Winter Returns

Chapter 164 A Few Things About Tongtong and Mianmian (Part 3) (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
Zhang Shutong fell silent.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that no one dares to remain silent.

Everyone stared at the pizza in the chef's hands, and the chef fell silent.

"enjoy your meal."

His blue eyes were filled with deep melancholy. After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

"This...this..." Du Kang exclaimed in shock, "This is authentic Italian flavor?"

"It should be," Qingyi judged cautiously.

"Did that foreigner just mention Lao Gan Ma, the kind of chili sauce we usually eat?" Du Kang continued to pale.

"That should be true too." Qingyi made a more cautious assessment. "I saw fermented black beans."

"This can't be..."

"Hey, you guys shut up. Didn't we already say it was impromptu? Why are you arguing about whether it's authentic or not..."

Ruoping quickly stepped in to smooth things over, thinking that the two of them were making Gu Qiumian lose face by being so loud. What had she said earlier? "I come here often, and the food is always delicious..."

She thought to herself that this was indeed the self-taught cook Shu Tong had mentioned, but this was far too unorthodox. Ruoping secretly glanced at Gu Qiumian's expression, only to find that Gu Qiumian was looking down at her phone, glancing at her phone and then at the pizza in front of her, her expression becoming increasingly blank and her eyebrows becoming more and more furrowed.

"Have you ever tried the Tender Beef Wrap?" Gu Qiumian suddenly asked in a low voice.

"I've eaten..."

Does this look like a square-shaped beef noodle?

“Completely different.” Ruoping answered without hesitation. If this were similar to the Tender Beef Wrap, then it wouldn’t be the Tender Beef Wrap that was taken off the shelves, but KFC.

"what happened?"

"Nothing much," Gu Qiumian said coldly. "I heard them talking about the 'Tender Beef Wrap,' and I just looked it up. It seems the ingredients include beef and Sichuan chili sauce..."

"But there are no coconuts." Ruoping pointed out the crux of the problem.

“I also want to know,” Gu Qiumian said, emphasizing each word, “why… there are… coconuts.”

Gu Qiu Mian stabbed a slice of pizza with murderous intent. Her cheeks were flushed from drinking, but now the chilling aura emanating from her was terrifying. Time seemed to freeze, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the pizza on her fork, where the coconut jelly on the cheese was slowly sliding away—

Then it fell into the plate with a thud.

Gu Qiumian's imposing aura dissipated instantly. She tossed her hair, blankly cut the pizza into small pieces, hesitated to speak, and just kept cutting.

Zhang Shutong was startled when he saw this.

I really didn't dare say that I asked for the coconut jelly to be added, and that it took a lot of effort to add it.

He looked at the pizza in front of him and, like everyone else, questioned the meaning of life.

Is this a fruit pizza?
Yes.

Is this a sweet and salty flavor?

of course.

It's not just salty and sweet, it's a perfect blend of salty, sweet, and spicy.

But where exactly did things go wrong, and how did they end up serving up such a bizarre, unappetizing mess?
Is this what they mean by "free rein"?
Looking at Gu Qiu Mian's expression, there was no surprise, only shock. Zhang Shutong seemed to understand why she looked so frosty. She had confidently led everyone to her favorite restaurant, but the chef suddenly messed up. It was like serving stinky tofu at a state banquet. She was already thin-skinned, so anyone would be angry in her situation.
But who would have thought that the one who poisoned her wasn't the head chef, but actually one of her henchmen?

If they were discovered... Zhang Shutong thought for a moment. If it was a henchman, he would probably get lost immediately. If it was a Pokémon, he would release them all.

Zhang Shutong thought it best not to tell anyone.

“You know what,” Du Kang said, picking up the pizza, “I suddenly realized something. If you don’t count the coconut jelly, it really does look a bit like a beef wrap.”

“It doesn’t look like it.” To everyone’s surprise, Gu Qiumian paused with her knife and fork, interrupting in an unquestionable tone, “I won’t come next time.”

Upon hearing this, Du Kang shrank back, wondering what he had said that offended the young lady. He wondered if Gu Qiu Mian was also a potential member of the "Tender Beef Five-Square Party," not allowing anyone to taint its purity.
Qingyi also analyzed seriously:
"It shouldn't be. Although they all have chili sauce, who uses Lao Gan Ma?"

"So what exactly happened?" Du Kang had barely finished speaking when Ruoping kicked him. Just then, his phone vibrated, and a message from Ruoping came through the group chat:
"Stop nitpicking! Can't you see Qiu Mian is about to die of embarrassment!"

The two boys silently shut up.

Let's just have pizza.

There are six slices in a pizza. After Gu Qiumian took one first, everyone else followed suit. However, there were five of them, and the last slice was left there untouched for a while.

It's just that the taste is so strange.

Ruoping forced a smile as she ate. It would have been barely acceptable if the coconut jelly hadn't been added, but why was it added? It can only be concluded that the chef had lost his mind.

Soon the second pizza was served. The group cautiously looked at the Margherita pizza, worried that a layer of yellow peaches might be hiding under the cheese. Fortunately, this time it was indeed a classic flavor, and the taste was definitely not just mediocre. It was many times better than Pizza Hut. Feeling the rich milky aroma bloom on the tip of the tongue, the handmade crust had a wheat flavor, soft yet chewy. Ruoping's impression of this restaurant, which had fallen to rock bottom, was finally lifted a little.

Next up were their main courses for the day: grilled salmon rolls and grilled lamb chops.

Several bright red raspberries were placed next to the salmon roll.

The tension that had eased everyone's worries returned, and finally Zhang Shutong coughed:
"Plate the food, it's about plating, don't be afraid..."

Perhaps if they perform normally, the head chef of this restaurant is still quite good.

As the tender salmon roll was cut open, the initially stiff atmosphere gradually softened.

Zhang Shutong breathed a sigh of relief and was just putting a lamb chop into his mouth when someone next to him asked:
"How do you think it tastes?"

"Great, they're all delicious." Zhang Shutong acted as if the coconut pizza didn't exist.

"Then let's eat." Her puffed-out cheeks flattened out, as if her anger had subsided considerably, and she rang the bell to order a bottle of red wine.

"Want some more?"

"Okay." Gu Qiumian smoothed her hair. "You'll stay with me."

This time, he wanted a red wine with a higher alcohol content. He knew a little about it, but only from books. Unlike Gu Qiu Mian, who sipped red wine while eating lamb chops, he was very elegant, taking small sips, but the high frequency meant the wine in the glass was soon empty.

She pushed the cup away, and Zhang Shutong poured it for her:

"Don't get drunk."

"No," Gu Qiumian snorted. "Don't underestimate people."

Thinking about it carefully, Zhang Shutong had never actually gone out with her before. Maybe she was just a heavy drinker all the time. The more she drank, the more excited she became, just like a little drunkard. But apart from her face turning a little rosy, there was nothing unusual about her.

Aside from his poor drinking habits.

She insisted on drinking with her, even though there were three other drinking buddies at the table. As usual, Gu Qiu Mian asked around, and everyone politely declined to drink, leaving only Zhang Shutong.

Towards the end, the food was almost gone, and it was past one o'clock. Qingyi and Dukang, who couldn't sit still, went to the art wall to study the photos, while Ruoping went to the restroom. That's how it is at the end of the dinner party; everyone splits into groups, some drinking, some chatting.

Zhang Shutong was the one who drank.

He realized that the real challenge was waiting for him here; now it was just him and Gu Qiumian sitting in the booth.

The candle had burned down to half its original size, and the flame was becoming increasingly faint. When they came in, they had chosen a corner spot, which was also the darkest corner in the entire restaurant—a good place to whisper secrets.

Every time he poured her a glass, she would pour herself one too, insisting on doing so before she would stop. Otherwise, she would stare straight into his eyes without saying a word, her hair curling around her fingertips.

Zhang Shutong noticed her manicure, which had a wine-like color reflected in the candlelight.

He could only conclude that she had been cooped up at home all week, so he went all out and downed his wine glass in one gulp.

Gu Qiumian almost finished a bottle of red wine by herself, and even wanted to open another one. Zhang Shutong said, "Forget it, we still have to go shopping in the afternoon. Don't get drunk." Only then did she stop.

"So what is the surprise you mentioned?" She opened her rosy lips, her warm breath carrying a fruity scent.

Zhang Shutong glanced at the coconut pizza that only had one slice left.

"And yours?"

"Tell me first." Gu Qiumian's voice sounded like she was being coquettish; she was clearly drunk.

"I'll keep it a secret too."

"Tsk, forget it."

"What movie do you want to see?"

Zhang Shutong remembered that he still had a mission to complete.

"You choose." She glanced at the time, then exclaimed in surprise, "It's so late."

Zhang Shutong was pushed:
"Eat quickly, I still want to go shopping!"

Zhang Shutong wondered who was drinking here. He glanced at the dining table.
"We're almost finished eating, are we leaving already?"

"Isn't there still that pizza?"

"You want to eat?"

"you eat."

Zhang Shutong said, "Even if you're very frugal, Miss, don't give me any. I'm not some kind of stinky mud." Gu Qiumian tilted her head and thought for a while:
Let's play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses eats.

Zhang Shutong throws a punch.

She was a beat too slow and produced the cloth.

"Don't try to cheat."

Zhang Shutong frowned, just as he was about to start another round, when Gu Qiumian forked the pizza and brought it to her mouth. Zhang Shutong reluctantly took the fork from her and struggled with his conscience as he looked at the now-cold coconut jelly and fermented black beans.

Perhaps this is reaping what he sowed? He simply closed his eyes and resolutely opened his mouth.

My vision suddenly brightened.

Gu Qiumian had already put her phone away with satisfaction.

"Going to pay the bill."

Zhang Shutong bit into the cold pizza, unable to figure out what she was trying to do for a long time.

He feels a little dizzy right now.

Zhang Shutong rarely had such moments, feeling as if his limbs were not obeying his commands. He didn't even know how he got out of the store. The sun was shining brightly outside, and he squinted at the winter sun, equally unaware of how he ended up on the second floor of the mall.

He stood in the crowd, the bright light shining on the white marble floor casting shadows on people. Looking down, he saw that Ruoping and the others had already disappeared.

"Where is he?" Zhang Shutong was a little stunned.

“They went to the supermarket downstairs to buy things, didn’t I tell you?” Gu Qiumian was peering through the window of a jewelry store.

"And me?"

"You come with me."

Zhang Shutong was pulled to the shop window by her and found that Gu Qiumian was looking at a pendant.

It was a four-leaf clover-shaped pendant. Zhang Shutong was thinking, "Are you going to tie it in your hair again? Isn't that too much...?" when she realized it was an anklet. In short, it was an ornament worn on the ankle.

"Is it pretty?" Gu Qiumian asked.

"It's alright," Zhang Shutong commented.

"Oh, I'm asking you if it looks good?"

Zhang Shutong understood; he could only answer yes or no.

"it is good."

"Then let's give it a try."

Zhang Shutong was pulled into the store again by her.

"It's winter," he couldn't help but remind him. What's the point of buying anklets in winter?

"Winter clearance sale, cheap. 25% off." The young lady blinked.

"You really know how to manage money..."

Gu Qiu Mian was already sitting on the sofa amidst the shop assistant's greetings. Today she was wearing flesh-colored leggings, a thick style, which could not hide the long and beautiful lines of her legs. It was one of the few choices for girls who wanted to look good in winter.

Zhang Shutong sat down next to her, and was unusually clear-headed. He was about to ask how she could try on these pantyhose when Gu Qiumian had already taken off her boots. Only then did Zhang Shutong realize that they were slip-on pantyhose. She gently touched one of her fair feet, with only a strap under her foot.

The shop assistant took an anklet from the display case; it was made of silver, and Gu Qiumian bent down and tied it around her ankle.

When most people hold silver ornaments close to their skin, their skin will only appear yellowish, but her skin was as white as snow, making her look dazzling for a moment.

"How is it?" she asked, looking up.

Zhang Shutong genuinely felt it was alright. He noticed that her toenails were also painted red, shimmering like tiny rubies under the light. Gu Qiumian curled her toes slightly.
"fool."

"Wrap it up."

She then gave instructions to the shop assistant.

Zhang Shutong now has his first small cardboard box.

The second store was a handbag shop, a mid-to-high-priced brand. It wasn't a luxury brand, but it was still a major international brand. The bags inside ranged from a few thousand yuan. Gu Qiumian carried her white bag, went in, browsed around, and then came out. During this time, she asked a few questions, but the sales clerk's attitude was lukewarm, even somewhat perfunctory.

Zhang Shutong guessed that the shop assistant thought her bag was too plain.

There is no logo, and not even a pattern, only diamond-shaped stitches.

Perhaps they were mistaken for students who were broke and just wanted to feast their eyes.

Zhang Shutong couldn't tell how expensive her bag was, but she felt that the other person had missed out on a great opportunity.

They then took the escalator to the third floor.

"How about this tie?" Gu Qiumian asked.

"I can't hit it." Zhang Shutong realized that this was a luxury store.

"It's better to be prepared," she emphasized.

"Yes, yes," Zhang Shutong replied perfunctorily, "One tie is enough for me to buy the best lure fishing rod..."

"You can't tie a fishing rod around your neck," Gu Qiumian said irritably.

Zhang Shutong was speechless.

Fortunately, the young lady's attention shifted elsewhere; she was looking at a silk ribbon. Zhang Shutong glanced at the price, and although he had expected it, it was still astonishing.

In the end, the silk ribbon was not wrapped up.

"You've been watching for a long time."

"No discount? Forget it." She's quite vengeful.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "You're really approachable. This discount isn't even as good as the bottle of red wine you drank at noon."

Nevertheless, the shop assistants were clearly well-trained. As soon as they entered the shop, they brought out two hot drinks. Zhang Shutong took a sip and found that it was tea made with pears.

As expected of a luxury store employee, their attitude was indeed excellent. Is it possible to discern a person's aura from their demeanor? For example, Qiu Yumian exudes an air of regal elegance?

No one might believe it if I told them, but it's the truth—

The young lady, a lady of high birth, came to the luxury goods store just to have a couple of cups of hot tea with him, and then patted her skirt and prepared to leave.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a shop assistant smiling and flattering me:
"...Your handbag is a limited edition from our store, right? When it was released, we couldn't even get any in the store. I heard it's incredibly popular online, and even scalpers have a hard time getting their hands on it..."

Gu Qiu Mian nodded casually, taking it as a response.

Ok.

It turns out they have good taste.

Saying that aura or anything like that is fake.

Zhang Shutong thought it made sense; ordinary people wouldn't recognize the origin of her bag.

He looked at the bag in his hand and never expected that this inconspicuous little thing would be worth five figures.

Then Gu Qiu Mian became more approachable and stopped looking for luxury stores. She went back to the second floor and browsed around the small accessory shops.

Zhang Shutong felt that even wealthy people didn't live in a vacuum; she was eating steamed buns from the school gate too.

They had practically scoured the entire mall, buying a bunch of sparkly little trinkets. Finally, the two sat on a bench, catching their breath. Zhang Shutong looked at his coat and paper bag, suddenly realizing why he had them. Something seemed off. He nudged Gu Qiumian, but she put down her phone and exclaimed in surprise again:
"It's time!"

"What time?"

Zhang Shutong asked, puzzled.

"The movie ticket check-in is at 2 PM, there are still ten minutes left. We agreed to meet up later..."

As she spoke, she strode off, her boots clicking on the escalator. Zhang Shutong sighed, realizing she had really drunk too much today, and that they had somehow managed to buy the tickets without her knowledge.

He followed slowly.

The movie theater was on the top floor. Fortunately, the young lady didn't bother him anymore. As soon as Zhang Shutong went up the escalator, he saw Gu Qiumian queuing up at the popcorn stand.

Upon seeing the words "Big bucket popcorn and cola combo for 50 yuan", Zhang Shutong's eyelids twitched, and he thought to himself, "Where did your attitude of not buying unless there's a discount go?"

If it were him and his close friends, they would definitely buy snacks beforehand and secretly slip them into their bags to bring into the movies. But Gu Qiu Mian did not. She squeezed out carrying two large buckets of popcorn. Zhang Shutong was about to lend a hand, but Gu Qiu Mian pouted and said, "There's another bucket that I don't have the hands to carry."

And so, the two of them sat down, clutching three buckets of popcorn and five bottles of cola. Zhang Shutong was starting to feel a little sorry for them, but Gu Qiumian munched on her popcorn while she went to store her things. She returned carrying her handbag:

"Where are the others?"

Zhang Shutong then remembered to take out his phone and call Ruoping.

Why is my brain really getting a little dumber?
He thought dejectedly.

1:55 PM.

The five people gathered in the cinema lobby. Du Kang and Qing Yi were also carrying plastic bags, which were indeed snacks and drinks they had bought from the supermarket. They were not surprised to see popcorn, because they did not see the price list.

Ruoping ran off to share snacks with Gu Qiumian, while Zhang Shutong remembered to ask what movie it was.

"Skyfall." Qingyi made his signature turn and firing gesture.

As expected, this is exactly what chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferers love.

Zhang Shutong didn't cooperate with Qingyi today. He was simply wondering why the handbag was back in his hands. He followed behind the group to check tickets. That's the advantage of having a large group. When you go out to play, you don't have to worry about anything. Everything is arranged by others without you even realizing it.

Besides, there are two girls in the team who like to worry.

The dividing line between the lobby and the interior of the cinema is often a huge carpet. There are quite a few people coming to watch movies on weekends. He squeezed in with the crowd and looked around. Zhang Shutong was suddenly a little glad that his head was spinning, otherwise he didn't know how many more feelings he would have had.

This movie theater—the one where he had asked his senior to go to the movies—was the one he ended up going to, but he was so exhausted from trying to save a kidnapped child that he didn't end up going to the movies.

It was after that incident that Zhang Shutong wanted to get rid of that ability.

However, all of that is in the past.

Returning to the old place, everything and everyone has changed. This shopping mall was built a long time ago, and the mall below has been renovated, but the cinema is still the old one. Zhang Shutong vaguely remembers that it wasn't until his first year of high school that it underwent a complete renovation and refurbishment.

For example, right now, they're in theater 6, and there's a sign for equipment maintenance right in front of theater 5 next door. I remember that it wasn't uncommon for the big screen to suddenly go black or the projector to suddenly turn off during a movie.

Looking up at the ceiling, I saw water seeping out in some places, perhaps from the central air conditioning pipes?
Zhang Shutong wasn't sure either, only that the place was old enough and the order was poorly maintained. If it weren't built in the city's largest shopping mall, it would probably be half as popular.

But because it's located on the top floor of the largest shopping mall, it's incredibly popular on weekends.

We quickly entered the cinema, and our seats were next to each other in the sixth row, near the aisle.

He was the last one, so he naturally sat on the very edge.

People come and go in the corridor, and it's inevitable that there will be some noise. For a while, people are intermingling, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are shoulder to shoulder.

Before entering the theater, Zhang Shutong observed that from the moment they got off the elevator, they were either queuing or on their way to queue. It was easy to imagine how many people there were; the entire theater was almost full.

I was already feeling drowsy, and the crowd only made it worse.

In the darkness, someone handed him a bottle of water. He took it and knew who it was just by the smell.

In the past, when watching movies, he liked to sit with Qingyi, as they both preferred quiet. Ruoping would chat quietly with Dukang, but this time, no seats were assigned; everyone was seated according to the order of entry.

Gu Qiumian was initially in front of the line, but as she walked, she frowned and said that when she was trying on the anklet, her boots hadn't been properly zipped up. When she straightened up, she was in front of Gu Qiumian.

all in all--

The two became deskmates again.

Gu Qiumian still lacked experience. If she were, she wouldn't have bought such a huge bucket of popcorn, which had nowhere to be placed. As soon as she sat down, she complained of the heat and wanted to tie her hair up. Zhang Shutong had no choice but to put her handbag under the seat on the side of the aisle and hurriedly take the popcorn bucket from her while she finished tying her hair up.

But to everyone's surprise, Gu Qiumian never mentioned taking it back.

The movie started soon.

She stared intently at the screen, occasionally reaching for a handful of popcorn from her pocket. Just as Zhang Shutong was about to speak, she put her finger to her lips, indicating that she shouldn't be disturbed.

Seemingly to increase her persuasiveness, Gu Qiumian added:
"I think my phone wasn't on silent, it's in my bag..."

So you did know your bag was with me.

Zhang Shutong grumbled, then helplessly freed one hand to reach under his seat to retrieve his bag.

But they ended up with nothing.

Zhang Shutong frowned, quickly leaned down, and shone his flashlight on the area.

He immediately confirmed—

Gu Qiumian's bag is really gone.

(End of this chapter)