Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1114 Cigarettes, Alcohol, Candy, Tea, Needles and Threads

The little guy is carefully "drawing" something on the snow with a twig he found.

Her little nose was red from the cold, like a ripe strawberry, but she was still very excited and muttering to herself.

"This is my older brother... This is my older sister Sakura... This is Grey... This is Little Bird..."

Her voice was soft and childlike, dispelling much of the lingering ambiguity and tension in the garden.

Zhou Zhengqing's cold and stern eyes softened involuntarily when he saw his younger sister's innocent profile and focused expression, like ice and snow melting in the sunlight.

He squatted down, casually placed the heavy document in his hand on the stone bench that had been cleared out beside him, reached out and gently rubbed Huizi's little head, which was wearing a woolen hat, with a gesture that was unusually gentle.

"Come on, Huizi, you've been outside for too long. It's time to come inside and warm up. Your little hands are practically frozen like carrots." His voice was gentle and magnetic, a stark contrast to the distant and cold tone he had when speaking to Nanzo Yunzi earlier.

Huizi looked up, her little face full of reluctance. She pointed to her "masterpiece" with her little finger, which was red from the cold, and muttered softly, "The painting... is finished..."

"You can paint when it gets warmer, or you can paint tomorrow when the sun is shining," Zhou Zhengqing coaxed patiently, his tone full of indulgence.

Then, he turned to Sakura, his tone becoming more composed: "Sakura, take Huizi inside, soak her hands in warm water, change her into some dry and warm clothes, and then have the kitchen heat up some milk with some honey."

"Yes, young master." Sakura quickly responded, suppressing her inexplicable "sullen" mood and putting on a gentle and docile demeanor again.

She squatted down in front of Huizi, a gentle smile blooming on her face, her voice so soft it could melt water: "Miss Huizi, shall we go back inside and play?"

The house is so warm inside, and there are freshly baked, fragrant desserts—Huizi's favorite chestnut cake.

Huizi looked at her brother, then at her sister Yingzi, and then down at her messy "drawing" and her beloved snowman "Grey Grey," her little face filled with confusion.

She was reluctant to leave this snow and ice paradise where she could build snowmen and paint, but she couldn't resist the temptation of desserts.

There was a clear struggle in those bright, sparkling eyes; her little mouth was slightly pursed, and her little head was nodding, as if she were making a difficult choice.

In the end, the desire for food overcame the longing for play, and obediently stretched out her little hand and placed it in Sakura's warm and soft palm, saying in a childish voice, "Then...then after eating the snacks, I want to come out and see Grey Grey."

"Okay, after you finish your snacks and warm up, you can come out and see Huihui." Yingzi agreed with a smile, carefully wrapping Huihui's slightly cold little hands tightly with her warm palms and gently rubbing them to warm her up.

Then, she used her other hand to carefully brush away the last bit of snow crystals clinging to Huizi's hair and eyebrows, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a fragile treasure, afraid of hurting the little one.

After doing all this, she took Huizi's hand and carefully walked around the thicker snow, step by step, steadily towards the heavy back door of the villa, which was inlaid with stained glass.

Sunlight reflected off the stained glass, casting dappled shadows on them, creating a warm and tranquil atmosphere.

Zhou Zhengqing stood up and watched this scene quietly, his eyes gentle.

Sakurako's gentle, meticulous, and attentive care for Huizi was a completely different sight from Nanzo Yunzi's charming, shrewd, prickly, and ambitious demeanor just moments before.

One is a warm stove in winter, a warm and peaceful harbor.

One is a poisonous rose in the dark night, a dangerous yet alluring vortex.

My gaze swept over the document on the stone bench again; the edges of the pages were already covered with a few snowflakes, giving off a chilly feeling.

Then, the snowman "Grey" was swept past in the sunlight. At this point, the snowman had begun to appear somewhat crystalline, with its edges slightly melting under the weak sunlight, shimmering with tiny water droplets.

The snowman stood there quietly, wearing Zhou Zhengqing's old hat, wrapped in Huizi's little floral scarf, with a red ribbon and withered yellow leaves handed to him by Huizi, and holding a withered branch in his hand, like a silent, soon-to-disappear guardian, faithfully protecting this small ice and snow paradise.

Zhou Zhengqing smiled faintly, bent down to pick up the document, and gently patted off the few snowflakes that were stuck to it. The snowflakes melted when heated, leaving faint water stains on the paper.

Then he strode toward the mansion, a blend of French elegance and the shadow of war, filled with warm fireplaces and cold intrigue.

Her steps were steady and composed. Her shoes made a clear and firm "rustling" sound on the stone path that had been swept but still had a thin layer of snow. This sound was completely different from the rhythmic footsteps of Nanzo Yunzi just now. Every step she took was steady and decisive.

On the snow, he left a clear line of footprints, some deep and some shallow, stretching straight towards that magnificent, heavy doorway, as if separating two worlds.

Inside, the stove was burning brightly, and the leaping flames warmed the room cozy.

The sweet aroma of the pastries filled the air, tempting the taste buds.

The sounds of Huizi's innocent laughter and Yingzi's gentle whispers conveyed the warmth of an ordinary family.

But at the same time, the study was piled with confidential documents awaiting approval, requests from various parties requiring consideration, and hidden calculations and murderous intent beneath a veil of warmth.

Warmth and coldness, coziness and malice, intertwine and coexist in this villa, inseparable.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A street-front shop near the French Concession.

Above the doorway, four powerful characters are written in bold calligraphy with a brush dipped in thick ink: “Northeastern Restaurant”.

The ink stains exuded a sense of everyday life. Beside the open, vermilion-lacquered gate hung a wooden sign with a line of small characters: "Tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, needles and thread."

This idea came from Yu Xiuning. Her idea was: "If we're going to survive in Tianjin, we have to be down-to-earth and unassuming. That's the safest way to be."

When Xu Zhongyi heard this, he immediately slapped his thigh and cheered, his voice so loud it could startle the shop assistant next door: "With a brain like that, it's a waste that she's not running a pawnshop!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Xiuning glared at him fiercely, her eyebrows raised, and scolded, "You brat, after hanging out with Chen Ming for so long, you've become more and more unserious! You haven't learned many serious things, but your glib tongue has certainly improved a lot!"

Xu Zhongyi shrank back after being scolded, chuckled and dared not say another word, but in his heart he admired Yu Xiuning's meticulousness even more.

At this moment, the restaurant's front hall was bustling with activity. Waiters, dressed in blue cotton jackets with white towels draped over their shoulders, moved between several tables, loudly calling out, "Here you are! One serving of sauerkraut and pork hot pot!"

The clatter of pots and pans, the laughter of diners, and the aroma of food created a lively atmosphere, like a small market.