Luo Ren opened his eyes.

It was Pin Ting’s voice, chattering away, repeatedly calling: “Xiaodao Gege.”

Just like when she was little, following him around like a shadow, constantly muttering all day long:

—Xiaodao Gege, here’s some candy for you.

—Xiaodao Gege, buy me a handkerchief, please.

—Xiaodao Gege, take me out to play with you.

The mulberry silk quilt beneath him was soft and comforting. After a night of tossing and turning, it felt as yielding as a lover’s embrace. Luo Ren was too lazy to get up, so he simply lay there, listening to Pin Ting’s occasional faint sounds drifting in.

She sounded irritated; it seemed Yi Wansan was being clumsy.

“Xiaodao Gege, why are you so stupid…”

Luo Ren wanted to laugh.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Uncle Zheng’s voice: “Luo Xiaodao? Luo Xiaodao?”

Uncle Zheng had come to tell Luo Ren that he would be going with a real estate agent to look at storefronts that morning.

Luo Ren had previously suggested that Xiao Shang River was too dry and not suitable for recovery and recuperation. He hoped Pin Ting could stay in Lijiang for now.

Uncle Zheng was a distant relative of the Luo family. Pin Ting’s mother had died early, and Luo Wenmo was always away, giving lectures. The household needed someone capable of handling everything, and Uncle Zheng naturally fit the role. He had watched Pin Ting grow up, and the care and protection he showed her exceeded that of Luo Wenmo, her rather inadequate father.

So, naturally, wherever Pin Ting went, he went too.

But since they were settling down, they needed to make long-term plans. They couldn’t just sit around with empty hands, living off their savings. He told Luo Ren that he wanted to open a shop nearby.

Specifically, a Northwestern cuisine restaurant.

Uncle Zheng had always been a skilled cook, and his roasted lamb leg made Yi Wansan unable to forget it. Opening a restaurant would be putting his talents to good use.

Uncle Zheng’s idea was that since he didn’t have much money, he wanted Luo Ren to invest and be the silent owner.

—”I’m old now, and I don’t care about money. I just want something to do. Having something to keep busy with makes a person age more slowly, and I can stay with Pin Ting for a few more years. Any profits will be yours; I’ll just be working for you.”

This suited Luo Ren perfectly. He had brought back a considerable amount of money, but if money doesn’t move, it’s dead money and will only decrease; he needed to find a way to make it work.

When he was at the bar, he mentioned this matter casually and received enthusiastic support from Cao Yanhua.

“A restaurant is great, a restaurant is great!” Cao Yanhua’s eyes shone so brightly that Luo Ren became wary: Cao Pangpang looked determined to eat the restaurant into bankruptcy.

As the conversation continued, Luo Ren realized he had misunderstood.

“Don’t just do Northwestern cuisine, add Sichuan and Chongqing dishes too. Hot pot upstairs, roasted lamb leg downstairs, plus spicy chicken, boiled fish in hot chili oil, skewered meat, spicy beef tripe soup…”

Luo Ren glanced at him. This sounded like a plan to work Uncle Zheng to death. The man was almost sixty; as the owner, Luo Ren didn’t feel right exploiting so much surplus value from him.

Cao Yanhua suddenly thought of something: “Investment, I’ll invest too, become a shareholder!”

Yi Wansan leaned over from the bar, looking at him like he was seeing a ghost: “Brother Cao, do you even have money?”

“The pearls!” Cao Yanhua exclaimed excitedly, with spittle flying everywhere. “Brother Sansan, you, me, plus little Sister Master, and Sister Hong Sha, we all have pearls. Let’s all be shareholders, make it our joint property. We’ll call the restaurant ‘Phoenix Dancing in the Nine Heavens’!”

He spread his hands wide, pausing between each word. With that posture, if the phoenix didn’t dance in the nine heavens, he seemed ready to dance himself.

Yi Wansan snorted with disdain. Cao Yanhua’s naming skills were hardly better than Yan Hongsha’s.

But Mu Dai, who had been quiet all along, said: “I think it’s good, it works.”

As she spoke, her elbow rested on the table, hand supporting her cheek, voice soft, as if asking for Luo Ren’s opinion.

Luo Ren put his arm around her: “Fine, when we distribute dividends, you’ll get double.”

Cao Yanhua was jealous and asked: “What if we lose money?”

Luo Ren said, “If we lose money, Mu Dai still gets her share, I’ll subsidize it.”

It was such a different treatment for different people. Cao Yanhua thought dejectedly: I want a boyfriend, too.

Since most people supported the idea, Yi Wansan had to consider it seriously: “Fine, to diversify risk, you can have the rich lady invest more; she has money.”

“Rich lady” was his special name for Yan Hongsha after being forced to join the WeChat group “Phoenix Don’t Move Team.”

Cao Yanhua had once advised Yi Wansan to be more polite to Sister Hongsha, and had questioned: Wasn’t a beautiful, rich girl what Brother Sansan always pursued? Why was he so harsh to Sister Hongsha?

Yi Wansan’s answer was: “If I had known earlier she was rich, I definitely would have been nice to her. But I didn’t know then, and if I turned around and started being nice to her now, she’d look down on me even more. Might as well keep it this way. If I can’t chase a rich beauty, trampling on one is good too.”

…

In short, opening a restaurant, which was originally just Uncle Zheng’s idea, after all this back and forth, had magnificently begun to… materialize.

Uncle Zheng showed Luo Ren the locations of several storefronts recommended by the agent. They were all in good areas. Luo Ren trusted Uncle Zheng completely and gave him full authority: “Whatever you decide is fine.”

As they spoke, they walked outside. Luo Ren stretched to loosen his muscles, taking in the entire small courtyard. He didn’t know what game Yi Wansan was playing with Pin Ting, standing motionless in one spot.

Luo Ren murmured, “I wonder why Pin Ting calls Yi Wansan ‘Xiaodao Gege’?”

Uncle Zheng snorted: “That’s because even those with unclear minds still know some things. Whoever is good to her is her Xiaodao Gege! You used to be truly good to Pin Ting, but now, who knows where your thoughts have wandered off to?”

Uncle Zheng was still resentful that he hadn’t been able to successfully match Pin Ting with Luo Ren: “How come I haven’t seen Mu Dai these past few days? Did you fight?”

His face was full of schadenfreude, clearly pleased at the thought of them quarreling.

For a man his age to still have such childish thoughts, Luo Ren found it both amusing and exasperating: “She went to Kunming to collect her salary.”

Salary distribution, online banking operations, just a few steps, yet she insisted on traveling to Kunming to collect it.

One could tell at a glance that the stated purpose wasn’t the real one. Collecting her salary was just an excuse; the real reason was to take a trip there. Luo Ren casually said, “I could drive you there.”

“No, no, that’s too much trouble. I’ll just buy a ticket and go.”

What trouble was there in that? Somehow, it felt like she was deliberately trying to avoid him.

Luo Ren deliberately insisted: “It’s no trouble, just need to fill up the car with gas.”

Mu Dai still refused: “Don’t you have things to do? Men shouldn’t busy themselves with such small matters. Go attend to your big affairs.”

With an expression of disdain, she made it sound as if he wasn’t taking care of his business, while her “collecting salary” was some great matter of national importance.

Luo Ren simply asked frankly: “You just don’t want to go with me, right?”

Mu Dai fell silent, then after a while, hesitantly said: “In a relationship, you know, we shouldn’t be together all the time. Everyone needs some space…”

Space?

Luo Ren was so annoyed that his teeth itched. When had they “been together all the time”? Their personal space was wide enough to race horses, and she wanted more space!

If you’re not kind to me, I won’t be righteous to you. Fine, go if you want!

At the same time, Mu Dai was accompanying Yan Hongsha in her practice.

The location of this house was really good, quiet within the bustle. The morning breeze was cool yet pleasant.

Mu Dai looked down into the well. Yan Hongsha was about a meter below, holding onto a rope that hung down. She neither climbed up nor went further down, just swaying gently. When she saw Mu Dai looking at her, she made an “ugh” sound, tilted her head, and stuck out her tongue, looking like a hanged ghost.

Mu Dai was annoyed and moved the well cover standing by the side, making as if to cover the well.

“Don’t, don’t, Mu Dai.” Yan Hongsha quickly returned to normal, twisting her feet on the rope a few times to make her body hang more steadily. “Having a dual personality is great, I think it’s pretty cool.”

Mu Dai said glumly: “You don’t understand.”

Yan Hongsha said, “This kind of thing, it just depends on how you look at it. Pessimistic people make a big deal out of it, thinking they’re sick. But optimistic people…”

“What about optimistic people?”

Yan Hongsha’s face was eager: “Don’t you think it’s like being a superhero? Normally, you’re yourself, but at critical moments, there’s a stronger version of you that comes to protect you!”

Mu Dai glared at her and casually gave the well rope a push. Yan Hongsha, hugging the rope, swung like a weight.

She felt her reasoning was very sound: “Even if you have a dual personality, she hasn’t done anything bad, hasn’t hurt anyone. It’s only appeared once in all these years. What are you worried about?”

Mu Dai seemed to be asking her, but also asking herself: “What if I tell Luo Ren, what would happen?”

“He’d probably be very happy,” Yan Hongsha continued, swinging. “It’s like having two girlfriends. Men would all be happy about that.”

Mu Dai sighed: “Your head is filled with stones dredged up from the well.”

Yan Hongsha said proudly, “Then my head must be valuable. Diving for treasures, what I’ve brought up are all gems. Hey, Mu Dai…”

She looked up at Mu Dai: “Grandpa told me that he’s getting old, and his eyesight will get worse. So he wants to do one last job while he can still see. Will you join?”

Mu Dai wasn’t listening.

The fragrance of breakfast wafted in from the front courtyard, sweet and savory, carried by the wind, thread by thread, making her entire being melancholic.

What would happen if she told Luo Ren?

As night fell.

Luo Ren strolled along the street canal. Many bars had already started their night performances. A resident singer carrying a guitar sat down on the outdoor steps, strummed the strings, and fluid music sprang forth.

Songs of heartbreak, love, homesickness, wildness—such songs would never lack an audience.

Uncle Zheng had chosen a storefront and given him the address, insisting he must take a look.

That was fine, it would be like taking a casual stroll.

It wasn’t very far from the bar or his residence, yet he had never been there before, showing how hurried his comings and goings in this ancient city had been.

The place was easy to find because among all the brightly lit storefronts, only this one was dark.

Looking closer, it was a closed shop. Although most of the furniture had been removed, through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, one could still see that it had once been a dessert shop, as there were heart-shaped stickers still stuck to the walls, layer upon layer.

Luo Ren took out his phone to illuminate the space and saw writing on a sticker near the edge of the wall.

“XX, you jerk, you ignore me now, but in the future, you won’t be good enough for me!”

One could almost see a girl writing those words in fury.

Luo Ren smiled. In this world, apart from a few exceptionally enlightened individuals, most people go around in circles, unable to transcend love and hate. But keeping one’s spirit up is good.

He turned around and looked at the surrounding shops.

There was everything—barbecue stalls, silver jewelry shops, ethnic clothing stores, fake antiques made to look old, Dongba wind chimes, and postcards.

Luo Ren stopped in front of a shop.

This shop was called “Lian Yan.”

Some shops have a naturally different aura. Even from ten meters away, one could feel the coldness that warned strangers to stay away. It was like a VIP club; every detail seemed to say to the common people: even if you have money, you might not be able to enter—you also need taste.

“Lian Yan” was just like that.

Among all the storefronts with bright white lights, it used dim lighting, so dim that it made one unconsciously breathe more lightly. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, one first saw incense—an exquisite copper crane standing elegantly on a plate, with a faint wisp of smoke curling up from its beak.

Sure enough, upon pushing the door open, he smelled a faint sandalwood fragrance.

In the corner sat a young woman with long hair, dressed in loose cotton and linen garments. With her head bowed, she was carefully threading beads. Those beads were smaller than half a grain of rice—the red ones were coral, the blue ones lapis lazuli.

Hearing the sound, she raised her head and looked at Luo Ren, her gaze as calm as a still pond.

She was as exquisite as a painting.

Luo Ren’s gaze fell on the curio shelf against the wall.

The shelves were antiques, originally used by wealthy families to store books. Here, each compartment was lined with fine black velvet, displaying unique pieces.

No two were alike; each item was one of a kind.

The prices were written with a brush pen on small scented papers. The compartment Luo Ren was looking at seemed to contain just a touch of red silk, priced at 2,800.

A slender hand reached out from behind, with two bracelets on the wrist, one gold and one jade, lightly touching and creating a sound—truly the sound of gold and jade.

She unfolded the red silk and said: “This is a dudou.”

“In Han times, it was called ‘baufu’ or ‘heart garment.’ In the Yuan Dynasty, it was called ‘hehuan jin.’ This one is made of silk—undergarments cannot be coarse. The straps hang around the neck, and two ties at the back secure it. The appliqué of two figures on the silk, a man and a woman, symbolizes a perfect pair, complete and fulfilled.”

The appliqué on the silk indeed showed a man and a woman, surrounded by embroidered flowers, both exquisite and charming.

Luo Ren asked her: “Why are the faces of the man and woman blank?”

She smiled lightly, as if she had been waiting for him to ask this question.

“Because this dudou was made by an unmarried woman for herself. Only after finding her ideal husband and getting married would she embroider the eyes and eyebrows on the blank faces, symbolizing that her wish had been fulfilled.”

She handed the dudou to him. The red silk gleamed in the dim light, making her fair skin appear even more luminous.

“You can give it to the girl you love, and let her embroider the facial features of the man and woman. Of course…”

Her fingers gently pinched the silk, pulling it back, immediately creating many creases.

“If you don’t have someone yet, then forget it.”