The spring evening breeze swept past the riverbanks of Xitang, casting the earth in a golden hue as the sun set. Alone, I sat on the balcony of the inn, smoking, my mind preoccupied with how to resolve the issue of the 70,000 yuan rent.

I took out my phone from my pocket, scrolled through my contacts over and over again, yet I couldn’t bring myself to decide to borrow the money from anyone. Such a significant amount of rent wasn’t easy to ask for, and not everyone would treat me the way Le Yao did.

I put the phone back in my pocket, flicked the ash from my cigarette with a heavy hand, and fell into a state of confusion. I felt helpless, but the matter still had to be dealt with.

The most beautiful thing in this world is when you long for a glance, await a spring breeze, and she just happens to pass by. But at this moment, there was no such person in my world, and I felt as lonely as if only my shadow remained.

I picked up the guitar, ready to warm up my voice with a song, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Mi Cai, asking if I had eaten dinner.

I replied to her: “Isn’t it 6 o’clock in the morning over there? Why are you up so early?”

She sent me a photo of herself in sportswear, with a running armband.

“Going for a run?”

“Yeah, spring is a good season for exercise.”

I chuckled and texted back: “So even beauties need to maintain themselves. If you didn’t like exercising, I guess your figure would suffer.”

“That’s not necessarily true. When work gets busy, I often go weeks without exercising.”

“Try not exercising for a few months and see.”

The topic seemed somewhat dull to Mi Cai, so she steered the conversation elsewhere, asking: “How’s the inn doing lately?”

“Pretty good.”

“Keep it up!”

“Yeah, the morning air is great. You better go for your run.”

This time, it took Mi Cai a little while before she replied: “Don’t you care about how I’m doing over here?”

I touched my nose, realizing that I had subconsciously assumed she was doing well. After all, she was a woman enveloped in a halo of light, and without experiencing profound darkness, her proud shine wouldn’t fade. So, she must be doing well—that had been my logic for a long time.

Only then did I realize that I had always harbored an excuse, thinking she was doing fine.

“So, how are you doing over there?”

“Yesterday, it rained heavily in New York, and several pots of flowers on the hotel windowsill were drenched to death!”

“Does that have anything to do with whether you’re doing well or not?”

“Yes, if I had remembered to bring them inside, they wouldn’t have died.”

“So, you feel guilty and upset, and that means you’re not doing well?”

“Right.”

“Remember to bring them in next time it rains.”

“Okay.”

My conversation with Mi Cai ended there, but I understood that beneath her dazzling aura was a delicate heart. A minor incident could stir her emotions profoundly, leaving her feeling down and sad.

She, too, was just an ordinary woman.

…

As the lights came on at dusk, I deliberately moved through the newly renovated rooms, mopping the floor, wiping the furniture, and then, exhausted, I lay on the floor gasping for breath. Thus, my worries had no room to exist and vanished from my world.

As I was about to drift off to sleep, my phone rang again, displaying an unfamiliar number.

I answered, and a woman’s voice came through: “Is this the owner of the inn?”

The voice sounded familiar, but I dared not recognize it, so I replied: “Yes, that’s right.”

“I saw the promotional pictures of your inn on the forum, and they look quite nice. I’d like to stay at your inn.”

“Please come, our inn offers great value for money.”

“I’m already at the Xitang station. Could you come pick me up?”

“Of course. May I ask your name?”

“Li.”

“Li Xiaoyun?”

“You recognized me just like that?”

I asked in surprise: “Is it really you? What brings you to Xitang?”

“I’m on annual leave, just thinking about where to go to relax. I heard from my aunt that you opened an inn in Xitang, so I thought I’d come and check it out.”

“Why aren’t you using your old phone number?”

“I changed it a while ago.”

Only then did I realize that it had been a long time since I last contacted her, which is why this number was so unfamiliar to me.

“Wait for me at the station; I’ll be right there.”

Li Xiaoyun instructed: “Drive slowly, there’s no rush.”

I hung up the phone with a chuckle, thinking to myself how the ancient town of Xitang had condensed my grand life into a small one. They came one after another, left one after another, and in the end, only walked through my memory once. No one would truly stay, and this fleeting experience deepened my understanding of the word “passerby.”

…

So, I drove the van left by the previous owner of the inn towards the Xitang station. In a short while, I arrived at my destination.

There, Li Xiaoyun stood under the platform, wearing a light blue denim jacket, her hair tied up in a bun, and a pair of New Balance sneakers on her feet, looking every bit the traveler.

I rolled down the window to signal her to get in. She smiled, opened the passenger door, and sat beside me.

On the way, I drove while chatting with Li Xiaoyun, saying: “I’m quite surprised you came to Xitang.”

“Just passing through. I’m heading to Gulangyu in Xiamen the day after tomorrow.”

I nodded, unable to find another topic, and we both fell into a brief silence.

After a while, Li Xiaoyun spoke again: “Zhao Yang, I have something to tell you on this trip.”

I smiled and said: “Are you going to tell me that you’ve found someone and have ended your matchmaking journey?”

“Don’t joke with me. I’m talking about something serious.”

I finally looked at her seriously, waiting for her to continue.

After a moment of silence, Li Xiaoyun looked at me and said: “Auntie doesn’t seem to support you staying in Xitang to run the inn. These days, she’s been asking Uncle to arrange a job for you at their workplace, with the aim of getting you to settle down in Xuzhou.”

“Is that reliable?”

“Yeah, Auntie mentioned it to my mom while playing mahjong at our house. She might come to Xitang to find you in the next few days.”

My heart felt as if it had been doused with cold water. The issue of the rent hadn’t been resolved, and now another troublesome matter had arisen.

After a long pause, I said: “I’ve invested nearly 200,000 yuan in this inn, and I can’t just abandon it halfway.”

“I’m just passing on the message. The final decision is still in your hands… But you should also understand Auntie’s perspective. After all, everyone hopes to have someone to rely on in their old age, right?”

I nodded because from my mother’s point of view, her decision was reasonable. However, the idea of returning to Xuzhou felt like reheated leftovers to me, something my mother had rehashed over and over again.

After a long time, Li Xiaoyun asked me again: “What does your girlfriend think about you running an inn in Xitang?”

I was taken aback, remembering that when Mi Cai and I had confirmed our relationship in Xuzhou, Li Xiaoyun had been one of the onlookers. In her eyes, Mi Cai was indeed my girlfriend. But at this moment, I was unclear about the nature of my relationship with Mi Cai. There were too many unresolved issues between us, making us strangers yet drawing us closer.

I finally said to Li Xiaoyun: “She supports it, I guess.”

Li Xiaoyun nodded and asked: “Judging by her temperament, she’s not an ordinary person, right? Can you tell me what she does?”