Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven

Holmes and Mei Qi carried the shared suitcase and boarded the early morning train (the two had not prepared much for the sightseeing trip), Kensui Lang saw off at the train station, he held Mei Qi's hands tightly, eagerly whispered in his ear.Before they boarded the train, he approached Holmes, bowed deeply, and said: "We shall meet again—again—very again—yes." "Yes," said Holmes playfully, "very, very good-bye." As the train left the station, Kensuiro was still standing on the platform, raising his hands and waving among a group of Australian soldiers.His still figure quickly backed away until finally disappearing entirely.Soon the train picked up speed towards the west.Holmes and Mr. Mei Qi sat upright on two adjacent seats in the second-class car, looking sideways at the window, the buildings in Kobe were gradually replaced by lush pastoral scenery, and the beautiful scenery moved quickly and passed by in a flash .

"The weather is fine this morning," said Mr. Meiqi.On the first day of their trip, he said it many times (of course, the good weather in the morning turned into good weather in the afternoon, which finally turned into good weather in the evening). "Indeed." This was Holmes' invariable answer. At the beginning of the trip, the two hardly spoke.They sat quietly and restrained in their respective seats.For a while, Meggie was busy writing in a small red diary (Holmes guessed that he was writing a haiku again), while Holmes held a lit Jamaican cigar and looked thoughtfully at the blurred scenery outside the window .They didn't really talk until the train left Akashi Station (at first, it was Mr. Meiqi who asked curious questions, and in the end, their discussion covered a lot of ground before reaching Hiroshima)-when the train suddenly started, and the The cigar smoke from Holmes' fingertips shook and rolled across the floor.

"Let me pick it up." Mr. Mayge stood up and helped Holmes pick up the cigar. "Thank you," said Holmes.In fact, he had already got up, but he had to sit back and put the cane across his knees (at a certain angle so as not to hit Mr. Meiqi's knees). After re-sit in the seat, looking at the countryside scenery passing by outside the window, Mr. Mei Qi touched the faded wooden pole of a crutch, and said, "This is really good workmanship, isn't it?" "Oh, of course," said Holmes. "I have had them for at least twenty years, and perhaps longer, and they have been my reliable companions."

"Have you always walked with two canes?" "Two of them recently—not too long for me, anyway—five years ago, if I remember correctly." Holmes felt it necessary to explain in detail: in fact, he only needs the support of the right crutch when he is walking, but the left crutch has an inestimable double value-if he loses the right crutch, the left can give him Support, let him bend down to retrieve the right crutch; or, if the right crutch cannot be retrieved, the left crutch can be quickly replaced.Of course, he went on to say that without the constant nourishment of royal jelly, crutches would not be of much practical use to him, as he firmly believed that eventually he would be bound to a wheelchair.

"You really think so?" "It's absolutely true." When it came to the subject, they had a lively exchange, as both enjoyed discussing the benefits of royal jelly, especially its role in slowing and controlling aging.Mr. Mei Qi once interviewed a Chinese pharmacist before the war and asked about the benefits of this milky white viscous liquid. "The man apparently believed that royal jelly could treat various symptoms of menopause in women and men, as well as liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis and anemia." And phlebitis, stomach ulcers, degenerative symptoms of all kinds—Interjected Holmes—and general mental and physical debility: “It also nourishes the skin, and eliminates the dark spots and wrinkles of the face. At the same time, it prevents aging and even It is a symptom of premature aging." Holmes went on to say that such a powerful substance, whose chemical composition has not been fully understood by people, is secreted by the pharyngeal glands of worker bees, which is really amazing-it can not only Cultivating ordinary young bees into queen bees can also treat many human diseases.

"However, despite my efforts," Mr. Mei Qi said, "I haven't found any evidence to prove the therapeutic effect of royal jelly." "Why not," replied Holmes, smiling. "We have been studying royal jelly for a long time, haven't we? We know that it is rich in proteins, lipids, fatty acids and carbohydrates, and we are still far from discovering all its components." And so—so, I can only rely on the only evidence I really have, which is my own health. But I guess you don't eat very often?" "Infrequently, indeed. Apart from a magazine article or two about it, I've had a really modest interest in it. I'm afraid I'm more inclined to be skeptical on the matter."

"It's a pity," said Holmes. "I was expecting you to give me a jar of royal jelly to take back to England, which I haven't had for some time, you know. When I got home, I I can take care of all the discomforts, but I still hope that I can take a can or two back home, at least a little bit every day. Fortunately, I brought enough Jamaican cigars for this trip, so that I don’t want anything. .” "Maybe I can find you a can on the way." "Too much trouble, don't you think?" "No trouble at all." "That would be great, really. Let it be the price I have to pay for my forgetfulness. It seems that even royal jelly can't stop my memory loss."

And this served as another springboard for their conversation, because at this moment Mr. Mayge could finally ask questions about Holmes' excellent detective skills; more specifically, he wanted to know how Holmes always easily noticed Details that others overlook.He approached Holmes, and spoke slowly, as if this was an extremely important question: "I know that you have always believed that pure observation is an important tool for obtaining a definite answer, but how on earth do you observe a specific situation? I'm confused. From what I've read in the book, and what I've experienced, I think you're not just observing, you can easily recall all the details, like taking a picture in your head. The photos are the same, and then, somehow, you find out the truth of the matter."

"What is truth? Pilate asked that question too," sighed Holmes. "To tell you the truth, my friend, I have long since lost interest in all truth. For me, what exists is fact— Call it the truth if you want. Mind you, I came to this understanding after a lot of reflection. More precisely, I tend to focus on the obvious and glean as much from the outside world as possible. information, and then synthesized to draw conclusions of immediate value. As for the pervasive, mysterious, or long-term effects, perhaps they are the truth, but they are not of interest to me.” But Mr. Mei Qi still wants to know how to use the superb memory ability in this process?

"You mean in the process of forming a theory or reaching a conclusion?" "Exactly." Holmes went on to tell him that, at a young age, visual memory was the key to solving certain problems for him.When he examines an object or investigates a crime scene, every detail he observes is instantly translated into precise words or numbers in his mind.Once the transformation results form a pattern (such as a series of very clear words or formulas that he can repeat at any time and recall immediately), they are firmly locked in his memory, and he is busy thinking about other things They are brushed aside as soon as his attention is drawn to the situation that produced the patterns, and they emerge immediately.

"As time went on, I began to realize that my mind was no longer running as smoothly as it used to be," continued Holmes. "The change was little by little, but I felt it now. Different words Combinations with numbers used to be a tool to help me remember, but they are not as easy to remember as they used to be. For example, during my travels in India, I got off a train somewhere in the interior-the stop was very short. Short, and I've never been there before - I got out of the car and there was a half-naked beggar dancing up to me, he was such a happy guy. If it was before, I will remember the surroundings clearly all the details of the station, such as the building of the station, the faces of the people around, the small vendors selling things, etc., but now, it is difficult for me to remember. I don’t remember the building of the station, and I can’t tell you whether there was a small shop next to it. Vendors or others pass by. All I remember is that brown skinned, toothless beggar dancing in front of me, holding out his hand to beg for money. Now, the most important thing for me is to remember his happy face, as for this It doesn't matter where it happened anymore. If it was sixty years ago and I couldn't remember a certain location or a certain detail, I would be heartbroken. But now, I only remember what is necessary, the minutiae It’s not essential any more. These days, it’s more generalizations that come to my mind, not microscopic details of what’s going on around me. I’m just thankful.” For a while, Mr. Mei Qi didn't say anything, and his face showed the disturbed and thoughtful expression that can only be seen when he is in deep thought.Then, he nodded, his expression relaxed.When he spoke again, his tone seemed a little uncertain: "It's amazing, what you said—" But Holmes had ceased listening to him.The car door at the end of the corridor opened, and a slim young woman in dark glasses entered the car.Wearing a gray kimono and holding an umbrella, she staggered toward them, pausing every few steps as if to steady herself.She was standing in the hallway, looking at the nearest window, captivated by the view as it flew by - and that's when a nasty but glaring scar appeared on the side of her face, extending like a tendril from under her collar Comes out (up her neck, over her chin, across the right side of her face, disappearing into beautiful black hair).At last she went on again, passing them without caring.Holmes couldn't help thinking: You were once a beautiful girl too.Not too long ago, you were the most beautiful scenery anyone ever saw.