Chapter 64 It's past six o'clock, entering and leaving the village...
After six o'clock, fewer people were coming and going from the village. Once the car was smoothly on the road, He Wenlun gradually relaxed and asked Guan Yang when he had taken his driving test. Upon learning that he had been driving for less than a year, he became worried again.
However, Guan Yang did drive quite well, and He Wenlun praised him a few times. Guan Yang felt a little awkward listening to this, but he was still happy, so he stopped keeping a straight face.
The boy's thoughts were written all over his face, which He Wenlun found amusing. Looking at the dark road ahead, he couldn't help but sigh at the fleeting nature of youth. Suddenly, he remembered his first and only meeting with Fang Minzhou, when she earnestly said, "Where do you place the grandparents who are having twilight romances?"
Guan Yang glanced at He Wenlun with a puzzled look. He Wenlun stopped smiling and changed the subject to continue chatting with Guan Yang. Hearing this, he realized Guan Yang had quite a lot of experience. "So what are you planning to do next?"
I can't keep working here forever, can I?
"We'll see," Guan Yang said indifferently.
He Wenlun said that Guan Yang's attitude was wrong, and couldn't help but lecture him a few times from his own experience. Finally, realizing Guan Yang's perfunctory attitude, He Wenlun also came to his senses and felt sorry for himself for really becoming a boring and long-winded adult, so he tried to talk about other common topics among young people, such as ball games and video games.
After picking them up at the train station, He Wenlun briefly introduced them and praised Guan Yang's driving skills, mainly to reassure Wang Kan. He then told Guan Yang that if he got tired later, he could let them know and they could take over driving. This time, Guan Yang nodded and said he understood.
He likes cars, but driving himself and being a driver for others are two completely different things. However, he has only driven a few passengers, and on those occasions, someone always accompanied him, either Grandpa Zhao or Sister Minzhou. They did this partly because they were worried about him and wanted to familiarize him with the routes, and partly for the sake of the customers' experience, since he couldn't speak, but someone needed to keep the customers company and chat with them to liven up the atmosphere in the car.
However, most of the guests who came to visit were looking forward to the rest of the trip, and Guan Yang had never seen the person in the back row so silent. Apart from replying to He Wenlun and greeting him when they first met, he hadn't said a word, which made Guan Yang feel a little pressured.
While waiting at a red light, Guan Yang glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the people in the back seat were resting with their eyes closed.
He Wenlun swayed slightly to the music, looked back and saw Wang Kan like this, and laughed: "Are you that tired? It's because you have to meet with clients this afternoon. You should rest well when we get to the guesthouse."
"Hmm," Wang Kan replied listlessly.
He Wenlun shook his head, already used to Wang Kan's current taciturn nature.
Wang Kan isn't inarticulate; after all, he was quite cheerful and lively when we first met. It's just that he's become more reserved now. He may be socializing, but he naturally talks less in private.
All things considered, He Wenlun and Wang Kan have known each other for many years. When He was pursuing his master's degree in China, his advisor taught Wang Kan's class and greatly admired this junior. At that time, Wang Kan even asked him about his portfolio for studying abroad, but it seems that he didn't end up going.
Seeing that Wang Kan had closed her eyes again, He Wenlun continued chatting with Guan Yang. Halfway back, Guan Yang's phone rang. He wasn't wearing headphones, and the screen showed it was Grandma Zhang calling. He Wenlun helped him put it on speakerphone. When he answered, a young woman's voice came through: "Guan Yang?"
Guan Yang responded and called out, "Sister."
"Are we almost there?"
"Almost there, probably another ten minutes or so."
"Okay." Fang Minzhou paused. "You're on speakerphone, right?"
“…Hmm.” Guan Yang gripped the steering wheel, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.
The car was very quiet.
"He Wenlun?"
He Wenlun: "Yes."
"Nothing much, just wanted to ask if you and your friend would like anything else to eat. We serve dinner until eight o'clock," Fang Minzhou said. "Where's Guan Yang?"
Guan Yang: "I don't need it."
"I don't need it either." He Wenlun checked the time, then turned to Wang Kan. "What about you?"
They happened to pass by a cave, and Wang Kan disappeared into the darkness like ink. He Wenlun did not receive an immediate reply from him.
The cave was short. When the warm yellow light illuminated Wang Kan's face again, He Wenlun opened his eyes as if he had already thought of an answer and replied indifferently, "No need."
It's like they're taking this very seriously. He Wenlun almost laughed. He turned his head and spoke into his phone: "No need."
"Okay, I'll hang up now," Fang Minzhou said. "Guan Yang, drive slowly and be careful."
"Okay, sister."
The phone call ended, and there was no voice. The music was also in a pause between tracks, and during those few seconds of silence, the car continued forward, driving a distance through the night.
He Wenlun asked Guan Yang curiously, "You usually call her 'sister'?"
Guan Yang knew that Fang Minzhou and He Wenlun knew each other, but they didn't seem to be very familiar with each other. He glanced at He Wenlun and said, "Yes, I call her 'sister' or 'Sister Minzhou'."
Sensing the wariness in Guan Yang's words, He Wenlun smiled. Had he not missed the fleeting shyness on Guan Yang's face? It wasn't surprising; boys at eighteen all yearn for mature women. He just wondered what Fang Minzhou's style was like at eighteen.
"How long has your sister been living here?" he asked again.
"...I'm not quite sure." Guan Yang looked ahead. "It seems like it came around March or April."
"That's been quite a while."
"Yes, I was originally going back to Zhangcheng, but I stayed because Grandpa Zhao was injured."
He Wenlun's expression showed understanding.
Guan Yang held back for a moment, but couldn't help himself and asked He Wenlun in return, "How did you and... Sister Minzhou meet?"
He Wenlun smiled, "Introduced by a friend."
Guan Yang responded with an "Oh".
“But it’s been almost two years since we last met,” He Wenlun said. He inadvertently met Wang Kan’s gaze in the rearview mirror, and then he turned to talk to someone else. “What a coincidence, isn’t it? A friend of mine is the granddaughter of the owner of this guesthouse, the one who just called.”
The phrase "introduced by a friend" might sound like the literal meaning to students just entering the workforce, and Guan Yang might not understand it, but Wang Kan could grasp the underlying message.
“Skillful,” Wang Kan uttered a single word.
He Wenlun followed his gaze to the window, where dark shadows of trees flashed by. He sensed that Wang Kan was in a bad mood, probably because he was really tired, so he stopped bothering him.
Upon arriving at the guesthouse, Guan Yang led Wang Kan to her room. He Wenlun said she wouldn't eat, but still planned to go to the restaurant.
Wang Kan's room was at the end of the corridor on the second floor. He only brought a bag, which he carried himself. When he entered the room, he first pressed the light switch. The light flickered but did not turn on. He tried it a couple more times, but there was still no response.
Fang Minzhou heard the noise outside the door and knew that the person had returned, so she got up to check the situation. The remaining single room was right across from her room. When she opened the door, she saw Guan Yang moving a low stool across the hallway.
He called out "Sister," and Fang Minzhou asked, "What's wrong?"
"...The light seems to be broken." Guan Yang scratched his face.
"Huh? It was fine this morning, wasn't it?"
“I also find it strange.” Fang Minzhou’s words calmed Guan Yang down a bit. He had been feeling rather guilty, worried that people would think their guesthouse service was terrible.
The door to the room across the hall was open, the bathroom light was on, and the sound of running water could be heard. Guan Yang moved a stool over, and Fang Minzhou knocked on the door, raising her voice slightly: "Hello, we've come to check the light."
"Just come in."
The man's voice, mixed with the sound of water, was like a scratched record, with impurities that were hard to distinguish.
Fang Minzhou's heart skipped a beat. She felt as if her feet were glued to the floor. She looked down, but there was only the floor beneath her feet.
The sound of water in the bathroom continued, and no one came out. She raised her head again and stepped into the dimly lit room.
The broken light was a chandelier hanging in the center of the room, with a spherical bulb inside a rattan lampshade. Fang Minzhou turned on her phone's flashlight, while Guan Yang stepped onto a low stool, removed the lampshade, and examined it. It appeared that the tungsten filament of the bulb was burnt out.
Fang Minzhou told Guan Yang to wait for her in the room while she went to get new light bulbs and tools.
The storage room was on the first floor. Step by step, you went up to the second floor. Fang Minzhou noticed that the sound of water inside the room had stopped. When he walked to the door, he saw that there was indeed another person in the room.
The bathroom light was still on, casting a corner of unwavering light. However, the person was standing against the wall in the shadows of the room, so Fang Minzhou couldn't see his face clearly and could only make out a rough outline.
Guan Yang stepped onto the low stool to change the light bulb, but the height was a bit awkward, and he had to bend over, which was inconvenient. Fang Minzhou then asked him to get down, and they switched roles. Her height plus the height of the stool was just right with the chandelier.
Guan Yang carefully held up a flashlight beside her, making sure Fang Minzhou could see clearly while avoiding direct exposure of her eyes to the bright light.
During that time, he secretly glanced at Fang Minzhou. She was focused, and the ends of her hair that fell beside her face and neck were reflected in the white light with a mysterious green hue, their slight natural curves like the tendrils of a plant.
Guan Yang's mind wavered slightly, feeling that Sister Minzhou didn't look almost ten years older than him.
The flashlight's beam was limited, and Guan Yang began to have some complaints about the other person in the room. Even though they were a guest, they just stood there watching without offering any help; it seemed rather condescending.
"Okay, try pressing the switch again," Fang Minzhou said.
The man remained motionless as if he hadn't heard anything. Guan Yang was furious. He walked over in a sullen voice and pressed the button, instantly illuminating the room.
Fang Minzhou finally saw the face of the man who had been hiding in the darkness. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, quietly watching her.
She was calmer than she had imagined. Perhaps the tension and surprise that should have arisen from the sudden reunion were worn down by repeated doubts, to the point that she resigned herself to the fact that "it really is Wang Kan."
She put the lampshade back on. "It's fine now. Any other questions?"
Wang Kan didn't speak, and it was unclear whether she was angry or what; their eye contact didn't give her enough time to observe. Fang Minzhou assumed he was alright, nodded, and left. Just as she reached the door, Wang Kan called out to her, "Wait."
Fang Minzhou stopped and responded with a polite attitude, waiting for the guest to say the next thing.
"Is there anything to eat?"
Guan Yang frowned. What was wrong with this person? He had clearly said in the car that he didn't want to eat.
"I'm sorry, we don't serve dinner at this time," Fang Minzhou said.
"Just cook something simple."
After Wang Kan finished speaking, he unzipped the bag on the ground. His casual attitude made Guan Yang want to step forward to argue with him, but Fang Min stopped him with a glance, and he swallowed his anger.
"There are noodles, wontons, and dumplings in the fridge, is that alright? Other things aren't really convenient right now." Fang Minzhou was all business as usual, treating it like she was dealing with an unfriendly guest.
Wang Kan looked up and said, "Noodles will do."
"Okay, then please come downstairs to the restaurant a little later, about fifteen minutes later."
"Can't you deliver food to the room?"
Just as Guan Yang was about to impatiently interrupt, Fang Minzhou spoke first: "We don't have a food delivery service, but you can take it to your room to eat yourself."
Wang Kan stared at her, his expressionless face lifting slightly in a half-smile: "Okay, I'll come down in a bit."
Thank you for your understanding.
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Author's Note: No extra chapter today. If there is an extra chapter later, I'll post it together. Otherwise, that's it. (runs away)
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