I finally released Luo Ben, who had been crying heart-wrenchingly, and helped him to his feet. Meanwhile, a tear that had been welling up in Wei Manwen’s eyes finally trickled down her cheek. After a long silence, she said, “If you insist on staying, then stay. But what’s done cannot be undone.”
Luo Ben raised his head and smiled again, saying, “Before I came here, I never expected to take back what has already been done. I will keep my promise—I will leave after you marry Zhou Hang. Then, I will go search for the distant sails on the river and the lanterns blooming like flowers…”
Wei Manwen looked at Zhou Hang beside her. He, who had remained silent throughout this painful confrontation, finally spoke, “If he wants to stay, let him stay. Perhaps this is a test for all of us. What I want is a complete and sincere you!”
At that moment, I understood the meaning behind Zhou Hang’s words. A deep and unforgettable love isn’t something Wei Manwen could simply erase from her heart, especially not when Luo Ben stood before her, lost and broken. The buried past was gently stirred up and began to swell.
At that moment, Leyao finally arrived dramatically, bringing with her a group of villagers holding ropes. Pointing at Luo Ben, who was sitting on the ground, she shouted, “Quickly tie him up—he might bring disaster!”
I hurriedly intervened, saying, “Fellow villagers, please be merciful. The situation has temporarily resolved itself. Look, he isn’t moving anymore.”
Leyao cautiously poked Luo Ben with her finger, realizing he truly wasn’t moving, and then asked me, “He was acting like a madman just now—how come he’s now sitting like the Buddha, completely still?”
I quietly explained what had just happened to Leyao. She looked at Luo Ben and sighed, “This young man really understands the idea of breaking down before rebuilding!”
…
We ended up staying in the village for the night. The villagers lit a bonfire, set up a long table, and offered us a generous feast. As we ate and drank, our trip to Guizhou was drawing to a close. Yet from beginning to end, all we had witnessed was pain—no one seemed truly happy. Luo Ben felt it, so did Wei Manwen, CC even more so, and even Zhou Hang, a complete stranger to us, seemed to carry the same sorrow.
After dinner, I sat with Luo Ben on a stone at the foot of the mountain, letting the mountain breeze blow past us and flicker the distant bonfire. The occasional barking from the village made the mountain and the village feel even quieter. We both lit a cigarette and smoked in unison.
I exhaled a puff of smoke and said to Luo Ben, “There’s a lot going on at the inn recently, so I can’t stay here long. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you really planning to stay here until Wei Manwen gets married?”
“For me, life only exists where she is. I’ll stay for a month if I can. Even if the outcome is already decided.”
“If you knew it would come to this, why did you let go back then?”
Some things you only understand after you’ve done them—whether they were right or wrong. If she had been happy all these years, maybe my decision wasn’t entirely wrong. But just when… she…
Luo Ben’s voice grew choked, and he stopped himself from continuing.
I sighed softly and patted his shoulder, saying, “Only after hardship do we understand the true meaning of life. Think of this as an unavoidable period in your journey through time.”
Luo Ben said nothing. He just took a deep drag on his cigarette, as if telling me: I’ve heard all the advice, but still can’t live a good life. It truly is disheartening.
After finishing the cigarette, I asked him again, “So you really intend to let go of Wei Manwen completely?”
“She has no feelings for me anymore. What else can I do but let go?”
“What if she still has feelings for you?”
Luo Ben thought for a moment and said, “Then I definitely won’t let go.”
“You still have a month. Well then, I wish you luck, buddy. Remember, you need to change—because what she wants is definitely not who you are now.”
As we spoke, Leyao approached us. She gave Luo Ben a meaningful look, signaling that she wanted to speak to me alone. Luo Ben understood and walked away. Soon, only Leyao and I remained at the foot of the mountain, the evening breeze blowing gently around us. She sat down beside me and sighed, “Zhaoyang, it’s really quiet here in the mountains.”
I looked around and replied, “Yeah, if time allowed, I’d really like to stay here for a few more days.”
“Mm, it feels like every glance reveals a new painting, so unique and beautiful. I really don’t understand why the villagers are so eager to leave for the outside world.”
“If you were stuck here for eight or ten years, you’d be eager too.”
Leyao glanced at me and then said, as if recalling something, “Zhaoyang, I want to talk to you about something.”
I looked at her warily because I remembered that whenever she said she wanted to “talk about something,” it usually meant she had caused some kind of trouble.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I feel like whatever you’re about to say won’t be good news.”
Leyao gave me a disgruntled look and said, “It’s about the Fifth Season Bar.”
I slapped my thigh and exclaimed, “See? I knew it wasn’t going to be good. What’s wrong with the bar now?”
Leyao looked at me with frustration and said, “The bar is fine, but I’m planning to hand it over to you to run. Honestly, the money it makes in a year is no longer important to me. But it still requires effort and attention. I think continuing to run it just doesn’t make sense anymore.”
I asked, “How much does the bar make each month these days?”
“It varies, but usually a few ten thousand yuan a month.”
“To you, that really is pocket change!”
“Exactly. And I don’t have the energy to expand it anymore. So I’d rather just hand it over to you. Besides, the soul of that bar was created by you. No one is more suitable than you.”
“So how much are you planning to sell it for?”
Leyao thought for a moment and said, “A flat price—1.5 million.”
A flat price! And 1.5 million RMB at that… Do you think I’m Zhou Zhaokun, who can pull that money out in a heartbeat? If you really want to sell it, at least show a bit of sincerity and lower the price!
“Okay, I can lower the price a bit, but you have to give me a business plan that excites me.”
“If it’s transferred to me, it’s none of your business anymore. Why should my business plan concern you?”
“Even though the soul of the bar came from you, the body was built by me. Even if you take it over, I will still care about its future development.”
Since opening the inn in Xitang, my desire for success had grown stronger. When Leyao mentioned transferring the “Fifth Season” bar to me, I was genuinely tempted. I had a deep personal connection to the bar, so I really started thinking about how I would manage it if I took it over.
After a while, I finally said to Leyao, who had been waiting patiently, “I want to build a cultural path across the country based on the inn, the bar, and the restaurant!”
“A cultural path? Sounds pretty high-end!”
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