Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
The kid scrambled up from the ground, snatched the laptop from my hands, and upon seeing the Weibo post I'd replied to on his behalf, his whole demeanor deflated, a picture of utter collapse. After a long moment, he said to me, "Yang Ge, you're really inhuman!"
With an innocent face, I replied, "Haven't you always prided yourself on being a virgin? I didn't reply incorrectly!"
"But you can't say that on the goddess's Weibo, it makes me look so sleazy!"
I tried to console him again, "Look, there are so many people replying to her Weibo, she might not even notice yours, right?"
"She already replied to me earlier, she must be waiting for my response, how could she ignore it."
Once again, I was left speechless by him, and after a while, I said, "I'm sorry for this, okay?"
"That's not okay, you have to help me explain, explain."
"Damn, she's such a big star, how am I, a nobody, supposed to explain for you… Alright, stop sulking, I'll take you to a bar tonight to have some fun!"
"You're paying?"
"Yeah, I'm paying!"
Only then did the kid let me off the hook, but he kept muttering under his breath, a look of indignation on his face, which made me even less able to understand his value system bound by virginity.
***
After finishing the takeout, I faced another idle afternoon, so I went to the front desk of the inn to chat with the innkeeper.
I asked him, "Boss, do you have many guests staying here now?"
He shook his head.
"Is it because it's the off-season?"
"Business has been bad for a while."
I handed him a cigarette before saying, "Don't take this the wrong way, but… the facilities here are a bit lacking compared to other inns, and the value for money isn't great."
He replied without much expression, "But you still checked in, didn't you."
"I checked in because of that guitar without strings hanging at your door."
"You play music?"
"It's a hobby."
He nodded and said, "Tonight, I'll take you to a bar. The owner there also likes music; you guys can exchange some tips."
"That's fine." After a brief pause, I asked, "Is this inn your own property, or are you renting?"
"Renting."
I couldn't help but worry for him, "If business keeps being bad, it's going to be hard to keep running, right?"
He exhaled a cloud of smoke heavily and said, "The competition is fierce. I've been losing money since the second half of last year. If it doesn't pick up, I'll have to close down."
Despite his indifferent appearance, his words were filled with nostalgia for the inn that was about to shut down.
I patted his shoulder, trying to comfort him, "The tourist season is just two or three months away. Hang in there, and you'll surely make it through."
He looked at me, silent, making me realize he might not even have the funds to last those two or three months.
***
As day turned to night, Tongzi and I continued our post-dinner stroll by the Xitang River. My only regret was that the beautiful woman in the red coat didn't show up today… Perhaps she had already left Xitang.
Compared to my regret, Tongzi was in utter despair, wailing on my shoulder, "Yang Ge, today is my day of disaster. In one day, I've lost two beautiful women, I'm going to collapse!"
Tongzi's grief reminded me of myself as a child. Back then, I also liked two women, one was the icy Xiaolongnu, and the other was the gentle and virtuous Bai Suzhen. I would agonize over whom to marry when I grew up, as if choosing one and giving up the other would be heartbreaking. But looking back now, they had nothing to do with me, and my childhood dilemma was utterly senseless.
(Peter Pan's tip: Xiaolongnu: The female protagonist in Jin Yong's martial arts novel The Divine Eagle Warrior Couple. Bai Suzhen: The heroine of the Chinese folklore "The Legend of the White Snake".)
I thought Tongzi must have also struggled in his heart, whether he wanted Le Yao or that woman in the red coat, which is why he said he lost two beautiful women that day.
But I wouldn't mock him for it, because this kind of reckless fantasy that comes with virginity is precisely the happiest. Yet, I had already lost the original drive to fantasize after gaining understanding, which is why my life felt so dull!
After returning to the inn, I asked the boss to take Tongzi and me to a bar, so he took us to a music bar called "Waiting for You in Xitang."
It was a small bar, and the owner, A Feng, asked me with a smile when the innkeeper introduced us, "Did you come to Xitang to heal a broken heart, or to seek a romantic encounter?"
I responded with a smile, "To heal a broken heart."
A Feng patted my shoulder and said, "Then you've come to the right bar. Order a drink and enjoy the songs."
I clapped in anticipation of their performance.
***
Tongzi and I ordered a few bottles of beer and took a seat near the stage, where A Feng, cradling his guitar, let me request a song.
Without much thought, I blurted out "Elope." I wanted to hear if the song, when performed by someone else, would tear at the heart as it did when I sang it.
（Peter Pan's tip："Elope"chinese name“私奔”）
A Feng gave me an OK gesture, then started strumming the guitar and singing.
He performed the song calmly yet with deep emotion, and it wasn't to say he failed to capture the essence of the song, just that he expressed it in a different way. It probably had to do with personality; hence, after the breakup, I couldn't find peace, living on the knife-edge of pain.
After a while, A Feng finished singing "Elope," then came over with a beer glass, smiling, "Brother, I heard from the innkeeper that you're into music too. Get up there later and liven things up."
I clinked glasses with him and nodded. In truth, I enjoyed singing in this environment, performing for these people with their own stories.
While drinking and chatting with A Feng and listening to the performances, suddenly, Tongzi tugged at my sleeve, urging me to look outside.
Instinctively, I turned my head, and to my surprise, the beautiful woman in the red coat was walking into the bar. She went straight to the stage and stopped by a box next to it.
I didn't understand what she was doing until I took a closer look at the box, which was used to collect tips from customers after performances.
She pulled out a red wallet from her handbag and took out a stack of cash, about two or three thousand yuan, and without counting, dropped it in, then found a quiet corner to sit down.
I was taken aback, not expecting this woman to be so wealthy, treating two or three thousand yuan as if it were nothing.
A Feng gave her a fist salute in thanks, and she simply nodded in acknowledgment, then glanced at me before turning her attention back to the stage.
Seeing my astonished look, A Feng chuckled and said, "This woman has been coming to our bar for several days now, always very generous. The most she gave in tips was 5300 yuan!"
I shook my head in amazement, "The world of the rich is beyond us!"
A Feng nodded in agreement, then patted my shoulder, "Sun Ke is done singing, it's your turn to have some fun, liven up the place for our brothers and sisters from all over!"
I nodded, cleared my throat subconsciously, and walked towards the small stage.