Chapter15

  Wushui Town is a typical water town.

  After thousands of years of historical turmoil, the river still flows, with a lush and vibrant color. The houses on both sides of the river are simple and elegant, with dark tiles and green bricks, windows with intricate carvings, and rows of red lanterns hanging under the eaves, swaying gently in the wind, like the tassels on the hair of a Jiangnan woman walking into a small alley with an oil-paper umbrella, beautiful yet unadorned.

  Ah Heng was accustomed to all of this, but Xin Xi was as curious as a newborn baby seeing the world for the first time.

  Yun's father handed Ah Heng some money and instructed her to take Xiang Xi to the market for a good stroll, smiling very kindly.

  Ah Heng took the money and although he didn't know why Ah Ba's attitude towards Xi had changed so quickly, he still listened obediently.

  There are still two days until the Lunar New Year, and the market will definitely be extraordinarily lively.

  Xian Xi has been restless since leaving the Yun family, running around everywhere with her camera, taking pictures of passersby as if they were monkeys in a circus, clicking away excitedly.

  Ah Heng followed behind him, running until he was out of breath, but in his heart he felt embarrassed and buried his head, pretending not to know the young man.

  You look at others like they're from a circus, while others think you're from a zoo!

  On the market, people carrying goods on their shoulders hurry along.

  The crowd was bustling with excitement.

  The men of the water town are generally gentle and warm, with very few sharp edges, as gentle and broad-minded as water; while those girls are beautiful and tender, with wax-dyed skirt hems fluttering in the wind, already reaching the fixed Jiangnan beauty.

  Little kids, mostly wearing tiger hats, are being held in their parents' arms, clutching white sugar cakes, with drool and snot dripping down, chubby and adorable.

  Xīn Xī, at this moment... also holding a white sugar cake, with the same posture as throwing peanuts, tore off a corner, tilted her head back, threw it into her mouth, and laughed so hard that her big eyes were almost invisible.

  And Ah Heng, holding a camera, stared at the white sugar cake with eager eyes.

  Just now, Yan Xi let her buy two pieces of white sugar cake. As a result, when she ran back with a thud, the young man hung his camera around her neck, and both hands held one piece of white sugar cake in each hand, taking turns eating from left to right, without even leaving any crumbs for her.

  "I want to eat too." Ah Heng sucked his nose, displeased.

  "You've been living here for so many years and still haven't had enough to eat?" The young man didn't even lift his eyes, his cheeks bulging as he continued to chew with his mouth open.

  Damn it!

  A Heng felt depressed.

  Xian Xi deliberately annoyed Ah Heng, after finishing eating, he stuck out his tongue and licked his fingers hard, his eyes slanting towards the girl.

  A Heng was speechless.

  "What else is good to eat in Wushui Town?" The young man asked her with a smile.

  "Stinky tofu."

  "There's also one in City B, it's nothing special." The young man didn't think much of it.

  "Jiangnan's tofu is made." Ah Heng explained.

  "Hey, look at this! - 'Cut it out! We still make northern-style tofu back home.'"

  A Heng chuckled - "You try it, and you'll know."

  She took Xīn along the riverbank, into a small alley, turned several corners, and arrived in front of a small shop with a wooden signboard. The signboard read: Línjiā Dòufu Fáng (Lin Family Tofu Workshop), five bold brushstrokes, strong yet elegant.

  Under the eaves of the small shop, a string of dusty red lanterns swayed gently in the breeze.

  There were only a few wooden tables in the store, with sparse diners eating quietly.

  Completely different atmosphere from the bustling market, but very warm and cozy.

  "Third Uncle Sang, two bowls of tofu fa and a plate of fried stinky tofu!" Ah Heng shouted.

  "Alright!" A middle-aged man's thick and loud voice came from behind the blue curtain.

  Xian Xi looked at the small house, her big eyes rolling around a few times, and suddenly, she burst out laughing - "This place is quite funny."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Are the four corners of the roof left with gaps? Isn't it cold in winter?"

  "Stay overnight, dry tofu in the evening." Ah Heng explained to the young man. "Boss, don't stay here."

  Xian Xi nodded, took out her camera, squinted and snapped several photos.

  Xian Xi is a very casual person.

  So many things he did seemed to need no reason and yet seemed right.

  Before long, a smiling dwarf emerged with a red-lacquered wooden tray, on which were several coarse ceramic bowls.

  Ah Heng exchanged a few pleasantries with the man.

  "Is that you? Are you feeling better?" The man looked at Xuan Xi and, finding it wasn't the familiar Yun Zai, greeted him warmly.

  "Now in the big hospital, looking at the illness, my mother said that the operation was very successful." Ah Heng smiled, his face warm and sincere, his eyes overflowing with a sense of relief.

  The small shop owner, called "Uncle Sang" by Ah Heng, also looked delighted when he heard the girl's words - "Now that's great, you can go back to school and study. Before he dropped out, his grades were very good, you two siblings generally competed with each other."

  A He smiled and said, "Far Mountain's eyebrows are furrowed."

  The customer at the next table urged him on, and the boss walked back into the kitchen behind the green curtain.

  A Heng brought a bowl of steaming tofu brain in front of Yan Xi, the young man's slender white fingers lightly tapped on the table.

  He slightly raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

  However, in his opinion, this Jiangnan tofu brain looked no different from what he drank every morning.

  A Heng Tan Yu.

  Xian took a spoon and scooped up a spoonful, sending it into her mouth.

  Ah Heng smiled at the young man - "Is it delicious?"

  "Is this still tofu?" He stared with wide eyes, his dark pupils filled with a naive and direct innocence.

  Ah Heng nodded.

  "It has no astringent taste, and when it reaches the mouth, it's smooth and tender, somewhat like egg custard." The young man narrowed his eyes, his face flushed with satisfaction.

  Egg pudding, hmm, is it delicious?

  Ah Heng looked silly, but ultimately smiled, with a satisfied look, his thin lips curled up, and the corners of his mouth had small fine laugh lines.

  "Try some of this." Ah Heng handed the fried dough sticks in front of the young man.

  The boy took a bite, put it in his mouth, chewed for a bit, but frowned and spat it out.

  "What's bitter?"

  Ah Heng also furrowed his brow, suddenly thought of something, and opened his mouth awkwardly - "Uncle Sang, I didn't put it away. The sauce. I used to not like eating condiments."

  Immediately, ran into the kitchen, got a stack of sauce, and poured it on the dry noodles.

  Xian Xi took another small piece, savored it in her mouth, and the tip of her tongue was met with the crispy tofu and the sweet sauce, masking the bitterness. The aroma wafted out perfectly, with a rich and intense flavor.

  Ah Heng saw the young man relax his eyebrows and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  She grew up in Wushui since childhood and instinctively protected this land and water, unwilling to let others have a slight dislike for it.

  This kind of thinking is usually called being overly protective.

  "In the eastern part of the town, inside the City God Temple, there is a well with sweet water. Tofu is all made from this well water."

  Xian Xi nodded slightly, took small bites, gazed at the food, and cherished her expression.

  Third Uncle brought out a small dish of bamboo shoots from the kitchen for Xian Xi to have with his rice.

  The bamboo shoots were sweet and sour, very appetizing, and Xī ate a lot of them.

  "Ah Heng, the signboard at Sang Shu's shop is old, your aunt asked me to ask you to rewrite it." The man looked at the girl with a silly expression.

  "Uh-huh." Ah Heng smiled and nodded.

  Xīn Huì was surprised: "Are you the one who wrote the words on the sign?"

  Ah Heng nodded his head again with embarrassment.

  "The brush stroke is too fast, the force is uneven, the ink tone is not even, and the last stroke is abrupt, lacking continuity." The young man said calmly.

  A Heng swallowed saliva.

  "We started practicing calligraphy when we were young, and in the town, I was ranked first or second, my handwriting is even better than that of Yun Daifu." San Shu spoke up, somewhat disliking the youth's tone.

  "This one relies on innate talent." The young man smiled faintly.

  In short, no matter how many years you've practiced, without talent, it's all useless.

  Ah Heng knew he was telling the truth, but deep down, he still felt a little disappointed.

  She had been practicing calligraphy with her father since she was a child, without missing a single day regardless of the weather. Now that she is a young adult, not having any natural talent in it has really dealt her a blow.

  "This child is quite arrogant, write a few words and let me see." San Shu was somewhat angry.

  The boy shrugged his shoulders, didn't think much of it, and looked lazy.

  Sang Shu took out paper and pen and slapped them down in front of Yan Xi with a bad attitude.

  The young man sat upright, holding his brush in the inkstone, carelessly pouring out the ink. The fine hairs on the tip of the brush absorbed the ink one by one. He slightly raised his wrist, turned the tip of the brush, and slowly wiped off the excess ink from the edge of the inkstone. He lifted his hand, and the shiny fingernails reflected the color of the bamboo pen holder, which was really beautiful to look at.

  "When writing the character for 'forest', the left side of the wood radical should show the bones, and the right side should show the flavor. When you write, if your brush is too fast, the ink will not be even, which is a big taboo; The character for 'house' is written with great momentum, but the meticulousness between each stroke has not been taken care of; The character for 'bean' is written fairly well, but the ink color is not evenly distributed; The character for 'rotten' is more difficult to write, and you have put more heart into it than before, but lost the previous elegance. The character for 'shop', when you wrote it, probably the ink was dry, so you had to go back and re-write."

  With one breath, the style is complete, with a natural and effortless charm, all sharp edges are revealed.

  A single character, unexpectedly made Ah Heng look surprised and amazed.

  Every stroke is bold and free, written with abandon, yet fully conveying the artist's intention, with a surging vitality that fills the eyes.

  "Am I right?" The young man threw down his pen, propped up his chin and lazily asked her.

  A Heng was tongue-tied and speechless.

  Third Uncle was stunned, looking at the words and laughing with his mouth wide open - "This kid is not bad, has two brushes."

  Xian Xi nodded slightly, polite and gentle.

  The boss sent over a lot of delicious food again. The young man pretended to be calm and collected, but the sly smile at the corner of his mouth kept slipping out.

  "How's that, I wrote a letter to the boss and we don't have to pay anymore, isn't it great? You should've pretended to be more shocked earlier, so my letter would seem even more valuable. The boss might give us even more food." Xian Xi spoke in a low voice, her mouth stuffed full, her big eyes shining like clear autumn water.

  A Heng was drinking tofu brain and almost choked to death.

  "I wasn't pretending just now." Her expression was as serious as could be.

  The young man smiled, raised his eyebrows and said casually, "Wen Heng, why are you still holding onto this? I learned to hold a pen before I even knew how to walk. Even if I didn't have talent, how could you compare?"

  A Heng gazed at the young man and smiled too.

  She thought she was no longer a stranger to Yan Xi, but every day, the more she understood him, the more distant and strange he became. It wasn't like the first time they met, at least that was a direct and complete impression.

  "Let's go take a look at that sweet well you mentioned." Xīn Xī had eaten his fill, and now he was interested in the well that had produced such a feast.

  When it comes to Wushui Town, apart from the charm of the water town, what attracts tourists most is the Chenghuang Temple in the east of the town. The temple is bustling with incense and fire, on the first and fifteenth day of each month, there are always many people going to worship.

  Seeking wealth, seeking peace, seeking marriage, an endless stream of people.

  But Ah Heng said he wanted to leave early, it was actually to see a well in the temple.

  Xian Xi looked at the bluestone by the well and lightly touched it with her hand, feeling a cool sensation as her fingertips brushed against a layer of moss.

  There are many people in the temple, with incense smoke swirling around them. Everyone's face is solemn and devout.

  "They don't worship this well that gives life, but instead go to worship a few stone statues. How ridiculous." The young man sneered.

  "One cannot but show respect for ghosts and gods." Ah Heng grew up in Wushui from a young age, following the adults, and still had some superstitious reverence for the City God.

  The young man glanced at the girl, smiled lightly, and then bowed down, clasped his hands together, and made a bow towards the well.

  "What are you doing?" Ah Heng asked curiously.

  "Thank you for bringing us such delicious food."

  Ah Heng sniffed his nose and kindly reminded him, "The tofu was made by Ah San's uncle."

  "So I wrote him a sign!" The young man looked up with his eyes rolled back.

  "But you ate and didn't pay!" Ah Heng pointed out.

  "One thing at a time! I've already written the sign for him, expressing my gratitude; there's a full table of dishes, if I don't eat them someone else will, who eats doesn't matter, it's not that I won't pay, it's just that he won't let me take out my wallet, being a good person is really difficult! Being a good person is even more difficult!" Yan Xi Yi spoke with righteous indignation, his heart aching with sorrow.

  Ah Heng "heh" laughed, pursed his lips, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

  "Alright, me too, bye." Ah Heng also bowed and clasped his hands together.

  Yeah, it's not a big deal, I don't have high demands, as long as you can let the world and Taiwan return to mainland China, and African kids can eat white sugar cakes, that would be great.

  Xian Xi stayed at the Yun's home for a few more days, passed the Little New Year, and it was already the end of the lunar year. If he didn't return home now, it would be somewhat unjustifiable.

  He said to his grandfather before he left that he would definitely come back home for Chinese New Year.

  Because at 28 years old in lunar calendar, the young man proposed a request to leave.

  "Can't we just stop for one more day? Just one." Ah Heng was somewhat disappointed, and Wu Shui's words slipped out.

  "Ah Heng, don't be unreasonable!" Before Ah Xi could respond, Yun Fu scolded and interrupted Ah Heng's thoughts.

  A Heng closed his mouth and looked at Yun Mu with a wronged expression.

  Her mother patted her hand but still didn't speak, only returned to the house and helped her pack up her luggage.

  She followed her mother into the room and came out with her head down, saying nothing.

  He looked at her with hope, but didn't know what to say, and his expression turned dull. He let her bid farewell to her foster parents.

  The kind-hearted couple in front of me are warm and gentle, but after all, they are not my biological parents.

  This house, this land, no matter how warm, ultimately does not belong to her.

  What a tremendous regret.

  As they were about to leave, Yunmu pulled Xilan aside and said a few words to him.

  A Heng saw from afar, but couldn't bear to look at his mother again. He bid farewell to his father and walked out of the house.

  When Xi came out, he looked at her for a few moments, feeling somewhat strange, and opened his mouth with a sigh - "After all, she's just a girl."

  In the end, it was all for the sake of a small matter in the eyes of boys, silently hurting feelings.

  Ah Heng didn't know what his mother said to him, but not speaking was always safe. So he remained silent and quietly followed behind her.

  She saw his back again as he walked away from her, a traveler.

  A large burden, an upright posture, a cold and lonely butterfly bone, solitary and unrestrained.

  When they arrived at S City Station, it was already afternoon. After queuing for a long time, they finally bought the tickets at 6 o'clock in the evening.

  "You sit here and wait for me." The young man handed her the ticket and turned around neatly, walking out of the waiting room.

  A Heng's expression was somewhat dejected, his mood had been bad to begin with. After Xian Xi left, he sat on the couch, not saying a word, staring blankly into space.

  When she gathered her thoughts and lifted her wristwatch, it was already 5:10.

  Xian has not come back yet.

  She stood up and walked back and forth in the crowd, with her chair as the center of a circle.

  Although the time for boarding was approaching, she wasn't walking around restlessly due to anxiety.

  The air in the waiting room was too thick and murky, she moved around, wanting to shake off some of the numbness in her mind.

  When the young man returned, what he saw was this scene - the girl frowned, lowered her head and kept walking around the seat in vain.

  Xian Xi is a lazy person and finds this situation unbelievable.

  He walked over with big strides and coughed slightly.

  Ah Heng lifted his head, and the first thing he noticed was that the backpack on his shoulder seemed to have bulged out even more.

  Ah Heng thought he might have bought some local specialties.

  Still the same as when I came, checking tickets, getting on the train, finding a seat.

  However, Ah Heng lost his enthusiasm on the way, curled up in the carriage and started yawning.

  When I lifted my wristwatch again, it was already nine o'clock, and the night outside the train grew thicker.

  "I'm sleepy." She said to Xian Xi, drowsily.

  The Chinese "困了" is equivalent to the Western "goodnight".

  "It's no use." The young man said calmly.

  A Heng yawned, rubbed his eyes and asked why.

  The young man raised an eyebrow, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the small table - "How am I supposed to know?"

  Oh.

  What's wrong with you? You don't even know and yet you won't let me sleep.

  A Heng thought vaguely and his consciousness began to blur.

  She felt like an infant, floating in her mother's womb, warm and peaceful.

  A white world, a pure world.

  Suddenly, the world spun rapidly, making her dizzy.

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw a pair of huge and frightening eyes staring at me.

  "Awake?" The young man relaxed his hands and stopped shaking.

  A Heng stared blankly out of the window, still a pitch-black night that couldn't see five fingers.

  It's still dark outside.

  She looked at Xīn Hè, sniffled and felt wronged.

  The young man's big eyes were shining with tears, looking even more wronged than her.

  "Wen Heng, although I don't know why you chose to be born at dawn..."

  The young man broke off his sentence, rummaged through his backpack, and after a long time, pulled out small and adorable buttercream cakes, holding them in the palm of his hand, with a calm smile.

  "However, young master reluctantly wishes you a happy birthday."