Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 824: Scent and Recognition

The green light was counting down, set to disappear in just a few seconds.

The driver seemed to be in a hurry. He figured that if he accelerated, he could make it through before the light changed, saving himself the hassle of stopping and starting again. Six seconds, five seconds… Great, he was just in time, which lifted his spirits a bit. Three seconds, and suddenly the driver’s eyes widened; he slammed his foot down on the brakes—a woman was pushing a stroller and had just walked out. She couldn’t possibly make it; there were only two or three seconds left… Was this woman an idiot? She was still on her phone! Such a careless mother! Due to his speed, the sedan couldn’t stop in time. The driver stared wide-eyed in desperation—however, at the moment he sped past the crosswalk, he didn’t feel like he had hit anything. The car finally came to a sudden halt at the intersection, and the driver quickly got out to check. What he saw was the careless mother on the phone, now being pulled by a young girl—she had saved her. “How could you walk like that?!” the driver roared as he approached, feeling the need to yell a few curses to calm his nerves. … “I can’t thank you enough, thank God. Oh my god…” The woman was frantically thanking Caroline in front of her. She held her child in the stroller, continuously kissing the baby’s forehead. “Oh… I’m so sorry, sweetheart, Mommy will never talk on the phone while crossing the street again. Please forgive me, okay? Oh… I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Caroline watched quietly. She was still wondering why she had reached out to pull this woman. Why had she seen this scene coming in advance? She began to feel a creeping sense of fear about that question. She realized something… something extraordinary seemed to have happened to her. “Miss! Please, you must tell me your name and contact information.” The woman was evidently very grateful. “Let me repay you properly, otherwise, I won’t be able to forgive my own carelessness.” Caroline opened her mouth and thought for a moment before saying, “Well… could you take me out for breakfast? Honestly, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet today.” “Of course! Of course, I’d be happy to!” She grabbed Caroline’s hand and quickly said, “What do you want to eat? No problem at all.” Being thanked like this… so this is how it feels. Even someone like me can have moments like this… of being appreciated. Caroline smiled self-deprecatingly. The smile seemed a bit strange to the mother of the child, who couldn’t help but look at Caroline with curiosity—only now did she notice the clear bruises on Caroline’s neck, as if someone had gripped her there. And the whites of Caroline’s eyes were tinged with red, like she had put in special colored contacts. “Are… are you alright?” the child’s mother asked instinctively. Caroline shook her head, thinking she could come up with some excuse to brush it off—like saying she had been a victim of domestic violence from her boyfriend and had escaped without a penny to her name. Perhaps the mother of the child would be more willing to help her a little. If she could get her hands on some cash, she could use some unlicensed taxis to temporarily leave this place. “I actually…” Caroline moved her lips, intending to recite a fabricated story, but she suddenly swallowed her words and changed her mind, saying, “Sorry, I can’t have breakfast right now. I have something urgent to attend to…” As she spoke, she ignored the mother’s calls and hurried into the crowd. During the rush hour, the streets were bustling with people, and Caroline quickly vanished from the woman’s line of sight. The reason Caroline rushed away was that she had seen Arnold—at least she thought it was Arnold—hurrying past. … … The man, looking a bit disheveled, stopped in front of a moving breakfast cart. “A cup of coffee, please.” The vendor glanced at the man buying coffee, noticing the obvious bruises on his face; he had likely been in a fight. There were also cuts on his cheek, probably from a scuffle. The vendor paid no mind. In this area, it wasn’t uncommon to encounter people injured from fights. “Sir, here’s your coffee. That’ll be two reals, thank you.” He fished out a handful of coins from his pocket, picked out two, and placed them on the counter before taking the coffee and leaving—only to feel someone suddenly pat his shoulder. He turned around in confusion, his gaze narrowing sharply. “Arnold! You’re alright! It’s really you! That’s great!” Caroline grabbed the man’s arm, perhaps out of excitement, holding on tightly. Caroline looked at the scars on Arnold’s face. “How did you escape from Boston? Did they do anything to you afterward?” Seeing the scars on Arnold’s face, she felt a pang of guilt, wondering how many more times he had been beaten after she left. Arnold paused for a moment before quickly saying, “I took the chance to sneak out while they were sleeping. What about you… are you okay?” Caroline shook her head. “After they grabbed me, I found a chance to escape too. But I think they won’t let me go so easily.” Arnold nodded. “Yeah, Boston is ruthless. He definitely won’t let you off lightly… Have you figured out what you’re going to do next?” Caroline felt anxious. “I don’t know; maybe I want to leave here… I’m still thinking of a way. What about you? You finally got out; what are you planning to do now?” Arnold shook his head. “I haven’t figured it out either. But… I think I can find a place to hide for a while. How about you come with me?” Caroline furrowed her brow, instinctively asking, “Where?” “To the university. We can hide there,” Arnold replied quickly. “I can stay with some classmates in the dorm for a few days!” “University...” Caroline hesitated. Arnold quickly said, “There are a lot of people inside, and there’s also school security. Even Boston wouldn’t dare to act recklessly!” Caroline thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, “That’s fine.” … … Passing by rows of luxurious villas, Song Haoran introduced the backgrounds of the residents to Luo Qiu. “...Basically, they are all descendants of Spanish nobility. This area became a Spanish colony in the mid-16th century, and this situation continued for a long time. In fact, Cartagena also experienced a decline at one point, but it regained prosperity in the last decade or two due to shipping reasons.” Luo Qiu listened quietly. “Cold Residence?” The car finally stopped in front of a building surrounded by tall walls, and Luo Qiu looked at the plaque hanging at the entrance. Song Haoran smiled and said, “This was written by my father. Do you know why it’s called Cold Residence?” Luo Qiu shook his head. Song Haoran continued, “Originally, this was our home. My father only moved to another place in recent years. One reason is that the environment there is better and more suitable for living. The other reason is to avoid unnecessary disturbances. I’ve lived in this Cold Residence for about ten years now. My father said that when our Song family started, we actually had nothing. Our ancestors were just honest farmers, living in a simple tile-roofed house, with bare walls. In winter, the cold wind would seep in through the cracks.” “Have you been there?” Song Haoran shook his head. “I’ve returned home a few times. Once, I followed my father to his hometown, but it was unrecognizable; all that could be found was a patch of wasteland.” “That’s why it’s called Cold Residence,” Luo Qiu nodded. “Exactly, that’s why it’s called Cold Residence.” Song Haoran smiled and led Luo Qiu inside. As they passed through the entrance named ‘Dragon Hall’, O'Neil and Lluvia had already stopped. They did not go further, but familiar faces appeared among the servants welcoming them inside. Luo Qiu saw a middle-aged man with graying hair, known as ‘Uncle Wu,’ the steward of Cold Residence. His demeanor and actions were very meticulous, with an almost British elegance. Uncle Wu greeted Luo Qiu and then glanced at his face. His expression changed slightly, but he didn’t say anything, only becoming even more respectful. Song Haoran mentioned that Uncle Wu had studied at a school specifically for training stewards. “Uncle Wu, this is Mr. Luo, an esteemed guest of Cold Residence. Please attend to him.” Song Haoran then turned to Luo Qiu and said, “Just wait for me; someone will take care of you. If you need anything, just instruct Uncle Wu directly.” Luo Qiu didn’t ask Song Haoran why he was leaving. The interior of Cold Residence was entirely designed like the hutongs of old Beijing. The small hall where Luo Qiu was located had a classic charm. Uncle Wu stood respectfully before Luo Qiu, standing at just the right distance. “A distinguished guest has arrived. May I ask what you would like to drink?” “A glass of plain water, please,” Luo Qiu replied politely. “Please wait a moment, honored guest.” Uncle Wu nodded, showing no signs of displeasure or unnecessary chatter, and turned to walk out. The small hall immediately fell silent—because only Luo Qiu remained there. He casually picked up a book from a nearby shelf and started reading, which was the Ming History from the Twenty-Four Histories. Footsteps sounded. “Honored guest, how can we only serve plain water?” a woman’s voice said. Luo Qiu closed the book and turned around, only to see a woman with pink-dyed hair, her hair styled up, dressed in a qipao, slowly entering with a tea tray in her hands, a dimpled smile on her face. The qipao-clad woman set the tea tray down and said with a gentle smile, “Junshan Silver Needle, also known as ‘Golden inlaid Jade.’ It is said that its first seed was planted by Ehuang and Nuying, and it has been passed down through the ages…” The qipao woman began to prepare the tea, boiling water and rinsing the tea leaves with delicate movements, resembling a girl picking tea in the water towns of Jiangnan. She softly began, “One day, when the second emperor of the Later Tang was in court, his attendants brought him a cup of tea. As the hot water was poured into the cup, a cloud of white mist rose, and suddenly a white crane flew out of the mist. The crane bowed three times to Emperor Mingzong before gracefully flying into the blue sky. The emperor asked why, and the attendants replied: ‘This is because the water from the Liu Yi Well in Junshan was used to brew the tea with yellow fur.’ The yellow fur is what we commonly refer to as Junshan Silver Needle. From that day on, Junshan Silver Needle became a tribute tea exclusively offered to the emperor.” Using a tea bowl that carried the fragrance, the qipao woman presented the tea bowl with both hands, then softly said, “Take a whiff of the aroma.” Luo Qiu accepted the tea bowl from the qipao woman, glanced at it, and shook his head, saying, “Actually, I don’t really understand.” What the boss said was the plain truth—this maid had never really brewed Gongfu tea. Because Boss Luo believed that the black tea and flower tea brewed by the maid were already outstanding, he had no such expectations. The qipao woman was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. Boss Luo took a sip and then said, “It tastes pretty good. Where can I buy it?” “That might be a bit difficult. This tea was the highest-priced tea auctioned at the tea art conference in Huaguo five years ago; you can’t buy it outside.” The qipao woman smiled slightly. “Since you are an honored guest, I brought it out to serve you.” “Thank you,” Luo Qiu nodded. But the qipao woman suddenly said, “At Cold Residence, we provide services that rival the best hotels. However, over the years, only six guests have been addressed as honored guests here, including you. Do you know who the previous five honored guests were?” “Of course, they are friends of the host here,” Boss Luo thought for a moment. “There has been the president of this country, significant tycoons in the Chinese community, and a powerful figure who monopolized the arms trade on a continent. They are all people whose actions can create a sensation in the outside world... So, what about you, the sixth honored guest? Who are you?” So Boss Luo directly replied, “I recently took over a small shop that sells things people need.” The qipao woman slightly lifted her face, “What do you mean by ‘things people need’?” Boss Luo explained, “I mean, we sell a little bit of everything.” “Do you have a business card?” she then asked. Boss Luo shook his head apologetically and said, “I don’t have a business card. However, I do have a type of credential for guests, but I don’t plan to give it to you at the moment because, miss, you seem to be in good condition and lacking nothing, so I’m sorry.” “Is that so? What a pity.” The qipao woman smiled slightly, then calmly said, “Well then, please take a seat, honored guest. I will be leaving.” With that, she gracefully walked away. Boss Luo smiled and sat down, then lifted the tea bowl in his hands to examine it. Afterward, he looked at the remaining Junshan Silver Needle. He brushed his hand over the vessel, and a new container filled with tea leaves appeared on the tea tray. “Hmm, this should last for quite a while.” Boss Luo smiled, snapped his fingers, and the container filled with tea leaves disappeared—on the club cabinet in the corridor, a glass vessel appeared instead. “Has someone already come by?” Uncle Wu came in at that moment, holding a cup of clear water on a tray. He looked curiously at the set of tableware beside Luo Qiu, frowning slightly. He recognized the items and had some suspicions about the visitor. “It’s nothing,” Luo Qiu smiled and said. “Just a young lady stopped by to chat with me.” “I’m really sorry, honored guest.” Uncle Wu hurriedly said, “I didn’t consider this carefully... That young lady didn’t say or do anything to you, did she?” “No,” Boss Luo shook his head. “If you have the chance, please thank her for brewing the tea for me and for telling me some stories.” “Of course, of course,” Uncle Wu replied. He didn’t know why he felt nervous; it was just that this young man spoke with a calm demeanor, lacking any arrogance, yet it made him feel even more tense than when Old Master Song was angry. It was like the vast sea, an endless ocean, hiding dark currents and whirlpools in uncharted territories. He hoped Miss Ying hadn’t had any conflicts with this honored guest. Old Master’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, delivered personally by Song Haoran… and the young man’s demeanor; Uncle Wu actually had some vague guesses in his heart…