Chapter 459 - 282: Sister Mao Doesn’t Play Fair

Chapter 459: Chapter 282: Sister Mao Doesn’t Play Fair

A platter of sizzling lamb chops, still glistening with fat, was brought to the table by a waiter, complete with a small warmer. The aroma filled the air.

The wine was also opened.

At some point, snow had begun to fall again outside, blanketing everything in a silvery coat. In the snowy night, the hotel’s small, colorful lights cast a kaleidoscope of light and shadow.

Indoors, under the warm, orange-hued light, the man and woman sat in their bathrobes before the bay window, looking like a scene from a rich, vibrant oil painting.

The entire world felt exceptionally quiet.

"Cheers! Lin Chu, it’s great to meet you!"

Dongnya raised her glass, beaming. The light danced on her face, giving her skin a fine texture, as smooth as white jade.

Perhaps it was her superb waxing skills, or maybe just her youth, but even when they were taking photos earlier, Lin Chu hadn’t noticed a single pore.

’So much for the "hairy Russian girl" stereotype.’

’There’s no hair at all!’

’This is false advertising.’

Smiling, Lin Chu raised his glass and clinked it against hers. The liquor slid down his throat with a fiery kick, igniting a pleasant warmth in his stomach.

"I’m planning a trip to Russia soon. I can leave anytime."

Lin Chu said casually. He was considering whether he should bring his friends along to experience the unique joy and romance of firearms.

Back in high school, his dad had desperately wanted him to enlist, but he never got the chance. To this day, he had never even touched a real gun. Now that he had the means, he was determined to try it.

This was already part of his planned itinerary. Now that he’d met a local, he wondered if she might be interested.

He had also hit a plateau with his skiing, mostly due to the limitations of the resort. He needed to experience more complex runs, so it was about time to move on.

Lin Chu found this freedom—the ability to just pick up and go whenever he pleased—to be deeply satisfying.

Of course, if he could meet a new girl in a new place and have it lead to a beautiful, sweet beginning, that would make for an even more incredible travel experience.

And now... all the pieces were in place.

"Wow... Where are you going?"

Dongnya nibbled on a lamb chop, her eyes dancing with excitement. It was as if she’d just found her chance to shine.

She had just been thinking about inviting Lin Chu to visit her hometown, but she hadn’t expected him to bring it up first.

"Two places."

"First, Bitomnik Military Base. I want to drive tanks, shoot guns, and fire rocket launchers."

"Second, Murmansk to see the aurora, and some whale watching on the Arctic Ocean."

One for the man-made experience, one for the natural scenery. That was enough. While there were other destinations worth visiting, and while Russian music, art, and culture had their own unique charms, Lin Chu wasn’t particularly interested in them.

"Ooh... I can teach you how to shoot! I grew up on a military base. Lyudmila was my idol when I was a little girl!"

She said with a proud smile, a wild glint in her eyes.

Lin Chu had heard of Lyudmila, the famous female war hero. It made sense that Dongnya, having grown up in a military family, would have that kind of background.

’The world, and the people in it... how strange and wonderful they are.’

’At ten years old, some kids are cramming for exams. Others are learning to shoot guns, herding livestock, or not even going to school. And still others are trapped in the horrors of war and famine...’

And by the same token...

’At twenty-four, some people are still grinding away at a job to make ends meet. Others have already achieved financial freedom and are traveling the world. Some might already be movers and shakers, while others are quietly building their resumes, preparing to become major players in the future.’

At this moment, Lin Chu suddenly found himself thinking like a philosopher.

He often saw videos online of young people in other countries doing reckless stunts: diving off towering bridges, engaging in all sorts of extreme sports, taking gap years from school whenever they felt like it... It was as if their lives were set to ’custom mode.’ The comments below would often joke, ’And that’s why their population is so small.’

In contrast, life within the Confucian cultural sphere followed a remarkably consistent and stable path: study, learn, work, accumulate wealth, gain power, and strive to climb above others. The highest pursuits were the ’three immortalities’: to establish merit, to establish virtue, and to establish words.

It was a difference rooted not in economics, but in people and culture.

The differences between one person and another can truly be greater than the differences between a person and a dog.

People are a product of their environment.

It was a realization you couldn’t truly grasp without experiencing it firsthand.

"Sure," Lin Chu agreed with a casual nod and smile.

For a moment, his mind had traveled across time and space, touching upon so many ideas. Now, he pulled his focus back to the present.

Lin Chu felt the faint glimmer of an idea flicker at the edge of his consciousness. It was an exhilarating thought, truly exciting, but it remained hazy and indistinct, just beyond his grasp.

He pushed it to the back of his mind for now.

"Tell me your story," Lin Chu said with a faint smile, clinking his glass against hers again. "Start from when you were little."

’What would happen tonight was already a foregone conclusion, so there was no need to rush. Other people’s lives and stories were interesting in their own right. A slow-cooked dish is always more fragrant. Once the feelings were right, they could unlock more positions.’

"Okay, you really want to know?"

"When I was little, I lived on a farm in Siberia..."

She began to tell her story, eating and drinking as she spoke.

The atmosphere was wonderful, like a fireside chat. And she was sharing it with a man she liked, one who was genuinely listening to her.

Lin Chu played the part of an excellent listener, only chiming in occasionally to encourage her.

She spoke animatedly, sharing amusing stories from her childhood, tales of her ancestors’ lives, the changes of the eras, and the indelible marks left by the first two decades of her life.

"We have a great classical poet, Nekrasov. He wrote a famous line that basically says a Russian woman ’will stop a galloping horse and enter a burning hut.’ They’re fiercely independent and don’t expect a man’s protection or help."