The strongest dream therapist

Chapter 11 Visiting the Teacher
Teacher Shen Lin's home is simple and elegant, with warm yellow wallpaper, a small sofa, a low rectangular wooden table, and a movable plastic bookcase. The space is not large, but it is tidy and warm.

Because it was a staff dormitory, the room was not very spacious, and when a group of people came in, it seemed a bit crowded.

After meeting the teacher and having a brief conversation, everyone went downstairs one after another, leaving only Fu Yuan, Yu Xin, and the class monitor sitting on the sofa.

"Please sit down for a while." Teacher Shen sighed and said to the three of them, "You came so suddenly that I didn't prepare anything."

After saying that, he turned and went to the kitchen.

She is nearly forty years old, but still looks full of energy, with beautiful long, slightly curly hair and a gentle personality. She likes to wear a long trench coat and a belt on weekdays. She is a typical foreign literature lover.

Fu Yuan looked around. There was a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The bedroom door was open a quarter of an arc. Through the crack in the door, he could see the white tile floor and black and white wallpaper.

"What do you want to talk to the teacher about?" Seeing that the two did not leave, the class monitor broke the silence first.

Fu Yuan just said "hmm" and nothing more.

Yu Xin sat on the sofa respectfully, seeming a little at a loss. At this moment, she was carefree and embarrassed, and took out two English novels from the bag that had just contained snacks.

The two novels have the same packaging. The cover and bottom are black, with gold-stamped carved patterns, the spine is straight and strong, and the hand-stitching is delicate and fine, looking low-key and luxurious.

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Yu Xin couldn't help but look down at the novel in her hand and whispered, "This is my English novel. I want to give one to Lao Shen and have her sign the other one so I can keep it."

The squad leader was surprised. He stared at the novel in her hand, estimated its thickness and word count, and took a deep breath. "You... are so cruel!"

"Would you like to try the strawberry cream cake I made?"

Teacher Shen came out of the kitchen, holding a white plate with a round 6-inch strawberry cream cake on it.

She smiled and said, "I saw in the group chat last night that some people would come, but I didn't expect so many to come. I had some strawberries, cream, and flour at home, so I tried to make some cakes. It wasn't enough for everyone, but it was enough for you guys."

"Wow!" Yu Xin cheered and went over to help place the plates on the small wooden table in front of the sofa, then followed her into the kitchen to get tableware.

Teacher Shen cut the cake for everyone with a smile on his face, and there was no sign of the nightmare he had at noon.

Fu Yuan stared at her for a long time before lowering his head to take the cake from her hand and saying "thank you".

When he lowered his head, he could see a band-aid on her left index finger. It looked like it had been there not long ago, and there was a small spot of cream on her usually clean clothes.

As if her gaze was too obvious, Shen Lin smiled and raised her injured finger, "I accidentally cut it while cutting vegetables this morning. It's no longer a problem now."

Several people ate cake together. The strawberries were very fresh, sour and sweet, with a refreshing aroma. The cream was delicate and smooth. The rich milky aroma wrapped around the mouth after taking a bite, and each bite had a warm texture.

It’s just that the cake base seems to be overcooked and feels a bit stiff when eaten, but the strawberries and cream can completely make up for this mistake.

After the cake, everyone exchanged a few words with each other. The class monitor and Yu Xin mainly talked about the interesting things that happened during their college years. Shen Lin listened from the side and nodded in agreement from time to time.

Yu Xin hesitated for a moment, then handed the novel on her legs to Shen Lin.

"Influenced by you, I became very fond of reading foreign novels. I majored in English in college. This is the novel I wrote. I'm giving one to you for your review and the other one I hope you can sign. I want to keep it."

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Lin's eyes. He wiped his hands, stood up, took the novel with both hands, and gave her a standard gentleman's salute, his eyes sincere and focused: "It's an honor, this beautiful lady." After that, several people laughed. Shen Lin turned around and went to the bedroom to get a pen with a novel in his arms.

Fu Yuan also followed him into the bedroom.

As soon as she entered the bedroom, she smelled a mixed scent of Chinese herbal medicines, cassia seed, angelica dahurica, sandalwood, silkworm feces, cloves... Her eyes darkened, most of these had the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep.

"Teacher Shen, have you had trouble sleeping recently?" Fu Yuan picked up the sachet she had placed on the bedside. It was made of light blue fabric, embroidered with dots of green waves and a pair of embracing mandarin ducks. She held it under her nose and sniffed it, and also smelled the scent of cardamom.

Shen Lin was filling a pen with ink. Upon hearing this, she turned around and glanced at him, a little hesitant. "It seems like there was a little bit, but I can't remember the content. But I always get a headache when I wake up."

"Did you make this sachet yourself?" Fu Yuan had already untied the sachet, revealing the yellow and green dried spices inside. She gently took a sip with her fingers, and the root-shaped and flake-shaped spices shattered into pieces.

Most of the spices sold online are of a single flavor. Sachets that contain a mixture of multiple spices are unlikely to be sold by others and are more likely to be homemade.

"It was given to me by a student. A few days ago, a student also returned to school." Shen Lin took out a piece of paper and put it on the tip of the pen. The ink spread along the paper. After it dried, Fu Yuan noticed that she looked a little sad.

"You should have seen the news. The student who jumped into the river was his younger brother." When she reached the door, she paused and said, "He was also my student."

Fu Yuan glanced back at the bedroom. There was an ordinary long incandescent lamp, a double bed, and a desk.

On the desk lay the novel and piles of manuscript paper, neatly arranged, as well as a desk lamp with cardboard stuck on it and a half-new white laptop, all turned off.

"My condolences." Fu Yuan said to her softly.

“I’m not as sad as I was before,” she said.

When you are depressed, you may have nightmares. Fu Yuan sat on the sofa and always felt that something was a little weird.

In front of Yu Xin, Shen Lin signed "Sherry" in cursive on the title page of the novel. This is her English name.

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and added a line of English below. The font was slightly smaller than her signature, and it looked very delicate:
For U, a thousand times over.
For you, thousands and thousands of times.

"I hope you can maintain your enthusiasm and blossom into your ideal." She blew gently on it, waiting for the black ink to completely dry. Then she returned the book to Yu Xin and said seriously, "I will read your novel carefully. It's the best gift I've received this year."

The two hugged each other gently, both feeling a little moved.

It was just some family talk again, Fu Yuan was listening beside them, the atmosphere was very harmonious.

When it was over, Shen Lin looked at Fu Yuan with some concern, "Are you feeling better now?"

She nodded and said softly, "Much better."

Shen Lin looked at her with a gentle gaze: "Child, you always slept before. I was worried that there was something wrong with your health."

Fu Yuan: "I'm sorry to have made the teacher worry."

(End of this chapter)