Liu Changan and An Nuan went to eat fish stew with bitter melon, which was a rare specialty. Even in the birthplace of Jun Sha, there were not many restaurants that had this dish.
The fish was sturgeon, which was boiled in soup. It was tender and smooth. The pot was hung on the stove, and the bitter melon was sliced and put into the pot fresh. They ate the fish first, then drank the soup. The soup was especially fresh and delicious, leaving an endless aftertaste.
An Nuan used the excuse of asking for the password to the wireless network and went to pay the bill first.
"I won a dine and dash on the app, so it's on the house." An Nuan returned to her seat, revealing a proud and happy smile. "This luck is really unparalleled."
"I believe whatever you say." Liu Changan said with a smile.
An Nuan's cheeks turned red. She knew that Liu Changan's living conditions were very ordinary, so she naturally felt pity for him. She was not the kind of girl who liked to take advantage of others. A meal of fish stew with bitter melon cost almost 200 yuan. It was not much for An Nuan, but it could make Liu Changan skip school for a day to earn money.
An Nuan also did not want Liu Changan to know her thoughts. After all, she was a girl with her own reservations. Moreover, she did not want Liu Changan to have any feelings that would hurt his self-esteem. Although he usually looked indifferent and did not care about anything, which boy at this age did not have some vanity and pride?
"I didn't know you were so good at basketball." An Nuan tried to change the topic. She picked up a piece of fish, put it between her lips, and blew on it.
The fish was tender, and An Nuan's lips were rosy and delicate. Although there were some traces of friction on her nose, it did not hinder the view.
Liu Changan withdrew his gaze from her lips and shook his head. "I only made a shot. How can you tell that I'm good at basketball?"
"That's still very powerful." An Nuan glanced at Dandan. Thinking about it carefully, she still found it a little unbelievable. He could serve the ball like that and shoot the ball like that, but if Liu Changan said that he didn't know how to play volleyball and basketball, An Nuan would also believe it. That was because they had known each other for three years, but An Nuan had never seen Liu Changan play on the court. At most, his volleyball and basketball basic exam results during the physical education exam were not bad.
"After the college entrance exam … I'll practice volleyball with you. I'm confident about this." Liu Changan said hesitantly. He knew An Nuan's wish was to win the championship of the Volleyball League on behalf of the Affiliated High School. In Liu Changan's eyes, the Affiliated High School's volleyball team was not good enough. However, among the teams participating in the Volleyball League, the Affiliated High School's volleyball team was among the best. As the main force, if An Nuan could perform well, she might be able to get what she wanted.
"Okay."
The corners of An Nuan's mouth curled up slightly, revealing her porcelain white teeth. That smile spread from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were filled with a faint, sweet, and expectant smile.
After knowing each other for three years, Liu Changan rarely took the initiative to do something for others.
"I'm a training partner that's worth a bitter melon stewed fish," Liu Changan said.
So that's it … It's just a gift in return. An Nuan was still smiling and nodding slightly. This was Liu Changan's personality. She was probably thinking too much just now.
After the bitter melon stewed fish, they went back to their respective homes. An Nuan lived in the teachers' district of Xiangnan University. Liu Changan had to walk a distance to the Junjiang Bridge. After crossing the bridge, it would take another fifteen minutes … With Liu Changan's unsteady walking style, it was normal for him to walk for half an hour.
The streets were bustling, and there were many unfamiliar faces coming and going, forming the bustling city center. Some were cold, some were forced, and some were smiling. Liu Changan stopped in his tracks and looked up at the television program on the outdoor screen.
Song in the Cloud.
Yang Ying played the fictional character Yun Ge. Mao Xiaotong played the youngest Empress Xiaozhao in history. Empress Xiaozhao, Empress Dowager Xiaozhao, Empress Dowager Xiaozhao … This legendary woman became the Empress of Han Zhao Emperor at the age of six. When she became Empress Dowager, she was only 15 years old. However, she was able to depose Liu He, who had just become the Emperor.
According to unofficial history, this Empress Dowager Xiaozhao was a virgin throughout her life.
The characters portrayed in the television dramas ultimately did not have the confidence to rule over the world, even if the one with the greatest power at that time was her maternal grandfather, Grand Marshal Huo Guang, who could depose the emperor. Xiao Zhao's power could not be compared to Empress Lu's.
However, the Empress Dowager of Han Dynasty could call herself "Zhen". She could depose the Emperor and the imperial edict to depose Liu He.
At the age of 15, Xiaozhao's temperament was already uncontrollable by the female stars.
This was probably the trace left by Xiaozhao in the history books.
Liu Changan still smiled. That was 2100 years ago.
He remembered a poem from that time:
"Shangxie, I wish to know you, to live a long life."
This was, after all, a very difficult thing to do. It was hard to talk about eternity in a short life. Even Liu Changan could not guarantee eternity. Two thousand years had passed since this poem was written. The young girl in the poem could not do it. Even if the mountains were barren, the rivers were dry, the thunder in winter, the snow in summer, and the heaven and earth were united, she would not dare to be with him.
Liu Changan walked home and passed by the market. Although there were all kinds of ingredients on display, there were not many fresh ones. Especially the vegetables, which were much cheaper than in the morning. Big handfuls of cabbage, spring onions, and chili were sold at one to a few dollars. Liu Changan stepped on the colorless floor and picked some spring onions. He bought a piece of pork belly and a small bag of pepper. It only cost him six dollars.
In the evening, he ate his own meat pancake and a bowl of mutton giblets soup sprinkled with pepper. Liu Changan still went to the mahjong house to play mahjong the whole night and won twelve dollars. Old man Ma said that with Liu Changan's level, he could definitely participate in the community mahjong competition and win the championship.
Immediately, some people agreed, some doubted, and some felt that he had a 50-50 chance of winning. After discussing for a long time, they remembered that the community mahjong competition was for the elderly. The age limit was 55 and above. He always played mahjong with Liu Changan slowly, which made people forget that he was not a member of the elderly group.
Liu Changan expressed his regret.
The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Liu Changan listened to the Huangmei opera "Deity Match" on the radio outside. He walked far away and came back. When he woke up, he washed up and prepared to go jogging as usual.
Today's route could be in the direction of the train station. After arriving at the train station square, he would make a detour and not take the route to Baolong Center. In this way, he would not encounter Zhu Juntang who had nothing to do.
The city was very big and there were many people. Jun Sha had a population of nearly eight million. Even if it was just in the city center, it would be very difficult to meet again. Liu Changan did not care about what Zhu Juntang found out, but he also felt that it was better to avoid trouble. He did not have the enthusiasm and interest to satisfy a young girl's curiosity.
As soon as he opened the door, Liu Changan saw a van parked under the big sycamore tree. It had bulletproof tires, a pitch-black exterior, a heavy door, and a firing hole. It was enough to show that it was definitely not an ordinary van for civilian use.
Several old men and old women were pointing at it with great interest. The elderly woke up early, and they could discuss something new for several days if they found something new.
When he heard an old man who had retired from the army for decades say that he had seen it in Vietnam, Liu Changan smiled. Then, he saw a side door of the van open. The slide folded down bit by bit, and a woman wearing a black suit and trousers walked down.
The woman was tall, and the black trousers wrapped around her slender legs, outlining her straight and well-proportioned curves. The buttons of the suit were unbuttoned, and the shirt with the pleated collar looked a little tight, as if expressing the helplessness of the woman's full breasts. Two simple diamond earrings hung from her soft earlobes, and her long hair was tied up loosely. However, she still exuded a capable and elegant temperament.
Liu Changan could see that there was another figure in the van. Her footsteps were steady and powerful, and she exuded a certain hidden but passionate aura.
"Mr. Liu Changan, nice to meet you. I'm Qin Peng's great-granddaughter, Qin Yanan." The woman walked down the stairs and looked at Liu Changan in a reserved and slightly judgmental manner, even though her words were polite.
"To the south of Iya, Iya does not disobey." Liu Changan nodded and came back to himself. He looked at Qin Yanan and thought of the gentle smile of a certain woman who was also holding a baby. He also thought of the sentence in Xiao Ya, Gu Feng's Drum and Bell.
"Sir, you are so knowledgeable." The corners of Qin Yanan's lips curled up slightly. In this era, there were very few young people who still read "The Book of Songs", not to mention that they were not from an aristocratic family of poets. Qin Yanan did not think that it was because she had coincidentally met a talented young man. Most likely, he knew that she was coming and had already done his homework.
"I just happened to know the person who gave you your name, and I know the origin of your name." Liu Changan smiled slightly. Qin Peng's great-granddaughter looked very similar to Qin Peng's wife, Ye Sijin, who had passed away many years ago.
It was just that Ye Sijin wasn't as tall as Qin Yanan, nor was she as tall as Qin Yanan. She had a more pitiful temperament, unlike Qin Yanan's cold, piercing aura … Other than that, they looked more like twin sisters.
Even though Qin Yanan was paying attention to her words, Liu Changan could still sense the faint coldness in her voice. However, it didn't matter.
"The name was given by my great-grandfather's friend. Do you know my great-grandfather?" The smile on Qin Yanan's lips widened, and she suppressed a hint of impatience in her slightly furrowed brows. She wasn't willing to put on an act in front of a scheming young man.
But this was her great-grandfather's order. Qin Yanan had no choice. She really didn't understand why her great-grandfather made such an arrangement.
How could this young man, whom she called "Sir", know her great-grandfather? Her great-grandfather, Qin Peng, had not left the capital for many years except for this birthday. Ordinary people had no chance to see him, let alone listen to her great-grandfather talk about the origin of Qin Yanan's name.
"We have been old friends for many years." Liu Changan said to himself. There was a touch of emotion in his tone. The young man who was in his prime in the past was now old.
North of the Xiangjiang River, at the head of the Orange Island.
I brought hundreds of companions to travel together, recalling the memorable years of the past.
My classmate was a young man, in his prime, with the spirit of a scholar, and full of vigor.
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