Winter Returns

Chapter 231 An Ancient Temple, a Green Lamp, and a Lonely Soul (Part 1)

"What is Lu Qinglian doing there?"

“Oh, her,” Zhang Shutong almost couldn’t handle it and quickly changed the subject, “weaving straw ropes.”

"Straw rope?" Gu Qiumian sounded puzzled.

Zhang Shutong then carefully explained the science to her:

“They need to braid those straw ropes into small snake-like items, which are used as offerings in the temple. See those plastic bags? They're full of ropes.”

"So that's how it is." Gu Qiumian said with a look of sudden realization.

She crossed her arms and nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Shutong, come and see if this change will work?" Qingyi called from outside.

"Coming," Zhang Shutong replied, and was about to take a step when a boot beat him to it, blocking his way.

He gave him a questioning look, and Gu Qiumian smiled beautifully and asked:
"Oh my, I have a feeling you know a lot about Lu Qinglian's affairs?"

"No, that's not true," Zhang Shutong couldn't help but think. He only found out what Lu Qinglian had done after she returned today, so he couldn't really say he understood.

“No,” Zhang Shutong explained, “She didn’t come to school all day. I only found out about these things after I ran into her at the library after school.”

Gu Qiu Mian didn't speak when she heard this, but just stared into his eyes, her bright and beautiful eyes narrowed into slits.

"Still not out, Shutong?" Qingyi asked in surprise. "Where did you all go?"

Zhang Shutong thought to himself that the library wasn't actually that big; it was just that someone didn't want him to leave.

Gu Qiumian moved the boot away. She glared at him, her beautiful eyes filled with annoyance.

When she stepped out of the bookshelf again, she had regained her nonchalant expression, which was more like Gu Qiu Mian's true self.

The air conditioner wasn't too hot, but she seemed to be hot and tied her long hair up. It was only then that Zhang Shutong noticed that a light blush had appeared on her swan-like white neck.

But the next moment he quickly looked away, because several pairs of eyes had already focused on the two of them.

Zhang Shutong's eyelids twitched inexplicably.

"Oh, were you two rehearsing a scene just now?" Qingyi asked.

"Am I disturbing you two?" Du Kang asked with a mischievous smile.

"Don't die," Ruoping gestured with her eyes.

Wait, what do you mean by "don't die"?
Zhang Shutong wondered if he was seeing things, so he chose a question he could answer:

"Oh, they're rehearsing a scene."

As he said this, he glanced at Gu Qiumian and thought to himself that someone had just changed the script without permission. She was supposed to be a princess, but she was dressed up as a bewitching witch.

Gu Qiu Mian didn't even look at Zhang Shutong. She had been a pampered young lady who had lived in the spotlight since childhood, so a few glances were nothing to her.

As if she wasn't the one who touched someone's chin, Gu Qiumian smoothed her hair and asked casually:

"Where are these lines from? Let me take a look."

“Here.” Qingyi handed over the script at the right moment, looking like a talented but unappreciated literary youth. “It mainly focuses on the witch’s scenes. Since Shutong can’t portray complex emotions, let’s make her scenes a bit more evil.”

“Then…” Gu Qiumian only uttered one word.

Her best friend quickly shook her head, indicating that she was fine with anything.

"Okay." Gu Qiumian nodded and made the decision.

The screenwriter, Qingyi, then took credit, saying:

"Actually, I don't think using a sword is aesthetically pleasing; it's too bloody."

Ruoping turned around in surprise, thinking to herself, "Brother, are you a flower? You're so easily pleased by a little sunshine? Is this a question of beauty?"

Unfortunately, Qingyi was completely oblivious to her gaze; he was so engrossed in the script that he gestured to himself as he spoke.
"I still think the second version is better. The one with the magic wand lifting his chin while speaking cold, icy words, what do you think, Shutong?"

The boy looked at the other boy.

I will come to see you both next winter. Ruoping gently touched her chest.

Sure enough, before Zhang Shutong could respond, someone else spoke up first.

"With a wand?" Gu Qiumian opened her red lips, emphasizing each word, "Instead of, using your hands?"

Yes, yes, I don't know what someone misunderstood, but she was the only one who took matters into her own hands.

Zhang Shutong gazed at the sky and thought.

As for why she didn't look at Gu Qiu Mian, it was because the blush that had been floating on her neck had rapidly spread to her ears, and then to her cheeks, gradually deepening into a beautiful red.

She suddenly looked at Ruoping:
"I'll listen to you."

"what?"

Ruoping blinked, feeling for the first time that she was a little out of sync with the pace.

Why did power suddenly fall back into his hands?
But she didn't refuse. It was much easier to handle things once the power was back in her hands. Under Ruoping's command, the actors took their places and rehearsed twice more before it got completely dark. In the midst of the recorded a cappella singing, the prince walked step by step toward the princess lying in the center of the stage. The princess's long hair was loose, and she looked like she was sleeping peacefully. Only when the prince leaned down would her thick eyelashes tremble slightly.

"Mission accomplished!" Ruoping clapped her hands and announced, "Everyone, thank you for your hard work. That's basically it. Anyone have any objections? Speak up quickly!"

"Things seem to be all set." The vampire and werewolf got up from the ground one after the other. "Now, we just need to prepare some supplies, right?"

"Almost there, oh, and about makeup, I'm wondering if I can sneak a pair of eyebrow pencils from my mom..."

"Don't let them find out this year. I remember I cut off your allowance for a month last year."

"Don't worry, my mom has been focusing all her attention on the parrot lately."

My best friend was the last to get up; she had just replied to a text message while lying on the floor:

"I'll be going now. My mom's urging me to go home for dinner. You owe me takoyaki tomorrow, okay?"

"Foodie, I've had countless lovers, do you think I owe you anything?" Ruoping's dramatic flair hadn't subsided yet.

"That's fine then, bye."

Bye, drive carefully.

Ruoping smiled, turned around and said:

"Alright, let's go..."

In fact, without her reminder, everyone was already busy. Qingyi carefully folded the vampire's cloak, while Dukang whispered something to him.

I leaned closer to listen, and this is what I heard:
"...Is the smell of gunpowder a bit strong today?" Du Kang asked, puzzled.

"A little, I guess." "What happened? Tell me quickly, am I late?"

"Oh, when Gu Qiumian arrived, she found that Shu Tong had arrived first. Lu Qinglian was also in the library at that time, that's about it."

"It doesn't sound like anything," Du Kang said, puzzled. "Hey, tell me, what exactly did Lu go about?"

"They must be busy with temple matters."

"Then why did she come to the library without saying a word?"

"She prefers school to the temple?" Qingyi pondered.

"Is that...is that a correct way of understanding it?" Du Kang was taken aback.

"Didn't you notice? She's always at school when she's not busy."

"Yes, it really is." Du Kang suddenly said, "But we're about to leave, what if she hasn't finished her work?"

“That’s another problem…” Qingyi turned his head and sighed, “Speaking of which, how did Shutong end up in the bookshelf again? All that help was for nothing.”

Ruoping also turned her head. It was true. Were the two of them going to settle their score for coming to the library, or were they going to say a few shameful things?

The noisy day was almost over. Several backpacks were neatly placed on the library table, but out of place were a few black plastic bags in the corner.

Lu Qinglian sat in the corner. She sat there the whole time during the rehearsal. Of course, she could hear every word they said and every laugh they made, but she was focused on what she was doing the whole time.

The lifelike grass snakes on the table—there was only one when they arrived, but by the time they left, the table was filled with them.

Lu Qinglian didn't wear her usual high ponytail; instead, she let her long black hair fall loose. At this moment, no one would guess that she was a student; she looked more like a temple keeper who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world.

Not long ago, she was still a character in the play, wearing a pointed hat and a cloak to play a witch. She frowned slightly, not quite used to it. But before she could get used to the costume, she was already sitting in a corner, detached from the role.

Ruoping couldn't help but wonder if she was like this when she was in the temple.
Lu Qinglian stopped what she was doing and put the little snake's tail away. Ruoping didn't understand her actions at first, until Lu Qinglian picked up the broom that had been prepared earlier. Then she realized that Lu Qinglian was leaving too.

Because they were leaving, and the library was closing.

Lu Qinglian cleaned the table and swept the floor until it was spotless, just as her teacher had told her not long ago not to cause trouble for others.

She took something from behind the plastic bag, and Ruoping looked closely and realized it was a carton of student milk. The carton had already been opened, but the milk hadn't been finished. Now Lu Qinglian was sucking on the straw, treating the carton of milk as a reward after work.

"Is she finished with her work?"

Gu Qiumian lowered her voice and pointed at Lu Qinglian, asking.

"Probably not." Zhang Shutong also glanced at the table; only two plastic bags were empty, one of which still had some left. It was still a long way off. "I guess we'll be busy; we'll have to take it back and work overtime."

Why choose the library?

Gu Qiumian asked another question.

Zhang Shutong thought that Gu Qiumian's curiosity was really strong today, because she knew that Gu Qiumian had never asked about Lu Qinglian's affairs before.

"She's probably rushing to finish some work before New Year's Day, so time is tight. As for why she didn't go back to the temple, maybe it's warmer in the library," Zhang Shutong added. "You know our class is rehearsing a poetry recitation, and she thinks it's too noisy."

"She looks so tired, she's been busy with things at the temple the whole time," Gu Qiumian suddenly said.

Zhang Shutong also felt that Lu Qinglian was quite tired, although she rarely showed it. He casually echoed this sentiment, and Gu Qiumian casually asked:
"Isn't Xiaoman cute?"

Zhang Shutong wondered why another one had appeared, and who was Xiaoman this time?

"Your homeroom teacher's granddaughter."

"She..."

Zhang Shutong thought of the little girl who insisted on being a detective, and felt a bit amused and exasperated. She thought that the girl was actually quite cute, although she didn't know why she was a little afraid of her. But as the words were about to come out, Zhang Shutong suddenly felt that the air conditioning was set too low and that Gu Qiumian had a wide network of connections.

How did she know that she had met Xiaoman?
Zhang Shutong opened his mouth silently.

"Have you figured out how to lie to me, huh?"

"Wait, when did I lie to you..." Zhang Shutong hadn't lied to her, but for some reason he felt a little guilty.

The girl who had been blushing to the tips of her ears was gone. Now she acted like a spoiled young lady, neither smiling nor glaring, but speaking in a nonchalant tone. This time she didn't lean in. The two of them leaned against the bookshelves on either side, her boots making soft clattering sounds on the floor.

"Take it."

Gu Qiumian suddenly raised her arm.

Zhang Shutong hurriedly took it, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was a set of keys—keys to the library.

He was genuinely a little stunned this time. Gu Qiumian raised her chin and instructed:

"This is for Lu Qinglian. That teacher wasn't very competent, so I'll talk to the school about it. Also, give this key to her. She can come here anytime she needs it."

—The library was donated by Gu Qiumian's family.

This means that Gu Qiu Mian can take back control of the library whenever she wants. She can give the key to someone else, and no one will say anything even if she turns the library into a movie theater tomorrow.

Zhang Shutong was still a little confused when Gu Qiumian waved her hand dismissively.

"You look so silly right now, hurry up and go."

He was the young lady's henchman, so he had no choice but to obey. When he walked to Lu Qinglian's table, she was drinking the carton of student milk and quietly looking at the night outside the window. But this tranquility was broken in an instant:
"Zhang Shutong."

Lu Qinglian, with a straw in her mouth, was about to let out her usual soft sigh when Zhang Shutong placed the keys on the table:

"Gu Qiumian asked me to give this to you."

The straw for the student milk wasn't made of very good material; it was semi-transparent white. If there was milk inside, it would appear pure white. Zhang Shutong stared at the white straw, while Lu Qinglian's lips didn't move, but after a while, they returned to their transparent state.

"We were just talking about New Year's Day, and we also mentioned that the teacher wasn't very competent. She said that if she gave you the key, it would be convenient for you to come anytime, but you know she's a bit arrogant, so she asked me to pass it on."

Lu Qinglian didn't speak. The chair made a sound, and she stood up, looking at Gu Qiumian from a distance.

"Thank you."

Lu Qinglian nodded and whispered those two words. Zhang Shutong thought Gu Qiumian must have heard them, because after those two words, the two had no further contact. Gu Qiumian turned around and packed her schoolbag, while Lu Qinglian unpacked the plastic bag she had just packed.

They left the library, leaving only one light on. The campus was already quiet. As Zhang Shutong passed by the window in the night, he glanced to the side and saw Lu Qinglian's profile as well.

"Aren't you going to say something to her?" Zhang Shutong asked Gu Qiumian, puzzled.

"Have you been busy with photos lately?" Gu Qiumian asked.

“Oh, yes. I asked Teacher Xu about that photo yesterday, and then…” Zhang Shutong suddenly felt embarrassed, “You probably heard about it from Xiaoman.”

"Okay, I understand," she nodded indifferently. "Don't take children's words seriously. I'm asking if you have any clues."

There was a clue; they were asking the teacher's wife's college classmates, and they were just waiting for a call—that was what Zhang Shutong wanted to say, but a face suddenly popped into his mind.

(End of this chapter)