Winter Returns

Chapter 32 A Familiar Feeling (3rd Update)
"Did you two know each other before?"

“How could that be?” Before Gu Qiumian could speak, Zhang Shutong shook his head and said, “You’re overthinking it, teacher. I’ve never seen her before.”

Children from the same "big city" have completely different lifestyles;

Even if they had been to the same amusement park, it was only while they were waiting in long lines outside the main gate that the girl leisurely walked into the VIP passage; it wasn't impossible for her to have booked an annual pass.

He recalled how Gu Qiumian used to take the Pokémon off the island to play, and a long line of taxis headed toward the largest shopping plaza;

Then she stepped onto the gleaming marble floor, flanked by a dazzling array of fashion boutiques. She led the way, followed by people carrying shopping bags of all sizes. They were bound to go to a karaoke bar and book a huge private room... As for other entertainment options, Zhang Shutong's imagination was lacking, and she couldn't think of any for the time being.

The reason he thought this way was because he suddenly noticed that Gu Qiumian rarely wore the same clothes twice, except for that scarf, unlike himself, who could wear the same coat for a whole week.

So he found the whole thing quite dramatic. She was clearly a rich young lady who should have been living a carefree life, but instead, she was the one being retaliated against and her life was in danger. He really didn't know whether it was happiness or suffering.

"I have a feeling that something's not right between you two from the very beginning," Old Song persisted.

"Then you're mistaken."

Zhang Shutong had never realized Old Song was such a gossip. She wanted to roll her eyes but held back, deciding to let Gu Qiumian do it instead. The girl would definitely say irritably, "Ugh, teacher, aren't you annoying...?"

But nothing actually happened. Gu Qiu Mian seemed oblivious to their conversation, as if she had just emerged from a long river of memories. She belatedly nodded her chin and said calmly:
"Yes, I don't know him."

Without turning his head, he asked Zhang Shutong:

"I usually live in Luxiang. Where do you live?"

Zhang Shutong hadn't heard of the name before, but it sounded familiar. He figured it must be some famous, ultra-high-end residential community. In any case, given his family's circumstances, he shouldn't have heard of it. He mentioned a name similar in quality to "Warm Home," and sure enough, Gu Qiumian also said she hadn't heard of it.

"Then that's even more impossible," the girl said decisively.

Old Song's curiosity was dashed, and he muttered to himself:

"That's true, it's not like we're on an island. The provincial capital is much bigger than this..."

But no one echoed him, and the carriage seemed to fall silent again in an instant.

Zhang Shutong just wants to wait for Gu Qiumian to get home safely, hear what important things Old Song has to say about the girl, and then go do what he needs to do.

At this moment, Fox was about to drive onto a mountain road. The road ahead was open, with mountains on one side and a lake on the other, which meant that they were far away from the city. Song Nanshan relaxed here, turned on the radio, and even had the mood to tune the station.

A buzzing sound of electricity came through, sometimes mixed with a muffled female voice. He guessed the signal was bad. He tried to find the frequency band for a long time but couldn't, so he simply asked Gu Qiu Mian to find a disc in the armrest box.

With one eye on the road and the other on the armrest box, he gave instructions, "Yes, let's call it 'Poetry of Post-Youth,' and the cover will have a huge tree on it..."

The disc sputtered and the guitar strummed, and Song Nanshan didn't forget to introduce it:

"How about listening to Mayday? You kids all like their songs..."

Zhang Shutong didn't care; he was content to listen to music quietly. It was already dark, and a few drops of water had appeared on the windshield at some point. As the car moved forward, the water droplets accumulated more and more.

It's raining.

It happened so suddenly, without any warning. For some reason, Zhang Shutong felt that coming along might have been the right decision.

The windshield wipers swept aimlessly, the yellow candlelight illuminated the road ahead, and only the singing could be heard. The carriage became dim, and perhaps this sudden drizzle washed away some pretense, allowing Zhang Shutong to discover that the three people present actually had their own thoughts.

He looked out the window and realized that Gu Qiumian walked this road every day, and the scenery was only so-so.

The car was driving on a dimly lit road.

The car wasn't in good condition. By today's standards, it was an outdated car that was obsolete in every way. But even by 2012 standards, it wasn't exactly new. It might have been a used car before it came into Lao Song's possession. Every time it went over a bumpy road, the chassis would creak and groan, and Zhang Shutong would get quite a jolt from the bumps. This was something he had never noticed before.

It was only now that I noticed that, apart from the chassis, the gray-white cloth interior had turned yellow, there was a hole in the headliner, the seats were exposing the foam, and the slush molding on the center console had cracks. This little car has been with Lao Song for so many years, and it has really had a rough time.

But Song Nanshan is just that kind of rough guy.

He probably doesn't care about these things.

For some reason, there was a Bulbasaur figurine on the center console. The Pokémon had a metal spring attached to its belly, and it would wobble every time we drove over a rough road. The figurine was probably the newest thing in the car, and it was well-preserved, as if he had just bought it while shopping yesterday, although it was a little faded upon closer inspection.

That little guy was kind of ugly-cute, with a big mouth and blue skin. It was said to be the most docile and gentle of the starter Pokémon. Zhang Shutong didn't know why Lao Song kept it in the car before. Maybe he was driving too fast and was afraid of an accident, so he put it in the car in an attempt to get the blessing of Bulbasaur.

But now there is a new answer.

He asked if the frog was bought by Lao Song's ex-girlfriend, and the man nodded and said yes. After saying that, he grinned and flicked the garlic clove at the turtle.
"Actually, I bought it as a gift for her, to be a decoration on the table. But she glued it to my car. This ugly thing, if it weren't glued so tightly, I would have thrown it away a long time ago."

Zhang Shutong thought to himself that Lao Song was also a proud and arrogant person, and an old one at that.

Unexpectedly, Old Song suddenly said:

"But once it's thrown away, you can't buy it again. This is a pirated copy. I shouldn't have bought a pirated copy to save trouble. Look at this turtle's eyes, aren't they yellow?"

Zhang Shutong looked closely and realized that the yellow-eyed Bulbasaur was indeed a one-of-a-kind specimen.

He couldn't smoke in the car, so he started rambling:

"In the amusement park I just told you about, there was a stall that sold them for 20 yuan each. They would only cost 5 yuan elsewhere. I had just started working and was dirt poor, but I thought romance was the most important thing in the world, so I gritted my teeth and bought them."

"After buying it, I found out her favorite was a yellow mouse, or at least a blue turtle. She said this frog would be the ugliest when it grows up, and when I searched it online, it really was. Are the people at the game company out of their minds? Why not just draw a cute pet that girls would like? Why make a frog so ugly? What did the frog do to you...?"

At that moment, the radio changed the song, and he suddenly stopped talking. He seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and then listened quietly. Zhang Shutong also listened to a few lines. The song title seemed to be "Like Smoke".

The car entered the curve to the sound of music. As the car turned, a minivan suddenly appeared in the opposite direction, driving very fast. One of its wheels had already crossed the center line. Zhang Shutong kept staring ahead. Before he could remind him, Song Nanshan immediately turned the steering wheel sharply, making the tires screech.

The two cars barely passed each other, but the Focus's right rearview mirror had already scraped against the mountainside.

"...How did you drive?"

Old Song wanted to curse, but he held back because of the two students around him. He dared not relax his vigilance at this moment, gripping the steering wheel with both hands and slowing down the speed.

The car's headlights illuminated the slanting raindrops, and after a long silence, they finally lit up the buildings in front of us.

(End of this chapter)