After getting up and washing up, I went outside the old town to pick up a couple who had come all the way from Jiangsu. After settling them in, I ordered a rice bowl outside the street for lunch. This period has been the busiest I've had since arriving in Dali. Although I was also busy when I ran the seaside inn in Longkan, at least I had people to share the burden. But now I have to rely on myself for everything, so when I'm overwhelmed with work, I feel a strange sense of loneliness. At times like these, I always wish there was someone by my side to help me with things.

During the meal, I sent Ye Zhi a WeChat message: "Two friends of mine have come over. If you're free tonight, let's have dinner together... By the way, they're both from Shanghai, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to communicate with them."

A moment later, Ye Zhi replied to the message: "Are they all female friends?"

How did you know?

"Because you're using them."

I smiled. Ye Zhi really is a woman who notices details. I asked, "What, are you bothered by gender?"

Ye Zhi replied straightforwardly, "I don't really like being around strangers. You can entertain them yourself."

"Give me some face, please."

Are they close friends of yours?

I found it difficult to answer, since the question involved my ex-girlfriend. But then I thought about it, and realized that being able to open up about the past was a form of honesty and a relief; it was the people who couldn't let go who would try to hide it.

So I replied, "The way I met them was actually quite dramatic. One of them used my ex-girlfriend's phone number, and I sent a text message to that number. Later, we got in touch, but we never met. This time, she was bringing her friends to Dali, and they happened to be staying at my guesthouse, so I took this opportunity to treat them to a meal."

Do you really love your ex-girlfriend?

I lit a cigarette and smoked half of it before replying, "We loved each other, but our values ​​clashed. When we were together, I couldn't meet her aspirations for life, so we chose to break up amicably."

"Is that so?"

"Well, if we have anything in common, it's probably that we can treat relationships rationally."

"Always rational?"

"When I was young, I was quite emotional. I thought that as long as we could be happy together, that was enough. But as time went on, we would encounter all sorts of problems, and I learned to think rationally. So for people with incompatible values, breaking up is not necessarily a bad thing. At least I am very clear-headed and can see my own helplessness, so I don't want to hold her back from pursuing the life she wants."

"So your decision to break up isn't because you've stopped loving each other, but because you don't have the financial means to live together."

Ye Zhi's concern, which went beyond her usual personality, made me wary... Although we weren't officially a couple yet, she seemed to mind my past; or rather, she was trying to confirm something, such as whether I still had lingering feelings for Lu Jia.

How should I put it? Feelings are complicated, so I dare not say that I can completely ignore Lu Jia's existence. If I knew she was not doing well, I would still feel sad for her to some extent. It's an instinct, after all, we spent three years together.

I took another drag of my cigarette and replied, "That was true back then... But now, if we were to apply the word 'love' to us, I feel it's a stretch... If we really loved each other that much and felt we couldn't live without each other, we wouldn't have broken up back then, right?"

Ye Zhi didn't answer the question I threw at her, but she gave me another answer: "I'll have dinner with you guys tonight, around what time?"

"Around seven o'clock, after dinner we'll take a walk around Erhai Lake. I heard there's a fireworks display tonight on the east side of the lake, organized by the 'government,' it's sure to be spectacular!"

"I'm still more interested in the Margaret that grows by Erhai Lake."

I smiled and replied, "Then let's be flower thieves again!"

...

After ending my conversation with Ye Zhi, I returned to my place, and then a bunch of trivial things came up. For example, guests would call me over to help if they didn't know how to use the TV or how to turn on the hot water. By the time I had some free time again, it was already 2 p.m. Judging by the time, the woman who had been using Lu Jia's number and her friend should have arrived at the train station by now.

So I moved two more pots of marguerites to the room they had booked. I hoped that seeing these flowers would put them in a good mood, and this was a special treat I was giving them as a friend. I hadn't put so much effort into decorating the other rooms.

About ten minutes later, I received a message from her: "I have something to tell you. I've decided to change my route to Lijiang because just ten minutes ago, someone invited me to spend the Chinese New Year in Lijiang. The house you booked, regardless of whether it can be sold later, I will still pay you the price we agreed on before. My only request is that you take care of my friend. She doesn't want to be a third wheel in Lijiang, so we will stick to the original plan of spending the Chinese New Year in Dali."

"Holy crap..."

I typed those two words on my phone and then deleted them. I did this because I was disappointed, but then I thought about it and realized that she was a woman who had been hurt a lot by love in the past. Now, she was able to give up Dali and go to Lijiang for the New Year because of someone else's words. She must have met her true love. So why shouldn't I wish her well and be happy for her? After all, I still consider her a friend.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!