The "difficulties" of Qingming Festival
Stepping back into "Time Sequence" was on a brighter Saturday morning. Lin Zhiyi deliberately chose this time, feeling that the weekend might better reflect the everyday life of this old street and this shop.
She was still carrying a small paper bag, this time containing osmanthus cakes from two well-established brands with excellent reputations. The cakes were sweet and soft, and she thought they might suit the restorer's traditional taste better than Western desserts.
The shop door was still ajar, and when she pushed it open, the wind chimes tinkled.
Lu Shixu was standing on a tall wooden ladder, wiping the dust off the top of an old grandfather clock. Hearing the chime, he looked down and saw it was her. His eyes didn't seem to show much surprise; he simply nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Good morning." His voice was as steady as ever.
"Good morning, Shixu." Lin Zhiyi was already used to calling him by his name directly. She held up the paper bag in her hand. "I was passing by and brought some osmanthus cake."
"Thank you, please have a seat." He didn't stand on ceremony and continued what he was doing, his movements slow and careful.
Lin Zhiyi placed the paper bag on a corner of the workbench, not sitting down, but observing him work with great interest. Sunlight streamed in from the window behind him, outlining a fuzzy halo around him, with tiny dust particles dancing in the beams of light. The scene was as quiet as a still oil painting.
Just then, the shop door was pushed open with great force, causing the wind chimes to emit a series of rapid and chaotic tinkling sounds.
"You brat! Did you take apart my Three Fives brand grandfather clock again? How many times have I told you, that clock is working perfectly fine, don't you dare touch it!"
Before he arrived, his voice preceded his arrival. A loud, yet deliberately nitpicky, old man's voice broke the silence of the room.
Lin Zhiyi turned around in surprise and saw a sprightly old man with gray hair that was neatly combed walk in. He was wearing a gray Chinese-style jacket with frog buttons, his posture was straight, his eyes were sharp as an eagle, and he was holding two shiny walnuts in his hands.
Lu Shixu slowly descended the ladder, his face expressionless, and simply called out, "Grandpa."
So this was Lu Shixu's grandfather, the former owner of this shop. Lin Zhiyi immediately straightened up, feeling a strange tension in her heart.
Lu Qingming's gaze instantly fell on Lin Zhiyi. His sharp eyes swept over her from head to toe with undisguised scrutiny and examination, and he stopped playing with the walnuts.
"And who is this?" he asked Lu Shixu, his gaze still fixed on Lin Zhiyi.
"Lin Zhiyi, Miss Lin," Lu Shixu introduced simply. "This is my grandfather."
"Hello, Grandpa Lu." Lin Zhiyi quickly greeted him politely with a proper smile on her face.
"Miss Lin?" Lu Qingming strode forward, standing so close to Lin Zhiyi that she could almost feel the undeniable aura emanating from him. "You've come to Shixu to repair your watch?"
“Not entirely,” Lin Zhiyi replied calmly. “I’m a book editor working on a book about traditional crafts, and I came to ask Master Lu for some knowledge on watch repair.”
"Oh? An editor?" Lu Qingming raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the paper bag with the logo of an old brand on the workbench, then looking at Lin Zhiyi. "These days, are young people still willing to settle down and work on this kind of niche book?"
His tone was questioning, but not malicious; it was more like a test.
“I think the wisdom and dedication embodied in traditional crafts are well worth recording and passing on,” Lin Zhiyi replied earnestly, “especially in this fast-paced era.”
Lu Qingming gave a noncommittal "hmm," then suddenly changed the subject: "What does Miss Lin's family do? Are her parents in good health?"
The question was somewhat personal, and Lin Zhiyi hesitated for a moment before politely replying, "My mother is a teacher, and my father... they've separated. They're both in good health, thank you for your concern, Grandpa."
Upon hearing the words "separated," Lu Qingming's eyes seemed to flicker slightly, and his fingers, which were fiddling with walnuts, paused. Lu Shixu, standing beside him, frowned almost imperceptibly and interrupted, "Grandpa."
Lu Qingming seemed not to hear, and continued to look at Lin Zhiyi, asking a more direct question: "Is the income stable in the editing industry? Shi Xu is just a quiet guy, spending all day looking after these pieces of junk. He can't make much money. If he gets married in the future, he'll probably have a hard time supporting his family."
"Grandpa!" Lu Shixu's voice deepened, carrying obvious displeasure and a hint of obstruction.
Lin Zhiyi's heart was racing; she hadn't expected this grandfather to be so direct. She took a deep breath, met Lu Qingming's gaze, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone, "Grandpa Lu, I believe the value of work cannot be measured solely by income. Shi Xu's craftsmanship is priceless. Moreover, I believe that both relationships and life are things that two people share and manage together. A stable income is important, but it's not the only thing."
Lu Shixu looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Lu Qingming stared at Lin Zhiyi for several seconds, a faint, almost imperceptible smile suddenly appearing on his serious face, but it quickly vanished. He turned his head and glared at Lu Shixu: "What are you yelling about? Can't I ask? Miss Lin hasn't said anything yet!"
He looked at Lin Zhiyi again, his tone seemingly softening, but the question remained sharp: "Ms. Lin, what do you think is the hardest thing to 'repair'?"
This question transcends simple everyday matters and touches upon a deeper level. Lin Zhiyi remained silent for a moment, pondering it seriously.
“I think… it’s about trust,” she said slowly. “If an object is broken, there’s always a way to repair it. But once the trust between people is broken, it may take countless times more time and effort than repairing an object, and it may never be able to be restored to its original state.”
This answer seemed to touch upon her own feelings, and her eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingming looked at her intently, without immediately asking any further questions. He began to slowly rotate the walnut in his hand again, making a warm, grating sound.
The store fell silent for a moment, with only the ticking of a few clocks.
After a while, Lu Qingming suddenly seemed to lose interest, waved his hand, and said to Lu Shixu, "Alright, you can fix my clock if you want, but if you can't fix it, see how you're going to compensate me!" He then glanced at Lin Zhiyi and said casually, "Miss Lin, come and visit often when you have time."
After saying that, he didn't linger any longer. With his hands behind his back, he played with the walnuts and swayed as he went out again, as swift as the wind.
The shop door closed, shutting out the loud noise. Silence returned to the shop, as if everything that had just happened was merely an abrupt interlude.
Lin Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her palms were a little sweaty.
Lu Shixu walked to her side, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible apology: "My grandfather... he's a bit direct, please don't mind him."
Lin Zhiyi shook her head, then smiled and said, "It's okay, Grandpa Lu is very... genuine." She paused, then added, "Besides, he actually cares about you a lot."
She could sense that behind every question posed by the seemingly difficult grandfather lay a clumsy yet profound protectiveness and probing of his grandson. He was assessing everyone who might approach his grandson in his own way.
Lu Shixu didn't reply, but his gaze fell on the paper bag containing the osmanthus cake, and he said softly, "Thank you for the snack."
"You're welcome." Lin Zhiyi looked up at the window, where the sun was shining brightly. "The weather is really nice today."
“Hmm.” Lu Shixu followed her gaze.
After the recent "storm," the tranquility felt all the more precious. And an invisible understanding, having passed a small test, seemed to be quietly growing between them.
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