After saying these words, Ye Zhi turned her gaze to the street outside the window, filled with red lights and footsteps. In her profile, I saw a trace of untold bitterness and helplessness... and it was as if I saw a future Yang Sisi.

At least, Yang Sisi's parents very much hoped to raise her into a woman like Ye Zhi... But when a person needs to put on a thick armor to resist the wickedness of human nature and deal with the intricate world, although they may gain a lot, is it really the most beautiful interpretation of life?

I can't agree... and that's why I feel Ye Zhi is such a mysterious woman. She looks delicate, but her heart is like the ocean, washing me away and embracing all aspects of the martial world... but what exactly led her down this path, I still haven't figured it out.

In a daze, I saw another girl selling ethnic costumes on the street, about Yang Sisi's age, carrying a black shoulder bag, just as quick-witted, just as eager to grab a group of tourists and play the bargaining game...

Suddenly, a young man shouted, "The city management officers are here!" She pushed through the crowd, rushed into an alley opposite our restaurant, and hid under a large locust tree.

Knowing the young man was just teasing her, she started crying and punching and kicking him...

Yes, during winter break, many college students come to Dali to experience this kind of life where they can be both artistic and self-reliant. Here, apart from the city management officers, they are fearless... And once people lose their sense of awe, they are easily happy. So when the young man bought the girl a magical drink that could produce smoke, they made up as before, and then held hands, chatting and laughing as they looked for the next place to sell clothes.

I think this is probably what love looks like... But what about life? Is life really that simple?

In a cruel coincidence, I saw Nicole again the next moment, carrying her guitar to sing at a bar... She had eloped to Dali with a man, but now all she had left was life... Perhaps she still had love in her heart, but all I could see in her was life and the loneliness she was left with.

...

It was a long time before Ye Zhi, who was looking out the window, came back to her senses. She picked up her chopsticks again, but she didn't seem to have the same appetite as when she first arrived...

I told her that I shouldn't have told her these things, as it's a negative thing that would affect her mood and remind her of unsatisfactory things in her life and career.

I smiled and said to her, "Let's not talk about these heavy things. Let's do something lighthearted later."

Ye Zhi looked at me and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Didn't I just get two big bunches of marguerites from the roadside? Can you plant them for me?"

"I won't."

"If you can pick flowers, you can plant them... Let's find a tutorial online and learn together."

Ye Zhi smiled, then picked up a piece of pork rib from the plate and handed it to my bowl, saying, "Okay, then you should eat more vegetables. I think this is hard work."

The dark red ribs colored the rice, and it was as if they were covering my desolate heart with a coat. I smiled and then picked out a bigger rib for her.

At that moment, things seemed to become very simple between us.

...

As night fell, Ye Zhi and I returned to Jiulongju. On the way, I bought several discarded ceramic jars from a shop for twenty yuan. Once we got home, I put my crafting skills to use and transformed them into flowerpots, then painted them with oil paints…

Ye Zhi and I had a division of labor: I was responsible for making the flower pots, and she was responsible for planting the flowers. So after handing the flower pots to her, I had some free time.

Ye Zhi seemed to find enjoyment in such things. She first used her phone to find a tutorial on planting flowers, then placed the phone on a chair where it was easy to see, and started to get started. I sat two meters behind her and lit a cigarette.

As she dug at the soil with a shovel, she asked me, "Where do you plan to put the flowers after you've planted them?"

"One pot is hung up, and the other is placed on the balcony."

"Won't it be a bit monotonous?"

I looked around and replied, "It is a bit monotonous, but we can take it slowly... Plant two pots today, and plant two more when you come to Dali next time... In less than a year, my balcony will be full of marguerites."

Because her back was to me, I couldn't see Ye Zhi's expression, but deep down, I felt an indescribable warmth. It was a beautiful thought; perhaps this flower-planting incident would continue the bond between Ye Zhi and me...

"What if I can't come even once every six months or a year?"

I blurted out, "Just stop by a few more times..."

Ye Zhi turned to look at me, her expression quite aggressive. She said, "Did I come along to steal flowers with you?"

"Don't you...do you think this sounds romantic?"

"If you reimburse my round-trip travel expenses... I might be able to reluctantly do this."

"Don't joke with me... Are you the kind of person who cares about travel expenses?... Besides, once travel costs are involved, the romance is completely ruined... right?"

"No... if you don't care about travel expenses and time costs... then fly to Shanghai, my balcony is also lacking a lot of flowers."

I replied in all seriousness, "I always thought you didn't joke around, but it turns out you can... Seriously, if you lived in Dali, I could really steal a bunch of flowers from the roadside every day and send them to you to plant."

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