Chapter 24 The Intertwined Breaths of the Rainy Season
After a long while, Lin Fei broke out in a thin layer of sweat.
The sound of fireworks drowned out their intertwined breaths.
The man's body radiated heat, and her hand was burned, causing her to curl back.
She was like a drowning fish, unable to breathe due to the lack of oxygen in the water, and unable to break open the glass tank.
At the same time, she was terrified that someone would suddenly enter the alley.
"Focus." He bit her lower lip in dissatisfaction.
Lin Fei clenched his fists tightly, swallowing his muffled groan.
How to concentrate.
Tonight is New Year's Eve, and there are many people coming and going outside. I'm afraid of being discovered.
"Are you scared?" he asked with a smile. "You used to hug me without any fear."
"Because it's not in Chunxi." She was quite frank, without hiding anything or making excuses.
Liang Yanzhe chuckled softly.
He dared to act lawlessly outside his own territory, but when he returned to Chunxi, where everyone knew him, he became much more obedient.
Her initiative is too unpredictable.
It seems like she does everything on a whim, and likes things without much thought, yet her affection is expressed with unparalleled fervor.
It's so contradictory.
"Let's go to the small river behind the folk square. There should be an iron flower performance tonight." Lin Fei pulled Liang Yanzhe out of the alley to prevent him from continuing.
The streetlights on both sides of the street gave her a sense of security.
This person may act like a gentleman in front of outsiders, but that cannot be guaranteed in private.
She thought she would be the one with the upper hand after the game started.
It seems now that you should never compare yourself to a top student. Even in areas you don't understand, he can easily surpass everyone and have a firm grasp on the subject.
The parking lot next to the folk square was almost full, indicating that quite a few people came from the city to celebrate the New Year tonight.
The street office in the distance had already turned off its lights. It wasn't that they weren't working overtime, but rather that the staff had all become volunteers maintaining order on-site, wearing small red vests that made them stand out in the crowd.
Liang Yanzhe probably rarely comes to noisy environments; the closer he gets to the crowd, the more indifferent his expression becomes.
Lin Fei noticed it too, and squeezed his hand, saying, "Hold on tight, I'll take you to see the iron tree with its silver flowers!"
Before I could even realize what she meant, I was pulled into the crowd.
At 1.65 meters tall, she can easily weave through crowds with her slender waist, but it's a bit difficult for her to carry him, who is quite tall.
But she persisted in not giving up, and if one path was blocked, she would try another.
After a lot of effort, I finally squeezed to the front.
"Phew—there are even more people this year than last year." While enjoying the entertainment, Lin Fei didn't forget his work. "There are clearly many highlights, but Jianghua doesn't seem to care about promoting them properly. It's like they're burying Chunxi. After all, events like the iron flower performance can't be held in Shuitiao. People are everywhere, it's hard to disperse them, and the venue isn't big enough. If the tourism industry can develop, I won't have to worry about the shop's customer traffic."
Lin Fei also introduced intangible cultural heritage projects to Liang Yanzhe.
"The master craftsman who makes iron flowers is the mother of the boy we just met. This craft was passed down from my great-grandfather's generation. Although it is said that the craft is passed down to sons but not daughters, my grandfather only had one daughter and did not care about those rules. After all, when it comes to inheritance, everything has to give way."
The blacksmith and his apprentice stood on a stone platform in the middle of the river, dancing to the beat of a drum.
As the music reached its climax, a powerful hammer blow sent molten iron, scalding hot, splashing into the sky in a fan shape. A shower of golden-red stars exploded, creating a dazzling display of fire. Romance and wildness intertwined, and countless stars fell from the sky, a breathtaking and captivating spectacle.
The moment the sparks exploded, Liang Yanzhe looked at the girl beside him.
She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curving upwards, her eyes bright and sparkling with countless golden light.
Seeing her hopeful face, it was as if I saw a glimmer of hope.
A feeling he couldn't quite put into words exploded in his chest.
It was as vibrant as a fireworks display.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
He took her hand.
She paused for a moment, then shook his hand in return, and turned to give him a bright smile.
After the event ended, the crowd dispersed.
They all went to release lanterns into the streams at the ends of the streets and alleys.
They returned to the center of the folk square and encountered Song Mingxu.
It was Song Mingxu's first time experiencing folk culture, and he had so much fun that he kept sharing with Lin Fei.
They even considered that Jiang Hua's proposal for original ecological development was quite good.
Spring Creek possesses greater potential than he imagined.
Lin Fei crossed his arms and said with a hint of pride, "I told you, once you experience the folk customs and activities of Chunxi, it's hard not to fall in love with this place."
"Jiang Hua should have shown me these sooner; I might have actually agreed with his plan." After his initial excitement, Song Mingxu gradually regained his composure. "I'll talk to him again another day, and you can come too."
Lin Fei wasn't too keen on going, but since the shop would be located in Chunxi anyway, whether it could be successful depended on the development of the area.
"Okay, I'll just sit in." She had spent almost all her savings on renovating the shop and preparing for its opening, so she couldn't join their grand plan to revitalize the old street for the time being.
Lin Fei casually inquired about the pharmaceutical sales team's situation. Since they were practically colleagues of Liang Yanzhe, he put in a good word for them and asked Song Mingxu to show them around for the next few days. He added that their extensive network and good reputation were more valuable than paid advertising.
Song Mingxu patted his chest, assuring everyone there would be no problem and that they would definitely have a great time.
After chatting for a long time, Song Mingxu arranged to meet his friend by the river and said he would leave first.
Lin Fei turned around but found that Liang Yanzhe was gone.
Could it be that we got separated?
The street only has two main roads and a few alleys. Grandma's house is near the intersection, so it's impossible for her to get lost. Liang Yanzhe doesn't seem to have a bad sense of direction either.
Lin Fei first went home to look for it.
Only the lights in the main hall were on; even Grandma had gone out to release lanterns with her best friend.
Liang Yanzhe doesn't seem like someone who would actively go to crowded places.
So she chose to go down the opposite path.
We walked along the main street to the street corner.
The first impression is the gate. It is a gate built by the government ten years ago. The pillars and walls are dark red, and the gate is magnificent. The three characters "Chunxi Street" are written in a stylized and elegant manner. The lintel is carved with exquisite patterns, mainly bats and trumpet creeper flowers. There are also two majestic stone lions on both sides. The whole thing is antique and full of charm.
Lin Fei saw Liang Yanzhe from the big tree next to the gate.
He stood under the tree, gazing at the red gate and wall. The wind whipped his clothes around him, and he stood there, motionless.
"Dr. Liang," Lin Fei strode towards him, "What are you looking at?"
Liang Yanzhe smiled gently and said, "I was curious about the trumpet creeper you mentioned, so I came to see it for myself."
"It's a pity. Trumpet creeper grows in spring and blooms in summer. If you had come more than a month ago, you could have seen it in full bloom." Lin Fei stepped forward and tugged at a branch. "Now there are only dry leaves left."
"It's alright, you've come, so you'll see." Liang Yanzhe's smile deepened.
It took Lin Fei a while to understand what he meant.
—She is like that wall of vibrant trumpet creeper.
Lin Fei suddenly turned around and lunged at Liang Yanzhe.
He held her firmly in his arms.
"Alright, now that you've picked the trumpet creeper, can we go watch the river lanterns together?" Lin Fei smiled sweetly.
Liang Yanzhe reached out a hand to tidy her bangs that had been ruffled by the wind and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll keep you company."
Lin Fei led Liang Yanzhe to the riverbank and stood on the small bridge to watch everyone release lanterns.
Lotus lanterns were placed into the water, which resembled an inverted galaxy. The candlelight flickered like brilliant stars, and gentle ripples spread across the surface. The murmuring river carried beautiful blessings into the distance.
The people by the river chatted happily, praying together for a good year to come.
"Let's release it too." Lin Fei didn't wait for Liang Yanzhe to express his opinion and pulled him off the bridge.
Liang Yanzhe followed her to a stall and bought a lotus lantern.
Thinking Lin Fei was an expert at setting up lanterns, it turned out she checked the instructions twice before assembling the lotus lantern.
Liang Yanzhe took it.
"You don't release them often?" he asked.
Lin Fei nodded: "Ever since I found out they set up nets downstream and would haul these lotus lanterns ashore the next day, I haven't been interested in setting them off anymore."
However, it's understandable; if so many lotus lanterns are released into the river and actually flow into the waterways, it will cause environmental pollution.
"Then why are you still releasing it?" Liang Yanzhe asked, puzzled.
Lin Fei looked at Liang Yanzhe, her eyes darting around, and said with a smile, "Having lived with you this year, we should pray that next year will be a good year for us."
She thought her answer would bring him a smile, but instead she received an elusive reply.
Liang Yanzhe said, "Feiwen, some things need to be said from the heart."
Lin Fei blinked. How could she not be sincere?
My heart is pounding; it's so real, it couldn't be fake.
He's a cardiac surgeon, doesn't he understand this?
After releasing the river lanterns, everyone went home.
When they arrived home, Grandma and Auntie were already asleep. It was Chi Yao, the night owl, who opened the door for them.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Lin Fei asked with a dark face.
Chi Yao said helplessly, "Big sister, if I fall asleep, who will open the door for you? Besides, I have my final exams coming up soon and I need to study."
"My God." Lin Fei took two steps back out the door and looked at the sky. "The sun is going to rise in the west tomorrow? You actually took the initiative to study."
Chi Yao felt the mockery from the academic genius. He wanted to complain to Liang Yanzhe, but then he thought that this guy was someone who surpassed the academic genius—a genius.
He and the couple didn't get along, so never mind.
"I can't be bothered with you!" Chi Yao said angrily, then turned and ran away.
Lin Fei, who was at the bottom of the stairs, shouted to Chi Yao, who was running upstairs, "It's okay, if you did badly on the exam, come to my parent-teacher conference."
Chi Yao poked his head out, trying to save face, and hissed softly, "I absolutely won't fail the exam!"
Lin Fei couldn't stop laughing.
After closing the door, Liang Yanzhe walked to the courtyard and said, "It's getting late, let's go upstairs."
"Let's go." Lin Fei jogged back into the house.
After taking a shower, Lin Fei sat at his desk and flipped through the picture book that he had looked at countless times.
Turn to the last page and draw in the blank space on the back.
After Liang Yanzhe finished showering and returned to his room, he saw her flipping through a picture book from behind and assumed she was missing her parents again.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that she was painting.
It was tonight that they saw the trumpet creeper on the red wall.
"How do you draw this?" He stood behind her.
She looked up at him and smiled, saying, "Suddenly, I feel that Ling Xiao is also very beautiful."
He understood the deeper meaning behind it.
He dried her hair, put down the towel, leaned on the back of the chair, and kissed her forehead.
"good evening."
Lin Fei replied absentmindedly, "Goodnight."
Liang Yanzhe put on an eye mask and went to sleep.
Lin Fei leaned back on the stool, admiring the painting as he finished drawing the last trumpet creeper.
A few minutes later, she put down her notebook, lunged at the bed, and landed directly on Liang Yanzhe.
He wasn't annoyed at being woken up by her; he pulled off his eye mask and pulled her into his arms.
"Is it finished?"
"Alright." Lin Fei removed his blindfold. "Why don't you ask me why I drew Ling Xiao?"
Liang Yanzhe: "Let me guess."
As expected of Liang Yanzhe, who is both gentlemanly and gentle, his responses are never disappointing.
Lin Fei awaited his answer.
“Ling Xiao is so good, everyone would like him,” he said with a smile.
Lin Fei leaned her head on his shoulder: "I think I can accept parts of myself from before."
Growing up is a long and painful process.
Childhood traumas may never be fully healed.
She was the lucky one.
At least I can now bravely embrace the self that I once felt inferior because of being a left-behind child.
"congratulations."
Say it again.
"You're great."
"I didn't hear you clearly, you praised me in Cantonese."
Liang Yanzhe smiled and whispered in her ear, "BB, you're so awesome!"
Lin Fei smiled contentedly, found a comfortable spot, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
I'm sure I'll have a good dream tonight.
-
During the preparations for the new store opening, Lin Fei also completed all the relevant procedures.
Certificates of legal operation, and licenses for consigning some intangible cultural heritage items.
Grandma thought it was unnecessary, but Lin Fei felt it was better to be prepared than to miss an opportunity one day because she lacked a valid certificate and then regret it.
At Ying Shuiying's suggestion, Grandma finalized the design for the cultural and creative products, choosing five colors that young people like: light blue, turquoise, light pink, bright red, and black and silver, as well as Chunxi's mascot bat and landmark gate.
The first five designs are simple in color and style, all embroidered with meander patterns, and are priced relatively cheaply.
The latter two patterns take longer to produce, are made in smaller quantities, and are priced higher.
Before the Lunar New Year, Lin Fei visited the printing factory several times, finalized all the cultural and creative products, and also made samples.
After the new store was set up, she grabbed Chi Xin and asked her to help take pictures of the products to use as promotional images for the online store.
In order to finish all the preparations before the end of the year, Lin Fei stayed up several nights in a row. Aunt Ruo couldn't bear it and stayed up with him.
Lin Fei personally hand-drew an introductory book.
This section provides a general overview of common patterns in Zhuang brocade, with a focus on showcasing the styles.
"Didn't Grandma tell you not to do it anymore?" Aunt Ruo walked by and deliberately took two steps back.
Lin Fei switched to a different colored pen, drew a cute cartoon character, and said, "It's something we have to do anyway, so we might as well do it ahead of time."
Aunt Ruo and Grandma Ruo didn't understand why they needed to make a special fabric pattern display booklet, since they already had finished products.
"There are still two weeks until the New Year. Ah Xiu's son and daughter-in-law are going to work far away. I guess they won't be coming back for the New Year. The round-trip fare is expensive. It's better to call home so they can have a good New Year." Aunt Ruo likes to chat while working and often talks about gossip in the neighborhood.
Ah Xiu was a craftswoman who performed iron flower making at the end of the year, and Lin Fei thought of the man's son.
"So...has their child always been cared for by Xiu Niang?"
Aunt Ruo: "Yes, after weaning, the couple went to work in other cities. They don't have high levels of education, so it's not easy for them to find work in Jiangdu. There aren't many factories here either. It's just a pity for the child. He can only see his parents a few times a year. This time when he came back, the child was even avoiding them."
Lin Fei felt a pang of sadness.
Those who once mocked her for being a left-behind child, now struggle to make a living and their own children have become left-behind children.
There is a sense of exhilaration at getting revenge, but it only lasts for a few seconds.
She was raised by her grandmother from a young age, and she experienced all kinds of feelings of not having her parents around, so she couldn't help but feel affection for that child.
Around noon, Chi Xin brought over a mother and daughter.
Chi Xin is already on winter vacation and spends all her time at Aunt Gui's photo studio, rarely coming home at noon.
"Is he your friend?" Lin Fei put down his paintbrush.
Chi Xin walked up to Lin Fei and whispered from behind, "There's something I want to tell you."
"Be open and honest, everyone's watching." Lin Fei met the three people's gazes and put on a standard business smile.
Chi Xin said somewhat unsure of himself, "They saw your wedding photos with Dr. Liang on my Douyin account. I thought they wanted to book a photoshoot, but when they came over today, I found out they wanted to order the Zhuang brocade cheongsam you were wearing."
Recently, she has been working from morning till night to rush the production of Zhuang brocade for cultural and creative products, but it is not yet finished. If she were to add custom clothing at the last minute, it would delay the opening of Lin Fei's new store, which makes her feel embarrassed.
"That's great news!" Lin Fei walked up to the two of them. "Are you looking to order matching mother-daughter outfits?"
The mother waved her hand: "It's not that we have to have matching mother-daughter outfits. We can each order a cheongsam."
The daughter, who is still a student, said, "Actually, I don't really like cheongsams. I feel it would be a pity if they were custom-made so I can't wear them often. So I'd like them to be made into a style suitable for everyday wear. Is that okay?"
"No problem!" Lin Fei ran to the weaving room and called to Grandma.
When Grandma heard that they had come to order clothes, she smiled so much that wrinkles appeared on her face.
While the two were talking to Grandma, Chi Xin pulled Lin Fei to a corner.
"Won't this take up too much of your time?" she asked.
There is a severe shortage of manpower, and production cannot keep up.
“No, and Grandma prefers making clothes to making cultural and creative products for me,” Lin Fei said. “Grandma has her own ideas, and I can’t force her to do things.”
Even if they are grandparents and grandchildren, the grandmother shouldn't always favor her.
Grandma loves weaving and even more so making clothes. Selling cultural and creative products is secondary for her; getting more orders is what matters most.
Chi Xin felt that Lin Fei was very thoughtful and admired her.
Choosing to return to one's hometown to start a business shows courage compared to many others.
Lin Fei took the completed design booklet and showed it to the mother and daughter, saying, "This is our newly launched color scheme, which is more youthful. You can take a look. If you have any colors you want, you can tell us and we can try to match them for you."
The sample booklet caught the mother and daughter's eye.
I was a little uneasy at first, because the fabrics I found online all looked old-fashioned, and I couldn't make up my mind whether to have them custom-made.
Now that they see the new color scheme in the booklet, their interest has grown significantly.
The booklet contains detailed illustrations, avoiding the rigidity of textbooks and instead using a comic-like format.
There are also some basic pattern explanations, so even those unfamiliar with Zhuang brocade can easily get started after reading them.
"Grandma, I knew what we were doing wouldn't be in vain."
Before the guests had even left, Lin Fei couldn't wait to boast to his grandmother.
Grandma received the order she wanted and smiled even more happily: "Yes, my granddaughter is amazing, she has foresight."
After finalizing the design and taking the measurements, the customer paid a deposit and agreed to come back a month later.
It was around after the Lantern Festival.
Lin Fei continued with the evening's style catalog.
"You haven't been home for five days. It's Friday today. Is Dr. Liang coming over?" Grandma tapped the table.
Lin Fei stopped writing: "Maybe, I don't know if he has surgery scheduled today."
After the last time, Lin Fei learned a new skill—reporting.
From Monday to Friday, she focused on preparing for the opening of her new store in Chunxi, and on weekends she would go back to the city to stay.
However, Liang Yanzhe was busy with work, and they rarely saw each other on weekends; in fact, they spent almost all their time in bed together.
"Maybe?" Grandma's tapping on the table became heavier. "Call and ask before dinner."
Even as he walked back to the weaving room, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"I really don't understand you young people."
Lin Fei didn't take it to heart, thinking that he would always come back, and focused on painting again.
Grandma went to Grandma Su's house to pick up something, and reminded Lin Fei again as she passed by.
She responded casually.
"Sis, can you smell something burning?" Chi Xin asked.
Just as Lin Fei was about to say no, a strong smell suddenly entered his nose, and he abruptly raised his head to look for the smell.
I saw flames in the weaving room, and the fire was quite big, almost burning the Zhuang brocade piled in the corner, which was the result of a month's hard work by the two grandmothers.
She cried out in alarm, told someone to call 119 immediately, and rushed inside.
Chi Xin panicked. He wanted to stop Lin Fei from rushing in, but then wondered if he should make a phone call first.
In a flurry of panic, he first called the fire department, then rushed out the door to ask his neighbors for help.
Just then, Liang Yanzhe walked in, and she was so anxious that she was completely at a loss.
"Dr. Liang, the weaving room is on fire! My sister rushed in, what should we do!"
Liang Yanzhe looked serious and ran towards the weaving room without thinking.
-----------------------
Author's note: My non-literary career collapsed halfway through (not really).
This is just the beginning; there will be both good and bad moments.
-
Everyone may have a different understanding of ddlg. Feiwen is a bit simpler. To outsiders, she seems indestructible and can handle everything well, as if she is very capable. In fact, she became independent at a young age, and she is indecisive and feels insecure about the future. Therefore, she needs recognition and praise. She herself is also conflicted about this mentality, which is why she always asks Liang Sheng if he wants to praise her and reward her.
[shy][shy][shy] Still 66, asking for comments and nutrient solution from everyone, love you all!
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