An Eight-Hundred-Square-Meter Bed
Amidst the occasional, virtual, and nostalgic clanging sounds, Liu Chang'an and An Nuan arrived in Lin'an.
Lin'an is Hangzhou; from now on, Hangzhou is Lin'an.
"When I graduated from junior high school, I went to Japan with my mother. When we came back, I stayed in Lin'an for a while." An Nuan held Liu Chang'an's hand, feeling a really different feeling. Being with her boyfriend, even in cities she had been to before, filled her with a sense of novelty.
I want to walk with him again on the paths we've already walked.
I want to see the sights we've already seen with him.
He kept rambling on about the interesting things he remembered.
I look forward to the completely different feeling of being with him.
She didn't know what he meant by "someone needs to be dealt with," nor did she know when he would go to do it. An Nuan hoped he would finish it soon so the two of them could travel around in peace.
"I also stayed in Lin'an for a while... In the past, if people traveled far away or went on vacation, their destination was considered a great achievement in life, especially poets and literati. They loved to come here because there was poetry, wine, and beautiful women," Liu Chang'an said, looking around.
At the high-speed rail station, there was nothing to see in the distance, so Liu Chang'an touched his neck and lowered his head. He had been to this place many, many times. A hundred years ago, this place was just like the one he had been to, but now everything had changed.
Some scenic spots still have the same names, but looking at them again, one might no longer realize why they were once world-famous.
People visiting Lin'an for the first time often do a few things.
Which ones?
"There are some people who, upon first arriving in Lin'an, will immediately run to the West Lake and stand there singing: 'Ah hehe, ah hehe, ah hehe, ah hehe, the West Lake is beautiful, the spring rain is like wine, the willows are like smoke... If we are destined to meet, we will meet even if we are a thousand miles apart; if we are not destined to meet, we will not be able to hold hands even if we are face to face...'" Liu Chang'an originally just wanted to recite the lyrics, but little did he know that he would start singing as soon as he finished reciting "ah hehe".
An Nuan couldn't help but laugh, looking at her boyfriend, "Where would you find someone like that?"
"Yes, some people do," Liu Chang'an laughed. "After singing 'Crossing the River of Love' by West Lake, most of them will still want more and will sing 'Waiting for a Thousand Years,' and some will even sing 'Introducing Each Other's Family Names.'"
"<Introducing each other's family names>?" An Nuan and her boyfriend were not very old, so they were naturally not very familiar with TV dramas from the last century. However, <The Legend of the White Snake> was too classic. In her Xiangnan Province, there was a TV station that would endlessly replay <Princess Pearl> trilogy and <The Legend of the White Snake> during holidays and summer and winter vacations. An Nuan had also watched this TV series.
She knew Liu Chang'an's rendition of "Crossing the River of Love," but she wasn't very familiar with the song "Introducing Each Other's Homes."
"His surname is Xu, his given name is Xian, his courtesy name is Hanwen, his ancestral home is Qiantang, his family has been merchants for generations, valuing integrity..." Liu Chang'an recited a few lines, "This is the song Xu Xian sang when Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen met to introduce themselves... The young lady's name is Bai Suzhen, she lives in Chengdu, the capital of Hotpot Province..."
Liu Chang'an casually sang a couple of lines, and then he and An Nuan noticed two middle-aged women standing beside him watching him.
"These people are coming to Lin'an for the first time. After he sings 'Crossing the River of Love,' he also has to sing 'Waiting for a Thousand Years'!" An older woman whispered to another older woman next to her as she looked at Liu Chang'an.
"He can also sing 'Introducing Each Other's Homes,' and I bet he'll sing 'I Was Originally a Poor Scholar' later too..."
"Yes, that's how it is for people from out of town."
"He's going to sing by West Lake later..."
The two middle-aged women chatted for a few minutes and then left.
Liu Chang'an raised his hand, then lowered it, turning to look at An Nuan, who was trying not to laugh.
"It's obvious that I'm that kind of person." Liu Chang'an picked up his suitcase and walked out of the passage without looking back.
An Nuan followed, "Actually, people these days have kept up with the times. I guess what you're describing is considered outdated, so only older women would understand you... Nowadays, when people come to Lin'an, some will make a pilgrimage to Alibaba's headquarters, and some will try to take a photo with ***."
"Ancient relics? What are ancient relics from ten or twenty years ago... Those who could barely be considered ancient relics, when they came to Lin'an, sang: 'The southeast is a land of scenic beauty, the capital of the Three Wu regions, Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times. Willows and painted bridges, wind-blown curtains and emerald screens, a hundred thousand households in a picturesque setting...'"
"When Professor Liu came to Hangzhou last time, she also recited this poem while looking at West Lake from her room!"
"..."
"But since you called her an old-fashioned person, I'll let it slide about you two being on the same wavelength." An Nuan thought for a moment, then said happily, "I'm going to tell her when I get back that you think only an old-fashioned person would recite this poem."
Liu Chang'an, remaining calm, took her hand and led her out of the high-speed rail station.
Other girlfriends are afraid their mothers won't like their boyfriends, so they always try to find ways to praise their boyfriends. But what does she want to do? She just wants to cause trouble.
An Nuan and Liu Chang'an walked out of the high-speed rail station. An Nuan glanced down at her phone and then began to look around.
"What's wrong?" Liu Chang'an asked.
"I told Zhizhi yesterday that I was going to come to Lin'an to play, and she said she would come to visit me tomorrow. But she just sent a message saying that she can't skip her class tomorrow afternoon, but today she has English and PE, so she skipped those. Her train to Lin'an arrives three minutes earlier than ours, and she's waiting for us at the exit," An Nuan said happily.
"It's like meeting an old friend in a foreign land," Liu Chang'an said, seemingly delighted.
"I was just thinking you had something to do, so I figured Zhizhi could keep me company tomorrow. I never expected her to come over today." An Nuan was also a little surprised. Girls are all like that; when they have a boyfriend, he'll be there for them, but when they don't, they'll use their best friend.
"I booked a king-size bed room," Liu Chang'an said with a smile.
An Nuan blushed instantly. A double room meant that there was only one bed in the room, at least 1.8 meters wide. She didn't ask Liu Chang'an about booking the room. Firstly, it showed her trust and reliance on her boyfriend, letting him make the arrangements. Secondly, she had been alone with Liu Chang'an in a room several times before, such as during the college entrance examination and at Gao Dewei's farmhouse, and they had always stayed in standard rooms. She habitually assumed that they would stay in a standard room again this time.
I just remembered that when I searched for "what should I pay attention to when traveling with my boyfriend for the first time" that day, I saw some information about choosing between double rooms and standard rooms, and the stories behind those choices.
What is Liu Chang'an trying to do?
"You... you... which hotel did you book?" An Nuan touched her flushed cheeks, stammering nervously.
"The Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake," Liu Chang'an said, glancing at the reservation information.
"Then we should be able to add an extra bed... When we see Han Zhizhi later, we'll all say the same thing: the hotel only has one room left, but we can add an extra bed, so we'll still book this place!" An Nuan felt relieved and first got Liu Chang'an to agree on their story.
Without Han Zhizhi, An Nuan would probably have reluctantly, under his various reasons and excuses, ended up spending a peaceful night with him in the same room.
But that's between her and her boyfriend... How could she let Han Zhizhi know that she and Liu Chang'an went on a trip and only booked a double room! Knowing An Nuan as she did, Han Zhizhi's reaction in this situation would definitely be excited like a little train, constantly "dirty-nosed." It's one thing to hide in the room with Han Zhizhi and talk about random things, but it's quite another for her to become the object of ridicule!