It was a very, very long time later when I saw Li Yuze again. After arriving in Dongjiang, I became a history teacher at Dongjiang Middle School, a path I never would have imagined for myself. But this life is good now; I live a very peaceful life in a place close to him.
I’ve gradually come to understand that life is indeed full of uncertainties. Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow; anything that happens can change our perception and plans for our own lives.
As I’ve gotten older, blind dates have become the most frequent topic between my parents and me. I know my mother worries about me. She doesn’t know what exactly happened or who I met in that Miao region. But she suspects I have someone in my heart whom I can’t let go of. Mother hopes I’ll look around more, saying I might meet someone suitable. But I think emotions are exclusive, especially love. Once I’ve experienced the purest love in the world, how could I ever see other men? Perhaps someone else would also be good, but he wouldn’t be Ah Song.
On my fifth Qixi Festival since coming to Dongjiang, I decided to go for a walk. In truth, where I live is very close to Dongjiang Miao Village, but I’ve never visited it again. I heard Li Yuze settled here, accompanied by Shen Jianqing. I wasn’t surprised, nor did I resent Shen Jianqing; I could somewhat guess what he did back then. I was just afraid that meeting them would make me feel even more lonely.
Longing is like a calm lake surface; any slight breeze will create endless ripples. But this year was exceptionally lively, and a sudden thought to go see it bloomed in my heart.
Dongjiang Miao Village was just as it was when we first arrived: winding bluestone paths and stilt houses with upturned eaves resembling the smiling eyes of a young woman.
My students had told me that their Miao people celebrate Valentine’s Day on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, when they wander around and sing songs, with young men and women seeking their beloved.
However, due to sinicization, Qixi Festival has gradually been accepted. In fact, during Qixi, the Miao village even hosts more grand bonfire events to attract tourists.
It was already night when I arrived. The Miao village was brightly lit, looking like a warm, yellow giant dragon hidden deep in the mountains when viewed from above.
Men and women strolled side by side, exchanging tender glances and warm, affectionate smiles.
I suddenly thought of Lulu and Xu Zirong.
Sometimes people are truly strange; I initially thought Xu Zirong would eventually give up on Lulu. After all, back when we were in school, Lulu often argued with him because of his drinking. I thought that with incompatible values and habits, they would eventually part ways.
But hardship had bound them tightly together.
Lulu called me some time ago; her illness must be mostly cured. She even laughed on the phone, saying that perhaps the lack of oxygen in her brain suffocated the parasites. After two years of rehabilitation, she slowly regained her consciousness.
She said she was going to marry Xu Zirong and hoped I could be her bridesmaid. After all they’d been through, the person she once thought unreliable had not let go of her hand for a single moment.
I watched the young couples passing by me; I could see the shadow of Lulu and Xu Zirong on their happy faces.
Everyone else is moving forward, but I’m willing to stay in this ocean current I encountered in my youth.
I turned a corner and found that the specialty shop Lulu and I had visited back then was still there, its display unchanged. A few people stood inside, picking out products, and on a whim, I walked in too.
Honestly, specialty shops in any scenic area have pretty much the same stuff. I casually browsed for a couple of rounds, with no intention of buying anything.
“Yuze Ah-ge, do you think this looks good on me?”
A clear voice, filled with joy and an indescribable pampered arrogance, rang out. I instinctively looked over.
Under the bright lights of the shop, that person’s eyes shone like stars: “This is for girls! I always wanted to say it, you always wear these jingling things.”
Shen Jianqing looked much more mature, his shoulders broader, more like a grown man than when I first met him, but in his glances, there was still a shadow of that boy from back then.
Li Yuze, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much; five years truly weren’t enough to alter a person’s appearance.
However, the detached aloofness that used to constantly accompany him was completely gone.
They were both wearing dark blue Miao attire, and indeed, they looked very well-matched.
“If you really like it, I’ll have one made just for you in pure silver; custom-fitted, it’ll suit you perfectly…” Li Yuze was mid-sentence when his eyes shifted and finally landed on me at the end of the aisle.
He stiffened for a moment, the smile still hadn’t formed on his lips, when Shen Jianqing moved in front of me, blocking my view.
Shen Jianqing hid Li Yuze behind him, looking at me cautiously.
I caught a glimpse of red on his right hand before it swiftly vanished beneath his sleeve.
Oh, his possessiveness—that hasn’t changed at all from when he was younger.
Li Yuze gently pushed Shen Jianqing aside, looking at me with a full smile: “Xiao Wen, long time no see!”
I nodded. “Didn’t think I’d actually run into you two. Are you… celebrating Qixi?”
Li Yuze shot a glance at Shen Jianqing and said in a mock-scolding tone, “He’s been pestering me for a Qixi gift. I didn’t have one ready, so I had no choice but to bring him out to pick one on the spot.”
Oh, Li Yuze’s straight-laced thinking hasn’t changed either.
Li Yuze quickly walked over, seemingly with something to say. But when he reached me, he hesitated, only vaguely saying, “Actually, I wanted to contact you a while ago, but Shen Jianqing wouldn’t let me, saying the time wasn’t right and he had to be fully responsible. Actually, Ah…”
“Teacher Wen! You’re here too!”
Li Yuze’s words were abruptly cut off. I turned and saw one of my students. I felt as if I’d seen a savior, I felt relieved, thus I seized the opportunity and said, “That’s my student; I’ll go look with her. You two take your time choosing and browsing.”
Shen Jianqing stood behind Li Yuze, his gaze practically screaming “displeasure.” Understandably, no one wants their Qixi night interrupted by outsiders.
“Wait…” Li Yuze still wanted to detain me, but I had already left the shop.
I could more or less guess what Li Yuze had been about to say—“when the time is right,” “take full responsibility”… it was probably about their wedding banquet. That’s good. Everyone is moving forward.
My student curiously asked, “Teacher Wen, are those two your friends? They’re so handsome!”
I flicked her forehead: “You’re still young, focus on your studies first! Have you memorized all of modern history yet?”
She shrank her neck: “No! Tonight’s Qixi!”
I said, “Are you in a premature relationship?”
“Can’t I celebrate Qixi if I’m single? I’m just wandering around by myself!”
True, who says singles can’t celebrate Qixi?
We walked together, leisurely strolling along the bluestone paths of the Miao village.
The nearby shopkeepers had folk mountain songs playing through loudspeakers, the crisp, high-pitched voices of the female singers echoing far into the distance.
There were also various activities designed to attract young couples, drawing many people to eagerly participate.
Slowly, the lively atmosphere around me began to rub off, and I couldn’t help but smile.
We walked past a street artist doing portrait sketches, and my student came to a sudden stop. These kinds of street artists were nothing unusual, but she leaned in with curiosity and asked, “Do you draw accurately?”
The artist was a bald old man, seated on a small stool, with numerous sample portraits spread out before him. Taking the question as a slight, he arrogantly closed his eyes and declared, “Even without seeing you, I can capture an eighty-percent likeness just from a description!”
“Really?” My student didn’t believe him.
But my heart was stirred.
“Just from a description?” I confirmed.
The artist vowed, “If you don’t believe me, pay eighty yuan for a drawing!”
The student cried, “Scam!” and tried to pull me away. But I crouched down and scanned the code to pay eighty yuan without hesitation. The artist immediately picked up his brush, waiting for my description.
My biggest regret in life, up until now, was not having a good conversation with him nor having any photos. Human memory is the most ruthless; even profound memories are fragile, and I feared I would slowly forget what he looked like.
The memory of our last meeting flickered through my mind. I said, “He has wheat-colored skin, a broad forehead, um… a mole on the right side of his forehead. Monolids, with slightly deeper eye sockets—no, that area should be a bit higher…”
As I spoke, the artist’s brush rapidly moved. On the paper, a figure slowly took shape. The artist adjusted and filled in details according to my description, and the person gradually overlapped with the image in my memory.
Those eighty yuan were well spent.
“Done.” The artist put down his brush and confidently handed me the result. “Lamination is twenty more.”
I took the portrait. With just one glance, tears welled up in my eyes involuntarily, and I had to try very hard not to let them fall.
Suddenly, my student said, “Teacher Wen, aren’t you describing that person!”
Following her words, I suddenly turned my head and saw a tall, strong figure standing under the neon lights of a certain shop. The lights above him shifted in vibrant colors, making his black pupils shine like stars.
His gaze happened to fall directly on me, and then a smile appeared on his face; it was pure, without any distractions, just as it was back then.
Is this a dream?
The artist’s voice came from beside me: “That fool ah, he showed up in the village half a month ago. He’s not quite right in the head; Writer Li and his wife are paying for his treatment. Poor thing! I heard he’s from the mountains, too slow-witted to find a wife. His father died, and with no one to look after him, he just wanders around. No one knows how he got here. At first, he could only shout ‘Ah you!’ all the time, people even thought he was some kind of hooligan…”
His later words drifted away in the wind, and I could no longer hear them clearly. All the surrounding noise rapidly faded. I could only see him taking joyful steps, seemingly coming towards me.
“Teacher Wen, why are you crying?” My student asked softly.
I didn’t answer her.
I often fantasized about what would have happened if, on that last day in the forest, he hadn’t turned back but had escaped with us. At this moment, all the guesses and fantasies finally stopped, like the sudden peace that descends after the prolonged cicada chirping of summer abruptly vanishes.
I turned around suddenly, and that person was there, where the lights were dim and sparse.
T/N: The end of the story, guys. I’ve finally finished proofreading it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. As always, feel free to point out any mistakes. See yah~
Thank God they met again and can finally build their own happily ever after! 🥲💘