Not long after chatting, Hang Jiabai called Lin Shuyue and said he had already arrived at school.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Shuyue, accompanied by Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing, went to register with the organizers. On the way back, He Wanqing was delighted to hear that Lin Shuyue would be joining them at the sculpture exhibition the next day.
"A Net of Pollack, his real name is Liu Chongsen, he graduated from Huabai Academy of Fine Arts. The poetry collection he wrote is very romantic, I fell in love with it at first sight." He Wanqing blushed when she said this.
Her gentle temperament was also tinged with a hint of madness.
She was still introducing Lin Shuyue: "His poetry collection Birds and Fishes is my favorite. Especially the line: 'The birds are circling in the sky, they can't see me looking up in the water. Just like you are galloping forward, you can't see me gazing at your tearful eyes.' It really touched my heart."
Lin Shuyue paused when she heard this poem.
She looked at Feng Qinqin, who also had a speechless expression on her face. She whispered, "Do you understand what this poem means?"
Feng Qinqin: "I never understood it!"
Lin Shuyue thought she might be the legendary "straight woman of steel." When she read the poem "Birds and Fishes," she didn't feel any romantic feeling at all; she just got goosebumps.
Feng Qinqin was in the same boat. He Wanqing turned around, looked at them, and rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm not going to tell you anymore since you don't understand."
Feng Qinqin walked over and took her arm. "We really don't understand that kind of romance, so don't even think about preaching to us. If you have the time, you might as well think about what we're going to have for dinner."
"Then let's have mutton hotpot. The mutton hotpot in the capital is a specialty!" said He Wanqing.
Lin Shuyue had also heard of the delicious hot pot in the north, and after hearing what He Wanqing said, she immediately agreed.
"Okay, okay, okay."
The matter was happily settled. Back in the room, Lin Shuyue lay on the bed to catch up on some sleep while He Wanqing and Feng Qinqin took books out of their suitcases and read, neither of them making much noise.
When Lin Shuyue woke up, they were still asleep.
Lin Shuyue went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. When she came out, Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing had also gotten up. Lin Shuyue was looking at her phone in bed while the two of them took turns washing up. Afterwards, the three of them, fully armed, headed out together.
The temperature at night was colder than in the morning. Lin Shuyue shivered when she came into contact with the cold air.
Feng Qinqin looked at her and smiled: "Is it very warm in the south? Look at your clothes, they are too thin. When you pass by the mall later, you must buy a pair of thick cotton pants and a big cotton coat, otherwise you will be sick at night!"
Although Lin Shuyue took some health-strengthening pills, they couldn't keep her warm. After taking a few steps outside, she felt like she was going to have a runny nose.
"I must buy, buy, buy." Lin Shuyue nodded rapidly.
A gust of wind blew, and Lin Shuyue could hardly stand. Feng Qinqin said, "In the north, strong winds blow as soon as winter arrives. How cold the weather is depends on how strong the wind is."
Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing have become accustomed to this kind of weather. He Wanqing said, "It's still pretty good now. It's not windy at all. In the past, when the wind blew, I would vomit all over the place. If you talked with your mouth wide open, you would get your mouth full."
The two women held Lin Shuyue's arms, one on each side, and the three of them walked towards the nearest mutton hotpot restaurant together.
"Is that a sandstorm?" As a southerner who was born and raised in two different worlds, this was the first time in Lin Shuyue's two lifetimes that she came to the north.
Everything she saw seemed new to her, whether it was the bare trees with only branches left, the narrow shop doors on both sides of the road, or the small shops with signs selling ice cream, tobacco, and alcohol on the windows.
She also took out her camera and took several pictures of the street scene.
Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing were both about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. They had a deep interest in taking pictures and took out their cameras to have Lin Shuyue take pictures of them.
After the photoshoot, the two of them looked at it and screamed loudly, followed by endless praises. Lin Shuyue's smile never faded.
After chatting and laughing, they arrived at the mutton hotpot restaurant.
As soon as she opened the thick curtain and walked through the door, the aroma of mutton filled her nose. Feng Qinqin took a deep breath and said, "This is the smell. I've been missing it for so long."
The two were brought to a table by the waiter. Lin Shuyue had never eaten mutton hotpot before, so she gave the right to order food to the other two.
The store is well heated, so you won't feel cold even if you take off your coat or hat and put on a sweater.
While waiting for the food to be served, the three of them gradually turned their conversation to their respective professions.
"I specialize in people's livelihoods. I'm the one who follows up on all matters related to people's livelihood," Feng Qinqin said. "I was able to participate in the selection of the Top Ten Young Journalists this time because I previously wrote a report on food safety."
Feng Qinqin had been in the industry for four or five years, and her reports had received mediocre responses. However, this report on food safety garnered significant attention in her local area. Coincidentally, the newspaper was also hosting a competition to select the top ten young journalists, so they submitted her report and received a response shortly thereafter.
Although she knew that her chances of being selected were slim, Feng Qinqin was very happy to be able to travel to the capital at public expense and meet the youngest group of outstanding talents in their industry.
He Wanqing said, "I work in politics, and usually report on the country's policies that benefit the people. Last year, I wrote an article about left-behind children and volunteer teachers, and it received a good response."
Lin Shuyue glanced at them and said, "Our newspaper doesn't have such strict coverage requirements, but I usually report more on legal cases. I also occasionally report on entertainment news."
Lin Shuyue's words made He Wanqing and Feng Qinqin envious: "Really? Can I apply for any job opening in your newspaper? And what about the salary? How is it?"
Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing's newspaper had strict rules: they had to work within their specific area of responsibility. Reporting on other areas was considered "scrambling" and would result in reprimands.
"Interns at our newspaper are paid, but they have to give 10% to their supervisors. But after the internship period, once you become a full-time employee, you don't have to share any more. You only need to write one report a week, and you can report whatever you want."
When Lin Shuyue said this, Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing were extremely envious.
He Wanqing said, "When Qinqin and I were interns, we didn't get paid, and the reports we wrote had to include our master's name, otherwise they wouldn't be published."
"Whether we can be converted to regular employees depends on the master. In order to get regular employees, Wanqing and I gave a gift of 500 yuan to the two people who led us. That was the last batch that allowed us to be converted." Speaking of what happened, He Wanqing and Feng Qinqin were almost in tears.
"We are relatively lucky. We have a classmate who was kept stuck and not allowed to pass her internship. In the end, she slept with the person who supervised her, and that's when she was allowed to pass. Because of this, she developed depression and has now left the newspaper, recuperating at home every day. We went to see her once last year, and she was so thin that she looked unrecognizable." Feng Qinqin sighed, and He Wanqing also sighed deeply.
Regarding what happened to that classmate, while they felt sad and angry for her, they also began to feel fortunate that their teacher only wanted money and nothing else.
Lin Shuyue had heard a lot about sexual harassment in the workplace. She sighed and asked, "What about her master?"
Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing exchanged a glance, then smiled wryly and said, "He's still in the industry and has become a benchmark. My classmate isn't the first, and she won't be the last. Many people in the industry know what kind of person he is. But there's nothing we can do about it. He has connections and a background."
Relationships and background can overwhelm many things.
The mutton hot pot soup came, and He Wanqing asked Lin Shuyue: "Can you drink?"
"Just average."
He Wanqing said, "Wait for me. I'll go get some wine. Qinqin, take Shuyue with you to prepare the condiments."
"Okay. Let's go."
The condiment table was a few steps away from the bar. Feng Qinqin said to Lin Shuyue, "Wanqing and that girl used to have a good relationship."
She and He Wanqing became good friends only after graduation.
After Feng Qinqin said this, Lin Shuyue knew why He Wanqing wanted to drink after talking about this matter.
"I see."
Feng Qinqin patted Lin Shuyue's hand, and the two of them mixed the seasonings on the condiment table. There were only two kinds of mutton hot pot: chive sauce and Erba sauce.
"This is Laodudu Hot Pot. They only have two kinds of sauce. The Erba sauce is 20% sesame paste and 80% peanut butter."
Feng Qinqin said as she poured a spoonful of Erba sauce and some chive sauce into the bowl. Lin Shuyue followed her example and poured a bowl of sauce. When she came back, He Wanqing was already sitting at her table. A glass cup was placed in front of each person's bowl.
Looking at Lin Shuyue and Feng Qinqin from a distance, she began to pour wine.
Feng Qinqin held Lin Shuyue's hand and said, "You must tell me if you can't drink anymore later. Don't be so stubborn."
"Okay." Lin Shuyue took a deep breath.
The two sat down and watched. Feng Qinqin placed the bowl of sauce that belonged to He Wanqing in front of her. Before she even reached out her hand, He Wanqing raised her cup.
"Come on, Shu Yue, let's cheer for our acquaintance."
He Wanqing drank a full glass of white wine directly.
Lin Shuyue: She is good at drinking beer, but she can't drink white wine.
Feng Qinqin quickly grabbed a glass of wine to accompany the other one, and said to Lin Shuyue at the same time: "You don't have to do it. Drink as much as you can."
Lin Shuyue took a big sip with difficulty, put down the cup and looked at it. It was less than a third full.
Feng Qinqin had already finished her glass and picked up the chopsticks to put the meat into the copper pot.
"Qinqin, come, let's drink to our friendship."
"Cheers, cheers, cheers." Feng Qinqin held the chopsticks in one hand and the cup in the other, clinked her glasses with He Wanqing's, tilted her head back, and another glass of wine was gone.
Lin Shuyue:...
Lin Shuyue had long heard that northerners, both men and women, could drink a lot, but she had never expected them to be so high! At this moment, before she had even eaten a single piece of meat, she had already finished two glasses of wine.
A cup weighs two taels, and they drank four taels in just a short while.
Lin Shuyue really admires her.
The meat in the copper pot was ready, and she placed some in everyone's bowl. The fresh lamb, dipped in chive sauce and erba sauce, was tender and fragrant. Lin Shuyue couldn't help but eat a few more bites.
Before she could even put down the lamb in her mouth, He Wanqing started toasting again. Lin Shuyue had no choice but to follow suit. The three of them drank three kilograms of baijiu, and before they were halfway through, Lin Shuyue, who had never drunk so much baijiu before, collapsed.
In the end, she didn't know how she got back to the hotel. She only knew that when she woke up, her head hurt a lot and she reeked of alcohol. He Wanqing and Feng Qinqin in the bed next to her were still sleeping soundly.
Lin Shuyue took out her cell phone and saw that it was only six o'clock. She went to the bathroom to take a shower, took out a mint candy and put it in her mouth. Her head, which had been aching due to the hangover, finally felt a little clearer.
There were several missed calls on her mobile phone, all from Hang Jiabai. She already knew Hang Jiabai's schedule in advance, so she sent him a message. After a while, the phone rang again, and Lin Shuyue hid in the bathroom to answer it.
Hang Jiabai had already run five kilometers and was changing his clothes. "Does your head still hurt? If so, take a nap. We can go out again this afternoon."
"I took a shower and I have nothing to do now. I made an appointment with my roommates in the afternoon to go to a sculpture exhibition." Lin Shuyue said in a low voice, afraid to wake up Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing.
Most of the three pounds of wine last night went into their stomachs.
"Then I'll be there in a minute. It's cold this morning, so dress warmly."
"Okay." After hanging up the phone, Lin Shuyue dried her hair, put on her clothes and went downstairs.
Just as she got off the elevator, Hang Jiabai arrived with a cup of hot soy milk in his hand: "I bought it on the way here. Have a drink to warm your stomach."
The soy milk is warm when you put it in your mouth, just the right temperature. The warmth flows from your mouth to your stomach, as if it has swept away the fatigue after a hangover.
It was just past seven o'clock and the sky was already bright. There was no wind today and the sun was shining down from the sky, creating a golden scene.
Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai were waiting for the bus in the sunshine, but the bright sunlight did not provide her with any warmth: "I finally understand why there is sunlight in winter. It is like the light in the refrigerator, which only provides lighting and distinguishes day from night."
It was the first time Hang Jiabai had heard such a metaphor, and he thought it was very vivid: "Yes, there is not a single bit of warmth."
Hang Jiabai's words made Lin Shuyue look at him more. Hang Jiabai was puzzled: "Why are you looking at me?"
Lin Shuyue smiled and said, "I didn't expect that you would have such a different accent just after arriving in the capital."
Hang Jiabai laughed. "There are four of us in our dorm, and besides me, the other three are all from Northeast China. After hanging out with them for one night, plus I studied in the capital for four years, I think I picked up this accent."
"There's a saying that goes, 'When there's a person from Northeast China in the dormitory, a month later, the whole dormitory will be full of people from Northeast China.'" Hang Jiabai went to college for four years, and when he returned home, his accent was no longer pure.
At this point, Hang Jiabai recalled a funny story from college: "There was a boy named Ma Quan in our dormitory. He was from Guangxi. Two months into school, his accent had completely changed. He called home to ask for living expenses, but his mother said he was a liar and refused to answer his calls."
"Hahahaha." Lin Shuyue laughed out loud, the sound as clear and sweet as a silver bell. Hang Jiabai also laughed, his eyes fell on Lin Shuyue's lips again.
A gust of wind blew, and a dry leaf that had dried up at some unknown time was blown onto Lin Shuyue's head.
"Don't move. There are leaves above your head." Hang Jiabai's voice became low.
"Ah?" Lin Shuyue reached out to take it, but Hang Jiabai reached there before her.
He was bent over, his face suddenly enlarged in front of Lin Shuyue. So close, their breaths began to intertwine, and the faint grassy scent of Hang Jiabai was in her nose.
Lin Shuyue was a little nervous and didn't dare to move.
"Okay." Being so close, Hang Jiabai's voice was even more magnetic, like a feather, tickling Lin Shuyue's heart.
A dead leaf was in Hang Jiabai's hand with distinct knuckles. He open his hand, and the dead leaf was blown by the wind, and no one knew where it would fly to.
Lin Shuyue wanted to speak when a taxi stopped in front of them. Hang Jiabai opened the door and took Lin Shuyue to the back seat of the car: "Master, let's go to Lianggezhuang Market."
"Okay." With the driver's response, the car sped towards Lianggezhuang Market.
Lianggezhuang Market is not far from the Haiyue Hotel where Lin Shuyue lives, and it only takes half an hour to get there by car.
Before getting off the bus, Lin Shuyue thought the Lianggezhuang Market was a place like the vegetable markets in Guangdong Province. But after getting off the bus and looking inside the iron gate with the words "Lianggezhuang Market" written on it, she realized her shallowness.
The Lianggezhuang Market covers a vast area, with three rows of five massive warehouses, each 100 meters long and 40 meters wide. Each warehouse has a different name written on it.
For example, the one in the front is the fresh meat warehouse.
Hang Jiabai paid the fare and pulled Lin Shuyue inside.
"Lianggezhuang Market is the largest wholesale market besides Dongdan. Thirty percent of the goods sold in stores throughout the capital come from here."
"It's really big."
Hang Jiabai took Lin Shuyue through the fresh meat warehouse, passed the vegetable warehouse and the hardware warehouse, and finally arrived at the clothing warehouse in the third row.
"Yes, it's huge. We used to love buying clothes here. It's much cheaper than outside, and the quality is good, so they last a long time."
The two pushed open the warehouse door and went in. After lifting the huge curtain that every household in the north hung to keep out the heat, they finally got inside. At a glance, all the shops were selling clothes.
There were many people selling clothes inside, and quite a few buying clothes. The noise inside was noisy, and if you listened carefully, you could hear that it was all the bargaining between merchants and customers.
Lin Shuyue squeezed in the crowd. Half an hour later, she came out with her hair loose. The hairband on her head was squeezed off at some point.
Hang Jiabai protected her and had several marks on his feet from being stepped on.
The two of them stood at the less crowded area at the entrance. Lin Shuyue couldn't help laughing: "It's much harder to squeeze in here than the clothing market in Guangzhou."
"Yeah. There's a changing room over there. Go and change into some thick clothes."
"Okay." Lin Shuyue went to the changing room. Before changing her clothes, she first used the infrared detector she bought in the system mall to check and confirm that there were no cameras here before she began to take off her clothes.
After changing into big cotton pants, fleece-lined thermal underwear, windproof and warm clothes and a pair of cotton boots, she felt warm all over. When she tied a scarf and hat and came out again, she felt even hotter.
Hang Jiabai was holding two huge bags, one of which contained a set of Lin Shuyue's clothes.
"Let's go."
The two walked out together. This time, standing in the cold wind, Lin Shuyue didn't feel that cold anymore.
As usual, they took a taxi back. Hang Jiabai asked Lin Shuyue about the sculpture exhibition she was going to see that afternoon.
"It's said to be run by a company called A Net of Pollack. He Wanqing said he's a student at Huabai Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in sculpture."
Hang Jiabai nodded thoughtfully: "I'll ask my senior brother to see if he will go."
Hang Jiabai immediately took action and called his senior. After the two of them concluded their conversation by agreeing on where to eat, Lin Shuyue asked, "Is this senior the one who took you to eat all over the capital?"
"Yes, that's him. His name is Zuo Xiangfeng. After graduating from school, he didn't join the public security system. Instead, he became a novelist. He has published several mystery novels. They've sold well, and now a suspense film adapted from his novel is about to be released."
"Oh? So powerful?" Lin Shuyue said in surprise.
"He's really good. He was very good even when he was in school. He didn't join the public security system, but instead became a novelist at home. Our teacher even came to his house to scold him." Hang Jiabai said: "If he joined the public security system, perhaps China would have another super detective."
Hang Jiabai's face was filled with pity. Lin Shuyue, on the other hand, was filled with curiosity: "Did he encounter something that prevented him from going to the public security system?"
"Yes. He had a childhood sweetheart, but during their junior year, she broke up with him, saying he was cold and distant. All she spent time with him doing was listening to him talk about what he'd learned that day and what typical cases he'd dealt with. There was nothing romantic about it."
"Not long after they broke up, his girlfriend disappeared. He tried everything to track her down and investigate, and he found out that before breaking up with him, his girlfriend had met a romantic writer online. They often texted and called each other."
"Before his girlfriend disappeared, her best friend only knew that she had gone to meet the writer."
For some reason, Lin Shuyue's heart skipped a beat after hearing about the romantic writer. She instantly recalled the pollack she had heard that had so captivated He Wanqing.
"So he hasn't found his partner yet?"
"No." Hang Jiabai sighed. "I asked him why he didn't go to the Public Security Bureau. That would have made it easier to track her whereabouts. He said there were too many restrictions within the system, so it would be better to investigate freely outside. And if he investigated outside, he could investigate for as long as he wanted."
Lin Shuyue nodded, and Hang Jiabai said, "My senior brother and I will go to see the sculpture exhibition this afternoon. See you there then?"
"Okay." Lin Shuyue agreed. The car stopped at the entrance of Haiyue Hotel. Lin Shuyue opened the door and got out, holding her clothes. Hang Jiabai watched her enter the hotel before telling the driver to leave.
When Lin Shuyue returned to the dormitory, Feng Qinqin and He Wanqing were both awake.
As soon as Lin Shuyue entered the door, Feng Qinqin thanked her: "The wine we drank last night was a bit fake. I felt like my head was about to explode when I woke up this morning. I saw the candy you left and ate a piece. Now I feel much better."
"Yes." He Wanqing echoed.
"I'm glad you're back. Let's go to the sculpture exhibition. The sooner we go, the sooner we can be back." Feng Qinqin couldn't wait to go out.
"Let's go." Lin Shuyue threw her things on the bed and followed them out without even entering the door.
They took the bus to the sculpture exhibition. It took them thirty minutes from getting on the bus to getting off, and another twenty minutes on foot before they reached their destination.
The sculpture exhibition hall was very grand and brightly lit. There were many people coming and going, most of them young people, and a few reporters.
As soon as she entered the door, Lin Shuyue was pulled by He Wanqing and walked towards a sculpture placed at the innermost part.
It was a sculpture about 1.7 meters tall, its facial features soft lines and a gentle expression, its eyes looking downward, as if utterly gentle. Long hair draped over her body, her feminine curves were graceful, and she was dressed like an ancient Greek deity.
He Wanqing looked obsessed: "It's so beautiful! Shu Yue, let me tell you, this is the famous work of A Net of Pollack, and it's called Goddess of My Dream."
"She's so beautiful! Not only does she have a perfect figure, but her facial expressions are so expressive! After this sculpture, all the other sculptures of A Net of Pollack pale in comparison."
"It wasn't until three years after this sculpture was completed that another one appeared. It's the one called Son of the Sun God. It's lifelike! Lifelike!"