"A lake."
Yan Heqing was genuinely surprised. "A whole lake? The alcohol content is too high?"
Lu Lin gave a deep "hmm," and said, "Everyone gets drunk."
Yan Heqing didn't answer. He stared ahead, into the darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of the car lights, heading in an unknown direction.
He didn't ask about the location or the journey, but Lu Lin said first, "There are snacks in the armrest box. We still have three hours to drive. If you're hungry, eat something first."
Yan Heqing wasn't hungry, but he still turned his upper body slightly to the side and bent down to open the armrest box.
The extra-deep armrest box was filled with small snacks.
Chocolate, dried pineapple, dried mango, small sweet packets in clear packaging...
Yan Heqing took a bag of dried pineapple.
Having tried pineapple shrimp fritters before, he suddenly developed a liking for the taste of pineapple. He tore open a corner of the packaging; it was a small packet with only two or three slices. He took one out and asked Lu Lin, "Want one?"
"Good."
Yan Heqing handed it over, stopping it on the right side of the steering wheel. Lu Lin freed his right hand, took the dried pineapple, and put the whole piece into his mouth.
Yan Heqing hadn't eaten yet, holding a second slice in her hand. "Want some more?"
He rubbed his thumb tip against his index finger tip; the dried pineapple seemed to have been sprinkled with powdered sugar, leaving a lingering sugary texture. After a moment, he returned his grip to the steering wheel and Lu Lin left off the highway. "Eat it yourself."
Yan Heqing withdrew his gaze, turned to the window, took a bite, and chewed slowly.
The car fell silent again, and Lu Lin reached out and turned on the music.
The next moment, the soft Wu dialect was even gentler than the spring breeze.
[Green bricks and painted tiles, white horses treading on fresh mud...]
It's that Suzhou storytelling performance.
Through the glass, all that could be seen outside was endless darkness. After finishing the dried pineapple, Yan Heqing took out the last piece, ate it quietly, and didn't touch any other snacks.
Buzzing.
A while later, Yan Heqing's pocket vibrated. He took out his phone, and the caller ID was 3.3.
He died in a car accident on March 3rd of that year, when he was 21 years old.
Lu Muchi's nickname is 3.3.
Yan Heqing hung up and then turned off his phone.
--
At the same time, Lu Muchi heard, "Hello, the number you dialed is currently busy..."
Dial again, and it became --
The number you dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later.
Yan Heqing hung up on him and turned off his phone!
Feeling agitated, Lu Muchi carelessly stuffed his phone back into his pocket.
Today, Lin Fengzhi brought Yan Heqing to visit him in the hospital. Besides realizing he hadn't thought of Lin Fengzhi for so long, he also came to a clearer understanding of a fact—
He missed Yan Heqing terribly.
The moment he saw his back, his heart clenched, and in that instant when he turned his shoulder, he actually wanted to hug him.
Lu Changcheng interrupted him.
Lu Muchi clenched his fist, unable to hold back any longer. He turned and strode towards the hospital bed, beginning to whine, "Grandpa, I want to go back and take a bath."
Lu Changcheng knew his ulterior motives, and he reminded him, "Just don't go see your shady friends, go back and take a shower before you go."
Lu Muchi grabbed his coat and ran, "I'll come early tomorrow!"
Lu Changcheng shook his head. After the footsteps faded into the distance, he instructed the woman, "Summon the bodyguard who's with the young master to come see me."
A short while later, the bodyguard rushed in, covered in sweat.
The woman brewed the tea, lifted the lid, blew on it to cool it down, and then handed the tea to Lu Changcheng.
Lu Changcheng took it, sipped it, and slowly said, "I'll ask, you answer."
The bodyguard readily agreed.
"Has the young master been frequently visiting Lin Fengzhi lately?"
Lu Changcheng knew long ago that Lu Muchi Lin Fengzhi were not ordinary.
There's no need for him to interfere with Lu Muchi's rebellious teenage love. Given Lu Muchi's personality, he'll get tired of it after a while. If he tries to stop him, Lu Muchi just rebel even more.
Since the other two didn't make headlines, he forgot about Lin Fengzhi.
Lin Fengzhi to visit him today, and that's when he remembered this matter.
It's not a good sign that Lu Muchi is still interested after all these years.
The bodyguard dared not remain silent, yet dared not reveal everything. He pondered that since he had only asked Lin Fengzhi and not Yan Heqing, he hadn't done anything wrong, had he?
He lowered his head. "Yes."
Lu Changcheng's face immediately fell.
He smashed the teacup.
Crack! The teacup shattered in two on the floor, leaving half a cup of tea sloshing inside the broken pieces.
*
On the dark and silent lakeside, only a single orange outdoor lamp illuminates the scene.
The vast grassland stretched as far as the eye could see, and the lake was hidden in the darkness, its extent obscured. Only the area illuminated before us revealed itself to be a wide expanse of water.
It is indeed a great place for wild fishing.
Yan Heqing put down his water glass; next to it was Lu Lin's thermos.
The two were separated by a small table, with two chairs on either side of them.
A fire was burning in front of the table, with a thin wire mesh on one side. A small bronze kettle was boiling water on one side, while several sweet potatoes were roasting on the other.
After roasting for a while, the sweet potatoes release a rich, sweet aroma.
The bait has been scattered into the water; now we just need to wait.
Lu Lin leaned back in his chair, flipping through a novel in one hand and a sweet potato in the other. Smelling the enticing aroma, he flipped the novel face down on the table, grabbed a few neatly folded tissues, picked up a sweet potato, and handed it to Yan Heqing, saying, "It should be cooked by now."
Yan Heqing didn't say thank you this time either. He was fiddling with the fishing net and took the sweet potato with his right hand.
Even through the thick tissue, you could still feel the scalding heat.
The closer you get, the more fragrant it becomes.
Yan Heqing tucked the fishing net under his arm and carefully peeled back the sweet potato skin with his left hand. The flesh was golden and visibly soft and glutinous. He took a bite, or rather, sucked on it. The delicate, silk-free flesh was rich in milky aroma, sweet and glutinous but not cloying.
In the past, when I worked part-time until midnight, I would often come across roasted sweet potato stalls on the street, their aroma filling the entire area.
Once, Yan Heqing was so hungry that he picked out a small sweet potato.
I peeled it open, but it didn't smell fragrant, the meat was dry, and it was very fibrous.
He took another bite.
Just as he thought, once you've tasted something too sweet, you can't help but keep going.