Chen Jin said the cookies tasted pretty good, so I gave him half and kept the other half for myself. Then I sent a message to Yang Sisi, telling her to keep up the good work and try to make even better cookies next time.
She said I was dreaming. If I wanted to keep eating her cookies, I'd have to trade them for matsutake mushrooms. She's really cunning. Can her cookies really be worth the same as matsutake mushrooms?
But that's part of the fun in life.
If you don't think about those painful and regrettable things, life in Dali is indeed quite wonderful. Take Chen Jin, for example, swinging his briefcase and humming a tune as he headed to the bar. In Shanghai, even after get off work, he wouldn't feel so relaxed.
...
Chen Jin and I aren't on the same wavelength, but I have my own ways of relaxing. I've gotten used to taking a walk in the old town after work. Today, I'm going to buy some local Dali snacks to take to Lao Mi and my mom.
I'm too busy during the day, so I have to make time to spend with them in the evenings.
Wandering along Renmin Road, I ran into that coachman again. He was sitting on the ground as usual, surrounded by a group of stray dogs... I bought him two chicken legs and a large loaf of bread.
He didn't even look at me before taking the bread from my hand. He kept the bread for himself and gave both chicken legs to the dog next to him.
It was only at this moment that my spirits began to sank, because standing before me was a man who shared my plight…
I took my phone out of my pocket and found Ye Zhi on WeChat. I scrolled through her Moments; there weren't many posts, but most of them were related to me…
I sniffed and whispered to her photo, "You know what? Except for you, every day of my life is so interesting... But don't think that means I'll forget you... I won't forget you, I'll think of you every day... It's just that my feelings are sometimes different... Like now, looking at your photo, I feel like you're right beside me, talking to me, watching the sunset with me... Hehe, I forgot you don't like to talk anymore, but it's okay, as long as you're here with me..."
I pulled a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and just stared at it blankly...
Slowly exhaling the smoke from my mouth, I whispered again, "You have no idea how much I wish you were hiding in these people coming and going, playing hide-and-seek with me, and then suddenly appearing in front of me, bending down to look at me, and laughing and joking with me... Just thinking about looking at your face and feeling your familiar scent makes me so happy I could go crazy... But... I know you can't come back. No matter how much I miss you, no matter how hard I try, you can't come back... I've accepted this reality."
At this point, I felt a lump in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes. It was so incredibly difficult for me to say "I accept this reality" out loud.
I choked back tears and said, "Across from me sits a coachman. We share the same plight, and it was because of him that I've come to understand some things... I want to have them verified by you. I have a coin in my hand. In a moment, I'll toss it. If heads land, it means you want me to choose a new path in life; otherwise, it means you want me to be faithful in love. Then, no matter where you are, I will wait for you..."
I closed my eyes and silently said, "This time, no matter what the outcome, I will not go back on my word." Then I tossed the coin high into the air... Just as I felt it was about to fall, I quickly opened my eyes and reached out to catch it, but the coin slipped through the gap between my two palms and fell to the ground.
"As long as there are two sides, it counts even if it falls on the ground."
As I was thinking this, the coin rolled into a drain next to my feet.
I was stunned for a moment before I pressed my face against the cracked cover of the sewer to look, but I couldn't see the coin at all. It had probably rolled far away down the drain... so there was no way to know the result.
I was still a bit unwilling to give up, so I tried to open the drain cover and reach in, but the cover was locked. I twisted it a couple of times...
"Michael, the sewer opening is so dirty, what are you doing lying there?"
I looked up and saw that the person I was talking to was Lu Jia... She was holding a camera and looking at me with great incomprehension.
What brings you here?
"You must have been sitting here for a long time. The ancient city is only so big; you can easily bump into each other while wandering around."
"oh."
"Do you need my help?"
I shook my head and sat up straight, but I couldn't help glancing at where the coin had fallen into the sewer... I didn't know what this result meant. Luckily, I'm not a very superstitious person, otherwise I would have thought a lot about it...
It's true that I didn't get an answer, but I don't plan to try again, because I had already decided beforehand that whatever the outcome, I would accept it...
...
Lu Jia handed me a tissue to wipe the stains off my hands. I said "thank you," and then asked, "Why are you shopping alone? Where are your aunt and uncle?"
"They're resting at the guesthouse. They've been playing all day and are exhausted... I wanted to take some photos of the ancient city at dusk, so I brought my camera out... Anyway, it's not far from the guesthouse, so I thought I'd just take a walk."
I responded, and Lu Jia looked around again, searching for scenes that could be captured with the camera.
"Michael, can you take a picture for me... right in front of that bar? I love the bougainvillea there!"
“You have a good eye. That bar is called Piaoxiang. It’s very famous in Dali. Many newlyweds take their wedding photos there. The bougainvillea at the entrance is the biggest highlight.”
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