Annie’s Arrangement 326: 183.
Annie’s Arrangement After waiting a while, Aunt Mary, dressed in a light gray long skirt, came downstairs.
She cast a strange glance at the awkward-looking Anna and said to Lu Li, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to Old Henry’s place.”
Before they left, Anna disappeared from her body, leaving Mary to touch the spot where Anna had been sitting in surprise.
“Anna, are you still there?”
Anna’s voice emanated from the air behind her hand.
The two apparent people went to retrieve a carriage and drove to Old Henry’s residence.
The person they were looking for lived on the outskirts of Himfast, where most residents were commoners—just as those closer to the summit in Belfast held different statuses.
About a dozen minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a house.
Mary advanced to knock on the door, and soon, it opened, revealing a neatly dressed face filled with anxiety.
Mary and Old Henry seemed to have a good relationship.
She inquired about what was happening, and Old Henry told her his son, Little Henry, had not returned home since the previous night and that he was just about to go check the pub where his son often boxed.
Mary urged Old Henry not to rush, turned her gaze toward Lu Li, and asked if they could first let Old Henry go look for his son.
Lu Li nodded, indicating they could go together.
If they had a carriage, it would be much faster.
You’re looking for me, so there must be something, but let’s find Little Henry first, and then I’ll go with you,” Old Henry said.
The father relaxed a bit and climbed into the carriage with Mary.
Anna did not stay inside the carriage; instead, unseen by others, she sat next to Lu Li, who was driving.
Shortly thereafter, the carriage stopped at the entrance to a pub leading to a basement.
Old Henry jumped out of the carriage and entered a door leading to the deepest part of the basement.
After a silent wait of several minutes, he returned to the surface with a face full of deep concern.
“They said Henry left the pub last night…”
“Maybe he went to play with friends, young people, you know…” Aunt Mary reassured Old Henry.
he never stays out too late,” Old Henry responded.
Mary pursed her lips, “Or maybe he found a girlfriend?
Think about it, has he been acting unusually lately?”
Old Henry paused, clearly having thought of something.
The worry on his face gradually faded, and he couldn’t help but curse with a chuckle, “That little rascal…”
Mary smiled gently, “He’s already nineteen, at that age, you know.”
“Let’s not speak of that little rascal anymore,” Old Henry waved his hand.
“Mary, what brings you here today?
And you’ve brought along a new face.”
Mary turned to Lu Li, noticed his attention was not on them, and following his gaze, she saw a dark alley next to the basement bar.
Such dark alleys were common in the city, nothing unusual.
After a pause, she continued introducing Lu Li to Old Henry, “This friend has some questions regarding gardening.”
“You’ve come to the right person.
There’s no one in all of Himfast more professional than me,” Old Henry assured, patting his chest.
Mary also smiled, “Apart from some exaggerations, what he says is almost true.
There aren’t many in Himfast more professional than Old Henry.”
An ordinary gardener couldn’t afford a house.
It’s not nice to undermine me in front of others,” Old Henry complained loudly.
Lu Li had already looked away, briefly composed himself, and then shared with Old Henry the matter of taking Annie back to Belfast.
I’ve been there when the ocean and sky were still shades of blue.
Sorry, it’s easy for me to reminisce at my age.
You need to describe that tree in detail so I can judge if it can be transported.”
Just as Lu Li was about to speak, Mary interrupted, “Let’s get on the carriage, we’re going to Mrs.
Old Henry muttered thoughtfully, “That place?
I think I know which one you’re talking about.”
They returned to the carriage and, as Lu Li pulled up the reins, it slowly left the underground bar.
And that quiet Dark Alley.
“I was here a year ago, but it feels like I’ve been away for a long time.”
A sigh emerged from within the carriage stopped outside the manor’s gate.
“Ever since plants stopped growing, this city has become ugly, and so has my job…
That little rascal refused to learn gardening with me earlier, it seems he was right.”
The three got off the carriage and approached the gates, which an old gatekeeper, who had already heard noise outside, opened.
Each holding an umbrella, they came up to the tree, Anna.
Old Henry glanced curiously at the retouched pit and looked up at the five to six meters tall dead tree.
Lu Li spoke, repeating Anna’s question.
“I don’t know, maybe it is, maybe it’s dead.
As you know, it’s hard to see any plants now.”
Old Henry, observing the Elm, said without turning back, “How do you plan to take it back?”
“How to take it back?”
Old Henry turned to look at Lu Li, “Break off the branches that won’t be affected, just keep the trunk and some branches, and send it to Belfast.
Then any truck can take it back.”
As he spoke, he suddenly felt a chill seeping into his clothes
“Besides that.” Anna, not needing to hide in the void, said nothing; Lu Li directly asked.
“Try to transport it to Belfast as intact as possible.
I have connections, but it will be expensive…no, it might be a bit cheaper actually, since there’s no business now.”
“When can we do this?”
More importantly, do you have a specific place in mind to put it?”
Lu Li had not yet finalized the refuge’s location.
“First figure out where to place it, a tree needs to be connected to the earth to live,” said Old Henry, quoting a proverb, or perhaps just the first half of one.
Lu Li nodded, it was the only option.
He slightly tilted his head toward the source of the chill.
Mary seemed to sense something and said to Old Henry, “Let’s leave them, let the young people stay a bit longer.”
“Them?” Old Henry muttered in confusion, but still followed Mary away, their umbrella-carrying figures receding in the distance.
Anna’s voice echoed in Lu Li’s ear: “Do we still have to wait a long time?”
“After we go back, we’ll head to Elm Forest,” Lu Li replied.
After their brief exchange, Lu Li approached Mary and Old Henry, telling Mary to place an oil lamp under the Elm at night – although he was not sure if it would be helpful.
“I will take good care of Annie for you,” Mary nodded.
Lu Li stood in front of the carriage, thought for a moment and then suggested to Old Henry, “You can go to the Police Station, they might know your son’s whereabouts.”
Old Henry was stunned, he wanted to ask more when Lu Li had already climbed onto the carriage.
Mary was stunned as well, just as Anna’s farewell echo was quietly resounding in her ears.
Under the gaze of two complicated glances, the carriage faded into the rainstorm down the long street.