Recalling father's love, the wind blows away the fog, listening to good advice, the rain moistens the flowers
"Miss Yue?" The girl had barely uttered those three words when she covered her mouth. A violent coughing fit ensued, and by the time she calmed down, a sickly flush had spread across her innocent, bright face.
The woman in white ignored her and only said to Cui Ruyu, who was standing opposite her, "Cui Ruyu, wake up! I killed Tian Lei to save you! Otherwise, he would have beaten you to death! A beast in human form like him has been harming people all the time! He will only bring disaster to the world if he lives."
After saying that, she leaped into the air and floated away...
"Awake?" Liu Che's voice came at the same time as the gradually brightening skylight.
"Hmm." Although she replied, Xue Jiuyue's thoughts were still entwined with that time and space, a vibrant and colorful scene. After revisiting the memories, she could not wait to speak, "Before, I was also worried that the me in my dream was an unforgivable demon. Today I understand that I am not only a chivalrous heroine, but also a compassionate saint who sacrificed herself to save others!"
"Oh? Any new discoveries? Tell me about it."
…
Liu Che listened very quietly, not missing a single detail. Only after Xue Jiuyue finished her rambling speech did he chime in, "Yes, she's a great heroine. Lady, wait a moment. A cup of tea is a token of my respect."
"What good tea do you have today?"
"Today we have a relatively rare tea. I wonder if you're used to it, Miss." Liu Che joked as he worked at the tea table. After his last experience, he spoke more casually.
Soon, Liu Che handed over a straight glass. Unlike other tea leaves that were curled or twisted, two hairpin-shaped leaves fluttered in the light green tea, looking very pretty.
"Try this. This is the Taiping Houkui that my friend mailed from Anhui."
"Wow, so beautiful, not bad, not bad! Just looking at it makes me want to drink it." Xue Jiuyue took the cup of water and blew on the water. The fragrance of tea hit her face, penetrating her skin and moistening her texture. She took a sip, and the natural and fresh fragrance lingered between her lips and teeth.
"I'm going back to my hometown in a few days. It may take me a few days to come back." Taking advantage of Xue Jiuyue's tea, Liu Che talked about his upcoming itinerary.
"Oh? I've never asked you where you're from?"
"My hometown is Dongyuan."
"Dongyuan, I'm so familiar with you. I graduated from Dongyuan University."
"What a coincidence!"
"Yes, when I am fully recovered, we can go back to Dongyuan together! I haven't been there for several years. You can be my guide to your hometown, and we have to do it for free!" Xue Jiuyue joked mischievously again.
"It has to be free! I can even guarantee..." Liu Che was a little bit presumptuous, but he quickly restrained himself. He habitually wiped his forehead with his right hand and added, "I guarantee that Lady Xia will be satisfied!"
"The mountains remain unchanged, the rivers flow forever. It's a deal!" The heroine agreed generously, even adding a fist-clasping gesture to enhance the atmosphere. But when she saw Liu Che's calm smile, she realized her gesture was unnecessary.
But a seed sprouted at this moment, "He can't possibly not see it! Are you sure he can't see it?" The portrait of Tui Mo Xing'er flashed.
Xue Jiuyue made a face at Liu Che.
"Okay, it's settled." Liu Che looked normal, his voice was still gentle, and his smile didn't fluctuate much.
Xue Jiuyue still didn't give up, and quietly stretched her neck to move closer, looking straight into Liu Che's eyes.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Liu Che asked in surprise.
"Uh, no, it's just that a little bug flew by," Xue Jiuyue was so embarrassed by being caught that she panicked for a moment. Then she realized, "How did you know? Can you see?"
Liu Che smiled calmly and pointed to his ear, "Your breathing is getting closer and more rapid."
"You can hear this too?" Xue Jiuyue was skeptical.
"If God blocks my door, he must leave me a window to breathe."
"Haha, that's a classic line. When you say it, it feels like you're being targeted by a debt collector."
"Oh... Doctor Li Jingzi came by just now and asked me to apologize to you on her behalf. She will also apologize to you in person when you are free."
"Jingzi? Apologize to me?" One doubt was not resolved, and a new doubt arose.
…
Xue Jiyue didn't take Liu Che's apology and explanation on behalf of Li Jingzi to heart at all. Her whole mind was still on Liu Che's eyesight. However, although Xue Jiyue continued to cautiously test him with various small gestures during the chat, she didn't find any new surprises until she left.
Even the stories in his dreams seemed so real, yet Liu Che still insisted that they were the product of his subconscious mind, not necessarily a past life. However, Xue Jiuyue herself could not fathom their deeper meaning, just like the leaves that arrived in the mail every day.
It’s hard to tell whether it’s disappointment, loss, loneliness, or confusion. All sorts of mottled emotions play an old song deep in my heart, lingering and entangled, “like fog, like rain, like wind”…
After several encounters with Xue Jiuyue, Qian Jianjun was captivated by the elegance and grace she exuded in her every gesture and the profound knowledge she revealed in her conversation. From the initial shock of their encounter to the lingering, enduring, and delightful aftertaste he now savoured, Qian Jianjun was like tasting a fine wine, happily intoxicated yet unaware. At the last dinner, while still intoxicated, Qian Jianjun had gleaned from Qiu Nian some fragments about Xue Jiuyue, which revealed a mysterious past that stirred curiosity, perhaps even heartache.
"There's no ice that the sun can't melt." Sitting by the window in "Inch by Inch of Time," admiring the setting sun and the vast blue sky, Qian Jianjun's confidence was as firm and warm as the sun. Although their relationship was far from intimate, Qian Jianjun inexplicably felt a sense of "saintly" duty, a desire to save and illuminate...
When I first returned from Liu Che's place, the rain had stopped, but the air was still thick with mist, a hazy haze that obscured the smoky light and blurred my swirling thoughts. I couldn't see clearly, couldn't discern anything, until a memory broke through the clouds and shone through.
"Dad, isn't short-sighted a derogatory term?"
"Yes, Xiao Shi is right."
"Then why do you always tell Mom that people need to be short-sighted to be happy?"
"That's what you're talking about." The chubby figure patted the little head lovingly before explaining with a smile, "There's a saying that goes, 'If you don't plan for the future, you'll have immediate worries.' This saying is so deeply rooted in people's minds that many people focus too much on the distant future, affecting their current happiness and even ignoring the present. But often when the time comes, they find that all their previous worries were unfounded, and the happy times they missed are gone forever. It would have been better not to think so far ahead in the first place. It's short-sighted and only focus on the present. Of course, the premise is that the direction cannot be wrong, and you must absolutely see the inch in front of you thoroughly! Going in the wrong direction will lead to a big mistake that you will regret. If you can't see the present clearly, you are hopelessly stupid! Short-sighted, short-sighted. Too many people only know how to look far away and ignore what's under their feet. How many people are so confident that they can see the inch in front of them clearly?"
"Dad, you must have been criticized by Mom and become stupid. She said so much to me, but I didn't understand." The little boy said mischievously, blinking his eyes.
"Well, okay, let me give you an example." The chubby figure said as he raised his left fist, extending his thumb and index finger as if holding up a chestnut, and then asked, "Dad risked his life to buy you chocolate last night. Was it delicious?"
"tasty!"
"So what would happen if your mother found out?"
"She would scold me and nag me non-stop, saying things like, 'I've gained weight, I've got cavities,' and it never ends!"
"So when you eat chocolate, if you're thinking about what would happen if your mom found out, will the chocolate still taste good?"
"Then how can we eat?!"
"So, when you eat, do you just focus on the delicious food in front of you and not think about your mother's nagging? Or do you think about whether eating too much will cause toothache?"
"Uh-huh!"
"That's what Dad calls shortsightedness. Got it?"
"Okay, I understand. If I was still thinking about what to do if Mom found out while I was eating, in fact, Mom didn't find out in the end, but I just wasted a piece of chocolate. Besides, if I was found out, I would have you, Dad, to take the blame. So just eat it and don't let overthinking affect my mood, right?"
"You heartless little pickpocket..."
Only after growing up did I more deeply understand the profound truths my father spoke of. While the subtleties of the Buddha's parable differ, their broad implications are similar. So whenever Xue Jiuyue encountered something she couldn't understand, she simply put it aside without any burden. It's better to be short-sighted. Why bother thinking so far ahead? All we need to do is understand the present moment clearly. As for tomorrow, perhaps it will be the end of the world, perhaps all our problems will be solved, but today is gone forever. And what about the long term? "In the long run, we're all dead"...
Dad's reasoning solved all the puzzles, so the weather was just right, the sun was shining, the swirling water vapor turned into mist, and when the breeze caressed it, the whole world became so clear that there was not a trace of haze, and joy and "smiles" shone everywhere.
Mei Rugu took Li Jingzi's words of advice to heart, no matter what she said. Even before she'd decided on specific actions, the general direction was pretty much in place. The more pressing issue was that she was indeed wrong and should politely apologize.
"Let misunderstandings become hurt, and finally become scars and estrangements." Li Jingzi's words knocked on Mei Rugu's heart like morning bells and evening drums, making her absent-minded the whole afternoon.
She would lie on the sofa, casually switching the TV, then go to the dressing table to touch up her makeup. Later, taking advantage of the clearing sky after the rain, she went to the backyard to admire the roses planted by Sister Feng. They were in full bloom, a dazzling array of colors filling the path, "thousands of blossoms weighing down the branches." Because it was the first clear day after the rain, the dew still lingered, adding a touch of color and vitality to the blossoms, making them appear radiant and charming.
Mei Rugu's mood brightened, her thoughts lively. With her courtyard gate as her backdrop, she took a series of photos of flowers from various angles and posted them on her WeChat Moments, captioning them: "The yard is full of fallen flowers, the curtains remain open."
Then she returned to the house and made various arrangements.
"Sister Feng, what are you cooking for dinner? Any fish?"
…
"Sister Feng, where did I put the bottle of red wine I brought home a few days ago?"
…
"Sister Feng, where is the candlestick I used for my birthday?"
…
"Hello, Sister Yue."
"Xiao Nian? Come and sit down." Xue Jiuyue was a little surprised to see that the person with the "smiley face" coming over was Qiu Nian, who should have been following Lin Yiyi.
"Sister Yue, the world-renowned Paris Opera Ballet is coming to Xialin for a performance. A friend gave me five VIP tickets for tomorrow night. They have a private viewing area, so you won't be sitting so close to strangers. Do you want us all to go and enjoy the performance together?"
"Tomorrow night's show? You have tickets? That's great. They only have two shows, but unfortunately, they sold out instantly. I checked last night and they were still sold out." Qiu Nian's news was a pleasant surprise. Xue Jiuyue had longed to see the Paris Opera Ballet perform, but she hadn't been able to get tickets. This morning, she was still debating whether to look for scalpers.
Besides being pleasantly surprised, Xue Jiuyue caught another important point from Qiu Nian's excited eyes, "Ah, will so many people going there affect you? Otherwise, I won't go."
Xue Jiuyue emphasized the word "men", making Qiu Nian blush. "No, no, I asked for the tickets because you like watching ballet."
Even so, the scene of yesterday's drinking scene came to mind again. At that time, Jun Ge took the opportunity of toasting to pull me aside and chat for a while...
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