Zuo Xiangfeng covered his face with his hands and slowly burst into tears. Lin Shuyue and others saw it and looked at each other. No one said anything, but just ate quietly.
It didn't take Zuo Xiangfeng long to recover from his loss of composure. He picked up his glass and toasted them.
These past few days were the most difficult for Zuo Xiangfeng. Hang Jiabai and the others didn't say much, but they sent him messages every day. Those messages came from all over the world, and they were all from the people who used to be closest to him.
Zuo Xiangfeng did not delete any of these messages. These messages were a tonic for him when he was most desperate.
Even though he had known for a long time that Shi Muyuan might be in danger, he still couldn't accept it at this moment.
After finishing the meal, Zuo Xiangfeng paid the bill and the group came out of the restaurant. Snowflakes were falling outside.
Lin Shuyue looked at Hang Jiabai excitedly: "Ah Bai, it's snowing."
Hang Jiabai understood Lin Shuyue. He thought back to when he first saw snow, he was also so excited.
Xu Yu was from the north, and snow was something very common to him. When he recalled the actions of his southern classmates at school when the first snow fell after he went to college, a smile appeared on his face.
"It looks like the snow will be quite heavy. By tomorrow morning, the snow will be over my feet." Xu Yu said, hooking his arm around Zhou Xuanlai's shoulder.
Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai exchanged a glance, and Hang Jiabai said, "Snow and the Forbidden City go best together."
Lin Shuyue nodded vigorously. Instead of taking a taxi, they walked for a distance in the snow.
As Zuo Xiangfeng walked, he suddenly recalled those years when Shi Muyuan would pull him for a walk in the snow whenever it snowed. She loved snow the most.
Two months before she disappeared, there was a heavy snowfall in the capital. They walked in the snow and it turned their hair white.
She smiled and said, "If we can get wet in the snow together someday, we can grow old together in this life."
Zuo Xiangfeng didn't say anything at that time, but just watched her walking in the snow. The red scarf tied around her neck became the third most beautiful color in the world.
Now he thought, it turns out that they had grown old together. He wished so much that they had really grown old together.
"Turn back." A crisp female voice coming from behind interrupted Zuo Xiangfeng's memories. He turned his head subconsciously and heard a click.
It turned out that Lin Shuyue took a photo of the four of them.
Zuo Xiangfeng remembered that he and Shi Muyuan had few photos together, and he suddenly felt sad.
When she left, it seemed as if the whole world was taken away by her, leaving him alone to sink and float in this lonely world.
There is no Shi Muyuan in this world anymore. Zuo Xiangfeng, who loved Shi Muyuan, also followed him. He hope they can have another life in the next life.
•••••
The next morning, Lin Shuyue waited for Feng Qinqin, and they made an appointment to go to the Forbidden City together. She brought a lot of luggage with her, and then they went to the front desk on the first floor to renew their room fee.
The room the National Television News Department had booked for them was valid until today. If they didn't renew it, they might not have a place to stay tonight.
After paying the room fee successfully, the two looked out the window. The sky and the earth were covered in white. There were fewer cars on the road, but more people walking. Everyone was wearing thick clothes and walking slowly in the snow, leaving behind a series of footprints.
Taking a breath, she felt a chill filling her nose. Feng Qinqin said, "It's not far from here to the Forbidden City. Let's go there on foot."
This was also Feng Qinqin's first time in the capital, but she and He Wanqing had passed by the Forbidden City before, but because it charged an entrance fee, they hadn't gone in. The reason was that He Wanqing didn't have enough money and didn't want to go.
When she went out with her before, she always paid more for it herself. When she heard He Wanqing said she didn't want to go, she didn't try to persuade her. Now that Feng Qinqin thought about it, she felt that her relationship with He Wanqing was not as good as she thought.
The only reason their friendship has lasted until now is because she is stupid.
"Okay, let's walk there." The two of them headed towards the Forbidden City.
Along the way, Lin Shuyue found everything new and would stop to take pictures from time to time. Feng Qinqin, watching from the side, was also infected by her and felt her mood brightened. She suddenly remembered that every time it snowed, whenever she went out with He Wanqing, she would hear her endless complaints.
Not only did she have to help He Wanqing carry her bag, but she also had to listen to her complaints. At that time, she also began to hate snowy days, but now walking in the snow with a girl who was in a normal mood, Feng Qinqin also felt that snowy days began to look beautiful.
It only takes two bus stops to get from the Haiyue Hotel to the Forbidden City, but they walked for half an hour and no one felt tired. On the way, they saw someone selling roasted sweet potatoes, so they bought one. Once they peeled the hot roasted sweet potatoes and the cool wind blew on them, they were just the right temperature to eat.
The old man selling sweet potatoes said his sweet potatoes are harvested after the Frost Descent, so they are indeed extra sweet. On a snowy day like this, sweet and hot food really makes people feel comfortable.
Feng Qinqin finally put He Wanqing behind her and felt happy both physically and mentally.
When buying tickets to enter the Forbidden City, Feng Qinqin said to Lin Shuyue, "Shuyue, it turns out that getting rid of an unhealthy friendship can make people so happy."
Lin Shuyue looked at her with a smile on her face. "Don't think about those things you've lost. People like that are always exceptions. There are still many people in the world who are suitable to be friends."
Feng Qinqin nodded heavily.
Someone walked towards them and started talking in a typical background tone: "Sisters, do you want a tour guide?"
The person who came was a young girl around her teens, wearing a cotton monkey dress. Except for a pair of overly bright eyes and two braids sticking out from her dog-skin hat, nothing else was exposed.
Lin Shuyue was a little surprised. She hadn't expected such a private tour guide to exist. She exchanged glances with Feng Qinqin, who then said, "Of course. I haven't been to the Forbidden City, so you should definitely introduce it to me thoroughly. Otherwise, when my mom asks me what's in the Forbidden City when I get home, I won't be able to tell her a single word."
Lin Shuyue said to the young girl, "Yes, please."
The young girl was delighted to see the business coming to her door. She spoke in a loud voice: "Hello, you two! My last name is Tong, you can just call me Little Tong. I'm here with you, and I'm sure you two will have a great time exploring the Forbidden City today."
Afterwards, Xiao Tong told the price of her tour guide fee, and Lin Shuyue and Feng Qinqin each paid half of the money.
Xiao Tong took the money and put it in her pocket. She took out a pink cloth flag from her pocket and walked in front: "Two sisters, follow me. Now, we are going to enter the Forbidden City from the Meridian Gate..."
Following Xiao Tong's explanation, Lin Shuyue and Feng Qinqin began their own tour of the Forbidden City. Xiao Tong's explanation was very detailed, and she used various words at will. Lin Shuyue and Feng Qinqin nodded repeatedly after listening.
During the tour, Lin Shuyue took many photos.
The sky after the snow became especially blue, and the sun came out, shining on the snow that fell last night, trying to melt it.
Lin Shuyue took many photos of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City captured by the camera is incredibly beautiful.
During this period, Lin Shuyue also learned some things about Xiao Tong.
She is eighteen years old. Her parents are not at home, so she lives with her grandparents.
"Where are your parents?" Feng Qinqin asked frankly, only to realize it was inappropriate after asking.
Xiao Tong said, "They're in Hebei Province. You know Saihanba, right? They're in that kind of tree. My brothers and sisters are there too."
Lin Shuyue was a little surprised: "My boyfriend's parents are also in Hebei Province. They have been there for many years."
Xiao Tong glanced at Lin Shuyue, and her eyes suddenly became closer. She smiled and said, "Yes, my parents have been there for many years. They were educated youth when they went there, and after they got married and settled down there, they never came back. I grew up there too, and this year I was admitted to a university in the capital, so I came back."
"Isn't today the weekend? I thought I'd come to the Forbidden City to earn some extra money and also consider it a way to train myself in advance. Oh, I'm majoring in tourism." Xiao Tong finished speaking, and then added, "I bought a student ticket, which is half price."
This sentence made Lin Shuyue and Feng Qinqin laugh. Xiao Tong also laughed.
Lin Shuyue asked her, "How is your life on the forest? Is it dangerous?"
"When we were little, life was really hard. We had a shortage of water and food because the forest was all desert, so food was extremely precious. In winter, it was even worse. Heavy snow blocked the way down the mountain, and there was nothing to eat."
"My mother said that they almost starved to death on the mountain because of a deliveryman's mistake at the foot of the mountain. But that was in the past. The Saihanba of today is no longer the Saihanba of the past."
"Now Saihanba is covered in green trees. With the soil erosion stopped, grass has grown and there are more wild animals, such as tigers and wolves."
"If you go there in the summer, you will see endless grassland." Xiao Tong's eyes were shining when she said this.
She quickly changed the subject, saying, "If we're talking about danger, it's the illegal loggers. In recent years, as the trees have grown, some unscrupulous people have started cutting them down, and the wild animals in the forest are often hunted by them."
"In order to stop them from cutting down trees, many forest police officers in our area have died. They are too rampant." Xiao Tong said with hatred on her face.
Lin Shuyue listened to her words and already had a vague idea of the term "Guardian" that she had drawn yesterday.
Forest police are a type of police force that is not well known to the public. Their duties are to enforce national forest protection laws and regulations, investigate and punish cases of damage to forests and wildlife resources, ensure ecological security, and maintain public order and stability in forest areas.
Lin Shuyue wanted to interview them, and she was eager to go.
She immediately handed her business card to Xiao Tong, who took it with some surprise. After reading the words on it clearly, she looked at Lin Shuyue.
Lin Shuyue said, "I'm a reporter for Pengcheng Metropolis Daily in Guangdong Province. I'm participating in a documentary project to give gifts to workers on May Day next year. I'd like to interview your parents and the workers on the forest."
Little Tong Wenyan looked down at the business card in her hand again, then she looked up: "I want to ask my parents."
"Okay, my phone number is on this business card. If you have any news, please call me."
"Okay." Xiao Tong continued to be as dedicated and responsible as ever during the rest of the journey.
Coming out of Donghuamen, Feng Qinqin looked at Lin Shuyue with admiration: "Shuyue, I'm only 25 years old this year. I must work hard and learn from you. Top Ten Young Journalists, wait for me! Here I come!!!"
Feng Qinqin looked determined.
"Come on, I think you can do it." The snow melted a little, and the two walked towards the Seaview Hotel. The cold wind blew their voices into the air.