Chapter 202 - 139: The Most Lovable People of Those Years
The groom wore a blue Western suit, his hair parted at the side. He was undeniably handsome, with a ramrod-straight posture. He looked tall even sitting in the car. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, giving him a scholarly and gentle appearance.
The bride wasn’t in a wedding gown, but a red celebratory outfit—a phoenix coronet and robes of gossamer. She held a round silk fan that shielded her face, and she sat with perfect posture, her back just as straight as the groom’s.
As the car drove slowly past, you could see both of their profiles.
A talented scholar and a beautiful lady—they truly looked like a perfect match.
In front of Feiyan Restaurant, a string of several thousand firecrackers echoed through the street.
The Jeep slowly came to a stop. The groom got out first. He was tall and slender, but he filled out his suit well—definitely not some skinny beanpole.
A bridesmaid opened the Jeep’s door, but the bride, in her ornate robes, was having trouble getting out, which made the crowd anxious.
Seeing this, the groom walked over, bent down, and, reaching into the car, lifted the bride out in his arms.
The round fan lowered, revealing Qiu Qi’s stunningly beautiful face. There was a hint of surprise in her expression, but the slight upward curve of her lips held a sweet flavor.
The ideal of a talented man and a beautiful woman was made real in that moment.
A Western suit and leather shoes, and a phoenix coronet and gossamer robes—who knew they could be such a perfect match?
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, the onlookers sending their shouts and blessings to the newlyweds.
"How wonderful. They should be happy," Zhang Shufen said with a gratified smile. But then she muttered with a hint of melancholy, "Poor Wang Yu. If he comes back alive, this will be so painful for him, won’t it?"
The crowd surged toward Feiyan Restaurant to grab red envelopes and wedding candy. Zhang Shufen unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into Zhou Qing’s mouth before turning back to the carriage and driving it out of the city.
Zhou Yan suddenly realized that the old woman had actually seen Qiu Qi before. She had even been a bystander at Qiu Qi and Duan Xingbang’s wedding.
But from start to finish, she had only known them as Miss Qiu and Young Master Duan...
She didn’t even know their names!
And she certainly wouldn’t have known that Duan Xingbang later became a missile engineer.
’Right! She probably had no idea what a missile engineer even was!’
’The keywords were wrong, so of course I couldn’t find what I was looking for!’
Zhou Yan floated above the carriage, gazing toward Feiyan Restaurant and mourning for Wang Yu. ’Now he’s really been left out in the cold...’
He was now extremely curious if Wang was actually Wang Yu!
Of course, he still deeply admired Young Master Wang’s heroic act of dedicating himself to the country, disregarding his personal feelings.
Suddenly, he spotted a man in black clothes squatting by the side of the street.
After the crowd surged toward Feiyan Restaurant, he was left squatting there, looking somewhat conspicuous. And a little... familiar?
Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, trying to see the man’s face.
The carriage turned the street corner, and his line of sight was instantly gone.
’It can’t be, right?’ Zhou Yan craned his neck, trying to be sure, but the receding street had already begun to blur.
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「The scene changed again, returning to the Suji Stone Bridgehead.」
The time was carved onto the stone slab bridge: June 8, 1943, Noon, 11:45 AM.
"Zhang, I need to cut my braised beef order by half again. Business is too difficult. Those officials buy on credit every other day, and by the end of the month, I’m losing money. Sigh." Huang Silang had many more gray hairs at his temples; he looked much older than the last time.
"Alright." Zhang Shufen, still dark and stout, paused in her packing and looked at Huang Silang. "Alright. And don’t worry about the exclusive rights fee for the braised beef for the rest of the year. I know things are hard for you, too."
"You... you’re just too kind, and you understand what people are going through all too well. I tried to bring this up three times but couldn’t get the words out," Huang Silang said, his face full of gratitude.
Zhang Shufen smiled, then asked with sudden curiosity, "By the way, what happened with Young Master Duan and Miss Qiu?"
"You’re still thinking about them?" Huang Silang seemed a little surprised, but he answered anyway. "I heard that adjutant wasn’t willing to let it go and was making some moves behind the scenes. Young Master Duan was worried for Miss Qiu’s safety, so he took her abroad to study. I heard many people from the Duan Family went abroad. The Duan Family donated a lot of money, so they have protectors in high places."
"That’s good, then," Zhang Shufen said with a nod.
"Have you heard from Zhou Yi? It’s been so many years, has he not sent a single letter home?" Huang Silang asked curiously.
Zhang Shufen’s expression darkened, and she shook her head.
Huang Silang looked a bit awkward and quickly said, "Zhang, I’ll be heading back then. I’ll have my cousin come pick up the beef tomorrow."
Zhang Shufen nodded.
As Huang Silang walked to his carriage, he lightly slapped his own mouth. "I could kill myself! Why did I have to ask that?"
"Ma, I delivered the braised beef to the Wang Family. Here’s the money." A sweaty half-grown boy ran over, clutching a handful of legal tender.
"Slow down, you’re all sweaty." Zhang Shufen smiled, taking a towel to wipe the sweat from his head. She gave him some money. "Go to Old Zhang’s and buy a bag of puffed rice candy. Bring your two little brothers over, we’re heading back now."
"Alright," Zhou Qing replied with a grin. He turned and ran off again, his long legs pumping quickly.
Zhou Yan couldn’t help but smile. ’My uncle was so tough when he was a kid. But he was really well-raised. At just twelve, he’s already as tall as Zhang Shufen’s shoulders, and quite sturdy too.’
Even wealthy households were having a hard time. Business at Zhang’s Braised Shop had taken a sharp downturn, so Zhang Shufen was managing the stall all by herself and no longer asked Lin for help.
The three children sat in the carriage, sharing a small bag of puffed rice candy, their faces full of smiles.
The carriage passed through Suji Street. Everywhere you looked, white mourning ribbons were hanging.
Old people and women sat in their doorways with vacant eyes, and you could hear suppressed sobs coming from the dark, cavernous entryways.