Chapter 49
After watching Yu Shi's wingsuit flight, the two returned to the skydiving base where they were training.
The wind howled.
Li Chi'an sat and received the training, listening to the coach explain the precautions, and accompanied him from time to time.
After the lesson was over, when it was Li Chi'an's turn to practice, Yu Shi walked over to her and suggested, "Let's do it together, we can do a double jump."
The instructor glanced at them. "It's generally not recommended for beginners to skydive..."
“It’s alright,” Li Chi’an interrupted. “We trust each other.”
Under the bright autumn sun, a faint smile flickered in Yu Shi's eyes.
The two quickly reached high altitude, the plane door opened, and strong winds rushed into the cabin.
Looking at the tiny world beneath his feet, Li Chi'an suddenly felt a sense of fear.
Just then, Yu Shi grasped her hand.
"Are you scared?" he asked loudly, his voice drowning out the wind.
"A little!" she admitted honestly.
"Trust me!" He gazed into her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you!"
Li Chi'an certainly believed him; otherwise, he wouldn't be standing here.
"Three thousand meters! Get ready to jump!" The coach's voice came through the headset, accompanied by the whooshing sound of the wind.
As the two of them were strapped together and jumped out of the cabin, Li Chian adjusted his breathing and found that he did not scream. Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of freedom.
As you plummet rapidly, the world unfolds before your eyes.
The parachute base in the heart of Guizhou presents a breathtaking and magnificent view in late autumn.
As the helicopter roared to an altitude of 3,000 meters, the moment the cabin door opened, a biting autumn wind carrying the unique, moist scent of vegetation characteristic of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau rushed towards us. Below, the mountains were ablaze with color; the karst peaks were draped in ochre and gold autumn attire, like a palette scattered by a giant god; the maple forests were like burning crimson clouds; the ginkgo slopes flowed with molten gold; and the dark green fir forests were like deep jade inlaid among them.
The tributaries of the Beipan River meander through the canyons, like a blue ribbon wrapped around the vast mountains.
Yu Shi's arms were tightly wrapped around her, never letting go. She was pressed against his body, giving him a sense of security that belonged to both of them.
Just as she was captivated by the autumn scenery, Yu Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Look over there! Isn't there a small town in the valley?"
Li Chi'an stared intently and saw rows of gray-tiled wooden houses faintly visible amidst a mountain range shrouded in mist, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Even more striking was a patch of open ground that appeared to be covered with many colorful fabrics, resembling scattered rainbows under the autumn sun.
"It looks sparsely populated, but the scenery there is really beautiful." Yu Shi's eyes lit up with intense interest.
A fleeting glimpse of the small town planted a seed of curiosity in their hearts.
During the descent, he cheerfully guided her to look at the scenery below. The terraced fields presented a wonderful geometric texture, and the harvested rice stubble shone with a warm yellow hue, forming a collage-like landscape art with the still verdant tea gardens.
The most distinctive peaks of Guizhou appear and disappear in the sea of clouds, and the limestone mountains are painted with autumn colors, like a fairy island floating in the clouds.
His voice was gentle and moving, dispelling her last trace of fear.
The moment they leaped out of the plane, the whole world suddenly transformed into a swirling oil painting, where they could clearly see the prickly pears covering the mountains and fields, glistening with morning dew, like agate beads scattered across the landscape.
After landing, Li Chi'an was still physically exhausted but emotionally overwhelmed. She turned and hugged Yu Shi, saying, "That was wonderful! Thank you!"
He returned her hug and whispered in her ear, "This is just the beginning. In the future, I will take you to experience many more wonderful things."
Upon hearing this, Li Chi'an's eyes immediately lit up. "Really? I want to try scuba diving next. I want to get a diving certificate."
“Sure, I have a diving certificate.” Yu Shi was like a magic box, the more you dug, the more you found.
He really can!
A look of surprise flashed in Li Chi'an's eyes.
"When is a good time to go diving? Where would be a good place to go? Tell me, and I'll make a plan and put it on the agenda."
"Good weather is perfect for diving."
The radiant sunset bathed the entire autumn landscape in gold, and as Yu Shi and Li Chi'an walked to the other side, Yu Shi recounted the story of his diving trip.
"Diving deep into the sea is another world, where everything is quiet, yet contains countless frequencies, and time seems to slow down."
“One day, I happened to see a group of tropical fish swimming by. One of them stopped and turned to face me as it passed by.” Yu Shi’s eyes widened slightly, which looked a bit cute to Li Chi’an. “The little fish’s eyes were very close to mine. It was a very small fish, gray, and it just stopped and looked at me.”
This little tropical fish thus became the place that left the deepest impression on him throughout the spring.
"I never imagined that a fish could be so intelligent. When it saw me, it felt like we were really friends."
"So you once found a friend in the deep sea?"
"No, it's running into friends," Yu Shi corrected.
...
After a night of tenderness, they both slept soundly.
The next morning, as the two were having breakfast, they couldn't help but recall the stunning little mountain town they had glimpsed the day before.
"I want to go and see," Yu Shi said, his eyes shining brightly.
"Then let's abandon our original plan?" Li Chi'an readily accepted this suggestion.
Seeing that Li Chi'an was willing to support him, Yu Shi was very happy and said, "Let's go rent a car after we finish eating."
...
The town looked very close to the base from high above, but since I had never been there, I didn't know exactly how far it was. Mountain roads always seem close, but they are actually time-consuming and laborious to travel.
Because of the last-minute change to their trip, the two didn't dare waste too much time. They quickly finished their breakfast, rented a car nearby, and headed along the winding mountain road in search of the small town nestled in the clouds.
Unable to find the exact location on the navigation, they could only proceed based on their memory and general direction.
Two hours later, just when they thought they might not find anything and were about to give up, the mountain road turned and a cluster of wooden buildings built against the mountain suddenly appeared before them.
Above the gate of the village hangs a faded wooden plaque with the words "Yunwu Village" engraved on it.
The two drove slowly along the only road in the town. The town was unusually quiet, with hardly any human voices. The only sounds were the rustling of the wind through the bamboo forest and the occasional crowing of roosters and barking of dogs.
When the car reached a flat area in the center of town, it couldn't go any further, so they parked the car under a big tree on the flat area and then led Li Chi'an by the hand and walked inside.
The bluestone path winds its way uphill, flanked by old stilted houses with thick moss covering their tiles.
"There don't seem to be many young people here," Yu Shi said in a low voice, noticing that most of the people walking on the street were middle-aged and elderly, some of whom were wearing the costumes of ethnic minorities in southwestern Guizhou.
The two were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, both exceptionally good-looking and charming. Passersby couldn't help but take a second look at them.
They were also observing them.
As they walked, a rhythmic tapping sound caught their attention.
The sound came from a wooden building with its door half open.
"Shall we go in and take a look?" Yu Shi asked quietly.
“Go.” Li Chi’an was not intimidated at all.
Then, the two gently pushed the door open and entered.
Inside the room, an elderly man with gray hair was intently hammering a piece of silver jewelry. Various tools were scattered on the workbench, and finished works hung on the wall: exquisite silver crowns, necklaces, and bracelets, each engraved with intricate and mysterious patterns.
The old man looked up at them, nodded as a greeting, and then continued with his work.
Li Chi'an smiled at the other person, then lowered her head to carefully examine the silver ornaments in the room. Soon she was attracted by a silver ornament shaped like a phoenix.
It is only the size of a palm, yet it is incredibly lifelike, with every feather meticulously detailed. Tiny blue beads are inlaid in the eyes, still shimmering with a mysterious light even in the dim light.
"It's so beautiful," she exclaimed involuntarily.
The old man smiled, revealing a few silver teeth. "These are ornaments from the Miao people's legendary 'Hundred Birds Robe,' which girls used to wear when they got married."
"Wow!" Yu Shi exclaimed in surprise, then said familiarly, "Hello, sir. We are from Guangdong Province. We are traveling here. We passed through this town and thought it was so beautiful that we came here. Is this a tourist area?"
"It's not really a tourist attraction. People from other places come to visit the town from time to time, but there aren't many," the old man said casually. "My surname is Yang, you can just call me Old Yang."
"Master Yang, did you make all these silver ornaments?"
Li Chi'an's voice is as gentle as the wind, making it very pleasant to listen to.
"I made them all." The old man remained seated, but his hands stopped, and a smile appeared on his face. "I've been making silver jewelry here for over fifty years."
"Wow! You've been making silver jewelry for so long?" Li Chi'an exclaimed in amazement. "A seasoned craftsman, amazing."
"I started learning to make silver jewelry from my master when I was a teenager, and I've been making silver jewelry all my life." Master Yang opened his mouth to reveal a set of neat teeth. His dark face was covered with wrinkles. When talking about his craft, a confident smile appeared on his face. "There are more than a dozen craftsmen like me in our village. Some make Miao embroidery, and some weave bamboo ware."
"Does your village have so many craftsmen?" Yu Shi was also surprised. "We just came in from the town entrance and saw that no one was opening their doors. We thought everyone was away."
“There are many families who are no longer here,” Master Yang sighed. “The young people have all gone out to work and don’t want to stay at home. It’s mostly us old folks who are left behind. There are few tourists here, and not many people come. The young people who stay at home can’t make much money, so they all go to other places.”
"Do you sell these?" Li Chi'an asked uncertainly. "You make them to sell, right?"
The room in front of them was filled with exquisite silver ornaments displayed on the cabinets; it could easily be mistaken for a silver jewelry workshop or shop. However, the decorations in front of the door were too simple, leading them to initially mistake it for an ordinary farmhouse in the mountains.
"Sell it!" Master Yang's voice rose a little. "I make these things to sell. What else would I do? I can't eat them if I don't sell them.
"Are you selling all these silver ornaments to tourists?" Li Chian asked curiously.
“I sell to tourists, and some people come to my door to buy them.” Master Yang smiled wryly, and started hammering again. “After a day of work, my back aches and my waist hurts. Sometimes I don’t even see a single tourist. So I mostly sell my silver jewelry to people who come to do business.”
Yu Shi and Li Chi'an exchanged a glance. From Master Yang's expression, they sensed that the artisans in this village were probably struggling to make a living.
The two then looked at the other silver ornaments again. As they looked, Li Chi'an couldn't help but whisper to Yu Shi, "I wonder what their other handicrafts are like. I'd really like to see them."
Yu Shi listened without saying anything, turned around and took the silver ornament in the shape of a phoenix that she had seen when she entered the room, walked to Master Yang's side, and asked, "Master, how much do you charge for this silver ornament?"
Master Yang stopped hammering and asked expectantly, "You want to buy it?"
"I'll buy it," Yu Shi said decisively. "Name your price, and I'll buy it if it's reasonable."
“Hey, a lot of people like this phoenix-shaped silver ornament.” Master Yang’s face immediately showed a simple smile. “If you want it, I won’t name a price. You can give me 499.”
Without saying a word, Yu Shi took out his phone, opened the payment interface, and asked, "Where is your QR code?"
When Master Yang saw that he was about to pay without even haggling over the price, he excitedly stood up and exclaimed, "Here it is!"
He got up and walked to a table, pulled out a green QR code for receiving payments, glanced at Li Chi'an, and handed it to Yu Shi.
Yu Shi readily paid 499.
After paying, Yu Shi hadn't heard the payment notification from the shop yet, so she reminded Mr. Yang, "The payment is complete, please check it."
"Okay." As if he had just realized what was happening, Mr. Yang pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. The phone had some dust in its case and the screen was badly scratched.
He carefully checked his WeChat account to confirm that the money had arrived before putting his phone back into his pocket. "I'll get you a gift box to put it in so you can carry it easily."
Yu Shi patiently waited for Master Yang to finish assembling the silver phoenix-shaped ornament before taking it and gently making a request, "Master Yang, my girlfriend is very curious about the other handicrafts in your village and would like to buy some to take back as gifts for relatives and friends. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to show her the way?"
"Convenient, convenient." Master Yang was extremely enthusiastic about this matter.
As if afraid they might change their minds, he took off his apron and threw it onto the stirrup, saying, "I'll take you there right now."
He walked a few steps to a drawer on the table and pulled out a set of keys.
Master Yang locked the door and led them briskly to Aunt Luo's house on the other side of the village.
Before even entering the door, the rhythmic sound of a loom could be heard.
Inside the house, a woman dressed in Miao ethnic clothing was sitting in front of a traditional loom, her hands moving swiftly to weave the threads.
She is over sixty years old, but her eyes are still sharp and her fingers are incredibly nimble.
On the loom was an unfinished Miao embroidery, the pattern of which neither of them could recognize.
After Master Yang explained their purpose to Aunt Luo, Aunt Luo smiled and introduced, "What I embroidered is the Butterfly Mother from mythology, the creator ancestor in our Miao legend."
"It was Mother Butterfly."
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