When Yan Heqing returned, all tidied up, the rice was already served, accompanied by a pair of bamboo chopsticks with pointed tips.
Lu Lin sat opposite, ladled out some chicken soup, and easily placed it next to the rice bowl with his long arm. "Drink some soup first to warm your stomach."
The pattering rain outside the window intensified. Yan Heqing picked up the soup and took a sip. The chicken soup had a very rich flavor; it was made with authentic free-range chicken.
They had been traveling all day, and the two of them ate quietly, except for the kettle on the stove making a constant noise.
After finishing their meal and cleaning up, it was almost midnight. It wasn't a good time to sleep right after eating, so Lu Lin pulled out a deck of cards from somewhere.
Want to play cards?
Yan Heqing had learned some card games while working part-time at a bar, but he didn't know which one Lu Lin wanted to play. He sat down on the sofa opposite Lu Lin and said, "Okay."
Lu Lin opened the box and poured out the cards. The cards featured different attractions, snacks, and cultural information about the Twenty Bridges area. They must have been prepared by Old Li.
After shuffling the cards, Lu Lin asked Yan Heqing, "What do you want to play?"
Yan Heqing had no objection, "Anything is fine."
Lu Lin rarely played these games, but that didn't mean he didn't know how. He thought for a moment and actually came up with a way to play, "Could I bluff?"
Yan Heqing thought for a moment. He had seen others play it in bars. The game was very simple: you run the cards face down and say them out loud to see if the other players believe you. So it was also called "Believe it or not." The first player to run out of cards wins.
Simply put, it's a competition to see who can blow up the other.
Yan Heqing nodded, "Yes."
This game requires removing the Jokers. Lu Lin drew the Jokers and dealt the cards, and soon the two of them each received half of the cards.
"Whoever gets the 3 of Hearts goes first." Lu Lin closed his half-deck of cards, unfolded them, and there was no 3 of Hearts.
At the same time, Yan Heqing placed two cards, "Two 6s."
Lu Lin had two 6s left in his hand, and he was all smiles. His bold move of playing two cards at the start was something Chu Ziyu wouldn't do. Chu Ziyu would only dare to play one card at a time, so he wouldn't lose too quickly.
Lu Lin drew a 2 and a 3. "Two."
If Yan Heqing were to flip the cards now, Lu Lin would lose and have to accept all four cards. However, Yan Heqing did not flip the cards but instead placed two more.
Lu Lin didn't flip the cards either, and continued to place them.
Playing bluffing is also a contest of who can remain calm and who has more patience.
And both of them happen to be extremely patient.
The battle was uneventful yet evenly matched, and in the end, each player had two cards left.
Yan Heqing put down his two cards, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. "Still two 6s."
At this moment, Lu Lin still had two 6s in his hand. He met Yan Heqing's smiling eyes, chuckled softly, and neither revealed nor placed his cards. "I guessed you had two 6s. If you reveal them, I lose." He pulled Yan Heqing's left hand and placed the cards face down in his palm. "Guess if I have two 6s left. If you guess right, you win."
Their eyes met, and Lu Lin's eyes revealed an obvious smile. Yan Heqing didn't look away, and uttered a single word, "Yes."
Lu Lin flipped over the cards in Yan Heqing's palm: a 6 of spades and a 6 of diamonds.
Immediately, Lu Lin flipped over the last two cards Yan Heqing had dealt: a 6 of hearts and a 6 of clubs. Lu Lin didn't release Yan Heqing's hand, a smile playing on his lips. "You won. What reward do you want?"
Yan Heqing looked directly into Lu Lin's eyes. Even through the thin two cards, he could still feel the warmth of Lu Lin's palm. His voice was soft, "You guessed my cards too, so you haven't lost. You can still have a reward."
His pupils were clear and pure, seemingly empty yet containing everything.
Lu Lin stared at him intently for a few moments, then moved her hand away. "I can't think of anything right now. I'll ask you for it tomorrow."
Yan Heqing held the two cards, then released them back onto the table, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I'll ask you for them tomorrow too."
The house has three bedrooms, two next to each other and one at the other end. Old Li tidied up the two adjacent rooms, and Yan Heqing lived in the room on the left.
The room had been tidied up during the day, with all the bedding being brand new and dry-cleaned. The furnishings were simple, with only a desk besides the bed facing the window.
Yan Heqing put down his luggage, walked to his desk, and opened the window. The rain had stopped sometime earlier.
It was quiet outside, and when the light shone out, only a few banana trees could be seen.
The air was filled with the freshness of the rain, and the whole world seemed to stand still at that moment, with only this tiled house, two lamps, and a few banana trees in the courtyard.
With a slight flicker in his eyes, Yan Heqing took out his phone and saw a message from Lu Muchi sent a few hours ago in the class WeChat group.
Yan Heqing didn't even look at it and turned off the phone.
Let his time stand still, pause here for five days.
*
He went to bed very late, but Yan Heqing still woke up at six o'clock sharp the next day. However, he didn't get up and instead drifted back to sleep in the quiet environment.
It was almost noon when they got up. Lu Lin had just gotten up too. After washing up, the two went out to eat.
Stepping out of the gate, Yan Heqing realized that what they had passed through last night was not a tunnel, but an endless plum orchard. Instead of taking the main road they had come from, Lu Lin led Yan Heqing along a side path, paving a bluestone path through the mud that led directly to the scenic area.
In early May, the trees were already laden with unripe fruit. After walking for a while, I could faintly hear someone calling out.
" Mr. Lu, Mr. Yan, you've gone out for fun!"
Yan Heqing looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was Old Li, with his wife beside him. The two were inspecting the fruit trees. Yan Heqing smiled and waved to them. Lu Lin saw this and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Old Li's wife said something to Old Li, and then Old Li led her over. As soon as they arrived, the woman stared wide-eyed at Yan Heqing. A blush appeared on Old Li's simple face. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Yan," he said, "My wife is a few months pregnant. She said you're so handsome that she wanted to come and see you more, so our child will be as handsome as you. I just can't do anything with her."
Although it was said to be a reprimand, the tone was actually full of affection.
The woman nudged Old Li, her eyes unblinking, and earnestly said to Yan Heqing, "In my hometown, there's a saying that if you want to have a beautiful baby, you have to look at beautiful people more often."