September 30 morning:
Zhou Luoyang's thoughts were in a mess, trying to sort out all the clues, but found that he could not start.
Du Jing didn't have any abnormality. After sending him to the store, one sentence in a sense solved Zhou Luoyang's panic about the time rewind.
"Why are you so calm?" Zhou Luoyang asked.
"Why are you so restless?" Du Jing asked rhetorically, flipping the "close" store sign over again, completing the second opening in a long time.
Zhou Luoyang stood at the door of the store dazedly. Du Jing said, "Because this matter is currently under control for both of us."
These words temporarily relieved Zhou Luoyang's nervousness. He understood what Du Jing meant, and it was controllable, which meant that the watch and the time reversal phenomenon would not cause fatal danger to them, and would involve the two of them in a tricky situation.
"If you want, you can even go back to the day when your father had a car accident," Du Jing said. "Go back to save your father, do you think it's necessary?"
Zhou Luoyang's nervousness was finally relieved, and he became nervous again by this sentence.
He and Du Jing looked at each other, if time went backwards again and again, that is to say, as Du Jing had speculated, it was okay to go back to the day of the car accident and stop his father and prevent him from driving.
But in this pair of visions, he read out another thought in Du Jing's heart:
Zhou Luoyang clearly remembered that from the case of Yu Jianqiang and the head of the overseas extortion organization, he understood that death was inevitable. To save one person's life, one has to sacrifice another person's life. Although the occurrence of this phenomenon has not yet been determined, it has been confirmed through two cases that this is not an accident.
On that day, father, stepmother and Le Yao were sitting in the car. Two of the three lost their lives. If they want to save their father, there is a high probability that...
... in exchange for Le Yao's life.
"Not for now," Zhou Luoyang said, "I've accepted the past... I... don't have this idea at the moment."
"Huh?" Du Jing had expected Zhou Luoyang to answer like this, and touched his head casually.
Even if they can't figure out how it works, they can destroy the watch if they want, or store it in a safe at a bank and never open it.
Thinking of this, Zhou Luoyang also calmed down a little.
"I have to think about it." Zhou Luoyang was going to try to find its origin from the waste paper pile.
"You can give it a name by the way." Du Jing glanced at Zhou Luoyang from the driver's seat and said casually.
"It?" Zhou Luoyang wondered.
Du Jing raised his hand and showed Zhou Luoyang the exquisite mechanical watch with the twelve-pointed dial still on his hand, and said, "Mechanics and phenomena, such as 'time loop' or something. Let's go, see you later. "
Du Jing put on his sunglasses, stepped on the accelerator, and walked away.
"Time Spin" is the name of a science fiction novel. When Zhou Luoyang was in college, he borrowed it from the library to read it. Although the time spin in this book is designed to accelerate the phenomenon of time outside the earth's atmosphere, and they The phenomenon of going back 24 hours is two concepts, but Du Jing suddenly mentioned it, which seems very reasonable.
God! Zhou Luoyang scratched his head, what happened in my life
"Where's the notebook?" Zhou Luoyang said to himself. From the box of the Chang'an Watch and Antique Store, he found a thick black leather notebook with all the collections recorded on it.
The paper on the notebook has been obviously yellowed, and each page has two or three collections recorded, with simple sketches on the side: bronze ware, jade ware, lacquer ware, machinery, etc., which are well organized. In a few collections, there are still newspaper clippings from decades ago.
This book was made by Zhou Luoyang when he was in elementary school with the help of his grandfather. At the time, grandfather had a whim and wanted to count the collections and record their origins and descriptions, so he used the notebook used by his great-grandfather, continued the records on it, and made some additional annotations.
The eyesight of the elderly deteriorated, and Zhou Luoyang took up the role of painting and registration, like a little assistant.
After my grandfather passed away, nearly three-quarters of the items in the book were divided up by relatives. Zhou Luoyang re-counted it and marked the divided items to avoid confusion.
"Mechanical craft products." Zhou Luoyang muttered, found the blue note insert, opened it, and tore off a sticky note stuck to it, leaving a line in Latin on it:
[One cannot step into the same river twice. ] - Heraclitus.
Can't step into the same river twice? Obviously can!
It was the handwriting that Grandpa was familiar with. Compared with this sentence, Zhou Luoyang prefers that "there is no one in the heaven and earth, and all things flow endlessly."
But after this page, another page was torn from the notebook.
Who ripped it off? Zhou Luoyang found out. He remembered that he didn't tear up the book at the beginning. Did his grandfather tear it away before his death? Zhou Luoyang couldn't remember what was recorded on the next page.
Looking at it again after many years, he vaguely recalled many past events: the Zhou family was an Hui merchant from generation to generation. When my great-grandfather was alive, clocks and antiques were rare, and he accumulated a considerable fortune. One hundred and twelve years ago, the family industry had a strange coincidence with today's, also known as "Chang'an Commercial Bank".
So when Du Jing proposed the name "Chang'an", Zhou Luoyang agreed without thinking.
After the great-grandfather's hand, and then passed on to the grandfather's hand, after liberation and founding of the People's Republic of China, the family business did not develop much, to protect the body, no longer dealing with antiques, but instead repairing clocks. In 1957, the rise of light industry led to the development of New China. The first watch. The watch repair industry adapts to the times and successfully allows the Zhou family to gain a foothold again.
For a long time, "three turns and one sound" means sewing machines, bicycles, and watches turn three times, and the sound of the radio has become an indispensable property for marriage, just like today's RV is for marriage, which shows the status of watches.
As for the antique calligraphy and paintings of that era, they are bound to be destroyed in the Abolition of the Four Olds movement. In order to preserve the ancestral foundation, they were all hidden in a basement warehouse in Inner Mongolia by grandfather when he was young. The once antique collection and a large number of belongings handed down by the great-grandfather were not released and reopened until the reform and opening up.
Zhou Luoyang remembered what his grandfather used to say when he was alive: "I am a watch repairer". The fact is that, due to environmental reasons, my grandfather's knowledge of antiques is obviously not as deep as that of previous generations, and he has not caught up with the best era, and he can't even tell the origin of many things.
His father, aunt and uncle had little interest in this line of work, but Zhou Luoyang's father collected a large number of Ukiyo-e before his death, and made a living in the printmaking industry in Tokyo. The old man could only hope to cultivate Zhou Luoyang, hoping that one day his grandson would be willing to take over.
However, when many of the collections were collected by the Zhou family, it had been over a hundred years, and after the destruction of the times, their origins were deliberately hidden. Zhou Luoyang looked through the records, and it was really difficult to match the notes he took down with the current collection one by one.
The bell on the doorknob now rang.
Zhou Luoyang didn't lift his head and said, "Hello, Mr. Daniel, Miss Lin Di, the door is tied with a Nepalese demon bell, and the Thangka behind it is not for sale. The Chang'an Watch and Antique Store is still in trial operation, and has not officially opened. This year, Sotheby's Autumn Auction may not be able to participate as you wish. There are only a few limited Daytona pieces, which are in the B3 and B6 boxes in the mahogany glass cabinet at the back. Please do it yourself. Watch it, if you don't dislike it."
Daniel just took off his fedora hat, the corners of his mouth twitching.
Lin Di: "..."
Zhou Luoyang was still looking through his notes, and added: "Furthermore, this store has not yet set up the treasure of the town store."
Lin Di burst into a burst of laughter, and Daniel was immediately embarrassed when his origin was revealed as soon as he entered the store.
"Boss Zhou has good eyesight," Lin Dile said, "how do you know we're here?"
"Guess." Zhou Luoyang said calmly, "Let's have some tea. You need to take off your shoes on the tea couch. I'll find something and I'll come right away."
found it! Zhou Luoyang vaguely remembered that he had seen this watch, and it was registered in the notebook.
"The Eye of Forseti," Zhou Luoyang murmured, "Eye of Forseti. From Russia, Derbent? Russian watch? Not right."
Lin Di sat on the tea couch, casually, and began to boil water to prepare tea.
"What does the boss drink?" Lin Di asked with a smile, "Where are you from?"
"Huizhou people." Zhou Luoyang replied, "Taiping Houkui or Qimen black tea, in the jar, please choose Miss Lin."
Lin Di stroked his hair and started making tea with his slender hands.
Daniel didn't take his seat, but went to visit Zhou Luoyang's store.
Lin Di thought for a while, and said, "Aren't you afraid of the high cost of entertaining guests with such good tea?"
Zhou Luoyang said: "Our big boss drank it himself. He didn't come to the store today."
Lin Di: "Oh? Who is the big boss?"
Zhou Luoyang didn't care about Daniel very much, and only used two limited edition old watches to send him away. I know that although he is an investment manager of Sotheby's, his understanding of culture is far less than that of Lin Di. After all, this position determines that he cannot specialize in one line, travel on business trips, and even have no time to recharge.
On the contrary, Lin Di should have some real skills, otherwise he would not have been a consultant to him.
"Little white-collar workers," Zhou Luoyang thought for a while and said, "Security industry."
Lin Di nodded, as if looking for words, the young master of the antique industry and the mercenary manager... Zhou Luoyang guessed that she wanted to say "the right match" but felt it was inappropriate. Daniel was not polite to Zhou Luoyang either. He put on gloves himself, and asked to take out the two collections that Zhou Luoyang had promised to send for photography.
There are surveillance cameras in the antique store, Zhou Luoyang didn't stare at him, but fell into contemplation.
"I'm an investment advisor in the Asia-Pacific region," Lin Di said, seeing Zhou Luoyang's expression, "Does the boss have any questions that you would like to consult?"
Zhou Luoyang: "How much is an hour?"
Lin Di laughed and said, "We don't need money, just find us some collections that can be used as facades. I'm worried about autumn auctions."
Zhou Luoyang said sternly: "I don't have any Sotheby's collections here... But I will pay attention to you. By the way, Miss Lin, what is your main research direction?"
Lin Di said: "As a graduate student studying Assyrian history, other areas have a little bit of exposure. What's wrong?"
When Zhou Luoyang heard this, he knew it. After all, in history and museology, there are also situations in different directions, such as mountains.
"It's from the Caucasus generation... um... Maybe it's some kind of myth and legend?" Zhou Luoyang repainted the picture and handed it to Lin Di.
"Versetti," Daniel said, looking at him, "the Scandinavian region, the god of justice in Norse mythology."
"Oh," Zhou Luoyang nodded and said, "Is that so, I have been taught."
The name can be known just by checking it with his mobile phone, but he still has the attitude of asking people for advice.
"This is..." Lin Di looked at Zhou Luoyang's hand-painted drawing with a little doubt, which showed three squares stacked on top of each other, showing a twelve-pointed pattern.
Zhou Luoyang said, "Is this a twelve-pointed star?"
Lin Di hesitated: "Strictly speaking, it doesn't count. Of course, we can transform it."
Then she took the pen and raised her eyebrows to ask questions. Zhou Luoyang nodded and indicated that she could draw. Lin Di drew a few auxiliary lines to connect the corner points of the three squares, making them re-divided, and said, "This way It's a twelve-pointed star."
Zhou Luoyang painted the dial of the "Eye of Versetti". And after Lin Di reconnected the line, a clear needle appeared.
"Three-pointed stars to twelve-pointed stars have specific meanings," Lin Di said.
Zhou Luoyang nodded and said, "Yes."
Lin Di said: "In myths and legends, the twelve-pointed star symbolizes the absolute regularity of the sky star, which corresponds to 'justice'. Versetti is the god of justice, perhaps because of this connection?"
"Is Derbent related to Northern Europe?" Zhou Luoyang asked again.
Lin Di was startled when he heard these words without cause and effect, but did not ask any further, and said, "Perhaps? Derbent, with its back to the Caucasus Mountains and facing the Caspian Sea, was once a strategic location for Russia and the Tatars. From the third century AD, goods from southeastern, western, and northern Europe were all transited there."
"'Derbent' means 'iron gate' in Russian." Daniel raised his head and explained to Zhou Luoyang earnestly.
"Well, I see, thank you." Zhou Luoyang said.
Lin Di glanced at Daniel, who nodded and said, "Boss Zhou is interested in participating in the autumn auction?"
Zhou Luoyang remembered that he had to attend, and suddenly changed his mind and asked, "Can you give me three invitations?"
"I only have two in my hand," Lin Di said regretfully. "I don't know why this year, but there are so many people coming."
Zhou Luoyang nodded, just like the last time they met, he negotiated the details with the two, and sent the watch as an auction item after a while. He estimated the time, maybe Du Jing was coming, so he politely saw off the guest.
When leaving, Lin Di suddenly smiled and said something.
"It's really strange. Meeting Boss Zhou feels a bit familiar."
Daniel said, "Is this what you often call 'fate'?"
Those words were just unintentional remarks by Lin Di, but Zhou Luoyang vaguely sensed the unusual meaning contained in it, but time made him have no time to think about it, and said, "Then I think we will have many opportunities to cooperate in the future, walk slowly."
After sending Lin Di and Daniel away, Zhou Luoyang was still standing in a trance.
Du Jing didn't meet them, which was different from yesterday.
It seems that in this "time cycle", not all the "past" that has happened will be repeated faithfully according to cause and effect. When he asked Lin Di for three invitations, he was rejected. What was the reason
Zhou Luoyang just said it casually. After going back yesterday, he suddenly realized that he forgot to include Le Yao, but Lin Di only promised to give him two copies.
Zhou Luoyang scratched his head, always feeling that he seemed to have solved an important question in the history of science, but he couldn't think more deeply.
The primary purpose is still the "Eye of Versetti", which symbolizes "justice" and comes from Derbent, Russia. Is there any special connection
The original records cannot be counted, the great-grandfather got it in Derbent or from someone from Derbent, it does not mean that it was produced locally. Zhou Luoyang still believes in his own judgment. It is true that this craft is from Switzerland, but the mark left by the manufacturer cannot be found. Right now, it is being worn on Du Jing's hand, so he has to study it.
While thinking about this, Du Jing came back.
"Sotheby's didn't come?" Du Jing looked around.
"It's gone." Zhou Luoyang said, "Today is different from yesterday."
Just like yesterday, Du Jing took off his shoes and sat down in front of the tea couch, took out his bento, and prepared to eat lunch. Zhou Luoyang changed his tea and found some snacks, but his eyes were still fixed on Du Jing's watch.
"Have you come to a conclusion?" Du Jing asked.
Zhou Luoyang told Du Jing the little clues he had found. Du Jing did not judge after listening, and took off the Eye of Versailles and handed it to him upon request.
Du Jing: "Return to you?"
Zhou Luoyang looked over and over, but couldn't find the craftsman's mark, and said, "If you wear it, it's already yours."
Zhou Luoyang would never return the things he gave away. Of course, Du Jing was the special one. But Zhou Luoyang felt that Du Jing took a fancy to it, which, in a sense, was also the arrangement of fate.
"My and yours," Du Jing said casually, "there is no difference."
"That's it." Zhou Luoyang said, "I just believe that at this point, it is a coincidence and destined."
Du Jing said, "So you allow me to use it."
"Isn't it allowed to be useful?" Zhou Luoyang thought about it all morning and figured out a certain key point. Du Jing started another time turn last night, there must be his purpose.
No matter what this guy does, he has his logic, but many times Zhou Luoyang can't understand his logic.
"I don't need it if you don't allow me." Du Jing said lightly.
"I don't allow it, didn't you use it last night?" Zhou Luoyang said.
Du Jing: "It's just an experiment, it's a special case."
"Is it really just an experiment?" Zhou Luoyang said the key point, and Du Jing stopped talking.
Zhou Luoyang added: "The twelve-pointed star symbolizes 'justice', and you can't do bad things with it."
Du Jing replied, "Factual justice or procedural justice?"
Zhou Luoyang: "…"
Zhou Luoyang was so ridiculed that he couldn't answer. He expected that no matter what he said, Du Jing would be able to sweep his logic into a sieve. When disagreeing with this guy, the smartest thing to do is not to argue with him.
"How is it today?" Zhou Luoyang asked again.
"There is progress." Du Jing finally talked about this topic.
Zhou Luoyang wanted to tell him the doubts that Lin Di's words caused him, but after thinking about it carefully, he decided not to interfere with Du Jing's judgment.
The two were silent for a while, Zhou Luoyang scooped some food with a spoon, and Du Jing added: "The French minister has made concessions, as long as Vietnam and Cambodia have agencies to issue an invitation to visit, they can ask the local government for a certain degree of exemption from investigation. , of course, to be kept secret."
"Oh..." Zhou Luoyang said, "is that so?"
Du Jing wants to go to Ho Chi Minh City to investigate the case and track down the missing persons, and he will inevitably have to deal with some government agencies and even the local police. If there is no such exemption, as long as the other party is a little unhappy, they will be forcibly sent back to the country, maybe they will be returned. There will be diplomatic problems.
"Vietnam' and Cambodia'?" Zhou Luoyang looked at Du Jing's expression.
"Do some preparations early," Du Jing said, "it's always good."
Zhou Luoyang understood and said, "The reason why you go back in time is because of this."
Du Jing's motives are already obvious. He went to the French embassy to negotiate twice without success. He needs to "do it all over again" and put forward another reason. So he adjusted the time again, pushed it back 24 hours, and went to the French embassy to apply again.
This time he changed his interview strategy, and the envoy gave in.
"Do you want to do it all over again?" Zhou Luoyang asked.
"No," Du Jing replied, "I think it can only be done at most. They also have their principles. I'll go to sleep and think about it again."
Du Jing was a little troubled and took a nap just like yesterday. Zhou Luoyang experienced this boring day again. When Le Yao came to the store, he was obviously not as surprised as yesterday, and then he went step by step and took Le Yao home. Zhou Luoyang really didn't want to repeat, but he had to bite the bullet and try his best to play a play.
After dinner, the two of them were lying like they were yesterday. Zhou Luoyang thought that he must never do it again. I didn't want to live the same day again. At dinner, his and Du Jing's reactions were very "fake", and even Le Yao noticed it was strange.
Du Jing: "You are too fake. The whole process is like acting."
Zhou Luoyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "What can I do? Isn't it your fault?"
The two of them lay side by side on the sofa, Zhou Luoyang took Du Jing's left hand and looked at the watch in his hand.
He knew that this overseas serial disappearance case should be very important to Du Jing, so he proposed a new hypothesis.
"You said that time can be turned back indefinitely," Zhou Luoyang said. "Then if we go back to the day Xiao Wu disappeared, wouldn't everything be solved?"
"Maybe." Du Jing said drunkenly, "Do you want to do this?"
That would be a few months back! Zhou Luoyang thought to himself that he would have to experience the past several months in a row, and he would have to go back 24 hours every 12 hours of his normal life. This is so frustrating.
"What if it could save people's lives?"
"I don't want to." Du Jing said, "Have you forgotten the death of someone before?"
Death is the only thing that cannot be reversed in time rewind. No, in fact, it can be reversed, but in the 24-hour time rewind, as long as someone dies, there will be a death.
Both retrospectives have verified this truth. In the dark, there are too many complicated laws in this world that humans have not yet been able to discover.
"But they may not necessarily die." Zhou Luoyang said.
Du Jing: "Life, old age, sickness and death cannot be reversed. What if you save someone and become you to pay for your life? Versetti is the god of justice, but even justice is not absolute in this world."
Zhou Luoyang didn't ask this question anymore. He thought about it from another angle. If he changed himself, if the time reversal would have an irreversible impact on Du Jing, he would never do it.
Doing the best he can and protecting the people who are important to him, Du Jing has done a good job in this regard.
"I may have a solution," said Zhou Luoyang, "about the invitation to visit Vietnam and Cambodia."
"Very good," said Du Jing, "thank you for sharing my worries."
Zhou Luoyang hesitated a bit: "But... it may take a few days."
Du Jing: "It doesn't matter, I'm not in a hurry. Whoever kills is in a hurry."
Zhou Luoyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe he could get an invitation to exchange visits for Du Jing through Sotheby's, but he had to wait for the official start of the autumn auction.
"Does this count as a change in the past?" Zhou Luoyang said with a little doubt, "Maybe I should propose it after twelve o'clock tonight."
Just listen to Du Jing's reply: "Some of the past can be changed, some can't. Some of them depend on our own hearts. For me, some of the past will never be changed."
When the words fell, Du Jing moved closer to Zhou Luoyang.
There was a sound of opening the door of Le Yao's room. Before he came to the living room, Du Jing kissed Zhou Luoyang and got up to take a bath.
Zhou Luoyang: "…"
"Brother, where is the luggage I brought back from school?"