In the late summer evening, the wind suddenly picked up.

Qin Lie had been invited to dinner in the city by the CEO of Yufan Technology.

Chen Xi locked up the shop and was about to go home when she received a call from Yang Shan.

“Chen Xi, Grandma’s medicine is ready. Come to the shop to pick it up when you have time, and also come see Han Susu being ridiculous.”

Chen Xi straddled her motorcycle and asked with a laugh, “How is she being ridiculous?”

Yang Shan: “You’ll see when you get here.”

The sun was setting in the west, scorching sunlight covering the long highway. Chen Xi raced through the slightly dusty wind to Dr. Yang’s clinic.

She locked her motorcycle and walked into the shop carrying her helmet.

Yang Shan was standing behind the counter, sorting medicinal herbs. Dr. Yang’s elm wood chair was empty, and the sound of a massage bed creaking came from the neighboring massage room.

“Where’s Grandpa?”

Chen Xi asked casually.

Yang Shan: “He went out on a house call.”

Chen Xi walked to the counter, and Yang Shan pushed two jars of medicinal ointment toward her.

Chen Xi touched the jars—they were still warm. She looked around and asked, “Where’s Han Susu?”

Yang Shan pointed toward the massage room, covering her mouth and secretly giggling.

“What are you laughing about?”

Chen Xi leaned against the counter and glanced back at the massage room.

Yang Shan beckoned Chen Xi over, and Chen Xi moved closer.

Yang Shan whispered in Chen Xi’s ear, “Han Susu is pretending to be a patient, and my brother is giving her a massage.”

Chen Xi looked impressed. “She’s that good at playing games?”

Yang Shan: “She’s been here several times. Each time she asks me to help deceive my brother, saying she’s a patient here for cervical massage, and my brother believes it every time.”

Chen Xi suddenly smiled meaningfully, “Maybe Yang Guan is pretending to be confused while understanding perfectly.”

Yang Shan had an expression of sudden realization, “That’s true, too.”

“This pair of sneaky lovebirds.”

Yang Shan said in a low voice, grinning.

“Exactly.”

Chen Xi laughed in agreement.

When she got home, Fan Mingsu had just finished making dinner.

Slurry noodles, sand onion mixed with tofu, and a plate of saucy beef.

Grandpa Guan sat in his reclining chair. Sensen had adjusted the backrest upright to make it easier for Grandpa to eat.

Chen Xi served herself a small bowl of noodles and took a small stool to sit beside Grandpa Guan.

“Grandpa Guan, time to eat.”

Chen Xi picked up a small strand of noodles and brought it to Grandpa Guan’s mouth.

Grandpa Guan opened his mouth and took a bite, then suddenly shook his head like a rattling drum.

“What’s wrong?”

Chen Xi thought the noodles were too hot, but Grandma’s summer slurry noodles were always served cold.

Grandpa Guan blinked at Chen Xi and said tremblingly, “Qingqing, weren’t you going to cook fermented rice wine for me?”

Chen Xi: “Qingqing?”

She held the bowl, looking bewildered as she turned around.

Fan Mingsu took a bite of noodles and said matter-of-factly, “Qingqing was your Grandpa Guan’s first love. Her family sold fermented rice wine.”

She put down her bowl and stood up. “Wait a moment, I’ll cook fermented rice wine for you.”

Grandpa Guan’s cloudy eyes brightened slightly.

He nodded and smiled, “The usual way.”

Fan Mingsu: “With egg drop, and I’ll secretly add a poached egg for you.”

Grandpa Guan settled back contentedly in his chair, waiting for his fermented rice wine.

Chen Xi followed Fan Mingsu into the kitchen and asked worriedly, “Is Grandpa Guan starting to get confused?”

Fan Mingsu nodded, skillfully boiling water in a small milk pot.

“It’s been going on for a while. Whenever he gets confused, he mistakes me for Qingqing. One moment he wants to fly kites, the next he wants to climb trees to steal bird eggs. It’s exhausting me to death.”

Chen Xi leaned against the wall, too sad to know what to say.

Fan Mingsu sighed softly, “Sensen says his grandpa secretly cries from pain every night.”

She added two large spoonfuls of fermented rice wine to the water and said quietly, “Being confused is actually good—then he doesn’t know about all this suffering.”

The fermented rice wine was cooled to a warm temperature, and Chen Xi continued feeding it to Grandpa Guan.

He smiled with each bite, as if his heart was blooming bit by bit.

After dinner, Fan Mingsu got up to clear the dishes and casually called for Sensen to hurry up and do his homework.

Sensen was arguing with Fan Mingsu that his homework was already done when he turned and saw someone standing at the courtyard gate.

His eyes lit up as he got up and ran over.

“Brother Qin Lie.”

Sensen rushed up and hugged Qin Lie around the waist.

Qin Lie reached out and patted Sensen’s head, asking with a smile, “Finished your homework?”

Sensen nodded, “I finished it, and I even did an extra math worksheet.”

Qin Lie: “Not bad.”

He looked up at Chen Xi, and the two smiled silently at each other in the small courtyard under the setting sun.

Fan Mingsu saw Qin Lie and quickly asked with a smile, “Have you eaten?”

Qin Lie nodded, “Just finished eating.”

Fan Mingsu pointed toward the grape arbor.

“Pick some grapes yourself. Several clusters are perfectly ripe.”

Qin Lie smiled and said okay, walking under the grapevines to pick two clusters of purple-red grapes.

He handed one cluster to Sensen and kept one for himself.

He walked over to Chen Xi, eating while casually feeding grapes to Chen Xi.

Fan Mingsu watched this and secretly winked at Sensen.

Grandpa Guan had an unusually good appetite tonight, drinking a full bowl of fermented rice wine and eating the poached egg too.

After eating, he insisted on going to the desert to play.

Fan Mingsu was at her wits’ end.

She pleaded with him: “Old Guan, please have mercy. This morning, you insisted on going to the river to catch fish, and now you want to go to the desert. The desert is so far away. How about I take you on the tricycle to ride along the Dang River?”

Grandpa Guan shook his head, insisting on going to the desert.

Fan Mingsu: “What’s fun about the desert?”

Grandpa Guan mumbled, “Sand, warm.”

Qin Lie suddenly spoke up, “Let’s go, all together.”

Fan Mingsu wiped her hands on her apron and complained with a smile, “You people, one idea after another, what are you thinking?”

The setting sun hung at the end of the long road, red and round, with large, brilliant clouds piled up on the horizon.

Qin Lie’s car sped along the empty highway, chasing the setting sun.

He turned on the car radio, and Teresa Teng’s weathered voice filled the car.

“The flowing water carries away the stories of time, changing one person.”

“Right there in that sentimental youth of first waiting.”

“The flowing water carries away the stories of time, changing two people.”

“Right there in that sentimental youth of first tears.”

Grandpa Guan closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, humming along with Teresa Teng’s song in broken, intermittent melody.

Fan Mingsu gradually heard the voice beside her and turned to look at Grandpa Guan in surprise.

“Old Guan, you know this song? Quite trendy of you.”

Grandpa Guan’s lips curved slightly. He opened his eyes to look out the window—the Gobi Desert under the setting sun made even breathing feel magnificent.

And in the reflection on the glass, he saw a pure, smiling face with a pointed chin and small dimples.

That year, the song “Stories of Time” was popular in the streets and alleys.

He couldn’t read, but he listened with fascination.

Grandpa Guan’s cloudy gaze suddenly became a bit moist.

The flowing water carries away the stories of time, changing everyone.

Qin Lie drove the car to a low dune.

The five of them got out of the car and watched the setting sun sink into the vast Gobi Desert in the evening breeze.

Grandpa Guan broke free from Sensen’s support and walked step by step toward the setting sun.

His steps were unsteady, walking with great difficulty, but lured by that round sun, he couldn’t stop.

As he walked, he suddenly crouched down and took off his shoes and socks.

Warmth spread up from the soles of his feet, warming him to his core.

Fan Mingsu suddenly also took off her shoes and socks, bent down to grab a handful of sand, and threw it at Sensen.

Sensen shouted and dodged, then grabbed a handful of sand himself and chased after Fan Mingsu with loud cries.

Fan Mingsu ran away laughing like a wild girl, stepping unevenly on the warm sand with her bare feet.

The two of them ran and stopped around Grandpa Guan, playing and fighting, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.

Chen Xi watched the three figures, the corners of her lips gently curved.

When she was little, Fan Mingsu brought her to play in the desert, watching her run barefoot on the sand with pure joy.

Time had passed in the blink of an eye, and now it was Chen Xi bringing Fan Mingsu here, watching her play and forget her age.

This romance belonged uniquely to this oasis in the desert, uniquely to the native people of Dunhuang.

The three people ahead grew tired and lay face-up on the warm dunes.

Chen Xi and Qin Lie sat down not far away.

Chen Xi took off her shoes and socks and buried her feet in the sand.

“Try it, it’s very comfortable.”

She gently bumped Qin Lie’s shoulder.

Qin Lie smiled, took off his shoes, and followed Chen Xi’s example, burying his feet in the sand.

The warmth of sunlight remained in the sand, each grain distinct.

They lay side by side on the sandy ground, gazing up at the clear sky.

After looking for a long time, when they closed their eyes, the sky was still there before them.

Chen Xi asked softly, “How did tonight’s dinner meeting go?”

Qin Lie: “Yufan Technology wants me to work with them on developing the metaverse.”

Chen Xi looked at the sky and smiled, “Sounds quite interesting.”

Qin Lie was silent for a moment, then hummed quietly.

Chen Xi: “Did you agree?”

Qin Lie: “I promised to consider it.”

Chen Xi didn’t ask anything more, just contentedly enjoyed the beauty of this moment.

Not far away, Grandpa Guan slowly said, “Old Fan.”

Fan Mingsu looked at the sky and snorted with laughter, “You finally remembered me.”

Grandpa Guan: “Old Fan, let me tell you something.”

Fan Mingsu: “Go ahead.”

Grandpa Guan: “The money for my surgery in Lanzhou was pooled together by you and Chen Xi, wasn’t it? I’ve already written an IOU—it’s in the TV cabinet drawer.”

“Later, sell this courtyard house and keep the money. If it’s not enough, let Sensen’s father pay back the rest.”

Fan Mingsu glanced sideways at Grandpa Guan and spat softly.

“You old man, that courtyard belongs to Sensen. Nobody better touch it.”

Grandpa Guan smiled gently, reached out to pat Sensen’s little head, and said nothing more.

Between them, after a lifetime of friendship, there was nothing more to say.

After a while, Grandpa Guan slowly spoke again, “There’s one more thing.”

Fan Mingsu: “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Grandpa Guan: “When I’m gone, don’t bury me. Just scatter me in this sand.”

Fan Mingsu looked at the sky, and after a long time, softly hummed in agreement.

Sensen, beside them, was quietly crying, tears streaming down his face.