(The previous chapter was called Asking for a Leave and Raise Your Hand. This was just the title of the chapter, not a real leave … it can't be that some students really thought I asked for a leave and got angry, right? Luckily I made it in time, so I didn't change this chapter.)
… …
… …
Tang Thirty-Six's hand was raised very low, his head was also very low, and his voice was actually also very low.
Although his face couldn't be seen, one could imagine how embarrassed he must have been.
The crowd parted like a tide. No matter how embarrassed he was, as everyone knew that he was Chen Chang Sheng's good friend, especially with his status as the superintendent of the Orthodox Academy, coupled with the fact that Su Mo Yu and Xuan Yuan Po were extremely insistent on turning their heads away, he could only walk forward, all the way until he reached the Pope.
Mao Qiu Yu's expression was rather unsightly, but he forced himself not to reprimand him.
The Pope's expression, however, was very calm, and he handed the Divine Staff to him.
The Divine Staff was not as heavy as people imagined it to be, but Tang Thirty-Six felt that it was as heavy as a mountain, almost unable to bear it. He bent his knees and bowed in place of Chen Chang Sheng.
He lowered his head, but he could still feel the gazes from all around him. Some of the gazes were astonished, some were disdainful, some were gratified, but even more were hostile, sharp as swords.
He felt that he was very innocent, so he was very angry. Following Mao Qiu Yu's instructions, he said words of gratitude, but in his heart, he was incessantly cursing.
These curses were naturally meant for the currently unknown Chen Chang Sheng to hear.
… …
… …
The snowfall grew heavier and heavier. The streets had long since become devoid of people, and the alleys were constantly being lit.
Chen Chang Sheng had already stood on Fortune Peace Road for a very long time. Looking at the color of the sky, he sighed in his heart.
Snowy clouds obscured the sun, and the capital was somewhat dusky. One could only faintly tell from the brightness that the sun was currently moving towards the west, about to set.
The time written on the paper was dusk, but the world at dusk was often rather blurry. Dusk itself was also a blurry concept. From the time the sun began to set until it completely sank below the horizon, there would always be an hour of time. Then was this still considered dusk?
Had he arrived a little too early? Or was it that she really wasn't coming?
He thought that if she did not come when it was completely dark, then he would leave.
Just at this moment, a very loud sound came from the distance, vaguely coming from the direction of the Li Palace. He had absolutely no idea what had happened, much less that it had anything to do with him. In the wind and snow, he rubbed his hands, sometimes looking in the direction of the Imperial Palace, sometimes looking in the direction of the Divine General of the East's estate.
There was a problem with his meridians, so the amount of True Essence that he could output was insufficient. However, the amount of True Essence in his body was actually very abundant, so he was not afraid of the cold at all. The reason why he kept rubbing his hands and occasionally stamping his feet was completely because of his mood.
The sky gradually darkened and was about to turn dark. He had also given up all hope.
At this moment, a voice rang out from some distance behind him.
"Why are you standing here?"
Hearing this voice, his body stiffened. He turned around and saw a man holding an umbrella slowly walking over from the alley behind him.
The umbrella looked a little old and seemed a little strange. In the dim light, it isolated the area under the umbrella, making it difficult to see what was under the umbrella. Ordinary people might not even be able to see it.
But Chen Chang Sheng could, because he was very familiar with this umbrella. This umbrella should have been his, so this umbrella was obviously the Yellow Paper Umbrella.
Like a fallen leaf in the snow, the Yellow Paper Umbrella slowly arrived in front of him, then slightly tilted backwards, revealing Xu You Rong's face.
A face that was very difficult to describe with words, a face that could only be described with the cliche word 'perfect'.
Looking at this extremely beautiful, and indeed very unfamiliar face, Chen Chang Sheng was somewhat nervous, somewhat absent-minded.
He looked into her eyes and found that familiar calm and indifference. Only then did he finally relax.
He was familiar with her voice and also familiar with her eyes. When their gazes met, the unfamiliarity disappeared, as if the two had once again returned to the Garden of Zhou.
Through life and death together, accompanying each other day and night, sitting and discussing the Dao, rising to meet the enemy, overturning everything as before, growing old together.
Overturning the umbrella, everything as before.
But was there a need to talk about growing old together now?
Chen Chang Sheng suddenly thought of these words and felt very awkward.
At this moment, he still did not know that in the Li Palace, there was someone even more awkward than him.
"Why are you standing here? Didn't we say we were going to eat Fish with Tofu? "
Different from Chen Chang Sheng's current nervousness, Xu You Rong had always known that he was him. Several dozen days was enough for her to calm down. Moreover, they had truly spent too much time together in the Garden of Zhou. When she saw him, she really could not find him unfamiliar, much less show any sense of distance.
"… I went into the alley and searched twice, but I couldn't find the Fish with Tofu you spoke of," said Chen Chang Sheng.
Xu You Rong stared blankly, then looked into the alley. With some regret, she said, "I haven't returned for three years and it's actually gone. That restaurant's fish is really not bad."
"How did you … get here from that side?" Chen Chang Sheng pointed at the alley that she had come from and asked.
That alley was not the path from the Imperial Palace, nor was it the path from the Divine General of the East's estate, so he had not discovered it.
"I went to the Little Orange Garden and waited for a while. Mo Yu … didn't come back, so I came over a little late."
As she said this, Xu You Rong's eyelashes fluttered, her gaze lowered, and her cheeks flushed red.
Before she went to the rendezvous, she suddenly remembered that this was her first … private meeting with Chen Chang Sheng. The Garden of Zhou naturally did not count, so she suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She also remembered that she had taken the initiative to invite him on the Bridge of Helplessness, so she did not want anyone to think badly of her, so she suddenly thought of bringing Mo Yu along.
Who knew that Mo Yu would not be there?
She also did not know whether to feel regret or rejoice.
In short, to her, these matters were much more complicated than comprehending the Heavenly Tome Monoliths.
The sky was too dark, so Chen Chang Sheng did not see her expression. He was very slow in this aspect, so he naturally could not think of why she would go to the Little Orange Garden to find Mo Yu. He only thought that today's goal was to invite her to a meal, so he asked with some uncertainty, "Why don't we eat something else in the alley, or … go somewhere else?"
"Let's eat here."
Xu You Rong handed over the handle of the umbrella.
Chen Chang Sheng very naturally took it.
There was no need for words, not even a need for a glance. The act of handing over and receiving the umbrella was very natural, as if he had done it countless times.
This was because they had truly done this action countless times in the Garden of Zhou — in the Plains of the Unsetting Sun, when they encountered monsters, when they were in a hurry to travel, the vast majority of the time, it was her on his back, the umbrella in her hand. When she was tired, she would hand the umbrella over to him.
Chen Chang Sheng held the umbrella, walking shoulder to shoulder with her into the snowy alley.
Perhaps the speed at which time changed things in the world was not much faster than flowing water, but to change the restaurants on a street was extremely easy.
Fortune Peace Road had long since ceased to be famous for its Fish with Tofu, but rather for its stewed bones in an iron pot.
In this short alley, there were five stewed bones in an iron pot. The signs outside all had the words "Authentic Big Bones of Qi City," but it was hard to tell which one was the real one.
The steam from the iron pots seeped out from these restaurants, mixing with the rich aroma of meat. In this cold winter, it was incomparably alluring.
Chen Chang Sheng and Xu You Rong did not fear the cold, but rather yearned for this sort of feeling. They found a restaurant that seemed a little cleaner and walked in.
The stewed bones in an iron pot were all in kang pots. When the thick cotton curtain was lifted, a wave of heat greeted them.
Today's business was rather quiet. Normally, the restaurant was bustling with activity, but now, there was only one kang table with customers. The customers in this sort of situation were naturally the true diners. Their attention was completely focused on the fragrant bones and wine, and they did not even notice the young man and woman that had entered.
Chen Chang Sheng and Xu You Rong walked to the innermost part of the restaurant, but before they could even sit down, they suddenly heard the sound of a fierce quarrel behind them.
A customer heavily placed his bowl of wine on the table and angrily said, "Miss You Rong beat that Chen Chang Sheng like a dog, how could she lose!"
Another customer sneered, "Then why did Miss You Rong concede?"
That customer's face was completely red, and he choked out a few words, "… That's because she couldn't forget her old love. She remembered that Chen Chang Sheng was once her fiancé, so she went easy on him."
The boss, who was in the kitchen, heard the quarrel and hurriedly came over to mediate. With great difficulty, he managed to pacify these customers, and then he saw two new customers in the shadows in the corner. The young man and woman did not sit down, and the atmosphere was rather awkward. He couldn't help but feel that it was very strange, thinking, what does the quarrel of others have to do with you?
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