Why it never ends

Chapter 127 Their Night Reading

When Ava drove back to her mansion on the evening of October 10, her young friend was reading in the glass room.

Since moving into Ava's house, Hesta has often stayed in the glass house on the first floor to read.The collection of books in Ava's home has reached an astonishing number, and she can read them at will.

Hesta had by her hand the supper that Alca—the young girl with the thick braids—had prepared for her, some crepes, butter, stew and wine, but Hesta didn't even look at it, she was livid. Flipping through the book under the lamp, he seemed to be angry.

Ava watched this scene from a distance, she took off her coat and handed it to Alja.

"Since when has she been sitting there?"

"As soon as it arrived at 1:[-] p.m., she just sat there. It's been the same for the past few days." Alja sighed, "I didn't eat until I watched it, and I reminded her several times!"

"What book is she reading?"

Alja thought for a while, and asked a little uncertainly, "It seems to be watching "The Mountains Under the Storm" today?"

Ava laughed, "Is it convenient for you now? If it's convenient, make me a cup of coffee."

"Do you still drink coffee at this late hour! You shouldn't have any more caffeine after six o'clock in the evening - let me make a cup of scented tea, okay?"

The corners of Ava's mouth sank slightly, and she made an expression of "you listen and respect".

After Alja left, Ava walked towards the glass room alone. To her surprise, Hesta was so intoxicated while reading that she raised her head in a startled way until she had already walked to her side.

After realizing that it was Ava, Hesta breathed a sigh of relief. She put the book aside, covered her eyes with her hand, and greeted wearily, "...you are back."

Ava picked up the reading book that Hesta had put down, and it had the words "Mountains Under the Storm" printed on its black cover.

"Why do you suddenly want to read this book?"

"...Wandering around your library at noon, I saw this book," Hesta replied softly, "I remembered that a friend seemed to like it very much, so I took it out to have a look."

"Male friend?"

"Ah."

A playful smile appeared on Ava's face again, "Where did you read?"

"Just finished the first volume," replied Hesta. "The hero is getting married."

"You're reading so slowly," Ava sat down opposite Hesta. "Alja said you've been reading all afternoon without sleeping or eating. I thought you'd read at least half of it."

"The names of the characters are too difficult to remember. I read the first three verses more than a dozen times," Hesta said angrily, "Not only are everyone's names as long as the train, but they also have two or three nicknames and nicknames— Different people will call them different nicknames, and it is impossible to tell who is who at first reading."

Ava had an expression of "I knew it earlier", "Then how do you feel after reading the first volume?"

Seeing that Hesta frowned again, Ava casually flipped through the book and said with a smile, "I guess it's not very pleasant."

Hesta slumped in his chair, silent.She closed her eyes and sorted out her words alone, so as to temporarily keep the part that was too intense, but after a long time, she still shook her head, "...I can't say it."

"You don't like the work, do you?"

"Yes," replied Hesta.

"But you never put it down for a moment, why?"

"...The story is smooth, and everyone's face is very clear and vivid," Hesta struggled to think about the reason, and her left hand drew a circle in the air meaninglessly, "I have read very few novels. ...Maybe I haven't seen the world, so I can't let it go."

"That's not enough," Ava said softly, "this book had a high status in the Silver Age, and it was translated into at least 54 languages ​​at that time—it's normal to be intimidated by it. Since you said that every word in it Everyone’s face is very clear and vivid, so so far, which character’s fate affects you the most?”

Hesta thought for a while, "...Aksinia."

"what is the reason?"

Hesta fell into a long silence again, but this silence did not come from a void, everything was on the contrary, countless broken words were flying in her heart, and the amount of words she wanted to say was like a volcano erupting.They collided with each other, burned, and burst out with such intense light and heat that for a moment Hesta didn't know where to start.

Alca brought scented tea at this time, and she also prepared cups for Hesta.

"What are you talking about?" Alja looked at them, "If it's a night reading meeting, can others join?"

"Of course." Ava smiled, "There are so many chairs here."

Alja got up happily, she left the glass house for a short while, and came back quickly with five or six people.Among them, there are both young faces and old ones, some with curious eyes, some with cold and dignified expressions.

They sat down on the chairs next to Hesta and Ava.

Ava propped her cheek with one hand and toasted Hesta with the other.

"Read a paragraph, read a paragraph related to Aksinya."

So Hesta opened the book again, and her hands turned over the pages after pages, and finally stopped in one place.

She read it softly.

"Aksinya married Stepan when she was 17 years old... In the autumn of the year before her marriage, she was plowing the fields on the steppe eight miles from the village. At night, her father - a 50-year-old man - tied her hands and raped her.

"'If you say anything, I'll kill you, and if you don't, I'll buy you a velvet jacket and a pair of high boots with overs. If you get wind of it, I'll kill you...' he threatened her.

"At night, Aksinya ran back to the village wearing only a torn petticoat. She fell at her mother's feet, crying out of breath... Mother and brother - a newly demobilized Ah The Cossack of the Tamansky Regiment harnessed the horse to the cart, put Aksinya in the cart, and drove to his father.

"During the eight-mile journey, my brother almost whipped the horse to death. They found my father near the place of the night. He was very drunk, sleeping on the sheepskin coat on the floor, with an empty vodka bottle by his side. Ah Kexinia watched helplessly as her brother unloaded a shaft from the car, kicked his sleeping father awake, asked him a few words, and then hit the old man on the bridge of the nose with the shaft wrapped in iron. go.

"He and his mother beat the old man for a full hour and a half. The old and always docile mother frantically grabbed the unconscious husband's hair, and the elder brother kicked him desperately. Aksinya covered her head , lying under the cart trembling silently...

"Before daybreak, they brought the old man home. He moaned pitifully, but his eyes kept searching the house for Aksinya who was hiding. Blood and pus dripped from his torn ear onto the pillow and died at dusk. To others, they say only that he fell from a car while drunk and fell to his death." (1)

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1 Quote from Sholokhov's "Quiet Flows the Don"

(End of this chapter)