Chapter 79: The Warmth of Wrapping a Book Cover, the Quiet Bliss of an Ordinary Day

At the entrance of the wholesale market.

Lin Xuan was carrying two huge black plastic bags in his hands.

The bags were stuffed full of heavy stacks of notebooks and pencil cases.

Xiao Sizi, with that pale-pink new schoolbag on her back, walked at Lin Xuan's side.

Sunlight spilled across the road.

"Lin Xuan-gege." Xiao Sizi looked up, glanced at the bags in Lin Xuan's hands, and said, "This much paper should last a long time."

"Not enough." Lin Xuan pressed the car key, and the car in the distance flashed its hazard lights.

He opened the trunk and stuffed the two big plastic bags inside.

"The workload of modern education is beyond what you can imagine."

"This much paper will barely get you through one semester."

Xiao Sizi climbed into the passenger seat.

She pulled the seatbelt across and buckled it.

Back to that warm little house.

Lin Xuan set the two big black plastic bags full of stationery down in the entryway.

He swapped out his leather shoes, stepped into slippers, and walked over to the sofa.

He had made a trip to Shi Diyi Shiyan Xiaoxue yesterday and brought back all the textbooks Xiao Sizi needed for enrollment.

Lin Xuan untied the plastic packaging straps binding the textbooks.

He pulled the books out one by one and laid them flat across the wide Glass coffee table.

The brand-new pages gave off a faint scent of ink.

The colored laminate on the book covers reflected the light.

Xiao Sizi trotted over and dropped to her knees on the thick carpet beside the coffee table.

She ran her hand over the cover of the *Language* textbook.

Smooth, cool.

Nothing like the scratchy roughness of Datang Mashi.

Lin Xuan pulled over a low stool, sat down, and pointed at the books on the table.

"Eight books in total — Language, Math, Morals and Rule of Law, Science, Art, Yinyue."

"Plus two matching workbooks."

Xiao Sizi flipped open that *Math* book.

Inside were full-color illustrations, grid paper, and Arabic Numerals she had never seen before.

"In the Great Tang's academies, they teach the Four Books and Five Classics, and policy essays."

Lin Xuan pulled out a *Science* book. "Here they teach you to read, to do arithmetic, and how wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are formed."

"Starting tomorrow, you need to forget half of those Great Tang rules and pack in these new things."

Xiao Sizi nodded.

Looking at these beautifully made books, a hint of the awkwardness one shows toward treasures flickered in her eyes.

"Don't just stare. Get to work."

Lin Xuan took out a roll of transparent self-adhesive book-covering film that had just arrived from his online order.

He also fished out a plastic ruler and a pair of scissors.

Lin Xuan tore open the packaging. "This is called wrapping a book cover."

"The first thing to do when you get your books is to dress them."

"Otherwise, before half a semester is up, the corners will be curled and ruined."

Xiao Sizi's gaze was fixed tightly on Lin Xuan's hands.

Lin Xuan picked up that *Language* book and drew out a sheet of transparent film in the right size.

He rubbed the edge between his thumb and forefinger, peeled off the gridded release paper on the back, and exposed a section of the sticky inner surface.

"Watch my movements clearly." Lin Xuan laid the book with its back cover facing up.

He aligned the edge of the plastic film with the spine and pressed it down.

His left hand held the book steady; his right hand gripped the edge of that plastic ruler.

The ruler pressed down on the film and, following the surface of the book, pushed smoothly from left to right with steady force.

Sss—

The plastic film adhered to the paper, giving off a faint sound of friction.

The air underneath was squeezed out bit by bit by the ruler.

One side done.

Lin Xuan picked up the scissors and, at the corners of the book's top and bottom edges, snipped four inverted-triangular notches in one clean motion.

The excess plastic edges were folded inward and pressed flat along the inside of the back cover.

His movements flowed like water.

In less than half a minute, a modern textbook emerged — crease-proof, water-resistant, and crystal clear.

Xiao Sizi's mouth fell slightly open.

"Let me try."

She reached out both hands, her tone carrying an excitement that longed to give it a go.

Lin Xuan shifted aside to give her room.

He handed her a *Morals and Rule of Law* book and drew out a fresh sheet of film.

Xiao Sizi, mimicking Lin Xuan's manner, tore open the backing paper.

Her hands were too small.

The static cling of the plastic film was extremely strong.

As soon as she tore halfway, the bottom corner of the film curled up and stuck fast to the back of her hand.

Xiao Sizi shook her wrist twice with force.

It wouldn't come off.

She grew a bit anxious and reached out to pull it.

The more she pulled, the stickier the plastic film became, crumpling into a ball.

Lin Xuan did not help, only reminding her, "This thing yields to softness, not hardness."

"Peel it slowly; only with a calm heart will your hands be steady."

Xiao Sizi took a deep breath.

Two fingers pinched the edge stuck to the back of her hand.

She peeled it away bit by bit.

The film unfolded again.

This time, she steadied both ends of the film with her hands.

Her eyes fixed on the center fold of the book.

Aligned, she pressed down.

She picked up the ruler.

Pushed it forward.

Unable to gauge the pressure, halfway through, a bubble the size of a fingernail bulged on the cover.

Xiao Sizi frowned and used the edge of the ruler to scrape it.

"If scraping doesn't flatten it, prick it with a needle, or slowly drive it to the edge," Lin Xuan gave instructions from the side.

Xiao Sizi pressed her lips tight.

She did not look for a needle.

Instead, gripping the ruler, she applied pressure bit by bit along the edge of the bubble.

She forced that pocket of air out.

Until the bubble escaped from the page's edge.

The cover returned to being flat.

"Wrapped," Xiao Sizi held up the textbook in her hand.

Looking at the smooth plastic book cover, her lips curved upward, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.

Her eyes were full of joy she could not hide.

In the Great Tang Imperial Palace,

dressing, washing, eating, even turning pages, was attended to by dedicated palace maids and eunuchs.

She was like a exquisite porcelain doll, deprived of all ability to use her hands.

This down-to-earth sense of accomplishment filled her heart.

Lin Xuan took the book and glanced at it, "Pass. The remaining six books are yours."

"I'll watch from the side."

Xiao Sizi nodded heavily.

The living room fell silent.

Only the "Crack!" of the scissors opening and closing, and the friction of the ruler scraping the table surface.

The two sat around the Glass coffee table.

One large, one small.

One handed over books, the other applied the film.

In a short while, the last sheet of plastic film was applied.

Eight textbooks, two exercise books.

All clad in transparent book covers.

Neatly stacked on the coffee table.

Lin Xuan pulled open the drawer.

He took out a stack of rectangular white stickers with red borders.

He then pulled off the cap of the black gel pen bought during the day and pushed the stickers and pen together toward Xiao Sizi.

"The final step: write your name."

Lin Xuan pointed to the blank space in the upper right corner of the book cover, "Stick it there."

Xiao Sizi gripped the black plastic pen barrel.

Lin, Ming, Da.

The three characters landed steadily in the center of the sticker.

No "Li" of the Great Tang imperial surname, only "Lin" of Lin Xuan.

Xiao Sizi set down the pen.

She used her fingernail to peel off the backing adhesive.

She stuck the sticker bearing "Lin Mingda" squarely onto the cover of the "Chinese Language" book, smoothing it flat with her palm.

She followed the same method, sticking her new name onto all the books.

After finishing all this, Xiao Sizi lifted her head, her eyes clear:

"Brother Lin Xuan."

"From now on, outside, at school, I am Lin Mingda."

Lin Xuan reached out, his broad palm covering the top of Xiao Sizi's head, and rubbed it vigorously.

"Yes, you are Lin Mingda."

"My family."

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