Chapter 37 (The title is "Magnificent Landscape")
There was no skirt that was cut up; it was woven by Zhu Xu.
But it's okay, He Yanzhou cut it for her.
I woke up to bright sunshine this morning.
Zhu Xu stretched and found the bedroom quiet; He Yanzhou wasn't there. He guessed He Yanzhou must have gone to the company by now, so he stayed in bed a little longer.
Her gaze fell to the ground, where two pieces of black silk fabric lay scattered under the beam of light—her new nightgown. Thinking of last night, she couldn't help but blush and her heart race. He had cut and torn the dress; it was a pity she'd only worn it once, and it was all wasted.
She was naked under the covers, so she casually reached for his white shirt that he had taken off and put it on.
As I opened the door and went downstairs, I was surprised to see He Yanzhou standing in the dining room at the corner of the stairs.
He was wearing a dark gray suit, his tie draped around his neck, not yet fastened. As he drank water, he looked up at me and asked, "Awake?"
Are you off today?
"We're about to head out." He put down his water glass, walked over, and patted her head. "But I might be back early this afternoon to take you somewhere, and then I'll take you to the airport."
"Okay." Zhu Xu leaned against the counter and saw a thick slice of toast, a fried egg, and a cup of hot soy milk on it. The toast must have been soaked in milk and then fried in butter.
"Did you make this?" Zhu Xu picked up a fork.
"The soy milk was bought by Zheng Zhi. The rest were..."
Zhu Xu took a bite of the toast. It was moist and soft, with a rich milky flavor. "Delicious," she commented. "Zheng Zhi must be working really hard. It seems like he's on call all the time except when he's sleeping."
“It’s not that exaggerated,” He Yanzhou said. “But there are some things that do require his personal attention.”
Zhu Xu bent slightly to support himself on the island counter, standing there slowly eating his toast: "That person looks very trustworthy."
"He's been with me for many years, and he's a good person." He Yanzhou walked to the full-length mirror and tied his tie. "Where are you going later?"
"I made an appointment with Jiang Rao. I'm going back to Beidao tonight, and I plan to talk to her." She turned around, her back against the edge of the table, and looked towards the living room. He stood in front of the mirror with his back to her, his suit perfectly hugging his tall frame, not too tight, yet upright and stylish.
Zhu Xu had never seen anyone wear a suit so well.
She put down her fork and tiptoed over.
He Yanzhou glanced back in the mirror, then lowered his eyes without making a sound, continuing to slowly and methodically tie his tie.
Zhu Xu peeked out from behind him, strands of hair falling down his shoulders and suddenly falling into a ray of sunlight streaming in from outside, those upturned, fluffy strands of hair looking so full of life.
Her furtive yet slightly cunning demeanor made her come alive.
He Yanzhou's voice softened unconsciously: "What kind of mischievous idea are you thinking of?"
"No, not at all," Zhu Xu said. "I just think you look great in clothes and wanted to see you up close."
He Yanzhou felt that the meaning of those words was wrong: "Is it ugly to not wear clothes?"
"No." She gave a silly laugh.
He lowered his head and continued tying his tie, his voice low: "Still laughing."
These two words are full of doting affection.
The room was warm and cozy, making one instantly forget that it was the dead of winter.
The morning light cast a soft golden glow, illuminating every corner.
Zhu Xu took a step to the side, put her hands behind her back, and stood next to him. She was only wearing his white shirt, the length of which was just enough to cover the top of her legs. Her thighs were round and fleshy, while her calves were excessively slender. Standing there, she looked fair and smooth, like jade.
He Yanzhou liked her very much, but he was even more impressed by her waist. He was amazed at how narrow it was and how exaggerated the curves of her hips and buttocks were, like a willow-leaf vase with a slender neck and full shoulders.
Surprisingly, in addition to his spiritual admiration, he was also extremely attracted to her in a purely physical way.
He looked away and noticed that his tie was in the wrong place, so he took it apart and retied it.
Zhu Xu's attention was initially on him, but a woman's instinct leads her to admire herself in the mirror. She quietly turned left and right a couple of times, ran her fingers through her loose hair, and then adjusted her slippers.
He Yanzhou was gradually pushed out of the mirror.
Zhu Xu noticed this, took his arm, and tried to pull him closer.
"Tsk." He Yanzhou's hand trembled, and his tie came undone again.
Zhu Xu smiled apologetically. She turned him around, stood on tiptoe, and took the tie from his hand: "Let me do it." Realizing there was still a significant height difference, she pulled harder on his hand: "Lower it."
He Yanzhou bowed slightly: "If you break it, you'll have to pay for it."
"You'd better pay for my nightgown first."
He Yanzhou: "Who started the story?"
"You're so gullible," Zhu Xu retorted.
"You figured out I'd fall for this?" He Yanzhou tapped her nose with his finger: "You seem honest on the surface, but you're quite the schemer behind the scenes."
Zhu Xu's face flushed slightly, and she was so embarrassed by his words that she wanted to run away: "I'm not talking to you anymore." She turned around.
He Yanzhou pulled her back, pressing her close, tilting his head slightly, and lightly kissing her earlobe. Zhu Xu shrank back, trying to avoid him, but he held her by the waist, the kisses coming in quick, soft bursts, their breaths mingling, and the surrounding air suddenly became thick and ambiguous.
Zhu Xu turned her head casually and saw in the mirror that he was hunched over, dressed impeccably, while she struggled to stand on tiptoe, bending backward at the waist, the only thing covering her body, the white shirt, had already shifted up.
The sun was shining brightly as he kissed her neck.
Zhu Xu gave him a sharp remark: "...You're going to be late."
He Yanzhou realized his mistake and suddenly understood why King Zhou had been bewitched by a fox spirit. The one before him was, after all, a fox spirit.
He Yanzhou bit her lightly twice as if venting his anger, then released her and took a half step back.
After several attempts, the tie still wasn't tied properly.
He smiled helplessly and quickly tied a knot: "Sweetie, go back to sleep for a while," he gestured with his chin towards the window: "There are cars in the underground parking lot, you can drive them whenever you want later."
"Oh." Zhu Xu smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt and slowly backed away. "May your work go smoothly."
"Thank you," he said with a smile.
Zhu Xu went back to sleep for a while, and woke up at ten o'clock. After taking a shower and putting on light makeup, she prepared to go out.
She went for a walk around the underground parking lot, but the cars were all too expensive, so she didn't drive any.
The date was at the same hot pot restaurant as last time, not far from He Yanzhou's place.
When she arrived, Jiang Rao had already ordered a table full of dishes according to their preferences: tripe, beef bone marrow, catfish, pig brains...
Zhu Xu took a couple of bites and then confessed his relationship with He Yanzhou to her. Jiang Rao took a couple of seconds to process it before letting her continue explaining the whole story.
The spicy red oil bubbled and steamed, filling the air with heat.
Time slowly passed by.
Zhu Xu stirred the dipping sauce: "That's basically the idea."
"You're really something, keeping it from me for so long."
"It's only just been decided, it's not too late, is it?" she asked. "Didn't Liu Chuang mention any of the minor details to you?"
Jiang Rao's eyes widened: "He knew too?"
"I know a little bit about him. He helped me with last year's class reunion and our meeting in Beidao."
Jiang Rao found it hard to believe that he hadn't revealed a single word about such a significant event: "Just wait until I get back and I'll torture him severely."
Zhu Xu said, "Men don't gossip like we do. What you think you should share secrets with might just be a trivial little episode to him."
"That's true." Jiang Rao picked up a fish for her.
The two chatted and ate, and the meal took almost two hours.
Zhu Xu returned to Beidao that evening, and the next time they met might be several months or even longer.
The two had been friends for many years, and before parting, Jiang Rao still worriedly told her: "Sometimes, when it comes to love, putting in too much effort can backfire. Don't be too serious about things in the future. Give seven parts and keep three for yourself."
She emphasized, "Do you know?"
Zhu Xu paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
After separating from Jiang Rao, she returned to her residence in the western suburbs. She had tidied up and moved twice in the past year, and there was nothing of great importance left in the house. Zhu Xu simply cleaned out and threw away some old items, gave the house a quick tidying up, and then locked the door and left.
She took a taxi to Jintu Building and waited in the lobby for five minutes before He Yanzhou came out of the elevator.
Zhu Xu stood up.
He Yanzhou looked up at her, waved to her, and continued walking. Zhu Xu jogged a few steps to meet him, and he put his arm around her and walked outside.
"Where are we going?" Zhu Xu looked up from his arms.
"I'll take you to see the factory."
The drive takes about 40 minutes, and the surroundings become increasingly desolate as you drive further.
A sign reading "Safety Production" is written on one side of the factory gate. Inside, there are rows of factory buildings with blue bricks and blue tiles on both sides.
Zhu Xu sat in the car and looked out, marveling at the vastness of the area.
After turning the corner, the car stopped on the side of the road.
Several older managers in workshop uniforms came out to greet him, calling him "President He." He Yanzhou nodded slightly, looked after Zhu Xu, and then chatted with the others as they walked towards the factory across the street.
Zhu Xu noticed a slender pillar, about half a person's height, standing to the side of the factory door, topped with a silver sphere the size of a porcelain bowl. A person in charge went over first, cupped the sphere in both hands, and rubbed it a few times.
One person completes the task, then another. The method is very similar to Western crystal ball divination.
Zhu Xu followed suit, touching the sphere with both hands.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, she leaned close to He Yanzhou and whispered, "Is there some kind of custom involved? Are there any rituals to perform before going in?"
He Yanzhou glanced at her and said, "The older generation is more particular about this. Fireworks making is quite dangerous, and the magnetic field on a person is too complex. They are afraid of bringing unclean things into the factory, so they need to cleanse themselves beforehand."
Zhu Xu nodded: "I see."
He Yanzhou couldn't help but glance at her again, his expression slightly stern: "Did you touch her properly just now?"
"...I only touched it twice."
He Yanzhou raised his chin forward and lowered his voice: "Don't let that old man know. He's very particular about this. I'm even afraid of him."
Zhu Xu couldn't help but feel a little nervous and scared. He glanced ahead and asked, "Should I go back and get some more?"
"No need for that, just sing a few revolutionary songs in your mind."
Zhu Xu obediently replied, "Oh."
After He Yanzhou finished speaking, he walked forward, when suddenly a burst of laughter erupted behind him.
Zhu Xu turned around and found Zheng Zhi following behind.
He took two steps forward and whispered, "The boss is just teasing you." He then pointed towards the door: "It's for removing static electricity."
"..." Zhu Xu was furious. He was even better at making up stories than she was, and she had foolishly believed him without question. Overly trusting someone makes your intelligence start to slack off.
Zheng Zhi asked curiously, "You're not going to sing it live, are you?"
Zhu Xu thought to himself, "You really talk too much," and replied with a smile, "No, actually I know he's joking."
She turned her head and saw that they had stopped ahead, pointing to something and discussing something. He Yanzhou stood tall among them, hands behind his back, like a pine tree, exuding a youthful and vibrant aura.
Zhu Xu silently went over and pinched his hand.
Unexpectedly, it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He quickly grabbed her hand, without turning around, and his speech remained solemn and serious, showing no sign of being distracted by her little gesture.
Zhu Xu dared not break free from the disturbance, letting him knead and rub him for a while before letting go after the conversation was over.
After the tour, the responsible persons left first, and He Yanzhou took Zhu Xu for a casual stroll.
He pointed to a machine tool that was in operation: "The first step in fireworks production is the pulling tube."
The machines roared, and after several processes, the paper tubes were cut into pieces. On the open ground opposite, several boxes of torn tubes, some long and some short, were neatly stacked.
Zhu Xu picked up a section: "Why is it still wet?"
“There’s glue inside,” he said. “It will be sent to dry next.”
Looking at the massive machine, Zhu Xu suddenly had a question: "Won't this kind of automated assembly line affect the continuation of traditional culture?"
“There is no conflict,” He Yanzhou said. “The core processes certainly require skilled workers, but for the basic steps, mechanical assistance can both reduce manual labor and meet the production demands.”
After leaving the factory area, He Yanzhou instructed Zheng Zhi to wait where he was. He then personally drove Zhu Xu to the experimental base behind the factory.
It was now completely dark, with insufficient lighting and limited visibility.
Through the car window, Zhu Xu could only vaguely see a vast wilderness in front of him, deserted and barren.
He Yanzhou led her out of the car, and they saw several knee-high cardboard boxes placed on an open ground in the distance.
As they got closer, they turned out to be fireworks.
Zhu Xu turned and glanced at him.
He Yanzhou: "Dare you release it?"
Zhu Xu said, "They didn't let them go. They probably didn't dare."
"Give it a try?"
"May I?"
He Yanzhou thought for a moment and said, "Never mind." He squatted down, untied the wire at the corner, and tilted his head back, saying, "Stand further away."
Zhu Xu stepped back a considerable distance.
He Yanzhou turned his head to watch until she was out of danger, then took out a lighter from his pocket and lit the fuse.
A light suddenly appeared in his hand, and he quickly stood up and strode backward.
Zhu Xu could only see his outline, while a spark behind him shone as brightly as a diamond.
The night wind was cold, and she unconsciously sniffed.
Suddenly, several loud bangs rang out, and several blue beams shot into the night sky simultaneously. Two or three seconds later, everything was suddenly bright. Golden beams burst open one after another, scattering like ears of wheat, and then fell like rain.
Under the starry sky, Zhu Xu saw He Yanzhou running towards her.
In that instant, she was deeply moved.
He Yanzhou quickly came to her side, put his arms around her, and wrapped her in his coat.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, gazing at the sky, the ever-changing light and shadow reflecting on their faces. Zhu Xu felt warm against his chest, seemingly enveloped by an overwhelming sense of happiness.
She looked up and saw him gazing intently into the sky, lost in thought.
Zhu Xu stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin.
He Yanzhou slowly lowered his eyes, "Hmm?"
"So beautiful."
He Yanzhou nodded, but said, "I've seen tens of thousands of fireworks. These are as ordinary as they come, but I think they're exceptionally beautiful now."
"Why?"
He looked at her and said, "I used to put it on display for others, but this time it's different."
"Who is this for?" Zhu Xu asked knowingly.
"piggy."
Zhu Xu smiled silently, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents: "Thank you."
“Thank you too.” He kissed her forehead.
The fireworks display lasted for nearly three minutes.
He Yanzhou lit another one.
Zhu Xu stood there, greedily watching him run towards her several times, as if this would repeatedly confirm that she was surrounded by love. It was as if the person she longed for was named He Yanzhou, a source of immense fortune and joy.
When it came to the last one, Zhu Xu pleaded to light it himself.
He Yanzhou agreed.
The moment the fuse lit, he grabbed her and ran away. Unfortunately, they only made it halfway before the fireworks exploded overhead, preventing them from reaching the best viewing spot, but they were unexpectedly immersed in the spectacle.
They kissed each other under a sky full of stars until the last ray of light disappeared and the whole world was plunged into darkness.
/
On the drive to the airport, Zhu Xu was quiet; after the initial excitement, her body felt exhausted. She leaned gently against He Yanzhou's arm and turned to look at the river of lights flowing past outside.
Upon arriving at the airport and being escorted to the security checkpoint, He Yanzhou could go no further.
I've never felt this way before, but now, even this brief separation makes me feel reluctant to part.
He Yanzhou raised his wrist and looked at his watch: "Five more minutes is enough."
Zhu Xu nodded.
The airport was still crowded at night, and the extremely spacious area was filled with all kinds of noise.
The night outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was as dark as ink, like a pair of eyes silently observing everything inside.
He Yanzhou pulled her aside and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhu Xu asked, "Was the fireworks display just now called 'Beautiful Landscape'?"
"yes."
"I thought it would be a painting when it rose halfway up."
He Yanzhou smiled silently: "According to you, shouldn't the second 'Berlin Star Sea' be a trip to Berlin?"
"It would be more appropriate to fly to the stars." Zhu Xu raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll work hard to earn money so I can build a spaceship someday.” He put his hands in his coat pockets, looked down at her intently for a moment, then raised his chin and said, “Go ahead.”
Zhu Xu hesitated for a moment: "When are you coming back?"
"At most half a month. Call me directly if anything happens, no matter the time. Also, video chat before bed." He added, "Take a taxi home immediately after landing. We can talk about other things tomorrow."
Zhu Xu nodded obediently.
He Yanzhou said, "It's dark in the neighborhood, turn on your flashlight."
"good."
Call me when you get home.
Zhu Xu was secretly pleased, but pretended to wrinkle his nose in disgust: "I know, you're so long-winded."
He Yanzhou raised his hand and gently tapped her forehead.
The area was bustling with people, and the sound of electronic announcements echoed throughout the sky.
The crowd at the security checkpoint was growing larger and larger; it was time to leave. Zhu Xu moved closer to He Yanzhou, stood on tiptoe, and hugged his neck: "I'll wait for you to come back."
"Okay." He Yanzhou whispered something close to her ear.
Zhu Xu's gaze was fixed on a spot behind him, her cheeks flushed: "What you taught me is too difficult, why don't you wait until you come back to help..." She suddenly stopped, her mind buzzing.
Her eyes quickly darted away from somewhere, she released He Yanzhou, and subconsciously shrank back in front of him.
He Yanzhou sensed something and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"
"I think... I saw..." She paused, commanding herself to calm down quickly, and roughly calculated the time in her mind; he should still be serving his sentence.
She pursed her dry lips and peeked out from beside him. Passersby hurried by, but there was no sign of him. That fleeting glimpse she'd just caught seemed like an illusion.
He Yanzhou asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
Zhu Xu didn't want to pass on too much negative energy to him. Originally, it was also his own pent-up emotions that he couldn't process, and he shouldn't keep showing them to the other person.
“I saw…” she said, “The screen is reminding me to go through security as soon as possible.”
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