These past two days, Yang Sisi hasn't been very friendly to me. Although we bumped into each other here, I didn't plan to look for her. So after putting my phone away, I went back to the little shop where Ye Zhi and I had teppanyaki.
When I sat down, I realized that Ye Zhi had already put quite a few baked items on my plate. I'd kept her waiting...
With a hint of apology, I said to her, "That's just how my dad is. Now, whenever he calls me, he starts rambling on and on about a lot of things."
Ye Zhi smiled but didn't say anything.
I added some hot water to her cup and then asked her, "How long are you going to stay in Dali this time?"
Two days.
I looked at her, a hint of curiosity in my eyes, and asked, "Just wondering, do you find enjoyment in this kind of hectic life?"
Why are you suddenly asking this?
"That's how people go from strangers to acquaintances by asking these kinds of questions."
Ye Zhi and I looked at each other for a moment before she replied, "Any state that lasts too long becomes boring."
"Is there a particular kind of life you aspire to?"
This question seemed difficult for Ye Zhi, so I guided her by saying, "For example, some people yearn for life in Dali... To be more specific, it's about being at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, by Erhai Lake, in an inn, with a dog, a book, a cup of coffee, a few friends, and spending the rest of your life there."
Ye Zhi smiled and replied, "This is the life of an artsy youth."
"Aren't you an artsy type?"
"No... I think artsy young people are very good at shaping their own lives."
I looked at Ye Zhi and realized that, without me noticing, she had used a certain speaking technique to avoid the question I was asking her. She still hadn't told me what kind of life she longed for.
I shrugged and then smiled at her.
Am I wrong?
“You’re right. The artistic young people I know are very good at shaping their lives. But you still haven’t answered me what kind of life you yearn for… I think that as long as a person is alive, they will definitely have aspirations. This is the basic motivation for a person to live.”
"Yes, I do, but I don't want to tell you."
"You don't consider me a friend?"
"If you consider me a friend, then tell me first what kind of life you aspire to."
At that moment, I felt like Ye Zhi and I were two petty children, scheming over a piece of candy. But why is it so hard for us to say the beautiful word "longing"?
After thinking about it, I realized that we are all adults now, and talking about ideals and aspirations is a luxury, because we have already tried our best for them, so we know how insurmountable the gap is between our abilities and our ideals.
Actually, we're not afraid to talk about ideals and aspirations; we're just afraid to see ourselves as incompetent.
With this understanding, I finally spoke to Ye Zhi and said, "It's pretty boring to talk about something that can never be achieved in a lifetime."
"Then why are you asking me?!"
"Because I'm really bored right now... haha..."
I smiled broadly, but I didn't feel so good inside. Ye Zhi remained calm and composed. She picked up her cup, took a sip of hot water, and then focused her attention on the brightly lit street.
After a moment of silence, I saw Yang Sisi walking out of the coffee shop. She was carrying a shoulder bag and disappeared into the crowd. I should have thought she was carefree, but her back view looked a little lonely. Her shadow stretched long under the streetlights, and her steps were scattered and disordered.
...
After dinner, Ye Zhi and I strolled around the ancient city for a while, and then drove to Erhai Lake. Neither of us are particularly fond of noise, and the tranquility of Erhai Lake is what we truly enjoy.
I parked my car in the parking lot inside the "Haitu Inn". At this time, the "Haitu Inn" was no longer as deserted as when I first came to Dali. Like our inn, it was also included in the first batch of inns to resume business.
However, the two inns will face different fates afterward. We will face demolition, but it will be able to survive peacefully.
Amidst the continuous sound of the waves, I lit a cigarette and then asked Ye Zhi, "Can you take out your gift now?"
“Strictly speaking, it’s not a gift, but rather a little compensation.” After a slight pause, she continued, “Before I came to Dali, I had already spoken with the demolition office. They said you can continue operating during the negotiation phase, and hopefully that will buy you some time.”
I was secretly delighted, because for us right now, time is money. If we could stay open for another month, we would be much better off financially. I then asked Ye Zhi, "How long will the negotiations take?"
"About a month."
"That's enough. A month is enough to ensure we minimize our losses... But isn't this kind of pleading against your usual business logic?"
Ye Zhi remained silent for a long time before replying, "Just this once."
I could tell that this consideration for personal relationships was causing her a lot of inner turmoil…
After a long silence, she asked me again, "What are your plans for the future?"
"I will definitely stay in Dali, but I haven't decided what to do yet."
“I can tell you’re confused.”
I pointed to my eyes with two fingers and laughed, "It might be related to my perspective... Making money is still quite difficult for me... Really, sometimes when I think about it, I don't even know where I fell down, let alone where I should get up."
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