Chapter 55: Professor Kang’s Memory
Chapter 55: Professor Kang’s Memory
The library was lit. From a distance, Li Zian saw a girl standing at the entrance.
Kang Xin was standing at the library entrance waiting for him. She had changed out of her Hanfu and wore a printed T-shirt and denim shorts. She had on a pair of Adidas white sneakers and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She radiated an aura of youthful energy and vitality. In the afternoon, she seemed like a talented scholar who traveled from ancient times. In the evening, she transformed into a lively and energetic college girl. No matter how she changed, she looked beautiful.
Li Zian walked up and greeted her with a smile, “Good evening, Kang Tongxue.”
Kang Xin’s face showed no expression, “Don’t call me Kang Tongxue. You’re not that much older than me.”
Indeed, he wasn’t much older. Li Zian married Yu Meilin when he was twenty-two. Li Xiaomei was now three years old, and he was twenty-five. He was only five years older than her.
Li Zian knew she was still upset about what happened in the afternoon. He didn’t want to chat much and just asked, “Where is Professor Kang?”
“My dad has an office in the library. I’ll take you to see him.” Kang Xin turned and led the way.
Li Zian followed her into the library.
A chubby girl carrying two books walked toward them and greeted Kang Xin, “Aren’t you going to Professor Zhou’s lecture later?”
“I’m skipping tonight. I’ll just borrow your notes to copy tomorrow,” Kang Xin stopped and replied.
The chubby girl glanced at Li Zian, her eyes lighting up a bit.
Li Zian smiled back.
A handsome person should have the grace of a handsome person. Even though she was a chubby girl, she was looking at him because he was handsome, so of course he should respond accordingly.
Just as girls dress up for those who appreciate them, handsome people smile for those who recognize their handsomeness.
The chubhy girl blushed and couldn’t help leaning close to Kang Xin’s ear, whispering, “Who is he? He’s so handsome.”
Although her voice was soft, Li Zian still heard it. He smiled again. The negative emotions from that taxi fortune-telling incident evaporated by more than half.
That was just how he was. He always found ways to make himself happy and live comfortably. When it was time to be happy, he would never frown.
“Don’t ask around. His child is already running around. I have to go now, talk to you later,” Kang Xin said before continuing forward.
Li Zian followed Kang Xin.
The chubby girl stood still, her head turning to follow Li Zian until he walked further away. Only then did she mutter, “How come he’s already married? Otherwise, I definitely had a chance. He smiled at me…”
Li Zian didn’t hear that, or else he might have turned back to smile at her again.
Kang Xin led Li Zian upstairs, through a reading area, and into a corridor.
Li Zian couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked, “Miss Kang, the exhibition today was organized by the National Academy. Are you also a student at the National Academy?”
Kang Xin glanced back at Li Zian, “The National Academy isn’t a university or a school. It’s a non-governmental organization formed by people who love traditional Chinese culture. It serves to study and promote traditional culture. Many students from our school have joined; I’m just one of them.”
“Oh, I see. What subject does your father teach here?”
“He’s a history professor, but he enjoys studying symbols. He’s one of the few experts in semiotics in the country.” When talking about her father, Kang Xin’s eyes shone with pride.
That look reminded Li Zian of his Little Cotton-padded Jacket.
Kang Xin stopped at the end of the corridor and knocked on the door to the left.
“Come in,” a man’s voice came from inside.
Kang Xin pushed the door open, and Li Zian followed her in.
The office was not large, but it had four bookshelves. Each shelf was crammed with books, making the space feel especially cramped.
Behind an old desk sat a man with graying hair. He wasn’t actually that old—one could tell from his barely noticeable nasolabial folds that he was at most in his early fifties. But his appearance made him look like a man in his sixties.
He had a thin face and wore a pair of thick glasses. At the moment, he was using a magnifying glass to examine some writing on a piece of porcelain. The most immediate impression he gave was that of an old scholar.
This person was Kang Xin’s father, Kang Haichuan.
He seemed to have forgotten responding earlier and had gone back into his research mode, completely unaware that two people had entered his office.
Li Zian wanted to greet him but felt it wasn’t appropriate, so he simply waited.
Kang Xin waited a few seconds, but Kang Haichuan showed no reaction. She spoke up, “Dad, Mr. Li is here.”
Kang Haichuan’s hand trembled, and the magnifying glass nearly fell. He looked up at Kang Xin in surprise, “Kang Xin, when did you get here?”
Kang Xin looked a bit exasperated, “Dad, I knocked earlier. You told me to come in. Mr. Li is here.”
Kang Haichuan seemed to remember something and quickly put down the magnifying glass as he stood up, “Ah, Mr. Li is here. Many students come and go here; I didn’t realize it was you. My apologies.”
Li Zian stepped forward and extended both hands, “You’re too kind, Professor Kang.”
Kang Haichuan shook Li Zian’s hand, also using both hands, not putting on any airs as a professor.
“Please, have a seat. Let’s sit and talk.”
Li Zian looked around but noticed there was only one chair in the office—the one behind the desk, which belonged to Kang Haichuan. If he sat there, where would Kang Haichuan sit?
“Uh, I don’t have any chairs here,” Kang Haichuan also realized this and looked a bit embarrassed.
Li Zian said, “Professor Kang, please sit. I’m younger and of a junior generation; I can stand while we talk.”
“How can that be appropriate?” Kang Haichuan also didn’t sit.
Kang Xin said, “Dad, just sit. You have back problems; you shouldn’t stand for too long.”
“Then I’ll sit while talking with Mr. Li,” Kang Haichuan sat back down. He opened a drawer and took out that notebook, flipping to the page where Li Zian had drawn a symbol.
Li Zian said, “Professor Kang, I came because of this symbol. You’re a top expert in this field. I want to ask, what does this symbol mean?”
“I don’t know,” Kang Haichuan’s reply was straightforward.
Li Zian froze on the spot.
He had come with hope but didn’t expect such an answer.
Kang Haichuan was an expert in semiotics. Kang Xin had just said her father was one of the leading experts in the country. If even he didn’t know what this symbol meant, how could they ever decipher the symbols and patterns on the Great Sluggish Cauldron?
Kang Haichuan took out another worn-out notebook from the drawer and opened it. A yellowed photo was exposed between the pages.
Li Zian looked at the yellowed photo, and his gaze was immediately captivated.
The photo showed ruins. Only a small part of the clay walls remained visible amidst the yellow sand. Judging by the sand blowing in the sky, it was very windy when the photo was taken. Perhaps because of the wind, a skull was revealed beneath a clay wall. On its pale forehead was carved a mysterious symbol in a sickly green color. It looked as if it were painted with some kind of pigment or branded onto the skull, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.
Further away in the desert, there was a clump of shrubs that had long dried up, leaving only bare branches.
The photo appeared simple. Kang Xin’s drawing had artistic touches, adding many elements from her imagination, making it feel more mysterious. But this photo had a stronger impact on Li Zian. It was desolate, eerie, as if hiding many secrets.
But his imagination felt weak in front of this photo.
After all, there were too few clues.
“Professor Kang, is this the only photo?”
Kang Haichuan said, “Yes, this is the only photo. It was taken over ten years ago. Back then, we used film cameras, and when this photo was taken, only one shot of film was left.”
Li Zian was speechless. What were you photographing before—scenery?
Kang Haichuan began recounting slowly, “Back then, I was invited by an Archaeological Team to investigate the Loulan Ancient Site. At that time, I was writing a thesis on the Silk Road, so I accepted the invitation and went with them to Loulan. At first, the investigation was normal. We excavated many artifacts, all very valuable. Until one day…”
A mobile phone ringtone suddenly rang, interrupting Kang Haichuan.
Kang Xin took out her phone and looked at it, saying, “Dad, I’m going out to take this call.”
“Go ahead, go ahead. You’ve heard this story many times anyway,” Kang Haichuan waved his hand.
Kang Xin left the office with her phone.
“By the way, where else have you seen this symbol?” Kang Haichuan’s thoughts jumped quite a bit.
Li Zian said, “Professor Kang, I’m very interested in your story. Let’s hear you finish first, then I’ll talk.”
“Alright,” Kang Haichuan nodded, then asked in a distracted manner, “Where was I?”
Li Zian felt a bit internally exasperated but politely reminded him, “You were talking about excavating many valuable artifacts, until one day…”
“Oh, I remember. That day, a strong wind suddenly blew up. The swirling sand made it hard to keep our eyes open. I followed the team back to camp, but we got lost in the strong wind, walking farther and farther until we got separated. The team originally had eight people, but as we walked, only the team leader Huang Bo and I remained.”
Huang Bo—Li Zian remembered that name.
“Huang Bo and I both thought we would die in that sandstorm, but somehow we ended up at that place, where there was a wall to block the wind. Huang Bo and I huddled together and waited out the storm. Then we saw that skeleton that the wind had uncovered. The symbol on its forehead caught my attention. I’ve always enjoyed studying various symbols; I’ve seen and can interpret most symbols in the world. But I had never seen that kind of symbol before. So I took a photo with my camera. When I wanted to take a second photo, I realized I had used up the rest of the film on previous excavation artifacts…” Kang Haichuan fell into his memories, his expression a bit dazed.