Chen Jian was taken aback by Hu Pan’s question but quickly realized that these two calls might have come from readers of Zhou Lecheng’s post, as they were both of a congratulatory nature.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he started to feel for his phone.
“This call was to thank Dayin for its kindness or something,” Hu Pan said. “I just thought maybe it was him…”
As Chen Jian pulled his phone out of his pocket, his hands trembled slightly. Sanbing’s words from before echoed in his ears.
“If one day our shop’s business suddenly explodes, it means Zhou Lecheng is dead.”
It wasn’t a nice thing to say, but it was a fact. Chen Jian hadn’t felt much at the time; the Zhou Lecheng he knew then didn’t seem much different from any ordinary tourist.
But now, he suddenly felt a wave of panic.
“I just sent him a message a few days ago,” Chen Jian said, taking out his phone and opening his chat history with Zhou Lecheng. “I told him a bunch of us were celebrating the New Year at the shop… He didn’t mention his illness… Let me send him another message and see.”
The chat window still showed the message from a few days ago where Chen Jian said he was going to pick up his dad after getting his license.
Zhou Lecheng had even congratulated him on taking the first step to becoming an old pro driver, and on the first year of his century-old shop.
Chen Jian sent a message.
[Chen Yu Luo Yan]: Brother Cheng, I got my driver’s license. 1% old pro driver achievement unlocked.
He then sent the photo of his driver’s license that he had sent to his dad that day.
Then he held his phone and waited in silence.
“Look at the post he made,” Shan Yu said, having appeared behind him at some point.
“Okay.” Chen Jian immediately opened his bookmarks, opened Zhou Lecheng’s travel post, and clicked “view original poster only.”
“It’s very lively. It feels like everyone who isn’t asleep has come. I got a free ticket from the guesthouse, and my goal is to have a big feast…”
“The band isn’t great, the kind that definitely wouldn’t draw a crowd if they sang on the street. Here, only me and a few kids are watching. I’m waiting for them to play music…”
“The fireworks are quite suitable for when it’s cold. They look very warm. Standing by the bonfire, my eyes and body both feel warm. It might feel hot in the summer, but I probably won’t have the chance to wait for a summer to try…”
“Heng and Ha, the two bruisers, gave me a few skewers. They grilled them themselves. Very fragrant…”
After the bonfire festival, Zhou Lecheng rested for two days and then left the guesthouse. The post only briefly mentioned that it was time to go home, and that this journey had a perfect, gentle end.
The next post was from last month, which was also the last update. The content was even simpler, looking like a last word.
“The situation isn’t great. I’ll try to make it through the New Year, but I’m afraid it might be too sudden, and I won’t have time to say goodbye to those still waiting for my news. So I’ll say goodbye now. We’ll meet again, in the landscapes I’ve seen and the kindness I’ve enjoyed.”
Hu Pan and Sun Nana also came over. The group read Zhou Lecheng’s post again and then clicked to read all the replies.
Zhou Lecheng had not mentioned Dayin by name in the post, but because he wrote about the bonfire festival at the end, many people searched for related content and found out it was Hongye Town. Then someone saw the guesthouse recommendations for Hongye Town.
“That must be how they knew it was us,” Hu Pan sighed. “What’s his situation now? Is he still… alive?”
Chen Jian looked down at his phone. There was still no reply from Zhou Lecheng. However, when they had chatted before, Zhou Lecheng’s replies weren’t very fast either. Sometimes he would reply the next day, saying he had fallen asleep.
Maybe he was just asleep now too.
He hoped he was just asleep.
The phone rang a few more times. The callers were both men and women, all young from the sound of their voices. The content was very friendly, mostly blessings. Two even asked about room types and activities.
It had been a while since Zhou Lecheng posted that farewell message. Everyone had known about Hongye Town and Dayin for a while. Logically, they should have known the phone number back then too, but it wasn’t until today that people started calling…
Chen Jian did indeed have a bad feeling.
Zhou Lecheng had a small group chat with old friends who had been following his post from the beginning. They might have heard some news.
Chen Jian sat on a bench in the garden. In front of him was the large pile of fireworks that Shan Yu had bought. He was still thinking about taking some pictures when they set them off tomorrow night to send to Zhou Lecheng.
Now, suddenly knowing that Zhou Lecheng might already be gone, he felt an indescribable sadness.
He hadn’t spent much time with Zhou Lecheng, and they hadn’t communicated much. After Zhou Lecheng went home, they would occasionally chat a few sentences, nothing deep. He also never had the courage to ask about Zhou Lecheng’s illness.
If it weren’t for these sudden phone calls today, Zhou Lecheng would have just been an ordinary friend he occasionally contacted.
But now he felt very sad.
Death, especially death from illness… Zhou Lecheng was still very young, about the same age as his mother back then. The same quiet and gentle demeanor.
Chen Jian leaned back against the bench, took a breath, and just as he was about to let out a soft sigh with his eyes closed, his nose was pinched.
He was startled and slapped the hand pinching his nose.
Then he turned his head.
Shan Yu was standing behind him, one hand on the back of the bench, shaking the hand he had just slapped.
“You gave me a huge scare,” Chen Jian said.
“Stop sighing all the time.” Shan Yu came around from behind the bench and sat down next to him.
“I think Zhou Lecheng might really be gone,” Chen Jian said, looking down at the phone in his hand. “He hasn’t replied to my message, and he hasn’t posted on his Moments either.”
“Are you thinking about your mom?” Shan Yu asked directly.
Chen Jian looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Being sick is a very painful thing,” Shan Yu said. “Others can’t share even a tiny bit of it. Worrying, comforting, none of it can lessen the pain even a little.”
Chen Jian didn’t speak. He understood what Shan Yu meant.
“Sometimes death is a release,” Shan Yu said. “There will be many regrets, unwillingness, but what can you say? Even people who live a full life and die of old age will still have regrets and unwillingness… And a lot of the time, the greater regrets and unwillingness actually belong to the living.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian responded, slumping down a little. He glanced around the garden; no one was there.
He tilted his head and rested it on Shan Yu’s shoulder.
Although the sun was about to set, it was still warm when there was no wind. Sitting here, he suddenly felt a bit sleepy.
When Da Li came into the courtyard through the back door, Chen Jian was still leaning on Shan Yu.
He was very sleepy and didn’t want to move at all.
Even when he saw Da Li, he didn’t want to move.
Move my ass.
Da Li is nothing.
People all have to die eventually. Who cares what an outsider thinks…
“Is something wrong?” Shan Yu asked.
“Ah,” Da Li, who had frozen upon entering, responded, “Boss Shan, Manager Chen.”
Only then did Chen Jian sit up straight and wipe the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he had just fallen asleep; what if he had drooled?
“It’s like this,” Da Li walked over. “Our Boss He came by earlier, but you were in the city so you didn’t meet. We wanted to ask, are you all at the shop for the New Year?”
“We are,” Chen Jian said.
“That’s good. Boss Yang suggested that our few establishments should get together during the New Year. When would you two be free?” Da Li asked.
Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu. They had the time, but whether he was interested in getting together was another question.
Oh, he probably was interested.
Shan Yu now wanted to cooperate with these other businesses. After all, now that the town was being developed, cooperation was the best way to make money more happily.
“The third or fourth of the New Year would be fine,” Shan Yu said.
“Then let’s tentatively set it for the third,” Da Li nodded. “I’ll talk to Manager Chen about the specifics then.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian replied.
Da Li didn’t stay long. He turned and went out through the back door again.
Chen Jian looked at the back door and after a while said, “Shouldn’t this door usually be locked?”
Shan Yu didn’t speak, but he laughed.
It was almost time for dinner. Chen Jian and Shan Yu went back inside. Sanbing and the others were setting the table. Two guests were eating with them today and were also helping to carry bowls and plates.
Chen Jian went to the kitchen. His dad was just scooping out the last dish of stir-fried cured meat.
“There are also some freshly picked green vegetables,” his dad said. “Later, whoever wants some greens…”
“Where did you pick them from?” Chen Jian was taken aback.
“In that vegetable shed behind your courtyard,” his dad said, then he also froze and lowered his voice. “Oh, you guys didn’t plant them, did you?”
“No,” Chen Jian suddenly felt like laughing. “The people from the guesthouse next door planted them.”
“Oh no,” his dad said. “I picked two.”
“It’s fine,” Chen Jian said. “Shan Yu even wants to throw a few chickens in there to raise. That land is ours anyway.”
“You guys want to raise chickens?” his dad smiled. “Those two girls at the front desk came in to help just now, went around in circles and didn’t help with anything. They almost made me burn my vegetables.”
Chen Jian picked up the stir-fried cured meat and laughed as he walked out.
Chatting with his dad in the steamy kitchen was something he had never experienced in his memories. It belonged to the present, a brand new, vivid memory.
The guests eating with them were a couple, very cheerful. After staying for a few days, they had become like an older sister and brother-in-law to everyone. They were still enthusiastic now, as if it were their own living room, constantly urging everyone to eat.
“You all eat more. We’re here to have fun, but you’ve been busy all day at such a big guesthouse,” the sister said.
“Is the food seasoned right?” his dad asked.
“It’s perfect,” the brother-in-law nodded. “Uncle, you don’t look like someone who can cook, but you cook surprisingly well.”
“It’s all home-style cooking, and the ingredients are all local,” his dad said with a smile. “In the kitchen, there’s also…”
His dad stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Chen Jian.
“There’s also freshly picked lettuce,” Chen Jian said.
“Where was it picked?” Sanbing immediately asked.
Chen Jian smiled without answering.
“That shed outside the courtyard wall, right?” Lao Wu said.
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“We have to try that,” Sanbing immediately got up and went to the kitchen to bring out the vegetables. “This lettuce is so delicious wrapped with meat. They use farm manure for these vegetables…”
The cost of growing these few vegetables for Suiyun wasn’t low. They didn’t let the land lie fallow even in the dead of winter and even built a greenhouse. If it wasn’t to occupy the land, it could only be for the love of it.
But the vegetables were indeed very good, extremely fresh. A large basket was brought out and was quickly snatched up by everyone.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have prepared any greens these past few days,” Shan Yu said after dinner, standing inside the east wall and looking at the vegetable shed on the other side with his x-ray vision. “The vegetables in here are enough.”
“We’re getting together with them in a few days,” Chen Jian said. “Don’t create conflict.”
Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“Sooner or later, I’ll have Zhao Fangfang buy some chickens and put them in there,” he said.
“That won’t even be enough for Mushroom to pounce on,” Chen Jian said, looking at Mushroom who was sitting primly at his feet, also looking at the wall. He bent down and stroked its head. “It pounces on everything it sees now…”
His phone buzzed once; a message had come in.
Chen Jian remained bent over, not moving.
“Look at it,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian took out his phone and quickly glanced at the notification bar. It was from Zhou Lecheng, but the first sentence of the message content made it clear it wasn’t him.
Two very polite words.
Hello.
Chen Jian opened the message.
[Zhong Lele]: Hello, I am Lecheng’s friend. He left this world at 9:10 last night. In accordance with his last wishes, there will be no ceremony. I will convey the words he left for his friends individually.
A second message followed.
[Zhong Lele]: Chen Jian, first of all, I want to thank you and all the friends at the guesthouse. Then, there is a secret I can tell you now. On the day we played cards, I was indeed casing the joint, although I hadn’t really made up my mind. You guys stopped me and let me enjoy a few more months of life. Thank you. I wish you all eternal, vibrant, and powerful vitality.
…Zhou Lecheng was really dead.
He hadn’t made it past the New Year.
Chen Jian squatted down on the ground, lowered his head, and grabbed Mushroom, pressing its head against his eyes.
Shan Yu took the phone from his hand. After reading it, he also squatted down and put an arm around his shoulder.
“I’m not crying,” Chen Jian said with a muffled voice.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded.
“I’m just taking precautions. I don’t want to cry,” Chen Jian said. “It’s the New Year.”
“Mhm,” Shan Yu responded again.
“But it hurts,” Chen Jian said.
“Let’s go.” Shan Yu patted him and stood up.
“Where to?” Chen Jian asked.
“Set off fireworks?” Hu Pan shouted. “I thought we were doing it tomorrow night! Are we doing it tonight?”
“There’s no rule that says you have to start on New Year’s Eve,” Shan Yu said. “We bought them to set them off, didn’t we?”
“Then we need to plan it,” Sanbing immediately stood up. “Don’t get too excited and set them all off in one night.”
“If they’re all gone, they’re all gone,” Shan Yu said. “That boss is from the village just south of here. He said if I need more, he can deliver them anytime.”
A cheer went up from the group, and Lao Wu turned and ran towards the backyard.
“Sanbing,” Shan Yu called out to Sanbing, who was about to follow. “Call Chen Erhu and tell him to go to the riverbank. If he’s not there by nine, tell him not to come to work anymore.”
Chen Erhu had disappeared after bringing back the supplies and putting them in storage today. He had only told Sanbing he was going out for a while, and he still hadn’t returned.
Chen Jian knew he must feel too ashamed to face this group of people, especially Shan Yu.
If Shan Yu hadn’t called him, he might have held it in until after the New Year and just quit.
“You got it!” Sanbing shouted, then added as he ran, “Thank you, Boss Shan! May Boss Shan live as long as the southern mountains!”
“Lao Wu,” Chen Jian said.
“Lao Wu has already…” Sanbing looked back.
“Get off Chen Jiali!” Chen Jian said.
“…Damn you, Chen Jian!” Sanbing cursed and ran out to the backyard.
Sun Nana drove the car to the back door, and a few people piled the fireworks into the trunk. Since the boss had given the word, they didn’t hold back. More than half of the piled-up fireworks were put in the trunk. The two largest cannon-like ones were left behind; those were in less demand, and they were afraid the boss might be out of stock.
Everyone who could fit in the car got in. Sanbing and Lao Wu took the motorcycle and went ahead to the riverbank to find an open spot.
His dad had never had this much fun in his life. He was squeezed into the back seat with Chen Jian, laughing the whole time. “You guys really come up with one idea after another.”
“It’s the New Year,” Shan Yu said. “Uncle Chen, you should pick a few big ones to set off later too.”
Chen Jian thought his dad would refuse, but to his surprise, his dad nodded without hesitation. “Sure.”
“I don’t dare to set off the big ones. I want to play with the sparklers,” Sun Nana said. “Panpan, take some pictures for me.”
“Leave it to me! I guarantee I’ll make you look like you’re in a fashion blockbuster,” Hu Pan said.
They drove to the riverbank. Sanbing and Lao Wu had already chosen a spot and were waving at them.
As soon as the car stopped, they opened the trunk. Everyone got out to move the fireworks.
Chen Jian was also about to get out when Shan Yu, who had been sitting next to him looking at his phone, suddenly snapped his fingers in front of his face.
“Hm?” Chen Jian turned his head.
Shan Yu turned his phone screen towards him. “When was this taken?”
Chen Jian recognized it at a glance. The photo was of him, with a smiling girl next to him.
“This is…” He immediately realized. “This is the one I told you about last time. At the shop, she…”
How could Shan Yu still come across this photo?
He scrolled through all sorts of things every day, looking for various recommendations about Dayin, and had never come across it.
What kind of recommendation algorithm does this platform have!
“I’m not listening.” Shan Yu opened the car door and got out.
