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墨書 Inktalez
First, thank you for your journey, third place: Bookworm. This chapter is dedicated to you, and I hope you're excited to see it. Let's begin.
"Then let's do it tomorrow morning. I'll contact you with the details," Moya said after thinking for a moment.
"Is that really okay?" I asked her skeptically.
"I just happen to be visiting the teacher tonight to drop off some materials, so I’ll set it up then. Besides, he always has to have his morning tea," Moya replied with a smile.
"Alright. I appreciate it," I said happily.
Turning around to settle the bill, I felt fortunate that this meal was worth it, though the two girls beside me might not share the same sentiment.
Back at the table, Long kept giving me sidelong glances. I knew she wanted to ask if everything was settled, but I chose not to respond, which made her grind her teeth in frustration while Xiaojing stared at her.
Finally, after we finished eating, Ah Huang and the others were getting ready to leave. I found myself in a dilemma as both girls asked simultaneously, "Where are we going?"
Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to choose one over the other. I blinked innocently and said, "Back to the barracks."
Xiaojing looked disappointed. Long seemed unfazed as I pretended to be nonchalant while walking out the door and hailed a Taxi.
Once in the car, my phone buzzed almost immediately. It was a message from Long.
Opening it, I read: "What can you do if I don’t go?"
I chuckled softly and replied, "To be announced."
After a moment, a simple "Okay" came through.
I packed up my Sticky Duck. Closing my eyes, I took a brief rest, feeling a bit relieved.
Moya's message arrived while I was watching the News Broadcast in the evening. I felt my phone vibrate against my body and quietly got up to step outside the stairs. I opened the text, which contained just a few words: "8:30 West Gate Tower Dongting Chun."
Hmm, where is that?
I thought for a moment and called Zhang Xing, as Old Zhang had been around here the longest. He dealt with local matters frequently, so he should know.
Once the call connected and after some casual chit-chat, Zhang Xing asked what I needed. I got straight to the point, and Old Zhang cheerfully replied over the phone, "Oh, that place isn't too far from me. I actually know a bit about it. De Garden, Xu Songquan, Dahua Tea House, and Dongting Chun are the four famous teahouses from Changsha during the Republic of China period. They're all nearby; just take a cab over and you can ask around."
After thanking him, I hung up and forwarded the message to Dragon Maiden before returning to the activity room to organize tonight's events.
"The 1936 Changsha City Guide recorded one of the most enjoyable lifestyles of Changsha's lower-class citizens: early in the morning, they would rush to teahouses to wash their faces, brush their teeth, and drink morning tea. Back then, teahouses in Changsha opened earlier than other businesses but had no night markets. Every morning around four o'clock, teahouses would start operating. Generally, citizens were accustomed to waking up early and rushing to teahouses for breakfast, always holding a cup of strong tea in hand, regardless of the weather. After New China was established, cultural figures visiting Changsha were often taken by locals to old teahouses to experience the bustling morning tea life and savor the everyday life of Changsha's citizens."
Professor Zhang took a sip of tea and slowly continued, "Changsha historian Chen Xianshu mentioned that during the Republic of China period, De Garden teahouse on Huangxing South Road attracted many political and educational figures. Businesspeople preferred Dahua Tea House while skilled workers favored Xu Songquan. The bosses of various establishments and street vendors liked to gather at West Gate Tower Dongting Chun teahouse. In other words, those frequenting teahouses during that time were mostly grassroots individuals from various backgrounds; however, some better teahouses could still attract a few notable figures from military and political circles."
Looking at me and Little Dragon beside me, he asked, "Do you know how many famous teahouses there are in Changsha?"
Dragon Girl glanced at me awkwardly. Although I hadn’t interacted deeply with this old man before, I sensed he was quite a character who might not think much of ordinary people. Given our previous encounter where he might have seen me merely as a brute, I felt that asking him for help this time could be risky if I wasn't careful.
While my mind raced with these thoughts, I forced myself to respond calmly, "Four: De Garden, Xu Songquan, Dahua Tea House, and Dongting Chun."
Oh? Professor Zhang raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at me intently before continuing on his own. "There are very few teahouses in Changsha that still retain the old local customs; however, Dongting Chun has endured through a hundred years of change. Thanks to Boss Gong Shaoquan's excellent management, its traditions continue to thrive."
"Yes, just as you have researched, many ancient cultures have been lost to time. So whenever we find even a small piece of information, it feels like a treasure, and we want to dig deeper," Dragon Girl interjected, apologizing for her eagerness; she really didn't want to keep repeating the word "dragon."
"Hmm," Professor Zhang lowered his head, glancing at Dragon Girl over the top of his Glasses, then turned to me. "It's quite strange how you two know each other. Little Buddy, do you have something to ask me?"
I had been waiting for this moment.
"Professor, do you remember the Western Jin Tomb you excavated in this city?" I asked eagerly.
"What do you want to do?" Professor Zhang replied, his age making him sensitive to my tone.
"Professor, please don't misunderstand. I have no ulterior motives. You know I'm with the military; I just want to clarify something that relates to me. I had no choice but to come to you," I explained, recounting the entire situation once more.
After listening, Professor Zhang fell into deep thought. After a while, he slowly said, "I see. That classmate you mentioned was also with me? I don't recall much about her. So she has passed away? Are you suggesting that something sinister is at play? I'm not usually one for superstitions, but I'm willing to help you. What exactly do you want to know? Let me think it over."
Then the old professor fell silent, seemingly trying hard to recall the details of that excavation.
After a moment, he spoke again. "That excavation was actually a salvage operation. A salvage excavation is one that is not planned or organized from the outset; it usually occurs due to unforeseen circumstances—like during real estate construction or road building—when artifacts of historical value are accidentally uncovered, leading to partial damage of their original state. The temporary emergency excavation is conducted to preserve these artifacts as much as possible. In that case, it was due to Fiber Optic Cable Construction that a corner of the tomb collapsed. The government quickly sent people to secure the site and called our Archaeological Research Institute."
"The scene was quite chaotic at first; some small artifacts were even snatched away by people. We excavated for a day and night after arriving on-site and managed to rescue quite a few Cultural Relics."
"During the entire excavation process, did anything unusual happen?" Dragon Girl suddenly interjected.
"Unusual things?"
The old professor furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. "Not that I can recall; everything went according to standard procedures without any incidents. Everyone was quite pleased because there had even been collapses in previous excavations."
"Anything else?" I asked again, pressing for more information.
"Nothing else, really," the old professor replied, looking bewildered.
I felt a bit disheartened and turned to glance at Dragon Girl, who seemed to share my sentiment. I sighed quietly and turned back to the old professor, engaging him in some light conversation. Just as I was about to say my goodbyes, the old professor suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, right! I remembered something special. The female intern you mentioned—she fainted during one of our excavations."
Excitement surged through me as I exchanged a glance with Dragon Girl. "What happened?"
"The timing was late at night," the old professor recalled, lifting his head as he tried to remember. "Since it was an emergency excavation, we had to work overtime. We were short on hands, so she went in to help with the transfer and registration of Cultural Relics. She was stationed outside, in places like the passageway or the excavation site, assisting with moving and recording the items we unearthed. After we brought things to the surface, there were designated personnel for sorting and initial cleaning. At that moment, when I had just handed over a particularly important Cultural Relic, I heard some commotion outside. It seemed someone said she had fainted. I asked what was going on, but someone shouted back that it was nothing serious—just that she might have been anemic from bending down for too long. I was busy at the time and didn’t go out to check; I didn’t pay much attention after that. What happened afterward, I’m not sure—she probably went up for first aid. I don’t know if this information will be of any help to you."
"I see," I pondered silently for a moment before suddenly realizing an important question.
"What Cultural Relics did you unearth at that time?" both Dragon Girl and I asked in unison.
To be continued... The next chapter promises even more excitement.
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