Chapter 531: Doing Good Deeds Without Asking for Reward
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As soon as Zhang Zian came to the third floor, he saw the back of Meng Li in the central reading area.
The library was as warm as spring. Meng Li took off his woolen coat, folded it neatly, and put it beside him. Leaning comfortably against the back of a chair, he was reading a book in a foreign language about the popularization of science.
With fewer readers on the third floor, it was much quieter than on the second floor. After all, there were few readers who could read books in foreign languages without any obstacles.
Zhang Zian did not disturb Meng Li. He continued doing what he did on the second floor, by holding his cell phone to search every corner on the third floor. Still, there was no trace of the elfin.
He would be lying if he said he was not dejected at all. His previous assumption was that the elfin was most likely to be found in the Hall of the Ancient Books, followed by the Hall of the Books in Chinese, and the Hall of the Books in Foreign Languages. The fourth floor and fifth floor, which he hadn’t been to, was the Newspaper and Periodicals Reading Room and the Digital Reading and Exchange Area, respectively. Could the elfin appear in those two places?
He had left the pet shop so hastily that he didn’t even drink any water. Coupled with the anxiety in his heart, Zhang Zian felt thirsty at this moment.
Drinking fountains and paper cups were provided on each floor in the library, and readers had access to them freely. Zhang Zian went to pour himself a cup of water. Leaning against the wall, he pondered as he drank the water.
His gaze fell on the row of a shelf that was nearest to him. There was a book at the edge of the fourth level of the shelf.
“Modern genetics …”
He could basically understand the English title of this book. It was called Modern Genetics: An Analysis from Gene to Surface.
Zhang Zian pretentiously told Meng Li that he was currently studying modern genetics. Even if he was not able to capture the elfin this time, he could not allow Meng Li to look down on him. Hence, he squeezed the empty paper cup and threw it into the trash can, and then walked to the shelf and pulled out that book. Placing that book under his armpit, he turned around and went to the fourth floor.
There were less than five readers on the fourth floor. In this era of information explosion, apart from researchers majoring in modern history or compiling the local chronicles, who else would come all the way to read the outdated newspapers and periodicals in the public library?
Elves may come from books, but never come from newspapers and magazines, because newspapers and magazines were fast moving consumer goods which did not possess the innate conditions to be circulated widely in the long run.
Having said that, Zhang Zian should never ignore the slightest possibility. He patiently searched for the elfin among rows of shelves. As expected, nothing was found, and his valuable time was wasted.
He doubted himself at this moment. Had he omitted some rows of shelves on the second or third floor? But it was impossible for him to neglect any row, because he was searching strictly according to the index number of the shelves.
However, the elfin may be constantly moving among the bookshelves.
If that was the case, it was practically impossible for him to capture the elfin. He was not good at playing hide-and-seek.
The only floor he hadn’t visited was the fifth floor … the Digital Reading and Exchange Area. The readers could read electronic books and communicate with each other on the fifth floor.
The electronic books available to readers on the fifth floor were converted from the physical books from the second to the fourth floor. Readers tended to find the books they wanted to read on the fifth floor, and then went to retrieve the physical books downstairs. If the physical books had been borrowed by others, the readers could also read the sample chapters of the electronic versions of the books on the fifth floor.
However, there was no reason why the elfin would appear on the fifth floor, right?
In any case, Zhang Zian came to the fifth floor to finish his quest.
The fifth floor of the library was more like a computer lab at a school or an internet café. Unlike the rows of bookshelves on the other four floors, rows of computers were neatly arranged in the central area, while the positions in front of the wall were surrounded by several pieces of futuristic, large-screen, digital terminal equipment with touch function.
What was beyond Zhang Zian’s expectation was that the number of readers on the fifth floor were more than the number of readers on the second through the fourth floor in total. And most of the readers on this floor were young people in their twenties or thirties.
In addition to young people, there were a few elderly people on the fifth floor. They were all sitting in front of the digital terminals and touching the screens to conveniently browse the e-books and the electronic version of the newspaper of the day. The screens of the digital terminals were so large that they could read the text on the newspaper clearly without wearing reading glasses.
Without bookshelves, Zhang Zian could see the fifth floor more clearly. He raised his cell phone and glanced around, then his heart sank immediately. What the f**k was going on? There was no trace of the elfin on the fifth floor either!
He was inevitably anxious and restless due to his fruitless quest. Standing there, he was wondering if there was any place he had neglected. Of course, he couldn’t get into such places as the offices for library staff, women’s bathrooms, and the rooftop, so those places didn’t count. Other than that, he had searched every floor. Could this elfin really be in the Hall of the Ancient Books?
Just then, his shoulder was patted gently. “Young man?”
Zhang Zian was suddenly brought back to reality from contemplation. He looked back and saw that an old man on crutches was standing behind him. The elderly man, who was in his seventies or eighties, seemed very kind. His hair had gone gray but was combed neatly. His clothes were of old style but very clean. Judging from his appearance, he must be a decent elderly.
“Grandpa, what’s the matter?” Zhang Zian asked.
“Young man, do you have time? Can you do me a favor by teaching me how to read books on this computer?” The old man smiled and said, “Everyone seems busy reading and only you are standing, so I emboldened myself to ask you. You can ignore me if you are busy.”
Zhang Zian had noticed the old man while he was searching for the elfin on the fifth floor. Unlike other elderly people who were operating the digital terminals in front of the wall, or the young people who were reading e-books in front of computers, this old man was standing and looking around blankly. Zhang Zian thought he was looking for someone.
On the entire fifth floor, only Zhang Zian and this old man were standing. No wonder he would ask Zhang Zian for help.
Normally, teaching the elderly to read on computers was very easy; but currently, Zhang Zian’s time was extremely valuable because the elfin may disappear at any minute. It’s self-evident that the latter matter was more important, and Zhang Zian had sufficient reason to refuse to help the old man.
However, the old man’s humble tone and earnest eyesight prevented Zhang Zian from decisively rejecting him. Before he had asked Zhang Zian for help, he must have hesitated for a long time and had been turned down by many people.
Even if he went downstairs to continue searching for the elfin, he may have eventually found it in the Hall of the Ancient Books. Zhang Zian believed that he would inevitably feel uneasy if he refused the request of the elderly right now.
He remembered the story of the world of the imagined landscape as told by Famous, as well as the earnest inculcation from Old Time Tea…” Doing good deeds without asking for reward; never forget why you embarked on your journey, and your mission can be accomplished eventually.”
So, Zhang Zian dropped his obsession of capturing the elfin.
