Pandora’s Box

“This question,” he said, “Are you referring to signs of life on other planets that have been explored so far, or higher forms of intelligence that are suspected to have left its traces on Earth in history?”

“???”

I really had not thought about it.

“Children make choices, adults want them all.”

He smiled and said, “Regardless of which one it is, it’s a long story. Class is about to begin.”

“…..”

He added, “I’ll come over for dinner tonight and I’ll tell you about it.”

I was instantly elated.

Although Zhuo Wenyang never gave me a direct answer about the question of whether there were aliens or not, he told me a full story about it for a full three hours that night. From the Kofu incident in Japan, to the Kaira incident, to the Drake Formula, to the Fermi paradox, to the Law of the Dark Jungle, to the Derinkuyu Underground City in Cappadocia Turkey, to the Gobekli Tepe Stonehenge, and speaking to the Nazca lines….

I was dumbfounded.

“How do you know about these things? How do you know so much? Did the professor teach this? Did you learn this in astronomy?”

He said, “Huh? These are all from books. Actually, none of this have to do much with astronomy, just for you to listen for fun.”

“But where do you find the time to read so many books?”

For most people who were trying their best to absorb their studies were already doing their utmost best. How many books did one have to read to know so many miscellaneous subjects?

“I read books relatively fast. From when I was very young, my dad told me stories everyday, taught me how to read, and would read books with me,” he said, “My dad had an entire wall of bookshelves filled with books. My dad not only likes to read, but also collects. He doesn’t spend much money on hobbies since most of his money was used to buy books and records. There were many rare books…”

“Hey, but I didn’t see that here.”

He paused and said, “At the time of divorce, he left all of that to us.”

I whispered, “Oh….”

“He still likes books very much so he opened a bookstore,” he said, “If you are interested in selecting a book, you can ask him. When you’re free, you can also visit his bookstore and choose a book you like.”

“I think listening to you is much easier than reading a book.”

He smiled and replied, “You can’t be so lazy; you need to read it yourself. The information I spoke of has been screened and summarized by me, so what you received was incomplete. If you view information through my lenses, you will only see what I want you to see. You will be seriously affected by my perspective, and inevitably be brainwashed by me after some time.”

I confidently argued, “There’s nothing wrong with being brainwashed by you. Maybe it’s even better for me to be brainwashed.”

He stared at me and fell silent.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he quietly answered and asked, “Do you like listening to me that much?”

I nodded enthusiastically, “I like it!”

He smiled and said, “Then I’ll talk more tomorrow night. What do you want to hear?”

“!!!!”

The next afternoon, I did not have class so I stayed at home alone and slept in. There was no one to play on the Switch with me. A little bored, I was about to turn on the computer to play a few rounds of PUBG. That was until I remembered that Zhuo Wenyang suggested if I was free, I could drop by Cheng Yichen’s bookstore.

The bookstore was unfamiliar. I could not remember the last time I entered one. Maybe I had never been into a bookstore in my life?

I asked Cheng Yichen for the bookstore’s address on WeChat and took my time to call for a taxi.

Cheng Yichen’s bookstore was located in a pretty good location. I was skeptical. Was selling books profitable enough for the rent in such a place? However, apart from the various high-end luxury stores, there was actually a bento shop right next to it. Suddenly, the bookstore did not feel so out of place.

I opened the door to enter into the fresh and tidy bookstore with a strong aroma of books lingering in the air. This was the smell of books –in a physical sense — this was my first time taking in the aroma of books.

On this rainy day, there were no customers so the store was extremely quiet. Cheng Yichen was arranging the books by himself until he saw me. He smiled and greeted, “You’re here? Why do you want to come and see me in this weather? Sit down first. Do you want coffee or tea?”

“It’s fine. Hey, you’re alone today? Isn’t there an employee to help?”

Cheng Yichen placed the book he was holding down and left to pour me a cup of coffee, “Xiao Yang has something to do today, so he took half a day off.”

There was a single sofa and small round table by the window, so I went and sat down. Right outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the delicate spring rain, blooming greenery of the trees, and glistening streets.

There was something strangely tranquil about this place.

A little girl who looked like a student opened the door and came in. She chirped, “Boss, has the book I asked you to order last time arrived yet?”

Cheng Yichen quickly answered, “It’s here. Wait a minute and I’ll get it for you.”

While Cheng Yichen attended to the customers, I held my coffee and explored the store. The store itself was not particularly spacious, but it had many books and looked very comfortable. I didn’t know if it was due to the color of the walls, arrangement of bookshelves, or lighting. Regardless, it didn’t cause an illiterate like me to reflexively want to hide in the bathroom when seeing a lot of books out of anxiety.

A handwritten sign hung out in the front. It was a list of books recommended by the store manager, as well as best-selling books in the store. Like Zhuo Wenyang, Cheng Yichen had outstandingly good writing. It was delicate and elegant, smart and free, enticing people to feel that such unknown books can become so pleasing to the eyes.

A few waves of customers came one after another, and they all looked like regulars. I saw them off and Cheng Yichen asked me, “Do you want to find a book to read? I won’t be able to leave until a while later.”

I reflexively cringed at that.

Cheng Yichen smiled, saying, “Pick a book and flip through it casually if you get bored.”

Modern people have mobile phones to browse through, so how could they be bored?

But I was already here and I said almost unwillingly, “Then, choose a book for me and keep it simple.”

“Simple?” Cheng Yichen was lost in thought, “How simple should it be?”

I was shameless, “Like a children’s book.”

I thought Cheng Yichen was going to give up entertaining me, but he unexpectedly smiled and said, “Okay, I have a lot of good children’s books here.”

He quickly brought over a book with a light cover page. It read, “The Family Under the Bridge,” by Natalie Savage Carlson. Oh my god, it was a story written by a foreigner. I was most afraid of reading these books because the character names were all gibberish to me and I could not tell who was who even after reading.

Hopelessly, this was already a children’s book and a phonetic version at that. I had no self-esteem and I couldn’t even lift my head to the elementary first-graders. So, determined, I silently took up this reading challenge against these elementary school students.

I didn’t think I’d have the patience to read a paper book that wasn’t a popular novel. Perhaps, due to the quiet surroundings, light breathing, and soft lighting in this store, the atmosphere was calming and I could easily concentrate.

After all, it was a children’s book and the reading difficulty was rather low. The story was simple and it was easy to guess the direction of the plot.

I read about an elderly man praying to God on Christmas Eve because he sympathized with the family he encountered under the bridge. He also felt sorry for the children who longed for a family. He said, “God, I beg you. I have forgotten how to pray. All I know is how to beg, so I beg you to please find a home for this homeless family.”

My eyes watered at this.

“He was so embarrassed to find himself holding his beret up in his usual manner of begging…”

I felt so abused.

Cheng Yichen came over to fill another cup of coffee for me and glanced over.

I felt very ashamed of myself.

He calmly said, “Take your time to read it and I’ll soon get you another one.”

I choked up and replied, “Yeah.”

As a result, I sat in the bookstore for no reason other than to read children’s books the entire afternoon, taking me back to my childhood days.

When Xiao Yang came to take over, Cheng Yichen called for me, “I have to buy some groceries first. Shall we go together?”

As we sat in the car, Cheng Yichen smiled and said, “You really like reading children’s books.”

“…..”

I laughed at myself and commented, “Because I am childish, my education level is low.”

He looked at me alarmingly, “Of course not! Why would you say that about yourself?!”

He continued, “You can still appreciate the beauty of these books because you have a very pure and kind heart, Xiao Jing.”

I was speechless.

“Don’t think so poorly of yourself.”

He held my gaze, his eyes full of concern and gentleness, and my face slightly burned.