I roughly recalled this week: I returned to work with a cold virus and drank the ginger tea my mom forcefully gave me, which helped alleviate most of the discomfort (tested and proven); yesterday was a really tough day at work; the quality of sleep was extremely poor; my mood was extremely low due to the cold air; I couldn't find the motivation to exercise... I really don't want to write a weekly journal, as it would just spread negativity.
Plum Blossoms, Peach Blossoms, and Cherry Blossoms#
The temperature was very high in the first half of this week, reaching over twenty degrees. The whole world was hot. However, the meteorological bureau had predicted a cold air mass approaching from the south a week ago, claiming that there would be a drastic drop of 30 degrees. Upon hearing this news, I was already prepared for a prolonged battle. Before the temperature dropped, I went out to the night market to eat something.
On the way home, I saw flowers blooming by the roadside.
Looking at the pink and tender flowers, my teammate exclaimed, "Peach blossoms! They're peach blossoms!" Since I didn't recognize the flower, I just called it "little peach" haha.
It wasn't until later when I posted it on Dodo that a kind-hearted friend pointed out that it was actually a plum blossom 🤪. I quickly searched online and learned about the differences between peach blossoms, plum blossoms, and cherry blossoms. It turns out that in botany, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and cherry blossoms all belong to the Rosaceae family, genus Prunus, and they have certain similarities in appearance.
Firstly, they can be distinguished by their blooming periods. February to March is the time for "plum blossoms," March to April is for "cherry blossoms," and April to May is for "peach blossoms." However, the blooming period may vary depending on the local climate and the variety of the flowers: in colder regions, there may be plum blossoms in April, while in warmer regions, there may be peach blossoms in March... This is also one of the reasons why I thought the flowers downstairs were peach blossoms (after all, with so many days of hot weather, it's easy to misunderstand). To truly distinguish between "plum," "peach," and "cherry," other methods need to be used.
Petal Differentiation#
The petals are the quickest way to differentiate between the three. Plum blossoms have round-shaped petals with a smooth overall appearance; peach blossoms have relatively pointed petals that resemble water droplets; cherry blossoms have notches at the front of their petals.
Branch Differentiation#
Plum blossoms bloom individually without flower stems; peach blossoms bloom in pairs with short flower stems; cherry blossoms bloom in clusters with long flower stems, producing many flowers at once. The difference between peach blossoms and plum blossoms is not very obvious, as plum blossoms with many flowers can also appear in pairs, and combined with the short flower stems of peach blossoms, they can look the same.
Color#
This is the most mysterious aspect. Plum blossoms generally come in two colors, red and white. There are many varieties of plum blossoms, and I guess it's because they are still growing. When I saw the plum blossoms, they were white in the bud stage, but turned pink when they bloomed. As for the fragrance, "the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold," so you should smell them after enduring the bitterness of winter.
There are also many varieties of peach blossoms, including white, pink, and red. There are even trees with different colored peach blossoms on the same tree. Peach blossoms don't have a strong fragrance, so you probably won't be able to smell them.
There are even more varieties of cherry blossoms, including white, pink, light pink, and dark pink...
So, you can't rely solely on color to distinguish them. The deepest color among the three is plum blossoms; all three flowers can be pink; if the flowers are white, they are more likely to be plum blossoms or cherry blossoms; purple flowers are definitely plum blossoms...
Feels like a logic puzzle, doesn't it?
Code Name Yuan (The Reckless Gambler)#
During the Lunar New Year, I played games on my phone, which made me lose interest in playing on my computer when I returned. Combined with finishing the event in Arknights, I downloaded a bunch of mobile games for testing, but the only one I temporarily got hooked on was Code Name Yuan.
Although Code Name Yuan is tagged as a otome game, it's actually a general card game when you play it. Let's talk about its Three Kingdoms storyline, which was poorly adapted and almost unbearable to watch.
So, ultimately, I think there are two things that attracted me:
Firstly, the Three Kingdoms element. The first major work I was exposed to as a child was "Dynasty Warriors." I couldn't handle the keyboard controls and couldn't mow down enemies with combos, so I relied on Zhuge Liang's brainless output to give me a sense of security. I was also shocked by the CG scene of facing Lu Bu at Hu Lao Gate. The moment when I was convinced by Cao Cao's charisma. I disliked Liu Bei's pretentious elegance and Zhuge Liang's inability to deal damage... Because of my enthusiasm for this game, I even read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
Later, I played "Three Kingdoms Kill" with my friends, which gave me a new understanding of some characters I wasn't interested in as a child. For example, Sun Quan's skill is "Balance." I didn't understand why Cao Cao would say "A son should be like Sun Zhongmou," as Sun Quan didn't seem to shine particularly brightly in the novel.
Here's a little digression: Sun Ce ruled Jiangdong with an iron fist, but he was assassinated at a young age, leaving Sun Quan with an epic mess: either follow Sun Jian's southern expeditions or join Sun Ce in conquering Jiangdong. Sun Quan didn't have much prestige, making it difficult for him to gain the respect of others. The literati were even more unreliable, coming from local aristocratic families, and they were already under Sun Ce's iron-fisted rule. They found an assassin to kill Sun Ce. As for external factors, I forgot the specifics, but I remember there were internal conflicts. At that time, Sun Quan could only rely on Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao.
After Sun Ce's death, Zhou Yu became the one in control of the military. Zhou Yu was so reliable that I felt he was reliable no matter where he was. Zhou Yu quickly pacified external disturbances, while Zhang Zhao persuaded and pacified civil and military officials, allowing Sun Quan to quickly stabilize the situation in Jiangdong after taking power. Sun Quan's so-called "balance" was actually his way of balancing Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao, promoting old generals in Jiangdong to restrict Zhou Yu, and implementing a policy of appeasement to pacify the Jiangdong aristocracy while recruiting talents from the north like Lu Su to restrict local forces. This achieved a restriction on the Jiangdong aristocracy.
When Cao Cao said "A son should be like Sun Zhongmou," it was when he saw that Sun Quan had the ability to do all of this. However, Sun Quan himself was not a strategic-minded person, he only excelled at the art of balance. Early on, Zhou Yu's campaign to Hefei was a great strategy, but unfortunately, fate envies talent. Lu Su formed an alliance with Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao, which was also a great strategy in that predicament. On the other hand, Sun Quan had almost no outstanding qualities. Seeing that Cao Cao was being restrained by Liu Bei, he worried that Liu Bei would replace Cao Cao. He launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou using his balancing skills, aiming to disrupt the alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei and lay a solid foundation for Jiangdong to face the pressure from Cao Cao alone in the future.
There are so many digressions. I'm about to go out, so I'll get back to the main topic. The second thing that attracted me is the game's battles, which are very engaging. There are various considerations to make when deciding whether to attack or defend. Combined with the game's numerous probability mechanisms and numerical pitfalls, it's easy to get hooked on it, truly a "reckless gambler." However, the numerical pitfalls mean that the game doesn't have much gameplay, and there is a significant difference in strength between characters. Whether or not you have Xu Shu is like playing two different games. Overall, it's just average, but you can guarantee an SSR within 40 draws, and gambling is so enjoyable, truly living up to its name as a reckless gambler.
Echoes of the Lantern Festival#
I remember the first time I went to Changsha. On the first night, I was shopping around the Pozi Street area and almost encountered a pickpocket trying to steal my wallet (at that time, it was still early, and I was still insisting on using cash for payment, and my ID card was also in it). Luckily, I was really tired, but I vaguely felt that something was wrong with my pocket. When I reached back, I felt the pickpocket's hand, and I even heard a sigh of frustration from the pickpocket.
I still remember that I looked back at that person, who had an expression of being discovered and a look of frustration for almost succeeding. It still gives me chills to this day.
But the next morning was the Lantern Festival, and the city government was setting up stalls on Huangxing Pedestrian Street to distribute lanterns to the public. It made me feel good again. I wonder if they are still distributing lanterns today.
Have Some Yuanxiao#
Finally, please have some yuanxiao~
