Sir Chen, your wife is missing!

The others mentioned the names of several drinks, Feng Qingyu wrote them down on a notepad and put them in her pocket, and Miss Willow volunteered to go with her.

"I'll go with you, Miss Feng. I know the owner of a nearby store and can give you a discount."

Feng Qingyu felt uncomfortable hearing Miss Willow's unfamiliar address.

"Actually, you don't need to address me as 'you'. It's too formal. I prefer more common names, such as 'you', or you can call me by my code name, Kuroba."

"Sorry……"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Miss Willow. Don't be so restrained. Come on, take me to your friend's shop. Don't keep everyone waiting anxiously."

"Ok."

Miss Willow hesitated to speak, but in the end she said nothing and led Feng Qingyu to a nearby convenience store. The owner of the convenience store was a film woman with short blond hair, wearing a white long skirt, with golden pupils and a melancholy look. She squatted on the ground and sorted out a fallen shelf.

All the glass bottles and jars on the shelves were broken, and drinks and liquor were spilled all over the floor.

Seeing this, Miss Willow seemed very nervous. She squatted down to help clean up and asked, "Saoirse, are those soldiers harassing you again?"

The young woman named Saoirse nodded, her eyes red and tears still lingering on her face.

The store was in a mess, and it was obvious that something bad had happened not long ago. Feng Qingyu thought of the local hooligans and bullies, the kind who didn't want to pay for the things they bought and even smashed the store.

"I'll help too."

She moved quickly, and quickly raised the fallen shelf. Looking carefully, there were still many things in the store that needed to be cleaned up, and it would take at least an hour.

Feng Qingyu felt bad for making others wait in the cafeteria for so long. She wasn't too hungry now, so she would just find something to eat on the street later.

"I'll tell Mr. Oliver to let them eat first. It's not good to keep them waiting too long. I'll stay here and help you pack your things. Don't worry."

Miss Willow wanted to decline, as she was really too busy right now, and it would be great if someone offered to help her sort things out.

"Thank you, Miss Feng."

A woman named Saoirse also expressed her gratitude to her.

Other shops on this street also suffered varying degrees of harassment, and many shops were smashed, so people in other shops were busy cleaning up and had no time to help.

"By the way, Miss Willow, what's going on on this street? Are there bullies collecting protection money?"

Hearing this, Miss Willow shook her head.

"They are not bullies, but Victorian soldiers who govern this block. They have problems with the residents living on this street and often come to cause trouble. They come every few days. If you can't pay, your store will be smashed."

"No way...why would you charge protection money from your own people?"

Feng Qingyu was stunned. Suddenly, she remembered the history of Victoria that Kal'tsit had taught her before she set out.

"This neighborhood is populated by Tara people, I guess."

23. Alternative Comfort

Judging from the expressions of the shop owners Saoirse and Willow, Feng Qingyu knew that he had guessed right.

"Yes, this place... District 17 of Xiaoqiu County is inhabited by Tara people. Miss Feng is from Longmen, and she knows so much about Victoria's history. She is really well-educated, which is admirable. Your father told me that you graduated from the highest institution of learning in Longmen, and you are well-educated and have a doctorate degree."

Willow looked at Feng Qingyu with an expression full of admiration and longing. However, these were all fictitious. She had never been admitted to Longmen University, secretly applied for the police academy without telling her family, and there was no such thing as obtaining a doctorate degree.

Should I tell her?

Considering that her father was not a good person and it would be inappropriate to act rashly now, she could only bite the bullet and temporarily play the role of a top student.

One day I would tell Willow, but not now.

"Don't talk about that. Actually, I learned all this from my boss. She is a truly learned and knowledgeable person. She and I are not worth mentioning. Help your friend pack up first. I may need you to take me to a nearby restaurant for dinner later."

"Okay, thank you."

"Don't always say thank you to me. We Yan people are not that particular."

"..."

It took three people nearly an hour to sort out the collapsed shelves and goods, and they cleared out a lot of damaged goods.

Not to mention heavy losses, but we also lost several days’ worth of sales.

Willow comforted her friend, pulling a wad of bills from her wallet and pressing them into her hands. The bills were the highest-denomination Victorian currency.

"Saoirse, take these and go restock. These are all I have for now. If you don't have enough, you can ask me again and I will help you."

The owner, Saoirse, didn't want the money and pushed it back.

“Jenny, I’m fine…I can’t take this money, and if people see you giving me money, you’ll be scolded.”

The two of them pushed and shoved, and in the end the money never reached the people in need.

According to what Kal'tsit said, Feng Qingyu knew why the shopkeeper didn't charge. She did this for Miss Willow's good. Victorians and Victorians, known as "Tara people", are incompatible. If they have any contact with them, they will be regarded as aliens.

The relationship between the Tara people and the Victorians who are not from Tara is similar to that between ordinary people and the infected, except that the conflicts among the latter are more common.

Feng Qingyu couldn't bear it, so he paid for some drinks and snacks himself. He didn't ask for change, and when the owner wasn't paying attention, he stuffed some money into the money drawer, as a way to accumulate some blessings for himself.

"These people are going too far. Even Victoria's soldiers can't be so arrogant, right? If it were in Longmen, my superior... ahem, a friend of mine who is a police officer would definitely punish such behavior. She hates to see ordinary people being bullied the most."

As soon as I finished speaking, my stomach protested.

It's past one now, time to eat something. I just did so much physical work, and the food in my stomach has been used up.

Feng Qingyu was not familiar with the roads in Xiaoqiu County, so he had to have someone to lead the way. Now there was a ready-made tour guide, and she seemed to be free.

"Ms. Willow, are there any shops nearby? I was busy with work last time I came to Victoria and didn't have time to enjoy the food. I want to make up for it this time. Ms. Outcast and Mr. Oliver are on Rhodes Island's mission this afternoon. I just followed them. The boss didn't assign me anything to do."

"I'm really sorry. I was so busy comforting Saoirse that I actually forgot about you... about you. I shouldn't have behaved so rudely. Please allow me to make amends for my mistakes in the next period of time."

They said goodbye to Saoirse, the owner of the convenience store, and took the things they bought back to the Rhode Island office to distribute to everyone, and prepared to go to the street to make up for the lunch they had ordered.

Outcast smiled meaningfully and quietly asked Feng Qingyu if he was going on a date later. She wasn't gossiping, she just wanted to make a joke.

"Ms. Outcast, this is not a date. The meeting was arranged by the family. And we are the only two here who didn't have lunch."

"Okay, go ahead. Victoria's afternoon tea is much more sumptuous than lunch. Don't be sad all the time. Have fun now. I promised Kal'tsit that I would let you go back happily. Go and have fun whatever you want. Don't restrict yourself. Enjoy yourself while you are still young."

Before leaving, Outcast handed Feng Qingyu an envelope.

"This is the activity fund Kelsey gave you. Have fun, but don't let Miss Jane pay the bill."

"ok, I get it."

Feng Qingyu left the office with a wry smile, and Willow was waiting outside.

Ever since the local garrison harassed the Tara people in District 17, she seemed very depressed. From the time she left the convenience store until now, there has not been a single smile on her face.

Comforting someone is a technical job, especially for a young lady from a wealthy family. Feng Qingyu felt a lot of pressure and couldn't think of any words to use.

In terms of knowledge and temperament, Miss Jane Willow is superior to him, and her material conditions are also better than thousands of others. The comfort of ordinary people may be useless.

But if I don’t say something now, I’ll feel really uncomfortable. I need to say some words of comfort.

"Um... Miss Willow, I'll treat you to a meal. If you don't mind, tell me about your unhappiness and we can find a way to solve it. Don't keep it in your heart, or you'll get sick. I'm not good at talking, so I can't say anything nice. After dinner, let's go to a shooting range or... a bowling alley."

Feng Qingyu still remembered what Outcast said, that if you are unhappy, you can go for exercise, and a hearty exercise can solve many problems.

Drinking and smoking are bad for your health. It is better to do some exercise, which can also enhance your physical fitness.

Only that unique lady could come up with such an alternative way to relieve stress.

"..."

Willow said nothing, tears welling up in her eyes.

Feng Qingyu panicked. She hadn't said anything excessive just now, so why was she crying?

"How about going to a movie, shopping, shopping, or eating something delicious? I still have money. Don't worry. I'm not a stingy person. What I hate most is seeing girls cry in front of me... Here, tissues, wipe your tears first."

"Thank you. Miss Feng is a kind-hearted person, very different from the daughter of a noble family that I imagined."

Willow wiped away her tears, calmed down for a moment, and was finally able to speak smoothly.

"It's really hard for you to see my embarrassing side--"

"Stop! Stop it! I don't want to hear those two words again, don't say them again! Oh my god, ah!"

Feng Qingyu has heard the words "sorry" and "apologies" too many times today and is a little fed up with them.

"Come on, go eat. If you have anything to say, wait until you are full. I am almost fainting from hunger, my lady."

Feng Qingyu took the hand of the blonde Vaifan and took her for a jog down the street.

Twenty-four kites

After having lunch at a mid-range roadside restaurant, Willow took Feng Qingyu to a famous shooting range in Xiaoqiu County to play with guns.

Shooting is a compulsory course for soldiers in Victoria, just like soldiers in other places. The only exception is the honor guard, who do not need to learn shooting. They are the face of the army and only need to learn to play chess, wear the uniforms issued by the honor guard, and let people look at the Victorian flag flying in their hands.

Except for some important occasions and grand festivals, the honor guard has no chance to be deployed, and there are times when they just slack off for a whole month.

The days of slacking off are boring, and Willow can only wander around everywhere. Now she is a little excited to touch the gun.

“Miss Feng, can I really use it?”

She held the light rifle in her hands with both hands. She had always longed to use this thing once, to feel the joy of the bullet leaving the chamber and hitting the target.

Compared with pianos, paintbrushes, and other ladylike things, she prefers weapons that can actually protect people.

"Of course. Now that we're here, why not have some fun? Don't worry, the shooting range is equipped with noise-isolating earplugs and goggles, and they use non-lethal blank bullets. I've learned shooting and taught a few people. You look smart, so you'll definitely learn it quickly."

Willow thought of her father's harsh reprimand and hesitated.

Her father moved her from Sargon to Victoria when she was very young, and Sargon left a much worse impression than Victoria, Letania and Columbia.

It represents barbarism and backwardness. Some Sargonians are indeed rude and warlike by nature. For example, the Tiakau people in the Sargon No Man's Land hold the "Mavisotia" which is a feast for barbarians.

The people living in Victoria are all aristocrats. They dress appropriately and are polite to others. The girls are all ladies. Their every move is elegant, graceful, gentle and moving.

When she was five years old, she climbed up a tree and looked into the distance, feeling proud of it, but was severely reprimanded by her father.

"Jenny, come down! Climbing trees is something only barbarians like to do. You should become a proper lady in the future, not a dirty wild girl! We have finally left Sargon and settled in Victoria. Don't let your words and deeds lose etiquette and make people laugh at you!"

Her father rarely got so excited. Although he was trying to control his language and make it as elegant as possible for Victorians, Willow could clearly feel that he wanted to curse.

From then on, the word she heard most was "elegance".

After that, her father found her a tutor who taught her piano and painting, locked her up at home, and stuffed dozens of books into her pocket, forcing her not to go out to play until she finished reading them.

For the so-called "civilization", Willow paid a great price to stuff herself into the shell of "elegant socialite".

If you come into contact with something that you once wanted but could not get, you will break this shell.

“No… Never mind. I’m not good at shooting and I’ll be embarrassed in front of you, so I’ll just watch you.”

Willow didn't dare cross that line.

There was a voice in her head telling her that she did not belong to that world. Once she set foot in that world, all her efforts so far would be in vain, and the image she had built up would also collapse.

Feng Qingyu didn't know she was thinking so much and thought she was simply embarrassed.

"Really not coming? Shooting is super stress-relieving. Ms. Outcast taught me that if you're in a bad mood, just go to the shooting range and shoot a thousand rounds. All your worries will go away."

"Well... I'm fine, really fine. The tears I shed just now were for the Tara people who were bullied on that street. I can't imagine why those people would do such excessive things to their compatriots and be so harsh to them."

At this time, Feng Qingyu wanted to tell her the story of the Integration Movement and the conflict between the infected people in Ursus and ordinary people.

Thinking that this young lady was delicate and sensitive, and would probably cry again for many tragic stories that happened to people she didn't want to do anything with, I simply gave up the idea.

She had originally gone to Victoria to relax and deal with some troublesome household chores, but she hadn't expected that now it was her turn to comfort another sad person, and she had no time to be depressed.

"Well, I'll shoot a hundred rounds and leave, and we'll go play somewhere else. Since you don't like such a rough sport as shooting, let's find something less rough."

……

Feng Qingyu couldn't think of any other projects, so he passed by a lawn and saw someone flying a kite, so he went to a nearby kite shop and bought one.

The kite pattern is a wyvern, which symbolizes Vayvan. There are kites of other races, but Willow is Vayvan, so I bought a Vayvan kite.

"Can you fly a kite?"

"No... My father doesn't allow me to get involved in these things. He told me that noble ladies like to read, make snacks and play the piano. Kites are not something that ladies should play with."

"I understand. How about you make an exception for me today? Just think of it as me forcing you to fly the kite with me. You have no choice but to do so. If your father knew about it, he wouldn't be so angry."

"This……"

"Hey, stop talking nonsense. Just tell me, do you want to play or not? If not, I will throw the kite away and send you home."