Winter Returns

Chapter 81 The incomprehensible style
One cannot step into the same river twice.

This quote is likely from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus.

The reason it suddenly popped into her head was that Zhang Shutong finally figured out the difference between Gu Qiumian's shampoo and conditioner.

He had already finished showering.

It's strange, to be honest, I always take a shower every time I come here. But last time it rained and today it snowed, I always seem to run into bad weather.

People's perception of something is composed of a series of partial impressions. If, many years later, someone asks Zhang Shutong what this villa means to him, he will probably say it means good food and hot baths.

It was a little past nine o'clock. He was sitting on the sofa, wearing neatly ironed pajamas, clothes specially prepared for guests, which had a faint smell of disinfectant.

There was a television in front of him, but it wasn't a football match playing; instead, it was a late-night movie in English, without subtitles. Old Song was watching it with great interest.

Behind me, snow was drifting down from the French windows. Unlike rain, snow falls silently; you only realize it has piled up in the courtyard when you turn around.

He was sitting upright because he was on the phone with his mother.

She actually came home today, which is quite rare for her.

"Teacher Song's car broke down, so she'll be staying at a classmate's house tonight..."

"Yes, not Qingyi and the others, but the other students..."

"Thankfully, I have a change of clothes, so I won't catch a cold..."

My mom is indeed an open-minded mom. She didn't ask who the classmate was, nor did she act like most parents, yelling that it was wrong for you to stay at someone else's house and that she would come to pick you up. She also didn't say, "Give the phone number to the teacher so I can confirm."

At most, she would tease her by asking if she was a female classmate, but Zhang Shutong was most afraid of that question.

Fortunately, they managed to get away with it.

It wasn't exactly "bluffing." My mother was a clever woman; she quickly guessed that my classmate was Gu Qiu Mian. Of course, she didn't say her name, but rather:

"Is that the girl you were worried about this afternoon? You wouldn't happen to be Boss Gu's daughter?"

Zhang Shutong was very curious about how she guessed it, but she only said it was a woman's intuition.

A woman's intuition, like a man's romance, is something that often lies and is highly adaptable, but which can leave you speechless at crucial moments.

She asked a few more questions, and Zhang Shutong answered truthfully. She wondered why her mother didn't press the matter further, but her mother smiled and said, "When you're out in the world, of course your son's face is the most important. If I keep such a strict discipline on you, you won't be able to hold your head up in front of your female classmates."

Or do you want me to gossip a bit?

Zhang Shutong certainly didn't want that, so the mother and son's call ended there.

He doesn't dare to use his phone anymore; the little thing runs out of battery very easily, so he has to take good care of it.

Old Song was watching TV leisurely. For men, the impression of a villa is probably that the color TV is very big.

Zhang Shutong wasn't in the mood for that. He leaned back on the sofa, subconsciously rubbing his damp hair, thinking about the forbidden zone and Lu Qinglian.

The nanny has already gone back to her room.

The TV volume was turned down to the lowest setting, and only one light was left on in the living room.

Gu Qiumian was taking a shower on the second floor.

Her room has a private bathroom.

"Still not over it?" Old Song said casually. "My good disciple, learn from your master. Look at me, I don't care at all. I've already asked for leave for tomorrow."

That's right, Lao Song just spoke with the head of the teaching department on the phone and explained what happened tonight.

Although there is a garage outside the villa with tools inside, the tire is flat and can't be repaired. I can only find someone to bring a new tire up the mountain tomorrow.

So strictly speaking, they not only need to find lodging today, but they also cannot guarantee that they will arrive at school on time tomorrow morning.

There aren't even any gas stations on the island, and there's only one so-called auto repair shop, which is far from professional. You're lucky if they even deliver a tire.

Old Song just called and arranged to come over around 7 o'clock to change the tire.

Zhang Shutong noticed that the homeroom teacher was actually quite excited, as if he had found a legitimate excuse to slack off.

"It's been so long since I've stayed up all night," Old Song said, the only downside of the villa being that you can't smoke. "The last time was when I was in college, you know? A few of us would have a party, with a table full of beer. Oh, beer wasn't allowed, we all drank baijiu (Chinese liquor), and we wouldn't stop until we were drunk. But now that I'm a teacher, all of that is gone."

"What does the teacher usually do at home?"

"Watch the game, write lesson plans, play cards. Oh, by the way, do you know how to play cards? How about I teach you two, and the three of us can play cards?"

Never mind, the landlord is taking a bath upstairs.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself.

He wasn't in the mood to play cards today and actually wanted to go back to his room to be alone for a while, but Gu Qiumian hadn't come down yet, and he felt a bit... Zhang Shutong didn't know how to say it, but he just felt it wasn't a good idea, so he decided to wait until she finished showering before saying anything.

Old Song was quite disappointed.

The two chatted casually. Zhang Shutong took a moment to send a message to Qingyi, asking him to look up the legend of the Green Snake Temple. He vaguely remembered that they had discussed the "profession of temple keeper" in the group chat. At that time, Zhang Shutong did not take it seriously, but now he wanted to find out the answer.

Information on the internet is limited, but Qingyi's father had a large collection of books, which might include records from local chronicles.

Zhang Shutong turned off his phone screen again and stared blankly at the TV. In fact, he didn't pay any attention to what was being shown until a refreshing scent of shower gel and a wisp of moisture wafted over to him.

Zhang Shutong turned around and saw a girl in a burgundy velvet bathrobe standing behind her. The bathrobe revealed her swan-like long neck, and she was fanning her face with her hands. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked almost ripe.

It is said that the bath water for girls is extremely hot.

The term "Bai Fumei" is still relatively new, and it perfectly describes her. If anything is not quite right, it's because the degree is not high enough; it should be "super fair-skinned, super rich, and super beautiful."

The young lady immediately asked to change the movie. Old Song was watching Wuthering Heights, and she said that the surroundings were already creepy enough. "Teacher, could you change it to a comedy? I want to watch Stephen Chow."

"A Chinese Odyssey?"

"A prank expert." Gu Qiumian raised her chin.

Zhang Shutong didn't know why the two of them were so excited. It wasn't like this last time they stayed over; everyone should have gone back to their rooms much earlier.

Then he thought, last time they caught the arsonist, but nothing happened today, he just went for a drive, and he was the only one who was still feeling uneasy.

He stood up, said goodnight, and prepared to go upstairs.

Gu Qiu Mian was unhappy and said, "You're so boring. Why are you going to bed so early?"

Zhang Shutong couldn't explain it; everyone has their own expertise, and even henchmen are different. He wasn't responsible for playing games with his clients; he was only responsible for saving lives.

At this point, Lao Song also advised, "It's more fun watching comedies with a lot of people. If you leave, what will Qiu Mian and I be doing here? Sometimes you have to learn to join in the fun."

Zhang Shutong sat down again, not because he was convinced by these words, but because Qingyi hadn't returned the call, and because he remembered what Lao Song had told him last time—that he should have some human touch, etc. Actually, Zhang Shutong didn't really understand what human touch was, but he thought he might as well join in the fun.

If they want to watch, they can just sit on the sidelines and create a lively atmosphere.

Old Song picked up the remote control, and while the opening credits were playing, Gu Qiu Mian ran off in her slippers to the refrigerator to get some yogurt, asking the two of them if they wanted some.

What's going on here? Are they really having a movie party?
Old Song raised his cup and said there was coffee in it, ignore it.

Zhang Shutong glanced at it, only reminding her that it was cold. She then pouted but put it back with her eyes crinkled, turned around and found a glass of room-temperature juice, humming as she asked, "Is this okay?"

Zhang Shutong didn't really care what he drank, so he nodded and said, "Anything is fine... No, that's okay."

Then Gu Qiumian turned off the living room lights. She was holding two cups in one hand and pinching the handle of the juice carton in the other. She looked quite busy. She then jogged back to the sofa, the sash of her bathrobe fluttering beside her slender waist.

The living room sofas are arranged in the same "L" shape as their teaching building, with the shorter side forming a separate group, which was occupied by Lao Song;

Zhang Shutong had been sitting on the long side. At this moment, Gu Qiumian also came to the sofa. Zhang Shutong glanced at her, but she was only staring at the TV with an expectant and focused expression. Then she kicked off her slippers, curled up her legs to one side, and sank herself into the sofa.

For some reason, she looked alluring in this bathrobe. Her snow-white skin was breathtaking. Gu Qiumian rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the side of the sofa. You could see the ruby-like manicure on her toes. The television screen flickered in the dim light of the living room, and each ruby ​​sparkled.

The movie opens with Andy Lau and Stephen Chow in the lead roles, and Rosamund Kwan and Chingmy Yau in the lead roles – a truly star-studded cast. Zhang Shutong has seen the movie and found it somewhat entertaining, but the character of Miss Gu has an extremely low threshold for laughter.

Zhang Shutong is not used to watching movies with people who have a low threshold for laughter.

This reminded him of when he went to the movies with his three best friends. Ruoping was usually paired with Dukang. Both of them had a low threshold for laughter. They not only liked to laugh heartily, but also always whispered to each other about the plot. They got along very well.
Zhang Shutong sat with Qingyi. Regardless of whether it was a comedy, tragedy, horror, or even a bad movie, the two calmly held their popcorn throughout the entire film. Whoever's expression changed first was considered the loser. They were clearly very well-mannered audience members. He patiently continued watching. The movie wasn't exactly unfunny, but it at most made him move his facial muscles and didn't really make him laugh out loud. Gu Qiumian, on the other hand, laughed so hard she was shaking.

The high-end sofa was indeed very soft. When she smiled with her eyes crinkled, the surface of the sofa rippled like water. Zhang Shutong was a little helpless and moved to the side, thinking to herself, "Can you please stop kicking your feet like that?"

My phone vibrated; it was Qingyi replying to my message.

He shifted his gaze to the screen, muted the text chat, and Qingyi actually found some information about the legend of the Green Snake Temple. Zhang Shutong immediately became interested and asked the other party to tell him in detail.

The sofa stopped undulating, and Zhang Shutong subconsciously turned his head to see Gu Qiumian frowning at him.

Aren't you watching a movie?

At that moment, Qingyi asked for a phone call. He shook his phone and stood up gently.

I can show my support when things are going well, but when it comes to important matters, I can't blame myself.

Zhang Shutong didn't want to disturb their movie viewing, so he went straight to the elevator and pressed the answer button.

It's much easier to talk to Qingyi.

"Shutong, it's a bit noisy over there."

"Wait a minute, it'll be ready soon."

The elevator doors then closed.

Zhang Shutong said that he felt comfortable communicating with her.

Qingyi asked:

Why did you suddenly decide to look this up?

His words were concise and to the point:

"I ran into Lu Qinglian in the penalty area tonight."

"What's going on? What were you doing in the restricted area? And it's been snowing all night, hasn't it?"

Zhang Shutong briefly explained and expressed his concerns.

"Hmm, so you mainly want to figure out what she was doing by the water?"

"More or less," Zhang Shutong said as he went up to the second floor. "But I didn't find anything else at the time, so I was thinking that this kind of behavior can't be explained by common sense. Could it be related to the supernatural, like a ritual?"

“Then you’ll have to find the offerings first,” Qingyi joked. “Besides, you know about this, it’s the festival every summer. I haven’t noticed any other customs, especially the ones you mentioned, the ones related to water.”

"So what do you think she was doing going there so late at night?"

"Who knows? Why don't you let Du Kang guess? He's good at this." Qingyi said straightforwardly. "Or let me tell you what I found out. There are two legends about the temple. One says that the green snake cultivated itself into a human and had offspring. Its descendants became the temple keepers, and the lineage has continued to this day. What do you think of their credibility?"

“Oh, the Legend of the White Snake,” Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then it should be the Legend of the Green Snake.” Qingyi laughed. “And then there’s something else very interesting. You know, many people on our island go to temples to burn incense and pray for all sorts of things, like wealth and peace, many children and blessings, freedom from disasters and illnesses, and success in the college entrance exam and the high school entrance exam… But these things have only become popular in recent years with the internet. Actually, in the beginning, the so-called Green Snake Temple only cared about one thing. Can you guess what it was?”

"what?"

“Longevity.” Qingyi uttered two words. “This relates to another legend. It is said that the green snake that was worshipped has never died. As a snake, it keeps shedding its skin and shedding its skin again and again, so its lifespan is infinitely long. It grows bigger and bigger, and it is still alive now.”

"Are there really snakes in there?" Zhang Shutong thought of the snake-shaped stick.

"Of course it's fake. I've been there before. It's just a big wooden carving. But actually, there's a story behind it. You've heard of the concept of the five elements' mutual restraint, right?"

Zhang Shutong hummed in agreement.

"Then guess why it's a wood carving, and not some other material? Never mind, I'll just reveal the answer. Think about it, isn't that temple on a mountain? Can't a mountain be considered 'earth'? Wood overcomes earth, so only a wood carving can suppress this mountain, or rather, the entire island beneath it."

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment:

"But it still has nothing to do with the lakeside."

“Yes.” You could almost see Qingyi shrug. “And according to you, when you parted the reeds, you made quite a commotion, so you should have been noticed long ago. But she didn’t run away then; she was just squatting by the lake. But when she saw you, she suddenly ran away. That’s the strangest thing I find.”

Zhang Shutong also found this point to be the most unsettling.

Lu Qinglian was very mysterious, which he had expected, but she always seemed indifferent whenever he saw her. This was the first time she had suddenly run away like tonight.

"Do you have any good ideas? My mind is temporarily stuck," Zhang Shutong said, feeling a headache coming on.

"Shall we test the waters tomorrow?"

"She's already run away. Anyway, she's very suspicious. She's got too much debt to bear, so she definitely won't tell the truth."

"Then should we forcefully interrogate them?"

"...We can't beat them."

"Ah, indeed."

After a moment of silence, Zhang Shutong spoke again:
"I feel like I need to figure out what she's doing. The feeling she gives me right now... isn't good."

"Why don't we just go around her?" Qingyi suggested. "If we can't beat her, we can at least avoid her. Her grandmother is at the temple, so why don't we just go and ask her?"

It seems like a solution that's not really a solution.

Hopefully, it's a kind old man.

Zhang Shutong nodded and prepared to go to the temple the next day.

There was still one problem that hadn't been solved, so he described the situation of the Gu family villa again:
"How do you think someone could get in if they wanted to harm Gu Qiu Mian?"

Qingyi is good in this respect. If it were someone else, the focus at this time would definitely be, how do you know so much about Gu Qiumian's family situation, or why are you paying attention to Gu Qiumian.

But Qingyi simply fell into deep thought, following his train of thought, before finally saying:

Are you sure you've ruled out her nanny and bodyguards?

"Yes, that's for sure."

Zhang Shutong recalled the intelligence from eight years later. This was an unsolved case. If these people really did it, let alone being "certain," even the slightest "suspicion" would be enough for Gu's father, with his influence, to ensure they didn't get away with it.

"Then describe her door to me again?"

"Whether it's the gate or the main gate, they're all electronic, they can be accessed by facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. I've studied it, it's very difficult to climb over them."

Qingyi said:

"Well, to digress a bit, I was reminded of those high-tech crimes in movies, where they copy a person's fingerprints or face and then fool the system. Ha, but that's just in movies, it has no practical value."

Zhang Shutong agreed with this.

There are countless bizarre and outlandish ideas; he even said the murderer could shrink his body. There's no point in guessing like that.

"If that's the case, I suggest you..."

Just as the two were at their wits' end, Zhang Shutong's ears twitched as he heard the elevator doors open.

"I'll hang up now, it's not convenient here. I'll call you back in a bit."

Zhang Shutong said in a low voice.

"OK Bye Bye."

He put away his phone, intending to wait until Gu Qiumian returned to her room before talking to her, but the footsteps grew closer and closer until a knock came at the door.

Zhang Shutong paused for a moment, then opened the door.

Standing outside the door was the alluring girl in a burgundy nightgown, her red lips pursed, looking furious.

But why did she come to my room?

Are you leaving halfway through to come and settle accounts?
(End of this chapter)