Chapter 29: A Chance Encounter at the Library

The girl watched Su Xinxin approach, hesitating slightly and remaining silent.

“Is it this book?”

Su Xinxin had already drawn near, lifting a finger to point at the book on the top shelf, asking softly.

The girl nodded slowly.

Su Xinxin gently rose onto her tiptoes, only to realize she could barely reach the spine of the book on the highest shelf. It turned out she was only marginally taller than the girl in front of her.

‘Hmm…’

She secretly took a breath, rising even higher on her toes, almost bouncing slightly. Her two fingers neatly clasped the book’s spine, and with a gentle pull, she steadily retrieved it.

Turning, she handed over the book, her gaze lingering for a moment on the girl who seemed so interested in medical and health-related literature.

The girl quickly took the book, cast a glance at the cover, then lifted her round, almond-shaped eyes to say earnestly, “Thank you.”

Her voice was clear and soft, like a gentle breeze passing through a window on a warm afternoon. She nodded, then turned and walked away, clutching the book.

Su Xinxin watched her retreating figure. The light blue checkered skirt swayed gently between the bookshelves before disappearing into another aisle.

She withdrew her gaze, resuming her search for books in the area.

Row after row of bookshelves swept past her vision.

****

Lin Mo, cradling a book related to her major, found a window seat and settled down. The soft daylight, filtered by the clouds, fell upon the open pages, less dazzling and more gentle.

She opened the flyleaf, her eyes scanning the table of contents before she drifted into a daze once more.

[Master, Master!] Xiao Li’s voice echoed in her mind.

[Hmm?] Lin Mo put down her book, opened her phone, and looked at the chibi-style Xiao Li on the screen.

[Is it really alright for us to just wander around and read like this?] Xiao Li’s ears wiggled at the edge of the screen. [Didn’t you say you were coming today to seize the opportunity to find Jasmin? And you also mentioned clearing the ‘Erosion’…]

[But I can’t find her,] Lin Mo said, propping her chin on her hand, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the phone screen. [Perhaps she changed her clothes today? She can’t always wear that off-white dress. I’ve been wandering around here for almost an hour, and I haven’t even seen a shadow of her. Never mind.]

She paused. [As for the mission… I haven’t found any special ‘Erosion’ yet. Maybe it was already dealt with this morning?]

[Actually, I have a plan!] Xiao Li nodded profoundly from the screen, its eyes twinkling. [Instead of you looking for Jasmin, why don’t we make Jasmin actively seek you out? This way, Master, you can also learn what her true form looks like, but she won’t know that you already know her true form… Hmm, anyway, if she doesn’t know that you know her true form, you can secretly observe her! First, understand her reactions, then decide whether to reveal yourself and befriend her later!]

Xiao Li grew more excited as it spoke, its ears twitching with enthusiasm.

[But…] Lin Mo touched her empty temple. [I didn’t wear my Jasmine hair tie today. Without a special Jasmine identifier, how would she know it’s me? Should I go buy some Jasmine tea? Would that even work?]

[Uh…] Xiao Li quickly stalled. It had been so focused on ‘setting a trap for observation’ that it had forgotten the trap needed bait with a hook.

[Haha, I actually deliberately didn’t wear it.] Lin Mo lowered her head, her finger tracing the pages again. [I’ll just wait and see.]

She opened her book, attempting to refocus her attention on the somewhat dry knowledge.

It was strange, she thought. In school, she had detested flipping through such books, yet now, sitting in the provincial library, she found herself developing a slight interest.

Of course, this interest lasted only a few minutes.

She pulled out her phone, found a good angle, and took a picture of the open book.

[I was wondering why Master suddenly loved studying,] Xiao Li’s voice drifted in faintly. [Turns out you wanted to post on Moments!]

[You have a plan, and I have one too!] Lin Mo’s lips curled into a small, triumphant smile.

[Oh—that’s right!] Xiao Li suddenly understood. [If you post a picture of the book on Moments, and Jasmin sees the content of the book you posted, she can infer that it’s a medical and health-related book. If she’s curious about your identity, she might actively approach this area! Then, Master, you can hide and observe her in secret to discover… Master, you had a plan all along! I underestimated you!]

It gestured exaggeratedly with its two front paws, its tone filled with the proud satisfaction of ‘my daughter has grown up’.

[…I just casually took a picture. You’re overthinking it,] Lin Mo said expressionlessly.

She stared at the photo for a while longer, her fingertip hovering over the screen for a moment. In the end, she tapped open the editing box and typed a few words:

[Weekend library, a quiet and good place.]

She clicked send.

Then, with a cautious yet swift movement, she ‘whooshed’ to her feet. The chair legs still scraped against the floor, emitting a brief, soft sound.

She lowered her head slightly, a little embarrassed, then said to Xiao Li, [Let’s go. This is not a place to linger.]

[You still posted it, though…] Xiao Li mumbled softly.

[Silence!]

[It seems…] Xiao Li’s voice dropped even lower. [Master has been watching too many historical dramas lately; even your language style has changed.]

Lin Mo ignored it, lowered her head, and activated ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode on her phone, muting Xiao Li’s audio channel at the same time.

Phew. Finally, it was quiet.

****

Su Xinxin hadn’t expected to stand by the bookshelf, engrossed in a book, for nearly half an hour. When she finally came to her senses, she realized her legs didn’t even feel sore—the vigor of youth was truly wonderful.

She returned the book to its original place, gently stretched her shoulders and neck, and began to wander aimlessly among the nearby bookshelves.

Her gaze unconsciously swept over the seated readers, carrying a casual, scrutinizing air characteristic of an elder observing their surroundings.

Then, she spotted a figure.

Small, seated by the window. Short hair, head slightly bowed, revealing a sliver of fair skin on the nape of their neck. And that jacket… it looked very familiar.

She recognized who it was.

Her body stiffened slightly, as if gently struck by something.

It was her grandson. Her third daughter’s child.

Unconsciously, she took a few steps closer, stopping a short distance away in a corner she believed would keep her unnoticed. Her gaze fell upon the open pages of the child’s book.

He was reading.

She leaned forward slightly, trying to discern what book it was.

[Still… don’t get too close,] Xiao Ming’s voice whispered softly, tinged with hesitation.

She didn’t respond, merely inching forward another fraction.

Thankfully, this young body’s eyesight was excellent. She clearly saw the words repeatedly appearing on the pages: navigation, exploration, voyage, New World…

It must be about the Age of Discovery. She vaguely recalled that as a child, he loved reading *One Hundred Thousand Whys*, specifically choosing sections like ‘Mysteries of the Ocean’ and ‘Unsolved Cases’.

Good. It was a book that imparted knowledge.

She forgot she was still moving forward and was now standing directly behind him.

She gazed at the child’s focused profile, and a very light, soft tide of emotion suddenly swelled in her heart.

‘I never brought you to the library. I’m sorry…’

“Ah… Sister?”

The child had looked up at some point, meeting her gaze directly. He paused for a moment, then his eyes curved into a smile, filled with the unguarded friendliness unique to children.

‘Sister?’

Su Xinxin froze in place.

That was right. She could only be ‘Sister’ now. That particular address—she would never hear it again in this life.

It wasn’t that she yearned for a formal title like ‘Grandfather,’ but rather the more intimate ‘Grandpa.’ A child’s father’s father was ‘Grandpa,’ but their mother’s father became ‘Maternal Grandfather,’ the ‘maternal’ prefix creating such a distance.

“Sister, do you like reading these kinds of books too?” the child asked again, his eyes filled with curiosity and the joy of meeting a kindred spirit.

“No…” Su Xinxin shook her head gently. “Not really.”

She didn’t know what to say. Her gaze drifted over the child’s shoulder, landing on the man seated opposite him—it was her youngest son-in-law. Not the person she had wished to see more.

It seemed her third daughter hadn’t come today.

[Let’s go,] Xiao Ming’s voice resonated again, this time with urgency. [Quickly, let’s go.]

Su Xinxin didn’t linger.

She turned, her steps as steady as possible, like any other stranger who had accidentally passed by and was now leaving. The bookshelves swept past in rows, like silent barriers, separating that small figure behind her.

But her mind was filled with that single image from moments before.

Why had she never thought to bring her grandchildren to the library to read? Back then, she always felt that life was long, pushing things off from today to tomorrow, and tomorrow to the day after. Only when she was bedridden did she realize it was too late for anything.

She walked slowly along the corridor, her steps growing increasingly sluggish.

The tide in her heart seemed to have burst its banks, overflowing her chest, then her throat, choking her, neither rising nor falling.

‘I want to see my children so badly.’

‘Even if it’s just a glance.’

Her eyes welled up slightly. She lowered her gaze, clutching the strap of her shoulder bag tightly, her knuckles turning faintly white.

The surrounding clamor seemed to fade into the distance, leaving only the sound of her own footsteps, dull thuds echoing one after another in the empty corridor.

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