Winter Returns

Chapter 100: The Memory of the Octopus (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)
The folk remedy Zhang Shutong knew was to apply toothpaste.

However, it's hard to say whether this method is actually effective. You can try it yourself, but you're too embarrassed to ask Gu Qiu Mian in front of her.

They must have a first-aid kit at home.

He swallowed those words and told her that it was okay... but what should be done about these blisters?

Should I prick it with a needle, or put on a band-aid?

He saw Gu Qiumian turn on the cold water, rinse her fingers, and then blow on them.

She didn't even shake her hands, and the water droplets slid down her fingers, soon her cuffs were slightly damp.

Zhang Shutong handed her the towel, and she wiped her hands without saying thank you.

"Do you remember where the towel is?" she asked in return.

"I have a good memory."

“Oh,” she said coldly, “you have a really good memory. I thought you were a fish that only lasted seven seconds.”

It seems like I shouldn't have said that; saying it made her even angrier.

Zhang Shuyu had no choice but to put the towel back on the shelf and go to the dining table.

The dining table, several meters long, finally came in handy, with eight people filling it completely. The nanny initially didn't want to sit at the table because there were too many people, but she was persuaded to stay by the unanimous objections of the others.

Gu Qiumian sat in the main seat.

This time, Zhang Shutong sat next to Lu Qinglian.

He asked in a low voice:

"I'm planning to stay here for a while after I finish eating. Do you have any other plans?"

Lu Qinglian was chewing a piece of green vegetable in small bites, and habitually squinted her eyes.

She swallowed the food in her mouth before frowning and saying:
"Not yet, but why haven't you told her about the footprints?"

"I didn't get a chance to talk to her."

"Any other clues?"

"Gone."

Do you think she'll come back?

"It's possible. This is the second time, including this morning. I'm not sure if there was a third time."

"Then let's wait a little longer." Lu Qinglian picked up another piece of scrambled eggs with her chopsticks. "The movie theater you mentioned earlier is underground?"

Zhang Shutong wanted to say that it wasn't a movie theater, but he was too lazy to correct her wording. Who knew what Lu Qinglian would interpret it that way?

"Yes, the basement level."

"I'll wait for you upstairs." She thought for a moment, "That way I can notice immediately if anyone comes."

"I'm upstairs too."

“No need.” She shook her head gently. “Excuse me for being frank, but that stretch of road just now proved that even if you found something, you wouldn’t be able to catch up. Besides, I want to be alone for a while.”

It was a little embarrassing, but Zhang Shutong knew she had volunteered to be her bodyguard. "Then I'll trouble you."

“I’ve already done you a favor by eating this meal, it’s only right,” she said casually. “And you don’t need to feel like you owe me anything. I’m not helping you, I’m helping myself, it just so happens that our goals overlap. But that’s all predicated on the fact that you actually saw that figure.”

Zhang Shutong nodded, thinking the conversation was over, but then Lu Qinglian asked again:
"what is this?"

She picked up a slice of king oyster mushroom and placed it on the plate.

His tone was calm and collected, but he was asking a very basic question.

It's a bit fun.

"King oyster mushroom, a type of fungus."

He thought this was quite common, but then he thought that she might not have seen any of the ingredients that weren't produced on the island.

"Have you ever eaten hot pot?" Zhang Shutong couldn't help but ask.

"Don't take me for a fool." Lu Qinglian looked at him expressionlessly.

As she said this, Zhang Shutong noticed that she was picking up king oyster mushrooms more frequently afterward.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that she tried every dish, but she wasn't greedy and only ate a little. In the end, she quietly ate rice with a plate of stir-fried vegetables.

"Not to your liking?"

"Just try it."

They seem like Puritans.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the so-called "temple keeper".

Zhang Shutong felt that she clearly loved to eat, and she had a sense of novelty when eating each dish. After all, she could even eat salted apples with relish, but she was deliberately restraining herself.

Zhang Shutong didn't know what to say; everyone has their own code of conduct.

Besides, he wasn't the owner of this place, so it was strange for him to tell her to eat more.

The meal ended quickly.

The group helped clear the dishes, and the restaurant became chaotic. As planned, they went downstairs to watch a movie.

Zhang Shutong actually wanted to stay up there, but he remembered what happened at the movie last night. If he still didn't fit in, Gu Qiumian would probably have a lot of complaints, so he decided to go down instead.

They took the elevator down to basement level. Along the way, Du Kang and Qing Yi were overwhelmed with attention, especially Du Kang, who even unconsciously lowered his voice.

Gu Qiu Mian then asked the group what they wanted to see, but everyone declined, and after a long time, no one came to a conclusion. Finally, Zhang Shutong suggested:

"How about watching Stephen Chow's movies? They're exciting. I recommend 'Tricky Master'." He knew Gu Qiu Mian wanted to watch that.

But Miss Gu just happened to choose A Chinese Odyssey.

Zhang Shutong had been to the downstairs movie theater once before, and this time he observed it carefully. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a small movie theater. The walls were covered with special sound-absorbing materials, there were two large speakers next to the screen, and colored spotlights were installed overhead to create an atmosphere for singing.

A long sofa was placed opposite the screen. Gu Qiu Mian sat on the far left. No one offered to sit next to her except Zhang Shutong, who sat down next to the girl. Qingyi sat on the other side. The movie started and the lights went out.

In the darkness, Zhang Shutong smelled the familiar fragrance again.

The reason it's just a smell is because the sofa is very long, and sitting together would never involve physical contact.

"What's wrong with you today?" Zhang Shutong asked in a low voice.

But there was no response. He suspected that the movie was too loud and Gu Qiu Mian hadn't heard him clearly, so he moved a little closer to her.

Zhang Shutong asked again, and this time she heard him clearly.

"What's wrong?" Gu Qiumian asked, looking at the screen.

"You sounded perfectly fine on the phone, didn't you?"

"Who's on your side?"

"Well done" is a colloquial expression that means your attitude on the phone is normal.

But things are not normal now.

It's not like you were nice to me on the phone, but you're not nice to me now.

Zhang Shutong felt that she had misunderstood him.

"I have two scores to settle with you."

Zhang Shutong listened attentively. "First, what did you promise me last night?"

"I'll no longer hide it from you; it concerns your personal safety."

"So how did you do that?"

"Someone ran up the mountain."

"You think I didn't find out later? Teacher Song called me several times, telling me to be careful upstairs." She must have been holding it in for a long time, because she said a whole string of words in one breath.

Zhang Shutong wanted to say that at that time he was still unsure about Lu Qinglian's attitude, so he didn't dare to take you to the Green Snake Temple.

"What about the second one?"

"The first one isn't enough?"

“Enough, enough,” he sighed. “I’m not good.”

Why didn't you answer my call?

Have it?

Zhang Shutong was taken aback.

"We were up in the mountains at the time, so there might have been no signal?"

She scoffed and resumed her aloof demeanor.

"What's the second debt?"

Zhang Shutong had a general idea of ​​the first one, but he really couldn't figure out what the second one was.

"I don't want to tell you that you disturbed my movie."

Zhang Shutong was stunned again.

"Shh." She put her hand to her lips, signaling that she was ignoring them.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

See a movie.

A Chinese Odyssey is arguably one of the most well-known films, and one of its most memorable lines is:
"Once you put on this golden headband, you will no longer be an ordinary person. You will not be tainted by worldly desires. If you are tempted, this golden headband will tighten on your head, causing you unbearable pain."

Zhang Shutong watched it when he took a break from high school and was quite moved by it. Now, he is too embarrassed to say how much he empathized with it back then and how his eyes welled up with tears. The past is like smoke, and it's all in the past.

Some movies leave a deep impression on you. It's not that they're bad, but you would never want to watch them a second time because they can stir up things buried deep in your heart.

He stared intently at the screen, a jumble of memories flashing through his mind. He couldn't recall when they happened, but they had definitely occurred.

Zhang Shutong lowered his eyes. His memories of high school to university were incomplete. It wasn't that any part was missing, but rather that they were fragmented. Yes, fragments. These fragments drifted in the ocean of his memories, floating there forever. At first glance, they seemed to be all there, but it was always difficult to piece them together into a complete shape.

He has always had a good memory, but only during this period did he remember what happened, but not the exact date.

If possible, he thinks we should watch some comedies. Is A Chinese Odyssey a comedy? I don't know, but the first half was quite funny.

Zhang Shutong would rather watch Roman Holiday again.

He was a little preoccupied and wanted to space out for a while, but someone didn't want him to. Gu Qiu Mian moved closer to him this time.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong?"

"You get upset after I say a few words to you? Why are you so petty?" Gu Qiumian pouted.

"I'm not unhappy," he said, both amused and exasperated.

"Really?"

"real."

"Then come closer, I have something to say." She patted the spot next to her.

Zhang Shutong leaned his head closer.

"traitor."

A warm, moist sensation came from beside my ear.

It was the breath she gently blew when she spoke.

But Zhang Shutong couldn't understand why she had betrayed her again.

What about the chocolate with Ruoping last time?

"What exactly is the second debt you mentioned?"

"That's it."

"That's it?" Zhang Shutong turned his head and met her bright eyes in the darkness.

"Isn't this enough?" Her eyes glared at him, then moved closer to his back. Gu Qiu Mian's face hardened again. "Don't get so close to me, it's so hot. If your friends see this, they'll think we're very close."

Zhang Shutong then returned to Qingyi's side.

"You're back?" Qingyi also stared at the screen.

"Ah, you're back," Zhang Shutong said helplessly.

"How about it?"

"do not know."

"That's normal. Girls' thoughts are hard to guess."

"I feel so too."

"So I won't guess. I feel more comfortable hanging out with guys."

Zhang Shutong agreed. He also rarely played with girls when he was a child, and of course, he didn't make many friends back then. He only met three close friends in junior high school, and over the years, his best female friend has only been Ruoping.

Halfway through the movie, he quietly yawned. He wanted to take out his phone to ask Lao Song if there was anything unusual on it, but then again, it was really inconvenient that Lu Qinglian didn't even have a phone. Actually, Zhang Shutong would have preferred to ask her directly.

Although he knew that if the other party didn't take the initiative to ask Song Nanshan to contact him, it meant nothing had happened, he still wanted to confirm it.

He turned his phone screen brightness to its lowest setting and was just about to open the chat window to type when a muffled thud suddenly came from behind him. Zhang Shutong paused and immediately grabbed Gu Qiumian's arm.

"Don't go anywhere."

He moved a little too roughly and almost pulled the girl into his arms. Before Gu Qiumian could speak, Zhang Shutong lowered his head and quickly dialed Lao Song's number.

The sound was coming from upstairs.

Everyone was shocked.

"what's the situation……"

"not……"

While they were still stunned, Zhang Shutong had already turned on the light and calmly said:
"Wait downstairs for a moment, I'll go up first."

He and Qingyi exchanged a glance, and the other party nodded. But this time, the call was already connected before he could even enter the elevator.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Old Song's voice sounded startled, "It's just that the photo fell down."

"What photo caused such a stir?" Zhang Shutong asked instinctively.

"It looks like a family photo, it just suddenly fell down..."

(End of this chapter)