The evening breeze of spring blew across the riverside of Xitang, and the setting sun cast a golden glow over the land. I sat alone on the balcony of the inn, smoking, while my mind was filled with thoughts on how to come up with the 70,000 yuan rent.
I took my phone out of my pocket, flipping through my contacts over and over again, but I still couldn’t bring myself to ask anyone for the money. This significant amount of rent wasn’t easy to borrow, and not everyone would treat me as kindly as Leyao did.
I put my phone back into my pocket, flicked off the cigarette ash heavily, and then sank into confusion. I felt helpless, yet I had no choice but to deal with this issue.
One of the most beautiful things in this world is when you long for a gaze or anticipate a spring breeze, and just at that moment, she happens to pass by. But right now, there was no such person in my world, and my loneliness seemed to leave only my own shadow behind.
I picked up my guitar, preparing to warm up my voice with a song, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and saw it was a message from Mi Cai, checking if I had eaten dinner yet.
I replied to her: “Isn’t it only 6 a.m. over there? Why did you get up so early?”
She sent me a photo. In it, she was wearing sportswear and a special running armband.
“You’re running?”
“Yeah, spring is a season suitable for exercise.”
I smiled and replied: “So even a beauty needs to take care of herself through effort. If you didn’t like exercising, your figure would probably lose its shape.”
“That’s not necessarily true. When work gets busy, I often go weeks without exercising.”
“You should try going months without exercising and see what happens.”
This topic seemed a bit boring to Mi Cai, so she changed the subject and asked me, “How’s the inn business lately?”
“Very good.”
“Keep it up!”
“Yeah, the morning air is perfect, you should go running now.”
This time, Mi Cai replied a little later: “Don’t you care how I’m doing here?”
I touched my nose and realized that I always subconsciously assumed she was doing well. After all, she was a woman surrounded by a halo of success. Her proud light wouldn’t dim unless she encountered a very deep darkness. Therefore, she must be doing very well—that had been my logic all along.
Only then did I realize that deep inside me, there was always an excuse assuming she was doing fine.
“So how are you doing over there?”
“Yesterday it rained heavily in New York, and several pots of flowers on the hotel windowsill died from the rain!”
“Does that have anything to do with how well you’re doing?”
“Of course it does. If I had remembered to bring them inside, they wouldn’t have died.”
“So you’re blaming yourself and feeling sad, meaning you’re not doing well?”
“Yes.”
“Next time, remember to bring them inside before it rains.”
“Okay.”
My conversation with Mi Cai ended here, but I understood that beneath her dazzling halo was a heart that was actually very delicate. Therefore, even a small event could deeply affect her, making her feel lost and sad.
She, too, was just an ordinary woman.
…
As night fell and lights came on, I deliberately busied myself by dragging a mop and wiping furniture in the newly renovated rooms. Eventually, I collapsed on the floor exhausted, panting heavily. In that fatigue, my worries found no place to exist and completely disappeared from my world.
Half-asleep, my phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.
I answered, and a woman’s voice came through: “Are you the owner of the inn?”
I found the voice very familiar but dared not recognize it, so I said, “Yes, that’s right.”
“I saw the promotional pictures of your inn on the forum, and they looked pretty good. I want to stay there.”
“Come on over. Our inn offers great value for money.”
“I’m already at the Xitang station. Could you please come pick me up?”
“Sure. May I ask your name?”
“Ms. Li.”
“Li Xiaoyun?”
“You figured it out already?”
I asked in surprise, “It’s really you! How come you came to Xitang?”
“I’m taking my annual leave and was thinking about where to relax. Auntie mentioned you run an inn in Xitang, so I decided to come and visit.”
“Why is this not your old phone number anymore?”
“I changed it a long time ago.”
Only then did I realize that I hadn’t been in touch with her for quite a while, so this number was so unfamiliar to me.
“Just wait at the station for a while, I’m coming now.”
Li Xiaoyun reminded me, “Drive slowly, no rush.”
I responded and hung up, then smiled to myself. This ancient town, Xitang, condensed my adult life into a small version, where they came one after another and left one after another. In the end, they only passed through my memory once, and no one would truly stay. This kind of transient visit indeed gave me a deeper understanding of the word “passerby.”
…
I drove the minivan left by the previous inn owner, Kangkang, heading toward Xitang station. Soon after, I arrived at my destination.
Under the platform, Li Xiaoyun wore a light blue denim jacket, her hair tied into a bun, and a pair of New Balance sneakers on her feet—clearly dressed for travel.
I rolled down the window to signal her to get on. She smiled, opened the passenger door, and sat beside me.
On the way, I chatted with Li Xiaoyun while driving. I told her, “I’m quite surprised you came to Xitang.”
“Just passing through. I’m heading to Gulangyu Island in Xiamen the day after tomorrow.”
I nodded, but couldn’t think of another topic, so we fell into a brief silence.
After a while, Li Xiaoyun spoke again: “Zhao Yang, there’s something else I need to tell you this time I came.”
I smiled and said, “Let me guess, you found a boyfriend and are ending your blind date journey?”
“Don’t joke with me. I’m serious.”
I finally looked at her seriously, waiting for her to continue.
Li Xiaoyun looked at me after a short silence: “Auntie seems not to support you staying in Xitang to run the inn. These days, she’s been asking Uncle to arrange a job for you at his workplace, with the aim of making you settle down and live a stable life in Xuzhou.”
“Is that reliable?”
“Yeah, Auntie mentioned it to my mom while playing mahjong at my house. She might come to Xitang to see you soon.”
My heart felt as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water. I hadn’t even resolved the rent issue yet, and now another trouble had come.
After a while, I said, “I’ve invested nearly 200,000 yuan in this inn. No matter what, I can’t give up halfway.”
“I’m just here to give you a heads-up. The final decision is still yours… But you should also understand Auntie a bit. After all, everyone hopes for support in their old age, right?”
I nodded. From my mother’s perspective, her decision was reasonable. However, going back to Xuzhou was like reheating cold rice for me—it had been reheated again and again by my mother.
After a long while, Li Xiaoyun asked me again, “What does your girlfriend think about you running an inn in Xitang?”
I was momentarily stunned. I suddenly remembered that Li Xiaoyun had been one of the observers when Mi Cai and I established our relationship in Xuzhou. In her eyes, Mi Cai was indeed my girlfriend. But now, I wasn’t even sure about the exact nature of my relationship with Mi Cai. There were too many unresolved issues between us, making us both strangers and yet drawing us closer.
Finally, I told Li Xiaoyun, “I think she supports me.”
Li Xiaoyun nodded and asked, “From her demeanor, she doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Can you tell me what she does?”
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