The Diary

Liu Chang'an carried the rattan book chest home. He hadn't found any books he liked. Boss Lan was putting less and less effort into running the shop; a great many of the books had been sitting on his shelves for twenty years. It was as if time had frozen on those old yet sturdy shelves, never moving forward.

Long ago, the rattan book chest had been golden yellow, coated in a glossy layer of tung oil. After all these years, its color had mellowed, giving it a sense of age and value. The little leather handle, in particular, had taken on a much finer texture.

Old chests were always filled with time and memories.

Like most people, Liu Chang'an's memories were fragmented, settled deep in his heart. They seemed forgotten, yet could surge up at the right moment, bringing with them a sigh.

He simply had far more memories than most. They were buried layer upon layer, like the sauce brushed onto a fried pancake, smeared back and forth until all the flavors blended together.

He had long known that he couldn't remember every single thing clearly. He even had to forget a great many things. Otherwise, even if his body continued evolving toward its limits, his mind and soul... that is, the part governed by his brain, might not be able to withstand the accumulation of years.

It was a little regrettable that his brain hadn't evolved to match his body and reach the same level beyond human limits.

Liu Chang'an wiped the book chest clean and set it on the bed. He gently pressed the clasp. As he pulled open the slightly sticky edges, he was hit by the feeling that time had both frozen and rushed by in an instant. Less than twenty years had passed; it was only a brief tremor in his heart.

He casually picked up a diary and flipped through it.

"September 1. Very hot. The school handed out coupons for cold drinks. I traded one with Teacher Lin next door for a watermelon."

"September 2. Not too hot."

"Addendum: I played mahjong all night with a few people from the faculty compound two nights ago. Yesterday, I didn't attend the new students' opening ceremony. Today, a student invited me to a dance. Only then did I realize that this year's freshmen had an especially large number of cute and pretty girls. A few old professors with rather poor reputations looked so excited their expressions had become somewhat twisted. The girl I danced with had a very slender waist. She was a little nervous at first, but gradually relaxed. By the end of the dance, she even dared to ask for my phone number."

"September 3. Friday. I ran into a girl while jogging. Her surname was Yan. She was really pretty. A few tiny dewdrops clung to the bangs on her forehead. She had a delicate, understated beauty."

"October 8. I saw that girl with the surname Yan again. I finally learned her name was Yan Huaye. When collecting assignments, I accidentally touched her hand. She gave me a slightly shy smile. She was absolutely adorable."

"October 15. I ran into Yan Huaye again. The person jogging with her was probably her boyfriend, right? A gentleman doesn't take what another man loves. Best wishes to them."

"October 20. Ren Changhong invited me to play cards. He cheated and won fifty from me. I happened to be distracted and didn't call him out. His smug expression really annoyed me, but he treated me to cold beer that evening, which was wonderfully refreshing."

"April 10. The school organized a matchmaking event for older unmarried teachers. A senior female student even showed up. I was forced to attend too. Xu Zhancheng was particularly enthusiastic about the whole thing, dragging me over to chat and get friendly with the female students. Watching former students who'd once sat below the lectern become potential matches, did Xu Zhancheng not consider whether I might feel awkward? Of course, I wasn't awkward, but he should have considered it."

Smiling as he turned the pages, Liu Chang'an kept going until he reached the last one.

The handwriting on the last page was quite different. It was written in cursive, with a certain emotion running through the lines.

"Today's results were deeply disappointing. I've finally decided to give up the hopes I've held for so long. The human brain is constrained by genes and can't make a breakthrough. Unless we experience another encounter like the one that year, we'll never uncover the origin of the world and its many other mysteries. Human abilities have their limits, and the development and practice of science aren't endless either."

"Ren Changhong agreed with me. Darwin's theory of evolution is fascinating, and human evolution didn't happen the way that familiar diagram suggests, with ancient apes gradually straightening up and becoming modern humans. It was a sudden transformation: a small portion of their genes changed directly, bringing about a leap. Xu Zhancheng said it was caused by a virus infecting some monkeys and making them mutate, with humans appearing simultaneously in different parts of the world."

"Ren Changhong believes that humanity can only achieve a true scientific explosion after completely escaping the shackles of the flesh. I can't agree. I told him there are no ghosts or gods in this world, because ghosts and gods exist only outside it. The shackles they established will never allow humanity to escape... Watching him begin to ponder religion and the study of ghosts and gods, I couldn't help laughing. Was he preparing to start new research and arguments, as if he were embracing a new theory?"

"Xu Zhancheng said writing science fiction was much more interesting. Why insist on proving fantasies? And what would knowing the truth change? Interstellar travel won't be possible in our lifetimes anyway. I think I can wait for that day to come. Interstellar travel sounds fascinating. The first place I'd like to go is the far side of the moon."

"Xu Zhancheng really is a lazy bum. He's a top-tier physicist, more or less, yet he spends his time writing science fiction for magazine fees. Forget it. I'm tired of it too. It's time to try a different way of life. Being a student was more interesting. It would be nice to meet a beautiful classmate like Yan Huaye."

"What on earth is wrong with me? Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Liu Chang'an had pondered some things for many years without finding answers. Humanity as a whole had pondered them for many years, too, with no answers to show for it.

As he leafed through his old diaries and notes, dusk had fallen before he knew it. He hadn't brought back his book chest just to reminisce. He was looking for clues that might help him analyze the appearance of that bronze coffin.

Perhaps he might even find something to rekindle his expectations. If the other strange phenomena among humans weren't the same as what had happened to the monkeys, then how had they come about?

There was definitely something alive inside the bronze coffin; Liu Chang'an was certain of that now... Fortunately, people would be bringing him a hen or a rooster every day from now on. After absorbing so much life force, whatever was inside might not need much longer before it could show Liu Chang'an something worth looking forward to.

That evening, Liu Chang'an ate zongzi. He'd made quite a lot, and couldn't let them go to waste. In the past, he would preserve cooked zongzi by soaking them in water. Now, people usually used refrigerators, but Liu Chang'an's little fridge wasn't very big, so he had to eat them quickly.

Zhou Dongdong brought Liu Chang'an a basket of red bean paste zongzi. He gave her a basket of meat zongzi in return. After chatting with him for a while about the interesting things she'd encountered that day, Zhou Dongdong went home, reminding Liu Chang'an to wait for her before digging up the hen the next day.

Liu Chang'an finished writing the letter to Qin Peng, put it in a cylindrical container, and sealed it. He still planned to send it out the next morning.

He received a call from Bai Hui, who told him to check the class chat group. Everyone had already made plans for a barbecue at Yan'gui Lake the next day, and wanted to know if he was coming.

Liu Chang'an thought it over. Someone would be bringing him a hen tomorrow, so there'd be no need to put the centipedes attracted by the buried hen into the carriage. He couldn't let them go to waste, so he might as well bring them to the barbecue. He agreed.

Early the next morning, Liu Chang'an got up. It was a surprisingly foggy day. A river ran through the city, bringing damp mist, and fog was common in summer. He sat on a little stool in the haze and leafed through his old diaries for a while. Then someone brought him a hen.

It was a very large hen, not small at all. Liu Chang'an didn't hesitate. He put it straight into the carriage, then dug the dead hen out of the pit. After being buried for a while, the centipedes inside had grown huge and plump. Liu Chang'an put them all into a jar, then washed them clean, ready to bring along to the barbecue.