BSS - Chapter 95
Chapter 95
By the time Deng Chuan finished her bowl of lamb soup, the atmosphere in the shop had reached its peak. A woman in her twenties or thirties with short hair came in, holding a selfie stick, either filming a video or live streaming. She was all smiles, her bright teeth flashing as she spoke to the camera.
She placed her order, asking for a beer first thing in the morning. The surrounding customers, having never seen anything like it, struck up a conversation with her in high spirits, and she answered every question.
Even the shop owner who brought over the lamb soup stood by her table, curiously glancing at her camera a few more times.
"Hey buddy, if you post this online, will we be able to see it?"
The woman turned her camera toward him and replied with a smile, "Of course. Just search your shop's name and you'll find it. I put it in the video title."
"Alright! Our shaomai is pretty good too, want to try some? Pure lamb."
"I'll have a portion then."
"Miss, do you get a salary for doing this kind of work?"
"I don't have a company, I do it myself. I post on all platforms. You can search for this…" The woman leaned over and typed her ID into an old man's phone at the next table. "Follow me and you'll see it."
And so, a group of old men and women began watching her videos on their phones.
They watched and chattered away, all seeming very happy. Deng Chuan took the napkin Xu Wei handed her, wiped her mouth, stood up, and headed outside.
Unexpectedly, the camera that had been aimed at the lamb soup suddenly swiveled around and focused on the two of them. "Hello, how was it? Is the lamb soup here good?"
Xu Wei was standing behind Deng Chuan and used her height to hide her face. But their intimate posture was still obvious at a glance.
Deng Chuan subtly shielded Xu Wei, who was trying to hide, and smiled politely at the camera. "It's very good. I like to add some pepper powder, it warms you up."
"You two aren't locals, huh?"
"No. We just arrived in Harbin yesterday."
To prevent the woman from asking more questions, Deng Chuan preemptively added, "We went to see the ice sculptures, they're beautiful. Central Street is also very pretty. We like the snow, and we like Harbin. We welcome everyone to come visit Harbin."
"Right, right, welcome everyone to Harbin… and welcome to you two, have a great time."
"Thank you." Deng Chuan gave a slight nod to the camera and led Xu Wei out. The interview had gone smoothly, the pacing was good, and she had her footage. The woman, satisfied, turned the camera back to her table. "Lamb soup. The ingredients are generous. This shop is quite famous, many people recommended it to me, and I finally made it here today…"
Outside, the wind was biting cold. The morning market, having sold most of its goods, was already starting to close down. Deng Chuan tucked Xu Wei's hand into her own coat pocket and asked in a low voice as they walked, "What's wrong?"
Just now, Xu Wei had seemed very resistant to the woman's camera, her entire aura turning cold. If Deng Chuan hadn't been holding her, she might have walked out first.
Xu Wei lowered her eyes, her fingers tracing lightly in Deng Chuan's palm. "It's nothing." She hesitated, thought for a moment, and finally said it aloud: "The internet is so developed now, there's no guarantee someone won't see us together…"
Hearing this, Deng Chuan was simply silent.
The sense of distance from the city of Harbin suddenly descended between them again, or perhaps it had never left.
Xu Wei seemed to want to say more but held back. After walking silently with Deng Chuan for a stretch, she added, "I'm not afraid of being seen. I just think it's better to avoid trouble. There's no need to announce our relationship to the world. As long as we know, that's enough."
She seemed afraid Deng Chuan might be angry, glancing at her expression cautiously as she spoke. Deng Chuan saw the timid, probing look in Xu Wei's eyes, lowered her head, and smiled gently at her. "I understand- then from now on, we'll try to avoid these people, okay?"
Xu Wei replied softly, "Okay."
It was just a small interlude. The two of them walked out along the morning market street. The air was cool and crisp, and Deng Chuan's mood unknowingly brightened again. There was a bus stop up ahead. They paused to look for a moment, undecided on where to go.
Just then, a bus pulled up. The driver, seeing them waiting at the stop, thoughtfully stopped in front of them and opened the doors.
Before Deng Chuan could react and tell the driver they weren't getting on, Xu Wei suddenly grabbed her, and they boarded the bus in a few quick steps.
It was the morning rush hour. The bus was mostly filled with white-collar workers carrying briefcases and elderly men and women with large bags of vegetables from the market at their feet. The two of them stuck out, drawing the attention of most of the passengers as soon as they got on.
The driver shouted for people to move to the back. Xu Wei pulled Deng Chuan toward the rear. People were packed tightly together, and they finally found a place to stand next to a large bag of green onions.
It was crowded and the space was small. Xu Wei naturally leaned into Deng Chuan's arms in what could be called a cuddling posture, though in the eyes of others, it was merely a product of the morning rush. She lifted her head slightly, touching the Little Friend's tense chin.
Deng Chuan held Xu Wei with one arm, her eyes warily scanning their surroundings. Feeling Xu Wei's light touch, she looked down at her, her voice very low and gentle. "What's wrong?"
In the morning light, Xu Wei's eyes were exceptionally clear. "Where are we going?"
Deng Chuan wrinkled her nose. "Anywhere." A hint of a confident smile touched her eyes as she added, "You pulled me on, weren't you thinking the same thing?"
Xu Wei loved this kind of tacit understanding. She couldn't help but smile too, her voice as sweet as honey. "Mhm!"
The bus swayed. Outside the window was a world of ice and snow. Piles of cleared snow lined the roadside. The sky, however, was exceptionally blue and vast, stretching endlessly.
The two were extremely close. Xu Wei's breath ghosted over Deng Chuan's exposed neck. Deng Chuan looked down at her. Xu Wei's face was hidden in her large down coat and hood, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes that made her look especially innocent and young. The tranquility and peace in her expression unknowingly calmed Deng Chuan's racing heart. She moved her fingertips, searching, and took hold of the hand Xu Wei had wrapped around her waist.
They exchanged a smile, enjoying this secret moment of tranquility.
More people gradually boarded the bus, the crowd moving toward the back. Deng Chuan stood her ground, steadily holding Xu Wei in her arms.
It seemed they had reached a central stop. More than half the people on the bus got off in a rush. The space around them opened up, and it would look strange to keep hugging. Xu Wei straightened up and stood next to Deng Chuan.
What she didn't know was that the way her body leaned unconsciously betrayed her. Anyone could see her reliance on and affection for the person standing beside her.
Although they had said "anywhere," Deng Chuan had still seriously checked the route. With her personality, she wouldn't fight an unprepared battle. Perhaps it really was fate; the bus they were on happened to go to the Saint Sophia Cathedral they wanted to visit. They just needed to get off at the Zhaolin Street stop ahead and walk for about three minutes.
Deng Chuan secretly glanced at Xu Wei, who was looking out the window, completely unaware. A long-lost feeling of anticipation welled up in her heart, like a student who had secretly done her homework, hoping for the teacher's favor.
The bus gradually came to a steady stop. The doors creaked open, and an electronic female voice announced the stop. As suddenly as Xu Wei had pulled Deng Chuan onto the bus, Deng Chuan now took Xu Wei's hand and pulled her off.
The cold air outside greeted them as expected. Their exposed skin was immediately reddened by the wind. Xu Wei didn't mind why Deng Chuan had suddenly pulled her off the bus. She just frowned, helped Deng Chuan pull up her mask, and looked at her reddened skin, letting Deng Chuan lead her forward with a determined grip.
Xu Wei was completely unaware that Deng Chuan had checked a map. She loved this determined, forward-marching spirit of hers. As they walked, she tilted her head and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Deng Chuan said, "I'm taking you to the place you want to go."
Her words were mysterious, but the Little Friend's tone was very serious. And so, in front of Deng Chuan, Xu Wei was willing to give up all thought and just let her lead the way.
The walk was short, only three minutes. They saw many tourists with cameras along the way. The cathedral's dark green dome revealed itself early against the blue sky and bare branches. Pine trees, snow-covered roofs, dark green benches by the road—everything seemed washed by the ice and snow, making it all look like a fairy tale. Pigeons flew over, hopping on the granite ground, coming right up to people's feet to beg for food, as entitled as if they were the masters.
Deng Chuan didn't say anything, and Xu Wei didn't ask. As they got closer, they saw the full, magnificent view of the cathedral: the well-preserved red brick exterior, the uniquely shaped bell tower, the snow-covered dome, and the golden cross at the top, shining in the air like the star on a Christmas tree.
In this foreign, eastern land, it stood quietly, perfect, elegant—a long-skirted maiden from the nineteenth century with flaxen hair. The wind and snow had passed, but her beauty remained.
In the square in front of the cathedral, there were large flocks of pigeons, fluttering their wings or strolling unhurriedly on the ground. There was a stall selling bingtanghulu, the rock sugar glittering brightly in the air.
Deng Chuan turned to look at Xu Wei. Her eyes were also shining, reflecting the scene before them. Her profile was serene, looking exceptionally pure in the snow. Xu Wei didn't look back at her, which stirred a vague, inexplicable panic in Deng Chuan's heart. She tightened her grip on Xu Wei's warm hand in her pocket, as if drawing strength from it, and asked softly, "Do you want to go have a closer look?"
Xu Wei nodded, finally turning to look at the Little Friend's face, a smile playing on her lips. "It's so beautiful here."
The teacher's favor she had hoped for was granted. Deng Chuan couldn't help but smile too, a smile mixed with a bit of the confidence Xu Wei liked. "I'm glad you like it."
Xu Wei said with equal certainty, "I do."
There was a newlywed couple taking wedding photos in the square. Xu Wei's gaze swept past them, unmoved. Deng Chuan stood beside her, buying her a bingtanghulu.
The two of them stood to one side of the square, sharing a skewer of candied hawthorns. Although many people were buying them, they weren't actually that delicious. Xu Wei took just one bite and frowned from the sourness of the hawthorn inside.
She forced herself to chew a few times and swallowed the hawthorn in her mouth, then instinctively licked her lips.
Deng Chuan couldn't help but stare at her for a few extra moments.
Xu Wei's lips were bright red, probably from the sugar threads on the outside of the hawthorn. Perhaps the stickiness was uncomfortable; she licked them again and again, unaccustomed to it. Her lips glistened, looking particularly alluring against the sharp, clear backdrop.
Deng Chuan gazed at her deeply. The hawthorn in her own mouth seemed to only now be stimulating her taste buds, both sour and sweet. She quietly swallowed, suddenly wanting to taste what those red lips tasted like.
Comments
Post a Comment