Landlord in the Arctic

BANG!!

A loud crack suddenly erupted from the stove, shattering the cozy atmosphere in the room.

Feng Shan’s body flinched instinctively. He quickly tore his gaze away from Natasha and, flustered, whipped his head toward the stove.

He bent over slightly, leaning closer to the firebox to see what had happened.

It turned out that he had stuffed too much firewood into the stove earlier in his attempt to make the fire burn brighter.

This caused gas to build up in the pores and channels within the wood. The pressure eventually became too great, causing a log to split and produce the loud bang.

Feng Shan quickly grabbed the nearby iron poker and jabbed at the firebox, spreading the burning logs apart to restore a steady flame.

However, the cozy atmosphere that had just filled the train car had vanished without a trace, melting away like snow in the spring sun.

After the loud noise, Natasha also slowly came back to her senses.

Recalling how she had just been lost in the beautiful scenery outside, a subtle, almost imperceptible blush crept onto her stunning face.

She quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding Feng Shan’s potential glance, and unconsciously began twirling a lock of her golden hair.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward again.

"Can you tell me about the origin of the Crown Territory?"

To break the deadlock, Feng Shan feigned composure.

He took a kettle from the kitchen and rummaged through a bookshelf to find some old tea leaves that had been left behind.

He then filled the kettle with some snow and set it on the stove to boil.

As he busied himself, he tossed out the question, feigning casualness.

He was trying to start a new topic that would get them both talking.

The Crown Territory.

Upon hearing the name, Natasha let out a soft, inexplicable sigh.

Her gaze drifted to the flickering flames in the stove, her eyes seeming to swirl with a thousand thoughts.

Her voice carried a distant quality as she spoke.

"The story of the Crown Territory is a long one."

"That’s alright. The night is long, and we have plenty of time." Feng Shan took out some cups, placed the tea leaves inside, and then steeped them with the freshly boiled snowmelt, his movements careful and deliberate.

Then, he gently placed a teacup in front of Natasha, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He was eager to learn the secrets of the Crown Territory.

Natasha picked up the teacup.

She gently blew away the floating tea leaves, parted her lips, and took a delicate sip.

But as soon as it touched her tongue, she furrowed her brows, a look of distaste on her face as she blurted out,

"How old is this tea?!"

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Feng Shan was completely focused on hearing the story and couldn’t care less how old the tea was. As far as he knew, it had been sitting on that bookshelf ever since he arrived at the Crown Territory.

"I’ll have someone send you some Pre-Qingming Longjing tea later." Natasha glanced at the flustered Feng Shan, a faint smile in her eyes. She seemed to find his expression somewhat endearing.

She set down her cup and began to tell the story of the Crown Territory’s origin.

Natasha’s voice was soft, as if she were about to lead Feng Shan through a tunnel of time, back into a sealed-off Chapter of history.

"This is a very old story."

"A long, long time ago, my great-grandfather was the Emperor of the largest empire in the world: Tsar Nicholas II."

As she said this, a complex emotion—a mixture of pride and sorrow—flickered in Natasha’s eyes.

"Your great-grandfather, Sir Feng Xinghuai, was a Miracle Doctor. He traveled thousands of miles from the distant land of China to Russia, apparently in search of something. He met Nicholas II by chance, and after learning of Prince Aleksey’s hemophilia, he used miraculous traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate the Prince’s condition."

"After Prince Aleksey’s condition was brought under control, Nicholas II was overjoyed. He gifted Feng Xinghuai a great deal of gold, silver, jewels, and antiques, as well as this territory—the Crown Territory. He also bestowed upon Mr. Feng Xinghuai a noble title."

’Gold and silver?’

Hearing this, Feng Shan couldn’t help but wonder.

’The Crown Territory doesn’t have any gold or silver, just a pile of antique guns.’

’Even the well-traveled Uncle Frank didn’t know about this.’

Feng Shan immediately narrowed his eyes and asked with sudden curiosity, "How come I haven’t found any of that gold and silver?"

"Do you want to hear the rest or not?" Natasha lifted her chin slightly, clearly displeased at being interrupted. Her tone was tinged with annoyance.

Seeing this, Feng Shan gave a helpless shrug and said quickly, "Sorry, please continue."

Next, a look of loss and regret appeared on Natasha’s beautiful face. She bit her lip lightly and continued her story.

"Later, during the turmoil in Russia in February 1917, my great-grandfather was forced to abdicate. The provisional government then arrested the entire imperial family at Tsar Selor. After that, they were placed under house arrest and moved from place to place. In April 1918, they were transferred to Yekaterinburg, and in May, the family was reunited at the Ipatiev House."

"On July 17, 1918, the entire imperial family was secretly executed. But my grandmother, Grand Duchess Anastasia, was let go by a kind-hearted guard."

"A group of guards loyal to the royal family then fled with my grandmother toward Siberia. On the way, almost all the guards were killed. That’s when they ran into Sir Feng Xinghuai, who was on his way back to St. Petersburg."

"Upon learning that Grand Duchess Anastasia was the sole survivor of the imperial family, Sir Feng Xinghuai continued the escape with her toward Siberia. During their flight, Sir Feng Xinghuai and my grandmother fell in love and became engaged. With the remaining guards, they left Russia by boat through the Chukchi Sea and fled to Alaska."

"However, they encountered a storm in the Bering Sea, and the boat carrying my grandmother and Sir Feng Xinghuai lost contact."

"My grandmother drifted across the Bering Sea all the way to the Aleutian Islands, where she eventually settled in Lengwan."