The youth was confused, his hand burning hot as he stared at him in alarm: “What are you doing?”

Lian Yu said nothing more. Seeing his pale face and white lips, knowing he was overexerted, this kind of work would be difficult even for someone who looked frail like him, let alone sturdy men—it was hard work. Moreover, he had actually taken on extra work at night. He gripped his hand and channeled internal energy into it.

The youth had initially thought he harbored ill intentions, but later seemed to feel warm currents flowing from his palm into his body. He cried out comfortably: “Little beggar, are you giving me a massage?”

He still sat on the ground, taking back the wine jug from Lian Yu’s other hand and continuing to drink happily.

Lian Yu thought silently that he didn’t want to owe him, so after channeling considerable internal energy to him, he returned to lie down.

The youth saw he remained like an iceberg and frowned, again bringing the wine and oil paper bundle over to him.

“Here.” The youth spoke, then remembering something, quickly added: “Look, I don’t want you to repay me anything. We’re fated people. You see, I finally made a long journey and couldn’t meet anyone, but happened to meet you, this nemesis. Nemesis, oh nemesis—how many times must I have twisted my neck in past lives to earn this fate?”

The youth spoke until even he was affected, bending over in laughter.

Hearing his somewhat girlish manner of speech—neither male nor female—Lian Yu felt the urge to throw him out. But he persistently pushed the food over again, piling it under his nose with a smile: “It’s chicken and mushroom rice, so fragrant.”

Lian Yu was somewhat angry, saying sternly: “Eat it yourself. I’m not hungry.”

“If you don’t eat it, I’ll throw it away. Can’t be bothered with you!” The youth was also annoyed, looking at him coldly before sitting back on his straw mat and opening his own oil paper bundle to slowly eat.

Then Lian Yu ate until he was stuffed for the first time in his life.

This was also the second time in his life he felt regret. Though these two matters, one large and one small, were completely unrelated.

The first regret was not keeping his appointment with A Luo. The second was wondering why he had eaten an entire rabbit earlier.

While chewing quietly, he saw that youth grinning at him: “Little beggar, we’re finally in the same boat. I still don’t know your name. What are you called?”

“I have no name.”

Lian Yu felt instinctively irritated. He’d entered this deep mountain forest seeking quiet, or perhaps contemplation. Why was this person so chattering! Knowing he’d definitely ask to the end, for his own peace and quiet, he simply blocked his words first.

The youth didn’t mind, his eyes flashing with mischievous light as he continued: “You’re cold and hard like a stone. Since you have no name, let’s call you Stone.”

What an ugly name! Lian Yu smiled coldly and asked back: “Then what are you called?”

Hearing this, the youth immediately stood up and spun in a circle, saying seriously: “With my elegant bearing, what do you think I should be called?”

“What should you be called?”

Lian Yu asked, couldn’t help frowning. It really was true that proximity to ink makes one black—this person was crazy, so why was he also going crazy along with him?

“Handsome.”

Lian Yu heard him not answer for a long time and continued eating. Hearing this, he immediately spat out his food. After a while, he glanced at that person: “So it’s Handsome.”

He threw down the oil paper in his hand, drank some wine, lay back down and ignored him, his belly slightly sour. He held back a bit and didn’t laugh.

But the youth nodded seriously, then smiled: “Hey, Stone, now that we’ve exchanged names, we can get to know each other better.”

Lian Yu’s lips twitched. One was a fake name he’d made up, the other was a random name he’d given—this was called an exchange?

He closed his eyes, only hearing that person still chattering: “You’re not leaving now, are you? When I finish my business, I’ll take you out to get treatment.”

Lian Yu was certain he had nothing to give him. He closed his eyes to rest, not paying attention to what he said.

During this time, he heard him rustling as he went out, returning not long after. The air floated with a faint soapberry fragrance, as if he’d returned from bathing.

“Stone, you can’t sleep, can you? I see you’ve tossed and turned several times. Come, I’ll sing for you.”

“You smile, spring light hard to match, most enchanting; I say ten li of spring breeze, still not as good as you; if asked the reason, nothing surpasses meeting her, neither hurried nor slow, neither early nor late…”

In the slightly hoarse humming, Lian Yu’s eyelids moved suddenly. He opened his eyes to see on the other side of the Chu River-Han boundary, that youth’s lips slightly curved, a pair of bright black eyes holding full emotions. That seemed like a force that could penetrate all hard shells, penetrate years and months, penetrate this cave dwelling, finally falling into some unknown distance.

He felt inexplicably angry, not wanting this youth to see his spying, but discovered that Handsome wasn’t thinking about anything at all—his eyes stared at him, but his gaze had long gone elsewhere.

Later, his constantly tense thoughts suddenly relaxed, yet still carrying that inexplicable anger, he slowly fell asleep in this faint soapberry fragrance.

The next day when he woke, the youth was already gone, off to work again.

This kind of peaceful yet chattering days quickly passed for several months.

He really didn’t know how Handsome had so much to talk about. Every night when he returned, he had to tell him a whole pile of things.

Of course, not many sentences were true. Today he’d say his father loved his mother in every way, faithful unto death—could write a romance novel. Tomorrow he’d say his father had five concubines and over ten children, and how he conducted family and household struggles at home. The day after, he’d say he was an orphan and how he came out to make a living, tasting all of life’s bittersweet.

Today he’d say how the county magistrate’s daughter in their county loved him, always following behind him, and how he loved that young lady too. Tomorrow he’d say the person he loved didn’t know if they loved him back, never showing any indication. The day after he’d say: “I like you, Stone…”

He also asked Lian Yu about family matters. Lian Yu never answered. After several months, in Handsome’s words: “Stone, you know everything about my family five generations back and forward, but I still don’t know who you are. I talk more in one night than you do in a month combined.”

This person still did two jobs every day—digging stone materials during the day, helping supervisors with polishing work at night in exchange for food to give him.

Lian Yu thought that if not for wanting to see how long this person could persist and what he’d ultimately ask for, he might have left this cave dwelling long ago.