Chapter Seventy-Four: A Paradise on Earth

In June, Shanghai experienced a sudden rise in temperature after a period of continuous rain, and the days became longer, which also extended Lin Yu's overtime hours.

Recently, Lin Yu's life has become very routine. Every week without fail, he goes to Jiang Chuan's house for the weekend, and sets aside an hour each evening to play Zelda.

Occasionally, when she couldn't pass a level, Jiang Chuan would help her. Aside from that, she devoted all her energy to the patent development of a fully automated control system.

At first, Lin Yu just wanted to accumulate some theoretical achievements, publish a few papers, and have more leverage for professional title evaluation.

But after she carefully analyzed and sorted out the data she brought back from Japan, she was surprised to find that making some groundbreaking research and development was not as difficult as she had imagined.

What initially pushed her to take the first step was the company's incentive policy. After all, the bonus for a patent was almost equivalent to three months' salary for her.

However, once she truly immersed herself in it, she increasingly found enjoyment in the process. In the end, all she wanted was to calm down and do it well in a down-to-earth manner.

Therefore, every other week, Lin Yu would rush to the company's equipment subsidiary to calculate experimental data and optimize network models.

She no longer just buried herself in drawing like before, but actively participated in projects in her respective fields.

I also learned to showcase my value to my superiors from time to time. I was so busy that I didn't have time to spare. Even reviewing construction drawings for my team members had to be done after get off work.

Jiang Chuan's whereabouts are even more unpredictable; he's either on a business trip or on his way to one. The two have rarely had a chance to meet lately, and at their busiest times, they haven't seen each other for two or three weeks at a time.

But the next day was Jiang Chuan's birthday, so Lin Yu stayed up several nights in advance to work on the project and managed to free up the 7th.

They had been together for over three months, and this was the first birthday she had spent with him.

Although she was a little inexperienced at celebrating her boyfriend's birthday, she took it very seriously and was full of enthusiasm. Her bag contained a carefully prepared gift, and she planned to go straight to Jiang Chuan's house after work to hand it to him in person.

Just after nine o'clock, Lin Yu and several colleagues were kneeling on the floor organizing printed blueprints. Her phone vibrated on the table. She sat up to answer it, and Jiang Chuan's voice came through the receiver. "What time do you get off work?"

Lin Yu sat back down on the carpet, casually rolled up the last stack of drawings and pushed it aside. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, his expression weary, but his voice revealed a hint of lightness.

"What? My boyfriend can't wait to see me?"

Jiang Chuan chuckled softly from the other end of the phone. "Come to the window."

Lin Yu had a vague premonition, but when she stood in front of the French windows and saw Jiang Chuan leaning against the car waving at her, her heart still started beating faster than usual.

The feeling of wanting to see someone and having them immediately appear beside her brought her immense joy.

Lin Yu felt as if, in this chaotic and disordered world, regardless of whether it was real or fake, perhaps only the happiness of this moment was real.

She hurriedly finished handing over her work, grabbed her bag, and rushed downstairs, throwing herself into Jiang Chuan's arms. The familiar scent of white pine wafted towards her, causing her to unconsciously tighten her embrace.

Lin Yu was immersed in the joy of being in love. It wasn't until the car passed through two tunnels and entered the Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway that he realized they were on the wrong route. "Aren't we going home?"

"Hmm." Jiang Chuan rested one hand on the steering wheel, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, his dark hair unkempt, the ends of which were gently lifted by the wind blowing in through the car window.

"I'll take you to see the sunrise!"

"Leave now?" Lin Yu glanced down at his jeans and old T-shirt. "But I haven't prepared anything!"

“With me here, you only need to bring yourself.” Jiang Chuan gestured with his chin toward the back seat. “There are snacks and water in the bag.”

Lin Yu gazed at the rapidly receding night outside the window and felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction.

She loved traveling into the unknown and was fascinated by unexpected surprises. But when these two things intertwined with love, she felt a tightness in her throat and was momentarily speechless with excitement.

The car sped through the night, and after more than two hours, it successfully turned onto the Shenjiahu Expressway and entered Anji County.

Jiangchuan drove without stopping, and after exiting the toll station, the scenery outside the car window gradually faded away from the city, with sparse streetlights and floating mountain shadows.

At midnight, the car slowly drove onto the sparsely populated mountain road, its headlights flashing a faint light in the darkness. The scenery outside the window was swept by the headlights, and the mountains on both sides looked like a gradually unfolding long scroll of bluish-gray ink painting.

The evening rain turned into low-hanging clouds and mist, hanging wetly in mid-air, clinging to the distant mountains and lingering, making the dark green forests look like the spines of people lying in the sea of ​​clouds, breathing out clouds and mist that are sometimes thick and sometimes thin.

As the altitude gradually increases, the depth of field constantly changes. Looking up, there are towering mountains on the right, and tea fields scattered like a chessboard beyond the cliff on the left.

Their car appeared and disappeared like tiny drops of ink on rice paper, winding along the mountain road. The distant mountains, like ink marks, overflowed from the darkness, layering like ocean waves, blending into the thick night.

The high beams pierced the inky night, and in the rearview mirror, the red glow of the taillights cast a flowing neon trail through the mist. The mountain road we had come from had transformed into a luminous ribbon, winding around the waist of the mountains.

Lin Yu lowered the car window slightly, the cool air seeping into his clothes, accompanied by the rustling sound of bamboo leaves.

Not far away, one could faintly hear the sound of bamboo rustling and the low-frequency vibrations of an engine, which intertwined with the chirping of insects in the shadows and the clear spring water flowing from the crevices of the rocks, creating a wonderful harmony.

Jiang Chuan slowed down, allowing each frame of the scenery to have the perfect exposure time.

The mountain road twisted and turned countless times until the tires trod on the potholed, gravelly surface. Suddenly, the view opened up, and deep within the misty haze, a sizable mountaintop courtyard could be vaguely seen.

Jiang Chuan drove the car straight into the courtyard and parked it by the stream in front of the building. The stone lanterns in the corner of the courtyard shone with a dim yellow light, illuminating the low wall covered with moss. Like eyes gazing one last time before the world closed in chaos.

Everything here is fluid, diffuse, and fleeting, unrelated to the city. Everything, in this damp, misty atmosphere, slowly dissolves its boundaries.

The entire courtyard was quiet and deserted. Pushing open the gate, a beautiful view of the courtyard came into view.

The flowers, plants and trees complement each other, and the gray bricks underfoot flow like a stream to the three-story building in front of you. The eaves of the Hui-style roof are reflected in the pool in the center of the courtyard.

Jiang Chuan dragged his luggage and led Lin Yu past the extinguished campfire and the wooden swing, and went straight to the door.

The key was inserted into the lock, and the brass wind chimes hanging under the porch started moving automatically without any wind, their crisp sound like a silent welcome from the owner of the courtyard.

"This isn't your private property, is it, Mr. Jiang?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Chuan's familiar manner, and couldn't help but tease him.

Jiang Chuan turned around and flipped the main control switch on the wall, the dim light casting dappled shadows on his face. "Not yet."

He placed his luggage in the corner of the living room, took out the key from the front desk drawer, and weighed it in his palm. "It's a guesthouse run by a friend; we're staying here for a couple of days."

"Where is the owner?" This guesthouse is located in a remote area, standing alone in the desolate mountains, with no one in sight for miles around.

As Lin Yu followed Jiang Chuan through the courtyard, he caught a glimpse of the vegetable garden and several free-range chickens in the backyard, which had a somewhat idyllic, secluded feel. "Are we the only two guests in this entire guesthouse?"

Jiang Chuan carried his luggage up the stairs. "He went to town to buy things, and he should be back around noon tomorrow."

Their friend had reserved the room with the best view in the entire guesthouse for them. Jiang Chuan opened the door at the far end of the second floor with his key. The spacious terrace faced the lush green mountains, and on a clear day, you could see the entire starry sky.

"His location isn't very convenient. Except for the peak season months, he doesn't have many customers."

"Then how does he make money?" Lin Yu opened the sliding door to the terrace, took off his shoes, crossed his legs, and nestled comfortably into a rattan chair, gazing blankly at the distant mountain shadows.

“He stopped making a living from this a long time ago.” Jiang Chuan packed his luggage, took a few cans of chilled beer from the refrigerator, and sat down in the chair opposite Lin Yu.

"He used to work in investment banking and made some money. Later, some family problems arose, and in middle age, he decided to retire gracefully and live in seclusion here with his wife."

Jiang Chuan wiped the bottle opening clean, opened a can, and handed it to Lin Yu. "This used to be a farmhouse, which he rented for ten years. He demolished it and rebuilt it into a bed and breakfast."

A mountain breeze swept across the terrace, carrying the dampness of the grass and trees. He tilted his head back and took a swig of wine before continuing, "During peak season, I take a few customers, and during the off-season, I grow vegetables and raise chickens to pass the time."

Lin Yu tilted his head back and took a swig of beer, the hops exploding on his tongue with a slightly bitter coolness.

She gazed at the starry sky, the evening breeze from the mountains brushing against her cheeks, and the faint chirping of insects in the distance making the night even more tranquil, feeling incredibly at ease.

"People are really strange. When they are here, they feel like they have everything they need, but as soon as they return to the city, they become greedy again."

Jiang Chuan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed the wine. He chuckled softly, "When you're caught in a whirlpool, you can't clearly think about your true needs."

He swallowed a mouthful of wine, moonlight streaming down his deep-set brow. Jiang Chuan silently raised his head, gazing at the same starry sky as Lin Yu.

"Did you come here often before?" Lin Yu tilted her head back, starlight reflecting into her pupils. A night breeze swept by, carrying her question away in the air. "The stars here are so bright, and the moon is so round."

Jiang Chuan lowered his gaze and shook his head. In the past years, he had always been oblivious to and detached from the beauty of the world.

But things are different now. He's starting to look forward to experiencing some unforgettable moments with Lin Yu at a specific time and place. It turns out that even the most beautiful moments require specific people to imbue them with meaning.

"Do you like reading Maugham? His writing style is quite sharp." Lin Yu asked with interest, recalling those days in Hakodate Mountain, and suddenly felt that now seemed like a good time to discuss life.

"I saw you watching when I was skiing last time. It looked like you had already gone halfway over."

For Jiang Chuan, reading is more like a sacrifice, laying bare a part of his soul and praying for answers from the words.

He paused for a moment and said, "I often feel that my life is still in a transitional phase. Perhaps I can see the answers I want in other people's stories in advance."

"Are you looking for the meaning of life through wandering?" Lin Yu thought of Larry in the story and couldn't help but joke, "And then, incidentally, meet four or five soulmates?"

“Perhaps…” Jiang Chuan chuckled softly. “But your appearance has ended that possibility.”