Mark sat cross-legged in front of the bookshelf, carefully browsing the book collection. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Strictly speaking, the collection here is not rich, and many of them are novels, and even pulp novels, but the abundance of the number and the rigor of the collection make people shine, like a small treasure trove, most of which are old, second-hand, and ancient collections, there may or may not be treasures, and you need to calm down and dig slowly.

In a trance, Mark seemed to go back to his childhood, cautiously entering his father's study, and following the example of Indiana Jones, in search of treasure. It's just that Mark didn't expect that such a treasure would be hidden in such a desert in Texas.

"Are these your collections?" asked Mark without looking back, just raising his voice.

"Most of them are gifts from a deceased person. Lu Li took a sip of the coffee in the cup, although he was not a coffee fanatic, but after living here for a few years, he gradually began to learn to enjoy it. The hot coffee slid into the stomach, and the faint warmth stimulated the muscles of the limbs, and the whole person felt comfortable.

Mark pursed the corners of his lips and didn't say anything, just continued to flip through it, then pulled out a book, turned around, held it up, and said to Lu Li, "Is this one too?"

Lu Li put down the coffee cup and leaned over to look over. It was the "Chronicle of the Monastery" from José Saramago.

"Oh, this is mine. Lu Li said with a smile.

Mark turned around in surprise and faced Lu Li, "Why?" Lu Li didn't understand the meaning of the question, Mark had to explain, "I mean, when people read Saramago's words, their first choice is 'Blindness Manga'. ”

Lu Li smiled dumbly.

José Saramago was the 1998 Nobel Prize winner for his book "A Tale of the Blind", the first Nobel Prize winner in history to write in Portuguese.

This work was published in 1994 and caused a lot of sensation, and many professionals even compared the book with works such as "1984", "The Plague" and "The Trial", which was considered a masterpiece that went down in history, and later won the highest award in the literary world, and also won a round of applause.

But José's 1984 "Chronicle of the Monastery" is less famous. In fact, this work is his famous work, which has won many awards in Portugal, but unfortunately it is limited by the creation of Portuguese, and the translated version is more French, moral education and Spanish, and its influence is greatly limited.

It is not unusual to read José Saramago, and it is quite unique to read the "Chronicle of the Monastery". In Mark's opinion, after that, true reading lovers will flip through it.

"But personally, I prefer the 'Chronicle of the Monastery'. Lu Li said with a smile, "Actually, this novel was recommended to me by a clerk in the bookstore, and I really like the narrative language of this book, as well as the magical color." So when I came from New York, I brought it with me. ”

But in a few words, you can hear that Lu Li really likes this novel.

It was an unexpected surprise, and Mark's fingertips whispered on the paper, "In order to keep the more important truth, sometimes you have to lie." ”

"No, I don't like that. Because a lie, at all times, is a lie. Lu Li's retort made Mark chuckle, "I prefer another sentence." We are all good people after we die. ”

Mark nodded meaningfully, both of which are from the "Chronicle of the Monastery", full of the author's reflections on life and philosophy. "Even those dictators, war criminals?" Mark asked.

Lu Li chuckled, "I thought Catholicism was about forgiveness. Mark was noncommittal, but a smile appeared in his eyes, "We all know that history is written by the victors. Secondly, after death, all sin comes to an abrupt end, so I prefer to believe that we are all good people after death. It's the same as 'at the beginning of man, nature is good'. ”

Mark didn't say anything more, retracted his gaze, and opened the book in his hand. There is also a bookmark inside, which is a bookmark of Chinese/Chinese ink painting, with Chinese characters written on it, with a kind of freehand and sparse landscape freehand, "What is written on this?"

"Stinged. Lu Li said with a smile, "That's a complete set of bookmarks, a total of twenty-four, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms of the traditional Chinese/Chinese calendar." Looking at Mark, whose face was full of curiosity and confusion, Lu Li had to explain, "The meaning of this word is that spring is coming, everything is beginning to wake up, and all kinds of hibernating animals in the soil are beginning to move. At the same time, it also means that the time for cultivation has come. ”

"Wow. Mark exclaimed softly, "Can you find out the description of the 24 solar terms and show me?"

"Of course. Lu Li took the computer next to him, rummaged through the English version of Wikipedia, and handed it to Mark. Not only that, Lu Li also found a picture of the set of bookmarks he bought, as an additional note, presenting the traditional 24 solar terms in a more three-dimensional way.

Although it cannot be generalized, most Americans have a low interest in culture and history, and they always have the illusion of being the center of the world, while Europeans show a strong interest and are very willing to learn about foreign cultures, African cultures, Asian cultures, South American cultures, and so on.

Mark is a typical European, and when they see a culture from China, they are always full of curiosity, even if it is a culture that is closely related to farming like the 24 solar terms.

The room once again fell into a quiet atmosphere, with the aroma of coffee, the quiet sound of fire, and the rustling of rainstorms permeating the bright and warm room, revealing tranquility.

Ke Er, who was busy, pushed open the back door and walked in, with a cold air, wiping the water droplets on his hair with a towel, Lu Li raised his head, "Why did you come back first?

"The show is still ongoing. However, due to the heavy rain, the retreat is expected to be chaotic for a while, so I shipped the red wine back first. Cole said simply, "Is everything okay on the ranch?

Although it is said that Lu Li is no longer a rookie, and there is basically no problem in dealing with the daily life of the ranch, the downpour just now is an unexpected situation, and it is still difficult for Lu Li to deal with it alone. What's more, there are guests visiting the ranch - Cole doesn't ignore Mark, who is sitting next to him and reading a book intently.

"Can you help me make sure, is there anything missing?" Lu Li did not arrogantly think that he could stand alone now, he had indeed grown a lot, but there was still a lot to learn.

Lu Li thought seriously and recalled, "Before the rainstorm, I drove the sheep and cattle back; after the rainstorm, I went to check the sheepfold and cattle pen to make sure that there was no standing water, and the indoor temperature was normal; and I also went to the stable, the thoroughbred was a little irritable, I followed Brandon's instructions, played music, and then left clean water, and dry straw ......"

Speaking of this, Lu Li paused for a moment, and then thought about it seriously, "I also looked at the situation of the stream, confirmed the drainage of the farm from a distance, and then closed the doors of the wine cellar and the underground warehouse again. ”

Looking at Lu Li, who was dedicated and dedicated, Cole smiled dumbly, "You also lit the fireplace." Looking at the raging flames, Cole nodded, "It seems that you have memorized all the techniques I said at the beginning." ”

"I don't think it's a good thing that I didn't set the house on fire. Lu Li teased himself.

During the conversation, Mark's attention was temporarily withdrawn from the book, and he couldn't help but be a little surprised to hear the conversation between the two people.

In the short time that he and the others were bathing and washing, Lu Li actually did so many things and controlled the situation of the entire ranch, which was really incredible. When he entered the room just now, he saw Lu Li sitting comfortably on the sofa, and he took it for granted that Lu Li was just taking a bath a little faster.

What's even more unbelievable is that Lu Li is so young and manages an entire ranch, which is not an easy task.

Through the window, he looked at the vast and distant pasture, in the midst of the storm, it was so hazy that it could not be seen clearly, as if it stretched endlessly, which was even more vast than he remembered.

“…… Mark?" The call came from far and near, making Mark turn his head, and then he saw Lu Li with a smile on his face, and took the initiative to introduce him and Cole. "The villa you live in is missing a lot of things, and I'll leave it to Cole. He is the caretaker of the ranch warehouse. ”

"When did this title come about, and why haven't I heard of it before?" Cole quipped.

Lu Li spread out his hands, did not blush at all, and said calmly, "Just now." ”

Cole looked at Mark and stretched out his right hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm the new storekeeper of Cloud Top Ranch." ”

The two shook hands, and Mark nodded politely, concise and restrained, without superfluous polite greetings. Cole didn't mind, and the Texas style was pretty much the same, "How many guests do you have for dinner?" I'll go over and check how much fresh ingredients are in the warehouse." ”

Lu Li patted his head and sighed, "I finally remembered that I still have something to do." Mark and Cole looked at Lu Li in confusion, and he explained, "When entertaining guests today, I should first check the fresh ingredients that are available, otherwise it will be too rude for dinner." ”

"Do you still prepare a three-Michelin star meal?" a laughing voice came from the door, and Richard walked in damp, "Just prepare it according to the ranch's daily dinner." I guess the amount won't be enough, right?"

The tone of this rhetorical question made Lu Li laugh, "It's a big deal, if you boil a sack of potatoes, you will always starve to death." This made both Cole and Richard laugh. Lu Li's gaze looked at Mark, he could guess that the focus was still Mark's opinion.

Mark shrugged his shoulders and had an indifferent expression on his face, "Even in a three-Michelin restaurant, beef, mutton, and pork, these are still the same, aren't they?" The subtext is that they naturally don't have higher expectations for the food on the ranch, and home-cooked cooking is enough.

Cole looked at Richard and Mark and said meaningfully, "Don't worry, dinner will be handed over to Fourteen." ”

He believed that Lu Li would open their eyes.