The taxi driver saw Zhang Zian's expression and thought he had come to the wrong place, so he asked, "What's wrong? Is this the right place?"
Zhang Zian nodded stiffly and took out his wallet to pay the fare. "Sir, when was the library renovated? I don't remember it being like this before, right? "
The driver gave him change and replied, "I heard that it was done by the new leadership of the municipal party committee. They tore down the old library and built this new one before the New Year. They said that they wanted to abandon the backward industrial strategy and build Binhai City into a new type of port city oriented towards culture and tourism …"
Zhang Zian was not interested in listening anymore. He took the change and thanked the driver. After the taxi left, he looked at the newly built library again.
The library was flat and wide, with a post-modern architectural design style. At first glance, it looked like an overturned bookshelf. The windows of different sizes were like open books, and the open door seemed to invite visitors to explore the sea of books.
Outside the library was a small fountain square. There was a circle of benches around the square for people to rest on. A few pigeons were jumping on the square, pecking at the bread crumbs and other food that the girls fed them. They did not seem to be afraid of people. Although it was winter, the fountain was still sending water into the air, reflecting a gorgeous rainbow under the sun. A few bright red goldfish were swimming leisurely in the pool.
This scene caused one to feel carefree and happy, and unknowingly, one's nervous state of mind was relaxed.
However, Zhang Zian did not have time to appreciate it. He took out his phone and looked at it. The library was indeed within the range of the light. He did not know if it was an illusion, but he vaguely felt that the light seemed to be dimmer than before, as if a flame of life was going out.
When he was in the taxi, he observed that there were basically only two main buildings on this street. One was Dongfeng Park, and the other was the library. However, both of them were very large. Taking Dongfeng Park as an example, it would probably take half a day to walk around, so he only had one chance to choose. He could only hope that the elfin was indeed in the library. Otherwise, if the light was really dimming as he thought, he was afraid that he would not have time to go to the second location.
He was very anxious, but sharpening the axe would not delay the work of cutting firewood. He held his phone and quickly walked around the library. After confirming that there was no elfin outside, he came to the entrance.
The entrance to the library was a pair of tall automatic glass doors that looked like an open book. On the left and right sides of the door hung a brass metal plaque. Like a pair of couplets, they were engraved with large black characters — "Diligence is the path to a mountain of books" and "Painstaking effort is the boat in the sea of learning".
From time to time, people came in and out of the library, ranging from teenagers to white-haired old men. Some of them were holding new books that emitted the fragrance of ink, while others were empty-handed, but their expressions were filled with satisfaction, as if they could die without regrets. There were also people like Zhang Zian, who had just arrived and looked up at the mountain of books with awe.
The library seemed to be surrounded by a mysterious magic, causing everyone who came here to unconsciously lighten their footsteps, for fear of disturbing the tranquility.
"Manager Zhang?"
While he was hesitating, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind him.
Zhang Zian subconsciously looked back and saw a gentle middle-aged man standing behind him. Since all his attention was focused on finding the elves, it took him a while to remember who this person was.
"Mr. Meng?"
The middle-aged man was Meng Li, who had once bought a Cocker Spaniel from Zhang Zian. He was a teacher at Binhai University, but Zhang Zian didn't know what subject he taught.
Meng Li wore thick winter clothes. Looking at Zhang Zian's back from behind, Meng Li felt that Zhang Zian looked familiar, but he wasn't sure if it was him, so he tried to call Zhang Zian.
Meng Li was wearing a long black woolen coat that almost hung down to his knees. Inside was a shirt and a cashmere vest. With two thick books under his arms, he gently chatted with Zhang Zian, "Manager Zhang, what a coincidence to meet you here. Are you also here to borrow books?"
It felt good to meet an acquaintance. Although Zhang Zian wasn't here to borrow books, he still admitted it shamelessly, "Yes, there's a saying that books are the ladder of human progress. Even if I'm just a pet shop owner, it's never too late to learn. "
Meng Li didn't know that Zhang Zian was talking nonsense. He cheerfully said, "Manager Zhang, don't belittle yourself. It's not easy to be at the top of any industry. Now is the era of knowledge explosion. You have to learn from time to time, or you will soon fall behind the times, especially for teachers like us. "
Zhang Zian nodded absentmindedly. His eyes fell on the books under Meng Li's arms, and he asked, "Mr. Meng, are you here to return the books in person? Why don't you let your graduate students do it for you? "
If he remembered correctly, Meng Li should be very fond of ordering his graduate students to do chores, such as walking the dog.
"The borrowing period of these two books is about to expire. I have to return them first, then borrow them, and read some more. I don't know if Manager Zhang feels the same, but reading in the library reminds me of my school days. I don't have to think about anything, just immerse myself in the sea of knowledge." Meng Li took out the books from under his arms and showed them to Zhang Zian.
Zhang Zian didn't understand and wasn't interested in the world of top students, but when Meng Li handed the books to him, he politely glanced at it.
"D … D … D … Dio …" He stared at the title of the book for a long time, but he couldn't spell out the word completely, like a stuck old recorder.
The book that Meng Li was holding was written in pure English. It was well taken care of, as if it was brand new. There was a bar code label on the side of the book, and the title was so long that Zhang Zian didn't know more than half of the words in the title. There was another thicker English book under the book, with a longer title.
"Oh, this is Diophantine Approximation on Linear Algebraic Groups. I've been interested in it recently." Meng Li couldn't bear to see him continue to read, so he saved some face for Zhang Zian.
Zhang Zian scratched his head and explained, "Actually, I've been studying genetic engineering recently, and my English is a little behind. I must catch up when I have time."
"Oh? Manager Zhang, you're interested in genetic engineering? "Meng Li was skeptical.
Zhang Zian nodded seriously, "Yes, I'm majoring in modern genetics."
Studying the breeding pedigree of Abyssinian cats should be the direction of modern genetics, right? No problem!
Meng Li was a dedicated scholar, so he didn't know that Zhang Zian was fooling him. He unconsciously believed Zhang Zian a little more and praised him, "Manager Zhang, you're diligent. No wonder you come to the library on the morning of the New Year's holiday."
"Hehe, same to you." Zhang Zian quickly changed the topic, "By the way, are your Cocker Spaniel's eyes okay?"
Zhang Zian forgot whether he sold Meng Li an English Cocker Spaniel or an American Cocker Spaniel, but both English Cocker Spaniel and Meka Spaniel could have problems with their eyes. They were prone to progressive retinal atrophy or hereditary cataract, respectively, so he avoided the question and asked in a very general way.
Meng Li smiled and replied, "Thanks to you, it's okay for the time being. I've been taking it to regular checkups. Even if I don't have time, I'll ask a graduate student to take it. Currently, it's doing well, and there's no sign of disease."
What an omnipotent graduate student! Zhang Zian smacked his lips. Was he a graduate student or a babysitter?
"That's good … By the way, this is my first time here. I've been to other libraries before. Is there anything I should pay attention to?" Zhang Zian pointed to the library door behind him, almost saying, "Old driver, please guide me."
"It's almost the same as other libraries. Since it's your first time here, you have to go to the service desk to apply for a library card. Let's go. I have to return the books first, so I'll show you there," Meng Li said enthusiastically.
"How can I waste your precious time … Let's go in then. It's cold outside!" Zhang Zian refused and urged Meng Li to go in quickly and not dawdle outside.
Meng Li seemed to have just remembered something. He pointed to Zhang Zian's cell phone and said, "By the way, in principle, cell phones are not allowed in the borrowing room. If you really need to use it, you should mute it, or you may be asked to leave by the staff."
Zhang Zian said, "Well, it's impossible not to use the cell phone. Mute it then."
He muted the cell phone, followed Meng Li into the library, and plunged into the mountain of books.
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