Dimensional Bookstore

After seeing Mary off, Le Jing was also hungry, so he simply closed the shop and went upstairs to cook. There are bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms upstairs, all decorated by the landlord. He also bought furniture. He usually sells books downstairs during the day and goes upstairs to rest at night, which is convenient.

Before coming here, he was not sure about the development level of other planes, so he carried a few cans of gas to the kitchen, and also went to a nearby supermarket to buy a lot of food and pure water to stock up. So even if he was penniless this month, at least No need to go hungry either.

After eating and reading for a while, Le Jing planned to go to bed before eleven o'clock.

Le Ling was surprised by this: [I read online that people born in the 1990s go to bed very late because they have to stay up late to cultivate themselves. 】

Le Jing replied calmly: "That's what their Taoist youths say. We Buddhist youths don't pay attention to these things."

Le Ling was curious: [Then what do you young Buddhists pay attention to? 】

"The sky is high and the clouds are light, birds are flying, and wolfberries are soaking in the thermos cup." Le Jing covered himself with the quilt and closed his eyes, "Good night."

Le Ling: [...Good night. 】

※

When Lejing opened the store the next day, he looked at the foggy sky, covered his nose and sighed. When I was on earth, Beijing 5 was a little higher, and Western countries would send congratulatory messages to condemn this environmental issue. It seemed to whitewash the sense of superiority that the landed aristocrats looked down on the mud-legged nouveau riche.

Sure enough, things like smog are better left to others. While thinking this, he picked up his mobile phone and secretly took a few photos on the street.

Le Jing had no interest in going out to test his physical strength under such severe air pollution. He made up his mind to stay in the store completely for this month and not go anywhere.

There were few people in the store all morning, and Lejing did not make a single business. But he didn't care. He sat at the counter and read Mary's "The Woman's Dilemma" with great interest.

Although the content of the article is relatively simple and the propositions put forward are a bit naive, and it does not propose any reasonable and effective measures to deal with the current plight of women, the ancients cannot be viewed with the perspective and pattern of today's people. Judging from the time when the book was written, it is remarkable that Mary could think to this extent.

At one or two o'clock in the afternoon, Mary came.

She didn't know if she had not slept all night, her eyes were blue, her face was pale, and her face was flushed with excitement. As soon as she entered the door, she couldn't wait to ask: "Please tell me, what is Ms. Simone Beauvoir?" Who is it?"

Le Jing said calmly: "Since you have already eaten the eggs, why should you care about the hen that laid the eggs?"

Before Mary asked further, he refused bluntly: "I have no comment about anything about this book."

The Second Sex was published in 1949, and it's only 1910 now. One step ahead of one's time is a genius, but ten steps ahead of one's time is a madman. Not to mention that the famous sayings and theories listed by Simone Beauvoir in the book may not exist in this plane at all!

Therefore, he could not answer Mary's questions, and he had no intention of answering them.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the stunned Mary, and smiled slightly: "This is a good book, right?"

Mary was stunned for a moment. When she mentioned the book, her face suddenly softened, and her eyes shone with radiance: "It was as if God took away the veil covering my eyes for me, and I finally saw the world clearly. From then on, From now on, I will not be weak or confused. I will move forward bravely and never retreat. I will devote my life and my soul to the great cause of liberating women."

At this moment, the expression on her face was incredibly holy and incredibly determined.

Le Jing thought of Joan of Arc, Mrs. Stowe, Florence Nightingale, Song Qingling... These brave and legendary women have changed the world with their own actions. Now, another awakened woman has joined them.

Le Jing also laughed and said sincerely: "I wish you success."

"It doesn't matter even if you fail." This serious woman rarely showed a hearty smile, "I am not alone in my path, but I can look forward to others who will come after me."

The two looked at each other and smiled tacitly, seeming to have put some distance between themselves.

"If you have time, you might as well come here and sit here often. I have some books here that may solve your doubts when reading "The Second Sex"."

Mary's eyes lit up. Of course she knew what Le Jing meant. This was equivalent to treating his bookstore as a library and opening it to her for free. In addition to being moved, she was also a little confused and wary out of female instinct: "This Of course it couldn’t be better, I mean, I really don’t know how to repay your kindness to me.”

The young man looked past Mary to the busy window, his eyes trance-like as if he was lost in memories: "What is more terrifying than the monopoly of resources is the monopoly of knowledge. It will not only create a cultural desert, but also hinder the development of human civilization. It is the most terrifying thing." crime.”

He was silent for a while and looked at Mary seriously: "If you really want to repay me, I want you to swear that you will teach anyone who wants knowledge, regardless of gender, race, or gender, what you have learned from me. A religious country has no selfish motives and does not seek any personal gain, but only justice and fairness in the world.”

The young man's words were resounding, each one struck her heart, each one made her soul tremble.

She looked at him as if she were looking at a saint sent by God to enlighten the world. Her voice was solemn and firm as never before: "I swear, I will use my whole life to carry out my vow."

The young man smiled soothingly, with a heart-breaking clarity and tranquility in his eyes: "Thank you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you." Thank God for letting you come to this world. You are my guide and my teacher, Mary sighed in her heart, and her face showed a bit of respect. She changed the subject and reciprocated: "I still have some books at home, I don't know if they are to your taste..."

"I'm picky about food. But I'm never picky about books." Le Jing said with a smile, "If it's convenient, please allow me to read."

Later he and Mary had a pleasant discussion about some elements of The Second Sex. It is worth mentioning that Linda came into the bookstore at this time, not only joined the conversation with interest, but also hit it off with Mary. The two soon chatted in full swing, forgetting about Le Jing. Le Jing was quite dumbfounded by this.

After that day, his bookstore has completely become a stronghold for Mary and her companions, oh, and now there is an extra Linda in it. They chatted together, read books together and expressed their opinions. Different ideas collided with each other in the debate, and they were happy to see the results. Although their discussions were sometimes noisy, he decided to continue being a quiet and generous bookstore owner for the sake of the collection of books these lovely ladies brought him.

That day, he was fascinated by a book Linda brought. Linda walked up to him and patted the table, which startled him.

In response to his reproachful look, Linda rolled her eyes and explained, "It's not my fault. I called you several times, but you never heard."

Le Jing smiled sheepishly, he also knew what was wrong with him. Once you sink into a book, you will be deaf to what is happening outside the window, and you will not be aware of everything happening in the outside world.

"What's the matter?" he asked, pushing up his glasses.

"I have a question." Linda asked: "Do you think the little prince finally returned to his planet?"

Noticing the eager glances of the ladies behind her, he couldn't help but realize that it was his turn to discuss "The Little Prince" today.

"No, he's dead." Le Jing said ruthlessly, "He committed suicide."

Linda was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect what Le Jing would think. Such a cold explanation was so different from Le Jing's gentle behavior all the time. She couldn't help but look at Le Jing complainingly and argued: "After all, this is How can you look at a fairy tale with an adult’s eyes? It’s so cold!”

"No, on the contrary, for the little prince, death is the road to happiness." Le Jing said, "Because he is too lonely. He is a [child] who is incompatible with [adult] society. Even the little prince , they are just social animals like humans. People cannot survive without the group, and the same is true for the little prince. . However, he is an alien whose thoughts are incompatible with those of adults. Even the pilot who retains a childlike innocence is no longer a real child, so he can't find true salvation after all. Therefore, when he finds that his salvation is only what he has abandoned long ago. After the planet and the rose, all that awaits him is suicide - a return home in a philosophical sense."

Linda was stunned for a while. She didn't expect Le Jing to interpret this fairy tale like this. She couldn't help but said: "The little prince can go find other children like him to play!"

Le Jing sighed and said almost pitifully: "But there are no children in this book at all. The little prince is the only child."

Linda was stunned for a moment, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine. She suddenly understood the implication of Le Jing's words: "The innocence that represents a child in isolation cannot survive in the adult world. It can either be assimilated or absorbed. Destruction. And the little prince would rather commit suicide than be assimilated."

Linda had a lot on her mind at that moment. She thought of her family, her arranged life, and the unspeakable delusion in her heart.

Being a fighter pilot is a thought that has been rooted in her mind since she saw fighter jets soaring in the clouds three years ago. She longs to soar into the sky like a man and defend her country like a hero.

However, she is not a man, she is a woman. She is the eldest lady of the Baron Swift family, and she carries the pride and honor of her family for hundreds of years. The Swift family does not need an unruly young lady who is deviant and hangs out with men. Their only requirement for Linda is to marry a well-matched man (such as Williams Bingley) to carry on the family line and manage the family for her husband. Her family cultivated her.

In her opinion, the little prince who is a [heterogeneous] is so similar to herself. They are all rebellious in adult society, and no one can truly understand them. So will the ending waiting for her be like that of the little prince?

"So how can the little prince survive? Does the little prince have to die?" Mary's companion, a young lady named Illya, came to the counter at some point, with red eyes, and asked Le Jing anxiously.

Le Jing smiled reassuringly: "Of course not, no one has to die. In fact, there is another interpretation of this story. Do you want to hear it?"

So Le Jing told another version of the Little Prince, his understanding of the Little Prince: "The rose actually represents the Little Prince's ideal. Ideals are like roses, looking beautiful, but with sharp thorns that hurt people. After the Little Prince was pricked by the rose, he chose to run away from home and exile himself. But the Little Prince, like everyone else, firmly believed that he was unique. Although he was pricked by his ideal, he was still proud of his ideal. Until he found out that his rose was just one of thousands of roses, and there was nothing special about it, it was a big blow to the Little Prince. For the first time, he began to be confused about his beliefs. At this time, the Little Prince met the fox, his first real partner. The fox taught the Little Prince what domestication is, and made him understand that his rose (ideal) is unique. From then on, he completely strengthened his belief and died for his ideal in the end."

The young man lowered his eyes and looked at Linda Like Illya, the eyes as pure as obsidian seemed to contain some deep meaning, and the words were meaningful, just like the prophecy of the legendary prophet: "The little prince is a pure idealist who martyred for his ideals."

Le Jing's eyes passed Linda and looked at Mary behind her from a distance. The rare sunlight sprinkled on her through the window, making her look like she was shining: "The road of idealists is long and rugged, and the shadow of failure follows them everywhere, but those who change the world are often idealists."

The author has something to say:

① Mrs. Stowe: Her full name is Harriet Beecher Stowe, and her representative work is "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Her book inspired a generation of "abolition movement", directly led the American Civil War, and made outstanding contributions to the liberation of black slaves. She was rated as the 41st of the 100 people who influenced the United States by the authoritative American journal "Atlantic Monthly".

② Nightingale: Florence Nightingale: The founder of nursing and the founder of modern nursing education. She is the world's first real female nurse and pioneered the nursing career. International Nurses Day was established on Nightingale’s birthday to commemorate the founder of modern nursing.

As for Joan of Arc and Soong Mei-ling, everyone should know them, so I won’t introduce them here.