To be precise, it was a landscape globe, except there were specks of snowflakes drifting inside. Upon closer inspection, Shen Ning realized the scene inside was of Maple Garden. There were the dormitory and teaching buildings, with the cafeteria branching off to the sides of the path. On the road were tiny, blurry figures that gave off a sense of bustling activity.
“This is the scenery of the school. It must be a scene from your memories,” Xu Chuyao’s voice drifted over from beside her.
However, the young girl suddenly shook her head. “No. If it were the scenery of Maple Garden from my memories, how could the weather be like this?”
The weather center didn’t have snow. What was cold wasn’t the human heart, but the snow itself.
Xu Chuyao spoke in a profound, teasing tone, “It’s a memory. If it didn’t have some sort of filter, how could it be called a memory? Have you ever seen anyone’s memories look exactly like reality?”
“Uh…”
There seemed to be some truth to that. What Xu Chuyao said always carried a logic that left her unable to refute.
Shen Ning looked back at the landscape globe. Snowflakes filled the sky, falling within that small world, looking incomparably romantic.
‘But it never snowed at the academy…’
‘Perhaps it’s because it’s too beautiful, so it appeared in my memories to add a touch of fantasy to the scene,’ she thought to herself.
“And actually, I think from a physical standpoint,” Xu Chuyao raised her index finger, “it’s because memories themselves are pixelated. I don’t know if you’ve ever used PS, but when drawing, if you want to pull out a blurred object, you have to fill the empty pixels with something else. We usually call it Gaussian blur. The snowflakes inside serve that function.”
The young girl tilted her head.
Although she didn’t know what Gaussian blur was, it sounded decidedly un-artistic, completely ruining the romantic atmosphere of the drifting snow.
“Regardless of the snowflakes, what is it actually used for?” Shen Ning asked directly.
Xu Chuyao let out an “oh” and said proudly, “See the essence through the phenomenon. No matter what, a soulstone is still just a piece of stone. We can find someone to discuss it with.”
Shen Ning didn’t quite understand. “Find who to discuss it with?”
“A professional.”
Xu Chuyao put her hands behind her back and took out her mobile phone. She scrolled through her contacts and found a number she didn’t call often, but with whom she had a good relationship.
“Hello, Teacher Li? Have you ever studied natural science?”
***
Long Jun sat in a corner of the Council Hall, feeling restless.
Marshal Wen seemed unwilling to meet this General Chu who had just returned, having left before he arrived. Even so, when that short figure appeared in the hall, the atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
It wasn’t until the Old Speaker spoke with a smile that the tension broke. “Little Chu, it’s been a long time. You still look the same as you did back then.”
Those words weren’t exactly flattering. General Chu had stopped growing when he was 10-odd years old. Aside from his face aging rapidly, the rest of his body hadn’t changed at all. In just a few short decades, he had become a “little old man.”
“Old Speaker, I haven’t seen you for many days. I have missed you dearly,” he said with his hands clasped. “And my brothers, everyone has missed you.”
“Sigh, I’m just an old man. What’s there to miss? It’s the era of the young people now.”
The Old Speaker’s words were meant to let everyone else understand that although he had taken the lead in calling the general back, he would not interfere in the outcome of the struggle between the two men.
‘It’s the era of the young people now!’
‘The “young people”?’
That exclamation and question mark were things Long Jun thought silently to himself. He didn’t dare say it out loud, but he believed many people present were thinking the same thing.
Whether it was Marshal Wen or General Chu, saying they were 70 years old was a bit of an exaggeration, but they certainly had nothing to do with being “young.” One could only say that being 50 or 60 years old was their prime.
If one truly wanted to discuss “young,” a name came to Long Jun’s mind, but that person was perhaps a bit too young.
‘Sigh, the old are too old, and the young are too young.’
They exchanged pleasantries for a while, back and forth, with others occasionally chiming in. Long Jun didn’t know the full context of what was happening behind the scenes, so he couldn’t follow everything perfectly. He only caught vague mentions that General Chu had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the area, so he hoped to bring his “brothers” over.
Zhou Tian and others supported this vigorously, while others naturally opposed it. Seeing that the Council Hall was about to descend into an uproar again, the Old Speaker had to speak once more.
“If Little Chu can bring his own people, Wen can do the same. Why does it have to be one or the other?”
He had called General Chu back primarily to watch the two sides engage in “healthy competition.” Since they were going to bid, both sides certainly had their own bargaining chips.
Whether it’s a mule or a horse, pull it out and let it show its strength.
‘Right, right, exactly.’ Long Jun thought the same. You can bring people, and Wen Shengqing can also bring people. Let them have a good fight; it would make his trip worthwhile.
This mindset ended 5 minutes later because someone quietly walked over to him and said, “Councilor Long, Marshal Wen would like to invite you over for a moment.”
The gossip-watching smile instantly vanished. Long Jun froze for a few seconds before his neck stiffened. “Huh?”
‘Oh, the one being dragged in is me.’
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Wen Shengqing wasn’t looking for him for his own sake, but for Xu Chuyao.
“Little Xu is young and promising, a true dragon among men. The only thing she lacks is a bit of experience. Now is a good time; there’s an opportunity for her to try.”
‘And please have Councilor Long contact her—’ that was what he said.
Long Jun didn’t agree on Xu Chuyao’s behalf right away, but he readily promised that he would definitely pass the message along.
***
It was mid-summer break, and Li Xueli was currently away on vacation. However, upon hearing Xu Chuyao’s request for help, she immediately stated she would pack her bags the next day. “Wait for me for a few days, I’ll be back soon.”
“It’s fine, no rush. Take it slow.”
Xu Chuyao hung up the phone with a chuckle and turned to look at her “wife.” She saw the young girl still obsessing over that landscape globe, pressing her face close to it as she stared.
“I think I see us,” she said. “I see us back when we were in first grade. After school, you were waiting for me at the stairs.”
Shen Ning was very happy because she saw her “husband” waiting for her to finish class. It felt wonderful.
Xu Chuyao thought for a moment and seemed to remember. That was when she was preparing to follow behind her to steal her instant noodle seasoning packets.
Clearly, it was a local scene, yet it had been given a warm tone with snowflakes to create a cozy atmosphere. This Shen Ning girl…
“Yeah, it’s really nice,” Xu Chuyao said with a sweet smile.
Since she was so happy, there was no need to ruin the atmosphere. Memories were like that—compared to the reality of what actually happened, they were a bit subjective, but they were certainly more beautiful.
“Let’s go back and rest. Teacher Li will still need a few days to return.”
***
Since there was nothing else to do, for the next 2 days, they stayed in their small private room, eating and sleeping every day, each tending to their own business.
Shen Ning spent every day fiddling with that landscape globe, hoping to discover something from it, but the progress wasn’t very ideal.
Xu Chuyao, on the other hand, pretended to sleep on the bed, but in reality, she was conducting a brainstorm every second—later, when they discussed it, how could she pretend to accidentally reveal the correct answer?
2 days later, Li Xueli had not yet returned, but another person arrived first.
As soon as Long Jun got off the plane, he headed straight for Shengling Academy.