Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
It was my first night in Xitang. At first, my mind was filled with thoughts, but gradually they cleared, and before long, I fell asleep.
That night, I hardly dreamed at all. With my sleep secured, I woke up as soon as dawn broke.
***
I preferred to treat my days in Xitang as a way of life rather than mere pleasure, so I got up early and left the inn for some breakfast.
Breathing in the crisp morning air, I strolled along the winding cobblestone paths, habitually setting no destination, just sitting by the river to rest when tired.
The sun began to bathe every corner of Xitang in its glow. According to yesterday's weather forecast, today could reach 20 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day since the New Year. The air was filled with the scent of warmth, flowers, and the river.
No wonder people consider this place a sanctuary for healing heartbreak. The picturesque scenery, the company of others nursing their own romantic wounds, and the hope of meeting someone who understands the essence of love, someone who could distill the warmth from love and offer it unreservedly to their other half.
Sitting on the steps by the riverbank, I lit a cigarette for myself, basking in the sunlight while puffing smoke into the air.
Across the river, I spotted the woman in the red coat again. It turns out she also liked to come here in the morning; it was just that I, used to sleeping in, had never noticed.
Picking up a stone from beside me, I casually skimmed it across the water towards her side. But the riverbank was narrow, and the stone, after bouncing off the water, sent a spray directly at her, drenching her pant leg and hitting her arm, though thankfully with little force.
I hurriedly called out an apology, "Sorry about that, I didn't expect it to go so far!"
"You're sick!"
"We're all sick, otherwise why would we come to Xitang alone!"
She didn't respond to my banter, instead picking up a sizable stone and hurling it back at me. Her aim was off, and it missed me, splashing into the water near the shore and drenching me with spray.
I gave a helpless smile, saying nothing since it was I who had provoked her first.
I gestured an apology again before sitting back down. She had already turned and left, but Xitang is such a small place; as long as neither of us left, we were bound to run into each other again.
However, recalling how rudely I had treated Mi Cai when we first met, I couldn't understand my current self. I had changed, become less impulsive. In the past, I would have taken the bridge over to her and rambled on without logic.
***
Around ten in the morning, I returned to the inn. The owner was just like yesterday, still sitting by the makeshift service desk, smoking, his expression unreadable.
Curious about the guitar hanging at the entrance without strings, I smiled and asked, "Boss, why doesn't the guitar outside have strings?"
He glanced towards the door and then said to me, "It's just for decoration; it doesn't matter whether it has strings or not."
His eyes told me there was more to the guitar than he let on, but it was his privacy, and I chose to respect it, not pressing further.
As he was about to finish his cigarette, I offered him another one and lit one for myself. Amidst the drifting smoke, I asked, "Boss, you must be familiar with the bars around here, right?"
"Mhm."
"Take me out tonight, will you? I'm afraid of getting ripped off without someone local."
He nodded, "Sure, just come find me whenever you want to go."
After thanking him with a smile, I went back to my room. Tongzi, my roommate, had just woken up and was washing up in the bathroom.
"Yang bro, what do you want for lunch? It's on me."
"Just order some takeout; I don't feel like going out," I replied.
"Alright… Yang bro, I think we really click. I don't like going out for lunch either."
"Do you know what kind of animal has that habit?"
"Tell me."
"Maggots are afraid of sunlight, right?"
Tongzi had an epiphany, "Yang bro, you're so insightful. I never knew how to describe my life, but with your hint, I realize I'm living like a maggot…"
I remained silent. In truth, having frequented the nightlife for years, I was living even more like a maggot than he was. If only I had been willing to strive and fight, I wouldn't be doing worse than Tongzi now. And the only reason I didn't was love. It seems I was the maggot living in rotten love.
Tongzi came out of the bathroom sighing and asked me for help, "Yang bro, do you think there's any hope for me?"
"Tell me about your recent plans, and I'll help you analyze them."
"My top priority is to find a girlfriend and lose my virginity…"
I cut him off, "Are you joking with me?"
But Tongzi was serious, "Yang bro, I'm not joking. You don't know how empty, lonely, and cold I feel every weekend, watching my dorm mates go out with their girlfriends. If not for that, I wouldn't have come to Xitang alone, hoping for a romantic encounter."
"You're so damn desperate!" I replied, exasperated.
"Being a virgin makes you desperate unless you're sick!"
Once again, Tongzi's logic left me speechless. The world of virgins was beyond my comprehension!
In my silence, Tongzi wailed, "Oh God, please grant me a woman, even if she's only one percent as beautiful as Le Yao, I'd be satisfied!"
I thought to myself, "One percent of Le Yao's beauty, what would that even look like?" and gained a more vivid understanding of his level of desperation.
***
While waiting for the takeout, Tongzi continued watching TV dramas on his laptop, and I was tormented by boredom over and over again.
Finally, I took out my phone, which had no SIM card, and stared at the WeChat icon for a long time. I could reconnect with the world if I connected to the room's Wi-Fi.
But if I did that, what was the point of removing my SIM card?
And after she decisively pushed me away and got into Wei Ran's car that day, I didn't believe she would be sad about my departure. Perhaps all she ever wanted was a gardener, and once I, the gardener, did something I shouldn't have, she was unwilling to give me love anymore. Thinking about it, it was indeed a strange love.
I put the phone back in my backpack and zoned out until the takeout arrived.
Suddenly, Tongzi exclaimed, "Wow, I'm so happy I could die! Yang bro… I'm gonna die!"
Annoyed, I replied, "Go ahead and die then, I'll eat your lunch portion."
Tongzi jumped from his bed to mine with his laptop in hand and excitedly stammered, "Look, Yang bro, Le Yao… Le Yao replied to me on Weibo!"
Surprised, I leaned in to see that Tongzi had left a message on Le Yao's Weibo saying he was in Xitang, to which Le Yao replied with five words, "Brother, are you having fun?"
As soon as I put down the laptop, Tongzi shook my shoulders vigorously, "Yang bro, Yang bro… how should I reply… to sound learned?"
I was so shaken that I kicked him off the bed and replied on his behalf, "Don't call me brother, call me virgin!"
Then I burst into laughter at my own joke.