It was another evening, the one that felt most like summer this year. The sun, hanging at the edge of the sky, was half-hidden behind clouds, and the air still carried the lingering heat from the afternoon.
I was sitting on a rattan chair on the balcony, holding a plate of cut watermelon, eating it while watching a stream of beautiful women passing by. I had no ulterior motive—it was just a way to pass the time—because none of them could possibly be more beautiful than my girlfriend.
I had been watching for just a while when a woman appeared in my sight who was no less beautiful than Mi Cai. Of course, it was that woman who always liked wearing red, but today she was wearing a light blue jacket.
I whistled at her to catch her attention and then smiled, asking, “Out for a walk?”
“None of your business!”
I stood up from the rattan chair and walked to the white latticed railing, waving the piece of watermelon in my hand, and said, “Come on up and have some watermelon. It’ll cool you down.”
She looked around, puzzled, and asked, “Is it already summer?”
“Almost. Summer solstice is just over a month away!”
She spoke mockingly, “Hehe… Summer is the high tourist season in Xitang, and yet your business is still not doing well!”
“I’m being very polite in inviting you to have some watermelon. Don’t you think you’re being a bit too rude?”
“You’re such a playboy, why should I give you any face?”
I raised my hand and threw the watermelon rind toward her, saying, “Then have this watermelon rind instead!”
She sidestepped and looked at me with a frown, saying, “Come down…”
“What’s up?”
“Pick up the watermelon rind you threw and put it into the trash can.”
“I told you it was a gift. Now it’s your personal property. Why should I care what you do with it?”
Her expression suddenly changed. She picked up the rind from the ground, cursed, “Are you out of your mind?” and hurled it back at me with all her strength.
Watching the arc of the flying rind, I deeply felt the difference between men and women. I had gently tossed mine toward her, but she had thrown hers back with real force. Despite my quick reflexes, it still hit my shoulder, leaving red watermelon juice staining my white shirt.
She looked at me with a vengeful smile, which made me feel even more helpless. After all, I didn’t even know her name, and if I didn’t get back at her now, once she left Xitang, I’d have no way to settle the score.
I went back, picked up another piece of watermelon rind from the trash bin, and returned to the railing, but she was already gone…
A warm breeze blew by, causing small ripples on the little river of Xitang. The setting sun reflected on the water now seemed to curve into a mocking smile, laughing at me for being so bored as to quarrel with a woman. Perhaps I really was a playboy after all.
So I smiled at myself in mockery, holding the watermelon rind and turning around—only to find her standing less than a meter away, her eyes glaring at me with extreme intensity.
The sudden closeness startled me, and I instinctively took a step back, complaining, “Did you fly up here without a sound?”
She ignored my complaint and kept glaring at me, saying, “You wanted to hit me, right? Well, here I am. Go ahead!”
“You’re into punishment?”
She stepped even closer, challenging me, “Then hit me!”
Still holding the rind, I kept stepping back, saying, “Don’t mess with me. This is a society governed by law, and there are police to deal with people like you!”
“Hmph… All talk, no action!”
I smiled awkwardly, “I’m just bored, that’s all. I wouldn’t really fight with a woman!”
Her expression finally softened a little, and I took the opportunity to throw the rind back into the trash bin, then awkwardly invited her to sit down and chat.
She might have already walked for a while and was tired, so she didn’t refuse. She sat on the rattan rocking chair and rested her feet.
I handed her a slice of cut watermelon, saying, “This is for you… After you finish it, let’s call it even!”
She took it from me but replied coldly, “You sure do love to talk nonsense!”
“That’s right. Not only do I like talking nonsense, I also like drinking, smoking, and singing.”
She glanced at the guitar beside the rocking chair and said, “Since you like singing so much, here’s your chance—sing something. Make it a good one.”
I indeed loved singing at dusk. Holding the guitar, I searched through the vast collection of songs in my mind and suddenly thought “The Smurfs” was a good choice. I nodded to myself and began singing.
“Beyond the mountains and rivers, there lives a group of Smurfs. They are lively and clever, mischievous and quick. They live freely in the green forest… Oh, the lovely Smurfs!”
As I sang, she couldn’t help but smile. She kept smiling until I finished the entire song.
I put the guitar aside and asked her, “How was it? Isn’t this a great song?”
“It’s too childish. Kids might like it.”
“Childish?”
She nodded firmly.
After being rejected again, I said unhappily, “Then just eat your watermelon and forget about listening to songs!”
She smiled and said, “Actually, thinking back, it was quite nice—lively melody and childish lyrics.”
“Right? My girlfriend and I both love singing this song…”
She looked at me and said, “When you said that, you looked really satisfied and happy.”
“Then I’ll say it again. Use your phone to record me so I can see how happy I really am!”
She didn’t respond. Her expression turned gloomy. After a long pause, she asked, “Was the woman sitting by the river with you that day your girlfriend?”
“Yeah. Pretty, right?”
“Whether she’s pretty or not isn’t important. What matters is that you two can genuinely miss each other when you’re apart.”
Her words made me curious again. I asked, “So can’t you genuinely miss the man you love?”
Her expression grew even darker. She remained silent for a long time, while her bright red fingernails pressed deeply into her palm. At that moment, I seemed to see the cruelty of time and love etched onto her face.
I had brought up the topic, and seeing her pain, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I said, “I’ve recently run into a problem managing the inn. Can you give me some advice?”
She finally looked at me, but only after a long while did she say, “Let me finish this piece of watermelon first.”
I nodded, indicating I would wait.
She lowered her head and took small bites of the watermelon, but tears began to fall from her cheeks. It turned out she wasn’t afraid of a flying watermelon rind, but was moved by the sweetness and tenderness of the red flesh. Perhaps, once upon a time, the man she missed had also cut her a slice of watermelon at the end of spring… Or maybe I was overthinking. Perhaps she was simply pained by her inability to genuinely miss someone, and had nothing to do with the tenderness or sweetness of the watermelon flesh!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage