Xie Yunting didn't stay long, that is, half an hour, as the ruler of this desert, he naturally couldn't have so much free time.

Ji Ran wouldn't stay long, he understood the other party's busyness very well, but after Xie Yunting left, Ji Ran found that the girl who was originally sitting at the same table with him had long since disappeared.

He didn't think much about it, thinking that people had already changed places, and he was busy chatting with Xie Yunting and didn't pay attention.

It's getting dark.

Ji Ran decided to go to bed early, because he knew that he was busy these days.

——————————————————————————————

The rain fell quite heavily, falling like silver beads and jade chips, washing the bluestone pavement on the official road.

A fast horse gallops through the streets.

The sturdy horses' hooves splashed a lot of muddy water.

On the horse was a young man dressed in black, whose wide robe concealed his figure, and it was unknown whether it was a man or a woman.

"Drive!" the man in black clamped his legs hard, signaling the horse under his crotch to speed up.

Sure enough, this is a very human horse. The speed that was already very fast was a few points faster.

The surrounding scenery retreats rapidly, giving people the illusion of flight in a trance.

It was only a moment, and the horse had already galloped out of more than twenty feet.

An hour later, he was already standing under the pencil sketch sky of Helan Mountain, with mountains in the distance and a sizable manor fortress in front of him.

The destination was built halfway up the mountain, and he had to climb it on foot.

I don't know how long it took for Ji Ran to arrive.

The manor in front of him looked very strange to the eyes of a person in the Central Plains, with four large chimneys, and the earthy yellow mortar on the walls had faded. Ji Ran got out of the car and observed for a while, then opened the iron gate.

As I walked through the door, I heard my footsteps on dead leaves. It was a path lined with statues, almost all of which were half-toppled or crumbling over their bases. The garden was also desolate and uncared for, and the benches and gazebos were covered with plants. On the left-hand side, beside a pond full of aquatic plants, there was a statue of a cherub, round, with hollow eyes, missing a hand, sleeping on a book, and a small stream of water coming out of his half-open mouth. The whole scenery is filled with an inescapable atmosphere of sadness.

"Silent Garden", he silently recited its name, thinking to himself that it really lived up to its name. He walked up the stone staircase to the door, and when he looked up, he saw an old sundial on the roof under the gray sky, but it was already half broken.

——————————————————————————————

He had planned to observe for a little longer, but a slow, deep voice came to his ears.

Apparently the owner of the estate.

"Who are you?" said the owner of the manor, "what are you doing here?"

Ji Ran clasped his fists and saluted, a little stunned, obviously this master did not welcome visitors. Although the voice of the speaker was soft and weak, the tone revealed a feeling of rejection from thousands of miles away.

The owner of the manor was tall and thin, but he was very polite, like a noble child.

He looked thinner under his half-used satin robes, and his head was tilted back like a fighting. His well-trimmed beard was dazzling, his trousers were pocket-like bulges at the knees, and his old shoes were neat.

After that, Ji Ran's attention shifted to the empty room, the empty walls, and the murals on the ceiling that were messily damaged by plaster and moisture.

Ji Ran didn't mean to look down on this down-and-out nobleman. Facing men's reproaches.

Ji Ran bowed over, hugged his hands in front of his chest, leaned his head forward, touched his hands with his forehead, and made a gesture of worship.

The man in front of him didn't change his attitude until this time.

The owner of the manor looked the visitor up and down and said:

"Please come in!" he said as he turned and walked down the corridor, a slight lameness, regardless of whether Ji Ran was following him or not. They passed through many empty rooms, and occasionally saw some old furniture that was discarded and unused left in the corner. There were gray chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which looked like they hadn't been used in a long time.

The only apparent use of this place are two spring-loaded doors that lead down to the hall.

Beneath this vault opens a dirty window towards the back garden, on which there are several wooden planks replaced by window paper.

"Beautiful place, isn't it!" said the owner of the manor, laughing at himself.

His accent is very similar to that of Guan Shaan, perhaps because of his lameness, his movements are very slow.

"It's been a long time since anyone has been here!" he repeated thoughtfully, as if he couldn't remember why the two had gone there.

Ji Ran made a sign of agreement, but the owner of the manor didn't notice. There was a fireplace at the other end of the spacious hall, and a small piece of wood was left unused. Aside from a few out-of-tact chairs, a table, a sideboard, two candlesticks, and an erhu, there are only a few small things left. But on the worn carpet, far from the sunlight outside the window, hundreds of books were neatly arranged.

"This person's identity is not ordinary," Ji Ran thought secretly, "After all, ordinary people don't have so many books!"

After fumbling around in the sideboard for a long time, the owner of the manor returned with a wine cup and a bottle of good daughter red.

"Beautiful mug. Ji Ran exclaimed, just to find something to say.

"Only another one is exactly the same. ”

"This villa must have been very beautiful and spectacular before. ”

"Yes, no family is long-lasting, and one day it will wither and die. He looked around, as if thinking about what had existed here in the past, "At first, the rich man found a barbarian to guard his treasure for him, and then the barbarian became rich and became a rich man, so he rose up and oppressed the owner of the treasure and robbed him of his treasure. He looked at Ji Ran and said hesitantly, "I hope you understand what I'm talking about." ”

"I fully understand," Ji Ran replied, "Your demeanor really doesn't look like an ordinary person. ”

The owner of the manor made a gesture of agreement and smiled with satisfaction. Then he limped over to the sideboard and looked for another cup.

"I think," he said, "I'm going to have a glass of wine too." ”

They toasted silently, like members of two secret societies who had just typed the correct code. Then, the scholar pointed to the pile of books, and made a gesture with the hand holding the cup, as if he had just allowed Ji Ran to cross the barrier to appreciate his books.

"Where did the rest of your collection go?"

The owner of the manor looked out the window, frowning, and asked himself the same rhetorical question.