"What kind of paper is this? It's so beautiful."
Su Niannian gently picked up one and stroked the ginkgo leaf patterns on it with her fingertips.
Shi Heng smiled and explained, "This is called 'Suihua Jian', which means 'year after year, the splendor continues forever'. It is said that this kind of paper can be preserved for hundreds of years without fading."
"Suihua Jian..." Su Niannian repeated softly, stroking the paper lovingly with her fingers. "What a nice name."
Shi Heng pushed one of the stacks in front of Su Niannian and said, "Let's each write ten letters, one to each other for the next ten years. Every year on our anniversary, we'll come back together and open one."
Su Niannian's eyes lit up. "This is a great idea! It's like a time capsule."
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "So what should we write about?"
“You can write about your expectations for the future, what you want to say to the other person, or your current mood.”
Shi Heng picked up the brush and said, "Just write whatever comes to mind. Don't be too deliberate."
"Okay." Su Niannian nodded, picked up the pen and started thinking seriously.
The two of them each found a table in the Zen room and began to write letters.
Su Niannian was very devoted in writing, sometimes stopping to think, sometimes with a smile on her face.
When Heng finished writing the last letter, he looked up and saw Su Niannian had just put down her pen.
"Have you finished writing?" Shi Heng asked.
"Yeah." Su Niannian stretched. "My hands are sore from writing. But it feels magical to think that we will see a letter every year in the future."
Shi Heng walked up to her and said, "Want to go to the clock tower? I heard the scenery there is beautiful."
"Okay!" Su Niannian immediately became excited.
Hand in hand, the two walked to the mountain behind the temple and climbed up the bell tower.
Standing on a high place and looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the entire temple and the mountains in the distance.
"It's so beautiful." Su Niannian exclaimed, "I feel like I've calmed down completely."
Shi Heng pulled her to the big clock and asked, "Do you want to try to ring the bell?"
"Is it okay?" Su Niannian asked in surprise.
"Of course." Shi Heng held her hand and together they held the bell hammer, "Let's do it together."
"How many times do I have to hit it?" Su Niannian asked, looking up.
"Whatever you like." Shi Heng replied gently.
Su Niannian thought about it seriously, "How about nine? Nine is a good number, representing a long and lasting time."
"Okay, nine."
Shi Heng held her hand tightly, "Are you ready?"
"Um!"
"when--"
The first bell sounded long and deep, startling the birds in the forest.
“Dang—dang—dang—”
The sound of bells echoed through the valley, one after another.
Su Niannian closed her eyes, feeling the vibration brought by the bell, with a sweet smile on her lips.
When Heng took her to hit the ninth time, Su Niannian suddenly turned her head, with a cunning light flashing in her bright eyes.
"Now, we owe the Buddha nine lifetimes."
Shi Heng was stunned and subconsciously asked, "What do you mean?"
"Buddhism says that those who ring the bell together will meet again in the next life."
Su Niannian stood on tiptoe and put her arms around his neck. "Nine bell sounds mean nine lifetimes of fate."
Before Shi Heng could react, Su Niannian had already kissed him on the lips.
The lingering sound of the bell still vibrates in the air, as if bearing witness to this moment.
Shi Heng came back to his senses, hugged her tightly, and deepened the kiss.
…
Four years later, Shi Mo and Su Qian both turned sixteen.
On this day, the atmosphere in the conference room on the 28th floor of the Shi Group Building was solemn.
"I don't agree!"
Director Chen, a veteran of the board, slammed the table and stood up. "A sixteen-year-old kid as vice president? Mr. Shi, this is too ridiculous!"
Shi Heng sat in the main seat, his expression calm, "Uncle Chen, let's take a look at this first."
He nodded to his son who was standing nearby.
Shi Mo calmly turned on the projector, and the title of "Shi Group's Five-Year Development Plan" appeared on the screen.
"Dear directors, this is the research report I spent six months on."
He analyzed in detail the current status of the group's various business segments, and particularly pointed out the opportunities for digital transformation of traditional manufacturing.
"Our smart factory pilot has already increased production efficiency by 40%," he said, citing data. "If this is fully implemented, we could create another Shishi within five years."
"Wait a minute," Director Li interrupted, "Transformation requires a huge amount of money."
Shi Mo took out a document from his briefcase. "That's exactly my second point. Universal Investment Bank has agreed to provide a low-interest loan of $5 billion in exchange for a 5% stake in our smart factory."
There was an uproar in the conference room.
The CFO was surprised and asked, "Such favorable terms?"
"Because I helped them design a risk assessment algorithm,"
Shi Mo explained: "It just happens to be used for their banking business."
Shi Heng nodded with satisfaction, "Now, is there anyone who objects?"
After heated discussions, the board finally reached a compromise.
"You can try it for two years," Director Chen said, "but it must be supervised by the president himself."
At dinner that day, Shi Heng said to Su Niannian, "We have to stay in the capital for a while."
Su Niannian paused while serving the soup. "For Momo?"
"Yeah. Although that kid is capable, he's still young. I have to help him gain his footing."
Shi Heng took the bowl of soup, "Your clinic..."
"Leave it to Yang Xue. She was able to handle it on her own five years ago. Besides...didn't Kangrui Hospital invite me to participate in the Chinese medicine research?"
…
At the same time, Su Qian was concentrating on practicing a new piece in the piano room.
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