It was quite cold at night, but everyone in the garden was full of enthusiasm. Hu Pan, with her retro afro, led a group of guests in a retro disco dance around the fire barrel.
Yao Yi was originally taking photos, but after she was mostly done, she was pulled into the dancing group.
Yue Lang, holding a camera, clicked away at his wife.
“Not enough fire,” Shan Yu said. He was wearing Chen Jian’s jacket, a long one at that, but to avoid the crowd, he was sitting a bit far from the fire. The wind was still a bit cold.
“I’ll go find some,” Chen Jian stood up with a skewer of meat in his mouth and pointed at Sanbing.
Sanbing immediately broke away from the dancing group and ran over. “What’s up?”
“Let’s go find a barrel,” Chen Jian said. “Let’s make another fire barrel.”
“Liangye has one,” Sanbing said. “I saw one in their kitchen.”
“You went into their kitchen?” Shan Yu asked.
“To borrow vinegar for Sister Zhao,” Sanbing said.
“You guys at Dayin don’t even have vinegar? You have to borrow it from others?” Shan Yu looked at the purchasing manager in shock.
“The manager bought the wrong kind,” Sanbing chuckled. “The three bottles he bought were all dark soy sauce.”
“They’re the same brand, they look similar,” Chen Jian finished the last few pieces of meat on the skewer, put the skewer down, and said, “Let’s go.”
“Let’s go,” Sanbing kicked a small stool aside and swayed towards the back door.
“We’re going to borrow a barrel,” Chen Jian said, “not to rob one.”
Sanbing, still walking forward, changed his swaggering walk to a catwalk strut.
“You must have been drinking without eating…” Chen Jian said.
Compared to the lively Dayin, Liangye was exceptionally quiet. A room upstairs had its window open. The guest hadn’t gone over to play, but was leaning out, looking towards Dayin and taking photos with their phone.
Da Li was smoking in the courtyard. Chen Jian greeted him and chatted a bit about the bonfire festival. Sanbing wandered around their yard for a bit and went into the kitchen. After a while, he came back dragging a large oil barrel.
“Brother Li, can we borrow this?” Sanbing said.
“Isn’t your fire enough?” Da Li asked.
“Not enough,” Sanbing said, dragging the barrel away.
“…Go ahead, go ahead,” Da Li said, a little helpless.
“Sorry, Brother Li. We’ll clean it up and put it back for you tomorrow,” Chen Jian said.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Da Li said. “We only used that barrel to roast sweet potatoes before. It’s for fire anyway.”
“Thanks,” Chen Jian said. “Then let’s settle on that for the bonfire festival. Just give me a list of the things we need to buy.”
“Alright,” Da Li nodded.
The document Da Li had given before meant that each guesthouse would first pay a sum to cover the venue and purchasing costs. But Shan Yu didn’t agree. The venue and staff costs, including some soft costs, could be paid first, but for the things to be bought, they needed a specific list, and they would go buy them directly.
“No one is a fool. We’ve already left them money. They shouldn’t be thinking of making money on the procurement,” Shan Yu had said.
Sanbing, dragging the barrel back to the garden, was like Prometheus, receiving a warm welcome.
While everyone was busy getting the barrel ready for the fire, Chen Jian sat back down next to Shan Yu. Shan Yu was holding a bowl of stewed fish on his lap, eating with Xiao Dou’er’s children’s chopsticks in his left hand.
Chen Jian took the bowl and held it for him. “Who was so considerate to get you a bowl of fish?”
“The petty Yue Lang,” Shan Yu said. “When he broke both his arms playing with motorcycles before, I encouraged him to learn to eat with his feet. He’s remembered it for so many years and wants revenge.”
Chen Jian couldn’t help but laugh, his hand holding the bowl even trembled a little. “You’re really mean.”
“I even found him a tutorial video,” Shan Yu said, picking up a piece of fish and eating it slowly.
“You really don’t deserve any pity,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu smiled without speaking.
When he says occasionally, he means occasionally.
He’s quite strict.
“I told Da Li about the money. They don’t have any objections,” Chen Jian said. “He’ll give me the card number and the procurement list tomorrow, and I’ll arrange it.”
“Mmm,” Shan Yu swallowed the fish and nodded. “There’s something I’m a little embarrassed to tell you.”
“What?” Chen Jian was taken aback.
You have things you’re embarrassed about?
“Your jacket has a hole burned in it,” Shan Yu put down his chopsticks, lifted the hem of the jacket, and showed Chen Jian the hole that was probably made by a spark from the fire.
“It’s fine,” Chen Jian said. “It’s an old jacket.”
“I’ll buy you a new one,” Shan Yu said. “I need to buy one for myself anyway.”
“No need,” Chen Jian said quickly. “If I had snagged a hole like this myself, I wouldn’t even bother with it.”
“This jacket doesn’t have any important meaning to you, does it?” Shan Yu asked. “I see it’s quite old, but you’re still wearing it.”
“The important meaning is that I don’t want to spend money on a new one,” Chen Jian said.
“…Oh.” Shan Yu started to laugh, picked up his chopsticks, and ate a piece of fish.
Hu Pan came over with a tray, her face already flushed. It was clear she had had a lot to drink. It was impressive that besides the freshly grilled meat skewers, there were also two glasses of wine on the tray, and she hadn’t spilled any.
“I mixed this. Try it,” Hu Pan held the tray out to them.
Chen Jian quickly put the bowl in his hand aside, and in one smooth motion, took the children’s chopsticks from Shan Yu’s hand and took the tray.
“How did you mix it?” Shan Yu took a glass of wine.
“Just red wine and lemon juice,” Hu Pan said.
Shan Yu smiled and took a sip. “Not bad.”
Just as Hu Pan was about to leave, Shan Yu called out to her again. “Panpan.”
“Yes,” Hu Pan bent down.
“Thanks for your hard work,” Shan Yu took a red envelope from his pocket and put it in Hu Pan’s hand.
“Ah!” Hu Pan took the red envelope and quickly squeezed it a few times. “At least two thousand, long live the boss… Is this New Year’s money?”
“Who gives New Year’s money in November?” Shan Yu said. “It’s just a bonus for your hard work. Quietly, go call Sister Zhao over.”
“Alright!” Hu Pan tucked the red envelope into her clothes and quickly ran off.
“Didn’t you say you’d hand them out during the meeting?” Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu.
“I’m happy now, excited from drinking,” Shan Yu said. “Whatever.”
Zhao Fangfang quickly trotted over. “Boss Shan, you were looking for me?”
“Sister Zhao, thanks for your hard work,” Shan Yu took out a red envelope and handed it to her. “You’re the one who works the hardest, cooking and cleaning every day.”
“Not at all, not at all. Panpan and the others always help me,” Zhao Fangfang said, pocketing the red envelope and unable to stop smiling.
“You don’t have to clean up later,” Shan Yu said. “They can do it together. You just eat well and have fun.”
“Okay!” Zhao Fangfang nodded vigorously.
Chen Jian didn’t speak, just drank his wine on the side and watched Boss Shan win over people’s hearts. Perhaps because everyone had been drinking and was in high spirits from the fun and games, they were especially happy when they received the red envelopes.
Chen Jian even suspected that Shan Yu had deliberately chosen this moment.
When Chen Erhu received his red envelope, tears almost came to his eyes. In the firelight, you could see them glistening.
“Boss Chen has been wronged recently,” Shan Yu patted Chen Erhu’s arm.
Chen Erhu didn’t speak, just shook his head vigorously, then turned and walked away quickly. If he had walked any slower, he probably would have burst into tears on the spot.
Utterly devoted, utterly devoted…
“Is Chen Erhu’s more than the others?” Chen Jian asked in a low voice.
“The manager has good eyes,” Shan Yu turned to look at him. “You can even tell that?”
“I’m sensitive to money,” Chen Jian answered honestly.
“The others got two thousand, his has five thousand,” Shan Yu said. “After all, he’s Boss Chen. That money was gotten under his brother’s name. We can give out a bigger one during the New Year.”
Chen Jian smiled.
“Thanks to Chen Dahu,” Shan Yu raised his glass and tilted it towards Chen Jian.
“Thanks to Chen Dahu,” Chen Jian also raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Shan Yu’s.
Shan Yu finished the wine in his glass and placed the empty glass at his feet. Chen Jian glanced over; there were eight glasses at his feet, both beer and wine glasses.
He had wanted to say that with an injury on his hand, he probably shouldn’t drink so much, but then he thought that this person had drunk just as much when his leg was still in a brace, so he didn’t say anything.
Chen Jian also finished the wine in his glass and put the glass aside. He realized he hadn’t drunk much less than Shan Yu. There were seven glasses on the small stone table next to him.
He hadn’t drunk like this in a long time. Although he didn’t feel much, he was inexplicably in a good mood.
His mind was active.
Very cheerful.
When he turned back, Shan Yu had placed a red envelope in his hand. “Thanks for your hard work, Manager.”
“Thanks, Boss,” Chen Jian took the red envelope, then paused. “This much?”
His red envelope was the thickest, and the envelope itself was the biggest. It was heavy. He had handled a lot of cash when paying off debts over the years, so he could tell just by squeezing it. There should be eight thousand in there.
“The only management. You’re in charge of everything in the guesthouse,” Shan Yu said. “It’s free money, so let’s give you a bit more.”
Chen Jian hesitated for a moment, then didn’t say anything more and stuffed the red envelope into the inner pocket of his jacket. Because it was so thick, he was too embarrassed to make too big a movement for fear of being seen, so he struggled to stuff it in.
Shan Yu sighed. With his bandaged hand, he pulled open his jacket and stuffed the red envelope into his inner pocket. “With your movements, if you went out to steal ten times, you’d get beaten twelve times.”
“…If I got beaten once, I’d have to improve my skills,” Chen Jian said. “To get beaten twelve times, even Chen Erhu couldn’t be that stubbornly stupid.”
Shan Yu leaned back in his chair and started to laugh.
The movement was a bit big. Chen Jian could smell the fragrance wafting from him, the same faint smell of the sea he had smelled when he first ran into Shan Yu in 307.
It smelled very nice.
He also leaned back in his chair and composed himself.
“Is it too much?” He went back to the previous point.
“I originally wanted to put ten thousand, but I was afraid you’d think it was too much,” Shan Yu said. “If you want a reason, it’s ample. The manager is in charge of many things. You’ve barely rested at all. If you’re talking about personal motives, of course there are some.”
Chen Jian didn’t speak.
“I tried my best to control it,” Shan Yu said. “But it’s impossible to have none at all. Just remember that this money is free. I wouldn’t do this with my own money.”
This was said very directly and frankly, leaving no room for Chen Jian to ponder.
After a moment of silence, he said, “Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. This is what a great boss should do,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian paused, then turned his head and started to laugh.
Cheerful.
“The snow season will definitely bring in more than the last long holiday,” Shan Yu said. “Now that you’ve taken my money, work hard. Let’s aim to earn a lot during the snow season.”
“Winning hearts and minds in advance,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu turned his head to look at him. “Mmm.”
The guesthouse had prepared a lot of meat. Besides what Zhao Fangfang had made, they had also bought a lot of ready-made food. Guests from Liangye also came over to play. Probably to avoid seeming like they were taking advantage of Dayin, Da Li had their kitchen send over some sweet potatoes and chicken wings.
This group of people ate and drank, making a lot of noise and having a great time. Even Zhou Lecheng joined the bonfire dance group, dancing around the two fire pits for almost an hour. He probably ran out of stamina and sat on the side drinking juice.
Hu Pan’s stamina was amazing. She dragged Sanbing and the others, leading the guests, and continued to dance.
You could tell Sanbing was tired. His afro had even gone flat, but Hu Pan was still dancing, her afro not flat at all, so he kept going without stopping.
Chen Jian felt he might need to adjust tomorrow’s schedule and let Sanbing sleep in a bit in the morning.
“We’re going for a night tour,” Yue Lang came over with a bottle of red wine, tilted his head back, and took a swig from the bottle. He looked at them. “Coming?”
Chen Jian didn’t speak, not sure who he was talking to.
“What did you say?” Shan Yu looked at Yue Lang.
“A night! Tour!” Yao Yi came over, her arm draped over Yue Lang’s shoulder, hanging on him. “Anyway, you’ll just have insomnia as usual when you go back to your room. You might as well go out for a walk, sober up, and take some night shots. I can’t have brought all my cameras and lenses for nothing.”
“You weren’t the one carrying them anyway,” Shan Yu said. “You had a porter.”
“Then we’re going. We’re not going far, just to that small viewing platform you mentioned, five hundred meters up,” Yue Lang raised the bottle and shook it at them, then walked out the back gate of the garden with Yao Yi.
“You son of a bitch,” Shan Yu stood up. He seemed worried and was about to follow them out.
Chen Jian also stood up.
“Are you going?” Shan Yu asked.
“Going,” Chen Jian walked towards the back gate. “They’ve both had a lot to drink. If something happens, we can’t count on that hand of yours.”
“You’ve had quite a bit to drink yourself,” Shan Yu followed him. “Hold on to your money, don’t lose it.”
Chen Jian touched the red envelope in his left inner pocket and leaned heavily to the left. “It’s so heavy, it’s hard to ignore.”
Shan Yu looked at him. “Did drinking a little bring out your Chen Yuluoyan personality?”
Chen Jian didn’t speak and started to laugh.
Cheerful.
The heavens were still on their side. On the way up to the small viewing platform on the mountain, the wind was actually a bit calmer than before.
But it was still late at night, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit. Chen Jian turned his head to look at Shan Yu as he walked. “Are you cold?”
“It’s alright,” Shan Yu said.
“The one you took is thinner than the one I’m wearing,” Chen Jian said. “If you’re cold… you can have this one.”
“Why don’t you say that next summer,” Shan Yu said.
“If we weren’t going up the mountain in the middle of the night like crazy people, that one would be enough,” Chen Jian said.
“…I’m not cold. Let’s go,” Shan Yu smiled. “Wine is really a good thing.”
The Yue Lang couple’s alcohol tolerance was quite good. After drinking all night, they were still steady on their feet on the mountain path, and their pace wasn’t slow.
Yao Yi could even sing.
“Sister Xiao Yi sings quite well,” Chen Jian said.
“She does. She was the campus belle of our year, could sing, dance, and had good grades,” Shan Yu said.
“Were you classmates?” Chen Jian asked.
“Mmm,” Shan Yu nodded. “If it weren’t for me, Yue Lang wouldn’t have had the chance to meet her.”
“I heard that,” Yue Lang shouted from ahead.
Shan Yu smiled.
After a short while, they reached the small viewing platform. The view here wasn’t as good as the spot where Shan Yu had slept last time, but the night scenery was still very beautiful. And because you could see the quiet village under the moonlight more clearly, it had a more tranquil beauty.
“It’s so beautiful. We made the right choice coming here,” Yao Yi stood by the railing of the viewing platform.
“Chen Jian,” Yue Lang pointed to the village below. “Is that your old village?”
“Yes,” Chen Jian walked over. “The one with more lights is the new village.”
Yao Yi took a tripod from the bag Yue Lang was carrying, set up the camera, and took a series of photos of the scene below. “We can come again tomorrow night. If we come up earlier, the village will look like a fairyland with more lights.”
Shan Yu walked to Chen Jian’s side and looked down with him.
“Have you been here at night before?” Shan Yu asked.
“No,” Chen Jian said. “I didn’t know it was like this at night.”
“You don’t feel it when you’re in it,” Yao Yi said. “Some good things can only be discovered by outsiders.”
“Let’s take a couple photo,” Yue Lang said.
These words made Chen Jian freeze.
“Little brother, help us take it,” Yao Yi said.
“Oh,” Chen Jian came to his senses. “I don’t know how to use a camera.”
“It’s fine, I’ll set it up,” Yao Yi moved the tripod back a little and adjusted the parameters on Yue Lang. “You just have to press the button.”
“Can’t you just use the self-timer?” Shan Yu asked.
“That little bit of time isn’t enough for her to strike a pose,” Yue Lang said.
“True,” Yao Yi said as she jumped back to Yue Lang’s side, wrapped her arms around his neck, and tilted her head up.
Chen Jian looked at the viewfinder. It was a beautiful scene.
“Should I kiss you?” Yue Lang looked down at Yao Yi.
“No,” Yao Yi said. “It’ll lose the atmosphere if you do.”
“What’s the atmosphere now?” Yue Lang asked.
“The atmosphere of ‘look how beautiful my wife is, I’m so proud’,” Shan Yu said.
“Fuck,” Yue Lang started to laugh.
Chen Jian pressed the shutter just as Yao Yi started laughing too.
Then, under Yao Yi’s direction, he took a bunch more photos of them in various poses, some intimate, some goofy…
“Get him, quick,” Yao Yi in the lens suddenly pointed to the side.
Chen Jian followed her hand and slightly turned the camera, seeing Shan Yu in the frame, leaning against the railing, looking at the village over there.
Chen Jian pressed the shutter.
Only then did Shan Yu realize he was being photographed and turned to look.
The wind blew, and Shan Yu’s hair danced freely in the wind. The moonlight spilled in, outlining his clear yet soft profile.
“Don’t move! Quick, take it, take it!” Yao Yi jumped over.
Chen Jian pressed the shutter again. The moment his eyes met Shan Yu’s in the lens, his breath stopped for a beat along with the shutter.
