Leyao and I walked from the mountaintop down to the hillside, but we stopped, because Lo Ben had already rushed to the woman working in the field. We all wanted to see how he would express his longing of the past three years.
Yet, there was no emotional embrace as we had imagined. Lo Ben stopped his steps before reaching the woman, as if he had said something, yet again as if he was silent. I just couldn’t see clearly.
Leyao beside me asked, “Zhaoyang, did they say anything?”
“Not clear. Probably said something.”
“When Jian Wei returned to China, what did you say to her back then?”
I recalled the scene of our meeting that day and replied to Leyao, “Not much. Just greeted her.”
“You two really know how to hold back. Aren’t you afraid of suffocating yourself? You obviously had so much you wanted to say!”
“Are you talking about Jian Wei?”
“I’m talking about you…”
I didn’t respond to Leyao, but I had a sudden realization: living in this real world, even if your heart is breaking, you can’t cry and pour out your feelings like in TV dramas. Most of the time, you can only wear a cold mask on your face and tell the person you wish to confide in: “Don’t be silly. I’m so cold and ruthless, how could you ever hurt me!” So three years later, when I met Jian Wei again, I merely smiled faintly.
Leyao and I finally reached the foot of the mountain and stood together with CC, finally getting a clear view of Lo Ben and Wei Manwen.
Wei Manwen had indeed changed, just like in the photos—weathered by hardship—but she had not lost her refined, gentle charm, because that was an innate quality of hers.
Noticing our arrival, Wei Manwen adjusted her glasses and calmly asked Lo Ben, who was standing opposite her, “Are these your friends?”
Lo Ben nodded. She smiled at us and said, “I still have a bit of farm work left. After I finish, all of you can come back to my place for some water. It’s quite hot today!”
Leyao and I were somewhat stunned because she was truly calm—so calm that she treated Lo Ben and us merely as passersby travelers. Was she pretending, or had she truly seen through everything?
At that moment, a little girl with a ponytail and dark skin ran toward us and finally stopped in front of Wei Manwen, timidly staring at us. Perhaps she had never seen women dressed as fashionably and modernly as Leyao and CC before.
Wei Manwen gently patted the girl’s head and kindly asked, “Jinhua, do you have something to tell the teacher?”
The girl finally looked up and asked, “Teacher Wei, are you coming to class this afternoon?”
Wei Manwen looked at us and said, “This afternoon I need to entertain some guests. Tell your classmates to switch the afternoon class to the evening, okay?”
The girl nodded, then handed the cloth bag she was carrying to Wei Manwen and said, “Teacher Wei, this is the flour my family just ground. Mom asked me to give you a bag.”
“I grow my own crops as a teacher. Take it back to your mom.”
But the girl didn’t listen. She placed the cloth bag on the edge of the field and ran off quickly…
Wei Manwen smiled while shaking her head, then bent down again to pull weeds, leaving us standing there ignored. But we didn’t mind at all; in fact, we even liked her calmness. Perhaps the mountains really could purify and elevate a person.
CC and Leyao stood together while I joined Lo Ben, finding a flat stone to sit on. I then asked him, “What have you two said since meeting?”
“She didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say either.”
“…So how do you feel now?”
Lo Ben took out a cigarette, lit it, and said, “Relieved. Seeing her makes me feel at peace… This kind of peace turns all the words in my heart into useless nonsense. It doesn’t matter whether I say them or not.”
Before Lo Ben finished his cigarette, a man riding a bicycle arrived at the edge of the field. He immediately took a thermos from the back seat of the bike and handed it to Wei Manwen. Then he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her face. Wei Manwen didn’t refuse. This intimate gesture instantly shocked us, leaving us at a loss staring at the scene.
I turned my head to look at Lo Ben beside me. He had already pinched out the burning end of his cigarette with his fingers. His expression was filled with panic and anger.
I looked at Leyao questioningly. She solemnly shook her head, indicating that the information she had gathered hadn’t mentioned this suddenly appearing man… Yet this man was undeniably real.
Wei Manwen led the man toward us, her expression still calm and smiling as she said, “Let me introduce everyone. This is my fiancé Zhou Hang, from Qingdao. He came to Jinping County for medical support. We will get married next month.”
“This…”
I only managed to say “This…” before I suddenly couldn’t continue, because this unexpected twist was like a cruel poison, ruthlessly erasing all of Lo Ben’s hopes.
Lo Ben’s Adam’s apple kept moving as he stared at the man in the white medical coat before him. His emotions were clearly on the verge of collapse. It was his decision that had caused Wei Manwen to leave for this backward village, where she had met this man. In effect, he had ruined Wei Manwen and himself, while benefiting this man. How could he not feel pain?
Finally, Lo Ben spoke with a trembling voice, “I thought you would live well after leaving, marrying a perfect husband. I never imagined it would be like this.”
“I am living well now. Hang Ge is the man I truly want to marry.”
The conversation between Lo Ben and Wei Manwen finally made Zhou Hang aware of something. He asked Wei Manwen, “Who is he?”
“A friend of mine from Beijing, Lo Ben.”
Zhou Hang’s expression changed instantly. Losing emotional control, he grabbed Lo Ben’s collar almost yelling, “So you’re that scumbag… What are you here for now? Haven’t you hurt Manwen enough?”
Lo Ben furrowed his brows, but despite his usual hot temper, he didn’t fight back, letting Zhou Hang pull at him.
“Hang Ge, let him go. Those were the past. There’s no need to bring it up again.”
Zhou Hang finally let go of Lo Ben but continued to glare at him angrily. His emotional outburst more clearly told us what kind of suffering Wei Manwen had endured. Perhaps now, she had truly seen through everything, which is why she could face Lo Ben’s sudden reappearance so calmly.
Lo Ben seemed to finally realize that Wei Manwen’s heart toward him was completely dead. He stood there like a soulless figure… and lost all ability to express himself, just standing there blankly.
Feeling sympathy for him, I finally said to Wei Manwen, “Can we talk alone for a moment… Lo Ben had his reasons back then. He didn’t know his decision would make you suffer so much pain and end up here. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it.”
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