From the Valkyrie to the Endless

103. Chapter 103: Meeting, unexpected call

103.

2023-06-14

Tianshui Coffee Shop outside Yunhai University.

Shen Qing and Zhao Yu sat opposite each other in the window seats. A moment later, two cups of strong black coffee were brought to them by the waiter.

Shen Qing picked up the cup and took a sip. After frowning slightly, she put down the coffee in her hand. She was not used to drinking this stuff. It was a bit bitter and a bit annoying. In comparison, she preferred desserts.

Zhao Yu was already used to it, so he sipped it slowly for a moment before speaking with a hint of apology: "Sorry to have wasted your time."

"It's okay. I don't have anything else to do."

Shen Qing supported her chin with one hand and looked carefully at the face in front of her, which was exactly the same as she remembered. She looked a little dazed for a moment.

She didn't know whether the person sitting in front of her was the same Zhao Yu in her memory.

But at this moment, she hoped it was.

"Teacher, is there something on my face?"

Zhao Yu's face turned slightly red. She felt a little embarrassed and at a loss what to do when being looked at by Shen Qing.

"No... Sorry, you look a lot like an old friend of mine, and I was mesmerized by you for a moment."

Shen Qing came back to his senses, looked away, and looked at the rolling traffic outside the window. For a moment, he felt as if he was in a dream.

"Teacher, this is the first time I've heard what you said in class. You're really amazing. You know so many things that even professors don't know."

Zhao Yu raised her voice a little, realizing that she had lost her composure, and said with some embarrassment:

"I don't know why, but I've always been interested in that period of history and have collected a lot of information, but I haven't heard of most of the things you mentioned."

She had been collecting information since junior high school, and she had basically read all those unofficial histories. Although the descriptions in them were shocking, Zhao Yu always felt that they were exaggerated and too exaggerated. Most of the contents were just works created by later generations based on fragmentary records and conjectures.

For someone who studies history, these are simply not sufficient to support historical facts.

The reason why Zhao Yu stopped Shen Qing was that she was curious whether her remarks were supported by strong enough historical materials. This was of vital importance to her.

"Teacher Shen, can you show me the information you have collected?"

Zhao Yu hesitated for a long time, but she couldn't hold it back any longer and blurted out, then she added nervously:

"Don't worry, I won't watch it for free. I can give you some financial compensation."

This was the only exchange she could offer.

Shen Qing came back to his senses, pretended to rummage through his bag, took out an ancient book from his magic ring, and pushed it in front of Zhao Yu.

This ancient book was the one she had found in the Sutra Library of the Imperial Palace. It recorded the complete inheritance history of Daxia for more than 3,400 years, as well as the life experiences of the kings of each generation.

Every generation of imperial turmoil and the continuation of the royal lineage are recorded in this book in great detail. It can be said that if this book were thrown out, it would be enough to shock the entire archaeological community. Shen Qing could even be deified because of this, just because she was the discoverer.

Whenever someone mentions this piece of completed history, Shen Qing's name will also be mentioned. This is an indescribable huge influence.

“Is this…is this a cultural relic?”

Looking at the slightly yellowed pages, Zhao Yu did not dare to reach out for a moment. With a little desire flashing in his eyes, he asked cautiously.

For a student who likes to study history, identifying cultural relics is already the most basic skill. Looking at the appearance of this ancient book, it has gone through hundreds or even thousands of years, or even longer.

The fact that these books have been preserved for such a long time is simply a miracle of preservation.

"It doesn't matter, just open it and take a look."

Shen Qing waved his hand nonchalantly and pushed the coffee in front of him away.

Seeing the coffee swaying and about to spill, Zhao Yu's heart skipped a beat. Not daring to be negligent, he took out a pair of plastic gloves from somewhere and put them on, directly protecting the ancient books on the table.

"Thank you, teacher!"

Looking at the big words "Chronicle of the Great Xia Royal Family" on the book, Zhao Yu's eyes lit up faintly, his fingers trembling as he carefully opened the cover.

The more she read, the brighter her eyes became, and her heart was beating fast. These were some of the contents recorded by the historians of the Great Xia royal family, and there must have been some embellishments in them.

Leaving aside the exaggerated words praising the merits, during these 3,400 years or so, there must have been lewd rulers, rebellious ministers, and traitors.

Although this is vaguely recorded in this annals, it is still restrained and not recorded truthfully. This is understandable under the pressure of the royal family.

Even so, the persuasiveness of this ancient book far exceeds those of unofficial histories and biographies, after all, it is an official medium.

While Zhao Yu was flipping through the book, Shen Qing began to probe Zhao Yu and chat about family matters, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

Zhao Yu's attention was basically on the ancient book in front of him. He had almost no hesitation in answering Shen Qing's questions and mostly answered them.

After understanding Zhao Yu's situation, Shen Qing felt helpless for a moment.

Zhao Yu did not have a very happy childhood. There were frequent quarrels at home. Finally, his parents could no longer bear it, so they divorced and then each of them started their own families.

From that day on, Zhao Yu's life had been shattered. She was only in junior high school at the time, and apart from the regular living expenses once a year, she seldom contacted her parents.

They basically never interacted with each other, and Zhao Yu was used to being alone for a long time.

"On the tenth day of the fifth month in the twenty-seventh year of the Jinglong calendar, Taiwei Shen Lie bribed the guards and entered the palace to assassinate the emperor. The emperor was furious and killed the rebel with the Emperor's Sword..."

The thick stack of chronicles came to an abrupt end here. There were obviously a few more pages at the end, but they had been torn off.

"Who...did this?"

Zhao Yu wanted to cry but had no tears.

This is so damned!

Shen Qing glanced at it and didn't say anything. Most of the contents on the last few pages were deliberate slanders against Shen Lie, Yang Zongxi and even Sikong Yuan. When she saw them, she tore them up.

But these are not the main points.

"You live alone now?"

After finding out Zhao Yu's current situation, Shen Qing's eyes suddenly brightened: "How about moving in with me?"

Seeing Zhao Yu's face, Shen Qing felt a surge of guilt in his heart, and he unconsciously wanted to take care of her more.

"This...I'm afraid it's not good."

Zhao Yu was a little hesitant. She had been accustomed to living alone all along. She might not be used to the sudden appearance of another person around her, and she subconsciously resisted.

“I have a lot of this material at home.”

Shen Qing pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses that had slipped down and smiled faintly: "My house is big, and I happen to have extra rooms. I can give you a lower rent. Even if you don't live there, I will rent it out. I will feel more at ease if I rent it to you."

These were naturally excuses. Looking at Zhao Yu's reaction, Shen Qing understood that if she didn't charge rent, Zhao Yu would never agree to live in her house.

Hearing that Shen Qing had other historical materials, Zhao Yu was obviously tempted, but he couldn't make a decision for a while.

"Teacher Shen, can you let me think about it and then give you an answer?"

After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Yu closed the Chronicles of the Great Xia Royal Family in front of him and carefully handed it back to Shen Qing.

"Of course, but you'd better not keep me waiting too long."

Shen Qing did not press Zhao Yu too hard, but gave her enough space to let her make her own choice.

However, no matter what, she would not let Zhao Yu leave her sight again.

Zhao Yu, who was sitting opposite the table, watched Shen Qing clumsily stuff the ancient book into his bag. His eyebrows twitched and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

Regarding Shen Qing's attitude towards this ancient book, she was a little worried. If she didn't make a decision quickly, she didn't know if she would have the chance to see the ancient books that Shen Qing kept at home.

Noticing Zhao Yu's worried look, Shen Qing curled the corners of his mouth and stood up.

Zhao Yu stood up and trotted to the counter, quickly paid the bill, and left the cafe with Shen Qing.

"Goodbye, Teacher Shen."

Zhao Yu bowed politely before turning around and leaving, with light steps, obviously in a good mood.

Shen Qing raised his head and glanced at the setting sun. His mind gradually relaxed and his eyes became warm.

She had never thought that this ordinary sunset could be so beautiful.

A chance to see you again...

very nice……

…………

…………

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

evening.

In the kitchen.

Shen Qing tied up her long hair, put on an apron, and was preparing ingredients for cooking. She wore a loose white long-sleeved shirt with no buttons fastened and a slightly loose collar, and tight jeans that outlined her attractive curves.

Tuk-tuk-tuk...

The sound of the knife blade hitting the chopping board was crisp and rhythmic. Several green peppers were cut into shreds in an instant, as if they were rubbed by a grinder, without any error.

"You are really good at knife skills."

Zhao Yu stretched her head to take a look and was a little amazed. Shen Qing's hands were so steady that it was frightening, without even a trace of trembling. She had never seen such exquisite knife skills in her daily life, and she rarely saw them even on TV.

Faced with the temptation of historical records, after two days of consideration and struggle, Zhao Yu finally couldn't help it and chose to move into Shen Qing's home.

In addition to this reason, the more important reason was that she felt very familiar with Shen Qing the first time she saw him, as if they were old friends at first sight. That was probably the case.

Shen Qing symbolically charged Zhao Yu 500 yuan a month in rent. In this location, it could be said to be too cheap, which made Zhao Yu feel a little embarrassed.

"If you practice more, you can do it, but there's no need. I'll make whatever you want to eat for you."

Shen Qing casually replied that her swordsmanship was honed by taking human lives, and Zhao Yu might never have this opportunity in his lifetime, and she didn't want Zhao Yu to have the chance to try it.

After preparing the ingredients, Shen Qing picked up the pot, waited for a moment, poured in cold oil, and then poured in the shredded green peppers.

stab-

Hot pan and cold oil, as soon as the green pepper shreds are put into the pan, water vapor mixed with oil bursts out, giving off a rich aroma. When stir-fried over high heat, a slight crackling sound is soon made, and tiger-skin-like patterns appear.

Seeing that the heat was almost right, Shen Qing poured in the marinated shredded pork and stir-fried it until it changed color. He then added seasonings and stir-fried it briefly before serving.

Stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers is a simple home-cooked dish. It is not easy to make the meat tender and the green peppers crispy, and the heat is relatively difficult to control. However, for Shen Qing, it is not difficult.