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Chapter Five must have the third jade pendant!
"Excuse me, do you have a reservation?" The waiter politely bowed and looked at the foreign beauty who rarely appeared in the city with curiosity.
"Yes, it's under Shi Songweidong."
The waiter's eyes brightened: "Mr. Zhang, right?"
"That's correct."
"Please follow me."
The waiter led the three of them inside. It was lunchtime, the peak dining hour, and every table separated by dark carved wooden windows was filled with diners. The sounds of conversation and clinking glasses were lively and boisterous. Copper pots were steaming, with vibrant green vegetables and blood-streaked meat slices bobbing in boiling water. The waiter guided Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue around two corners to table number five, pulled out a chair, and smiled: "Please sit. What type of hot pot would you like?"
"Let's go for a pot-in-pot," Zhang Qiu said, fully considering Lucia's dining habits.
The typical Chinese decor of the hot pot restaurant captivated Lucia from across the ocean. She gazed with her curious blue eyes, exclaiming repeatedly, "Amazing! It's so incredible! This place is different from what I saw online; this is exactly how I imagined a hot pot restaurant would look."
The waiter went to prepare the broth, leaving behind a menu card. Lucia looked at the page filled with Chinese characters and made an extremely difficult expression. Jiang Xue laughed and helped translate for Lucia. After a simple selection, Lucia said, "You all know better than I do; why don't you order? I'll just wait to enjoy the food!"
While waiting for the dishes to arrive, Zhang Qiu asked Lucia, "Jiang Xue, do you also have a jade pendant? Can I see it?"
Lucia directly took out her jade pendant and handed it to Zhang Qiu; she had been wearing it around her neck. Zhang Qiu also took out his pendant and passed it over. After exchanging them, they meticulously studied each other's pendants.
Lucia's jade pendant was equally flawless; holding it felt icy against her skin. From its material, it was indeed similar to his own, and the texture felt the same as well. Zhang Qiu carefully stroked Lucia's pendant but quickly noticed something different. The white tiger appeared immaculate, yet upon closer inspection, he could feel grooves on its surface. Lucia's pendant was also pristine and had similar grooves on its surface. However, these grooves were only on one side. Zhang Qiu suddenly froze; could it be...
"Give me the white tiger."
Zhang Qiu extended his hand, and without needing Jiang Xue to translate, Lucia understood what Zhang Qiu meant and cupped her hands to hold the two pieces of jade that Zhang Qiu placed in them. Zhang Qiu barely had time to say thank you before he picked them up and pressed the two pieces together. They produced a harsh sound when they rubbed against each other, a noise so unpleasant that it was undoubtedly the worst sound Zhang Qiu had heard in eighteen years. The surrounding diners looked at Zhang Qiu's table with disgust, but when they noticed the presence of a blonde beauty, their curiosity piqued, and they quickly dismissed the earlier jarring noise from their minds.
"What’s going on?" Lucia exclaimed. Since she had received the jade pendant from her father, she had worn it continuously and had never heard such a sound before.
"Zhang Qiu, you..." Jiang Xue was also taken aback as she watched Zhang Qiu turn the two pieces of jade around. This time, there was no noise. When the two pieces came together, they produced a crisp sound, like a drop of water merging into a pool.
"This is it," Zhang Qiu said, his face filled with joy as he excitedly grasped Lucia's hand repeatedly, saying, "This is it."
Lucia did not understand what Zhang Qiu meant but could clearly sense the strong jealousy emanating from the lovely girl sitting next to him, prompting her to quickly pull her hand away.
Zhang Qiu remained immersed in immense joy as he laid the two pieces of jade on the table and excitedly explained, "These two pieces can fit together, and there is definitely a third piece."
Zhang Qiu recalled how his father had personally handed him the jade pendant and had said, "There are only three of these jade pendants in the world, given to three leaders of resistance at that time; we are just one of them." This made everything seem real. Long ago, there had indeed been a great disaster where humanity united against 'the gods.' So, were there really aliens?
Jiang Xue was deeply shocked by what Zhang Qiu said. She knew well about the origins of this jade pendant; Zhang Qiu had once told her the story behind it. At that time, Jiang Xue had only regarded it as an interesting myth. When she saw Lucia's pendant, she immediately informed Zhang Qiu. Now that Zhang Qiu was saying this again, could it be true? Her understanding of this world was far too limited.
Lucia was also plunged into deep shock. Honestly, finding a matching jade pendant did not bring her much surprise; after all, this world was so vast that having two similar pendants was quite possible. However, the strange phenomenon produced when these two pieces were placed together profoundly shook Lucia's heart. The ancient tale her father told her resurfaced in her mind.
Lucia asked Zhang Qiu, "How are you so sure there will be a third piece?"
Zhang Qiu placed both pieces of jade into Lucia's hands and said, "Feel them carefully and see if you notice anything different."
Lucia examined them closely while Jiang Xue's gaze remained fixed on the two pieces of jade. Suddenly, Lucia shouted, "I think I understand!"
"What have you two discovered?" Jiang Xue looked at Zhang Qiu and Lucia in astonishment as if she were seeing ghosts while feeling completely bewildered herself about what was happening with these two pieces of jade.
Lucia handed the jade pendant to Jiang Xue, encouraging her, "Feel it, I believe you will discover something."
Jiang Xue placed the two jade pendants in her palm; the icy touch sent a refreshing chill throughout her body, a sensation far beyond what the air conditioning in the hot pot restaurant could provide. She carefully stroked the white tiger pendant she had touched countless times before; everything felt so familiar. When she reached Lucia's pendant, Jiang Xue was stunned, as if a huge secret was unfolding before her.
Suppressing the urge to shout, she whispered, "These are the two pieces from below and in the middle!"
Zhang Qiu and Lucia nodded in agreement. Zhang Qiu made a bold guess based on the grooves on both sides of the white tiger and the single groove on Lucia's pendant. It was highly likely that these two pendants were once one piece, and the grooves marked where they had been cut. Zhang Qiu immediately conducted an experiment, attempting to fit the two pendants together, but was met with an extremely jarring noise. Setting aside where the sound came from, this strange phenomenon left Zhang Qiu feeling amazed.
Zhang Qiu switched the positions of the pendants and tried to fit them together again. This time, instead of a loud noise, they produced a crisp sound like dripping water. Zhang Qiu quickly concluded that this position was correct. If that were true, then there must be a third pendant that could fit into the groove on the other side of the white tiger. This would confirm the family legend passed down through generations. There were only three such jade pendants in the world, given to three resistance leaders at that time, with Zhang Family being one of them.
"Did your family tell you any stories?" Lucia asked tentatively.
"Yes, what about you?"
Lucia nodded heavily.
"Ah..." Zhang Qiu and Lucia both took a deep breath almost simultaneously; without needing to say more, they understood each other's stories. Things were becoming increasingly interesting; if everything was indeed as it seemed, could it be that their generational crises were about to manifest in their own generation?
"Are you okay?" Jiang Xue noticed beads of sweat forming on Zhang Qiu's forehead and gently took out a tissue to wipe it away.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Zhang Qiu saw that the hot pot water was boiling perfectly and picked up a plate of spinach to add to it. The waterlogged spinach changed color immediately upon contact with the hot water, rolling around in the boiling broth. As Zhang Qiu stared at the spinach in the pot, she suddenly thought of livestock struggling in floodwaters.
Jiang Xue took a plate of mixed meat rolls and added them to the pot; she wasn't sure what else to say. The two people who had been lively since they met at the hot pot restaurant fell silent after seeing each other's jade pendants. Jiang Xue also felt deeply shocked by what the pendants represented, but her shock paled in comparison to that of Zhang Qiu and Lucia.
"The meat is cooked; let's eat quickly before it gets tough." Jiang Xue picked up a ladle and served each of them a scoop.
"Yes, yes, yes, the food inside needs to be eaten quickly; that's the best state." Zhang Qiu took the spoon from Jiang Xue's hand and took on the task of serving the side dishes. It was Jiang Xue who reminded him that no matter what happens in the future, no matter how shocking it may be, life must go on. Whatever happens later can be thought about later; for now, he needed to take care of the present, which meant making sure Lucia was well taken care of.
Zhang Qiu scooped a piece of fried tofu skin for Lucia and smiled, "You can easily find lamb, but try this; you can't get it in America."
"Thank you." Lucia picked up her chopsticks to grab it. Zhang Qiu was surprised, "You can use chopsticks?"
Lucia returned to her usual demeanor, smiling brightly, "Of course! I really like Chinese culture, and I'm especially happy to be in China this time."
"You're welcome to come and play often."
"I will! Maybe we'll see each other often in the future."
Lucia's words were double-edged. If the rumors were true, it wouldn't just be seeing each other often; they might end up meeting every day.
Having confirmed the origins of the jade pendant and the story of both parties, Zhang Qiu felt more relaxed. The most terrifying thing is not what is known but what is unknown. Since it was bound to happen eventually, let it come; when the time comes, there will naturally be a way to deal with it. As for now, nothing is more important than enjoying hot pot. If one doesn't eat hot pot with heart, it's practically a crime.
Zhang Qiu focused solely on helping the two women scoop cooked food onto their plates. Lucia was very casual; the three of them interacted as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, enjoying each other's company naturally and happily.
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