It's night, and the first snow of autumn is falling outside the city. The room feels a bit chilly. The weather forecast says the low tonight will be -18°C. The world beyond the window is shrouded in a flurry of fine snow—another winter has arrived.

She brewed a cup of black tea with a rich, deep color. Steam rose from the rim, and the tea leaves inside unfurled, floated, and rose and fell continuously, like the ups and downs of life. Her thoughts drifted with the steam across time and space, rendezvousing with that afternoon.

At the end of March that year, the northern weather was still like winter. The ground was covered with a thin, gray layer of residual snow, and the air was pierced by a cold wind that had blown in from Siberia days before—chilly, bleak, and bone-piercing.

In the cold wind, her long hair repeatedly brushed across her clear, elegant, confident face. Her long white cashmere scarf stretched endlessly toward the direction of the wind. Her beautiful,茫然 eyes revealed a sense of calm and languor. She habitually tossed her hair, gently pursed her lips, lifted her face to the wind for a moment, and let the wind comb through her strands.

She hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed toward the riverbank...

This was the fourth painful day of her徘徊 on the edge of marriage, struggling with choices. These days, she had no appetite, felt no thirst, and her clothes felt looser. It was as if 50% of the moisture had left her body. She didn't know if it was the call she had been waiting for, but at 2:25 PM, she heard it. "Okay, I can be there in 20 minutes." Light makeup, trench coat, boots... Almost without thinking, she was out the door in less than 10 minutes.

The feeling of stepping on the soft European-style carpet with shoes on was no worse than barefoot. The tea room on the left side of the hotel lobby was quaint and elegant. He lit a cigarette, gazing intently out the window at the bleak, cold riverside scene: a small old steamship frozen by ice and snow near the shore,呼应着 distantly with another one on the opposite side, withered branches laden with residual snow. The frozen river surface had been still all winter. But beneath it—under the thick ice and snow—the river water still surged eastward.

No music.

A pot of black tea, two plates of Western pastries.

After speaking, she lowered her head to look at the steaming black tea, cupping the mug with both hands, trying to use the warmth transmitted through her palms to drive away the cold inside her.

He smiled: "Yes, marriage is like a pair of shoes on your own feet. Only you know if they fit and are comfortable. But responsibility might be more important." After saying this, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaling a faint wisp of blue smoke only after a long while. He took a sip of tea and turned his head and gaze back to the window. She gave a faint smile and remained silent for a long time.

"Do you like drinking black tea very much? They actually have Darjeeling here, though in early spring, it's better to drink our country's Keemun black tea." He said.

"Yes, I like the gentle state of mind that comes with drinking black tea. The broth of black tea is red and bright, looking rich and warm; I especially like its mild taste, without the bitterness of other teas when they first touch the tongue. The aroma of black tea is light, and the initial sensation is good. Particularly when I feel lonely or cold, I like to drink it."

"Haha, savoring the feeling you described, it's nice. When I go abroad and drink black tea, I'll definitely remember your words. In Britain, black tea is for afternoon tea. It's also suitable to drink before bed at night; black tea can warm the stomach, strengthen bones, and delay aging. I often drink it too. But I haven't perceived it as细腻 as you have." Their eyes met—another coincidence!

"You always manage to find reason in everything, whereas I always prefer to feel things first." She elegantly took a small sip of the black tea in her hand.

"Perhaps it's because girls like romance, and men are more practical."

She nodded.

This was the most relaxed and peaceful moment she had experienced in these past few days. She heard him say the same thing.

...

Just like that, the entire afternoon was spent talking amidst the warm aroma of that pot of black tea. There was no music, and谈不上 a finale. When they parted, the color of the tea in the cup had faded, becoming somewhat enchanting.

Pulling her thoughts back, the half-cup of black tea in her hand had cooled slightly. The tea leaves lay at the bottom of the water, fully unfurled, red and bright, almost motionless. Adding hot water, the舒展 leaves rose and fell, swirled for a while, then settled back to the bottom. The color of the tea water had lightened and become much more transparent, still just as enchanting!