I’m back.”
Tao Ling entered the house, flopped down on the sofa, and unbuttoned his blouse.
A pot was placed in the middle of the coffee table, still with the bundle of Chinese roses he bought two days ago.
After breaking that flower vase from last time, he has since been thinking of buying a new one. However, he didn’t know why he hadn’t bought one yet. On occasions when he visits Wen Qingying’s flower shop, he would always end up buying more flowers. Now that he had no more space at home, he could only sacrifice that unused washbowl.
The flowers in the washbowl were blooming very well, however. Wen Qingying had introduced them to him before, that this breed was called “camellia.” Their bloomed appearance was beautiful, and the double petals were indeed similar to that of camellias.
Why can’t they simply be called marguerites? Tao Ling pondered for no reason.
He became immobilized for a moment as he watched the flowers when that post he’d seen after work sprung back to his mind.
A while later, as though possessed, Tao Ling entered the forum to find the post, and when he scrolled down, he noticed that not many people were minding the comment he posted. There were only several floors that backlashed him for killing the mood, and then their attention was turned back to Wen Qingying.
The floors were stacked up very high, containing all kinds of guesses they made. Someone had already begun to make up stories. However, those were the only few familiar IDs he could find.
Good, at least it hasn’t spread very far yet.
Tao Ling was skimming over out of boredom when he suddenly caught sight of a floor, which was exactly replying to his comment: “Hey you, the Left-hand side one, you said that we are obsessing too much over someone else’s life. If you weren’t doing the same thing too, then why would you enter this post in the first place? Are you saying that you have an unnatural possessiveness over the flower shop owner? Do you have to forbid people from touching whatever you cannot get hold of?”
This one reply was submerged under the messy chaos of speeches. There were no further comments, nor did it mention anything about the post.
After rereading those words for the second time, Tao Ling threw his phone.
Was he obsessing over someone else’s… life?
Not really; he just happens to pass by the flower shop every day, merely getting more interactions than normal customers.
Tao Ling slid back and forth through the Word interface yet not a single character budged on the paper that needed to be revised. And within the blink of an eye, it was already eleven o’clock.
Screw the damn obsession; he already has a girlfriend——screw the possessiveness!
Tao Ling threw a glance at the time, grumpily turned off the computer, and got up to go to the bathroom.
As always, he had insomnia again, which lasted for almost the entire night.
The class taught the following day will be inside the lecture hall of the graduate school. All first-year students are required to take it, hence nearly two hundred students are on the course selection list, turning the roll call process into a problem. Therefore, to get things done, each class president would essentially have to submit a report.
During the first half of the semester, this class was taught by another teacher, which talked about topics related to anthropology.
Tao Ling knew very well that such types of presentation classes aren’t very effective. Each class is like a lecture, and so many students tend to avoid it. Due to his past teaching experience, Tao Ling had originally expected the venue to be bitterly cold. However, to his surprise, although it is a fact that not every student had shown up, the classroom looked just about filled.
He mocked himself, actually, I’m only happy that they aren’t sparsely seated around.
The school bell rang.
Tao Ling does not like to introduce himself, so he simply wrote his name on the blackboard and spoke flatly, “Hello everyone, I’m Tao Ling from the religious studies department. The second half of the semester will be taught by me. We shall begin our class now.”
The classroom was buzzing with noise. When the PPT was opened, there were still whisperings.
Too many people were present. Although they were all trying to make themselves look well-polished, they inevitably ended up looking like sparrows when massed into one.
“Let me be blunt first; when I’m in class, I like to read because I want to. I like to go on my phone because I want to. However, talking and eating are not allowed. We are all grown-up already, so let’s give each other some face. If you like to listen to my lectures, then good for you. If not, then forget it. It’s up to you whether or not you want these credit points, so don’t force yourself.”
As soon as he spoke these words, everything below fell to silence.
Tao Ling adjusted his glasses with the back of his hand, then swept a glance across the lecture hall. It landed somewhere for a few seconds before quietly averting away.
At the very back of the classroom, Wen Qingying was seated by the wall with a pen and paper in front of him.
As he sat peacefully among the group of people, he was looking at Tao Ling with full attention.
That kind of posture only belonged to Wen Qingying’s quietness, but strangely enough, right at this very and sole moment, Tao Ling suddenly felt that this quietness also belonged to himself.
Nothing much was discussed during the first day of class. He gave a brief introduction to early Daoism, something that could easily be learned just by looking at monographies. Tao Ling had prepared the lessons based on his own studies and included an establishment method of ancient Chinese Daoism scriptures.
Even though these were all things he found essential to know, the people below barely showed any interest in it. As such, he simply ran through the topic.
“We hereby can see that psychography was able to gain a continuation in Daoism after the development of witchcraft… Let’s take a look at this carved stone…”
Tao Ling summarized as he jumped to the next slide of the PPT. In order to “cater to” a big audience, the PPT consisted mostly of pictures. But now that he looked at it, he suddenly felt that this choice of his was not very good. There were keywords – but not enough was written on the slides.
Wen Qingying can’t hear, so it’s likely that he will get tired and confused.
Just when this thought flitted through his mind, the bell suddenly rang.
The people who were still deadened and had their heads laid down a moment ago immediately sat up straight. Tao Ling glanced at them. He felt helpless but still kept his face calm and collected. “You may leave now.”
A mass chaos of random noises turned up abruptly. Someone blurted, “The stone carving on the PPT is not even as cold as his face.”
The person who said this was close to the lectern, completely unaware of the microphone there. As such, the volume of his voice increased all of the sudden, making the whole room rumble with laughter.
“…”
Soon, the classroom was almost emptied, only left with a couple of students who were dragging their feet. Tao Ling erased the whiteboard, turned his head, and saw Wen Qingying still in his seat.
After another while, the classroom was finally empty. A charlady came in with a bucket.
Wen Qingying got up and stood at the back door. Tao Ling stepped off the stage and walked through the whole classroom towards him.
They exited the graduate school together. In fact, Tao Ling wanted to ask about Wen Qingying’s thoughts, but since he found it a hassle to type on the street, he could only hold back the question.
The two of them were walking side by side when Tao Ling suddenly realized a naked truth——as someone who is used to being alone, he has surprisingly become accustomed to walking together with Wen Qingying.
And yet, he has only known him for a month.
They got out from the West gate. When they arrived at the flower shop, Wen Qingying stopped his steps.
Guessing that there were still some matters he had to do, Tao Ling waved at him and continued walking. Just when he lifted his foot, however, Wen Qingying pulled his wrist abruptly.
Wen Qingying’s fingers not only were long but were also very powerful, holding Tao Ling such that he had no way to struggle out. The warm palm stuck to his cold wrist, causing a subtle yet peculiar feeling to climb up on his back.
This was actually not the first time that Wen Qingying had ever pulled him like this before. Nevertheless, it still managed to take Tao Ling by surprise.
When he turned around, the powerful strength that Wen Qingying had a moment ago disappeared all of a sudden as though it had never appeared before. Wen Qingying let go, and within the blink of an eye, he was already well-refined and courteous, raising the paper on his hand with a smile.
Tao Ling smiled as well.
The roll-up door was only halfway opened. When they entered the shop, Wen Qingying covered the glass door.
The flowers in the shop were still piled into shallows, leaving a trail in the middle.
When he sat down, Wen Qingying pushed his notes towards Tao Ling.
After flipping through them, Tao Ling’s eyes sparkled with surprise. He raised his eyes to look at Wen Qingying, then sat up straight and began reading from the first page.
The first few pages were Wen Qingying’s school notes. Only the last two pages were notes written from today’s class.
Perhaps, because he couldn’t speak and hear, Wen Qingying was a very fast writer. All the important points on Tao Ling’s PPT have been recorded in his notebook as well as his own reflection.
After watching for a while and seeing that Tao Ling was clearly astonished, Wen Qingying exposed a happy expression, making his forehead even carry a trace of contentment.
Tao Ling read the last page as he pressed his finger to the question mark above.
There was a comment below the question mark, which responded to Tao Ling’s summary for today’s lecture: “The relationship between witchcraft, psychography, and jiangzhen is complicated. Is it wrong to summarize it like that?
I’m back.”
Tao Ling entered the house, flopped down on the sofa, and unbuttoned his blouse.
A pot was placed in the middle of the coffee table, still with the bundle of Chinese roses he bought two days ago.
After breaking that flower vase from last time, he has since been thinking of buying a new one. However, he didn’t know why he hadn’t bought one yet. On occasions when he visits Wen Qingying’s flower shop, he would always end up buying more flowers. Now that he had no more space at home, he could only sacrifice that unused washbowl.
The flowers in the washbowl were blooming very well, however. Wen Qingying had introduced them to him before, that this breed was called “camellia.” Their bloomed appearance was beautiful, and the double petals were indeed similar to that of camellias.
Why can’t they simply be called marguerites? Tao Ling pondered for no reason.
He became immobilized for a moment as he watched the flowers when that post he’d seen after work sprung back to his mind.
A while later, as though possessed, Tao Ling entered the forum to find the post, and when he scrolled down, he noticed that not many people were minding the comment he posted. There were only several floors that backlashed him for killing the mood, and then their attention was turned back to Wen Qingying.
The floors were stacked up very high, containing all kinds of guesses they made. Someone had already begun to make up stories. However, those were the only few familiar IDs he could find.
Good, at least it hasn’t spread very far yet.
Tao Ling was skimming over out of boredom when he suddenly caught sight of a floor, which was exactly replying to his comment: “Hey you, the Left-hand side one, you said that we are obsessing too much over someone else’s life. If you weren’t doing the same thing too, then why would you enter this post in the first place? Are you saying that you have an unnatural possessiveness over the flower shop owner? Do you have to forbid people from touching whatever you cannot get hold of?”
This one reply was submerged under the messy chaos of speeches. There were no further comments, nor did it mention anything about the post.
After rereading those words for the second time, Tao Ling threw his phone.
Was he obsessing over someone else’s… life?
Not really; he just happens to pass by the flower shop every day, merely getting more interactions than normal customers.
Tao Ling slid back and forth through the Word interface yet not a single character budged on the paper that needed to be revised. And within the blink of an eye, it was already eleven o’clock.
Screw the damn obsession; he already has a girlfriend——screw the possessiveness!
Tao Ling threw a glance at the time, grumpily turned off the computer, and got up to go to the bathroom.
As always, he had insomnia again, which lasted for almost the entire night.
The class taught the following day will be inside the lecture hall of the graduate school. All first-year students are required to take it, hence nearly two hundred students are on the course selection list, turning the roll call process into a problem. Therefore, to get things done, each class president would essentially have to submit a report.
During the first half of the semester, this class was taught by another teacher, which talked about topics related to anthropology.
Tao Ling knew very well that such types of presentation classes aren’t very effective. Each class is like a lecture, and so many students tend to avoid it. Due to his past teaching experience, Tao Ling had originally expected the venue to be bitterly cold. However, to his surprise, although it is a fact that not every student had shown up, the classroom looked just about filled.
He mocked himself, actually, I’m only happy that they aren’t sparsely seated around.
The school bell rang.
Tao Ling does not like to introduce himself, so he simply wrote his name on the blackboard and spoke flatly, “Hello everyone, I’m Tao Ling from the religious studies department. The second half of the semester will be taught by me. We shall begin our class now.”
The classroom was buzzing with noise. When the PPT was opened, there were still whisperings.
Too many people were present. Although they were all trying to make themselves look well-polished, they inevitably ended up looking like sparrows when massed into one.
“Let me be blunt first; when I’m in class, I like to read because I want to. I like to go on my phone because I want to. However, talking and eating are not allowed. We are all grown-up already, so let’s give each other some face. If you like to listen to my lectures, then good for you. If not, then forget it. It’s up to you whether or not you want these credit points, so don’t force yourself.”
As soon as he spoke these words, everything below fell to silence.
Tao Ling adjusted his glasses with the back of his hand, then swept a glance across the lecture hall. It landed somewhere for a few seconds before quietly averting away.
At the very back of the classroom, Wen Qingying was seated by the wall with a pen and paper in front of him.
As he sat peacefully among the group of people, he was looking at Tao Ling with full attention.
That kind of posture only belonged to Wen Qingying’s quietness, but strangely enough, right at this very and sole moment, Tao Ling suddenly felt that this quietness also belonged to himself.
Nothing much was discussed during the first day of class. He gave a brief introduction to early Daoism, something that could easily be learned just by looking at monographies. Tao Ling had prepared the lessons based on his own studies and included an establishment method of ancient Chinese Daoism scriptures.
Even though these were all things he found essential to know, the people below barely showed any interest in it. As such, he simply ran through the topic.
“We hereby can see that psychography was able to gain a continuation in Daoism after the development of witchcraft… Let’s take a look at this carved stone…”
Tao Ling summarized as he jumped to the next slide of the PPT. In order to “cater to” a big audience, the PPT consisted mostly of pictures. But now that he looked at it, he suddenly felt that this choice of his was not very good. There were keywords – but not enough was written on the slides.
Wen Qingying can’t hear, so it’s likely that he will get tired and confused.
Just when this thought flitted through his mind, the bell suddenly rang.
The people who were still deadened and had their heads laid down a moment ago immediately sat up straight. Tao Ling glanced at them. He felt helpless but still kept his face calm and collected. “You may leave now.”
A mass chaos of random noises turned up abruptly. Someone blurted, “The stone carving on the PPT is not even as cold as his face.”
The person who said this was close to the lectern, completely unaware of the microphone there. As such, the volume of his voice increased all of the sudden, making the whole room rumble with laughter.
“…”
Soon, the classroom was almost emptied, only left with a couple of students who were dragging their feet. Tao Ling erased the whiteboard, turned his head, and saw Wen Qingying still in his seat.
After another while, the classroom was finally empty. A charlady came in with a bucket.
Wen Qingying got up and stood at the back door. Tao Ling stepped off the stage and walked through the whole classroom towards him.
They exited the graduate school together. In fact, Tao Ling wanted to ask about Wen Qingying’s thoughts, but since he found it a hassle to type on the street, he could only hold back the question.
The two of them were walking side by side when Tao Ling suddenly realized a naked truth——as someone who is used to being alone, he has surprisingly become accustomed to walking together with Wen Qingying.
And yet, he has only known him for a month.
They got out from the West gate. When they arrived at the flower shop, Wen Qingying stopped his steps.
Guessing that there were still some matters he had to do, Tao Ling waved at him and continued walking. Just when he lifted his foot, however, Wen Qingying pulled his wrist abruptly.
Wen Qingying’s fingers not only were long but were also very powerful, holding Tao Ling such that he had no way to struggle out. The warm palm stuck to his cold wrist, causing a subtle yet peculiar feeling to climb up on his back.
This was actually not the first time that Wen Qingying had ever pulled him like this before. Nevertheless, it still managed to take Tao Ling by surprise.
When he turned around, the powerful strength that Wen Qingying had a moment ago disappeared all of a sudden as though it had never appeared before. Wen Qingying let go, and within the blink of an eye, he was already well-refined and courteous, raising the paper on his hand with a smile.
Tao Ling smiled as well.
The roll-up door was only halfway opened. When they entered the shop, Wen Qingying covered the glass door.
The flowers in the shop were still piled into shallows, leaving a trail in the middle.
When he sat down, Wen Qingying pushed his notes towards Tao Ling.
After flipping through them, Tao Ling’s eyes sparkled with surprise. He raised his eyes to look at Wen Qingying, then sat up straight and began reading from the first page.
The first few pages were Wen Qingying’s school notes. Only the last two pages were notes written from today’s class.
Perhaps, because he couldn’t speak and hear, Wen Qingying was a very fast writer. All the important points on Tao Ling’s PPT have been recorded in his notebook as well as his own reflection.
After watching for a while and seeing that Tao Ling was clearly astonished, Wen Qingying exposed a happy expression, making his forehead even carry a trace of contentment.
Tao Ling read the last page as he pressed his finger to the question mark above.
There was a comment below the question mark, which responded to Tao Ling’s summary for today’s lecture: “The relationship between witchcraft, psychography, and jiangzhen is complicated. Is it wrong to summarize it like that?
