Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Professor Hu’s villa had three floors: the reception hall on the first floor, the rest and guest rooms on the second, and the owner’s living quarters on the third.

This wasn’t Shen Qingyi’s first time here. The combination of traditional Chinese-style decor and minimalist design prevented the villa from having an overly heavy style, making it suitable for both young and older people.

Walking through the ground floor reception hall, Shan Ling saw celebrity calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

She couldn’t quite understand these pieces, only feeling they looked very expensive at first glance.

“Aicai.”

Professor Hu called out inside, “Make Grandpa a pot of tea. We have two guests.”

There was no immediate response, but Professor Hu didn’t seem to mind. He turned to Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi and said, “Don’t be reserved, both of you. Sit wherever you like, look around. I’m going upstairs to get something.”

After saying that, Professor Hu walked to the elevator on the first floor and pressed the button. A small elevator appeared before him.

Once Professor Hu went up, Shan Ling quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yiyi.” Shan Ling curiously watched the elevator display number stop at ‘3’ and asked, “Why can a house have an elevator?”

Shen Qingyi glanced at it and explained to Shan Ling, “Professor Hu is old. It’s inconvenient for him to climb up and down, so his family installed this home elevator for him.”

Shan Ling understood.

Without Professor Hu there, she was visibly more relaxed. Her expression was no longer as heavy as before, and she began observing the surrounding arrangements and the famous calligraphy and paintings.

Although she hadn’t seen much of the world, she could tell that the pieces hanging on the walls were likely authentic. However, Shan Ling didn’t recognize any of the signatures. She only knew celebrities from textbooks, but those pieces of calligraphy and painting were now antiques, and surviving works were increasingly rare.

Even if Professor Hu had a substantial family fortune, he likely wouldn’t use genuine antiques to decorate his villa, so most of these were probably works by contemporary artists.

They satisfied the aesthetics without being overly precious.

Shan Ling looked at the redwood and rosewood furniture on the first floor. Almost every piece of furniture caught her attention, but this was a fox den, after all, and Shan Ling didn’t dare to stray too far from Shen Qingyi.

She had to protect Shen Qingyi properly.

Shen Qingyi, seeing Shan Ling acting like a ruffled little quail, felt both amused and concerned. She pulled Shan Ling to sit on the nearby sofa and told her, “You don’t need to be so nervous. Although I don’t fully understand the species dynamic between foxes and mountain sparrows, Professor Hu shouldn’t do anything out of line.”

Shan Ling disagreed with this and told her seriously, “One should not be malicious, but one must be vigilant against others.” (A common Chinese saying meaning: Do no harm, but be prepared for harm.)

Shen Qingyi thought about it and felt that Shan Ling was not wrong. She still needed to listen to her girlfriend and be cautious.

Just as the two were chatting, a person carrying a tray walked out from what seemed to be the kitchen area.

The person looked to be in their early twenties, with long, wine-red hair casually draped behind them.

She might have naturally curly hair, as her entire head of hair looked voluminous. Focusing on the woman’s face, one could see deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge, giving her a somewhat mixed-race appearance.

Shan Ling shivered when she saw her, tightly gripping Shen Qingyi’s hand.

Another fox?

Shen Qingyi knew Shan Ling wouldn’t fear a woman without reason, so she guessed this person might also be a fox.

The young woman placed the tea in front of them, took an extra look at Shan Ling, and then said, “This tea is freshly brewed. It’s a bit hot, so be careful when drinking.”

“Thank you,” Shen Qingyi looked at her calmly and asked curiously, “Are you Professor Hu’s student?”

“No,” the girl replied, “I am Grandpa Hu’s granddaughter. My name is Hu Aicai, the ‘Aicai’ meaning white snow.”

Shen Qingyi understood. She smiled lightly and asked, “Are you also a fox?”

Hu Aicai was visibly stunned. She probably hadn’t expected someone to figure out her identity. She instinctively glanced at Shan Ling and likely understood what was going on.

“I’m not exactly a fox,” Hu Aicai said. “I’m only a half-blood fox.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t fully grasp the meaning, but combining it with what Shan Ling had told her before, she could guess that only one of her parents was a fox, leading to the term ‘half-blood.’

Looking at Hu Aicai’s features, Shen Qingyi guessed that one of her relatives might be a foreigner, as a foreign fox coming over would likely be a hassle.

Even as a half-fox, Shan Ling was still very scared but stubbornly refused to let Shen Qingyi venture alone, still watching over her like a ruffled guard.

Remembering the roasted chicken they bought, Shen Qingyi told Hu Aicai, “I brought a small gift for Professor Hu. This is a roasted chicken. I hope Professor Hu doesn’t mind.”

“How could I mind a gift brought by Miss Shen?”

Professor Hu’s hearty voice came from the elevator area. Everyone turned to see him, leaning on his cane with one hand and holding a box in the other, which seemed to contain something. He walked over slowly and told Hu Aicai, “Aicai, put this roasted chicken in the kitchen first. We can have an extra dish tonight.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

After Hu Aicai left, Professor Hu placed the box on the coffee table and told Shen Qingyi, “This is it. Miss Shen, please open it and take a look.”

Shen Qingyi then focused her attention on the box.

She hadn’t forgotten the reason for coming to Professor Hu’s house today. He said he had a good book for her to see, and Shen Qingyi wasn’t sure what kind of book it was.

Shan Ling watched Shen Qingyi nervously, afraid that when she opened the box, various hidden weapons would ‘whoosh, whoosh, whoosh’ out, like in TV dramas. She stared at the box unblinkingly, fearful of any accident.

When Shen Qingyi opened the box, they saw a book lying quietly inside.

The book was very dilapidated. The cover was almost unrecognizable, and even the inner pages were beginning to be incomplete, scattered in small fragments inside the box, as if it had been blown up.

The moment Shen Qingyi saw the book, her brows furrowed.

“Why is it so damaged?” Shen Qingyi was very surprised. This book was even more fragile than Old Tales of Longcheng when she repaired it. It seemed that even a light touch would cause the delicate paper to shatter.

Professor Hu’s expression was also grave. He told Shen Qingyi, “This is an ancient book, probably several hundred years old. It is a genuine antique.”

Shen Qingyi was curious: “Where did you acquire such an ancient book?”

Although many second-hand books are privately collected, it was plausible for a few capable collectors to possess a few centuries-old remnants. However, Shen Qingyi didn’t think Professor Hu was the kind of collector who specialized in ancient relics. He must have acquired this by chance.

“To be honest, Aicai discovered this book,” Professor Hu said. “Aicai just graduated from university this year and now works at an intangible cultural heritage organization. She encountered this book accidentally.”

Intangible cultural heritage?

Shen Qingyi looked at the broken book and roughly understood why Professor Hu had called her over.

Besides buying books that interested her, she was also one of the few people who could restore ancient texts. This was due to an elective course in ancient book restoration she took during university. Later, driven by her own interest, she comprehensively studied knowledge in this field, and having restored many damaged books, she had some reputation in the circle. Most damaged books that came to her could be successfully restored.

“Professor Hu, you want me to take on this job?” Shen Qingyi looked at Professor Hu and asked.

Professor Hu nodded, sincerely telling Shen Qingyi, “I know you only restore books as a hobby, but you are the only person I can contact right now who has this skill, so I wanted to ask for your opinion.”

Shen Qingyi pondered for a moment, then asked, “If I don’t have time to do this, who will you turn to, Professor Hu?”

“Well…” Professor Hu gave a dry laugh: “I would have no choice but to donate it to the museum and let them figure out what to do with the book.”

Professor Hu said helplessly, “However, this book belongs to a private collection. If the owner is unwilling to donate it, then we can only wait for an opportunity to find another artisan with skills like yours to restore it.”

Book restoration is essentially a one-time process. It requires success on the first attempt because fragile books cannot withstand a second attempt at restoration.

Professor Hu valued Shen Qingyi’s skill, which is why he wanted her help. But since he was requesting a favor, he couldn’t guarantee Shen Qingyi would agree, so he tentatively asked. If she accepted, it would be ideal.

But if Shen Qingyi genuinely didn’t want to take the job, Professor Hu wouldn’t press her.

Shen Qingyi looked at the book, which resembled rotten vegetable leaves. This level of damage made restoration almost impossible, and she told Professor Hu so honestly.

“It’s not that I don’t want to take it on. It’s that the possibility of restoring this book is small, and there are too many damaged areas. There are certainly missing and incomplete pages. Even if it’s restored, it won’t be readable,” Shen Qingyi said. “If the goal is merely to preserve it as a keepsake, then I think its current state is fine. Although it will look better after restoration, it’s ultimately an artificial restoration and will carry some degree of a manufactured feel.”

Professor Hu’s expression was also heavy. He thought for a moment, then sighed softly: “I understand. Since Miss Shen says so, I won’t force you.”

Since the matter was settled, Professor Hu didn’t pressure Shen Qingyi and returned to his usual smiling expression.

Perhaps because she knew the professor was a fox, Shen Qingyi found that smile to look exceptionally cunning.

“Let’s leave that matter for now. Miss Shen, please stay for dinner tonight. I was planning to go fishing. Do you two have time?” Professor Hu asked with a smile. “The fish now are especially plump. They taste great in soup or stew. I’m sure you’ll like them.”

“No, thank you,” Shen Qingyi stood up from the chair. Shan Ling saw her stand up and quickly got up herself, sticking closely to Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi smiled and said, “I have other things to do this afternoon, so I won’t disturb your rest, Professor Hu. I regret not being able to help today. I hope you can find a suitable artisan.”

Professor Hu didn’t insist. Leaning on his cane, he chuckled: “Alright, alright. Then please take some fish with you. My family is small—just an old man and my granddaughter. We can’t finish all the fish I catch, so I’ll give you some.”

Before Shen Qingyi could refuse, Professor Hu shouted toward the kitchen, “Aicai, bring two fish out and put them in Miss Shen’s car!”

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