Why it never ends

Chapter 100 Etching Chapter
Valenti and Hesta heard the conversation between Virgil and the postman clearly on the second floor.

"Don't mind, they don't have any malicious intentions," Valenti turned back and smiled, "I found that the people here in Nia are really warm. When we first moved here, there was a leak in the attic, so I asked the aunt next door to fix it. Someone should be looking for on the roof, but she came here in the afternoon with tools—Virgil had prepared a reward, but she refused to accept it.”

Hesta listened quietly, "That's great, I'm happy for you."

Valenti lowered her mouth, and she waved her index finger in front of Hesta.

"Don't use honorifics to me, Jane."

Hesta smiled, "Okay."

After a brief exchange of greetings, Hesta walked around the slightly narrow living room.

Although Valenti has only lived here for less than three months, the layout here is not at all perfunctory - it is completely opposite to Miss Chiba's residence. If Chiba's home is minimalist, then Valenti Miss, here is the representative of maximalism.

It looked like a place Miss Valenti would like to live in, with fabrics of rich colors and patterns everywhere, from chairs to sofas.In the colors and stripes that flow like a dream, surrounded by all the bright and beautiful carpets, pillows, hanging paintings and cushions, there seem to be countless shelters, and any corner can make people sit down and immerse themselves. rest well.

Hesta stopped in front of the low old refrigerator.

There are several refrigerator magnets here that she is very familiar with, and she has exactly the same one - it is a souvenir sent by Ms. Chiba from a livable place with various names that she has never heard of.Hesta's fingers stroked them gently, and finally his eyes fell on a portrait of a woman in the middle of the refrigerator.

The woman in the portrait has no facial features, but has a pair of black eyebrows connected together and a colorful headdress. Under the portrait, there is a line of small words: Consumto die, plus ferre possumus quam existimamus
Hesta turned around, "Miss Valenti?"

"Ok?"

"Is this a classical language?"

"Ha, yes."

"What does this sentence mean?"

"'In the end, we can always afford more than we think'," replied Valenti softly. "This is an artist from before the golden age, Jane, her name was Carlo, and she was famous for her self-portraits. I like Carlo very much, and I also like her paintings. Chiba passed by the ninth district last year and brought me this when I came back. I was so pleasantly surprised."

"Carlo..." Hesta murmured, she stared at the line of words she couldn't understand, and fell into a brief silence.

"Oh, this does not mean to persuade people to be infinitely patient," Valenti explained softly, "It is a summary of Carlo's life. She had a very serious car accident when she was young, and then she experienced more than 30 years of life. She was bedridden for a considerable period of her life, so she often painted herself.

"Her self-portraits are full of metaphors, she paints her tortured body, her pregnancy and miscarriage, her love, her pain... She uncompromisingly describes the unique experience of women in the picture. In that era, this practice was very precious.

"The former Museum of Modern Art in the core city of the third district has her paintings. You can take a look at them if you have a chance. Those pictures are both cruel and passionate, full of vitality—"

"...like the weather in District [-]?"

Valenti was stunned for a moment, and then let out a hearty laugh, "Yes! Yes, it's like the weather in District [-]!"

Footsteps came from the corridor outside the door. Before the knock sounded, Valenti had already got up to open the door. Virgil carried letters and packages into the room and put them all on the low coffee table in the middle of the living room. .

"There is your package, Valenti. I guess the etching stamp you ordered has arrived." He glanced in Hesta's direction curiously, "What are you talking about, so happy?"

"I'm talking about Kahlo's painting—let me introduce it!" Valenti walked to Hesta's side, "This is my former student Eureka, Eureka Demon, and this is my husband Virgil , Virgil Wood."

Hesta reached out to Virgil, and the two briefly shook hands.

It wasn't until this face-to-face encounter that Virgil found a little bit of the source of his depression just now: the girl in front of him was tall—and she was too tall. When she stood in front of the window and walked towards this side, together The shadow is inevitably cast on himself.

Virgil's own height is around 177, and this Eureka... Virgil estimated in his mind for a moment uncertainly.

Her height may be 180...

Even higher.

Hesta's gaze was already on the coffee table, "What etched stamp?"

"Oh, I'm going to start teaching a psych class to a middle school kid over here next week," Valenti replied, cutting open the foam paper with scissors, "so I pre-ordered a batch of etched chapters to give them As a souvenir, do you want to see it?"

Hesta didn't answer, but sat down beside Valenti.

"Oh my god! The store didn't pack it separately for me!" Valenti exclaimed, "It's so far away, the seal must be scratched—"

Virgil stood aside, "Is that still usable? Do you want to send it back for redoing?"

"It's too late," Valenti sighed, "Forget it, I have no experience this time...be careful next time."

Through the opening of the parcel, Hesta saw a patchwork of blue and white—the front of the etched medal, and the back of it was gilded, mirror-clean and shining, and a short brooch, such an etched medal. Can be pinned to clothes, school bags... anything.

Hesta stretched out his left hand to pick up one, and put it in the palm of his hand for a closer look. On the etched chapter blue background, there are raised metal characters:
"Seeking help is the act of the strong"

Hesta looked at this sentence and felt a little familiar for a moment, and it seemed to be printed on the title page of the hardcover books given to all Mercury Needles by the Psychological Assistance Center of the base.

Valenti picked and picked among the many etchings, took out a good one, turned around and pinned it to the neckline of Hesta's coat, its cold tone and simple design matched the uniform style of Mercury Needle very well.

Valenti smiled and patted Hesta's shoulder, "It's pretty, isn't it?"

On the other side, Virgil has already brought the previously prepared meals from the kitchen to the round table in the living room, "Come and eat, let's chat while eating."

Hesta got up with Valenti and sat down at the dining table. She took off her cloak and hard uniform with one hand, and draped them casually on the back of the chair behind her.

"Have you any chopsticks?" Hesta asked.

"Chopsticks?" Virgil was a little surprised, "Yes, wait a minute."

He turned around and went to the kitchen to get a pair of chicken wing wooden chopsticks and put them on Hesta's dinner plate. It wasn't until she raised the chopsticks in her left hand that Virgil saw that the girl's sleeve under the right elbow was empty.

Valenti was a little surprised, "When did you use your chopsticks so well...Did Chiba teach you?"

"Yes. Chopsticks can be used with one hand, which is very convenient."

(End of this chapter)