Chapter 27 25

【course】 Mi Rui had no physical contact with me at all.Not in Paris, nor during those three days in a remote house in the country; no hugs, not even handshakes.She smiles at me in the morning, and at night she makes sure to say good night to me in French before we go to bed.She was very caring and considerate, but often made me feel a little alien, as if I was just a guest to her, not a friend. Mi Rui is never boring.When the atmosphere was about to become dull, she would pick up a pen and draw a picture, or put on her coat and go for a walk without telling her.If she left the house in the afternoon, I would stay at the kitchen table and study the map I had bought in Amiens, marking the places Ashley had mentioned in his letter: Albert's hospital, the recovery ward in Étaples.I take out my notebook.

□□□ October 6 Picardy Everything falls apart here.But I can't figure out why. Ashley was wounded on November 5, 1916.Yinmozhen must have been at the front from then to November 24th.After that, Ashley's letters were different and she stopped answering them. What made Yin Mozhen go to Picardy in the midst of the war?Where did they meet?What caused the final breakup? I continued to look at the map, watching the network of roads and villages, hoping for some kind of enlightenment.On the other side of the table was Mi Rui's pencil and coil sketchbook.I walked over, looked down at the green cover, and flipped it open.

The sketches inside are all captioned, mostly in English. <The City Is Sleeping> (The City Is Sleeping).A drawing of the roof of an apartment building, probably in Paris, with several floors of chimneys stretching toward the horizon.Although I felt guilty, I couldn't stop because of curiosity.I turn to the next page. <Young and Fearless> (Young and Fearless).It looks like Claire is sitting in a high chair with another girl, staring directly at the viewer. <Americans in France> (Un Americain en France).This sketch shows me falling asleep on a train with my coat rolled up against the window and a book in my lap.

I closed my sketchbook, grabbed my coat, and walked along a road across the fields behind the house.The road is wet, with here and there puddles from last night's rain.At the end of the field, I met Mi Rui who was coming from the other direction.She was surprised to see me.I thought you were reading, I didn't know you wanted to come I didn't expect that either. Mi Rui smiled.She took me up a narrow path into the woods and across a slender creek.I asked her how to say beech in French, and she quickly told me other names, including oak, sweet chestnut, maple, and the white flowers on the ground, and those that flutter overhead and flash in the iron-gray sky. blackbird.

I think these are herons.How do you say it in English? I have no idea.They look huge.Is it a crow? She laughed, then shook her head.They are not crows. Do not laugh at me.I didn't grow up near a forest.I never learned the names of these things. Well, Mi Rui said: Then you learn it now. From then on, Mi Rui invited me every time she left the house.There is no TV, no computer, no books, only things we brought.So we talked the rest of the day and into the evening, whether it was inside the house or on that path that winds through the forest.Our conversation alternates between French and English.Mi Rui loved her language and helped me appreciate it, reminding me of the days when I was addicted to that thick foreign accent.Both of us want to practice the foreign language, but switch back to our native language when we want to express ourselves immediately, especially when we are debating something.

When we were discussing the war, Mi Rui told me that her grandfather had become a rebel at the age of seventeen, and that she had killed German soldiers when she was a child.When we discussed death, Mi Rui said that she was not afraid of death, that she was curious and wanted to see a different place from this world.But I said that she will be afraid when the time comes. You can be afraid for both of us.Mi Rui teased and said: You have already taken care of the two of you. I know.So maybe you should share your part. We continued talking until the end of dinner, and although I was going to come up with a new research project, it never came to fruition.Mi Rui opened a bottle of wine and poured it into two empty jars.I asked her why she decided to go to art school.

If I study design, she said: I can find a job then.I'm getting older and need a career I didn't know you were so pragmatic. Mi Rui looked down at her wine.Of course it's not just that.To create something beautiful, I think it's very important.Even if something ugly is made, as long as it's real, it's just as important.After all these years I still like to think so. What did you believe in before? A wrong idea.Think that as long as you care enough about anything, you will be able to solve it.Perhaps so from an artistic point of view.But not with humans. She looked up at me.

Anyway, you know what I'm talking about.You can take pictures, the reason is the same I shake my head.I didn't create anything special.Once I print out a photo I usually don't look at it again. Then why do you want to shoot? I just love taking pictures.It's a different way of looking at things when holding a camera.You'll see more, and you'll have to pay attention to the little details. What about those pictures you took of me and Claire in front of the Seine?Did you take those pictures just to observe more? no.I take those pictures just because I'm a tourist.

Mi Rui smiled.Come on, let's go sit outside. I picked up the wine bottle, and Mi Rui took two woolen blankets from the living room.We sat on the steps behind the house.It was cold at night, but the stars above the treetops high in the courtyard were very bright. You know what, Tristan, when I first met you, I didn't know what to think.Maybe it's still the same now. Mi Rui lit a cigarette.I saw her face silhouetted away, then back to face me. All that stuff you told me about the Northern Railroad and the Rothschilds on the train coming here.How did you know? I have no idea.I just read some books about railways.

Also in Amiens, Miri continued: You also know about the Hortillonnages, and you've never even been there.Or all the statues at the cathedral door, and the story about the head of John the Baptist.How do you know all this? I have taken classes.many people know those things But not like you.They might tell you a thing or two, but most people don't know that much and can talk for hours because they're not that interested.Tristan, you don't look in the mirror before you leave the house and spend ten minutes worrying about what's in your bag.You keep changing your mind, taking out your coat and putting it back on.And you have a weird way of thinking about money.You'd rather walk an hour than pay two euros for a bus ride, but when I ask you about your inheritance, you don't want to talk about money.

Because that would make me feel weird. I trust you.But that's the only thing anyone can think about except you.I know the stress must be hard on you, and I want to help.But I don't really know you.I don't know anything about your real life Then ask. Mi Rui flicked the cigarette ash on the steps.She looks at me. what happened to your mother She died three years ago. Why? colorectal cancer. There was a long silence.Then Mi Rui said: I'm sorry. We sit quietly.Mi Rui poured the wine into the bottle again. So is that money bothering you?Because it's from your mother? I guess so. I took a sip of my drink and turned up the collar of my coat. From the way she lived, that money shouldn't matter to her.But I think there is a part of me that wants it. This is normal.Why are you bothered? Because that's just money.There are much better things to care about.What else do you want to know? Mi Rui hesitated.Do you have a girlfriend in California? No. She took a drag on her cigarette.A car passed by and her head turned with its headlights. How did you know those letters were in Sweden? Just luck.I was looking for something else and here it is. Don't you think it's weird? Of course I found this odd. Mi Rui nodded and finished the rest of the wine.I rub my hands under the blanket. It's freezing in here. We can go in. We stood up and put away the jars and empty wine bottles.Mi Rui turned to face me. still have a question.Do you really believe all this?Lawyers, money, that British couple? You have asked me before. Do you believe it or not? I believe. Mi Rui opened the door for me, and the yellow light streamed out from the living room. I just want to be sure. We are setting the table for breakfast.Mi Rui put down two cups of coffee and began to spread butter on a long slice of French bread.I poured milk into my coffee, shaking my head. She had come all the way to France to meet him.No matter what happened, no matter what nasty things she said to him to break them up Mi Rui put the bread on the table. Maybe he said nasty things to her. Maybe.But I daresay that's the key.I just don't know how to check it out.Although I could go to all the places the Berkshire infantry went to, it probably wouldn't do me any good.and i can't ask anyone for help You can ask those lawyers. They will just call me back to England. Maybe not.Or you should talk to your family.Lawyers will never find out.How about calling your father? I shake my head. He would just tell me to hire someone to help. Mi Rui sat down across from me. Then call your half-brother.Why not talk to him? He's a scientist, he'll think I'm crazy What scientist? Bioinformatics, he is studying for a Ph.D.I knew what he was going to say, so there was no need to ask. What will he say? I shrugged.Don't trust people you don't know.Especially lawyers who promise to give you money. What about the British couple? Adam thinks history is useless So what would he say? We started with breakfast, quietly munching on bread and drinking coffee.I looked up at Mi Rui. He would say, don't worry about what has happened.Those are not your problems.Don't think about money that doesn't belong to you, and that money probably wouldn't make your life any better.Don't think everything is better in Europe because you've always liked Europe and your head is confused.Don't trust the French girls you meet in bars. Mi Rui smiled.This suggestion is very good. She cut a pear and put some slices on my plate.I picked up the glass, put it down again, and shook my head. Last year I was thinking about moving to Los Angeles after graduation.I talked to Adam for hours.In the end all he said was that I was always looking for advice so I would have something to worry about.So then I just went straight to what I would have done, because even if I knew it wasn't good, I wouldn't stop because of it. Nobody stops there. Don't you think it's okay to stay here? Mi Rui shrugged.You have to trust your gut.If you think the evidence is here, maybe it is.But you can't expect it to fall from the sky.This kind of thing has probably happened before, but not every time. So what should I do? We cleared the table, and then Mi Rui filled the sink with hot water.She turned to face me, still holding the sponge in one hand. very simple.You figure out what you're looking for, and then go find it.