Looking at Yun Xiangxiang who tried to look awe-inspiring as she gulped down the water with her eyes closed, a smile spread from Song Mian’s eyes.
They sat around for about half an hour before Song Mian held her hand and took her toward the dense jungle before them.
“Where are you taking me?” Yun Xiangxiang was curious. She thought Song Mian took her to the mountain for a stroll.
“Not far now. Just up ahead,” Song Mian didn’t answer directly.
After going through something resembling a dirt path, a stone path revealed itself before them. Following the two turns along the path, they were greeted by a wooden door and a fence. They were only nearing it, and there were already dogs barking inside.
Someone then came to open the door. He was a mustached middle-aged man. As he knew Song Mian, he opened the door, “Mr. Song, you have arrived.”
“I’m bringing my girlfriend for a spin here at your place,” Song Mian introduced Yun Xiangxiang.
“Mr. Song, your girlfriend is gorgeous,” he praised.
Song Mian looked at the couple of moles on her face with a smile in his eyes, “She is.”
“Well, someone’s shameless,” Yun Xiangxiang glared at him.
“It’s all vegetarian here,” Song Mian still smiled lovingly as he took Yun Xiangxiang inside.
Yun Xiangxiang found out it was a vegetable garden. It was designed beautifully, and it had various veggies too.
There were eggplants and tomatoes hanging in the air, as well as some pumpkin stands. But the pumpkins were absent. It was probably not in season.
“What will you have today, Mr. Song?” the owner of the courtyard asked.
“The freshest dishes will be fine,” Song Mian requested. He took a basket before taking Yun Xiangxiang and went past the vegetable garden, revealing loquat trees, apple trees, and a strawberry farm.
There were fruits there. Yun Xiangxiang exclaimed, “There are even loquats here!”
It was the season of loquats’ maturation. Loquats couldn’t take the cold. Its tree would blossom in autumn and winter, only bearing fruit in spring.
Beijing’s winter was freezing. Loquats would die from the cold if planted in Beijing. But its fruits looked golden here. Just looking at them could work up her appetite.
“As long as you know the symptoms and prevent it from being taken out, naturally they would bear fruit,” Song Mian handed the basket to Yun Xiangxiang. “Take whatever you want.”
“Isn’t this supposed to be a boyfriend thing?” Yun Xiangxiang asked as if it were a matter of course.
“And I thought my girlfriend would enjoy working herself more. I seem to be mistaken. Hold on a second, my girlfriend…”
“I’m doing it myself,” Yun Xiangxiang snatched the basket away.
Since she came here, she had to enjoy the process of picking the fruits herself. She could just buy it if she wanted it ready-made. She was just teasing Song Mian out of habit.
Yun Xiangxiang searched for the largest strawberry and picked more than a dozen of them before going on to pick four apples.
When she arrived at the loquat tree, she gave Song Mian the basket before jumping up and hanging onto a twig. Grasping the branches, she quickly went to the highest fork and plucked a few clusters that were facing the sun. She would then put them in her pockets.
It just so happened she was in her casual attire today. She would have trouble keeping those loquats otherwise.
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t come down immediately after she was finished with the plucking. She lay against a branch high up there, looking down upon Song Mian. She took one loquat out, peeled it and wrapped it with paper before eating it on the tree.
“En, it’s so sweet. You want some?” Yun Xiangxiang seduced Song Mian with a look of enjoyment.
Song Mian immediately played along with her, “Yes, I do.”
“Beg for it, then,” Yun Xiangxiang gave him a smug look as if she pulled off her devilish prank.
Song Mian thought his girlfriend had a lot of faces. She would be different every time. She might be childish now, but he felt inexplicably sweet. “I don’t have a smooth tongue. How should I beg for it from my girlfriend?”
“Praise me. I’ll give you some if it’s nice,” Yun XIangxiang quickly chose a good spot and sat down. She took another loquat out and started peeling its skin.
“My girlfriend is empathetic, intelligent, gentle, best in the world, has unparalleled beauty and talent…,” Song Mian praised her seriously.
Yun Xiangxiang kept on listening as she secretly enjoyed it. Song Mian didn’t stop without her command. He had a great vocabulary, showing no signs of slowing down even after more than ten minutes.
Yun Xiangxiang peeled another one before jumping down the tree and went up to feed Song Mian the loquat she had in her hand.
“It’s sweet,” Song Mian smacked his lips after finishing it.
Yun Xiangxiang rolled her eyes. She threw the trash away and looked for a water source to wash her hands and the fruits.
When she was about to go to the kitchen to take a plate and cut up the fruits, Song Mian took the basket from her hands, “This is the kind of stuff your boyfriend should do for you.”
Yun Xiangxiang let the basket go and sat down on a spot beneath a natural wooden stand that had many leaves entangling it.
It was cool and had dappled sunlight shining through it. They had a swing chair. Extending her legs, she swayed slightly. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling.
Yun Xiangxiang was surprised Song Mian made a beautiful platter. Aside from the fruits she picked, there were also Indian jujubes and bananas.
These fruits were probably bought by the shopkeeper. With its various colors in it, the platter became tantalizing.
“I want to swing. Feed me,” Yun Xiangxiang kicked the ground and started swinging back and forth.
Song Mian speared a piece with a toothpick. He fed it to Yun Xiangxiang as she got closer, and she bit the piece of fruit off.
Yun Xiangxiang suddenly wanted to play. As she played and ate, Song Mian didn’t complain, and only fed her patiently.
“I shouldn’t keep this up. I can’t have dinner if I keep on eating this,” Yun Xiangxiang stopped. She looked at the platter that she had eaten two-thirds of. “You finish the rest.”
“Sure,” Song Mian agreed readily. He sat down beside Yun Xiangxiang and started eating the fruits.
Yun Xiangxiang leaned on his shoulders. Raising her eyes, she looked at the drifting clouds in the sky. “Ah Mian, I think I am just like the clouds in a clear sky.”
“En. Soft, warm, and flawlessly fair,” Song Mian agreed.
“Not like that,” Yun Xiangxiang denied that answer. “I am like the clouds under the sky, and you are the sky for me. You gave me a huge space for me to fly around unfettered and free.”
Yun Xiangxiang was already relaxed when she was together with Song Mian. Now that he brought her to this place which was so close to nature, he immediately washed away all the fatigue that clung to her from before.
“I think I should slow down and take a look at the scenery around me, remembering all the beauty brushing past me.”
Yun Xiangxiang’s mind also had a subtle change. Because of her past life, she was constantly working herself to the bone and was used to getting herself busy with work. She thought this was the only way to keep her soul from feeling empty.
There was nothing wrong with hard work, but she should learn how to relax occasionally and learn how to contemplate slowly. If she looked at things in a different way, perhaps her life would be more colorful.
She was no longer alone in this life.