Chen Yunqi and San San turned around and saw a group of men and women, dressed in all sorts of outdoor gear, pushing open the door and coming in.
The people walking ahead greeted Chen Yunqi and San San with smiles and nods. Chen Yunqi politely responded, then picked up the keys from the table and went upstairs with San San.
Their room was at the end of the second-floor corridor. Chen Yunqi used his key to unlock the loose door, pushed it open, and immediately smelled an unpleasant odor from a room that hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
The room was small, with two single beds separated by a bedside table. Apart from that, there was a triangular cabinet against the wall opposite the beds, on which sat an old-fashioned color TV, and next to it a wooden sofa chair; nothing else.
Chen Yunqi put their belongings on a chair, went into the bathroom, and saw an electric water heater. He plugged it in, set the temperature, then went to the window, pulled back the stained brown curtains, and opened the window to let in some fresh air.
The simple hotel did not provide bath towels or toiletries, so Chen Yunqi told San San to rest in the room while he went to the small market to buy towels and toothbrushes.
After going downstairs, he ran into the man who had greeted him at the door earlier. Seeing that Chen Yunqi was holding a cigarette case, the man grinned at him and said, "Hey buddy, can I borrow a light?"
The two men were smoking in the open space outside the hotel. As night fell, the burning cigarette butts flickered in the twilight. The road, unlit by streetlights, stretched into the darkness and disappeared into the distance, its end nowhere in sight. In the distance, the sounds of chiseling stones, still underway, could be heard from the riverbank construction site.
The man who asked for a light introduced himself as Yan Dong, thirty-five years old, the owner of an outdoor equipment store in City C, and a seasoned outdoor travel, hiking, and mountaineering enthusiast and organizer. His plan for this trip was to hike along the Qingkou River through the Grand Canyon. Besides his girlfriend and sister, the rest of his companions were members of his club.
The group had just arrived in Qinghe Town and were getting ready to set off when they were unexpectedly caught in a landslide and had to stay there.
When Chen Yunqi told him that he was currently teaching at Tianyun Primary School, Yan Dong excitedly slapped his thigh and said, "I know Tianyun Primary School! That place is famous in our circle. Everyone who has been there says the roads are really difficult to walk! I've always wanted to try it. Next time, next time we'll organize a mountain climb!"
Upon learning that Chen Yunqi was going shopping, he hurriedly told Chen Yunqi not to go, saying that he had plenty of supplies with him, including disposable toothbrushes, towels, and mouthwash, and that he could just give Chen Yunqi some. Then, without further ado, he dragged Chen Yunqi to his room to get them. Unable to refuse his hospitality, and unsure whether the small shop would be closed early, Chen Yunqi reluctantly went along.
"You two, right? The other one is also a teacher? He looks rather delicate." Yan Dong squatted on the ground like a shrimp, rummaging through his backpack, scattering his belongings all over the floor.
Chen Yunqi felt a little awkward in someone else's room, unsure whether to stand or sit. So he squatted down behind him and quietly tidied up the items scattered on the floor, saying, "He's not a teacher, he's from Tianyun Village, my younger brother."
"Oh? Yi people?" Yan Dong turned around and asked.
"Mm." Chen Yunqi nodded.
"I really didn't notice. He's so fair-skinned, he doesn't look like someone from the countryside. But now that you mention it, I realize that his features do seem to have some ethnic minority characteristics."
Yan Dong turned around and shoved a pile of things into Chen Yunqi's arms, asking, "Is this enough? There are also new socks, underwear..."
Chen Yunqi waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "That's enough, that's enough."
As Chen Yunqi stepped out of the room carrying his belongings, two girls from the next room opened their door, chatting and laughing. The doors were close together, and one of the girls, not paying attention, bumped into Chen Yunqi. The girl, petite in stature, cried out "Ah!" and stumbled back several steps before the other girl quickly caught her and helped her regain her balance.
Chen Yunqi apologized repeatedly in a very gentlemanly manner. Yan Dong stepped out from behind Chen Yunqi and said to the still-shaken girl, "What are you shouting for? You're so reckless."
He first pointed to the girl who was helping the man and introduced her, saying, "This is my girlfriend, Xiaojie," and then pointed to the girl who was being helped and said, "This is my younger sister, Yanxia."
Chen Yunqi flashed a bright smile at the two men, revealing his white teeth: "Hello."
Yan Xia's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed bright red.
Chen Yunqi apologized to Yan Xia again: "I'm so sorry about earlier, are you alright?"
Yan Xia just lowered her head and didn't speak for a long time. Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Xiao Jie, who was very observant, noticed something and said to Chen Yunqi, "It's okay, it's okay. Our Xia Xia is still young and shy. She'll be fine in a little while."
Yan Dong noticed his sister's unease. It was understandable; Yan Xia's reaction to a young and handsome man like Chen Yunqi was perfectly normal. Yan Dong also had a good impression of the polite Chen Yunqi, so he said to Yan Xia with feigned seriousness, "How old are you? Still so shy. In the future, if you meet someone you like, will you be able to seize the opportunity?"
Yan Xia's face turned even redder, and she said to her brother, both angry and anxious, "It's none of your business!" After saying that, she lowered her head and hurriedly went into Yan Dong's room.
Chen Yunqi noticed that the girl's shy demeanor was quite similar to San San's. Remembering that San San was still waiting in the room, he said goodbye to Yan Dong and Xiao Jie and prepared to leave. Yan Dong, with his arm around Xiao Jie's shoulder, said to Chen Yunqi, "Xiao Chen, why don't you bring your brother and come with us for barbecue later!"
Chen Yunqi said with a smile, "I'll go back and ask my brother."
Yan Dong raised his hand and made an "OK" gesture: "I'll call you guys later."
The door wasn't locked, so Chen Yunqi pushed it open and went inside. He found San San, fully clothed, curled up asleep on the bed by the window.
The lights were off inside, the window was open, and the curtains swayed slightly in the breeze. Chen Yunqi walked over and gently took off San San's shoes and socks.
San San was sleeping on top of the blanket, so Chen Yunqi had to bring over another blanket to cover him, and carefully tucked the corners of the blanket in.
A sliver of silvery moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft halo over San San's profile. Even though the blankets were pulled up tightly, Chen Yunqi suddenly found himself unable to move his feet.
He knelt down beside the bed, gazing closely at San San's beautiful face. San San's eyelashes were lightly closed, casting two small shadows. Her brows were serene and tranquil, and her cheeks were fair and clear. Chen Yunqi followed the fine lines on her slightly dry lips down to her slender neck connected to her jawline, and then to her collarbone hidden deep within her collar, becoming completely mesmerized.
Heaven arranged for this child to be born in a poor and remote place with an inescapable fate, yet it gave him such a handsome and extraordinary appearance. It is truly a cruel twist of fate.
Just as Chen Yunqi was feeling sorrow and pity, San San suddenly woke up. In the darkness, with hazy eyes, he murmured, "Brother, is that you back?"
San San couldn't see Chen Yunqi's expression clearly, but Chen Yunqi still looked away somewhat guiltily, reached out and gently patted San San's shoulder through the blanket, and whispered, "It's me."
He patted the baby rhythmically, as if soothing the baby to sleep: "Are you tired today? Sweetie, keep sleeping, you don't need to get up."
San San rubbed her eyes, propped herself up, and said to Chen Yunqi with a smile, "I can't sleep. I'm hungry."
Chen Yunqi then realized that they hadn't eaten dinner.
Chen Yunqi told San San to wait a bit before getting up, worried that he might catch a cold from the draft just after waking up. He got up, closed the window, and turned on the bedside lamp. In the dim light, San San's collar was loose, and he leaned against the headboard with sleepy eyes. Chen Yunqi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him softly, and asked, "What do you want to eat? Someone invited us to have barbecue together, do you want to go?"
He briefly explained how Yan Dong had lent them the things, and San San, not wanting to refuse someone's kindness, nodded in agreement.
When Yan Dong knocked on the door, Chen Yunqi and San San were already dressed. A small tuft of hair on San San's forehead was still sticking up unruly, so Chen Yunqi put his own knitted hat on him, looked him up and down for a while, and praised with satisfaction, "My brother looks good no matter how he's dressed."
Xiao Jie and Yan Xia were already waiting downstairs with a group of people. The group consisted of young people, most of whom were outgoing and cheerful. The lively group walked through the quiet town, making them quite conspicuous.
Following the tips in the travel guide, the group arrived at a small eatery with a sign that read "Barbecue." The male owner, overjoyed at the prospect of big business, busied himself setting up tables and chairs both inside and outside the restaurant. He also called his wife to help serve the group, and they finally managed to get the fifteen or sixteen people seated.
The guests were ordering food all at once, and the owner was frantically scribbling down notes in his notebook. Chen Yunqi and San San sat in the plastic shed outside, while Yan Dong, along with Xiao Jie and Yan Xia, squeezed into a table with them.
San San rarely interacted with people from outside the mountains. He sat somewhat awkwardly next to Chen Yunqi, listening to Yan Dong and Chen Yunqi talk without interrupting. Xiao Jie laughed and said, "Your brother is too shy. Compared to him, I'm practically a tomboy."
Yan Xia asked curiously, "He's not my biological brother, is he?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi turned to look at San San, as if he were speaking specifically to San San: "She's the same as my own brother."
Yan Xia seemed to understand and didn't ask any further questions. Xiao Jie seized the opportunity to say, "We only children of this generation are all too lonely. Who wouldn't want a brother or sister?"
"How old is Xiao Chen? Does he have a girlfriend?"
As soon as the question was asked, both San San and Yan Xia looked at Chen Yunqi at the same time, their eyes fixed on him, waiting for his answer.
Chen Yunqi smiled frankly and said, "I don't have a girlfriend."
Yan Dong slammed the beer bottle down on the table with a thud, startling San San, who was lost in thought. He picked up a bottle opener, skillfully pried open the cap, threw it on the ground, and poured beer into a plastic cup while saying, "I bet you don't have any. If you did, would you have come here to teach?"
He distributed the poured beer to the group, then raised his glass to clink with Chen Yunqi's, winking at him as he said:
"Our Xiaxia doesn't have a boyfriend either."
A note from the author:
--- ①② are both utter nonsense, completely baseless. Promise me you'll think Chen Yunqi is incredibly knowledgeable and amazing, just like San San does! I thought something embarrassing was going to happen tonight, but I didn't finish writing it. △ Mini-drama Yan Xia: So handsome, I like him so much… Yan Dong: My sister is still single. Xiao Jie: My sister-in-law likes you. Chen Yunqi: Ah, San San is still waiting for me! San San: Brother Xiaoqi, I'm hungry.
Chapter Eighteen: Hibernation
Yan Xia is still a junior at a teachers' college.
In the dance department, where beauties abound, her looks are not particularly outstanding. Her last relationship was two years ago, and the reason for the breakup was that her boyfriend thought she was too conservative.
At a class reunion, Yan Xia's then-current ex-boyfriend, now her current boyfriend, looked at her. All her female classmates were dressed fashionably and provocatively, posing seductively with their boyfriends. Meanwhile, Yan Xia wore the same sportswear and sneakers year-round, hesitated even for a moment before drinking a drink, and was eager to go home at midnight. He found her utterly boring. He had assumed all dance students were the same, but it turned out he'd won over an oddball. Not long after, he decisively broke up with her.
Her sisters also criticized her, saying that nowadays, which boy doesn't like a proactive and bold girl? If Yan Xia doesn't learn to be more outgoing, who knows when she'll ever find a boyfriend.
Yan Xia agreed verbally, but secretly she was unconvinced. She refused to believe that all the men in the world who liked her type were dead, and that she didn't need those men with vulgar tastes.
Yan Xia was immediately captivated by Chen Yunqi upon first sight. Besides his handsome appearance and tall stature, this man also exuded an inexplicable melancholy—he spoke calmly, was humble, and behaved appropriately, yet when you looked into his eyes, the sadness and indifference in them were so obvious.
He is clearly a gentle and refined person, yet he seems to make people afraid to get close to him.
Yan Xia felt restless all night.
Her brother and Xiaojie kept teasing her, their words becoming increasingly direct, almost to the point of asking Chen Yunqi if he wanted to date her. She felt shy on one hand, and worried that their words and actions would make Chen Yunqi misunderstand her as a frivolous and desperate girl to get married.
The temperature dropped sharply at night. Although the plastic shed provided some shelter from the wind, and the owner had lit a charcoal fire inside, it wasn't safe to stay outdoors for long. Chen Yunqi was worried that San San would get cold, so after San San finished eating and he finished a bottle of beer, he suggested that they go back to rest.
The group was still full of energy, having accumulated a day's worth of excitement and strength that they hadn't been able to use on the hike, so they decided to exhaust it all now. They were even clamoring for the owner to bring another case of beer and grill more dishes. Yan Dong, being the team leader, couldn't leave first, and Xiao Jie wanted to stay with him, so he asked Chen Yunqi to take Yan Xia and the other two sleepy girls back first.
Chen Yunqi zipped up San San's coat all the way to cover his chin, pulled down his beanie to cover his ears, and then covered his coat hood, leaving only his eyes showing so he could see where he was going.
Seeing Chen Yunqi's meticulous care for San San, Yan Xia felt an instant surge of admiration for him, and her affection for him grew even stronger.
On the way back to the hotel, Yan Xia mustered up her courage and struck up a conversation with Chen Yunqi: "Have you ever eaten the Bing fish from Qinghe Town?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi recalled the time he had teased the female boss while eating fish earlier that day, and couldn't help but laugh. He said with a smile, "I ate it today, and it was indeed delicious. It's just a pity I didn't get to appreciate that 'precious sword' properly."
Yan Xia was a little disappointed when she heard this. She had wanted to try asking Chen Yunqi if he wanted to go out for fish together tomorrow, but she didn't expect that he had already eaten.
I didn't know what to say next. We walked in silence until the hotel came into view.
They went upstairs and passed Yan Xia's room first. Yan Xia stood at the door, took out her key, opened the door, and turned around to say goodnight to Chen Yunqi and San San. Chen Yunqi had just taken two steps when he suddenly seemed to remember something, turned back to Yan Xia and said, "If you're going to eat fish, I recommend 'Qinghe Renjia,' it's near the shopping mall in the town center, very easy to find. San San also thinks their stir-fried vegetables are delicious."
Yan Xia paused for a moment, then replied, "Oh, I see, thank you."
Watching Chen Yunqi and San San, who was wrapped up like a dumpling, walk side by side to the end of the corridor, Yan Xia thoughtfully closed the door.
Back in the room, Chen Yunqi first checked the water heater temperature; the display showed it was just right. He then took a toothbrush and towel from Yan Dong and handed them to San San, telling her to take a shower first. Since there was no heating in the room, he tore open a few hand warmers and stuffed them into San San's blankets.
The sound of water running came from the bathroom. Chen Yunqi hung San San's coat by the door so he could put it on as soon as he came out. Then he walked to the window, pushed open the glass, and leaned out to smoke.
In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, San San finished washing up and came out. As soon as he opened the door, the cold air outside made his wet skin immediately break out in goosebumps. He quickly wrapped his coat around himself and jumped onto the bed, saying to Chen Yunqi, "Brother, hurry up and wash, the hot water is going to run out!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi quickly closed the window, stripped off his clothes, and rushed into the bathroom wearing only his underwear. The number on the water heater changed from 60 to 35. Chen Yunqi turned the hot water to the maximum and quickly rinsed himself off. Yan Dong had given him a travel-sized shampoo and body wash, and by the time he rinsed the foam off his hair, the water had cooled down.
After turning off the tap, Chen Yunqi realized that he had rushed in without taking a towel or clothes, so he had to call for San San's help through the door.
San San, wearing thermal underwear and carrying Chen Yunqi's towel and shirt, came over in her slippers and knocked on the door. Chen Yunqi opened the door and gasped from the cold outside. Without thinking, he said to San San, "Come in quickly, close the door, it's freezing."
Before San San could react, she pulled him into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
San San stood there blankly in the steamy bathroom, feeling as if a thousand little people were pounding on his heart with drumsticks—Chen Yunqi was standing there naked, tearing open a transparent plastic bag and taking out a towel to dry his hair.
San San is about to faint.
The bathroom was small; the water heater hung above the squat toilet, next to a small sink. Chen Yunqi leaned against the sink, only an arm's length from the door. San San took a half step back, his back pressed against the door. He was still clutching Chen Yunqi's white shirt in his hand, frantically looking down and then up again, wanting to look but not daring to.
The somewhat ambiguous and erotic scene was completely ruined by the stark white light from the overhead incandescent bulbs. Even so, Chen Yunqi's broad shoulders, taut abs, straight legs, and impressive size completely ignored the harsh environmental conditions, making San San's cheeks flush and her heart race.
As the mist gradually dissipated, Chen Yunqi felt cold. He quickly dried his hair, reached for the shirt, and put it on, buttoning it up one button at a time. There were still traces of water on his body, and the shirt was slightly see-through when it touched his chest, with small pieces of fabric clinging to his chest, vaguely revealing his skin.
San San didn't understand this kind of ascetic wet body temptation. He only knew that his legs were going weak and he might have trouble breathing if he looked any longer.
Chen Yunqi put on his shirt and underwear and was about to ask San San if she had brought her pants when he looked up and saw that San San had her hands clasped together in front of her, her ten fingers intertwined, her knuckles red from the force of her grip. She was staring at the bare wall with her head turned to the side, half of her face as red as a ripe tomato.
Chen Yunqi realized that San San was blushing again. He raised one hand and pinched San San's pink cheek, while reaching behind him with the other hand.
San San instinctively thought Chen Yunqi was going to hug him, and in his nervousness, he could only close his eyes tightly, purse his lips, and wait motionless. Seeing his resigned look, Chen Yunqi found him incredibly cute and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Why are you closing your eyes? Afraid I'll beat you up?"
"So what if I saw it? What's there to be afraid of?"