Chapter 7 Chapter Six

Quesetti waited for half an hour on the deserted street with the wrapped roll of possibly priceless manuscripts under his arm, and he couldn't take it anymore.What the hell is she doing?Though he'd occasionally waited as long before for his girlfriend to get ready to go out, he still paced back and forth, looking at his watch, feeling like he was going crazy. She showed up in black, dressed as if she was going to work at Glaser's Books, and he wondered why she did that, maybe Bustra insisted on dressing formally, and in that case he would have seen Quesetti Disappointed that Quesetti had neither showered nor shaved, and was only wearing a Springsteen concert T-shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers, though he didn't complain about how long she kept him waiting.

She didn't apologize either, just nodded to him as usual and set off.Quesetti decided to play cool without asking where he was going.He could also be an internationally recognized man of mystery.They walked to Van Dyke, took the No. 77 bus to the Smith Street subway station, and then took the noisy F train to Manhattan, and they didn't speak all the way.At the stop on Houston Street, she stood up and got off the bus. He caught up with her and finally couldn't help asking where the destination was. Quesetti really didn't have the talent to pretend to be cool. Mr. Milstein's shop.She replied: They are the only ones left in the city who sell good quality leather laces wholesale.

Will they sell it to you for free? Mr. Milstein likes me. Really?Did he?Quesetti made a paw gesture when they were walking on the station steps when she stopped suddenly and said to him: He didn't, I really regret telling you about Glaser.Does it mean that every time I mention that I have a business relationship with a certain man, you have to settle the old score? From now on, I will immediately delete the memory of this matter.Quesetti really felt embarrassed, but also a little bit tricked, and he also wondered why she went to the wholesaler.Everyone in the rare book business in New York knew that the center of book binding was in the Poirot Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, and he wanted to ask her, but decided to shut up and solve the mystery himself.Merchants and collectors who are engaged in buying and selling are in contact with book binders in general. If someone sells Churchill's "Voyage Voyage Collection" at a low price, they will ask the book binder if the book has been tampered with. , Collectors would never have imagined that this book seller could work alone, starting from the most upstream raw materials.Quesetti was very happy that he could think of this level, as long as he could see through any trace of Luo Li's scheming, it would be a good thing.

They walked east on Houston Street to an old commercial building near Second Avenue.In a very smelly apartment, there are probably nearly an acre of various animal leathers. Quesetti leaned on a bundle of leathers and watched Luo Li negotiate with an old man for a long time. The old man was wearing no hat. Wearing a black hat, a very old black suit, and carpet slippers.The two of them looked happy, and Quesetti noticed a subtle change in Lori's attitude. When she and Mr. Milstein were together, she smiled more often, and once or twice she really laughed, more than usual. Louder, more aggressive than he's ever known her before, can he even say that?She seems more Jewish?She also spoke relatively quickly, with an outlying country accent.

They bought a small roll of fine calfskin wrapped in paper, and when they were about to leave, Quesetti told her what he had just observed. Everyone does.She said lightly, when you talk to someone, you will learn the characteristics of the other person's speech and be influenced by the other person, won't you? Probably.He said that, but he thought, yeah, but first of all, I'm not that imitative, and honey, what the hell are you?He practiced this line in his mind, wanted to say it, but gave up again, and only said one sentence: Where are you going now? Take the F subway to Fourteenth Avenue, and then take the Broadway line to Columbia University. We have an appointment with Dr. Buscher and we will be there in forty-five minutes.

Can we have something to eat first?I haven't eaten since last night. You ate all my cookies. Yeah, sorry about your stale cookies.Lori, what's the matter with you?Why can't you be a normal person with furniture and food and pictures on the walls? She started walking towards the subway exit, I told you I was poor. He hurried to catch up with her. You are not that poor. You have a job and earn more money than me. Where did the money go? I can't live with my mother.she said tensely. Thank you for reminding me, I am really not qualified to ask you. That's right, I don't know if you understand my situation, I'm all alone in the world with no support, no brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, or godfather; I have a clerk's salary, But there are no benefits, if I get sick I have to be on the street, I was really homeless once, and I don't want to go back to the street.

When did you ever live on the streets? Don't do your business, why are you so nosy?Very annoying. The subway came, and the noise of the trains created a sense of privacy, when he said: Sorry, I think it was inherited from my mother.When she took the subway, if someone sat next to her, she had the means to ask that person's entire life history within two stops.Lori, you know a lot of people like to tell their stories. I know, I think it's such a waste of time, those people go on and on, either complaining about how bad their luck is, or wanting people to praise them, oh, no, Gloria, you're really not that good fat!Or oh, your son has gone to college, you must be very proud!

People are like this, otherwise what would we talk about?book?Or book binding? I told you from the beginning that I'm not a funny person, but you don't seem to believe it. I think you are charming. Do not be silly!My life is boring as hell, going to work, coming home, practicing my craft, and counting the days until I can go somewhere else and learn something that I'm really interested in. Movie.Quesetti said, we can talk about movies, which one is your favourite? I don't know, movies are too expensive for me, and you know I don't have a TV. please!Everyone has a favorite movie, and you must have seen it in your hometown.She didn't respond, so he asked: Where is your hometown?

Well, so which is your favorite movie?She asked after a pause, her voice seemed uninterested. "Chinatown".Don't you want to tell me where my hometown is? Not a special place.What is that movie about? What are you talking about?Haven't you seen "Chinatown"? No. Lori!Everyone has seen "Chinatown," even people who weren't born when it was released.Even a place like Mogadishu in Somalia has a movie theater, and it's going to be on for weeks.It's the best original screenplay of all time, it won an Oscar, and it was nominated for eleven other awards. How can you not see it?This is an important milestone for culture.

Obviously not my culture.Our station has arrived. The train screeched into the 116th Street station and they got off.She strode impatiently as usual, and he trotted behind, thinking about his first impression of Lori, thinking she looked like a vampire or other supernatural creature.If she really hasn't seen "Chinatown", then his feeling is quite possible. They emerged from the subway station and walked through Columbia's regal gates.Quisetti would come here to watch movies occasionally, such as the Film Society's campus screenings.Every time he came, he would feel a sense of regret, and he still does now.When he was twelve, his mother took him around the Columbia campus (where she got a library degree).He knew his mother wanted him to go to Columbia, but he wasn't the stuff, and his grades weren't good enough to get a scholarship.It simply isn't possible to go to college at your own expense on police pensions and librarian salaries.So he went to Queens College.His mother used to say that was a good school, too, and she said: If you're successful, no one will care what college you go to.It doesn't sound harsh, but it's really unpleasant.Sometimes when he came to Columbia, he found himself staring at the faces of those college students, listening to their conversations, and seeing how far behind his intelligence and intelligence were from the elites of the Ivy League schools.But he couldn't tell the difference.

He knew Caroline.Lori graduated from Barna College across the street, and he only knew about it because he used to manage Sydney.Glaser's personnel file at Rare Books, using his position to study her resume in detail.At this moment, he didn't think highly of Barna College's education level, because Luo Li hadn't watched "Chinatown".But after all, Barna College is a well-known girls' school, and she should be quite smart; she also said that she is poor, so obviously she must have good grades to get a scholarship. He wanted to stab her on purpose, so he said: Wow, it's back to the old school again, isn't it, Lori?I think you can recall what happened on this dear Ivy campus, if there is a special custom, like you can't step on a certain lawn or you have to bow to a certain statue, you have to tell me Oh, I don't want to lose face. what are you talking about? Your college days, Barna graduated in 1999, right? You thought I went to Barna College? Yes, he stopped suddenly because of me, but she understood right away. You little spy!You read my resume! Well, yes.I tell you, I'm so interested in you, I'm going through your underwear drawer when you're asleep. At that moment, he thought he saw a trace of fear on Luo Li's face, but it disappeared immediately, replaced by a contemptuous sneer: I don't believe it.She continued: "Let me tell you, I didn't go to Barna College. Your resume is fake? Of course I'm going to lie, I want the job, and I know Glaser is a Columbia alumnus and his wife went to Barna College, so of course I lied about being a Barna College alumnus.I just went to the campus of Barna College to chat about the topics of their students, learn about the geographical environment, attend a few classes, and study the schedule.Employers don't check resumes for authenticity.You can say you're a Harvard graduate, and if you said that, I bet Glaser would have paid you more. God, Lori!Don't you have any sense of morality? I did nothing wrong.She stared at him hard and said, I haven't even graduated from high school.A girl who doesn't have a high school degree is forced to work in a sweatshop, or as a cleaning lady, or as a prostitute.I don't want to do those jobs. Wait, everyone has to go to secondary school, it's compulsory education. She stopped, turned to face him, lowered her head and took a few breaths, then looked straight at him.Yes, she said: but in my case my parents died in a car accident and I moved in with crazy Uncle Lowe who locked me in a basement storage room from eleven to seventeen I was 8 years old, so I didn't have the chance to go to high school, but I was often raped.Now, what else do you want to know about my fucking life? Quesetti gasped, feeling his face flushed, he could see the wetness of her lower eyelashes, I'm sorry.He uttered the words in a low voice.She turned her head and walked away quickly, almost running. He felt very sad standing there, and after a while, he followed her secretly and walked into a red brick building.He went up two flights of stairs, stumbling a bit because he wanted to kick himself hard.Well, end of story, erase her from his mind, God knows how many times he's tried to do that.He is no stranger to rejection, but usually not for such a stupid reason, and rarely because he is stupid, but he still has to be polite, because he will talk to Dr. Bustrow later, nod and then Shake hands, then finish talking before walking out.God!He is so stupid!The woman said she didn't want to talk about her past, so of course he shouldn't talk about it, and then they had reached the door, and she knocked on the frosted glass door, and a mellow and gentle voice answered, "Come in, please." The man was wearing a vest, or vest, as it could be called.The professor pulled on a matching brown tartan blazer as they entered.He was a stocky man in his fifties, with light brown hair of medium length, neatly combed, the kind that hides a bald spot in the middle, a broad jaw, tortoiseshell glasses, and a handshake that was too tactile. Soft, with sweaty hands, I don't like it.Quesetti hated him already, but he was glad to forget hating himself for a while. After they sat down, Luo Li was in charge of talking.Knowing that the manuscript was found in the set of Churchill's works, Buszrow was very interested and wanted to know the age and source of the work.She briefly explained the details to him, and Quesetti listened to him, thinking that what she said was correct.As they talked, Quesetti looked around. The office was small, not much bigger than a bathroom in a suburban house; the windows were dusty and looked out over Amsterdam Avenue.There are bookcases inlaid with single-pane glass in the room, only one floor contains books, and the other floors are full of messy documents. In addition, there is a standard wooden desk, which looks a bit old, with a stack of reports and periodicals on it. There is also a large picture frame.Although he wanted to take a peek at who was in the photo frame while maintaining politeness when he moved his body position a little, he still couldn't see it. Very interesting, Miss Lori, said the professor, may I have a look at the file? Now that Luo Li and Buszrow were both looking at Quesetti, his heart sank, as if he met an unfamiliar doctor and asked him to take off his clothes and put on a robe.The document was his, and it was now to be taken from him, and it was up to someone else to prove that it was a treasure or a forgery.He doesn't know this person yet, he wears thick glasses, he looks so ridiculous, but his eyes reveal longing, even madness; at this moment, Luo Li's eyes are like a vast and unobstructed blue land , even the sky contains more emotions than these eyes.And he had to resist the urge to grab the package and run away, but he just took Richard.Pull out the letter written by the ancient Brace Godo to his wife.It was easy to tell the difference between this piece of paper and other documents by touch, and before letting him see the secret letter, let's see what the freak said about the letter, Quesetti thought. Buszjo took the letter and spread it out on the desk. At this moment, Quesetti slumped back on the chair. He handed the letter out of fear.Although he knew that the woman he liked already thought he was a stupid pig, he was afraid that he would appear even more stupid in her eyes.He knew he'd never get over the shame of being with Lori, he'd never forget it for the rest of his life, popping up now and then, sapping his joy and deepening his depression.And that scene where a girl is locked in a basement, listening to the footsteps of her tormentor approaching, and now he doesn't know how to help her out of the shadows with love, let alone he has screwed up their relationship up.You bastard, Quesetti, you big bastard. Professor, do you understand? It was Lori, and her voice called Quesetti back from her world of self-condemnation.Buszrow cleared his throat vigorously and said: Of course, although the handwriting is ugly, it is very clear. I guess the person who wrote the letter must have often written. He should have no education or go to college, but he is still a person who can write.Perhaps a shop assistant?Buszrow continued to read, sat up after about half an hour and said: Well, overall, this is a very interesting and precious document.He went on, pointing, this one's called Richard.This should be the last letter he wrote.He was apparently wounded at the Battle of Margin Hill, the first major battle of the English Civil War, on October 23, 1642, he wrote from Bamberley, a small town close to the battle . What about the part about Shakespeare?Queser asked. Bustreau looked at him with puzzled eyes, and blinked behind his thick glasses, what did you say?Do you think Shakespeare is mentioned in this letter? Well, yeah, that's the point, this guy said he was following and spying on Shakespeare, and he said he got a signed copy of Shakespeare's plays, in fact, he was one of the pushers who got Shakespeare to write plays for the king, on the signature page That's what it says. My God, Mr. Quesetti, I promise there is absolutely no such thing, the handwriting of the document writer is very difficult for um, amateurs, and people can see all kinds of meanings that do not exist, just Like interpreting clouds into various graphics. No, look, it's here.said Quesetti, getting up and rounding the table, and taking up the manuscript, pointing out the relevant lines and saying: Here is what I referred to, and here it says: Letters of Sir Deng's plans, and our spying on Shakespeare As a result, we used to think that he secretly followed the Holy See, but now I am not so sure, anyway, with his weird way of life, we should not worry about him.I made him write a play about Mary Queen of Scots in the name of the King, and now he and I are both dead, and the play he wrote himself is left in a place known only to me, and there it will be forever. Buszjo adjusted the frame and laughed a few times. He picked up the magnifying glass he used just now and put it on a line of text. His imagination is so rich, Mr. Quesetti, but you made a mistake. Here it is: I tell you and Sha Lust's secret gem transaction, that person should be Lord Deng's subordinate in Solisburg.Then the letter said: I did not repent and atone for the theft, and I was humbled to live like this, and then wrote here: The pearl is still in his own hands.He said only he knew where it was.I'm not quite sure what it means but only his own hands can decide what it means, but it's clear that the man is dying, probably from extreme mental confusion, the letter seems to be out of line, talk here, talk there , in fact, maybe a large part of it is pure imagination, when dying, looking back on one's own life in an extremely crazy state of mind.Although it has nothing to do with Shakespeare, this document is very interesting. What do the other parts say? Oh, and the others are about war, quite vividly, and of interest to those who study the history of war.And this man obviously served at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, he fought at White Mountain, at Luzern, at Bredenfield, but it's a pity not to give details.It seems that he is a professional artilleryman and has been trained to make cannonballs. He also said that he went to fight in the New World and was shipwrecked in Bermuda. Very interesting life in the seventeenth century, even brilliant, for some more remote people It is likely to be of great research value in his field, and although I doubt that there is a bit of whimsy in his narrative, it has nothing to do with Shakespeare.I'd be more than happy to buy it if you want. Quesetti looked at Luo Li, unable to see her position from her eyes, Quesetti swallowed and asked: How much do you want to pay? Oh, a Jacobean manuscript of that quality, I think it's worth thirty-five. Thirty-five dollars? He showed a loving smile: "Of course not, it's 3,500 yuan. If you want, I can write you a check right now." Quesetti felt his stomach churning, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.It wasn't right, he didn't know why it felt that way, but he just knew it.His father had been talking about instinct, though he called it guts, how to obey guts in the dangerous streets.At this moment, Quesetti's courage drove him to say: Well, thank you, but I want to ask other people's opinions, I mean the part about translation interpretation.No offense, Dr. Bustrow, I just want to rule out the possibility that he has been standing since he handed the manuscript to Bustrow just now, so it is easy to take the manuscript from Bustrow's desk now, Put in a brown paper bag.Bustrow shrugged: Well, whatever you want, but I don't think you can get a better price.He turned to Lori and asked: How is my dear Mr. Glaser?Hopefully he has recovered from the shock of the fire. yes he is fine.Lori replied in a very weird voice, very unlike her.Quesetti heard it, stopped packing the manuscript and looked at her, she looked in pain, and he didn't understand what was wrong.She said: Quesetti, can you come outside with me?Sorry, Professor. Buszrow gave her a kind and polite smile, and stretched out his hand towards the door. There are some professors and students coming and going outside. It is summer vacation and there are not many students. It is obviously the end of class time.Lori grabbed Quesetti's arm and pulled him into a recessed corner.It was the first time she touched him since she cried last night, and she clasped his arm and talked to him in a tense, raspy voice: Listen, you must give him these damned documents. what?He looked like he was trying to fool us. Not fooling us, Quesetti, he's right, there's no mention of Shakespeare, it's just a little secretary scribbling, trying to confess his guilt because he's dying. I do not believe. Why don't you believe it?What about the evidence?Wishful thinking and three hours of writing-reading experience? Maybe, but I'm going to show it to someone else, someone I trust. As he said that, he saw her eyes fill with tears and her face start to pucker up, oh my god.She yelled, oh my god, don't break me now, Quesetti, don't you understand?He knows Glazer, otherwise why do you think he mentioned him just now? Even if they knew each other, so what? how?God, don't you understand?He knew the manuscript was found in the Essays of Voyages, so he knew that I took the book apart, which meant That means that you didn't just take the book apart as Glaser said, but you also wanted to rebind the book, which means that you want to secretly resell the book.Could it be that he's implying that unless we give him the manuscript, he's going to tell Glazer about it? certainly!He'll tell him and then Glaser will I don't know he's gonna fire me and maybe call the police, I've seen him do that to thieves and he just went nuts that guy just stole a book , and I can't take that risk, oh my god, it's horrible. She was really crying now, not quite as hysterical as the night before, but almost there.Quesetti didn't want to see the incident repeated, so he said: Hey, calm down!What do you think you can't risk? Police, I cannot be found by the police. The light bulb came on. You have a case.It wasn't a question, it was so obvious, he should have thought of it earlier. She nodded. What is the charge? Please, don't interrogate me! You didn't kill Uncle Roy, did you? What?of course not?I did something stupid, I was in desperate need of money, so I delivered packages for some people, it was in Kansas City, so of course it got caught, and then oh my god, what do I do? Okay, calm down first.He said, resisting the urge to put his arm around her shoulders, go back inside and tell him, we're done. As he moved to leave, she froze and looked panic-stricken, clutching his arm like a shipwreck clutching driftwood. where are you going? I just have to do one thing first.He said, don't worry, Lori, everything will be all right, I'll be back in ten minutes. What should I tell him?she asked. Tell him I'm glad he charged such a good price and say I'm in the bathroom and I'll be fine in ten minutes. He turned and ran down the stairs, three steps at a time, clutching the rolled manuscript under his arm like a football.He ran out of Hamilton, through a prescription hospital where young men with higher test scores than he were wandering.He ran all the way into the Butler Library, a building dominated by massive pillars.One of the perks of being a mom to a famous research librarian is that she knows almost every research librarian in town, and has friendships with quite a few of them.Quesetti had known Margaret since she was a child.Pike, the chief research librarian at the Butler Library, was a trivial matter to contact for permission to make photocopies.All large libraries have large photocopiers that can print out manuscripts, and Quesetti used the photocopier in the basement of the Butler Library to make copies of all of Bracegold's letters.Mrs. Pike looked puzzled, but let him go, explaining that it was for a film he might make, and could he get a mailing tube and buy some stamps? He rolled the copies into the tube, along with the original encrypted letters and prayers.While tidying up, he wondered why he didn't show Bustreau the encrypted letter, but only showed him Bristol's letter.The reason was that the guy Buszretti was an asshole trying to take advantage of him in this deal, although Quesetti couldn't prove it.Also, Lori had to be considered.He was inexplicably excited to keep these encrypted letters.Shakespeare or not, the documents had been out of sight for four centuries, and he, the one who had brought them back to light, did not want them to be revealed.He sealed the tube, wrote an address slip, put the stamp on it, dropped the tube in the mailbox, and ran back to Hamilton Building. Fifteen minutes later, he and Luo Li walked in the center of the campus again, but this time in the opposite direction. Quesetti folded the check for 3,500 yuan, put it in his wallet, and It didn't feel good because he felt like he had been skinned several times, but he did the right thing.Doing the right thing has always been important in the family he grew up in.His father had been a second-rate detective working with the New York City police, and being a detective had paid off in those days, but old Charlie.Quesetti didn't do that, and life was hard because of it, until the sheriff's chiefs started looking for honest men, and they found his father and promoted him to head the Queens Homicide Squad.In the Quesetti family, this was a momentous event, symbolizing that virtue is always rewarded.The current little Quesetti still believes in this truth, although the facts have not been true all these years, but the woman next to him seems to subvert the entire moral concept.Yes, she had been brutally abused, or so she said, but he had a hard time pardoning the fact that she faced the world with an immoral code of conduct.His dad used to say that street punks had their days, but he couldn't get CarolineLuo Li treats her as just a punk, why?Is it because his sperm has rushed into his head?Because he longed for her?No, it's not, or it's not just that.He wanted to ease her pain and make her smile, and he wanted to free the brooding and ascetic bookbinder with a little girl in her heart. As he took a step, he watched her.She bowed her head in silence, clutching the roll of leather.No, he wasn't going to shake her hand goodbye in the subway station and let her go back to her own hard world.She looked up, her expression blank. Wait, he said, what do we do now? I had to go to the paper man in Brooklyn and find the back cover, and her answer was sombre, you don't have to come with me. Will go again later.All we have to do now is go to Citibank over there, which is the bank that issued the check, and cash it, and then we'll take a taxi to Bloomingdale's, and I'll buy a jacket, pants, shirt, maybe A pair of Italian loafers, you want to buy a dress, something brighter for summer, maybe a hat.Then we put on new clothes, took a taxi to a fancy restaurant for drinks, and a long, long lunch.Then, I don't know, do some urban leisure activities, go to a museum or a gallery, or window shop, wait until you are hungry again, we will go to a restaurant for dinner, and then I will take you home in a taxi, go back To your empty illegal apartment, with your two chairs and your lonely bed. He tried hard to read the expression on her face: fear, surprise, joy?She said: "This is ridiculous. Where will it be?This is how all felony criminals spend when they get a sum of illegal income.We can be mandarin duck robbers for a day. You are not a felon. I am, I make my boss' property my own.To be precise, I should be guilty of larceny, but I don't care.Please, Lori!Don't you find it annoying to be messy every day?Your youth is passing by every day, but you still care about the pennies, aren't you tired? Can't believe you're saying that, she said: Sounds like a line from a bad movie. If you don't watch movies, how do you know what a bad movie is?All that aside, you're right, that's exactly the story they're going to make a movie about because they want the audience to feel good, they want people to agree that good people are happy, and now we're going to do that, we're going to imitate art, We're going to play our own movie and see what happens in real life. He could see that she was thinking, weighing the situation, like a bone that has just had a cast removed, wondering if it can bear the weight of the body, no, she said, if you want to spend the money, just give it all to me ?I can live on this for three months. No, that's not the point, Lori, the point is to go at least once, don't skimp, eat some red meat, and stop eating those damn ramen.After speaking, he took her hand and dragged her quickly across 116th Street. let me go! No, if you don't want to come with me, I'm going to kidnap you.This is a federal felony. What if I scream?she says. Cry, the police will come and get me, and then they will know the story of the set of ancient books and manuscripts, and what will happen to you?I think it's a trouble for the upper body, and it's beyond redemption.Or, you can wear fancy new clothes and drink champagne in a fancy restaurant, you better make up your mind now.Baby, because the bank is here. He found a designer silk-and-linen-blend coco coat for thirty-five dollars on sale, some linen trousers, a black silk ruffle shirt, and matching loafers. Loudly asked her to try on a designer dress with ruffles on the chest and flower patterns, and helped her find matching silk scarves and shoes, two sets of hot and sexy brand-name underwear, a big top Her Panama hat, with its brim turned up, looks like a British schoolgirl.After buying all of these, I took a thousand yuan out and didn't get a few change back.Then they went to the Metropolitan Museum for lunch, to see the Spanish painter Velazquez exhibition, and he just happened to know that there was a lunchtime concert at the Furico Museum, because his mother got tickets from a group of librarian friends, forced He went to listen, and she said: Go, take the girls to listen!And the miracle is that he's been carrying the damn ticket with him for two weeks, and he's never even thought about going, and the concert happens to be today, so they go.The program of the day was a vocal ensemble performing Monteverdi's sacred music. Sitting on folding chairs, they felt light and light, as if they had reached the limit of their spiritual level, and then they were allowed to step into the kingdom of God. Quesetti was no stranger to the world, and his mother did everything possible to keep him from becoming an artless American savage.He took a peek at Luo Li and saw her shocked face, or she was so bored that she had no expression, he really couldn't tell.After the concert, he hesitated to ask her what kind of mood she was in, and after a long silence, she said: How nice would the world be like that?As the music conveys, the world is full of beauty?Quesetti thought that would be wonderful, quoting Hemingway: "It's beautiful to even think about it."But he didn't mention that it was Hemingway who said it. The two walked along Madison Avenue, and he told her to pretend that she was not only temporarily rich, but also to choose fashionable products from the windows of those high-end boutiques. When they got tired of playing, he took her into the side street, Go into the first restaurant they see, because he knows it will be perfect no matter which one they go to.And this small bar is good at French Provence cuisine. The boss likes this young and decent couple very much. He keeps delivering exquisite side dishes from the kitchen, recommending what wine they should pair with, and watching them taste the appetizers with a smile. Let's sing.Quesetti felt that the tone of the boss's speech was like that of the restaurant owner in the Disney cartoon "Lady and the Tramp". Unexpectedly, Luo Li had actually seen this movie, so they started talking about other Disney movies and those he liked.的電影、還有那些他想要編的電影、那些他從未告訴別人的事情。而她談論著美麗的書本，書的美學、結構、還有紙張以及字體和裝訂方面，那種謎樣微妙的美麗之處，以及她多麼希望自己製作的書本，能讓人們拿在手上珍惜一千年。她真的是這麼說的。 他花了一大筆錢，才招到一輛願意載他們到紅彎區的計程車。這件事情他以前從來沒做過，也沒想過要做。他們抵達了黑暗的產業道路，計程車司機已經帶著他的百元鈔票開車離去。這時奎塞提拉住卡洛琳．羅莉，將她轉過身來，吻住她充滿咖啡和紅酒味道的嘴。而她也回吻了，就像電影一樣。 按照電影情節，兩人走上樓梯，進入公寓，走向床邊，只是他們並沒有扯掉對方的衣服，奎塞提一直都覺得這是陳腔濫調，也不切實際，這種事情從未發生在他身上，而他認識的所有人當中，除非是喝醉了，或是古怪到極點的人才有可能做這種事，所以這不會發生在他的電影裡。他只是深深嘆了口氣，而她也一樣，上樓的時候，他輕輕握著她的手，就像握著乾燥的花瓣那樣小心。他們進了公寓，再度親吻，她抽開身子，在抽屜裡翻找，他以為她要點蠟燭；她的確是點了一根石蠟蠟燭，很小心地把蠟燭立在小碟子上，放在床邊。奎塞提沒有移動，然後她跟他四目交接，她臉龐的輪廓看來如此可愛，在燭光中安靜而緩慢地脫掉新衣服，仔細折好，那樣子讓奎塞提好想用攝影機拍下來，想到這個畫面他就笑了。 她問：為什麼笑呢？他說出了原因，然後她叫他脫掉衣服，接下來這一部分呢，一般電影是不會演出來的，鏡頭會漸漸拉遠，但是就在他們躺到床上之後，他想到那個可怕的叔叔，覺得很尷尬就遲疑了一會兒，直到她用指甲和急迫的命令，要他把野獸釋放出來；本來他還想著是否要戴上套子從事安全性行為，他其實覺得這樣有點怪，但是所有的思考活動都停止了。 事後，奎塞提躺著，感覺汗水和其他體液在皮膚上蒸發，瞪著天花板，蠟燭燒到只剩一點點，他沒有話想要說，腦中一片空白：空氣凝滯，螢幕空白。他們已經有劇情架構、劇情發展、第一個劇情高潮點（發現手稿）、第二個劇情高潮點（這個奇妙的夜晚），然後呢？他不知道第三幕該演什麼，但是他開始害怕，他以前從來沒有遇過這種事情，除非是在夢裡。他伸手再次輕撫著她，但是她抓住他的手親了一下說：你不能留在這兒。 Why?妳要變身成蝙蝠嗎？ 不是，但是你不能留下，我還沒有準備好面對事後醒來的早上，還有其他那些事情，你明白嗎？ 應該有一點。好吧，紅彎區在我的手錶呢？三點十分，我手裡拿著一捲鈔票，身上聞起來就像剛從妓院出來一樣，聽起來很有趣。 不會，她說，我幫你洗乾淨。 她帶他到屏風後面的浴缸，牆壁上有個用錫罐做的燭台，她點了兩根蠟燭，浴缸裡裝滿了熱騰騰的熱水。她讓他站在草編的厚浴墊上，拿起浴巾和象牙牌香皂，慢慢清洗著他身體的每一吋，然後她用清水把泡沫沖乾淨，曲起一腳的膝蓋輕輕跪下，就像武士在國王面前一樣。她的胸部小小的，有點平坦，大大的粉紅色乳暈。儘管今天晚上的行程像史詩一樣遼闊，受到這樣的對待，他還是勃起到脹痛的地步，看起來有點不自然，很像她用來裝訂書籍的某種零件，適合用來磨亮皮革，讓皮革更顯光澤。她往上看著他說：你不能半夜三點在這種情況下跑到紅彎區街頭上。 嗯，這樣做很不聰明。他發出低沉的喉音。 他注意到她用兩根手指握住他的底部，另外三根手指抬起，就像貴婦人喝茶的手勢一樣，她的深色頭髮覆蓋著小小的頭，前後慢慢移動，他想：她們到底是怎麼學會這樣做的？還有：妳是誰？妳在對我做什麼？再來會發生什麼事？ 布瑞斯葛斗的第六封信 於是我開始了在倫敦塔炮兵團的工作，每個月拿十個先令，這只是學徒的薪水，但是快要做乞丐的人也沒得選。我和母親在奥德門附近的芬喬奇街上租了兩間簡陋的房間，生活非常窮困，不過因為我在倫敦塔有工作制服，所以就省了衣服的錢。一年就這麼過去了，第二年的冬天很冷，我母親病倒了，家裡沒有足夠的煤炭能升火讓她暖和，我覺得她的病還可能是因為過度憂傷所致。嗚呼，會落入這般下場並非她的錯啊，她一直都是善良樸實又正直的女人，也不是什麼秘密天主教徒，我那時問她，她說：我不是，兒子啊，我確實會為我死去的孩子祈禱，為我死去的父母祈禱，不過用的是我們過去舊時宗教所教導的儀式。我知道這是滔天大罪，我會因此受地獄業火燒灼之刑，但是我祈禱上帝不要這麼做。然後她在一六〇六年二月二日過世了，葬在聖凱薩琳柯爾曼教堂。我親愛的南，接下來妳也知道了，在那段悲傷的日子裡，是妳安慰了我，所以我想娶妳為妻，但是妳父親說：不行，不行，領學徒薪水的人不能娶我女兒，你怎麼能照顧她？我答不出來，所以只能傷心離開，過了好幾天傷心的日子。 這時候湯瑪斯．基恩來找我說：嘿，小子，想不想去弗蘭德斯啊？我明天就要出發，送四架皇家大砲去給斯魯伊斯的荷蘭人，還要用這幾架大砲去打西班牙。跟我一起去，做我的副手吧，有起司可吃，有杜松子酒可喝，還可以把那些天主教狗打回地獄去。我馬上就答應他，伸出手跟他握手，於是事情就這麼決定了。我們利用夜晚偷偷從倫敦塔離開，因為國王陛下最近才剛和西班牙談和，這時候送武器去給西班牙的敵人好像不太合適，但是西班牙的菲利浦國王不懷好意，一直對於兩國重新建立的友誼咄咄逼人，所以宮中有些人認為，要是英國在此時畏戰會顯得很丟臉，我覺得是亨利王子的主意，但他後來英年早逝。再說，荷蘭人在英西建交之前就已經付了大砲的錢，這樣才算合情合理，因為國王絕對不會退回一毛錢的，所以我們此番前去也是為了英國的面子。 我們將大砲送過去，將砲架拆解開來，總共需要的零件有五百發砲彈、撞針、螺絲、導火筒等等，我們搭著驳船行駛到倫敦池，然後船員把貨物搬進輪船船艙。輪船名叫青龍號，是配有六門大砲的戰船，由威廉．凡布里爾船長領軍。我們乘著風順流而下，航行了三天就出海，那年冬天的海水不太冰冷，很適合航行，我們吃著新鮮的麵包和起司配醃鯡魚，暢飲麥芽酒。到了斯魯伊斯，在我看來那裡實在很無聊，到處是或紅色或褐色的磚房，但街道上熙來攘往很熱鬧，因為西班牙佔領了奥斯坦德港，所以這幾個月以來，斯魯伊斯港就成了西弗蘭德斯唯一的港口。我們卸下大砲，把大砲裝上砲架。 不行，我說太多年輕時候的蠢事了，我擔心自己時日不多了，我的傷口現在比之前還要疼痛，醫生說傷口已經惡化，我最多只剩兩天可活了。