“When are you getting married?”

Fujita Kiyono had just taken a sip of soup and nearly choked. He turned away and coughed lightly twice, his face and neck flushing red. “Michi, don’t talk nonsense.”

Fujita Michi glanced at Xie Chi, then looked back at her brother. “Aren’t you planning to get married?”

“That’s something for later. It’s still too early.” Fujita Kiyono, afraid Xie Chi would find it abrupt, immediately changed the subject. “Ryuji, where are you going this afternoon?”

He Feng remained impassive, focused on eating. “No plans.”

Fujita Kiyono suggested, “Then let’s go see a movie together.”

“No, no!” Fujita Michi repeatedly refused. “Always movies, movies, movies. We’ve watched the same ones several times. What’s so interesting about that? So boring.”

Fujita Kiyono asked, “Then what do you want to do?”

Fujita Michi thought for a moment. “Let’s go horseback riding!”

Xie Chi’s hand paused. She hastily glanced at He Feng, who was using his chopsticks to poke at a shrimp, applying slight force until the head fell off.

“Sister-in-law, can you ride horses?”

Before Xie Chi could answer, He Feng, who was peeling shrimp, interjected, “Neither married nor engaged—what sister-in-law?”

Fujita Kiyono smiled awkwardly. “Ryuji is right. Just call her sister.”

“Alright then, sister, can you ride horses?”

“Yes.”

Fujita Kiyono was somewhat surprised. “You never mentioned it.”

Xie Chi said, “I haven’t ridden in many years. I might not be good at it anymore.”

Fujita Michi clapped her hands. “Then let’s go horseback riding! Brother Ryuji’s horsemanship is especially impressive. If you’re not good at it, he can teach you.”

Fujita Kiyono asked for Xie Chi’s opinion. “Would you like to go? Do you have anything else this afternoon?”

“Nothing. I can go.”

He Feng finished peeling a small plate full of white, tender shrimp and passed it to Fujita Michi. “Here, eat.”

Fujita Michi gave him a playful look. “Brother Ryuji forgot again—I’m allergic to shrimp.”

“Oh, sorry.” He Feng pulled back the small plate. “I won’t forget next time.”

Fujita Michi hugged his arm and fed him a spoonful of cold ice cream. “It’s fine.”

He Feng swallowed it mechanically, not wanting to taste it at all. He pushed the plate full of shrimp across the table and said casually, “Suddenly don’t want to eat it. Miss Xie, try some. You haven’t touched this dish, but the taste is quite good.”

Xie Chi looked up at him.

He Feng was grinning playfully. “You’re not allergic too, are you?”

“Not allergic.” Xie Chi pushed the small plate to Fujita Kiyono. “I just don’t like eating shrimp.”

Fujita Kiyono accepted it. “Thank you, then I won’t be polite.”

Xie Chi said without changing expression, “You should thank your brother-in-law.”

Fujita Kiyono’s gaze moved between the two of them. He felt something was off about the atmosphere but couldn’t say what was strange. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He Feng leaned back in his chair, casually picked up a napkin from beside him to wipe his mouth, and tossed it stylishly onto the table. “I’m full.”

Fujita Michi finished her last bite of ice cream and stood up impatiently. “Then let’s go.”

Fujita Kiyono said, “No rush, we haven’t finished eating.”

Fujita Michi went behind him and pulled him up. “Let’s go first. We can buy some food on the way. It’s already noon—we don’t have much time.”

Fujita Kiyono couldn’t resist her pulling and tugging. He wiped his mouth and stood up. “Alright, alright, let’s go.”

Xie Chi put down her chopsticks. Seeing He Feng staring at her, he slightly raised his eyebrows and asked, “Full?”

“About to burst.”

He Feng stood up lazily, his finger slowly sliding across the table as he drew out his tone and sighed, “Off to ride horses~”

…

Fujita Michi dragged them to buy some bread and fruit to bring along.

Seeing Fujita Kiyono driving toward their residence, He Feng asked, “Where are you driving to?”

“I can’t find the stable. I need to have Yamashita take us there.”

“Stop the car.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll drive.”

“You can find it?”

“Mm.”

Fujita Kiyono stopped by the roadside. The two men switched seats. He Feng quickly made a U-turn and headed west.

“You’re not familiar with Shanghai’s roads, are you?”

“Outside the concessions, I’m more familiar than you.”

“You’ve been to Shanghai before?”

“Stayed for a few months.”

Fujita Michi said to Xie Chi, “You probably don’t know this, but Brother Ryuji’s mother is Chinese. He’s half Chinese. For certain reasons, he lived in China for over twenty years and only returned to Japan eight years ago.”

Xie Chi followed her lead. “No wonder his Chinese is so good.”

He Feng glanced in the rearview mirror and curved his lips. “It’s a bit far. Sleep if you’re tired.”

Xie Chi turned her face away, avoiding his gaze.

He Feng drove to the farthest stable. He wasn’t completely familiar with the roads either. After leaving the city, he asked for directions twice before finding the place.

All three of them had fallen asleep. He Feng kept watching the rearview mirror, looking at Xie Chi’s sleeping face, unable to bear waking her. She must have been awake all night after he failed to keep their appointment.

He Feng quietly got out of the car for a while. He was on his third cigarette when Fujita Kiyono finally woke up.

He crushed the cigarette with his bare hands and went over to meet him.

…

Though this stable was in a remote location, it was very large and had a vast stretch of wilderness.

He Feng stroked the horse’s mane and mentioned, “I used to have a black horse too—big and handsome.”

Xie Chi lowered her eyes, thinking of Little Black.

Fujita Michi was putting on knee guards. She looked up at him. “Where is it now?”

“Gone.” He Feng rolled up his sleeves and skillfully mounted the horse, looking down at her from above. “A group of villains stole it. It wouldn’t submit, so they slaughtered it.”

Fujita Michi pouted. “How tragic.”

Seeing Xie Chi about to mount, Fujita Kiyono said, “Don’t you need protective gear?”

“No need.”

He was about to help her when Xie Chi had already nimbly mounted the horse. She happened to be wearing loose clothing today, making movement convenient. She pulled tight the reins, squeezed the horse’s belly, and without saying a word, gradually picked up speed and rode away.

Fujita Michi fastened her helmet. “Wow, she’s really good at riding!”

He Feng smiled and turned in another direction. “You two hurry up.”

Fujita Michi wasn’t ready yet. Seeing He Feng galloping away, she frantically shouted, “Hey, wait for me!”

He Feng rode wildly, never taking conventional paths. The horse seemed grown onto his body, allowing him to control it at will.

He quickly caught up to Xie Chi.

Xie Chi didn’t even glance at him. As if competing and determined to win, she spurred her horse and galloped away.

But He Feng didn’t want to beat her at all. He stayed close beside her. “I received a sudden mission last night and only returned near dawn. I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I didn’t come.”

Xie Chi had long stopped being angry. Suppressing a smile, she quickly turned a corner, putting some distance between her and He Feng.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately caught up. “Say something.”

“Nothing to say.”

He Feng looked back—the siblings had become distant dots. He looked back at Xie Chi. “Are you from Yan’an?”

“Mm.”

“You’re not suited for this.”

“How do you know I’m not suited?” Xie Chi glanced at him with a light laugh. “Don’t look down on people.”

“Tiger’s den and wolf’s lair—it’s not as simple as you think.”

“If you can do it, so can I.”

“You spend every day with that devil, and you want to marry him? If he really proposes someday, will you give yourself to him too?”

“You spend every day with a female devil too.”

“I’m a man—I can’t be taken advantage of. You can’t!”

Xie Chi ignored him.

He Feng grabbed her arm. Afraid of being seen, Xie Chi immediately shook him off. The horse beneath her suddenly accelerated. She lost her balance and fell backward to the side.

He Feng swiftly embraced her waist, pulling and tugging until they both rolled off their horses. He Feng held her tightly in his arms, protecting her head as they rolled on the ground several times. Fortunately, the grass was soft, so they didn’t get hurt.

The grass concealed their bodies. He Feng held the back of her neck. “Does it hurt?”

Xie Chi nodded. “It hurts a lot.”

“Where does it hurt?”

“My heart hurts.”

“Why didn’t you eat it?”

“Hm?”

He Feng had no patience to explain. He lowered his face to kiss her, but Xie Chi turned away to avoid him. “They’re coming.”

“I’ll come find you tonight.” They didn’t have time to chat slowly. He Feng kissed her cheek and pulled her up.

Xie Chi brushed off the mud and grass. “Are you alright?”

He Feng’s arm had several red scratches. He casually patted them twice. “Thick skin.”

Fujita Kiyono rushed over and saw He Feng’s sleeve was torn. “What happened?”

Xie Chi deliberately rubbed her arm as she walked toward him. “Rode too fast and fell off.”

Fujita Kiyono quickly jumped off his horse and checked her from head to toe. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

He Feng brushed back his hair and walked toward the distant horses. By the time he led back both horses, Fujita Michi had slowly caught up, complaining, “You’re too much! Don’t ride so fast anymore! Sister Wanzhi, you said you couldn’t ride! You’re so good at it.” Seeing He Feng was injured, she quickly went to him. “How did your clothes tear? Did you fall? I told you not to ride so fast! What if you got seriously hurt!”

“Nothing, just a small injury.” He Feng pressed down her hands and mounted his horse again. “Kiyono, come run a couple laps with me.”

“I can’t catch up to you.”

“Try.”

…

They ran for most of the afternoon. Fujita Michi complained of hunger and fatigue, so they stopped to find a place to spread out a cloth and eat.

The grassland was dotted with inconspicuous wildflowers—white, purple, yellow, pink ones—particularly beautiful.

Fujita Michi lay exhausted on the ground, eating cake while kicking her legs. “Brother Ryuji, make me a flower crown.”

He Feng was too lazy to move, lying flat and looking at the sky. “Don’t know how.”

“Liar.” Fujita Michi started crawling toward him. “You know how.”

Just as she was about to lie on top of him, He Feng quickly raised his arms to protect himself. “Too hot, don’t touch me.”

“Then make me a flower crown.” Fujita Michi picked a small white flower and waved it in front of his eyes. “Look, so pretty! Brother Ryuji, Brother Ryuji—look at it!”

So annoying.

He Feng didn’t want to listen to her chatter and casually pulled some flowers and grass to start weaving.

Fujita Michi brought cake to his mouth.

He Feng turned his face away. “Go away. If you keep moving around, I won’t make it.”

Fujita Kiyono went to get water and hadn’t returned. Xie Chi sat alone to the side, listening to their conversation while slowly peeling an apple.

He Feng quickly finished a flower crown and casually tossed it onto Fujita Michi’s head, dusted off his hands, and lay back down.

Very perfunctory, very ugly, but since he made it with his own hands, Fujita Michi loved it no matter how ugly it was.

Fujita Michi faced Xie Chi and asked, “Does it look good?”

“Very pretty.”

He Feng secretly glanced at Xie Chi and saw her staring intently at that crude flower crown, unable to hide the laughter in her eyes.

He casually picked up an orange and threw it to Xie Chi.

Xie Chi caught it steadily, was stunned for a few seconds, then said thank you.

He Feng didn’t respond. He looked away toward the blue sky and slowly closed his eyes.

Fujita Kiyono returned with water and sat beside Xie Chi, opening the bottle cap for her. “Have some water.”

“Thank you.”

Fujita Michi showed off the flower crown on her head. “Brother, look! The flower crown Brother Ryuji gave me.”

Looking at that pile of weeds, Fujita Kiyono said insincerely, “Pretty.”

Fujita Michi happily crawled over to He Feng again, pinching his nose. “Don’t sleep, get up and drink some water.”

He Feng pushed away her hand, turned over with his back to them. “Don’t touch me, sleepy.”

Xie Chi smiled while peeling the orange. Seeing her so happy today, Fujita Kiyono was also cheerful. “You really like horseback riding.”

Xie Chi nodded. “Yes, I especially like it.”

“Then we’ll come often in the future.”

“Good.”

“I saw some very beautiful flowers over there, but I couldn’t bear to pick them.” Fujita Kiyono pulled her hand to get up. “Let me take you to see them.”

He pulled Xie Chi up, and they ran off together.

He Feng opened his eyes, his gaze following them. In his ears was Fujita Michi’s machine-gun-like voice. He said impatiently, “Stop being noisy.”

Fujita Michi pouted and shook his shoulder. “Why are you so fierce?”

He suddenly got up and left. Fujita Michi followed. “Where are you going?”

He Feng mounted his horse and rode away. Even if she wanted to chase him, she couldn’t catch up.

…

In the evening, they drove back.

He Feng kept looking ahead expressionlessly, appearing particularly serious.

It was getting dark when he suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Fujita Kiyono asked.

“Lost my way.”

“…” Fujita Kiyono looked around. This was the middle of nowhere—he couldn’t even tell direction. “Then drive back and find another way.”

“Can’t find that either.”

“…”

He Feng looked back and said to Xie Chi, “Do you know where this is?”

“It seems like—”

Before she could finish, He Feng quickly said to Fujita Kiyono, “You two switch seats. Let her give me directions.”

Fujita Kiyono opened the car door and got out. “You sit in front.”

“Alright.”

As soon as Xie Chi sat down, He Feng stepped on the gas and shot forward.

“Slower.”

He curved his lips in a meaningful smile and slowly said with a laugh in his voice, “Alright.”

After driving for a bit, Fujita Kiyono asked, “Do you recognize the road now?”

He Feng hummed in response.

“Good. It’s getting late—drive slowly.”

…

Outside was completely dark.

He Feng led them in circles. Xie Chi watched the car going in loops and knew exactly what he was thinking.

The two siblings in the back seat leaned against each other and fell asleep. He Feng glanced back and reached out to grab Xie Chi’s hand.

She curled her fingers and looked back, afraid they might suddenly wake up, and pushed away his hand.

He Feng suddenly leaned his face over, tapped his cheek, signaling for her to kiss him once.

Xie Chi pointed behind them and shook her head.

He Feng steered with one hand, his body tilting to kiss her. Xie Chi immediately blocked him.

He Feng sat back and mouthed: Scared?

Xie Chi didn’t answer. She turned her face away, tugged at the snow-white curtain in the car, and smiled slightly.

Seeing her secretly smiling, He Feng reached into his pocket and took out a small object to hold in front of her.

It was a grass-woven ring.

Though thin and small, it was so delicate it didn’t seem like it came from a man’s hands.

Her good mood became even better. She took it and put it on her ring finger, then raised her hand to show him.

He Feng glanced back at the rear seat again, then reached out his thumb to gently press her lips.

Xie Chi looked at him strangely.

He Feng withdrew his hand, kissed his own finger, then turned his face gently toward her and silently said,

“Don’t be sad anymore.”

…