The two, naked, embraced silently in the soft morning light. Occasionally, they spoke softly, in voices only they could hear, their conversation light and fleeting. Every now and then, they would place a kiss on each other's skin. The sky slowly brightened, and the east gradually turned white.
Qi Yi'an nestled in Qin Ruoshui's neck and softly suggested, "Shall we go to the beach to watch the sunrise?"
"Um…"
…
Holding hands with her, walking on the beach as the sun rises, Qin Ruoshui looks at the girl beside her, as if it's all too real. Too beautiful.
Is this real? Or a dream?
How can we prove that the world we live in is real?
Qi Yi'an gently stroked her fingers with his thumb. Qin Ruoshui stopped thinking about those abstract and profound questions and held her hand tightly in return.
It's enough that the person next to me and the feelings I have right now simply exist.
If she's willing to accept that it's true, that's enough.
Author's Note:
I finished writing it yesterday, but I didn't save it. So sad.
I just had a fight with a woman yesterday. It's the same old saying: single life is wonderful.
A tribute to Ouyang Xiu's "Ode to the Autumn Sounds".
Chapter 9 Time Flies.
Qin Xinglan's name was given to her by Qin Ruoshui. That night, the sky was full of stars. She was born at dawn, as the night was ending and the stars were fading and becoming less visible.
Qin Ruoshui, who prided herself on having a refined taste for poetry in her youth, named her after two characters from Xie Lingyun's poem, "Birds return to rest on boats, stars fade as travelers depart," and was quite pleased with herself. Haha.
I don’t know if it’s for this reason, but Qin Xinglan has looked a lot like her since she was a child, and she is also the closest to her.
In early 2021, Qin Xinglan had just turned seven. She was overjoyed when her father told her that her favorite little aunt was coming back. The Qin family was finally able to welcome their long-absent youngest daughter back from abroad to Beijing, and the whole family breathed a sigh of relief.
For months, the pandemic has resurged around the world, making China the safest place. Given the limited medical resources, the Qin family has also paid a heavy price.
"We've arrived at the main gate," Qin Ye's wife, Xu Zhou, said, looking at the monitor. "Xiao Xing, don't worry, you'll see your aunt soon."
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Qin Xinglan jumped around.
Qin Weilin doted on his little granddaughter just like he doted on his youngest daughter, spoiling her rotten. He followed behind her, protecting her from any potential falls, and would say with a smile, "Little Xing, wait for Grandpa..."
The atmosphere of the whole family reuniting was very warm.
"Grandpa, I dreamt about my aunt last night!" Qin Xinglan opened her eyes wide, looked up, and tugged at her grandfather's clothes with her little hand.
Qin Weilin looked at the fair and rosy little face, bent down and picked her up, "What's wrong with dreaming about your aunt?"
“I dreamt that I grew up! My aunt was sick, and I was taking care of her,” she said with utmost seriousness.
"Hehehe, so good to your aunt?" Qin Weilin was amused by her cute appearance and laughed heartily. Xu Zhou said with a smile, "Yes, this child is so close to Xiao Ruo, sometimes I even suspect that she is Xiao Ruo's biological child."
"Mom's jealous," Qin Ruoshui's mother, Zhong Min, said with a smile, combing her hair. "Xiaoxing, go and comfort Mom..."
At that moment, the door opened, and Qin Ye gently pushed Qin Ruoshui inside.
"Ah! Auntie's home..." Qin Xinglan asked her grandfather to put her down, then ran over with a smile.
The cheerful atmosphere suddenly froze the moment everyone saw Qin Ruoshui.
The brightly lit living room already smelled of food, a scent that should have brought peace and happiness. Only the television continued broadcasting reports on the overseas pandemic, making the air feel unusually quiet.
Qin Weilin's smile faltered for a moment, then his brows furrowed and hardened. Zhong Min slowly walked over, "Xiao Ruo...?"
Qin Ruoshui did not answer.
Qin Xinglan ran over and hugged Qin Ruoshui's leg, calling out loudly, "Auntie!" Looking up at her, she saw worry in her eyes… What's wrong with Auntie today…?
Qin Ruoshui lowered her eyes, staring blankly at her. She didn't speak.
Qin Ye took a deep breath and said to Xu Zhou, "Wife, let's take Xiao Xing upstairs to play first?" Qin Xinglan was picked up, but she still looked back reluctantly, staring at Qin Ruoshui with doubt and worry.
After seeing her being carried away, Qin Ye hesitated for a moment, then softly comforted Qin Weilin and Zhong Min. Qin Ruoshui remained silent. Qin Weilin stared at his youngest daughter in disbelief, speechless for a long time. Zhong Min, however, already had tears in her eyes.
"Mom and Dad, calm down, sit down and rest... let's talk slowly, okay?"
…
…
…
Time flows more slowly on the island than outside. In the few days since arriving on the island, the mutated COVID-19 virus has been rampant in the outside world, with the number of confirmed cases reported daily increasing. Country E has not been spared, and City L is facing another lockdown. The J Islands, already almost isolated in the middle of the ocean, are now preparing to close their only shipping route and a few ports.
This just happened, and Qi Yi'an secretly sighed at his own cleverness. If he had known this would happen, he would have been foolish to have followed this woman.
In this idyllic setting, people's lives were remarkably peaceful and leisurely. They ate and played as they pleased.
Qi Yi'an enjoyed this tranquil and peaceful life of ordinary people, which was also what Qin Ruoshui was happy to see. In this respect, they were very similar; they cared more about the joys and sorrows of ordinary people than the honor or disgrace of a great nation or the survival of humanity.
But now, sitting in the Archipelago Museum, she was incredibly restless. Or to put it more bluntly, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, unable to move an inch. Is this what they mean by "time flies"?
Despite the pain and itching, Qi Yi'an stood in an A-shape, looking both worried and amused, and called Qin Ruoshui.
"Hey, Qin Ruoshui."
"Hey...honey~ What's wrong?" Oh, this kid isn't calling me 'sister' anymore?
Qin Ruoshui had just gotten up and was planning to go to town to buy some ingredients to cook later. The little girl woke up early this morning, so she didn't sleep in with her and took a minibus to the neighboring village to visit the Archipelago Museum.
Honey… Qi Yi'an didn't have time to think it through, and blurted out, “Um…”
"Hmm?" Qin Ruoshui asked casually while applying sunscreen.
"Um... well..."
"explain."
"Waaaaah...ha..."
Qin Ruoshui heard someone suddenly start crying on the other end—no, it sounded like they were both crying and laughing—and found it strange. "What's wrong? Tell me."
"Then...then you're not allowed to laugh at me!" she said, her voice trembling with tears.
Qin Ruoshui immediately started laughing, "Hmm~ I won't laugh at you~"
"Last night you said...you said that place...down there...after shave...it'll be better for you...the atmosphere will be better..."
"Oh, right." Qin Ruoshui smiled even more happily, trying not to laugh out loud.
"So this morning when I was taking a shower I... shave..." Qi Yi'an was so embarrassed that tears almost came down.
"Oh? That's great~ And then?"
"Then...then..." Qi Yi'an covered his face..."Then it's really prickly now...waaaaah...it hurts so much...waaaah..."
Qin Ruoshui could no longer hold back and burst into laughter: "Hahahahahahaha!"
The clear laughter sounded to Qi Yi'an like tiny hairs poking at her sensitive spot. She let out a miserable howl and crouched down. The moment she crouched, a wave of soreness, pain, and itching washed over her again… Ah! God! What a feeling…
"Don't laugh!" (Super fierce!)
Qin Ruoshui composed herself, coughed, and suppressed a laugh, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't laugh at you. So what should we do?"
“…”
"You probably didn't shave cleanly enough," Teacher Qin instructed. "You need to use one of those self-lubricating scalpels, from the base, against the grain..."
"That's exactly what I did, sob sob... but there are always small bits of hair that I can't shave off... my hair has always been coarse and thick..."
"What should we do then? Where are you now? When are you coming back?"
"Waaaah... Can... can you... help me..." Qi Yi'an felt utterly helpless; this was the only person who could help her in this situation...
"Pfft...then...how can I help you?" He knew the answer already!
"..."
"You came back first? Let me see?"
"No... I can't walk anymore... It's too sharp!"
Qi Yi'an saw no predecessors before him, nor successors after him; contemplating the vastness of heaven and earth, he wept bitterly.
"Every step I take feels like... being rubbed against a needle... ahhh..."
She set off in the morning, and now, she feels that her genitals are burning hot and red from the stimulation… It's not just walking; it's as if she can't sit still in any position… This young girl, with her current movements, exudes a sense of the vicissitudes of an old woman…
What was especially torturous was climbing the stairs and... going to the toilet... it was so difficult for her.
Hearing her tearful and heart-wrenching story, Qin Ruoshui covered the microphone and laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.
"Oh, poor thing~ Well... shall I come pick you up? But I still need to buy some groceries before going home... Can you bear with it for now?"
Anything is fine, just come and save her. Qi Yi'an just wanted to bury her face in a 36D bust and cry her heart out.
…
Qin Ruoshui leisurely drove to the museum to retrieve her pet animal, then strolled around the supermarket, buying a can of milk for the injured animal, two steaks, and some fruits and vegetables. Qi Yi'an couldn't accompany her today, and shopping alone felt rather lonely.
Qi Yi'an sat in the car, leaning against the window, completely still and unmoving. She was afraid that even the slightest heavy breathing would send a tingling sensation back to her...
Qin Ruoshui's car was parked in a seaside parking lot, with the window left open for her to get some fresh air. She propped her head up with her hand and carefully turned to look at the sea outside the window. No matter when, facing the sea would bring her peace of mind.
A mischievous seagull suddenly landed on the fence in front of her, startling her so much that she shuddered and stood there... baring her teeth in surprise.
A phone call suddenly came in… Ignoring the pain and itching, Qi Yi'an answered the phone: “Hello…”
"An'an, have you received any notification from the embassy? Are you planning to go back this time for the chartered flight evacuation?" Zou Yibei asked with concern on the other end of the line.
Evacuation of overseas citizens? Oh, I suddenly remembered that the world outside the island is already on high alert because of the pandemic.
"Ah...no, I'm in the J Islands right now."
"??? What??? Why did you go to some island at a time like this? When? With whom?" Zou Yibei asked incredulously in a series of questions.
"Oh...last week...it was with that woman I met at the bar last time..." Qi Yi'an honestly explained the situation.
"..." Zou Yibei stood bewildered in the fierce winds of L City, "Uh..."
Once again, he was speechless with astonishment. Ever since Qi Yi'an met that woman, it seemed he had embarked on an increasingly wild path.