It was another afternoon, and I moved all my luggage out of the guesthouse. I sold everything else that I could, and temporarily stored the rest in the shop I rented from Brother Ping. In short, it was all over.
We could only watch helplessly as the excavators and bulldozers drove in from the village entrance, unable to stop them in the slightest.
Tie Nan handed me a cigarette, lit it for me, and said, "Let's go, it's all in the past... Don't just watch it suffer!"
I just shook my head and didn't say anything.
Tie Nan wanted to leave first, but he stopped and stood beside me. The excavator and bulldozer were getting closer and closer to us. The roar of the machines made my heart clench. Only then did I truly think of Wang Lei and the instructions she gave me in the last few days of her life.
I don't know if this counts as breaking my promise, but I'm really heartbroken. I can't forget the night the guesthouse received the notice that it could reopen, how overjoyed everyone was; I can't forget the warm atmosphere of a few of us sitting in the guesthouse courtyard, grilling lamb chops and chatting idly; and I can't forget those afternoons I spent sitting in the little bar, trying to kill time from boredom and loneliness...
At this moment, I feel lost and dazed. I feel as if I'm holding a handful of sand, each grain a beautiful memory, slipping away little by little through my fingers. I think of Coach Ma and Bai Lu, who have already passed away. If they could see this scene, they would surely be heartbroken...
I swallowed my pain and went through every possible thought, and then the excavator knocked down one of the walls of the yard...
I don't know when, but Yang Sisi also stood next to me. She didn't like to hide herself, and became the only one crying there. Infected by her, Taozi also shed tears.
It was only at this point that I truly felt the desire to leave.
Yang Sisi kept me there and took me to the shore of Erhai Lake, the place where I often jumped in to swim. Tie Nan had already left with Taozi in the moving company's truck before us.
...
After standing in the wind for a while, Yang Sisi turned to look at me and then smiled...
I said to her, "You were crying just now, and now you're laughing... How many faces do you have?"
Yang Sisi glanced back at the nearly empty inn before replying, "I cried because I couldn't bear to let go of everything I experienced in Dali; I laughed... because I can finally be free..."
I glanced at her sadly and asked, "Is that so?"
"Of course... I came to Dali precisely to accompany the inn through its final days."
“I thought you would stay until after the New Year, and I think you said something like that too.”
"I said it depends on my mood. I'm not in the mood to stay here anymore."
Then, being quite realistic, I asked, "What about the house you rented in the mountains and rivers?"
"Sister Taozi and Tie Nan have already moved in, what else do you want to do? ... I heard from Tie Nan that you would rather move to a shop in Jiulongju than move to Shanshuijian, but you promised me before that you would go there."
“But things changed at the last minute… I’ve already rented four shops in Jiulongju, which proves that I have to do this business, so I definitely have to stay there.”
"Then you can stay there and guard it."
I didn't say anything, but I suddenly felt an urge to smoke.
At this moment, Yang Sisi took a key out of her key pouch and handed it to me, saying, "This is the key to that little ninja car. You can take it and drive it after I leave..."
Why did you open it for me?
"I'm going abroad to study, so I won't need it in the future anyway. It doesn't matter who drives it or not."
She forcefully shoved the car keys into my hand, but I found them incredibly heavy because I still disliked the pain of parting. I remained silent for a long time before saying to her again, "I'll buy your car... at the price you mentioned before, twelve thousand yuan."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
