"Don't worry, I just went with Dingding. The students have already arranged to sketch by the stream near the village, and Dingding is with them."
"It's...it's all arranged?"
"Okay. If you're still worried, I'll go with you to take a look."
"...good."
Qu Ling turned and walked with me towards the village entrance. Although I had thought about it all night and felt that my mind had become clear, I had many things I wanted to say to him, but when they reached my lips, I couldn't utter a single word. I just kept stealing glances at him out of the corner of my eye, feeling that each glance softened my heart like water.
Although Hongcun is small, it has many alleys that crisscross and are accompanied by a clear stream that flows down from the mountain. People who are not familiar with the area may walk for a long time without finding the exit.
Luckily, I ran into Qu Ling; otherwise, with my poor sense of direction, I probably wouldn't have been able to find the big camphor tree at the village entrance by noon.
A little further ahead from the big camphor tree is a wide, clear stream that flows along the edge of the village. It had just rained, and the stream was rushing, its waters swift and powerful as it swept over the round stones in its course.
On the grassy bank of the stream, the children sat down along the creek, spaced apart from a few withered shrubs, set up their easels, and became engrossed in their paintings.
Dingding, wearing a big straw hat and holding a hand warmer, was sitting under a tree dozing off. I was about to go over and wake her up when Qu Ling stopped me.
"She gets up at six in the morning to take care of the students. She works very hard. Let her rest for a while."
I stood there blankly by the tree, filled with shame, and could only nod.
"Yuanyuan, I'm going back soon."
"So soon?" I looked up at him. He rushed over so hard yesterday, and he's leaving today. The whole way was on mountain roads, and there was no driver. How could Qu Ling stand it?
"There's something going on at the hospital tomorrow, so I have to get back today."
"Mmm..." I looked at him with softened eyes, and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears.
"We still have some time, would you like to walk around the village with me?"
"Okay!" I nodded vigorously.
*****
The two strolled slowly to the shore of South Lake. The wind was chilly by the lake, and I tucked my neck into my high fur collar. Qu Ling, however, tilted her head back, gazing at the drifting clouds in the sky, letting the cold wind brush against her face.
"It's been a long time since I've been to such a peaceful place." Qu Ling took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"It's only so quiet because it's winter; normally this village is teeming with tourists."
Qu Ling smiled and glanced at me. "Have you been to Hongcun before?"
I nodded and replied, "When I was in college, the place where the school most often organized sketching trips was southern Anhui, and Hongcun was the most famous village in southern Anhui, so we usually stayed there."
"This is the first time I've ever been to such a beautiful place. Speaking of the Zhejiang and Anhui area, I've only been to Huangshan and Qiandao Lake."
Mentioning Huangshan again brought back last night's dream, and her breathing became a little rapid. "We also have plans to go to Huangshan this time, probably the day after tomorrow. We're going to Huangshan and staying on the mountain for three days."
"Oh?" Qu Ling turned to look at me. "I wonder if Huangshan has changed over the years."
I looked him in the eye, feeling as if I had a fishbone stuck in my throat. After a while, I slowly said, "It shouldn't have changed. I think that magical writing brush is still there."
Qu Ling's eyes lit up as she stared at me and said, "You still remember 'The Wonderful Pen'?"
"Yes!" I nodded vigorously. I remember more than just the wonderful writing; I remember everything. I remember you carrying me up the Hundred-Step Ladder, I remember you and me sharing a small cucumber, I remember me lying on your back watching the clouds drift through the valley, I remember saying, "Brother Qu, I love you the most, and when I grow up, I want to marry you!"
I feel like crying. Does Qu Ling still remember that childhood joke?
He never said it, but I think he must remember.
Unknowingly, they walked deep into the village. Passing by an open courtyard, the two of them couldn't help but stop.
Inside the gate, there are bamboo groves, artificial hills, stone chairs and green benches. An elderly man with white hair sits under a winter plum tree by the pond, carefully carving a section of bamboo root.
Inside that door, time seemed to stand still.
A blue stone bench, an old man with white hair, green bamboo and plum blossoms. It's as if this picture has been quietly unfolding for hundreds of years, and no matter how time passes, the scenery in the courtyard remains as serene as ever.
"When I grow old, if I can find a secluded place like this courtyard and live a simple life with my partner, that would be the greatest happiness," Qu Ling sighed as she looked at the painting in the courtyard.
I looked at him, and his eyes were filled with infatuation, clearly showing his deep envy for the tranquil atmosphere of the courtyard.
Perhaps he is not as power-hungry as he appears on the surface.
Perhaps deep down he just wanted to live an ordinary life and was tired of fighting.
Perhaps, what he did was not all what he truly wanted in his heart.
However, he had his constraints and his helplessness.
“Yes!” I gently tugged at his sleeve. “Dean, you’re in your early thirties now. You can only hold on for another thirty years at most. No matter how high your position or how much power you have, you’ll eventually retire. When that day comes, you can choose whichever you like, whether it’s a quiet place or a bustling city.”
Qu Ling chuckled: "At most another thirty years? Do you know how long thirty years is?"
"Isn't there an old saying that time flies like an arrow? You complain that time is passing too slowly now, but when you really become an old man with white hair, you will lament that time is as fleeting as water."
"Heh," Qu Ling squinted at me, "You have plenty of grand principles. But where's the person you're actually working with?"
My face slowly flushed red. I looked down at his right hand, which was resting beside me. I wanted to reach out and take it, but I couldn't muster the courage. I glanced around the yard in a fluster and exclaimed, "Look, there's a pair of small bamboo-carved buckets on that table. How interesting!" With that, I stepped into the yard first.
Qu Ling just chuckled and followed me into the courtyard.
We greeted the white-haired old man, who warmly invited us to sit at the stone table. After chatting for a while, we learned that his two children both worked in the provincial capital, while he and his wife were unwilling to leave Hongcun, preferring to live a peaceful life in their ancestral home. His wife took care of the household chores, and in his spare time, he would go up the mountain to cut bamboo and make bamboo wine barrels, teapots, and other bamboo handicrafts to sell at the small market behind the village.
After looking around Qu Lingyi Courtyard, I joked, "You'd like to learn from the old man and spend your days leisurely in such a quiet courtyard, but do you know how to do bamboo carving?"