Drastic Change

"Wasn't that a bit... disrespectful to the book?"

Ksenia laughed a few times and teased, "What, do you burn incense and bathe before opening a book?"

"No," Hesta replied. "I meant, if this book is important, and it hasn't been treated properly... then maybe the book itself might feel a little... um, disappointed?"

As she reached the end, Hesta spoke more and more slowly. Twenty percent of her stumbled through the sentence; the other eighty percent screamed in her head: Please, what stupid thing are you saying now?

Ksenia was also struggling to process what Hesta meant. After a moment, her confusion turned into a faint smile.

She looked at Hesta in disbelief. "So our Jane... is still a little girl who believes in animism?"

Hesta immediately reached out in a panic, blocking Ksenia's gaze as though it carried a scorching heat.

"...Don't look at me like that," Hesta said softly.

"Books are tools," Ksenia said with a smile. "The most important value of a tool is being used. People use books; books don't use people. I really don't care much about preserving them. If one gets worn out, I'll just buy a new one. My own time is still more important."

Hesta sat silently beside her, her gaze falling on the hem of Ksenia's coat.

The days passed peacefully. Hesta still went to Yu Xuekun's counseling office every Wednesday. During that time, Xu Ruyi's waist injury flared up again, so Hesta accompanied Ding Xueyang to a prenatal checkup. The checkups here differed from those in District 3. During the ultrasound, expectant mothers were not allowed to see images of the fetus. After the whole process, all they received were some lab reports and a pitch-black ultrasound printout.

Hesta was somewhat disappointed. She had heard Tulan talk about her