She saw the familiar medicine stove and the old palm-leaf fan in her hand. The orange flame was faint and dim, neither scorching nor warm, yet it seemed to continuously draw her hope. She couldn't distinguish the passage of time. Her big dog, Ah Huang, lay obediently at her feet, just like her, frozen in the cycle of life, with only the medicine stove in her eyes, waiting to be slowly overwhelmed by the aroma of medicine.
Living like this for a lifetime isn't so bad. Constant and eternal things are nothing more than a medicine stove and a palm-leaf fan.
Without desire, there is no pain or sorrow.
In this vast, inertial reality, she was certain she was dreaming. But was her medicine stove, her Ah Huang, her Zai Zai a dream, or was the boy sitting by the train window, far away in the hospital, Si Wan, a dream?
Reality is more illusory than dreams, and dreams are more real than reality.
However, no matter how terrified she was in her dream, in Yan hope's eyes, the girl was definitely fast asleep, cutting off his thoughts of reality.
This girl, even when asleep, remained quiet and ordinary, neither annoying nor likable.
Yan hope, however, opened his eyes wide, remaining completely conscious of himself.
The boy had a bad habit when he slept: he required absolute silence. If there was even the slightest noise, he would rather stay awake until dawn than try to fall asleep.
He couldn't tolerate that while his thoughts were interrupted and he was caught off guard, someone else was still thinking and still present beside him in a conscious manner.
This would make him feel uncomfortable.
He sat there, gazing absently out the window at the vast expanse of white that rolled in.
This is what it's like to see snow from a train. The small squares of snowflakes resemble a kaleidoscope, with the passing scenery framed by the snowflakes.
Suddenly, something soft gently fell onto his shoulder.
Yan hope frowned.
He is not used to intimate or ambiguous contact.
It's not that I'm a germaphobe, but I unconditionally reject it in my heart.
So, solemnly, the boy turned the girl's head back to its normal position.
Fortunately, Ah Heng slept very well, staying in the same fixed position as the boy, without any further changes.
She woke up the next morning.
Rubbing her eyes, she looked at Yan hope, who was still the same as yesterday, except that there were faint bloodshot veins in his eyes.
"You...you're not asleep?" Ah Heng's voice was soft and sweet, with a heavy nasal tone from just waking up.
The boy glanced at her and smiled calmly—"You're awake?"
Ah Heng nodded.
"I'm hungry." He gently got up and stretched.
Do you prefer pork rib noodles or beef noodles?
Aheng was stunned. She didn't have any particular food preference, and somewhat confusedly blurted out, "Pork rib noodles."
Yan hope looked at A Heng, but his big eyes suddenly became kind, hiding the sharpness that had been there before.
Ah Heng was confused.
The boy left his seat and returned shortly afterward, carrying a paper bowl in one hand.
Ah Heng hurriedly reached out to take it and stood up to offer Yan hope his seat.
Yan hope handed Aheng a fork. Aheng held the noodles in her hands, her eyes fixed on the boy's hand holding the fork.
After a while, I learned how to do it, and then I rolled up the dough and put it in my mouth.
The noodles are piping hot, with a smooth and elastic texture.
Yan hope slurped up the noodles, his lips smeared with soup, making them look like he had a mustache.
Ah Heng ate in small bites, glancing at Yan hope as she ate.
The boy slurped his noodles louder, his voice carrying a wicked, mocking tone.
Passengers around them stared at them curiously, and Ah Heng blushed instantly.
"Isn't it delicious? I love pork rib noodles the most!" Yan hope pretended not to see it and said with a smile, her face turning rosy from the warmth of the hot soup.
Ah Heng nodded honestly.
Yan hope has always believed that common ground is the most important thing when people get along. He had never been able to find common ground with Aheng before, and felt a sense of distance between them. Now that she also likes pork rib noodles, he felt a sense of kinship, as if they were kindred spirits who had met before.
Ah Heng, of course, was unaware that Yan's kindness towards her stemmed solely from a bowl of pork rib noodles.
"Achoo!" The boy rubbed his nose.
He seems to have caught a cold again.
He has always been sensitive to the cold, and in winter he would stuff himself with layers of clothing, covering himself up completely, ideally with zero contact with the air. However, even so, he still caught colds frequently, and each time it wouldn't stop for more than ten days.
It's about a half-day drive from Hangzhou.
"You, sleep for a while." Ah Heng looked at the boy.
Yan hope shook his head slightly, calmly, yet stubbornly so.
"I'm watching the bag, everything's fine." Ah Heng thought the boy was worried about safety.
The boy ignored him, tilted his head slightly, pulled up his mask, leaned against the window, closed his eyes, and rested.
Ah Heng looked at the boy's delicate eyelashes, which were as fine as flower stamens, and felt a little embarrassed. In the end, she took out her handkerchief, folded it, and nestled it against the outside of his left hand in a snuggling position.
This way, your hand will be much more comfortable than sitting on a hard seat.
The boy's fingertips trembled slightly, but gradually, his fingers, still in a relaxed state, slowly relaxed and sank into that softness.
He seemed to be truly asleep.
Ah Heng lowered her eyes to look at the slender, jade-like fingers within the beige handkerchief, and smiled slightly.
******************************************************************8
We arrived at the station at four o'clock in the afternoon.
When Aheng got off the train, he thought it would be another tough battle, but fortunately, Yan hope had big eyes and a cold aura when he glared at people, so he got through the train station smoothly.
The warmth of the South is completely different from that of the North.
Ah Heng gently closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the familiar moistness and sweetness. When she opened her eyes again, the enchanting scenery of Jiangnan was already fixed in her mind's eye.
If the people in City B are too busy to notice the snow every day, then the people in City S are so leisurely that they can figure out the most graceful way to walk.
"Now, where to go?" She tilted her head and looked at Yan hope.
"Come with me," he said, but he looked somewhat tired.
The journey was rushed, lasting only a day and a night, which was quite tiring.
Ah Heng followed silently, with unconditional trust.
Yan hope bought a map, pointed to the clearly marked S-shaped lake, and asked, "Are there any boats on this lake?"
Ah Heng found it amusing and nodded.
Does the ship offer accommodation?
"some."
The boy's eyes lit up instantly, and he said excitedly, "Really? I thought it only appeared on TV. Let's go!"
Ah Heng frowned, somewhat hesitant—"But, you've never been on one before, you'll get seasick."
"Is there anything good to eat on the ship?"
Aheng nodded.
"Is there a beautiful view?"
Order again.
Are there any beauties?
Three points.
"I'd go even if I were dizzy." The boy laughed, revealing the small red flesh on his gums.
silent.
Damn it!
Ah Heng remained calm, but inwardly rolled her eyes.
Yan Xi had three great loves in his life: delicious food, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women. Among these three loves, beautiful women were the most important. Unfortunately, life is full of disappointments. During the eight-year war of resistance against Japan, he did not win the heart of the beautiful woman he desired. He only married a wife who could cook but was unremarkable. He could only barely enjoy the scenery on the Champs-Élysées, which was covered in dog excrement.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13
"Where is the beauty?!" Yan hope vomited violently on the dock, his face pale, but he stubbornly clung to A Heng's clothes. He decided to hate her to the death, and even as a ghost, he would haunt the Wen family for eight generations.
Ah Heng looked into the boy's large, cold eyes and touched his nose.
She is innocent.
There were indeed many "beauties" on the boat, but they weren't real beauties. They were small, plump, and extremely ugly black fish, but they tasted delicious, which the fishermen jokingly called "beauties."
Therefore, she cannot be considered to have lied.
However, when Yan hope saw the "beauty" on the dinner table, he shut his mouth like a wilted eggplant and stared at Wen Heng with his beautiful big eyes.
"Little sister, let your brother try some fish. I just caught it, it's very fresh." The old fisherman, with dark skin, was sitting to the side smoking a pipe and spoke warmly.
"Grandpa, I know." Ah Heng nodded with a smile and repeated the old man's words to Yan hope.
Yan hope looked at the small black fish filling the aluminum basin, poked it with his chopsticks, his face was gloomy, and he had little appetite.
He had just been seasick and vomited for a while, and his stomach felt extremely uncomfortable.
Ah Heng sighed and asked the old man, "Grandpa, did you put any mint leaves in?"
She knew that fishermen had a habit of picking mint leaves and putting them in their mouths to refresh themselves.
The old man walked to the bow of the boat, picked up a small jar, and handed it to Yan hope with a smile.