help you solve any problems you encounter."
After hanging up the phone, Song Chiyu stared at the wooden pad above her head for a long time, lost in thought.
That's probably how her relationship with Teacher Qi will be for the rest of her life—neither too warm nor too cold, neither too close nor too distant.
He was such a detached and indifferent person that it would have been difficult for him to have any desires for her. But at a crucial moment, the fact that he was willing to let her rely on him was already better than many things in the world.
Although something is missing, it has a sense of groundedness that makes you feel like you have your feet firmly on the ground.
[Author's Note]
The next chapter will be available for purchase! A 10,000-word bonus chapter will be released then!! Teacher Qi's true identity is about to be revealed!! A sweet and dramatic storyline is in the works! (Although I haven't figured out how to write it yet.) Thank you for following along, sisters!! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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