“Mr. Abmer, you have achieved unprecedented success in this international art exhibition. Do you have anything to say?”
“Is the muse in your painting who attended the YICCA exhibition with you four years ago here today?”
“As far as I know, you are lovers and announced your marriage on YICCA. Are you guys married?”
“Thank you for your enthusiasm, but I’m sorry, I don’t want to accept any interviews.”
I bowed to the countless cameras and microphones in front of the art museum and got into the car.
“Where are we going?” Cheng Wan asked knowingly.
“It’s not like you don’t know. Didn’t I tell you to pack my luggage?”
“You just finished the exhibition, and you didn’t even take a day off. Why are you in such a hurry? Are you heading to southern Jiangsu again?”
I stroked the carnelian ring on my ring finger and urged softly, “Drive faster.”
The town of Mutu was exceptionally lively in spring, and the homestay I opened was also doing very good business. Mo Wei, who was in charge of the front desk, was extremely busy, and he only noticed me when I stood in front of the bar.
“Brother Ran, you are here!”
“Do your thing, I’ll head upstairs.” I smiled at him, took the keys, and went upstairs to the room on the north side, which faced the shade. After I took over the entire guesthouse, I renovated every room except for this one — the room where I stayed with Nalin. I couldn’t bring myself to change it. I slept soundly until the morning light. After waking up, I put on my full hiking gear, packed my tent and equipment, and went downstairs.
“Going up the mountain again? Why not eat first before heading out?” Seeing me come downstairs, Mo Wei closed the guest register. “I just bought a leg of lamb, it’s really fresh. I was just thinking I wouldn’t be able to finish it on my own.”
“Where’s that folk singer boyfriend you met the last time on that ghost exorcism job?” I glanced at the counter. “Wasn’t he here performing last time? He was quite good-looking…”
“We broke up. We weren’t a good match.” He scratched his head, glancing at me before looking down, like a wounded little puppy. “You know my situation. I’m not a mortal, I have a long life, and a relationship with a mortal won’t lead anywhere. He’s someone who values emotions deeply, and I don’t want to hurt him in the future.”
“Don’t think too much about the future; the present is what matters most.” I patted his shoulder, about to offer some words of comfort, when I heard the sound of wind chimes ringing behind me. Turning around, I found myself face-to-face with a pair of light-colored phoenix eyes.
The owner of the phoenix eyes met my gaze for a moment before his eyes turned red, and he quickly turned away, clearly misunderstanding something. Mo Wei let out a soft “hey,” and in the blink of an eye, he rushed past me, chasing after him.
Seeing that pretty boyfriend slap Mo Wei across the face, I winced in sympathy. Then I watched as Mo Wei and he tussled for a few steps before pulling him into an embrace. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The spring sunlight was just right, and the mountain breeze was no longer so harsh, making it perfect for a hike. Just after noon, I climbed up to the halfway point of Sumilou Mountain. The mountainside acted as a dividing line; beyond that, thick fog enveloped the path, and ordinary people could easily lose their way. No one could reach the summit except for me.
I had just finished setting up the tent and sat down to drink some water when my cell phone rang.
When I opened the call, it was a video call from my dad, my real dad.
I pressed the answer button, and a huge lobster suddenly jumped to the screen.
“Look, look! What did your father catch? When are you coming over again? I’ll make you some salt-baked lobster!” The camera panned over the waves crashing onto the shore, capturing the shimmering surface of the sea, and then it reflected my father’s radiant, wrinkle-lined smile. Since I reunited with him these past few years, he has started to age like an ordinary person, but his health has improved a lot, and his dark circles under his eyes have disappeared.
Since moving to the seaside, his spirits have greatly improved, and he’s always cheerful.
“At the end of the month, once I finish this busy patch, I’ll come over.”
“Did you go to Southern Jiangsu again? When are you going to bring my daughter-in-law over?”
“Just wait a little longer, it will be soon.”
“It took so long for his injuries to heal, and you had to run around so much, it was so tiring.” Father sighed, as if about to say something more, when suddenly someone called from the other side, “Uncle Tai, come over here! Look what I caught!”
“It’s a jellyfish!”
“It’s poisonous, put it down!”
The children exclaimed one after another, and Masuo and Saibang’s voices could be distinguished among them.
“Hey, you naughty kid, I have to go over there. Come quickly at the end of the month. The children miss you!”
After a short rest, I packed some food and water, keeping my load light. The path to the mountaintop was a shortcut only I knew, so I navigated it with ease. By dusk, I arrived at the ancient palace.
The surrounding mist dispersed in an instant, and the gentle evening sun bathed me in its glow.
In the wind, a familiar fragrance faintly drifted towards me.
A crimson petal gently landed on the corner of my lips.
Behind me, a long, mournful wolf’s howl echoed. I turned to look, and in the distance, a tall figure gradually became clear through the dissipating mist. Behind him, the camellia flowers were in full bloom.
I ran toward him, and within a few steps, he met me halfway, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.
“You’re fully recovered?”
“En, just one hand and a heart left. It’s healing too slowly, sorry for making you wait for so long.”
“It’s alright. Shall we go home? Tomorrow, we’ll get your household registration and then go get the marriage certificate.”
“Alright.” He kissed my lips, holding me, and began walking down the mountain.
A gust of wind blew, carrying a rich fragrance with it, and countless flower petals gently fell, covering us both.
From now on — yes, we have the future, the kind that promises endless days and nights, forever together.
My head kept bumping into the top of the tent, and I was drenched in sweat, gripping his body tightly.
“Slow down, Nalin, the tent is going to collapse, don’t cause an avalanche…”
He didn’t answer but just held my lips and kept working hard — I guess it was because his body hadn’t fully grown in the past four years and he couldn’t do it, and he was almost going crazy with thirst, so he had to enjoy himself tonight.
At dawn, I screamed until my voice became hoarse, and he finally let me go.
On the way down the mountain, the weather was sunny and spring-like. Many small animals jumped out from the forest and followed us from the middle of the mountain to the foot of the mountain and then to the depths of the forest again.
I leaned against a tree, took out my sketchbook, and recorded this scene on paper and in my mind.
We walked hand in hand for a long way along the road until the moon rose and the sun set, and I didn’t feel tired at all. But Nalin insisted on carrying me on his back, so I had no choice but to obey and lie on his back.
“The stars are so bright tonight, Nalin, look.”
“The moon is especially beautiful tonight, different from before.” He tilted his head up.
“Tomorrow we’ll head back to Jiangcheng, get married, and then go to Qingdao for our honeymoon. My dad and the kids are all living there. We’ll take a boat out to sea and stay on a yacht for a few days! How does that sound?”
“Good, let’s go see the sea.” He held me tightly, his voice filled with barely contained excitement.
Go see the sea — this wish, spanning hundreds of years, was finally fulfilled. I kissed his cheek, and a petal fell between our lips.
With the help of an old classmate, after half a month, Nalin, the “stateless” person, was finally able to settle in a rural area not far from Jiangcheng. Once he received his household registration, I immediately took him to get his ID card, and then we rushed to the civil affairs bureau to take our couple’s photo and get our marriage certificate.
I couldn’t stop smiling, holding the certificate in my hands. On the way back, Nalin took off his sunglasses and bit my lip, saying, “Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m going to laugh, look at that big grin, all your white teeth showing. Have you really never smiled like this before?”
“Yes.”
“Then from now on, you can smile like this as much as you want. I like it.”
“Ranran, from now on, we are officially husband and wife.”
“Mm.” I nodded. “Legally married, officially recognized, and never apart again.”
After getting off the plane, a damp and slightly fishy sea breeze blew towards us, bringing with it the fragrance of Qingdao’s spring flowers. Outside the airport, my father and the children waved at us from afar. When they saw Nalin who was beside me, the fear on their faces was gone. Masuo and Saibang even dared to come over and put a wreath of shells on him.
My dad looked him up and down as a legal father-in-law.
“No matter how powerful you are as the Corpse God Lord, since you’ve married Ranran, you have to listen to Ranran and be nice to Ranran, do you understand? If you dare to let Ranran suffer any injustice…”
“I would never dare to do that.” Nalin lowered his eyebrows and bowed to him, “I will follow Lord Father-in-law’s instructions.”
Perhaps it was due to the trauma of the past, my dad was still frightened, but he soon straightened his back.
Entering the hotel room, the terrace faces Qingdao’s famous mountain stream valley, which is divided by a white stone plank road along the coastline. Beyond the sea of flowers is the boundless blue sea.
Throwing down my luggage, I held Nalin’s hand, walked through the sea of flowers, and ran towards the sea.
A gust of spring sea breeze rolled up thousands of colorful petals, gently surrounding us.
“Ranran, the sea is so beautiful.”
—Nalin, you don’t know… what is more beautiful is the rest of our lives.
The beauty of April on earth has faded, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are in full bloom.
Having you for the rest of my life will be forever spring and bright.
—END—
