As she had already been accepted by Manchester University, she had no pressure at all. As for whether she could graduate or not, that would be in three years. She could relax before school reopened. Luo Li had been in England for a year. She had been busy studying and earning money, but she had neglected to understand the culture of other countries. She decided to spend Christmas like an Englishman.
Christmas was on December 25th every year. It was a religious festival, but often major festivals were related to religion, such as Qingming Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Spring Festival in China. Christmas was Christmas in English, while Christian was Christian in English. The two words had the same root. It was said that Jesus was born on December 25th, and Jesus's mother was pregnant with Jesus after having an affair with her lover. After the stepfather found out about this, he wanted to leave Jesus 'mother for fear of ruining his reputation. Fortunately, God told the child in a dream that it was God who gave birth to this child.
This was just a legend, like the legend of the lonely Chang'e living on the moon. The scientific explanation was that December 25th was the winter solstice with the longest night. This was learned in high school geography class. Because the sun shone directly on the Capricorn, this day was set as Christmas. December 24th was Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve. Foreigners attached almost as much importance to Christmas Eve as Chinese New Year.
In the evening, Luo Li first dragged Gao Yi and Lisa to the city center for a walk. Along the way, the supermarkets were decorated with lanterns and streamers. Santa Claus stood outside almost every house. There were all kinds of legends about Santa Claus, and there was no way to unify them. Some said that he came from the North Pole, while others said that he came from a small village in the Netherlands. However, the image of Santa Claus was a fat old man in red, red, and white. What they did on Christmas Eve was to ride a flying deer into the house from the chimney to give gifts to children. Santa's son was the God of Thunder, and the God of Thunder won the battle with the God of Ice and Snow to usher in spring.
All the stories of Santa Claus were myths. Myths were definitely passed down by word of mouth but did not really exist. However, these foreigners loved to cause trouble. The most unbelievable thing was that the North American Air Defense Command actually created a website to track Santa Claus 'whereabouts. They made up a lot of stories about how they used high-tech military forces to track Santa Claus' whereabouts. Children watched TV and waited for Santa Claus to send gifts to their homes. When Santa Claus arrived at his place, the parents would take out their gifts and tell their children,"Take it, little cub. Santa Claus sent it.”The children were so confused that they really thought it was sent by Santa Claus. With such a worldview, they would have to face such a huge contrast between reality and fantasy when they grew up. No wonder so many people suffered from depression.
There were some huge cartoon lights in the city center. The most gorgeous one was a silver elk lamp. Luo Li was only the size of an elk's foot when she stood next to it. On the wall of a five-story building, there were cartoons projected. The huge cartoon characters were vivid. Luo Li thought of her father who strongly opposed her watching cartoons back in China. He said that it was something that children watched. She had grown up and could not watch it anymore. Poor Luo Li was only ten years old at that time. A large group of people stood opposite the building to watch a movie. The huge sound system was playing 'We wish you a merry Christmas.'
Along the way, there were many cartoon characters dressed in colorful lights riding skateboards through the crowd. When they passed by, they would call out happily," Happy Christmas!" The festive atmosphere filled the air with every chemical element.
On Christmas Day, various businesses seized the opportunity to make money and offered a 40% to 50% discount. Lisa had been celebrating Christmas since she was young, so she was used to it and only wanted to go to the mall to buy clothes. Therefore, Luo Li and Gao Yi risked their lives to accompany the woman into the Hm mall. There was a huge Christmas tree in the mall, and the tree was covered with gifts made of foam.
Lisa picked out a black coat and draped it over her body. She asked Luo Li how she looked. Luo Li shook her head and said,"Black is not suitable for you. You are a more sunny girl.”
Lisa took off her coat and threw it to the waiter to continue picking. Luo Li and Gao Yi felt bored and chatted with Gao Yi, asking,"Did you celebrate Christmas in XG when you were young?”
Gao Yi replied," Of course. After all, XG was previously ruled by the British, but I don't like Christmas. When I was young, my father took me to Harbor City for Christmas and I was scared by a Santa Claus. I remember that he wanted to hug me and I was so scared that I cried. After that, I didn't like Christmas anymore. Later, when I grew up, I went to the mainland. You know, the mainland basically doesn't celebrate Christmas, except for the merchants who sell goods at a discount.”
Luo Li said," Actually, my family didn't celebrate Christmas when I was young. That's for sure. But when I was in primary school, my deskmate's father was working abroad, so she always told me Christmas stories. After listening, I saved some food expenses because my family didn't give me pocket money. I secretly bought a Christmas tree, a small Christmas tree, and some colorful lights to hang. I played JingleBells alone in the house. After playing for a year, I lost interest because no other students in my class celebrated Christmas.”
Gao Yi said," Sigh, I don't even care about Christmas. I only know that my League of Legends is about to reach the Brilliant Diamond. I'm so excited."”
Luo Li consoled him." You should play less of this game. If you get addicted, it will affect your studies and life."”
Gao Yi smiled and said,"I don't care. I have nothing to do anyway. Maybe I can get to know a sister who plays games with me, haha."”
Luo Li also smiled and patted Gao Yi on the back, saying,""Wake up. If you want girls, I'll introduce them to you. What do you think of Lisa?”
Gao Yi pursed his lips and said,"Who wants a foreign girl? Don't you know how to find a needle in a haystack?"?”
" F * ck, it's Shuanghui's fault. Don't worry. You can participate in more club activities in school. Maybe you can meet an Asian girl," Luo Li said.
Gao Yi said,"Sigh, let's talk about it later. At the moment, it's one day at a time. School is about to start, so I don't have time to play."”
"Yeah, it's about studies." Luo Li nodded.”
As the two of them were talking, Lisa came over in a white windbreaker. Luo Li didn't think much of it, but she was worried that Lisa would lose her confidence if she kept saying no, so she nodded and said,"Yes, it's alright."
When Lisa heard that it was okay, she ran to pay the bill.
Outside the door of the mall, the cheerful crowd and festive atmosphere once again greeted them.
"Are you hungry?" Luo Li asked Lisa. Let's go eat."
"There's a lighting ceremony and fireworks show at Albert Square today. There's even a celebrity singing." Lisa said with surprise.”
To be honest, Luo Li had no interest in these performances at all. The fireworks were invented by the people of China. It was fine if you moved them here, but why did you use them to develop artillery shells to carry out the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China? Watching fireworks here was like watching flies in a garbage dump. As for those celebrities, he didn't know anything about them. The stars that he had followed since he was young were all black eyes, black hair, and yellow skin. No matter how good your celebrities sang, they wouldn't be able to get his recognition. After all, their ears were still China's ears. You could say that he was picky.”
However, if Li Sha wanted to go, men would have to make do with women, so Luo Li said,"Then let's go watch the performance first before eating. What do you think, Gao Yi?”
"I can do anything," said Gao Yi.
Therefore, the few of them walked to Albert Square.
Albert Square was also a typical Gothic building. To the south of the square was St. Peter's Square and the library. There was also a building filled with the smell of blood. It was the Free Trade Union Hall where the massacre took place in the 19th century. There seemed to be a large concert hall on one side, and it was filled with orchestras.
It was almost 7:20 pm when they arrived at Albert Square. The square was already filled with people, and it was difficult to squeeze through the crowd. The gothic building had a big sign with the words 'MerryChristmasManchester' hanging on it."Soon, there are only a few minutes left. Luo Li had come unprepared. Who knew what would happen in a few minutes? Would the entire building explode? Then he had to applaud and thank the gods.
Lisa said,"The fireworks are about to start. I love fireworks."”
"Do you know who invented fireworks?" asked Luo Li.”
"Of course it was invented by us Americans," Lisa replied without hesitation.”
Luo Li almost fainted after hearing this. She straightened her posture and felt that the people of the country had placed the responsibility of protecting the dignity of the motherland on her shoulders. Luo Liming said,"Miss Lisa, you're wrong. Firework was invented by us Chinese people. You Americans only invented cannonballs.”
Lisa didn't seem to care and just said,""I don't care. They're all the same.”
The more Li Sha acted like she didn't care, the more anxious Luo Li became. She said,"How can they be the same? One was for viewing, while the other was for killing. The difference was like heaven and earth!。”
Lisa did not seem to hear what Luo Li said. She only shouted at the Gothic building,"Look, it's starting!"
The four gunpowder ports on the side of the building burst into cold fireworks. The lights were turned on, and then colorful fireworks flew up from the top of the building. After rising into the air, they exploded. It was gorgeous and colorful. Purple sparks scattered in all directions, illuminating the faces with white skin and high noses in the darkness.”
"Sh * t!" Luo Li cursed.”
The people around them said,"How beautiful."”
"Bullshit!" Luo Li cursed again.”
This scolding did not matter, but the square was filled with music. Luo Li could not understand who was singing what song. Fireworks were set off all over the world. No matter in Paris, London, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, or anywhere else, without the red flag, it was a pile of shit. It was not even comparable to the firecrackers that he held in his hands in the countryside when he was young, nor could it be compared to the double-ring whip that his grandfather released.
After watching the fireworks, Luo Li shouted for Gao Yi to leave. Lisa said that she wanted to watch for a while more. Luo Li said,"Then look, we're going to eat.”After saying that, he left. He knew that Lisa would definitely follow him.”
She walked out of the crowd and looked back. There was no sign of Lisa. Luo Li didn't care either. Who asked you to say that fireworks were invented by Americans? I don't want to talk to you anymore, Luo Li thought.
Gao Yi said," There are fireworks at XG Victoria Harbor every Christmas and Spring Festival. It's much more magnificent than this."”
"Why is it called Victoria Harbor?" Luo Li asked curiously. Isn't that the name of the Queen of England?。”
"Yeah, because it was originally built by the British."”
"F * ck, stop talking. If you don't like it, where are you going to eat?”Luo Li replied.
"Let's go to Nando's to eat roast chicken. The chicken there is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's delicious.”Gao Yi said.
" I didn't wait for her. She actually said that fireworks were invented by Americans and didn't want to talk to her anymore," Luo Li said.
Gao Yi smiled and said," Why do you care what she says? There were countries who claimed that the Mid-Autumn Festival belonged to them. Their words don't carry any weight. Let them say what they want."”
"Protecting the country's interests is the responsibility of every son and daughter of the Celestial Empire. We…"
Before Luo Li could finish, Gao Yi interrupted her,"Alright, alright. Who do you think you are?”
Luo Li didn't say anything else. She searched the map and found that Nando's Roasted Chicken Restaurant was only 10 minutes away from where she was. Just as she was about to leave, Gao Yi didn't follow her and said that he wanted to wait for Lisa.
"Rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows. You're worse than a rabbit." Luo Li teased.”
Gao Yi immediately replied,"Why run all over the mountain when there's grass beside the nest?"。”
"Just wait for the same fate as Hu Xueyan," said Luo Li.”
"Who is Hu Xueyan?" asked Gao Yi in confusion.。”
"Don't you know who said that rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows?"。”
"Isn't it passed down by word of mouth?" Gao Yi shook his head.”
Luo Li only said one sentence,"If you want to know, come with me to eat chicken."”After saying that, she was about to leave. After taking a few steps, she turned around. Gao Yi did not follow her. Luo Li wondered what was wrong with her today. No one followed her. She did not want to leave alone.
On the way to Nando's, she saw a Christmas market. There were many stalls selling all kinds of crafts, clothes, shoes, and so on. Luo Li saw a rabbit that looked like a jade carving. She remembered that rabbits don't eat the grass beside their nests, so she walked over and picked it up. The whole piece of jade was crystal clear and had a mellow texture. It was noble and pure in her hand. As she looked at it, she thought of a poem: Looking carefully at the jade pavilion chanting, I have a good life of painstaking efforts. Carved and carved again and again, a piece of jade worth ten thousand gold.
After asking the boss how much this jade was, the boss lowered his head and replied without looking at Luo Li,"" 400 pounds."
Luo Li originally didn't plan to buy it, but when she heard the price, she didn't want to buy it. Before she left, she turned the jade rabbit over and looked at the bottom. madeinchina。This time, he wouldn't even buy it for 40 pounds. He could probably buy it for 40 yuan at some small stalls in China. When he went to a foreign country, his value would multiply, and the jade would sell for gold.
Nando's was a British chain roast chicken shop. There were hundreds of chain stores in the UK, but it was indeed an African cuisine. It entered the UK in the 1990s, first in London, and later opened branches in various cities.
The restaurant was full of people, and there was a huge Christmas tree in the corner. The waiter greeted warmly,"Hello, sir. How many people do you have?”
Luo Li looked at the person behind her and thought, Isn't it obvious?"I'm alone."”
The waiter brought Luo Li to a corner and brought her the menu. Luo Li didn't look at the menu. She didn't need to order many dishes by herself. She heard that the most famous dish here was Peri-PeriChicken, so she asked for half a piece of French fries and coke. After paying, he took the cutlery and looked around. Indeed, he was the only empty table left, so he returned to his seat.
The seat was next to the window, and the lights were dim. There was no mood at all. Looking at the pedestrians coming and going in pairs outside the window, he was like an orphan who had been abandoned by the city. A dinner that could not even be lit by candlelight alone could not give an answer.
After the dish was served, all the worries were thrown to the back of his mind. Just smelling the fragrance of the roast chicken was enough to make him drool. The outer skin of the roast chicken had already been partially roasted black. With a light fork, he felt that the meat was 30,000 feet deep. When he cut a small piece of the crispy skin and sprinkled spices on it, it was really fragrant with the tender meat. It was smooth and tender, and the aftertaste was long. As she ate, she thought of Lu You's " Winter," and adapted it slightly. The shop is warm and there is no friend to chat with. The plate is clean and there is still a chicken to hold.
Suddenly, a pair of hands were placed on Luo Li's back. Luo Li had already grabbed her hands and pulled them forward, almost crushing her. The other party shouted,"It's me, Gao Yi."”
"What are you doing here? Go wait for your Lisa.”Luo Li said.
"I can't wait anymore. I don't know where he went.”Gao Yi sat down beside Luo Li.
At this moment, the waiter came over and handed the menu to Gao Yi. Gao Yi did not take the menu and pointed at Luo Li."I'll order the same dish as him." After saying that, he handed a two-pound tip to the waiter. The waiter did not take it and said that the tip would be deducted from the total price.
"You're right. Rabbits shouldn't eat the grass near their nests." Gao Yi said while waiting for the dishes.”
"I just don't like foreigners who always think they're right," Luo Li said.”
Gao Yi thought about it and did not reply. Instead, he changed the topic and asked Luo Li,"How is this chicken? Is it delicious?"
Luo Li said as she chewed," It's not bad, but the seasoning didn't go in. The skin outside is delicious, and the meat is still tender."”
Soon, Gao Yi's chicken was served. He seemed to be burning with hunger and did not care to cut it open to eat. He used a fork to pick up the whole chicken and took a big bite, just like a celebration after the bandits destroyed the town. As he chewed, he would occasionally praise and nod his head. After he finished chewing, he said,"Delicious, too delicious." With that, he took another big mouthful.
Luo Li continued to slowly cut and eat. When she was cutting the chicken, she was still very careful, afraid that the knife would make an ear-piercing sound when it touched the plate.
After eating for a while, Luo Li took two cups of Coke and went to refill them. The drinks here were unlimited. You could order a cup of Coke and refill it for the whole day. No one would object to you, but no one would ever do that.
After eating and drinking, the two of them were discussing where to go when Luo Li's phone rang. It was Edward, the bass player, who said,"Christmas, what are you doing?”
"We're having dinner. What's the matter?" Luo Li replied.”
" There's a Christmas party at my house tomorrow," Edward said." I'd like to invite you over. Are you free?"”
Since he wanted to integrate into the foreign culture, it was necessary to experience the Christmas in England, so he immediately agreed. The other party also hoped that Luo Li would help invite Gao Yi and Lisa. As for the electric guitar player, Emily had already agreed to Edward.
Luo Li asked Gao Yi if he was free. Gao Yi said that he had already promised his friend to play League of Legends for Christmas. However, when he heard that it was a Christmas party, he wondered if it would be as crazy as the one on TV. He couldn't help but say excitedly,"It's hard to refuse such a kind offer. It's impolite to refuse. It's better to obey than to be respectful.”
Luo Li didn't want to contact Lisa, but Edward specifically asked for Lisa, so she asked Gao Yi to tell Lisa.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]