Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was setting in the west, and the light turned golden.
The village elder called everyone to the open space.
"There will be a bonfire party tonight," the village elder said, "But you'll need to prepare for the bonfire yourself."
There was a lot of preparation. The guests
Firewood, tables and chairs, bowls and chopsticks, food.
Shen Yuzhou led the way to move firewood, with Cheng Yanqiu following behind him. The two of them carried the firewood several times and piled it in the center of the open space.
Ji Shiyu went to the kitchen to prepare food. There were still some cold bento boxes left from the morning's preparation, but there was a bonfire party that evening, so they needed to eat something hot.
"I'll chop the vegetables," Shen Yuzhou volunteered.
Ji Shiyu glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and then handed him the kitchen knife.
Cut the potatoes into chunks.
Shen Yuzhou took the cleaver, gestured at the potato for a long time, and then cut it crookedly, making one half thick and the other half thin.
He glanced at Ji Shiyu, then at the potato he had chopped into a mess, bit his lip, and made another cut, this time thinner.
Ji Shiyu took the cleaver without saying a word, and quickly chopped the remaining potatoes into even pieces.
Then, to avoid seeing or bothering him, she pushed Shen Yuzhou out of the kitchen, telling him to stop causing trouble.
Cheng Yanqiu quietly assisted Ji Shiyu, not daring to use the knife.
Even if it were Film Emperor Pei, he would still get scolded by Teacher Ji in the kitchen.
It's best not to bother Teacher Ji in the kitchen anymore.
She couldn't understand why Teacher Ji, who usually seemed so gentle, became so irritable in the kitchen.
Lin Yanru went to the village and borrowed more than a dozen long benches.
Jiang Wantang filled a bamboo basket with fruit and placed it on the table.
Su He'an spread the dyed batik cloth on the table as a tablecloth. The indigo cloth with white patterns matched the bamboo woven bowls and plates from the Miao village, creating a harmonious scene.
The twenty-odd fans also helped prepare things for the bonfire party.
Qiguan Yuan did not do these things.
Why?
Because he was surrounded by the villagers again.
Pei Yubai brought out a basin of washed vegetables from the kitchen and placed it on the table. When he looked up, he saw a bunch of radish heads surrounding his Yuanyuan.
He looked around carefully and saw that there was no suspicious person around Yuanyuan except for the children, and he didn't have the energy to pay attention to these little brats.
Wang Miao and her roommates were also busy.
Several girls were squatting by the open space, stringing corn cobs together. The corn had just been picked from the field that morning, and the cobs were strung on bamboo skewers, arranged in a row.
While stringing corn, Wang Miao kept stealing Qiguan Yuan, lowering his head after each glance.
Her roommate nudged her, and the corn she was holding fell to the ground, rolling away and getting dusty. She picked it up, blew on it, put it aside, and took a new one.
Roommate: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
After thinking about it, Wang Miao decided to wash the dusty ear of corn.
The sky gradually darkened.
The firewood pile in the center of the open space was shaped like a tower, with dry grass underneath and coarse firewood on top.
Shen Yuzhou squatted in front of the woodpile, holding a lighter in his hand. He pressed it several times, and the flames leaped up, licked the dry grass, and went out.
He pressed it again, and it went out again.
Cheng Yanqiu, watching anxiously from the side, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and poured it on the firewood. The pile of firewood burst into flames with a whoosh, and the flames leaped high. Shen Yuzhou quickly retreated.
The firelight illuminated half of the open space.
The young people of the Miao village played the lusheng (a reed pipe instrument), the sound was not loud, but deep, as if it came from a very far place.
Su He'an led several Miao girls in a dance, their silver ornaments glittering in the firelight.
Tourists formed a circle to watch them dance; some were recording with their phones, while others clapped along to the rhythm.
Qiguan Yuan was still sitting on the stone bench, the firelight reflecting on his face, watching this dance he had never seen before.
Pei Yubai walked over from the crowd and sat down next to him, their shoulders about half a fist's width apart.
" Pei Yubai, can you dance?" Qiguan Yuan asked.
Pei Yubai slightly. "No. Yuanyuan, you want to see me learn."
Qiguan Yuan squeezed his fingers. "No need, this dance doesn't suit you. Pei Yubai, perhaps sword dance is more suitable for you."
Qiguan Yuan's words resonated with Pei Yubai's fans in the live stream.
[That's very true. Pei Yubai only responds to everything when he's with Qiguan Yuan, but in front of others, he's still the aloof and dignified Film Emperor Pei. It's hard to imagine him dancing like this.]
[ Pei Yubai, your wife has spoken, go learn sword dance! Your wife wants to see it! (I absolutely refuse to admit that I actually want to see it too, hehe.)]
[Am I the only one who wants to see Yuanyuan dance? It looks so good. Strange, I'm clearly a fan of Pei Yubai! Why do I want to see Yuanyuan more?]
[Admit it, you're also captivated by Yuanyuan.]
[Still struggling! Pei Yubai Pei Yubai always like that when he's Yuanyuan, so how much better can I be, since I'm attracted to him? I admit, I like Yuanyuan too!]
[Hehe, it's been Taro Balls for a while now.]
[Yu Yuan and Taro Balls, what a wonderful couple name!]
Pei Yubai was pondering his schedule, wondering if he could squeeze out time to learn sword dance.
Yuanyuan wants to see it.
Then Yuanyuan must see it.
As dusk fell, the firelight grew ever brighter.
Qiguan Yuan lowered his eyes as he watched Cheng Yanqiu, Shen Yuzhou, and the others entangled with their fans.
I don't know how much I'll be able to remember.
The Dust-Settling Red Cord his hand began to stir again.
Unlike his restlessness during the day, it tightened rhythmically, urging him on.
Qiguan Yuan looked down at the red string on his wrist. He slightly raised his hand, placed the fingertips of his other hand over it, and gently pressed it.
The red rope seemed to sense his reassurance, and slowly calmed down, no longer tightening, though it was still faintly warm.
Qiguan Yuan lowered his hand.
He turned to look at Pei Yubai. Pei Yubai was looking down at his phone, the screen light illuminating his face, his brows slightly furrowed, probably checking his schedule.
He watched intently, swiping his finger across the screen a few times before stopping and hesitating over a particular point in time.
Qiguan Yuan called his name.
Pei Yubai.
The sound was not loud, mixed with the crackling of the lusheng (a traditional reed pipe instrument) and firewood.
Pei Yubai turned around in response, still holding his phone in his hand, the screen unlocked.
Qiguan Yuan's fingers touched his chin.
My fingertips were warm, with a slight burning sensation in the cool evening breeze.
Qiguan Yuan hooked his index finger along Pei Yubai's jawline, his thumb pressed against the tip of his chin, pinched it, and lifted it slightly.
Pei Yubai was stunned.
He watched as Qiguan Yuan's face drew closer, the firelight gilding Qiguan Yuan's profile with a golden edge.
Qiguan Yuan lowered his eyes slightly.
Pei Yubai stopped breathing.
Qiguan Yuan's lips pressed against his.
Warm, dry, with a slight coolness.
Pei Yubai felt Qiguan Yuan's nose tip gently brush against his nostril; the touch was so light it was almost unreal.
Their breaths mingled.
Qiguan Yuan's eyelashes brushed against his skin, making it tickle.
Pei Yubai's fingers twitched, as if he wanted to lift them up and grip the back of Qiguan Yuan's neck.
Qiguan Yuan stepped back at this moment.
The warmth on his lips vanished, so quickly it seemed as if the moment before was merely Pei Yubai's illusion.
Qiguan Yuan's face was now clearly visible again, the firelight flickering between them.
Pei Yubai's gaze lingered on Qiguan Yuan for a long time.
Qiguan Yuan's gaze moved from Pei Yubai's eyes to his lips, and then back again.
Pei Yubai's lips were pressed into a line, and there seemed to be a trace of Qiguan Yuan's warmth still lingering on his lower lip.
Qiguan Yuan.
He reached out and hooked his finger with Pei Yubai's. His fingertip circled Pei Yubai's index finger, gently holding it, and gave it a slight shake.
"I'm going back now, Pei Yubai."