Yunding Ranch

Chapter 371 Unexpected surprise
Mark sat cross-legged in front of the bookshelf, carefully browsing through the collection of books listed above.

Strictly speaking, the collection of books here is not rich, and many of them are novels, even pulp novels, but the abundance of the number and the rigorousness of the collection are impressive, like a small treasure house, most of which are It is an old, second-hand, and ancient collection. There may be treasures, or there may be no treasures. You need to calm down and dig slowly.

In a trance, Mark seemed to have returned to his childhood, carefully walking into his father's study, and looking for treasures like Indiana Jones.It's just that Mark didn't expect such a treasure to be hidden in such a desert as Texas.

"Are these all your collection?" Mark didn't turn his head, but raised his voice and asked.

"Most of them are gifts from an old friend." Lu Li took a sip of the coffee in his cup. Although he is not a coffee fanatic, he has lived here for several years and gradually began to learn to enjoy it.The hot coffee slipped into the stomach, and the faint warmth stimulated the muscles of the limbs, making the whole person feel comfortable.

Mark pursed his lips, didn't say much, just continued to read, then pulled out a book, turned around, raised it up, and asked Lu Li, "Is this one too?"

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

"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, so Mark had to explain, "I mean, when people read Saramago's words, the first choice is' Ramblings of Blindness'."

Lu Li couldn't help but laugh.

Jose Saramago is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998, and his winning work is "Blindness". He is the first Nobel Prize winner in history to write in Portuguese.

This work was published in 1994 and caused numerous sensations. Many professionals even compared this book with works such as "1984", "Plague", and "Judgment", thinking that it was a masterpiece recorded in history. The highest award in the literary world also won a round of applause.

But comparatively speaking, Jose's "Monastery Chronicle" written in 1984 is not well-known.In fact, this work is his famous work and has won many awards in Portugal. Unfortunately, it is limited by the creation of Portuguese, and the translated versions are more French, moral and Spanish, and its influence has been greatly affected. limit.

It is not unusual to read José Saramago; it is quite unique to read the Chronicle of the Monastery.In Mark's opinion, only real reading lovers will read it later.

"But personally, I prefer 'Monastery Chronicle'." Lu Li said with a smile, "Actually, this novel was recommended to me by a clerk in the bookstore. I like the narrative language of this book very much. There is also the color of magicism. So when I came from New York, I brought it with me."

But in a few words, one can tell that Lu Li really likes this novel.

This was an unexpected surprise. With his fingertips dancing on the writing, he said in a deep voice, "In order to keep the more important truth, sometimes you have to lie."

"No, I don't like this sentence. Because a lie is a lie at any time." Lu Li's retort made Mark chuckle, "I prefer another sentence. We are all good people after death."

Mark nodded meaningfully. These two sentences are from the "Monastery Chronicle", full of the author's thinking about life and philosophy. "Even those dictators and war criminals?" Mark raised his voice and asked.

Lu Li chuckled lightly, "I thought Catholicism was all about forgiveness." Mark was noncommittal, but there was a smile in his eyes, "We all know that history is written by the victors. Secondly, after death, all sins come to an end. That's all, so, I would rather believe that we are all good people after death. It's the same as 'human beings are originally good'."

Mark didn't say anything more, looked away, and opened the book in his hand.There is also a bookmark inside, which is a bookmark of Chinese ink painting, with Chinese characters written on it, with a kind of casual and clear landscape, "What is written on it?"

"Awakening." Lu Li said with a smile, "That's a whole set of bookmarks, there are 24 in total, corresponding to the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar." Looking at the curious and confused Mark, Lu Li had to explain, "This The word means that spring is here, everything is waking up, and all kinds of hibernating animals in the soil are starting to move. It also means that the time for farming has come.”

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

"Of course." Lu Li took the computer next to him, searched for it on 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 explanation, it showed the traditional 24 solar terms more three-dimensionally.

Although it cannot be generalized, judging from Lu Li's life experience, most Americans have relatively low interest in culture and history, and they always have an illusion of the center of the world; relatively speaking, Europeans show strong interest, they are very Willing to learn about foreign cultures, African cultures, Asian cultures, South American cultures, and so on.

Mark is a typical European. When they see the culture from China, they are always full of curiosity, even the 24 solar terms, which are closely related to the busy farming.

The room fell into a quiet atmosphere again. The aroma of coffee, the sound of a quiet fire, and the sound of rustling and rainstorm permeated the bright and warm interior, revealing tranquility.

After finishing his work, Cole pushed open the back door and walked in. He felt chilly all over, and wiped the water droplets from his hair with a towel. Lu Li raised his head, "Why did you come back first? Did the exhibition end early?"

"The exhibition is still going on. However, due to the heavy rain, it will be chaotic to retreat later. I will bring the red wine back first." Cole said simply, "Is everything in the ranch safe? No fuss?"

Although Lu Li is no longer a rookie, he basically has no problems coping with the daily life of the ranch, but the torrential rain just now was an unexpected situation, and it was quite difficult for Lu Li to deal with it alone.What's more, there are guests visiting the ranch - Cole will not ignore Mark who is sitting next to him and concentrating on reading books.

"Check it out for me. Is there anything I missed?" Lu Li didn't think arrogantly that he could stand on his own now. He had indeed grown a lot, but he still had a lot to learn.

Lu Li thought about it carefully and recalled, "Before the rainstorm, I drove the sheep and cattle back; after the rainstorm, I went to check the sheep pens and cattle pens, and confirmed that there was no water accumulation and the indoor temperature was normal; The stables, the thoroughbred horses are a bit irritable, I played music according to Brandon's instructions, and then left clean water and dry straw..."

Speaking of this, Lu Li paused for a moment, and thought carefully again, "I also checked the condition of the stream, checked the drainage of the farm from a distance, and then closed the doors of the wine cellar and the underground warehouse tightly again."

Seeing Lu Li who was so focused and devoted, Cole couldn't help laughing, "You even lit the fireplace." Looking at the blazing flames, Cole nodded, "It seems that you have memorized all the techniques I mentioned back then. Living."

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

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

In the short time that he and the others took a shower, Lu Li actually did so many things, controlling the situation of the entire ranch, which is really unbelievable.When he entered the room just now, he saw Lu Li sitting on the sofa contentedly, and he took it for granted that Lu Li just took a shower a little faster.

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

Through the window, looking at the vast and vast pasture, in the storm, it was so hazy that it seemed to extend endlessly, which was even more vast than he had imagined.

"...Mark?" The call came from far and near, causing Mark to turn his head, and then he saw a smiling Lu Li, who took the initiative to introduce him and Cole. "The villa you live in still lacks a lot of things, and I will hand it over to Cole. He is the administrator of the ranch warehouse."

"When did this title appear, and why haven't I heard of it before?" Cole said jokingly.

Lu Li spread his hands, without blushing at all, and said calmly, "Just now."

Cole looked at Mark and stretched out his right hand, "Nice to meet you, I am the new warehouse manager of Yunding Ranch."

The two shook hands, and Mark nodded politely, succinctly and restrained, without extraneous greetings.Cole doesn't mind either, and the Texas style is generally the same. "How many guests are there for dinner? I'll go over and check how many fresh ingredients are still in the warehouse."

Lu Li patted his forehead and sighed, "I finally remembered, there is something I haven't done." Mark and Cole looked at Lu Li in puzzlement, and he explained, "To entertain guests today, I should Go and confirm the fresh ingredients first, otherwise it will be bad if the dinner is too rude."

"Are you still preparing the three-star Michelin meal?" There was a laughing voice at the door, and Richard walked in wet, "Just prepare it according to the daily dinner on the ranch. I guess , the portion shouldn’t be enough, right?”

The tone of this rhetorical question made Lu Li laugh, "It's a big deal, boil a sack of potatoes and you'll never die of hunger." This made both Cole and Richard laugh.Lu Li looked at Mark. He could guess that the key point was Mark's opinion.

Mark shrugged, with a calm expression on his face, "Even if it's a Michelin three-star restaurant, beef, mutton, and pork are still the same, aren't they?" Expect, home cooking, that's enough.

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

He believed that Lu Li would open their eyes.

(End of this chapter)