Ch'en took the few letters from Jeanne's hands, opened the envelopes with slightly trembling hands, and took out the letters written in delicate script. The letters were written in Yan characters; one could see from the strokes that the other party must have put in a lot of effort to practice such good handwriting. It was written so well that even Ch'en, who had specifically practiced it, had to tip her hat to it.
The content within each letter was not too substantial. At best, they were merely accounts of what had happened to the writer in those few days. However, the beginning of every single letter bore the same two characters—Hui-Chieh (Hui-jie).
Every letter here was written by Talulah to her. Ch'en looked at the worries and trivial matters of life narrated within, describing them to her, and for a moment, she actually didn't know what to say.
"How many did she actually write? I haven't received a single letter in all these years! Does she just hide them away after writing them, never showing them to anyone? Then what is the point of writing these things?"
Ch'en looked at these seven or eight sheets of paper, filled with countless heartfelt words she wanted to say to her, as well as the joys and sorrows she wanted to share, and couldn't help but ask Jeanne beside her. Based on the content of these letters, Talulah had been writing to her for several years already. Was that fellow intending to keep them as a personal collection after writing them?
"Perhaps, she just didn't want you to worry about her."
Jeanne patted Ch'en on the shoulder and spoke to her in a gentle tone. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to persuade Talulah, saying, "Isn't it meaningless to write so many letters and not send them out?" Perhaps because she still had reasons in her heart for not wanting to do so, Talulah only gave her a bitter smile, shook her head, and said nothing more.
There was nothing Jeanne could do about that. If it were physical injuries or illnesses, she could rely on miracles to treat them, but this belonged to the mental level, which could only rely on talk therapy. Unfortunately, Jeanne's talk therapy skills were nowhere near the level of Senior Martha, who could reform a giant dragon; at least that's what the books said, but it was hard to say what it was actually like. As for Jeanne, her eloquence leaned more toward pre-war mobilization or training soldiers; after all, it was wartime, and she didn't have the leisure time to treat mental trauma.
"I still want to thank you for bringing news of her; otherwise, I wouldn't have known what she went through all these years."
Ch'en didn't stay down for long; this matter wasn't much to her. It was merely a lack of contact for many years. Once they met, a good chat would resolve everything. Back when there was no news at all, she was able to fight hard for the day she would return. Moreover, now that she had received news, would their reunion still be far off?
"Eh, come to think of it. You two sisters really are alike in your ability to reorganize yourselves and get back on your feet in a short time, as if there's a flame burning in your hearts that cold water cannot extinguish."
Looking at Ch'en, who had braced herself up again, Jeanne felt as if she were seeing Talulah, who possessed endless enthusiasm when fighting for the Infected. These two sisters were both the type that, once they set a goal, would absolutely not give up easily, both possessing a relentless drive to not stop until they broke through the south wall. Even their somewhat stubborn personalities were quite similar; it's just that compared to Talulah, Ch'en, who dealt with all kinds of people in Lungmen, was now a bit more tactful than her sister.
"Perhaps, we both grew up together, so it's normal to have similarities in our personalities, right?"
Despite saying it was normal, Ch'en's expression betrayed her. The smiling face was now blooming like a flower, and something within her seemed to have been untied.
At that moment, the setting sun shone its light into the room. Only then did the two realize they had been sitting here for at least two hours, yet they hadn't felt the passage of time at all. The light of dusk shone upon that photo of the two of them in their childhood, as if the photo itself were sparkling with dazzling brilliance.
"What does this mean? Does this suggest that both of them have a bright future? Or does it mean this thing can become a collector's item? I just don't know what the effect of this collector's item is."
Mainly, this table was placed in the inner area of the room. According to common reasoning, the setting sun generally shouldn't shine into this place, and no one would place a desk in direct sunlight.
But what was this situation? Why did this kind of thing, which could force Newton to lift his coffin lid, always randomly happen around her? No, this belongs to physical problems of light, it doesn't seem to be Newton's jurisdiction... No, Jeanne couldn't remember who lifted the board, so she'd just trouble Old Man Newton to work overtime temporarily...
However, was it a bit strange for Jeanne to call him "Old Man Newton"? Historically, Jeanne seemed to be born hundreds of years earlier than Old Man Newton; there was a generation gap between the two...
"I didn't expect that, not paying attention for a moment, it's actually this late. If it were any later, it probably would have been dark."
Just as Jeanne was there looking at that glowing photo, indulging in wildly imaginative thoughts, Ch'en looked at the setting sun outside the window, feeling incredibly lighthearted and comfortable at this moment.
If it were in the past, Ch'en greatly disliked the setting sun. Because that sunlight was truly too glaring when it shone into her eyes, greatly hindering her efficiency when working outside. She also disliked looking at the sunset; that scenery was telling her that another day had passed, and her time was reduced by another day. This was painful for an Infected with dreams, because her lifespan, already shortened by the illness, was reduced by another day, while the things she wanted to do had made no progress.
But today, Ch'en felt incredibly comforted looking at the setting sun by the window. The ideal in her heart regarding her family had been partially realized, and she believed this ideal would be fully realized in the future. With this emotion, Ch'en looked at the sunset outside the window with a feeling of being filled with hope. Even the sunset, which was a bit of an eyesore before, had now become pleasant to look at.
"But it's already this late, I reckon the Char Siu Cat is probably still sitting in the L.G.D. handling documents, right? I remember there was quite a bit of work today; that fellow tonight will probably have even her meal time taken up by work..."
Suddenly, Ch'en thought of Hoshiguma and Swire, who had to work overtime because of her sudden day off today. There were at least six reports that needed them to write today, and countless files that needed them to confirm... Thinking of this, Ch'en looked toward the direction of the L.G.D. and showed a pitying expression. Suddenly throwing so much work to the two of them, Ch'en repented for twenty seconds for her actions.
"It's already this late, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. According to the customs of Yan, when a guest comes to visit, one must provide a welcome banquet. However, there aren't that many rules here; basically, a meal replaces those complicated steps."
Thinking that it was getting late, Ch'en turned to extend an invitation to Jeanne. For this friend of her sister, she naturally had to treat her to a meal to fulfill the duties of a host. Generally speaking, this kind of banquet to welcome a friend is best held at one's own home, rather than going out to find a restaurant to eat. This is also to take care of the friend who has been exhausted by the journey; having traveled thousands of miles to get here, they would naturally feel exhausted after eating, and could rest directly at home. Currently, the heartland of Yan still retains this etiquette of hosting guests. However, in Lungmen, this kind of saying generally doesn't exist; this kind of etiquette in this city naturally has corresponding changes.
"Alright then, I will respectfully accept. But there is no need to go to a very good place; just find a place casually."
Jeanne didn't refuse; why refuse someone treating you to dinner? If she felt too embarrassed to eat a meal from someone, couldn't she just find a time to treat them back?
"You don't need to worry about that; I can't afford those too luxurious places either, I am currently living on my own meager salary. But I will definitely take you to a good place that locals know."
Ch'en naturally didn't have the thought of pretending to be prosperous to look rich; she was just treating someone within her own capabilities. She had long stopped relying on anyone to live; even when studying in Victoria, she relied on her own work-study to complete her studies without spending a penny from anyone. Even upon returning to Lungmen, when she had no money, she lived in the L.G.D. dormitory, and now that she has some money, she has taken out a loan to buy an apartment building... Although her family background was illustrious, she also needed to live meticulously.