CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 83: AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY (PART 2)

This indeed is the Su Ziceng that Ye Taina has been looking forward to, and that could interest him. It’s only this kind of Su Ziceng that evokes a man’s desire to conquer.

Snow fell to the ground, crushed mercilessly by a speeding car. Pello leaned out of the window, capturing the whole Bianjing City in his view.

"Perhaps, this is how it should be, holding her up high and then letting her fall harshly, cruel yet thrilling," Pello’s eyes filled with a wild cruelty.

Snowflakes drifted down helplessly, unable to extricate themselves. The scheming Pello had not noticed that he missed something; Su Ziceng was not only the unpredictable factor of the Su Family but also his own unpredictable factor.

The first day of the lunar New Year brought rare good weather. The snow had not melted, so it was warmer than the past few days. The roads were snowy, so both vehicles and pedestrians had to be careful. Su Ziceng, following the walking method taught by the old man yesterday, taught Pello, and the two left the hotel after lunch.

Su Ziceng initially wanted to follow the advice of the old man last night, to seek out the places he recommended for hunting antiques. But then she thought that the first day of the lunar New Year might not be the right time for visits.

Thus, with no other choice, she ended up taking Pello for a walk around Bianjing City. The first place to visit was "Liushu Street," where the old man took her yesterday.

When boarding the car, Su Ziceng did not know the way, but after a talk with the driver, she found out and headed straight to "Liushu Street."

When the old man took her there last night, Su Ziceng did not know that this street was famous throughout Bianjing City.

The heavy snow slowed down traffic but also had its perks, such as the chatty Bianjing City drivers who were more willing to open up. The one and a half hours’ drive last night provided ample time for the middle-aged driver, who spoke in the local dialect, to talk exhaustively about every alley in Bianjing City.

Liushu Street was the first alley during the liberation era and, after the old city’s renovation, it was preserved in its entirety by request of one of the founding veterans, without being allowed to undergo redevelopment.

The snow piled on the roadside had been diligently swept aside by sanitation workers, revealing the clean-washed green stone pavement. Boots stepped lightly upon it, indescribably agile.

The treetops on both sides still hung with shreds of firecracker papers from New Year’s Eve, falling finely and elongating in the snow, resembling the intermingling of red and white willow trees.

The place where she drank a big bowl of tea last night, a tea master was now sweeping the water accumulated on the pavement into the flower bed, splashing it onto the tea flowers, causing snow to flurry down.

"Yesterday, I met a genuine old man from Bianjing City," Su Ziceng had already briefly mentioned the old man’s story.

Pello didn’t regard the old man as just any ordinary old man. The advice he gave Su Ziceng was not something just anyone would think of, but Pello didn’t voice these thoughts.

The tea was still of the finest quality, except Su Ziceng did not order the "Da Hong Pao" recommended by the old man last night, but opted for Qihong tea, which is more suited to foreign palates. In the past two years, observing and perceiving seemed to have fully integrated into Su Ziceng’s being, becoming a habitual part of her daily life.

Pello watched with interest the tea master’s fluid motion of serving, watering, and brewing tea. He also saw the deep black tea leaves, which, upon being brewed, dyed the tea a glossy black, the fresh aroma dispersing the harsh winter chill, warming the body immediately after consumption.

Sitting opposite, Su Ziceng was focused on eating her shrimp dumplings. At breakfast, she had already complained that the hotel’s chef was incomparable to the tea house master, even persuading Pello to save his appetite for the tea house.

The warmth of Z country was well-reflected in Su Ziceng. Perhaps it was because she was away from Mo City, free from the constraints of the Su Family, or perhaps because there had been developments with the items at Subi Auction House, Su Ziceng radiated an invigorating enthusiasm at this moment.

Red chopsticks moved agilely through her fingers, not only filling her own bowl but frequently adding to Pello’s as well, until both their bowls were full. Then she suddenly grumbled, "I’d forgotten; they say foreigners don’t like others helping them with food." After skipping French classes, she had even forgotten some basic manners.

"No worries, you forgot, but I have Z country heritage," Pello laughed loudly, consuming the food in his bowl bit by bit.

Pello was always very measured in his actions, hence even his eating was controlled, but walking alongside Su Ziceng, for the first time, he ate until he was stuffed. His stomach was completely full, nearly spilling to his throat.

After leaving Jing Alley, the two wandered along the intertwined alleys, growing more dizzy as they walked. Drifting like darting sparrows, Su Ziceng managed to find a shortcut to Jiefang Square.

By taking the shortcut and heading downwards, it didn’t take long to reach Jiefang Square. Dusk had fallen, and to Su Ziceng’s delight, she learned that Bianjing City’s fireworks display lasted for three days, so they could witness the fireworks again today.

The old man from yesterday did not appear today, which somewhat disappointed Su Ziceng, but she still pulled Pello to the spot deemed "best for watching fireworks."

"It’s right here," Su Ziceng walked to a corner sheltered from the wind and snow, suddenly noticing that the old man had left his seat cushion behind, quietly lying there. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider casting your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)