Chapter 57: Chapter Fifty-Six: The Promise

"All right." Su Qing wrapped his right arm around Lu Si's waist, pushed off with one hand, and brought Lu Si to stand steadily on the railing.

Lu Si was startled by the maneuver, her hands gripping Su Qing's clothes tightly, looking down at the churning sea her legs went weak, she leaned against Su Qing, stammering quickly: "Mr. Su Qing, this is too dangerous, hurry down……"

"Don't be afraid, I won't let go!"

Seeing Lu Si's pale face, Su Qing soothed her gently, then turned and said: "Look over there!"

"What!"

Trembling, Lu Si followed his gaze.

Under the moonlight on the sea, he saw huge black shadows leaping out of the distant water and then crashing back in, sending spray everywhere, forming a magnificent water curtain; moonlight sprinkled on the droplets, turning them into silver gleams like round pearls, lighting up the entire ocean into a breathtaking scroll.

Gazing at the scene, Lu Si gradually became lost in it, vaguely feeling the power of nature and the miracle of life, sensing the vastness and depth of the ocean.

In that moment, she felt as if she were leaping out of the sea together with the whales, experiencing long-lost freedom and boundless joy.

Five minutes later, the whale pod drifted away, and they could no longer be seen.

Lu Si returned to her senses, still unwilling to let the feeling fade, her eyes flashing with an inexplicable light, thinking how wonderful it would be if she were a fish, freely living in the sea.

"All right, we should go down now."

Seeing her envious expression, Su Qing smiled, held Lu Si, and jumped down from the railing back onto the deck.

"Thank you, Mr. Su Qing."

Standing on the solid deck, Lu Si finally breathed a sigh of relief, recalling how she had been pressed entirely against Mr. Su Qing just moments ago, her cheeks inevitably flushed.

It was only a brief hesitation; she then composed herself and asked curiously: "Mr. Su Qing, how did you manage that just now?"

"?" Su Qing blinked in confusion.

Lu Si saw his puzzlement, and while speaking she gestured: "Just now you grabbed me with one hand, kept me steady on the railing, and finally held me and gently set me down on the deck—something an ordinary person couldn't do."

Hearing that, Su Qing showed an expression of realization, looked again at Lu Si before him, and his gaze shifted.

To be frank, Lu Si's performance truly exceeded his expectations; not only is she beautiful, she also has wit and insight.

After enduring great ups and downs, she could still immediately compose herself and keenly notice her own difference.

"You guess!"

Su Qing didn't explain, merely gave a mysterious smile, then changed the subject: "You almost fell just now; come on, I'll take you to get something to eat to calm your nerves."

"You……!" Lu Si, seeing him deliberately withhold the answer, felt a bit annoyed, but then her stomach growled, making her forget her annoyance instantly; she said sheepishly: "All right, but it's already past mealtime—really, is there still food?"

"Just follow me." Su Qing waved his hand and led Lu Si toward the lower level.

After winding around, they arrived at the canteen where the Poorfolk District eats; for the canteen, the upper-class nobles' dining place is called a restaurant, while the lower-class folk's eating place is called a canteen.

"Sir/Madam, what can I get for you?" As they reached the door, a middle-aged woman hurried over and asked respectfully.

"Is there still food?" Su Qing said with a gentle smile.

"This… sorry, we don't have steak here…" the woman said with some difficulty, not pretending, but genuinely troubled.

This is a lower-level canteen, serving only the poor; the food offered is nothing but mashed potatoes, ham slices, or a bowl of vegetable soup—luxuries like steak and red wine simply don't exist here.

"No, you've misunderstood." Su Qing shook his head and said seriously: "We'll eat whatever the canteen has."

"There is still food, because our level has many people and we eat in shifts, so they're still serving. Are you really sure you want to dine here?"

The woman felt surprised, but didn't dare to intervene; she explained while stepping aside, revealing that people were still lining up for meals inside the canteen; at the end she glanced at the two of them cautiously, wanting to confirm.

"Certainly." Su Qing nodded and added: "Go ahead with your work; don't worry about us, we'll line up and get our meals ourselves."

"Eh, okay, sir/madam, I wish you an enjoyable meal."

After the woman left, Su Qing led Lu Si into the canteen; their attire and demeanor were utterly out of place among everything inside.

Consequently, as soon as they entered, they drew the attention of everyone eating and queuing for meals in the entire canteen.

"Let's go, we'll line up." Su Qing ignored the stares around them and led the somewhat restrained Lu Si to the queue.

Seeing the finely dressed man and woman approach, the original queueing passengers all showed reverent looks, stepping aside and daring not to block them.

Well, Su Qing had originally intended to line up.

Now, however, he saved the time of queuing and could get his meal directly.

He smiled, said nothing more, approached the serving window, and told the cook inside: "Two servings of dinner, please!"

"Ah? Okay, sir/madam." The woman attendant blinked, then quickly bowed and efficiently served the meals.

Soon the two servings were handed over—not lavish but well balanced—plate holding mashed potatoes, ham slices, vegetable salad, and a bowl of bean soup.

"Thank you."

Su Qing took them, smiling as he expressed thanks.

The woman flusteredly shook her head, saying: "No need, no need; being able to serve you is my honor."

"Here, this is yours." Su Qing turned and handed the other dinner to Lu Si, then led her to find a table and sit down.

After they sat down, Lu Si looked at the food on her plate, her face full of hesitation; Su Qing said nothing, but scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes, ate it, and nodded approvingly: "The taste is not bad."

Seeing that, Lu Si finally couldn't resist, picked up her spoon, and took a bite.

What she hadn't expected was that this mashed potato, which looked unimpressive on the outside, actually tasted surprisingly good.

"How about it? The poor folk's food isn't bad, right?" Su Qing said with a smile.

"Mm!" Lu Si nodded, turned her head curiously to look around, and asked: "Mr. Su Qing, you seem quite familiar with this place."

"Today I've been coming here to eat, so I'm naturally familiar."

Su Qing smiled and continued: "Up there, having a meal is either about money or politics—I really dislike that—so I'd rather come down here, where there are no rigid rules; you can eat however you like and talk about whatever you want."

Lu Si's eyes flashed with an excitement, eager to try: "Really?"

"Certainly."

"Then, Mr. Su Qing, just who are you?"

"I'm just an ordinary merchant."

"I don't believe……"

"……"

The two chatted for a long, long time, until more and more people filled the cafeteria, then they stopped.

Su Qing rose and inquired a bit, learning that tonight people would celebrate in the cafeteria.

He didn't leave; instead, he brought Lu Si to a corner of the cafeteria and sat down.

As time passed, the cafeteria gradually became lively, and people began to celebrate wildly.

Lu Si was stunned by the sight before her.

She saw that the people here were so happy, they could drink freely, sing freely, and even dance together freely.

As a young lady who must observe propriety every day, Lu Si felt for the first time that life could actually be this romantic.

After Su Qing's repeated invitations, she also put on a coarse linen garment and joined the celebration.

The long-repressed life made Lu Si forget the time.

After the celebration ended and the two left the cafeteria to return to the upper level, Lu Si's smile vanished.

She knew she would soon have to return to that hated life.

At this moment she wished she could live like those who had just celebrated together, in a free and easy ordinary world.

Su Qing saw Lu Si's sadness and comforted her: "I just asked; the celebration is held every night. If you want to come, I can bring you again."

"Really?" Lu Si's face broke into a smile again.

"Of course, this is our promise!"

"Thank you, Mr. Su Qing."

"Don't call me Mister; you can call me by my name or just Su."

"……Su!"