Last night and tonight it's hard to face the past
"There is a tiger in my heart, sniffing the roses."
Though it was an inappropriate and even diametrically opposed description of his current actions, Qian Jianjun couldn't help but recall the poem. Even more curiously, he seemed to actually detect a lingering fragrance between his fingers. With a burst of laughter, he quickly gave up on his dream, as his relatively intact attire dispelled any assumptions.
"If it were Mei, she would have helped me take off my clothes." Qian Jianjun felt sad for a while. He began to pace back and forth in the room, his inner determination beginning to loosen, and all the good things about Mei Rugu came pouring out.
Finally, he picked up his phone again, hoping to find a suitable, or even barely usable, outlet. But Mei Rugu's profile picture on the chat app was as solid and unwavering as her personality, and the content of her Moments only underscored her vaunted independence and strength. It was a declaration of war! An inexplicable irritation suddenly surged forth, dispelling his newly budding patience and causing him to throw his phone directly onto the bed...
The roses left behind by the magic trick yesterday also left behind all of Ke Yike's worries. All night long, he replayed the scene of Xue Jiuyue after the magic trick, frame by frame. The subtlest change in her expression; the rose's spontaneous disappearance; and the final detail: Xue Jiuyue, though 18 minutes later than the day before, still left hours earlier than usual. He pondered all of this on an endless loop. Various answers, or rather, no answers, only brought dark circles under his eyes.
Despite the warning from the prophet, Xue Jiuyue still felt very embarrassed. So even though she woke up energetic this morning and even went for a morning run, she still lingered until after lunch before arriving at "Inch of Time".
The empty morning left Ke Yike's heart hanging with it. Blinking his panda eyes, he would either hunch over the bar in a daze or stare out the window, his mind wandering, more lost than a panda. Finally, Xue Jiuyue arrived, and his heart finally settled in, though it was still pounding, probably beating over 200 times a minute.
"Ying'er, why is Sister Yue so calm today?" Ke Yike asked without any reason.
"Isn't peace the best?" Zhou Ying's answer was ambiguous.
However, Ke Yike still drew strength from her reply and murmured to himself, "That's right!" Although he said so, the frequent and urgent urination that followed once again exposed his inner feelings.
"Go and deliver the meal and the letter to Sister Yue." Zhou Ying handed over a prepared plate, reminding the panicked Ke Yike.
"Okay, thank you Ying'er!"
Ke Yike's repeated attempts at tactical manipulation failed this time. Whether he cleared his throat, set the table, or even put down the envelope, he couldn't summon Xue Jiuyue from behind the magazine that obscured the sky. He could only continue to suffer in endless speculation and waiting.
"Ying'er, what would you do if someone you don't like confessed to you?" Ke Yike asked for help off the court again.
"Just decline! Aren't there a lot of similar strategies online? I'm sorry, you're really outstanding, but I'm not that lucky... I'm sorry, you're great, but we're not suitable... There's even a funnier one: I'm sorry, our genders are incompatible... What? I treat you as a brother, and you want me to be your girlfriend?"
Even though his heart was about to jump out of his chest, Zhou Ying's smile and her sweet voice still made Ke Yike feel a little relieved. He then asked, "What if someone you like confesses their love to you?"
Perhaps because the question was difficult to answer, Zhou Ying put away her sweet smile, as if she was hesitating or thinking, and said slowly, "I'm not sure about that. I might be shy, or I might cry tears of joy. I don't know."
Her voice became lower and lower as time went on, so low that she couldn't retain Ke Yike's attention. She only replied perfunctorily, "Oh, thanks."
No matter how Xue Jiuyue tried to comfort herself, she couldn't face Ke Yike entering her dreams. So she hid her face behind a magazine, focused on food, or studied the leaves that came with the letter. Finally, she simply plugged in headphones and closed her eyes to listen. But the darkness brought by closing her eyes became a screen on which her memories played, becoming even clearer and more vivid. Xue Jiuyue could only open her eyes again, gaze out the window, and place a "smiley face" on the table, hoping that external force would dispel the lingering image that lingered in her mind.
Qian Jianjun, who had already visited the cottage three times and waited two days, finally saw the long-awaited "smiling face." Unable to let anyone get there first, he quickly walked over, coffee in hand.
"Hello, can I sit here?"
Although the mellow voice was not high, it still had the power to pull Xue Jiuyue back from the chaos.
"Hello, please sit down." Xue Jiuyue quickly straightened his sitting posture, looked at the other party, and responded politely.
The man before me appeared to be in his early thirties, with a stocky build and a slightly square face. He wore a light-colored, short-sleeved T-shirt with a collar. His stylish short hair highlighted his wise and confident forehead. He had a square mouth and a narrow jaw, and a straight, round nose. But what caught his eye the most were his piercing, star-like eyes, nestled beneath thick eyebrows.
"I'm very sorry to bother you! I came to this cafe for the first time the day before yesterday and was deeply attracted. I feel that this shop is not only refreshing, but also full of profound meaning; some of the meanings can be understood, but some are ambiguous; I really want to find someone to answer my questions. May I ask if you are the owner of this cafe?" As soon as Qian Jianjun sat down, he went straight to the point and stated his purpose.
Xue Jiuyue smiled faintly, "Thank you for your kindness! In the store, we hope that everyone will communicate on an equal footing without being bound by status."
"Then I'll ask directly! First of all, I'm not entirely sure what the name of this shop, Inch by Inch of Time, actually means."
"You're welcome. It's just a name. There are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people."
Qian Jianjun was clearly dissatisfied with this answer and approached the question from a different angle. "Admittedly, everyone's feelings vary. But could you please tell me the original intention behind choosing this name? After all, it's closely related to the overall concept of this store."
Xue Jiuyue did not answer directly, but instead asked a question, "What if the name was 'One Inch of Time'? How would you feel?"
"When I think of time, I naturally think of the well-known idiom: time is money. Time is gone forever and must be treasured. It makes people feel very motivated and motivated, but also very urgent." Qian Jianjun answered after a little thought.
As Qian Jianjun said, "Time is money." Everyone knows this, but when it was spoken aloud, it suddenly brought back the clear voice deep in his mind, as if Xue Jiuyue's heart had stopped beating—not painfully, and only for a moment, but sleepy, tired, sour, wrinkled, and empty. Xue Jiuyue calmed down with a sip of latte before asking, "What do you think after adding those two words?"
"Inch by inch," Qian Jianjun repeated, savoring it like sipping coffee. Then, pondering it, he began to express his feelings: "It seems to emphasize the fragmentation of time, or rather, the fragmentation of time, and at the same time, it feels more soothing."
Xue Jiuyue smiled and nodded.
Qian Jianjun, having received the affirmation, did not stop there. Instead, he wanted to dig deeper into the root cause. "These four words do make people feel more powerful, but also more oppressive. Breaking this inherent rhythm will create a more peaceful and lingering feeling. Great! But, is this your original intention?"
"I guess so. A mountain looks different from the front, and even your own thoughts can be interpreted differently."
It made sense, but it was still unsatisfactory. Qian Jianjun then changed the question and continued to explore: "I'm very sorry, I do feel the feeling you want to express, but I still want to ask, there are countless ways to relax, why did you choose the dimension of time?"
"Because the most profound shackle that constrains us is time!"
"Your coffee is really good!" Faced with the witty answer, Qian Jianjun sipped his coffee, lowered his head and thought for a moment before speaking again, "It's true that we are powerless against time!"
Before Xue Jiuyue could express herself, Qian Jianjun's eyes were once again ablaze with confidence and pride. He added, citing classics, "But time isn't all a scourge! One's own time is completely controllable! Some people can use the same time to achieve immortality, while others can only waste it in obscurity. That's why Sima Qian lamented, 'All men are destined to die, some heavier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather.' That's why the first hexagram of the Book of Changes, Qian, says, 'Heaven moves with vigor; the gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement!'"
Eyes shone with confidence and determination, twinkling with starlight. Combined with the sonorous tone and familiar lines, they gradually blurred with the impression that had surfaced before, becoming the clarion call of dawn, clear and distant... The momentary loss between illusion and reality made Xue Jiuyue feel dazed for a moment, but she quickly adjusted herself. "So you are very confident about your time?"
"Well, who among us can't manage our own time? Unless our freedom is restricted."
"Have you ever felt like time was passing by so quickly, as if you had gained so much, yet also as if you had nothing? Have you ever felt like time was completely insufficient, and even after trying your best, you still felt like you couldn't do anything?"
Those two questions, mingled with a cascade of memories, instantly shattered Qian Jianjun's perspective like a whistling bullet. Only years of inertia supported his final stubbornness. "So, do we just give up resistance? Let time take its course, let it flow? Without a sense of urgency and a fierce fight, what's the meaning of life?"
A familiar swallow returns, and a strong sense of familiarity washes over me. But like a wild goose, it flies across the sky, its shadow falls into a cold pond, and soon disappears without a trace. Only a wisp of spirit remains, as if it has been loosened from a seal, instinctively reconstructing a conversation that transcends time and space. "I have a story, do you want to hear it?"
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