Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 825: Chapter 69: Scent and Perception

The green light is counting down, and it will disappear in a few seconds.

The driver is probably the type who is in a hurry. He figured that if he didn’t accelerate, he should be able to get through before the change, so he wouldn’t have to stop and then start again.

Six seconds, five seconds… Very good, just in time, the driver felt a bit relieved.

Three seconds, the driver suddenly widened his eyes and slammed the brakes—a woman with a baby stroller had just walked out.

She couldn’t make it across, only two or three seconds left… Is this woman an idiot? She’s still on the phone! Such a careless mother!

Because of the car’s speed, it was already unable to stop in time, the driver desperately widened his eyes—however, the moment it passed through the crosswalk, he didn’t seem to feel like he hit anything.

The car eventually made an emergency stop at the intersection, the driver hurriedly got out and looked back.

What he saw was the careless mother on the phone, now being pulled back by a young girl—she saved her.

“How could you walk like that!!” the driver roared as he approached, feeling he needed to scold a bit to calm his nerves.

…

“I’m so grateful to you, thank heaven for you. Oh my god…” the woman said excitedly, thanking Caroline.

She held the child in the stroller, kissing the baby’s forehead constantly, “Oh… I’m sorry, little baby, I won’t make calls while crossing the road again. Forgive me, okay? Oh… I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Caroline watched quietly.

Why did I reach out to pull this woman? She was still pondering this question.

Why did I foresee this scene in advance, she was beginning to get terrified by the question.

She realized something… something strange might have happened to her.

“Miss! Please, you must tell me your name and contact information.” The woman was evidently very grateful: “Please, let me repay you properly, otherwise I don’t know how to forgive my carelessness.”

Caroline opened her mouth, thought for a while, and said, “Well… can you treat me to breakfast? Honestly, I haven’t had breakfast today.”

“Of course! Of course, I’d be more than happy to!”

She grabbed Caroline’s hand and quickly said, “Whatever you want to eat, it’s no problem.”

To be appreciated by someone… turns out it feels like this.

Someone like me can have times like this too… being appreciated.

Caroline chuckled self-depreciatively. This smile looked a bit odd in the mother’s eyes, who couldn’t help but look at Caroline curiously—only then did she notice a clear bruise on Caroline’s neck, as if someone had choked her.

And Caroline’s eyes had a trace of a blood-red color, as if she wore special contact lenses.

“Are you… are you okay?” the child’s mother instinctively asked.

Caroline shook her head, maybe she could make up a reason casually—like she was abused by her boyfriend and then ran away, without a penny to her name—and maybe this child’s mother would be more willing to help her a bit.

If she could get some cash, she might even leave this place temporarily by taking some sketchy transport.

“Actually, I…” Caroline moved her lips, about to speak a story she had made up, but then she swallowed her words back and changed the topic, “Sorry, I can’t have breakfast, I have urgent matters…”

Saying this, she ignored the child’s mother’s calls and quickly ran into the crowd.

During rush hour, the streets were bustling, and Caroline soon vanished from the mother’s sight.

The reason Caroline hurriedly ran away was that she saw Arno, or at least someone who seemed like Arno… passing quickly.

…

…

The man with a somewhat hesitant demeanor stopped in front of a mobile breakfast cart, “A cup of coffee, please.”

The salesman on the cart glanced at him, the man buying the coffee had obvious bruises on his face, suggesting he had been in a fight, and there were wounds on his cheeks, probably scratched during the fight.

The salesman didn’t care.

In this place, encountering injured people from fights wasn’t uncommon, “Sir, your coffee. Two reals, thank you.”

He fished out a pile of loose coins from his pocket, selected two, and placed them on the counter, taking his coffee to leave—but he felt someone suddenly tap him on the shoulder.

He turned around in confusion, and his eyes widened suddenly.

“Arno! You’re okay! It’s really you! That’s great!” Caroline grabbed the man’s arm, perhaps from happiness, Caroline held on tightly.

Caroline now noticed the injuries on the man’s face, “How did you escape from Boston? Did they do anything to you afterwards?”

Looking at the wounds on Arno’s face, not knowing how many more beatings he might have suffered after she left, a sense of guilt arose within her.

The man… Arno hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, “I managed to escape quietly while they were asleep. How about you… are you alright?”

Caroline shook her head, “After they dragged me out, I found a chance to escape too. But I doubt they’ll let me off that easily.”

Arno nodded and said, “Yes, Boston is ruthless; he surely won’t let you go that easily… Have you thought about what to do next?”

Caroline said worriedly, “I don’t know, maybe I want to leave here… I’m still figuring it out. How about you? You’ve finally escaped, what do you plan to do now?”

Arno shook his head, “I haven’t figured it out either. But… I should be able to find a place to hide temporarily. Why don’t you come with me?”

Caroline frowned and instinctively asked, “Where to?”

“University, we can hide at the university,” Arno said quickly, “I can stay at a classmate’s dorm for a few days!”

“University…” Caroline hesitated.

Arno quickly said, “There are many people inside, and there’s also campus security; even Boston wouldn’t dare do anything crazy there!”

Caroline thought it over, then nodded in agreement, “Alright.”

…

…

Passing rows of luxury villas, Song Haoran introduced the background of the residents to Luo Qiu, “…for the most part, they are descendants of Spanish aristocrats. Because, starting in the mid-sixteenth century, this place became a Spanish colony. This situation lasted for quite a long time. In fact, Cartagena declined at one point until the early twentieth century, when it became prosperous again due to shipping.”

Luo Qiu listened quietly.

“Han Residence?”

The limousine finally stopped in front of a building enclosed by tall walls on all four sides, 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 Han Residence?”

Luo Qiu shook his head.

Song Haoran explained, “Initially, this was the place we lived. In recent years, my father moved to another place. Firstly, because the environment there is better and more suitable for living. Secondly, it avoids some unnecessary disturbances. I’ve lived in this Han Residence for about ten years. My father said, at the beginning, our Song Family had nothing. Our ancestors were honest farmers with only a tiled house, bare walls in winter, and even the cold wind couldn’t be stopped.”

“Have you been there?”

Song Haoran shook his head and said, “I returned to the country a few times. Once, I did go with my father to his hometown, but it was completely transformed. What we could find was just a piece of wild grass.”

“So, that’s why there’s Han Residence.” Luo Qiu nodded.

“That’s why there’s Han Residence indeed.” Song Haoran smiled, guiding Luo Qiu inside.

As they passed through the entrance named ‘Long Tang,’ Oni and Lluvia had already stopped. They didn’t go any further, but the servants from inside came out to greet them, all familiar faces.

Luo Qiu met the Han Residence butler called ‘Uncle Wu.’ This middle-aged man with graying hair had a very meticulous demeanor, carrying a hint of British elegance.

Uncle Wu asked Luo Qiu a question, and after taking a look at Luo Qiu’s face, his expression changed slightly but didn’t say anything, only becoming more respectful.

Song Haoran said that this Uncle Wu had studied at a school specializing in training butlers.

“Uncle Wu, this is Mr. Luo, an honored guest of Han Residence. Please take care of him.” Song Haoran then turned to Luo Qiu, “Wait for me. Someone will attend to you. If you need anything, just tell Uncle Wu.”

Luo Qiu didn’t ask why Song Haoran left.

Inside Han Residence, everything was designed like the old alleys of the capital. The small hall where Luo Qiu was now also had a classical charm. Uncle Wu stood very respectfully in front of Luo Qiu, at an appropriate distance, “Honored guest, may I ask what you would like to drink?”

“Just a glass of water, please,” Luo Qiu replied politely.

“Please wait a moment, honored guest.”

Uncle Wu nodded without any dissatisfaction, quickly turned, and left. The small hall suddenly became quiet, with only Luo Qiu sitting there alone.

He casually picked up a book from the shelf next to him and began to read. It was The History of Ming, one of the Twenty-Four Histories.

Footsteps.

“How can we entertain an honored guest with just water?” A woman’s voice.

Luo Qiu closed the book and turned around, seeing a woman with pink-dyed, pinned-up hair, dressed in a qipao, walking in gracefully with a tea tray in both hands, smiling softly with dimples.

The woman in the qipao placed the tea tray down, chuckling, “Junshan Silver Needle, also known as ‘Gold Inlaid Jade.’ It is said that its first seed was planted by Ehuang and Nuying, and it has been passed down since ancient times…”

The qipao woman began to set the stove alight, boil water, and rinse the tea, her movements gentle, like a tea-picking girl from Jiangnan. She softly spoke, “One day, during the Later Tang Dynasty, when the second emperor was in court, a courtier offered him a cup of tea. As the hot water was poured into the cup, a mist arose, and amid the mist, suddenly, a white crane flew out. It bowed three times to Emperor Mingzong and gracefully soared to the blue sky. When the emperor asked why, the courtier responded: ‘It’s because of the water from Liuyi Well on Junshan Island, used to brew Yellow Feather, which is what we commonly refer to as Junshan Silver Needle. Since then, Junshan Silver Needle has been exclusively a tribute tea for emperors.”

Using a tea bowl, savoring the aroma, the qipao woman offered the tea bowl with both hands, softly saying, “Smell the fragrance.”

Luo Qiu accepted the tea bowl from the qipao woman, opened it to take a look, then shook his head, “Honestly, I don’t really understand.”

The boss spoke candidly—the maid had never really brewed Kung Fu tea. Because Boss Luo thought the maid’s black tea and flower tea were already excellent, he didn’t have requirements in this regard.

Upon hearing this, the qipao woman paused.

Boss Luo took a sip and said, “The taste is quite good, where can I buy it?”

“That might be difficult. It’s the most expensive tea auctioned at the Hua Country Tea Art Festival five years ago; you can’t buy it elsewhere.” The qipao woman smiled slightly, “Because you are our honored guest, we brought it out for you.”

“Thank you.” Luo Qiu nodded.

The qipao woman suddenly said, “The service for guests at Han Residence rivals the best hotels. But over the years, only six guests, including you, have been called honored guests here. Do you know who the previous five honored guests were?”

“Naturally, the friends of the owner here,” Boss Luo thought for a moment.

“There was a president of this country, a prominent figure among the Chinese community, a tycoon controlling the arms trade of an entire continent—each of them could cause a sensation with just a footstep. So, as the sixth honored guest, who are you?”

So Boss Luo straightforwardly replied, “I recently took over a small shop where I sell things people might need.”

The qipao woman raised her face slightly, “What do you mean by things people might need?”

Boss Luo said, “I mean, selling a little bit of everything.”

“Do you have a business card?” she asked.

Boss Luo shook his head and apologized, “I don’t have a business card. But I do have a sort of credential for guests that I haven’t planned to give you because, Miss, you seem to be in good shape and lacking nothing at the moment, so I’m sorry.”

“Is that so? What a pity.” The qipao woman smiled slightly, then calmly said, “Please sit, honored guest. I’ll take my leave.”

And then she gracefully exited.

Boss Luo smiled, sat down, and picked up the tea bowl in his hand, examining it. He then looked at the remaining bit of Junshan Silver Needle.

He brushed his hand over the vessel; a container filled with tea leaves appeared on the tea tray. “Hmm, this should last for a long time.”

Boss Luo smiled, snapped his fingers, and the container filled with tea leaves vanished—reappearing in a glass container on the open club cabinet along the staircase.

“Has someone been here?”

Uncle Wu returned, carrying a tray with a glass of water, looking puzzled at the set of utensils beside Luo Qiu, frowning slightly. He could recognize the items and already had some guesses about the visitor in his mind.

“It’s nothing.” Luo Qiu smiled, “Just a young lady who came to chat with me.”

“I’m really sorry, honored guest,” Uncle Wu quickly said, “I didn’t consider everything well… Did that young lady say or do anything to you?”

“No,” Boss Luo shook his head, “If you have time, please thank her for brewing the tea and telling me some stories.”

“Certainly, certainly,” Uncle Wu nodded in response.

He didn’t know why he was nervous; he just felt that when this young man spoke, he was as calm as a gentle breeze, with no airs, yet more intimidating than when Old Master Song was angry.

It was like a vast ocean, boundless, with hidden undercurrents and whirlpools in isolated places.

Hopefully, Miss Ying didn’t have any conflict with this honored guest.

Father’s famed Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, the honored guest personally delivered by Song Haoran… along with this young man’s appearance, Uncle Wu had already begun to suspect…

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PS: Additional chapter for ‘That Heart Beats’ alliance leader (2/2)