The train had been gone from Dali Station for half an hour. I drove the car to a place where I could see the tracks, and then looked through the guardrail at the rows of trains heading to some unknown city, and the people inside the trains with their various expressions.
I lit a cigarette, and a feeling of homesickness spread with the smoke. I started to miss the stream behind my house, the peach blossoms in front of the door, the smoke rising from the chimney, and every sunrise and sunset when my family was together...
But I knew that from the day I left my small mountain town to study in another city, I was destined never to return.
Like many others, I am burdened with the destiny of "striving for higher positions".
After finishing my cigarette, I finally drove away from the train station and returned to Longkan Wharf from Xiaguan to continue working hard for everyone's inn business.
...
About a week later, Ye Zhi finally returned from Shanghai. To express my gratitude, I invited her to a coffee shop in the old town for a Western meal. During the meal, I returned the car keys to her.
As she took the keys, she asked me, "Why didn't you let your uncle stay here a few more days?"
“Once he finished his business, he couldn’t stay still and was worried about leaving my mother alone at home.”
"I sense that your parents have a very good relationship."
I smiled and replied, "As far as I can remember, they rarely argue... mainly because my mom has a good temper, and even if my dad nags a bit, she just ignores him."
"Now you can breathe a sigh of relief."
I replied with a heavy heart, "Yes, but I still feel a little sorry for them... As a man approaching 30, looking back, I haven't accomplished much."
Ye Zhi cut the steak without saying a word.
After a moment of silence, I said to her again, "Peach will be flying over from Shanghai this afternoon. We're planning a bonfire party at the inn tonight to welcome her. Why don't you come and join us?"
"I won't go. I have to go to Lijiang after dinner... There's a project there that I need to investigate."
I looked at her with some surprise, and after a moment I asked, "Has the project in Dali been finalized?"
"No, it will probably take another month or two, but that won't affect our trip to investigate the market in Lijiang... In the next two years, our group will focus its development on the Yunnan-Guizhou region, and I am very optimistic about the tourism market in these two provinces."
Ye Zhi rarely talked to me about her work so much, so I happily chimed in, "Yes, the tourism environment here is truly exceptional. Once high-speed rail becomes more widespread, the development will be even greater."
Ye Zhi nodded and replied, "That's right. The housing prices in Dali have been driven up by foreign capital, especially by people from developed cities like Beijing and Shanghai. They prefer the year-round spring-like climate here. If you don't go abroad, many cities in Yunnan are very suitable for retirement."
I sighed, then laughed, "The rich really have a long-term vision. While we're still struggling to afford a house, they've already set their sights on Dali! ... I think in another ten years or so, places like Dali will be overflowing with capital, and the poor will get poorer, and the rich will get richer!"
Ye Zhi sensed the sense of crisis in my words, but she didn't respond; she habitually chose indifference.
This gave me a feeling: winning the heart of this type of woman is harder than climbing to heaven, so maintaining a friendship with her is the wisest thing to do. Imagine if we were really a couple, but she always had a cold attitude, how could I not mind? But being friends avoids so much awkwardness and calculation.
...
After dinner, Ye Zhi drove directly to Lijiang, while I returned to the guesthouse to continue preparations for reopening. In the evening, Instructor Ma and I went to Xiaguan and obtained a batch of alcohol from a tobacco and liquor supplier.
The owner had some connections with Coach Ma, and seeing a promising future for our inn, he only symbolically collected a deposit of 5,000 yuan, but gave us 40,000 yuan worth of drinks.
Just as we were heading to Xiaguan, Tie Nan borrowed a car and went to the airport to pick up Tao Zi and bring her back to our guesthouse. They were indeed in love, because they walked into the guesthouse hand in hand.
Since entering the inn, Taozi has been busy for a moment. After handing her luggage to Tienan, she went into the small bar and sorted the newly acquired liquor with Instructor Ma. By the time she finished, it was already dusk. Bailu also picked up Yang Sisi, who was undergoing training, from the hotel in Xiaguan.
...
As night fell, we sat down around the campfire. Tie Nan was the busiest of us all; he had bought several lamb legs from the market early in the morning and was now sitting closest to the fire, roasting them for us.
Bai Lu, the chattiest among us, raised her glass to Tao Zi and said, "I never expected that Tie Nan would actually bring you back from Shanghai. We all know how much you struggled and hesitated before coming here, so in order not to disappoint you, we will all do our best to make this inn a success... Come on, sister, on behalf of the rest of us who are not good with words, I'd like to toast you."
Yang Sisi also eagerly raised her glass, and then, mimicking Bai Lu's tone, said, "Those few dull guys who aren't good with words are the ones who are actually men. As the representative of beauty and wisdom in the inn, I'd like to toast you, my sister."
I felt annoyed. I didn't think Tie Nan and I were particularly dull people, so I didn't know why they labeled us as "dullards." I wanted to pick up my glass and have a drink with Taozi, but Yang Sisi pressed it down and said, "Why are you so eager? From now on, this inn will follow 'feminism.' We women will finish our drinks first before you have any."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
