Chen Xi was awakened in the morning by a phone call from her father, Chen Hesheng.

Chen Hesheng had been restoring murals at the Wuwei Tianti Mountain Caves for the past few months, and wouldn’t call Chen Xi unless something was up.

Chen Xi drowsily saw the caller ID and knew that Ma Kechang had told him about her resignation.

The two of them chatted briefly before hanging up.

Soon after, her mother Liu Qing’s call came too.

She was working as a guest lecturer in Beijing and wouldn’t be back until the end of the month.

Liu Qing asked about Chen Xi’s resignation, and after understanding the situation, didn’t say much more.

The couple had devoted their entire hearts and souls to their careers since they were young, leaving their child for Fan Mingsu to raise.

Chen Xi had developed an independent character early on – she filled out her college applications herself, and after starting work, made all her own decisions on matters big and small.

Bai Yuning had gone to work.

In the kitchen steamer were warm eggs, purple sweet potatoes, and pumpkin.

On the dining table sat a plate of cold dishes, a plate of cut mixed fruit, a box of milk, and a package of daily nuts.

Every time Chen Xi ate breakfast at Bai Yuning’s place, she felt like she was living the life of a retiree.

The resignation procedures and work handover took an entire day.

Ma Kechang wasn’t there the whole time – he was probably accompanying Teacher Wang at the hospital for checkups.

Colleagues came to ask Chen Xi about the situation in small groups, appearing concerned on the surface but wanting to dig up some gossip.

Chen Xi was too lazy to explain and just said she was planning to do business.

Her resignation was too sudden, and the reason sounded quite puzzling.

A young woman giving up a stable and respectable official job to start her own business – anyone who heard this would think there was more to the story.

Before half the day was over, the workplace was already buzzing with rumors and all kinds of speculation.

Chen Xi finished her work handover amid the undercurrent of swirling gossip.

She cleaned out her desk, hugged a cardboard box of personal belongings, and walked out of the office building.

Following the exhibition hall that stretched like a long earthen city wall, she walked to the main entrance.

Chen Xi saw Bai Yuning’s car parked by the roadside.

She stopped and looked back at the place where she’d worked for over five years.

The sky was clear, and the museum’s main building stood like a beacon under the blue sky, looking the same as on her first day of work.

A faint melancholy crept into her heart.

She liked this place, but life was still long, and what she wanted from life was more than just this.

After Chen Xi resigned, she didn’t idle for even a day.

While negotiating prices with the landlord, she also found a construction crew.

The venue she wanted to lease was a bankrupt brewery.

It had a factory building of about 300 square meters that could be used as a repair workshop after cleaning.

The courtyard could be leveled and paved with cement to serve as a parking lot.

This morning, she arranged to meet the contractor to look at the site.

Qin Zhan came along too.

Chen Xi pushed open the rusty iron gate.

The three of them walked into the weed-overgrown courtyard.

Traces of the sandstorm from a few days ago were still visible – all the grass in the yard was grayish.

Under the dirty windows of the factory building sat several crooked wine jars covered with a thick layer of dust.

Chen Xi said to the contractor, “Pour cement in this courtyard, paint the walls white inside the factory building, and apply a coat of anti-rust paint to the windows. Give me a quote for how much this would cost.”

The contractor walked around inside the factory building and asked Chen Xi, “Apply putty?”

Chen Xi replied, “No putty.”

Her budget was limited – she had to save wherever possible.

The contractor walked outside, estimated the courtyard area by sight, and gave a rough quote.

“This courtyard needs at least three truckloads of cement, and the inside needs at least twenty buckets of paint. Including labor costs, about thirty thousand.”

Qin Zhan exploded immediately, “Thirty thousand? Just for painting walls and paving a broken courtyard?”

He turned to Chen Xi: “Sister Xi, I’ll paint the walls, and let’s not pave the courtyard for now – pull out the weeds and it can still be used for parking.”

Chen Xi looked at the contractor, “Can you give us a discount?”

The contractor smiled, “You were referred by your uncle, so I’m already giving you the real price. Can’t go any lower.”

Chen Xi lowered her head and kicked at a wilted weed at her feet.

She calculated in her mind – the money in her hands was just enough for rent and equipment.

If the rent could be reduced, the money saved could be used for renovation.

While she was pondering, her phone suddenly rang. She saw it was the landlord calling.

Chen Xi walked a few steps away to answer, “Hello, Brother Zhao.”

“Raise the price?”

Chen Xi frowned as she listened to his explanation.

The landlord said that someone nearby who raised livestock wanted to expand their factory and had set their sights on this place, offering more than her bid.

After listening to his explanation, Chen Xi asked, “How much of an increase?”

He directly raised the rent by ten percent.

Chen Xi pondered for a moment and said, “Let me go back and think about it. Don’t rent it out yet.”

Qin Zhan was still haggling with the contractor when he saw Chen Xi return with a frown.

Seeing her expression was off, Qin Zhan quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Xi said, “The landlord raised the price. He says someone else has their eye on this place and is offering much more than I.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan wanted to curse out loud, “Damn, isn’t there such a thing as first come, first served?”

Chen Xi said, “I didn’t pay a deposit either.”

She sighed, “Forget it, let’s go back.”

They returned to Liu Boyang’s shop.

Chen Xi just silently worked on repairing cars.

Qin Zhan sat on a pile of old tires sighing, “Damn, a penny really can stump a hero.”

After sighing several times, he suddenly slapped his thigh and rushed over to Chen Xi.

“Sister Xi, there’s a way to make money I almost forgot about.”

Chen Xi thought he was just talking nonsense, didn’t bother responding, and continued checking the engine.

Qin Zhan moved to Chen Xi’s other side, excitedly saying, “How did I just now think of you?”

“You can make this money.”

Chen Xi was getting a headache from his chatter and looked up to ask, “What way to make money?”

Qin Zhan said, “Design work – twenty thousand per character, design ten characters, and two hundred thousand is right in your hands, isn’t it?”

Chen Xi snorted with laughter, “Where would such a good deal exist?”

Qin Zhan said urgently, “Really, I’m not lying to you. My brother is looking for someone right now.”

“He told me himself – ten characters total, twenty thousand each.”

Chen Xi suddenly stopped what she was doing. “Your brother?”

Qin Zhan nodded, “Doesn’t he have a gaming company? It should be for designing game characters.”

Chen Xi looked thoughtful.

She remembered that yesterday, Qin Lie had asked if she was interested in designing game characters.

She hadn’t taken it seriously and directly refused.

She absentmindedly wandered to the shop entrance and sat down on the steps.

As quitting time approached, there were more people riding bicycles and electric bikes on the street.

Hu Zi Zhang, wearing a white Muslim cap, rode past the shop entrance on his tricycle.

The cart behind him was covered with a thick floral quilt.

Seeing Chen Xi, Hu Zi Zhang stopped his tricycle by the roadside.

He waited a while, seeing that the girl wasn’t moving.

So he called out to her, “Yogurt, sweet fermented grain, ice cold!”

Chen Xi snapped back to attention and waved at Hu Zi Zhang, “Hey, wait, I want five.”

Hu Zi Zhang sold yogurt, sweet fermented grain on his tricycle – when you wanted some, you couldn’t necessarily buy it.

Every time Chen Xi saw him, she would buy several.

She bought one for Qin Zhan, took one for herself, and put the rest in the broken refrigerator Liu Boyang had salvaged.

Chen Xi sat back down on the steps at the shop entrance and opened the plastic lid.

The yogurt was as thick as cheese, topped with a layer of sweet fermented grain.

Qin Zhan also cheerfully sat down next to her.

Chen Xi used the small plastic spoon to stir the sweet fermented grain into the yogurt and took a bite.

The sweet and sour taste, mixed with the wine fragrance of fermented barley, was ice cold.

Chen Xi silently finished a box of yogurt, sweet fermented grain, then turned to ask Qin Zhan, “What kind of characters does your brother want?”

Qin Zhan said, “I don’t know, let me ask you.”

He was about to pull out his phone when Chen Xi stopped him, “Never mind, I’ll ask him myself later.”

She threw the yogurt box into the broken cardboard box at the entrance and walked over to the motorcycle.

Qin Zhan hurriedly asked behind her, “Where are you going?”

“To find Yang Shan, to get some medicine for my grandmother.”

Chen Xi straddled the motorcycle, revved the engine, and quickly disappeared from Qin Zhan’s view.

…

Yang Family Bridge was a place Qin Lie often came to during high school – two of his good friends lived in this area.

He parked his car by the roadside and walked into a traditional Chinese medicine clinic on the street.

Most of the left wall was covered with antique-style medicine cabinets.

A young woman was ladling thick, dark brown medicinal paste from a clay pot into glass jars.

An old man with silver hair sat at a desk by the window, wearing reading glasses and looking at a book.

“Grandpa, is Yang Guan here?”

Qin Lie asked.

Doctor Yang’s reading glasses hung on the tip of his nose as he looked up to see Qin Lie.

“Little Qin is here. Yang Guan is inside giving someone a massage.”

The woman standing under the medicine cabinet, filling jars, looked up at Qin Lie with surprise. “Brother Qin, when did you come back?”

Seeing Qin Lie’s expression was a bit confused, the woman said somewhat dejectedly, “I’m Yang Shan.”

Only then did Qin Lie realize this woman was Yang Guan’s sister.

It had been many years since they’d seen each other. In his memory, Yang Shan was still a yellow-haired little girl who liked to open her eyes wide and round when looking at people.

Qin Lie nodded at Yang Shan and casually said, “Working here?”

Yang Shan shook her head, “I work in the nursing department at the city hospital. I just come to help out when I’m free.”

While they were talking, the curtain of the room on the right moved, and a woman came out holding a child.

Old Yang smiled and asked the woman, “Finished with the massage?”

The woman nodded and touched the child’s forehead, “The fever’s gone, but there’s still a bit of coughing.”

Doctor Yang waved them over, “Come here, let me take another look.”

A low male voice came from the inner room, “Qin Lie is here.”

“Mm.”

Qin Lie lifted the curtain and walked into the inner room.

Yang Guan sat with his back to him beside a massage table, broad shoulders and narrow waist, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“Perfect timing. Try my newly learned shoulder and neck therapy.”

Qin Lie walked toward the back door. “Want to smoke?”

Yang Guan got up and followed unhurriedly.

Yang Guan came out and closed the door. The two leaned against opposite door frames and lit cigarettes.

The thick twilight glow filled the small courtyard. The sunlight was dazzling, and Qin Lie squinted slightly.

Yang Guan’s eyes remained calmly open, his handsome face almost transparent in the sunlight.

He was blind and wasn’t as sensitive to light.

Qin Lie silently smoked without saying a word, watching the twilight glow sink inch by inch behind the house.

After finishing one cigarette, he said, “I’m leaving.”

But Yang Guan leaned against the door frame without moving, slowly took a drag, and didn’t give in.

Qin Lie leaned back against the door frame and lit another cigarette.

“Qin Lie.”

Yang Guan broke the silence, “You’ve been back for two years now. Every time you come to see me, you don’t talk about anything, and I’ve never asked.”

Qin Lie remained silent – there was nothing to say.

Yang Guan quietly smoked two drags, then suddenly said, “I want to say that no matter how big the obstacle, you can get through it.”

Qin Lie nonchalantly exhaled smoke, “What obstacle could I have?”

But today, Yang Guan didn’t want to let him wander off half-dead like this again.

He stubbed out his cigarette and put his hands in his pockets.

Yang Guan squinted at the glow above the roof as if he could see it.

As long as he recalled it, that courtyard full of sunset glow in his mind could sting his eyes shut.

“You know in your heart whether you have one or not.”

Qin Lie didn’t speak, just took a hard drag on his cigarette.

These past two years, he’d been lying flat, doing nothing, thinking about nothing, comfortably waiting to die.

Wang Danyang and Zhou Ning’s sudden visit had disturbed his peaceful life, and he’d been feeling inexplicably irritated these past couple of days.

Yang Guan suddenly asked Qin Lie, “Have you been to Beihang University?”

Qin Lie was stunned, some distant memories surfacing. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gave a low “Mm.”

Yang Guan smiled, “Is Beihang big?”

Qin Lie glanced at Yang Guan but only saw his calm smile.

He nodded and opened his mouth with some difficulty, “Pretty big.”

Yang Guan said, “I still have my Beihang acceptance letter.”

“Sometimes I think, if I hadn’t gone blind, would I already be working at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, with me doing the countdown before ignition?”

Qin Lie didn’t know what to say.

Yang Guan smiled, “If I couldn’t build rockets, building planes would be fine too. Doesn’t China already have an independently developed large passenger aircraft? Sometimes I think, if I hadn’t gone blind, would those large passenger aircraft have been built by me?”

Qin Lie’s throat suddenly felt bitter. “Stop talking.”

Yang Guan scoffed, “What can’t be said? I’m fine, but you can’t handle it.”

The year after the college entrance exam ended, Qin Lie and Yang Guan took a hiking trip on the Mingsha Mountain route.

He still remembered Yang Guan running wildly across the vast Gobi Desert like scattering flowers, telling him with flying eyebrows, “I performed steadily, I’m sure to get into Beihang.”

Qin Lie also ran wildly, hot sand flying under his feet.

Not to be outdone, he said, “Ha, I can get into Tsinghua.”

Both boys were tanned like black monkeys under the sun.

After they returned, Yang Guan’s 800-degree myopia suddenly worsened.

That summer, his family took him to many hospitals.

Finally, in Beijing, they got the diagnosis – a rare disease of the central nervous system in the brain.

He would never see again in this lifetime.

He did get into Beihang, but never got to see his acceptance letter.

Qin Lie got into Beijing University of Electronic Science and Technology.

On his registration day, he took a bus to Beihang.

He walked alone on Beihang’s campus.

People were playing basketball in the sunset.

People ran past him, drenched in sweat.

Long-haired girls walked past him laughing and chatting.

As he walked, tears streamed down his face – the only time in his life he’d cried so pathetically.

But Yang Guan’s voice was light, “Believe it or not, the day I got the acceptance letter, I was only sad for one night.”

Qin Lie’s silence indicated he didn’t believe it.

Yang Guan said, “Really, that whole night there was nothing but pure sadness, the kind that tears apart your organs, as if I was crushed and then reassembled into a different person.”

He paused, thought about it, and said, “It was like I came back to life. When the sadness reached its peak, I suddenly understood something.”

Qin Lie couldn’t help asking, “What?”

Yang Guan said, “As long as you’re not dead, you have to live well.”