News from Taiwan

Chapter 56 Exclusive Message
"Mom, you were looking for me?" Jiang Guier asked cautiously.

"Are you in Taiwan?" Jiang Yun's voice was colder than last time, as if she had been pulled out of an ice cellar.

"Yes, I just got off the plane."

Jiang Guier confessed honestly that her mother had already found out she was in Taiwan, so there was nothing to hide.

The deed is done, what can we do to her now?

Jiang Yun took a deep breath on the other end of the phone and said in a notification tone, "I've already spoken to the bank. Your credit card and debit card are all frozen from now on."

Jiang Guier's fingers tightened instantly as she gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white, and she almost lost her temper on the spot.

She walked to a secluded corner, her voice low but steady: "Mom! What are you doing! You're violating my privacy, and what right do you have to freeze my bank card? I'm going to file a complaint!"

"Freezing an account only requires proof that you are at risk of being scammed, and the bank will cooperate fully."

Jiang Yun chuckled, seemingly mocking Jiang Gui'er's naivety and overestimation of her abilities, then changed the subject, "If you want to unfreeze it, it's simple, just come back and run to the bank."

"You're deliberately provoking me!" Jiang Gui'er was so angry that her chest ached slightly.

How can you do this!

This is clearly a deliberate attempt to force her to return to China, and they're using such a lame tactic.

It doesn't matter if the tricks don't work, as long as they're effective.

Whether I pressure you or not is up to you.

Jiang Yun sneered, "Without money, let's see how you survive in Taiwan. Either book a plane ticket back now, or..."

"Click." The phone was abruptly hung up.

After hanging up the phone, the surrounding noise hurt her eardrums. Jiang Guier stared at the phone screen and took a deep breath.

She checked her phone's text messages and, sure enough, she had received several messages from the bank when the plane landed. She hadn't checked them, and her bank card had indeed been frozen.

What a cruel heart...

But the more you pressure her, the less she will back down.

Jiang Guier smiled slightly and calmly checked her Alipay and WeChat balances. She had over 10,000 yuan in total, which was enough to make her spend it wisely. She also had 17,000 NT dollars in her bag, which she had exchanged before leaving. The thick stack of pink and green bills took up a considerable amount of space in her bag.

Pshaw, this little bit of money isn't even enough for me to stay in Taiwan for a while? You're kidding!
This is Taiwan, so prices aren't very high. It's not like Shanghai where currency is settled.

"Miss Jiang, what's wrong?" Lu Qing's voice came from behind. The team was waiting for the car outside.

"Okay, okay, sorry to keep you waiting."

Jiang Guier glanced at the team members waiting not far away and felt a little embarrassed.

Originally, she planned to find a new hotel herself after landing in Taiwan so as not to bother others too much, but now plans have changed and she has to continue to go through the hassle.

“Okay, let’s go then.” Lu Qing gestured with his chin toward the exit. “The hotel isn’t far from here, it’ll only take thirty minutes. I’ve already reserved a room for you.”

"Thank you, you are so thoughtful."

"Everything was prepared perfectly by the inviting party here." As he spoke, he led Jiang Guier onto the bus.

The car arrived at the hotel quickly. After a quick check-in, Jiang Guier took her luggage to her room. After settling in, she picked up her YSL hobo bag, which contained her passport, letters, change, and some essentials. She wanted to take advantage of the daylight to go for a walk around the neighborhood and breathe some fresh air before her mother's phone call disturbed her.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Lu Qing standing at the doorway, holding a notebook, smiling like a cat waiting to be fed.

Wow, what a coincidence.

"Where is Miss Jiang going?"

"Let's go take a look around." Jiang Guier hadn't figured out what to do yet. In her plan, she wanted to find out some information from the authorities and then visit the military dependents' villages.

“Going out? That’s perfect, here you go.” Lu Qing waved the folder in his hand, deliberately moved closer to her, took out a piece of paper from the notebook, and handed it to Jiang Guier.

"What is this?" Jiang Guier asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Oh, my senior brother drew a simple map that marked all the nearby bus stops."

Jiang Guier looked at the hand-drawn map in front of her. The place names were clearly circled, but next to them were written, "Grandma's Ice Room, Oyster Omelet, Fried Chicken, Milk Cake..."

Looking at the names of these snacks, she felt a stirring in her heart.

Lu Qing looked at her expression, his eyes darting around. "By the way, my senior brother said you came to find your great-grandfather. He asked some friends in Taiwan to help look for him. He also said that if you have a definite direction, you can follow your ideas. If you don't have any clues, just wait a couple of days. He's still looking for more detailed information." He paused and continued, "You see, my senior brother didn't even come in person, but he's already arranged everything for you."

"Mr. Shen is very considerate. I'll just take a look around the hotel."

"It's no fun walking around by yourself." Lu Qing quickly stopped her and stuffed the notebook into his pocket. "We don't have any plans for this afternoon's revision, so I'll accompany you for a walk. My senior specifically told me to take good care of you. If you get lost, I won't be able to explain it to him."

Hearing this made Jiang Guier even more wary. What did she mean by "can't explain"? She was clearly just trying to use Shen Huaizhou's name to continue gossiping about their relationship!

She twitched the corner of her mouth and deliberately walked towards the elevator: "Mr. Lu, are you so free that you don't need to coordinate with your team about AI cooperation?"

"We'll discuss the cooperation tomorrow."

Lu Qing followed behind her with light steps. "And let me tell you, it's only interesting to stroll through Taiwan's old streets with someone. Otherwise, you can't see the buildings and know the stories behind them. For example, on that street ahead, there's an oyster omelet stall that's been open for sixty years. The oyster omelet tastes pretty good, and because it's been around for so long, you might even know something about your great-grandfather's time in Taiwan."

Jiang Guier paused for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse. She really wanted to know about her great-grandfather's past, and it was better to have someone guide her than to wander around aimlessly on her own.

As soon as the two stepped out of the hotel's revolving door, a humid breeze carrying the smell of the sea hit them. Jiang Guier wrinkled her nose slightly and unconsciously tightened her grip on the bag in her backpack. Lu Qing followed behind her, his eyes scanning the street stalls like radar.

She seemed even more excited than she was, even though it was her first time visiting Taiwan.

Taiwan's streets are not wide, and most of the buildings on both sides of the road are old arcade buildings with lotus flower patterns on the iron windows, which are very simple and have a sense of history. Most of the signs are made of traditional Chinese characters in gold foil, and "Grandma's Milk Tea", "Traditional Cake", and "Tea House" all exude a lively atmosphere.

“Look at this arcade,” Lu Qing pointed to the second-floor corridor, “it used to be for shade and rain protection, but now it has become a feature of Taipei, and many old shops are hidden inside.”

“Look at that oyster omelet stall.” Lu Qing suddenly pointed to a small cart under the arcade diagonally opposite, with a yellow sign with red lettering that read “Three Generations of Family Business” hanging on the plastic canopy. “My senior brother said that oyster omelets in Taipei’s old alleys taste best with sweet and spicy sauce. Want to try it?”

"no thank you."

Jiang Guier paused, her gaze sweeping over the sizzling oysters in the frying pan before turning to the arcade building beside her. "These old buildings are quite interesting. The carvings on the pillars are different from those in Shanghai's Shikumen." She deliberately steered the conversation toward architecture, but a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes.

Lu Qing's mouth never stops talking about Shen Huaizhou; she talks about him even more than her mother.

Did Shen Huaizhou say something?
Lu Qing touched her nose, not embarrassed at all, and followed her gaze: "That's right, the arcades here can provide shelter from the rain and sun, which is more effective than the plane trees in Shanghai in the summer."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Decades ago, your great-grandfather probably lived in one of these old-style arcade buildings. My senior brother asked someone to check the archives, but back then, those people would most likely have stayed near Ximending. He also found a lot of old photos; you can ask him for them."

Jiang Guier turned to look at him, "Mr. Lu, if I remember correctly, you came here to investigate the AI ​​situation of Taiwanese companies. Why do I feel like you're here to act as Shen Huaizhou's spokesperson and mouthpiece?"

She looked up, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Does Shen Huaizhou know that you talk about him all the time? You should really ask him if his ears are red."

Lu Qing wasn't annoyed when he was exposed; instead, he scratched his head and laughed, "This isn't because my senior brother had ulterior motives..."

Jiang Guier took a half step back, creating half an arm's length distance between them. "It's my own business to find my grandfather. Shen Huaizhou helped me, and I will thank him. I think Mr. Lu must also have a lot to do."

Looking at her tense profile, Lu Qing finally suppressed his gossipy nature and pointed to the dessert shop in front of them, "Okay, I won't talk about him anymore. But you have to try this red bean soup, it's iced, it'll cut through the richness, my master..."

He swallowed the words he was about to say and changed them to, "I thought it was pretty good when I came last time; it was sweet but not cloying."

He dared not continue to act this way; he seemed genuinely angry. If he made things worse, his senior brother might kill him when they returned.

Gui'er finally relaxed her brow and followed him to the dessert shop.

The sounds of vendors hawking their wares in Hokkien rose and fell along the street. An old woman in flip-flops pushed a fruit cart past, its cart laden with bright red wax apples. Students in school uniforms, carrying backpacks, lined up in front of a bubble tea shop, chattering in Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent; even the banyan trees along the roadside seemed languid.

An elderly woman in a floral dress walked towards us, carrying pineapple cakes she had just bought. When she saw Jiang Guier, she smiled and said in Hokkien, "Sister, you're so pretty."

Jiang Guier was taken aback, and Lu Qing quickly translated, "Grandma is praising your beauty."

"You also understand Hokkien?"

“I’m from Fujian,” Lu Qing said, puffing out his chest.

The two sat down in the dessert shop. Jiang Gui'er took the red bean soup from the owner, and just as the spoon touched the ice at the bottom of the bowl, she heard Lu Qing add, "By the way, this dessert shop is also..."

“Mr. Lu.” Jiang Guier looked up, her eyes carrying a hint of helpless warning.

Lu Qing quickly shut her mouth, lowered her head and took a big gulp of red bean soup, but the corners of her mouth secretly curled up.

Jiang Guier paused, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen and I are just friends."

"Alright, alright, friend." Lu Qing raised his hands in surrender, but a smile was hidden in his eyes.

He didn't believe it.

(End of this chapter)