After lunch, Chen Jue went to sit by the river with Linglong again to discuss the Dao. They finally exchanged contact information before saying goodbye.
Linglong's WeChat profile picture was an ivory puzzle ball covered in patterns of roaming dragons and auspicious clouds. Also called a "concentric ball," its full name was an openwork ivory puzzle ball with cloud-and-dragon designs. Its craftsmanship was nothing short of miraculous. The ball had seven openings and nine layers within, much like Linglong herself, a martial Golden Elixir whose mind was ever-changing, reserved, and mysterious.
After leaving the navel orange orchard and walking twenty kilometers along mountain roads, Chen Jue caught a taxi heading his way in Dashi Town and returned to the Hezhou county seat. Since he had disappeared for almost an entire day, his roommates had been frantically tagging him in their WeChat group.
Fortunately, Chen Jue replied in time, preventing any major misunderstanding.
Zhou Anping's wedding was over, and the two days of festivities gradually settled into quiet. After another ten days or so of rest, Zhou Anping would have to return to the university gates to sell chicken bones from a stall with his new wife.
As for a honeymoon, that was something for people with money and leisure. Ordinary people getting by did not bother with so many formalities.
The roommates also said their farewells, telling one another to take care, before going their separate ways and returning to their original lives.
That was life: day after day, plain and uneventful, peaceful and without any great upheavals.
Chen Jue caught a ride with Jiang Fan. They took turns driving along the expressway, spending two days and a night traveling from Hezhou to Hangzhou. Afterward, he transferred to a high-speed train and returned to An County in Wenzhou.
Leaving