Su Ziceng had just walked away when he saw a petite figure entering the sparse peach orchard. These inherently flawed peach trees had only grown a few drooping leaves sparsely in their first year, and without human care, they looked even more miserable.
Yu Hua’s God Stick, wearing an old gray jacket that mismatched with Kelly Women’s College, walked a few circles in the peach forest with a compass needle in hand, his lips wriggling as he said, "Who’s so malicious to set up a death array here?" According to Fate theory in Z country, there also exists the concept of dead peach blossoms and live peach blossoms.
This peach blossom array planted under the girls’ dormitory building was inherently flawed, and its planting location was also incorrect, blocking the ’marriage prospect spot’. For those with slightly tougher fate, it is likely to obstruct their marital prospects, severing the red thread of fate.
"People say fostering matrimonial connections brings blessings and longevity," muttered Yu Hua’s God Stick as he walked around the peach blossom array, eyeing a particularly robust peach tree at the center. With a forceful hand, he snapped it, revealing a heartwood bright as blood. When snapped, a red sap bled out, staining the God Stick’s hand.
Yu Hua’s God Stick paused, inspecting the heart of the tree closely, murmuring, "What a sin, the person who designed this array really is ruthless, choosing Red Heart Peach Wood."
Red Heart Peach Wood, according to legend, grows from the tombs of lovers who died for love, growing an inch every ten years, and only bears flowers and fruits after a hundred years. Using Red Heart Peach Wood in an array has effects tens of times stronger than regular peach wood.
But what puzzled Yu Hua’s God Stick even more was that, aside from harming others’ marital prospects, Red Heart Peach Wood also significantly damages one’s own blessings. The heart of the person who set this array must be uncommonly ruthless.
The peach blossom trees of Kelly Women’s College had just withered, and Su Ziceng had already started preparing for his trip to Bianjing City. Su Ziceng planned to depart by the end of the year and aimed to return before January; he had already booked the flights.
"Qing Chang will be back in a few days, won’t you wait a few more days?" Yan Wuxu’s belly was already slightly showing, yet she frequently visited Mrs. Yan, and with Su Ziceng leaving, she probably would visit even more often.
"I won’t wait for father to return, to avoid any complications," said Su Ziceng, understanding Su Qingzhang’s nature, which would undoubtedly lead to a round of interrogation.
"I feel that you’ve been different since returning from Paris," said Yan Wuxu, her sensitivity as a pregnant woman picking up on changes in Su Ziceng. The earlier Su Ziceng was more indecisive, unlikely to leave the comfort of Mo City unless absolutely necessary.
"You’ve also changed since coming back from the United States," remarked Su Ziceng, packing several thick winter clothes as Bianjing City was even more to the north than Mo City, and at this season, the north had already seen its first snowfall.
Her words startled Yan Wuxu, who subconsciously touched her belly and said with an indifferent tone, "What could be different about me? Just gained a few more pounds recently, some say you can barely see my waist now." Yan Wuxu’s belly wasn’t actually that large, but due to her small frame, the pregnancy made it more pronounced.
"Being pregnant, you look even more ready to be a mother," said Su Ziceng, standing up and regarding Yan Wuxu, who aside from her belly, still appeared fragile, her face looking even smaller and her eyes larger due to thinness. There were dark circles under her eyes, possibly from poor sleep. Her father should indeed return sooner, as Yan Wuxu hadn’t seen him in months.
Her specific times for going to and returning from Bianjing were not disclosed to many people, except mentioning it to Zhou Dagen from the Wine Shop and Yan Wuxu. During this time, she needed to clear her thoughts; the rose fragrance since her last return from Paris seemed to still permeate the airport, where Su Ziceng watched a lone figure pulling luggage, walking towards the boarding gate.
At the same time, Pello was watching a weather forecast, which said, "The north will face a strong cold air in the coming week, and Bianjing City has issued a red warning for blizzards."
Having arrived in Bianjing City three hours later, Su Ziceng took off her eye mask, touched the coffee on the small table which had already gone cold, and was still draped in a blanket; the airplane descended slowly like a large white bird.
After a thunderous noise of wheels touching the ground, Su Ziceng looked out of the window, the entire airport split into halves by the winter sun, truly burying Bianjing City beneath the white snow.