The next day, Di Zhen was waiting for Gong Qin at the appointed place. Gong Qin had said they'd meet at the "Fukang'an Road Bus Stop", so Di Zhen stood there like a nail under the bus stop sign.
Surrounded by strangers coming and going, Di Zhen played with an invisible "Rubik's cube" in his hand to relax.
Suddenly, Gong Qin popped up behind Di Zhen, gave a light pat, and then hopped to the other side.
Di Zhen glanced in this direction. There was no one. He turned his head and saw Gong Qin standing there with a beaming smile. She was wearing shorts and a T - shirt today. Her freshly washed short hair was clipped with a small hairpin, making her look very capable.
"You're so conspicuous standing on the street!" Gong Qin said.
"Did you find out anything?"
"My brother wasn't willing to help..." Gong Qin changed the subject, "But I found a way to look it up myself. It's all here."
She handed him a note with the information that the car owner's name was Guo Pu, a 34 - year - old man from Changsheng County, written on it.
Just a name? Di Zhen felt a bit disappointed. But that's probably all the Vehicle Administration Office could find out. Investigating a case alone really does have its limitations. Although he could easily get someone to talk, the biggest obstacle was finding a particular person.
"Buy me a meal!" Gong Qin smiled.
"What shall we eat?"
"There's a joint over there that does great grilled fish."
"Grilled fish?"
"What, don't you like it?"
"Is grilled fish fish cooked by fire?"
Gong Qin burst out laughing. "Are you from ancient times? Come on, come on. I really recommend it from the bottom of my heart. It's guaranteed to be delicious!"
They entered the restaurant. Di Zhen looked around. It was his first time dining in a proper restaurant. The waiter poured water for the two of them and handed them the menu. Di Zhen let Gong Qin order. She ordered spicy oil - poured grilled fish, crispy grilled fish skin, and ice cream toast.
"Do you want to drink wine?"
"No!"
"Then let's have drinks instead!" Gong Qin also ordered watermelon juice. The waiter turned over the hourglass on the table. The dishes would definitely be served before the sand ran out. It was a special feature of this restaurant. Di Zhen thought that big cities were really full of new things.
"You're such an interesting person. You seem so cold, but you seem curious about everything." Gong Qin held her face in her hands and greedily admired Di Zhen's handsome face.
"There's no contradiction in that. It's normal to be curious about things you've never seen." Di Zhen casually arranged the chopsticks and bowls on the table neatly.
"You've never seen these things and haven't even used a phone? What on earth do you do?"
"Top secret!"
"Alright..." Gong Qin managed a wry smile. "Let me talk about myself. I just graduated. I'm a researcher specializing in folk customs and mythology. Now I'm working as a content consultant at a game company. They're preparing to develop a game related to monsters. The last time you met me at the Railway Station, I had just come back from a meeting at the headquarters."
Di Zhen wasn't very good at following up on topics. Thinking that since she was a researcher of folk customs, he decided to test her: "There's a Temple of the General of a Hundred Insects in Wu'an."
"Haha, I know this. The General of a Hundred Insects is Boyi, a descendant of Emperor Huang and an ancestor of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He assisted Yu the Great in controlling the floods. According to folk rumors, Boyi could transform into a swallow, and swallows can eat insects, so he was named the General of a Hundred Insects. During the agricultural era, people were most afraid of insect plagues, so they offered sacrifices to him. Are you from Wu'an?"
"Correct!"
"I've collected quite a few local legends. For example, the Bo River in Jiangxia actually comes from the name of a snake. It's said that a scholar saved a snake that was almost frozen to death. After the snake woke up, it flew away, saying that it would come to repay the kindness one day.
Later, the scholar was framed by a corrupt official and thrown into prison. To rescue him, the snake revealed its true form and claimed to be the Great Immortal Bojie. Fearing it, the corrupt official summoned Taoist priests to deal with the snake. Enraged, the snake flooded the entire city. Then, Lü Dongbin arrived to subdue the snake. He built two towers to seal its soul within them, and they still stand on both banks of the Bo River today. He also diverted the floodwaters through the gully left by the giant snake slithering on the ground, thus saving the whole city. That's how the Bo River came into being."
"Wow, what a legendary story!"
"Folklore often gets cause and effect backward. Usually, there's an existing thing first, and then a legend is attached to it. I've always been curious about the origin of those two towers. One theory is that an ancient squire built them for his mother."
"Towers are usually used for suppression. Who would build one for their mother? Maybe they were used to hide corpses."
"Haha, do you really think so?"
"For example, if someone killed a person and couldn't dispose of the body, they might as well build a tower and throw the body inside. Even if it's discovered later, they can just claim it's a monster. I believe there are many dark secrets hidden in ancient legends. Take the story of 'Burying the Son to Serve the Mother (a traditional Chinese story about filial piety)' for instance. Perhaps the protagonist was actually a bandit who buried the gold himself and staged a show to dig it out. And the story of 'Sanxiaokou (a place name related to a folk story)'. When the house caught fire, three filial sons threw themselves on their mother to protect her and they all burned to death. If you think about it carefully, isn't it possible that it was a cover - up after a family massacre?"
"Wow!" Gong Qin nodded with shining eyes. "You've come up with a brand - new perspective. The dark truths hidden in folklores. Wow, you could even write a book about it!"
"Write it if you want. Anyway, it's just my personal opinion." Di Zhen smiled.
Just then, the waiter brought the grilled fish. It turned out that the grilled fish was made by first grilling a fresh fish and then cooking it like a hot pot dish.
Seeing the whole fish covered in chili oil, Gong Qin's mouth watered. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "Once you've tried it, I guarantee you'll come back again."
Di Zhen took a bite and was instantly amazed. The taste... was so delicious!
When he was learning skills from Di Gong, the old man had an extremely light taste. Even during the Spring Festival, adding one more piece of cured meat to the meal was considered a heavy - flavored dish.
Living on the old street with few delicious foods, when Di Zhen took a bite of the grilled fish, the intense, bold, and refreshing taste immediately captivated him. Stimulated by the spiciness, he couldn't help but keep eating one piece after another. It was incredibly satisfying.
Seeing Di Zhen eating so heartily and not saying a word since the grilled fish was served, Gong Qin asked with a smile, "You really like it, don't you?"
"Not bad."
After the meal, Di Zhen paid the bill and was about to leave. Gong Qin secretly thought he was stupid but kind of cute for not even asking if she was full.
Maybe she wanted to do something else after hanging out together. She asked, "Do you usually watch movies or play games?"
"I've only watched old movies on TV. As for games... You know, [*The King of Fighters*] and [*Warriors of Future Past*]!"
"What? Which era are you from? I used to play [*The King of Fighters*] a lot in college. Wanna have a match?"
"You're no match for me."
"Come on, I'm really good. I can play Chang Koehan to perfection.
Gong Qin was walking backwards while talking and didn't notice an electric scooter crashing towards her. Di Zhen grabbed her and yanked her into his arms. Realizing she almost got hit, Gong Qin felt a surge of fear, and her heart was pounding wildly.
At this moment, her hands were resting on Di Zhen's solid chest. Looking up at his face, she couldn't help blushing and feeling hot - eared.
"Then let's play *The King of Fighters*," Di Zhen said.
"Okay..." Gong Qin quickly pulled herself together, left Di Zhen's embrace, and smoothed her short hair with her hand.
They arrived at an electronic amusement park inside a large shopping mall and stood in front of the arcade machine for *The King of Fighters*. They both inserted coins. Di Zhen said, "I'll go easy on you!"
"You'll go easy on me?" Although Gong Qin felt underestimated, she wondered if this rough - hewn guy was showing gentlemanly behavior. "No need!"
"I can beat you with just one hand!"
"Is this what you call going easy?"
In the end, Di Zhen used one hand to control Kasumi Todoh and mercilessly defeated Gong Qin. Gong Qin stared at him with her mouth agape in shock. Di Zhen looked down at her condescendingly and sneered, "You're really lousy!"
Gong Qin, who didn't know whether to laugh or cry, just wanted to curse.