The next time he's called back to the zhu house, Gu asks if there's anything he can do to help him. He doesn't have anything specific to ask, but he does want to know if they've made any progress on the ink. He's also worried about how he'll miss the times when he used to be able to punch and kick his way through the door. He asks if the ink sticks are coming from the back of the house, and if they have any manuscripts written by him. The teacher of the family lives in the alley, and he can come and help with the sunning of the books whenever he needs it. Gu asks him if he can sell him the ink, and the teacher says yes. He wants to know why the words in the books suddenly disappear. He thinks it's because they're "bookworms," small spirits that feed on words in books, and that's why so many are gathered in this alley. He also wonders if the teacher is the one who's feeding on the words, and wonders why he didn't notice the words at first. He wonders if his well-behaved companion is still in a good condition, and asks if it would be better to take him into the city. He says that he'd like to have a nice conversation with him, and then he asks if he plans to compensate for the loss of his