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Choosing to buy coffee wasn't because Zhong Yan was stingy, but because sitting down for a meal fosters a closer relationship.

It will not only require more effort, but also more time.

What do friends talk about when they're at the same dinner table?

The TV series I watched yesterday, the restaurants I recently visited, or the latest trends in magazines.

Zhong Yan is a very boring person.

Her world revolves 90% around studying, so there's very little to talk about.

Coffee is just right; a cup of coffee takes much less time than a meal.

There is only one coffee shop on the island.

There's a striking red X on the gray granite decorative wall at the entrance, next to which is written "CROISER" in cursive English letters, making it look like a very charming café.

The surrounding scenery is also very beautiful, so the store is often packed with people, and today was no exception.

Zhong Yan looked at the receipt with a look of dismay; there were still 55 cups ahead of her.

The clerk looked apologetic and explained, "A tour group just ordered delivery. You can come back later to pick it up, or you can cancel the order..."

At this point, someone chimed in, "Or would you be interested in participating in the free order event?"

The shop assistant stopped talking and greeted the newcomer warmly, "Manager."

Zhong Yan was about to shake her head when Ji Feng asked first, "What freebie event?"

The store manager had medium-length hair, wore a floral shirt with one button undone, and had a pair of fluorescent green sunglasses clipped to the split collar.

Zhong Yan found it hard to look away from the sunglasses that resembled the eyes of a large-headed fly.

The store manager greeted the two with a smile, "Come on in."

The group walked together to a corner of the coffee shop. The manager took out a letter from behind the counter, which contained several cards. He took one out and handed it to the two of them, explaining, "This is a letter from a customer. Along with the letter, there was a 1,000 yuan credit for a free meal."

"This is a task card in your hand. You can get your meal for free if you complete it."

Zhong Yan looked down at the card.

It says on it:

At 10:30 AM on August 4th, at Zhujiaopo, a couple around fifty years old were found, dressed as shown in the picture below.

If you're a boy, please shake my dad's hand. If you're a girl, please hug my mom. Thank you so much, and I'll buy you a cup of coffee!

Below the text are two little figures drawn with colored pencils, clearly marking their features and the colors of their clothes.

Zhujiaopo is not far from here, and the time is also close.

The store manager strongly recommended that they participate, and since they couldn't get the coffee right away, they had no choice but to go and check it out first.

Zhujiaopo is a popular spot on Niling Island. It is called "Zhujiao" because of the vast ocean in front of it. The scenery here is amazing when the weather is fine and the sunrise and sunset are magnificent. Many bloggers can't help but take hundreds of photos here, which are very photogenic.

The two had been walking on the slope for less than 20 minutes when they looked around but saw no one. So they decided to wander around the area.

The planned jogging and cycling paths on the island also pass through this area, so you can see people walking their dogs, cats, and turtles. Some of them I've seen at the animal hospital, and they went up to greet Zhong Yan when they saw the straw hat she was holding.

Because the area is small, news travels fast, and many people know that she found a baby petrel that couldn't fly.

"Tangyuan, come and say hello to Little Seagull."

Zhong Yan met the Samoyed's round, black eyes and had no choice but to give in, crouching down slightly while holding her straw hat.

The dog owner held onto Tangyuan's collar tightly, only allowing it to communicate with the little seagull from a distance.

Little Seagull was also a little curious; perhaps the Samoyed's fluffy fur reminded it of the clouds in the sky.

Faced with so many different animals, the little petrel showed no signs of stress, which reassured Zhong Yan that it could make friends with the animals.

In a short time, Xiao Haiyan has already met and interacted with Samoyed Tangyuan, Psyduck Dongmei, Little Grass Turtle Wanshou, and Golden Retriever Wuyuan, deepening their friendship.

Today, Wu Yuan was sitting in a baby stroller, his long tongue sticking out of his mouth, being pushed away with a smile.

The little petrel's favorite thing was probably this big golden retriever. It flapped its wings several times, and although it didn't manage to fly in the end, it was still better than forgetting about its wings altogether.

Zhong Yan felt this was a good omen.

At the same time, she was also thinking about how to ask Ji Feng to take Xiao Haiyan away.

There are many reasons, excuses, and justifications.

For example, her mother would call her home, or she wouldn't have enough pocket money to buy fresh fish for the little seagull every day, since it had regained its appetite and was eating quite a lot of fish every day.

For example, the little petrel seems to be a male bird, and birds of the same sex should be able to get along better.

But before Zhong Yan could come up with an explanation...

"Was it that couple?"

Jifeng pointed in a direction and asked.

Zhong Yan raised her head.

A couple wearing floral shirts and floral skirts came into view.

The man was tall and thin, with graying temples and glasses on his face. His smile seemed forced. The woman was short and thin, with a round face and big eyes. A few strands of curly hair peeked out from under her sun hat and hung down the back of her neck.

Their appearance, features, and clothing all match the descriptions on the paper.

Even their dejected and listless expressions were strikingly similar.

"...It seems so."

No sooner had Zhong Yan finished speaking than Ji Feng strode forward and intercepted her.

"Hello, Uncle." He struck up a conversation naturally.

Zhong Yan was completely impressed and bowed down in admiration.

Sometimes she found Ji Feng difficult to deal with; he rarely said anything nice. But at other times, he was a social butterfly, very adept at navigating social situations.

In short, he's a very contradictory person.

Before they had exchanged more than a few words, he had already shaken hands with his uncle.

Have a great time!

Then he turned to look at Zhong Yan, raised his chin, and gestured for her to come forward.

Zhong Yan didn't actually want the meal free.

Two cups of coffee cost forty-six yuan. She had pocket money; every year her aunt would secretly give her a sum of money as a New Year's gift, so she didn't have much of a chance to spend it.

But with three people watching her at the same time, Zhong Yan was pushed forward by an invisible hand and had no choice but to take a step forward.

Ji Feng took her straw hat and said, "Auntie, she wants to hug you, is that okay?"

Zhong Yan's face turned bright red in an instant.

The kind auntie's eyes were also red. When she looked at Zhong Yan's face, she immediately looked like she wanted to cry.

Zhong Yan recalled what the store manager had said to them before they left.

"The girl died of cancer and arranged this trip specifically to help her parents get out of the shadows and to give them comfort from strangers."

Did this woman see her own daughter through her?

In an instant, Zhong Yan's heart collapsed.

She thought of her father.

Zhong Yan said, "Auntie, can I hug you?"

"Okay, okay." The aunt blinked frantically.

Zhong Yan was all too familiar with this feeling. She wanted to cry, but she didn't want the tears to fall, and she struggled like this.

Zhong Yan opened her arms and gently embraced her.

That frail body trembled gently in her arms.

Like a weak little petrel struggling rustlingly inside a cardboard box.

She awkwardly raised her hand, pausing slightly, and patted her aunt's back.

Everything will be alright.

She comforted the mother who had lost her child with simple and unadorned words.

My heart is filled with both sorrow and grief.

The aunt choked up and said, "Good child, thank you."

After parting ways with their aunt and uncle, Zhong Yan and Ji Feng returned to the coffee shop and got their "free" coffee.

As noon approached, the café was already packed with people, leaving the two of them with barely any room to stand. They had no choice but to take their coffee and walk back to Zhujiaopo.

The couple hadn't left yet.

One after another, different people came to the coffee shop after receiving the task of getting a free meal. They talked to the couple and comforted them with handshakes and hugs.

Chen Baoran and Coco also arrived. Wu Yuan raised his head in the stroller and took the initiative to reach out to the couple's hands for a touch.

There was even a little girl who was barely taller than a thigh, who came skipping and jumping with her parents, hugged the auntie generously, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"My sister bought me coffee and asked me to tell her parents that she's doing well, not to worry about her, and to enjoy every day!"

The little girl was articulate and had a good memory; she could memorize a sentence perfectly.

The couple, with tears in their eyes, repeatedly thanked the family of three.

The girl's mother also gently hugged the other mother, offering her some strength.

The little petrel chirped and hopped around inside the straw hat.

Ji Feng handed Zhong Yan a tissue from the coffee shop, saying, "Little Petrel is complaining, why is it raining in some areas?"

Zhong Yan pressed a tissue to her eyes.

"My father also died of cancer."

The monsoon fell silent.

“I only found out three months after he was cremated. At that time, I was taking the high school entrance exam, and my mother was worried that it would affect my exam, so she kept it a secret.”

Zhong Yan's eyes started to sting again, so she had to focus her attention on the little seagull in the straw hat to distract herself.

There is a concept in psychology called delayed gratification, and Zhong Yan has learned to delay pain.

When faced with something upsetting, choose to escape for a while.

She paused for a long while before continuing:

“It’s one thing about my mom, but my dad doesn’t mention her at all when he contacts me. In fact, our last conversation ended badly.”

Zhong Yan patted the little seagull's head.

"I was in a daze for a long time."

"I'm not afraid of parting, but I'm sad because I didn't say goodbye properly."

This was the first time Zhong Yan had spoken to him at such a long time, sharing her own experiences.

Ji Feng thought of that night, and that sea.

Was she prepared to say goodbye that day?

He put his hands behind his back and said, "How should one say goodbye?"

There is no standard answer to this question.

It's like when they arrived, no one knew how to greet them.

The coffee took much longer than expected.

The two men sipped their coffee, watching the couple being comforted by strangers, embracing and weeping, wiping each other's tears. Shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, their drooping brows slowly lifted, their ashen skin turning slightly red in the sunlight.

A faint smile finally appeared on the couple's faces.

A gentle breeze blew the hem of the floral skirt, lifted the corner of the floral shirt, then brushed past the ends of their hair and the brim of their hats, and flew into the azure sky.

Zhong Yan suddenly felt a little lost.

She felt that there was still a tiny bit of beauty left in this world.

Her phone vibrated, and when she looked down, she was instantly brought back to reality.

"Hello, Mom..."

After watching Zhong Yan's receding figure for a while, Ji Feng opened his WeChat Moments, which he hadn't looked at in ages, and scrolled down.

Some people are like characters living on a TV series; if they don't post something on their WeChat Moments for a day, they consider it a break.

Less than a minute after he gave the thumbs up, his phone rang.

"Who gave you permission to like my post?"

Did you eat a firecracker?

Monsoon's casual remark added fuel to the fire.

The person on the other end began to launch into a long, rambling tirade.

"You're heartless!" "You have no conscience!" "You vicious and cruel man!"

Anger poured out of the microphone, drawing stares from the tourists around him.

Ji Feng had to move his phone further away while also calming the restless little seagull on his lap.

While the person on the other end was getting tired of yelling and taking a break to drink water, he moved the phone closer and asked, "Still at school?"

Despite her anger, she still answered every question: "Yes, I'm just furious. You were the one who did it first, so why did he submit it to the competition? And you, you weren't the type to back down from problems before. We should stay here together and solve the problem first! Let them see who's the cat and who's the mouse. By the way, where are you now?"

Ji Feng adjusted his hat and laughed, "On vacation."

The other person gasped, then burst out cursing, "You son of a bitch!"

Amidst the angry hiss, the monsoon whispered, "I'm sorry."

Both of them knew that the "I'm sorry" was for the argument they had just had.

Ji Feng started working on engine improvement and optimization during his freshman year, and only began to see results in the second semester of his sophomore year. However, this immature result was plagiarized by a senior student, who even planned to use his results to compete for a master's degree.

Ji Feng did it on his own, and the only people who knew about it were the senior who provided him with the data and models, and his roommate Lin Yuhang.

Originally, Ji Feng had gathered all the evidence and was determined to fight to the end, but after going home, he lost all his fighting spirit, which greatly angered Lin Yuhang.

People involved in development and research should be aware of patents. This is not like a cup of water or a meal that someone can drink or eat and then forget about.

The two had a fight, and Ji Feng said it was his business and no one else had to interfere.

As a result, the good brothers didn't speak to each other for a long time.

Then came the final exams and the summer vacation, and this estrangement took root and showed no signs of disappearing on its own.

The bellows stopped abruptly, followed by a scream: "Holy crap, did you eat rat poison today?! You didn't go to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery, did you, bro?!"

"Eat shit!" Ji Feng laughed and cursed.

The two chatted about this and that, and before they knew it, they were back to normal.

There's no deep-seated hatred between brothers and friends, it's just that neither of them is willing to back down first.

The phone call lasted for about ten minutes, and finally Ji Feng said, "See you at school, goodbye."

Ji Feng put away his phone just as Zhong Yan walked back.

Her expression was even more ashen and dejected than when the couple had first arrived.

“You’ve been gone for so long, Little Seagull was just looking for you.”

Zhong Yan glanced at the little seagull and finally mustered up her courage, "Ji Feng, would it be convenient for you to take the little seagull home?"

"Is your mom urging you to come home?"

Zhong Yan looked very uncomfortable. She bit her lower lip and nodded slightly.

Ji Feng then asked, "What if I also need to go home?"

Zhong Yan hesitated, her mouth slightly open, before finally managing to utter, "...When?"

Ji Feng laughed and said naturally, "I was just kidding."

Zhong Yan had just come to her senses when Ji Feng delivered his next sentence.

"You lied to me too, so we're even."

How childish.

Zhong Yan wanted to frown, but then she felt annoyed.

She didn't immediately refute him; her silence became a tacit agreement.

He assumed that his claim of going home was a lie.

“Summer vacation isn’t over yet. Let’s say goodbye when the little seagull takes flight. What do you think?” Ji Feng said.

Zhong Yan did not ask why.

Compared to her "home" across the sea, this isolated island felt more like a refuge for her.

Actually, she didn't want to leave, whether she lived or died.

She glanced at the monsoon.

Why is he unwilling to leave?

"Well, see you tomorrow?"

As if sensing Zhong Yan's intention not to make plans for lunch, Ji Feng said goodbye first, "It's going to get very sunny soon."

Little Seagull was left in Zhong Yan's hands.

There was nothing she could do; she had tried, failed, and had to accept reality.

As she passed the coffee shop, the manager smiled and waved to her.

Zhong Yan waved in response.

At noon, Zhong Yan brought a bowl of cold noodles from a fast food restaurant. She sat at her desk, browsing through the teaching materials her mother had sent her on her phone, as well as review materials for the CET-4 and CET-6 exams.

As Zhong Yan looked at the materials, she tried to imagine her high school teacher standing on the blackboard, writing furiously, but she found it difficult to empathize with him.

Can she really become a teacher?

The sun passed overhead and gradually began to slant westward.

The warm orange sunset shone brightly on the walls of the building opposite, dazzling and blinding.

Looking out the window, Zhong Yan suddenly missed her father.

What kind of person would she become if she stayed by her father's side?

/

Monday, August 4, 2025

I had a free coffee today, thank you, unknown person. If there is another world, could you tell my dad that I'm sorry and that I miss him?