mtlumby2d Chapter 254 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 25
Chapter 254 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 25
However, after that day, Huo Xingzhou seemed to get busy again.
Time spent in the study also became fragmented.
Even when he was present, there was always a solemn expression between his brows, a quality unique to handling affairs.
The silence between the two was even greater than usual, with only the faint sounds of turning pages and writing documents flowing through the vast space.
Time slipped quietly towards its end in this almost frozen stillness.
Until one evening, the setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange and crimson satin.
Huo Xingzhou walked into the study carrying an evening newspaper that still smelled of ink.
Shen Shuwan was sitting in her usual spot, holding a charcoal pencil in her hand, but her gaze was fixed blankly out the window.
As dusk fell, almost all the leaves of the old ginkgo tree had fallen.
Only a few stubborn, withered yellow leaves trembled on the branches, contrasting with the magnificent sky behind them, creating a desolate and serene beauty of fallen splendor.
Familiar footsteps approached from afar, and she turned around.
Perhaps the silence and countdown of the past few days had made her feel something, and her gaze towards Huo Xingzhou was now filled with a hint of expectation.
Sure enough, Huo Xingzhou walked up to her, without any further pleasantries, and handed her the newspaper, pointing to the announcement at the bottom of the front page: "Officially revoked at midnight three days from now."
"Really? Is it really in three days?!"
In a Shikumen building in the concession of Shanghai, Shen Yirou almost lunged forward and snatched the thin telegram from her husband's hands.
Her fingers trembled slightly with excitement, causing the edges of the paper to wrinkle.
She read those few lines of text more than ten times, her lips moving silently as if she wanted to swallow every word, chewing and confirming it over and over again.
Shen Xiangyi embraced his wife's waist, which was slightly weak from emotional excitement, and said in a deep and firm voice, with a suppressed excitement: "It's true, Arou, the announcement has been issued, it's in black and white."
Shen Yirou looked up at her husband, her eyes brimming with tears, a mixture of elation, hope, and a deeper sense of unease.
"Ayi, do you think... Bao'er is really in Hong Kong? Will Zhu'er and Yicheng be able to find her? I wonder how things are in Hong Kong, whether it's chaotic, and whether Bao'er... she might already be..."
Two years ago, a sudden disaster caused by the Jiang family's conflict forced the originally peaceful Shen family into a vortex, and Shen Shuwan disappeared without a trace.
They repeatedly published Hai Shi's address in major newspapers, hoping that Shen Shuwan would see it and come looking for him, but all their efforts were in vain.
They tried every possible avenue—asking people, placing advertisements in newspapers, inquiring, and even consulting divination—but still received no response.
It wasn't until six months later, when Shen Lezhi unexpectedly saw the jade pendant that Shen Shuwan had worn since childhood in the window of a jewelry store, that things took a turn for the better.
Unfortunately, after much searching, the clues eventually pointed to the already closed port city.
Left with no other choice, the family had to make a decision:
Shen Lezi and Shen Yicheng immediately headed south to Guangzhou, partly to inquire and search along the way, and partly to enter the port city as soon as the ban was lifted.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiangyi and his wife stayed in Haishi to ensure that if their daughter ever returned north, there would be someone waiting for her at home...
"Don't overthink it." Shen Xiangyi interrupted his wife's wild speculations, tightening his arms around her as if to transfer his strength to her. "Zhu'er and the others are methodical; they'll find it."
"Moreover, the telegram also said that they had already made connections in Guangzhou and were able to try to contact the Huo family, who control most of the port's shipping operations."
Shen Xiangyi said in a deep voice, clearly analyzing the situation for his wife and also clarifying his own thoughts, "If Bao'er is really in Hong Kong, she must go through the dock to leave the city. If we can get help from the Huo family to find someone in Hong Kong, it will be much more hopeful than us running around like headless flies."
He paused, his voice growing deeper, as if trying to convince his wife, or perhaps himself, "Besides, Bao'er has always been clever and quick-witted. She's probably waiting for us somewhere in Hong Kong to pick her up."
Shen Yirou's tears rolled down her cheeks; she understood that her husband was right.
But the long wait and repeated disappointments made her afraid that this was just another illusion.
She could only silently repeat it in her heart, almost devoutly:
We'll find it! We definitely will!
……
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the morning of the day of departure, Shen Shuwan woke up earlier than usual.
When they came downstairs, Huo Xingzhou was already in the restaurant.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, a slight tremor appearing before quickly disappearing.
Uncle Fu personally served breakfast, which was not the usual tea and snacks, but a bowl of steaming hot noodles with a clear broth, accompanied by a few delicate side dishes.
"We have a new chef today, who says he specializes in Beijing-style braised noodles," Huo Xingzhou introduced casually. "Why don't you try it and see what you think?"
Shen Shuwan looked at the bowl of noodles. The broth was rich and the ingredients were distinct. The familiar steam rose on her face, stirring up deep-seated taste memories.
She picked up her chopsticks, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips before she even spoke: "From Beiping? What a coincidence! We're from the same hometown! My family has an aunt named Qian, whose braised noodles are absolutely amazing."
"Her gravy is so fragrant. It's made by simmering the best pork belly, daylily, wood ear mushrooms, and button mushrooms over low heat, and then tossing it with golden egg flowers and drizzling it with freshly fried Sichuan peppercorn oil..." she said, as she picked up a mouthful of noodles and put it in her mouth.
However, the taste on her tongue made her suddenly stop moving.
This taste...
It wasn't exactly the same, but the unique fermented bean aroma in the braising liquid, with a hint of alcohol, was seven or eight parts similar to Aunt Qian's cooking in my memory!
She looked up in surprise at Huo Xingzhou.
Huo Xingzhou seemed oblivious to her odd behavior, calmly slicing the fried eggs on his plate, as if casually bringing up another matter:
"During this period of isolation, many old families have risen and fallen, and new forces have emerged. However, the changes in Haishi have been the most significant."
He paused, put down his knife and fork, and said in a strangely calm tone, "There's another... interesting story, I'll tell you about it."
"It's said that it started about two years ago," Huo Xingzhou continued unhurriedly, "that the major newspapers in Shanghai have been publishing the same sentence every day without fail. It's not long, but it's never been missing."
He paused briefly, his gaze shifting slightly to the local Hong Kong newspaper delivered this morning. He lightly touched the bottom of the front page with his fingertip. "It's quite a coincidence," he said, "even the corner of today's Hong Kong newspaper carried the same words."
After saying that, Uncle Fu placed it on the table next to Shen Shuwan.
For some reason, Shen Shuwan's heart skipped a beat when she heard the words "two years" and "never stopped".
Her gaze, almost uncontrollably fixed, was fixed on the open newspaper.
At the bottom of the supplement, a line of printed text suddenly caught her eye:
Bao'er, the flowers are blooming in the south of the city; you may return home now.