Yan Heqing took the gift and led the man to the food street across the street. The man kept praising Yan Heqing, " Heqing, you're so capable! Beijing University! It's in Twenty Bridges, they only produce one every few decades. If your brother, or even my son, could get in, I'd throw a seven-day feast!"
After crossing the zebra crossing, Yan Heqing stopped and politely asked, "What would you like to eat?"
"I'm not picky," the man said with a smile. "I just can't handle spicy food, everything else is fine."
Yan Heqing chose a stir-fry restaurant; it was always crowded whenever he passed by, so the food must be alright.
It wasn't peak time yet, and the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The waiter led them to a table by the window. Yan Heqing handed the menu to the man, who didn't stand on ceremony this time and ticked off a few dishes, enough for two people, so Yan Heqing didn't order anything else.
The waiter took the menu and left.
Yan Heqing poured the man a cup of hot water first, then politely asked, "I'm not good at calculating relationships, but you're my mother's cousin-in-law, right?"
The man took a sip of water and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, my wife's name is Qin Shuqi, and my name is Lin Manfeng. Your mother and your aunt used to be closer than sisters." He suddenly sighed, "Sigh, who would have thought something like that would happen? Everything was fine, and then a fire broke out..."
Yan Heqing held her water glass, while Lin Manfeng waved his hand, "Let's not talk about that, it's all in the past." He smiled at Yan Heqing, "If I remember correctly, you have a younger brother, right? How is he? Is he a college student now?"
Just then, the waiter brought out the food.
A Southern-style stir-fry consisting of two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup.
Yan Heqing didn't answer. He took out sterilized chopsticks, rinsed them with hot water, and handed them to Lin Manfeng, saying, "Please eat."
Lin Manfeng accepted it with a smile.
During the meal, Lin Manfeng shared some interesting stories about the Twenty Bridges Twenty Bridges and introduced the scenic spots there, saying, "Our area has beautiful water and gardens, and there are 20 ancient bridges. You must go back and visit them when you have time."
Lin Manfeng finished eating, and Yan Heqing put down his chopsticks. "How many days are you staying? Have you found a place to stay?"
Lin Manfeng wiped his mouth. "I'll be going back tomorrow night. Don't worry about it; the company will arrange my accommodation."
Yan Heqing had many questions about Yan Qiushuang. After finishing his meal, just as he was about to speak, Lin Manfeng wiped his mouth and turned to get his travel bag.
After rummaging through the bag for No. 1 Primary School, Lin Manfeng pulled out a round tin box.
The box features a picture of butterflies and flowers, faded and quite old.
Yan Heqing's eyes were glued to the box.
He had a premonition that the box was related to Yan Qiushuang.
The hands resting on the knees clenched into fists in tension.
1 second.
2 seconds.
Lin Manfeng patted the box, which wasn't dusty at all, and finally handed it to Yan Heqing. "These are some things your aunt kept for your mother. She was just trying her luck this time. If she couldn't find you, she would have kept them as a keepsake."
Yan Heqing didn't know how he received the box; by the time he came to his senses, he was already holding the box tightly.
The only one.
My mother's belongings.
Lin Manfeng was busy and was about to leave after dinner. Yan Heqing offered to arrange a car for him, Lin Manfeng refused outright.
"You go about your business, I'll just wander around on my own. I've finally come all this way to the capital, I can't go back to the hotel so soon."
Yan Heqing had two classes that evening, so he thought for a moment and prepared to ask his teacher for leave. "I'll show you around."
"No need, no need," Lin Manfeng waved his hand. "I prefer to wander around by myself; I feel uncomfortable in crowds."
Hearing Lin Manfeng's words, Yan Heqing didn't press the matter further. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you."
Lin Manfeng grinned, "Don't mention it, you treated me to dinner too. Go on with your work, I need to digest."
He turned and walked away, heading towards the city center.
Yan Heqing then turned around and went back to school.
He didn't open the box immediately.
He wasn't sure if he could remain calm enough to attend evening self-study after opening the package and seeing the lost items.
Open it after class.
*
Lin Manfeng observed Yan Heqing out of the corner of his eye. After Yan Heqing crossed the zebra crossing and walked away, he turned around, quickened his pace, and veered into the alley diagonally opposite.
Passing through the alleyway leads to another street, less bustling than the food street, with streetlights on and a discreet car parked on the side of the road.
Lin Manfeng quickly ran forward, opened the back seat door, got in, closed the door, and turned to the young man waiting on the other side with a forced smile, "I've done everything as you instructed!"
The young man smiled politely, "Please come with me to see my boss."
The young man got out of the car, and Lin Manfeng quickly followed him out.
The young man walked towards the coffee shop across the street.
The young man stopped at the entrance of the coffee shop. "Please come in."
Lin Manfeng was a little hesitant; he had never met the boss before. "Aren't you going?"
The young man smiled and pushed open the door. "Don't worry, everything's fine."
Lin Manfeng was so nervous that he swallowed several times before carrying his travel bag inside.
The coffee shop was booked out, and there was only one employee at the cashier.
A song was playing inside the store.
Lin Manfeng recognized the song immediately! Qin Shuqi went to the old street every week to drink tea and listen to Pingtan (a type of storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect). She could listen to several songs with just a cup of the cheapest jasmine tea. If a wealthy customer requested a song, she could listen to it for an entire afternoon.
This song, " Slow, Slow Song," is always requested by customers.
The shop assistant came out from behind the cashier and led Lin Manfeng inside.
Lin Manfeng followed closely behind, occasionally whispering to the shop assistant, "Haven't we arrived yet?"
The waiter whispered back, "Shh, don't talk."
Lin Manfeng became even more nervous, hunching his shoulders and lowering his head as he followed them No. 1 Primary School distance inside. The shop assistant finally stopped and said respectfully, "The person has arrived."
The shop assistant left, and there was no one in front of him. Lin Manfeng looked up, secretly glancing ahead.
Meeting those deep, dark eyes, Lin Manfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head, no longer daring to peek.
The soft, melodious Suzhou storytelling style was completely at odds with the atmosphere at the time.
Lin Manfeng was tense, but thinking of the money, he mustered his courage and said, "Boss, I've done what you asked me to do. I followed your instructions exactly, not a single word was missed. Don't worry, Yan Heqing has no doubts whatsoever."