After returning to the Tradition Academy, Chen Chang Sheng was drunk. He narrowed his eyes and could barely walk stably. As for the Ivy Festival, he had already put it into the back of his mind and no longer cared about it.
The library was dark. He wasn’t there so obviously, the Tradition Academy would be cold as usual. He walked to the side of lake. The surrounding was very quiet, only stars were floating on the clean water and the reflections of trees on the opposing shore were not so clear in the darkness. There was a clean spring wind blowing on his face.
He stood on a stone next to the lake, and looked up at the stars for a really long time. He then looked towards the stars in the lake for a really long time. He closed his eyes, silently stood there for a very long time and suddenly shouted out some curse words to the lake.
He always gave others a calm and silent impression and was precocious. Such venting behavior was very rare for him but he vented out his feelings tonight. He realized that he was actually a little tired so he decided to sit on the lawn next to the lake, lie down and doze off.
The library was completely dark. He did not go there to read, to absorb starlights, or to purify. He completely fell into a daze. He did not think. Over the years of his life, he never indulged himself and this was the first time he wasted time.
After some time had elapsed, he opened his eyes and saw that he was still lying on the lawn. The grass his hands were touching had moderately cold raindrops. His cheeks were also somewhat wet and the distant sky faintly had morning light coming out. It should be around five o’clock – even after self-indulging when he was drunk, he still woke up promptly. The strict or even traditional daily routine and behaviors were already penetrating into his bones and became some kind of instinct which made him feel helpless.
Habit was very strong; even purification could not change it. Chen Chang Sheng returned to his little building and used a wet towel to carefully clean his face while he was thinking. He glimpsed at the tightly closed door on the old wall and felt somewhat hopeful.
Heaven would not respond to every wish, but today, it responded. The door was opened up and the little girl jumped over the doorsill like stepping on stones to pass a brook. She hopped to him, her black ponytails swung back and forth. She looked very cute.
Luo Luo looked at him and said happily. “Loh, master, don’t you feel convenient?”
The little girl smiled very happily, but inside she was very nervous. She was afraid that Chen Chang Sheng would run away like he had done yesterday.
Chen Chang Sheng did not run today. Maybe it was because he wasn’t naked today, maybe it was because he was not fully awake from ebriety last night, maybe it was because he already gave up resisting the little girl’s entanglement or maybe he actually wanted to see her.
Walking out of the Tradition Academy, he bought two bowls of dumplings and gave the one of that was not spicy to the little girl. He then walked to the library. The little girl held the bowl, followed him and was extremely surprised but happy.
After breakfast, Chen Chang Sheng began to read. He found what he wanted to read easily off the shelf as he was very familiar with where he had placed it. He then sat on the floor and read attentively and silently, comparing the original documentations to the three thousand Scrolls of Way he read in the old temple in Xi Ning. He called this method comparison study.
Reading was a very boring activity and watching others read was even worse. Chen Chang Sheng was quietly reading. In the beginning, Luo Luo was very interested and she attempted to read with him, but after reading a while, she realized that she could not understand a lot of the books so she felt very bored. Thinking that waking up early was truly not a good thing, sleepiness, like the ants under the tree, came over constantly and endlessly. As time went by, it made her feel like her head became heavier and heavier…..
After a long time, Chen Chang Sheng woke up from his deep reading. He felt that his right arm was somewhat heavy, somewhat limp and numb. Suddenly, he recalled the scene he saw when he woke from meditation and purification last night. He turned around and the little girl was hanging on his arm and sleeping again, as expected.
Her hand actually did not hang around to his right arm, but simply grabbed onto his sleeve lightly. She also did not actually lean on his shoulder — because she was too small, she was only able to lean on his upper arm. Though this position was not really comfortable for her, she was still having a good nap…