novelones Chapter 366 An After-Dinner Stroll
Chapter 366 An After-Dinner Stroll
(Two chapters today~)
The tour continues.
The archives room is lined with bookshelves, and foreign language periodicals are locked in cabinets.
The glass cabinet doors were labeled with numbers, and the keys were kept by an elderly caretaker. She sat by the window, a gray blanket covering her lap, with a register beside her.
Some journals ceased publication in 1988.
A few reached 1989.
Then it becomes missing.
Amy stood in front of the cabinet, her eyes scanning the spines of the books, her lips slightly pursed.
Some of the books were clearly worn out from being read so many times, with the spine edges worn white; while others seemed to have never been opened, simply placed quietly in the middle, serving as a display item to show that "international exchanges still take place here".
Deputy Director Belov reacted quickly when the words "Academic Exchange Fund" appeared.
"If the Japanese side has any further intention to exchange ideas, we would certainly welcome it. The specific procedures need to be coordinated through the foreign affairs department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the list of researchers must also be submitted according to the established procedures."
Satsuki stood behind Shuichi, looking down at the table of contents of a conference proceedings, but her attention was focused on what Deputy Director Belov was saying.
Established procedures, list, and application.
This means it's not the first time someone has asked this question.
She closed the collection of papers, her fingertips lingering on the cover.
Germany? The United States?
Or have you visited both sides?
Shuichi's voice rang out from the side.
"If Japan and the Soviet Union can establish long-term trust in the field of basic science, it will be good for young scholars on both sides."
Deputy Director Belov nodded repeatedly.
"Of course, of course."
His smile was forced.
It's like someone who knows there's a draft behind the door, but still wipes the door frame clean so that guests will believe the house is warm.
……
It was nearly noon when we left the computing center.
Kozlov saw them off to their car, his face still bearing his standard smile.
"This afternoon we've arranged a visit to the National History Museum. If you need a break, you can adjust the time accordingly."
Xiu Yi replied with a smile:
"Your arrangements are very thoughtful; we will simply follow the itinerary."
The car door closed.
The Volga drove away from the Academy of Sciences building.
Satsuki sat in the back row without saying a word.
Outside the window, gray buildings receded one after another.
There was a small kiosk selling newspapers by the roadside, its glass windows covered with a layer of white mist. A man stood in front of the kiosk, counted his coins three times, and finally bought only a thin newspaper.
Kozlov, sitting in the passenger seat, was still introducing the afternoon's itinerary.
National History Museum.
Buildings surrounding Red Square.
If time permits, you can also take a look at the Alexander Gardens along the way.
Shuichi nodded occasionally, responding gently.
"Your country has a truly profound history."
"We are looking forward to it."
"My daughter has always been very interested in Russian art."
These are all just polite words.
Satsuki lowered her eyes, as if she were listening, or perhaps she was just a little sleepy.
Amy sat down next to her with her laptop, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the cover. She tried to speak several times, but ultimately held back.
Satsuki didn't look at her, but just said something very softly.
"We'll talk about it tonight."
Amy immediately shut her mouth.
"Um."
……
The National History Museum was very cold in the afternoon, even colder than the Academy of Sciences.
It's probably because history has a lower priority than science.
The guide Kozlov hired was a woman in her forties who wore black-rimmed glasses. Her Japanese wasn't fluent, but she was very well prepared.
She talked about everything from Kievan Rus' to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great, and then to the Napoleonic Wars and the October Revolution.
Xiu Yi listened very attentively.
He is very good at being a proper foreign guest.
Praise when praise is due, remain silent when silence is appropriate, and express respect with genuine sincerity.
Satsuki followed beside him, occasionally glancing at the military swords, icons, aristocratic clothing from the Tsarist era, and propaganda posters from the revolutionary period in the display cases.
History has been organized here and made available for visitors.
The glass was cleaned very well.
The labels were written very neatly.
But Satsuki always felt that there was something heavier behind those display cases, slowly sinking down the wall.
Amy wasn't very interested in the historical exhibits.
She paused for a full three minutes in front of a 19th-century mechanical counter, and then squatted down to examine an early telegraph device for a long time.
Upon seeing this, Kozlov smiled and said:
"Ms. Suzuki seems to be very interested in machinery."
Amy immediately stood up straight.
"Yes, yes! It's very educational!"
Satsuki glanced at her, watching her put her hands behind her back.
This girl probably wants to take everything inside apart again.
Chizuru stood a step and a half to the right of Satsuki, her eyelashes slightly lowered.
She had only been by Satsuki's side for a short time when she was immediately placed in an environment that could be described as hell for a guard like her.
She felt as if almost everyone around her was there to spy on them, as if the Soviets were everywhere.
The administrator at the entrance of the exhibition hall.
Two men in dark coats followed about 30 meters behind the group.
Cleaners who linger too long at corners.
In the reflection of the glass, there were shadows of certain footsteps moving in unison with their rhythm.
There are also visitors who, whenever Satsuki stops, will naturally turn their faces around after three seconds.
The sheer number of people made Qianhe wonder if her judgment threshold had been lowered too much by the city of Moscow itself.
Fortunately, there were Fujita's security personnel on the perimeter.
They weren't close together, but rather scattered around the perimeter of the group. Each time the group entered a new exhibition hall, those positions would silently rearrange themselves.
Thus, this Japanese delegation, which was ostensibly less than ten people, was surrounded by at least twenty or thirty others.
If we ignore the Moscow context, this could be considered a decent piece of performance art.
……
Dinner was at the restaurant on the first floor of the hotel.
The borscht was indeed served.
The soup was very dark and had a distinct sour taste. The beef was sliced very thinly, and there was some sour cream floating on the surface.
Xiu took a bite and said with a smile:
"It tastes great."
Kozlov seemed quite pleased with this assessment.
"This is a very traditional dish of ours."
He then spoke of Russian cuisine, winter, folk music, and the friendly relations between the people of Japan and the Soviet Union.
Satsuki didn't eat much.
She occasionally chimed in with a few words, but most of the time she just listened.
Amy, however, finished her bread.
She had been highly focused in the computing center all day, and then refrained from disassembling anything in the afternoon, which had taken a toll on her mental energy. By the end of the meal, she was completely listless, and her head was nodding off.
Satsuki glanced at her.
"Tired?"
Amy immediately sat up straight.
"No!"
Satsuki did not expose her.
After dinner, Kozlov offered to take them back to their rooms to rest.
Just as Shuichi was about to agree, Satsuki spoke softly.
"Mr. Kozlov."
"yes?"
"May we take a short walk around the hotel?"
Kozlov paused for a moment.
"Now?"
"Yes." Satsuki smiled. "Father needs to get some exercise too, since we've been traveling and sightseeing all day."
"The night view of Moscow is beautiful. It's a rare opportunity to come here, and it would be a shame to just stay in the room."
Kozlov's gaze lingered on Shuichi's face for a moment.
Xiu nodded gently.
"I'd like to take a walk too. Taking a stroll after dinner is a great habit."
Kozlov's smile returned.
"Of course you can. However, the temperature will be very low at night, so please dress warmly. The roads around the hotel are safe, but it's best not to wander too far."
"Thank you for reminding me."
Satsuki bent down and adjusted her gloves.
Fujita was already standing behind her.
"Young Miss, I'll make the arrangements."
"Um."
It is perfectly normal for foreign dignitaries, especially those of high social standing such as Chinese or representatives of conglomerates, to bring their own security personnel when traveling at night.
Kozlov had no reason to stop it.
A few minutes later, the group exited through the side door of the restaurant.
The cold air outside suddenly rushed in.
Amy shrank her neck as soon as she stepped out the door.
"Waaah..."
Satsuki helped her pull her scarf up a bit.
"It's not too late to regret it now."
"No regrets!"
Amy followed immediately.
"I'm full of energy!"
After she finished speaking, she sniffed slightly again.
Chizuru handed her a spare pair of gloves.
"Ms. Suzuki, please put it on."
"Oh... thank you."
Amy took the gloves and muttered something under her breath.
"Chizuru seems to have everything."
Chizuru did not answer.
The streets outside the restaurant were even emptier than during the day.
The lights fell from above, their glowing light blending into a dim, yellowish hue by the mist and snowflakes.
In the distance, a corner of the Kremlin's red walls can be seen, with the red star on the tower pinned to the night.
The Moscow River is a bit further away.
The river was not completely frozen, and the black water flowed slowly under the bridge's shadow.
Fujita, accompanied by two security personnel, walked ahead to check the road surface and corners.
The other people were scattered on the left and right sides, looking like ordinary entourage members, but they naturally separated Satsuki and her party from the pedestrians on the road.
Chizuru remained one and a half steps to the right and behind Satsuki.
The Soviet liaison officer from the direction of the hotel followed at a distance.
Fujita did not drive them away.
The security personnel maintained a very subtle distance—not too impolite, but enough so that no one could hear Satsuki's hushed conversation.
Shuichi walked for a while and exhaled a breath of white air.
"It is indeed very cold."
Satsuki looked at him.
"Father, are you going back?"
Xiu Yi smiled.
"Not really. It just reminds me of when you were little in Kyoto, you never liked to wear a scarf properly when you went out in winter."
"That's because my mother always wrapped me up like a ball of glutinous rice."
"That's because I was afraid you'd catch a cold."
Satsuki smiled softly.
They walked along the riverbank for a while.
The wind blowing from the river was harder than the wind blowing from the street.
The buildings on the opposite bank were shrouded in night, with only a few lights sparsely lit in their windows, like a few indicator lights that had not yet been turned off on a huge machine.
Xiuyi gradually slowed down his pace.
He glanced at Satsuki, then at Amy.
"You guys must have been cooped up all day."
Satsuki did not deny it.
"Father, would you like to walk a little further ahead? I need to discuss some technical matters with Amy."
Xiu smiled.
"I didn't understand the technical stuff anyway."
He walked forward.
Fujita immediately adjusted his position, having two security personnel follow Shuichi, while he remained five steps behind Satsuki.
Chizuru is still by Satsuki's side.