Jin Chao set a small goal for Jiang Mu, with a destination that wasn’t too far. After Jiang Mu drove there with some hesitation, Jin Chao checked his watch and asked her to record the mileage from her first day of driving, wanting to see if her speed would improve after a week. Jiang Mu obediently took out her phone and noted down the distance.
People who’ve just learned to drive often develop a driving addiction. During that period, whenever they had free time, Jiang Mu would drag Jin Chao out to practice driving after dinner, with Shandian sitting in the back seat. Before they knew it, they had circled all of Nanjing.
Shandian was now an old dog. Having suffered severe injuries when young, although his life was saved, his health had never fully recovered. It was only thanks to Jin Chao’s unwavering care over the years that he survived. But time’s erosion was relentless, and in recent years, Shandian’s health had deteriorated further. He had to be hospitalized twice a year and rarely wanted to move around or go far anymore. However, Jiang Mu’s daily drives seemed to bring back some of his liveliness.
Jin Chao continued setting goals for Jiang Mu, sometimes long, sometimes short, and she completed them with increasing ease.
Indeed, driving was a skill that improved with practice – whether it was driving on the road or in bed.
During their first month of living together, Jiang Mu was still very shy about such things, even changing clothes with her back to Jin Chao.
In winter, Jin Chao’s health usually wasn’t good, especially during damp and cold weather. The places where his bones had previously fractured would ache, often tormenting him and making it difficult to sleep.
Although he didn’t show any obvious signs that would worry Jiang Mu, living together and caring deeply for him, she could sense something was wrong. So she became more attentive to his daily needs – not letting him touch cold water, reminding him to dress warmly, and accompanying him to regular acupuncture therapy sessions. Every night before bed, she would prepare his health tea in a thermos and place it by the bedside. If he woke up at night to use his crutch to go to the bathroom, she would wake from her deep sleep to wait for him, only falling back asleep after he returned safely. If he took too long, she would get up to check on him.
Several times when Jin Chao opened the bathroom door, he saw her standing there in thin sleepwear without even a coat, worrying about him. He would always urge her back to bed, his heart aching at the sight.
Once when Jin Chao was showering, Jiang Mu heard a “thud” and anxiously paced outside the bathroom door, asking, “What fell?”
After a while, a voice came from inside: “I might need your help here.”
Jiang Mu gently pushed open the bathroom door. Through the misty vapor, she saw Jin Chao sitting there, his body still showing lean, flowing lines. Her cheeks reddened from the steam.
Jin Chao looked at the electric razor that had slid far away and said helplessly, “My hands were a bit slippery.”
Jiang Mu quickly picked up the razor from the floor and walked to the shower to hand it to him. As Jin Chao reached to take it, he also caught her wrist and pulled her right in.
Originally, Jiang Mu had been too embarrassed to look directly at him, but Jin Chao turned on the electric razor and said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to take care of me? Here’s your chance.”
Jiang Mu’s whole body felt hot. She had never helped anyone shower before, let alone a man, and initially didn’t know where to start. But after getting his hair full of foam, she became playful, using the foam to style his hair in various ways. She even asked him to hold still while she went to get her phone to take pictures, but Jin Chao grabbed her, looking at her with darkened eyes: “Getting naughty? Taking compromising photos of me?”
Only then did Jiang Mu remember he wasn’t wearing clothes, which probably wasn’t appropriate for photos.
Later, while helping him rinse off, she completely soaked herself, her clothes clinging to her body with a forbidden sensuality that made Jin Chao’s desire surge. He pulled her onto his lap and took her once. Before this, they had almost always made love with the lights off, or with just a dim light on, as Jin Chao seemed uncomfortable with her looking at his scars, making him somewhat self-conscious.
This was the first time they saw each other, and also the first time Jiang Mu took the lead. After that passionate encounter, Jiang Mu became less shy around Jin Chao, and more naturally commanding. Like a newly bloomed daisy, her every movement and glance exuded the charm of a young woman coming into her own, making Jin Chao increasingly enchanted.
So much so that on New Year’s Eve, when Jin Chao was working out of town, he specially arranged for Xiao Wen to bring Jiang Mu to him. Jiang Mu wanted to drive her little white car there herself for practice since she hadn’t driven outside of Nanjing yet, but Jin Chao wasn’t comfortable with that. In the end, Xiao Wen drove Jiang Mu’s car to take her there, bringing Shandian along.
After getting off the highway, Xiao Wen finally let Jiang Mu drive. Jin Chao was still working, so Xiao Wen took Jiang Mu directly to Jin Chao’s residence there. Jiang Mu had thought Jin Chao was staying in a hotel, but only after Xiao Wen dropped her off did she learn that he had an apartment there.
Xiao Wen didn’t go up. Jiang Mu took the key card and went to Jin Chao’s place. The apartment wasn’t large but was kept very neat. Jiang Mu poured food and water for Shandian, and after showering, sat in the bay window scrolling through her phone while waiting for Jin Chao. The bay window was spacious, padded with blankets and soft pillows, and before long, Jiang Mu dozed off.
This business trip of Jin Chao’s was longer than usual, spanning over New Year’s Day. Being year-end, some accumulated matters had to be dealt with. He had been gone for three days, which was already torturous enough for them.
When Jin Chao finished work and returned home, he opened the door to find Jiang Mu curled up in the bay window. He quietly walked in and covered her with a blanket. When he came back after showering, she was still in the same position. Jin Chao pulled off the blanket, threw it back on the bed, and pressed Jiang Mu against the bay window, embracing and kissing her. Jiang Mu woke to his kisses, her body softly clinging to his neck, inhaling his clean, freshly showered scent, and asked in her gentle Wu dialect, “You’re back?”
Worried that her arched position might be uncomfortable, Jin Chao grabbed a nearby pillow to support her waist. Jiang Mu’s eyes were hazy as she mumbled an “mm,” but this sound was more like a silent invitation. Jin Chao couldn’t resist her in this state and began lifting her smooth garment. Only then did Jiang Mu’s consciousness somewhat return, and she blocked herself with her hands, saying, “You never told me you had a house here.”
Jin Chao had to explain everything: “This apartment building is sort of an employee benefit. I got in early, during my first development project here. They had a few quota spots, and I took one since it was cheap. It’s good to have a place to stay. Property prices haven’t changed much here over the years, and it wouldn’t be worth much if I sold it now, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”
But Jiang Mu pouted: “What do you mean not worth mentioning? You come here several times a month. How do I know you haven’t set up another home here, hiding some woman in this apartment or something?”
Jin Chao’s expression immediately relaxed. He had thought Jiang Mu was upset about him concealing his financial situation, but that wasn’t her concern at all. Indeed, a woman’s thought process was truly unfathomable.
After laughing, Jin Chao’s expression darkened, carrying an invasive aura: “Looks like you need to be taught a lesson.”
They didn’t make it to the bed; he took her right there on the bay window.
The unfamiliar environment made Jiang Mu somewhat uncomfortable, her whimpers trapped helplessly in her throat. He gently bit her earlobe and told her, “The soundproofing here is good, no need to hold back.”
Jiang Mu still bit her lip hard and shook her head: “Do people live next door?”
“No one decent.”
Jin Chao suddenly thrust, as if teasing her, leaving Jiang Mu completely defenseless, able only to beg for mercy.
When that maddening sensation built to its peak each time, she would cry out wildly, calling him everything from “Chao Chao” to “Brother,” each cry making Jin Chao lose more control.
By the end, her whole body was drenched in sweat, without even the strength to speak. She just remembered Jin Chao telling her days before: “New Year’s needs to be memorable.”
So they made love from last year into this year, Jiang Mu couldn’t even keep track of how long they went on. Only when Xiao Wen called her did she realize her voice had gone hoarse, like a broken bellows.
She hadn’t even noticed when Jin Chao left early in the morning, called away by phone. She took Shandian downstairs and drove to the address Xiao Wen sent her.
This was Jiang Mu’s first time visiting Jin Chao’s workplace. The Automotive Engineering Institute’s building was grand and bright, with neat and lush landscaping.
The car stopped in front of the research institute building, where Xiao Wen had already come out to greet her: “Even on holiday there’s urgent business. Engineer Jin was worried about you, so he asked you to come over first. It’ll be finished soon.”
Then he swiped his card and took Jiang Mu inside. The building was empty during the holiday, with most people having gone home. The young man at the front desk, seeing Jiang Mu was unfamiliar, asked her to sign the visitor’s log and told her pets weren’t allowed inside.
Xiao Wen told him: “She’s Engineer Jin’s person.”
The young man first looked up at Jiang Mu in surprise, then withdrew his pen and said warmly: “Engineer Jin is in the third-floor small conference room. I can watch the dog for you here.”
Jiang Mu said, “Thank you.”
After settling in Shandian, Xiao Wen told her: “Although Engineer Jin doesn’t officially work here full-time, people at the research institute are quite familiar with him. He came here four years ago to do development work for several months, participating in the design of the 05 series engine, which achieved breakthroughs in both technology and emissions. It went into production last year, and at the earliest, the new cars launching in spring will be equipped with it. There’s still a gap between domestic engine development and major automobile manufacturing countries, and talent in this field is very scarce, so Engineer Jin carries a lot of weight here.”
When the elevator doors opened, the corridor walls displayed introductions of the research and development teams. Jiang Mu looked along them and indeed saw Jin Chao. It listed some of his notable past project experiences, and Jiang Mu particularly noticed his title: “Product Development Consultant and Thermal Power Engineer.”
Jiang Mu stood there, feeling a surge of pride in her heart.
Later, she arrived outside the small conference room on the third floor. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, she saw Jin Chao standing at the conference table speaking, his natural gestures making him appear wise and steady. Seeing him working in his familiar field made Jiang Mu feel he was endlessly charming.
She quietly watched him for a while from the back door, the light in her eyes growing increasingly soft and affectionate.
After the meeting ended, Jin Chao was the first to walk out. Seeing Jiang Mu waiting at the door with that look in her eyes, he smiled and leaned in to whisper: “Looks like last night’s lesson worked – you’re all smiles today.”
Jiang Mu’s face flushed at his words. Just moments ago he had looked so professional, but as soon as he came out, he was back to being improper. Several people followed out and asked, “Engineer Jin, are you heading back to Nanjing now?”
Jin Chao instantly switched back to his serious demeanor and replied, “I have lunch plans with some friends, I’ll head back later.”
Jiang Mu had no idea how he could switch so smoothly between his personas with her and with others. If his colleagues knew what a rogue he was in private, their jaws would probably drop. But before living together, she had also thought Jin Chao was quite proper. Even when they dated in their teens, he hadn’t done anything improper with her. As it turned out, he had just hidden it very deep.
After leaving the building, Jiang Mu asked, “Who are you having lunch with? Will you take me along?”
“Of course. The place is already booked, you’ll see when we get there.”
So Jiang Mu drove them there. Jin Chao was still somewhat nervous about her driving skills and only felt at ease letting her drive when he was beside her.
The car stopped in front of a restaurant. Being a holiday, business was booming and many cars were parked outside. A server came out to guide Jiang Mu to a corner spot, asking her to back the car in.
Even though Jiang Mu now had her license and could drive normally on the road, she was still deeply traumatized by reverse parking. So normally when going out, if she could find a side parking spot, she would absolutely avoid parking garages, let alone what was practically an extreme spot before her.
Jin Chao made a phone call saying, “We’re here, come down and meet us.”
Then he told Jiang Mu, “Take Shandian up first.”
So Jiang Mu left the car and walked toward the restaurant entrance with Shandian. Before she could even step onto the stairs, she saw a man with a small ponytail sauntering out of the restaurant. When they saw each other, both froze for a moment before Jiang Mu immediately curved her eyes in delight and exclaimed, “Brother San Lai?”
San Lai also stared at Jiang Mu, looking her up and down before exclaiming “Holy cow!” He continued, “It’s like a whole new person!”
Jiang Mu smiled brightly as she ran up the stairs. San Lai opened his arms: “Welcome back to the team.”
Jiang Mu, holding Shandian’s leash, gave him a quick hug and asked, “What team?”
San Lai looked down at Shandian wagging his tail and said: “The woof-woof team.”
“…”
San Lai seemed unchanged from before. His hair was longer, with a few slightly curled bangs hanging in front. While Jin Chao looked much more mature now, San Lai still had his delicate features and skin. Though tall, even dressed sloppily he maintained a kind of lazy handsomeness. Perhaps it was that carefree attitude he carried – even in rags, he didn’t look pitiful.
San Lai led Jiang Mu into the restaurant and asked, “Having drinks?”
Jiang Mu said, “He’s parking.”
San Lai’s smile froze: “What?”
Jiang Mu explained, “I just got my license and I’m not good at backing up. That spot is too narrow to park in.”
San Lai frowned slightly: “He’s willing to touch the steering wheel now?”
As they walked upstairs, Jiang Mu learned from San Lai that the accident not only caused irreversible physical damage to Jin Chao but also left him with PTSD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition. Even though national regulations allowed people with left lower limb disabilities but healthy other limbs to drive small vehicles, he had never touched a steering wheel since.
Before this, Jin Chao had never mentioned it to Jiang Mu. There was a big Jeep next to their garage, and if it was parked even slightly close, Jiang Mu couldn’t back in. The first time she drove to work, she spent almost twenty minutes trying to park when she got home. Anxious, she called Jin Chao, who tried to guide her direction. Later, seeing her helpless state, he hesitated for a moment before asking her to get out, then backed the car in himself. Although Jin Chao was indeed quiet afterward, Jiang Mu hadn’t thought much of it. Many times after that when she couldn’t back in, she would call Jin Chao to come down and help.
She had never imagined he had PTSD. For a former racing driver, touching the steering wheel had become a painful thing. Jiang Mu’s chest tightened at the thought.
San Lai also realized he had said too much and added, “Don’t take it to heart. It’s been so many years, he should be moving past it. This is a good thing – you should encourage him to drive more. I mean it.”
Jiang Mu forced an awkward smile. San Lai opened the private room door, and inside sat familiar old friends: Jin Fengzi, Zhang Guangyu and his wife, and their son, who was already over two years old.
Jin Chao hadn’t told them beforehand, and when they saw San Lai bring in Jiang Mu, everyone was stunned for a moment before standing up. Jin Fengzi had the most dramatic reaction, directly exclaiming, “My God, I didn’t even recognize you! Little sis, you’ve transformed beautifully. When I last saw you, you were just a little girl. Now if I saw you on the street, I wouldn’t even know it was you.”
While they were exchanging greetings, Jin Chao came up. San Lai immediately started cursing: “You know how to keep secrets. When did you get back in touch? You didn’t even tell us.”
Jin Chao suppressed a smile as he put his hand on Jiang Mu’s shoulder and guided her to sit down, saying, “It’s been a while.”
Seeing their dynamic, everyone understood the situation.
San Lai sat down and kept clicking his tongue, shaking his head at the two of them. Jin Fengzi got excited and insisted on drinking with Jiang Mu, but Jin Chao said she was driving and protected her strictly, refusing to let them mess around.
San Lai wasn’t satisfied and shouted, “It was fine being protective when she was eighteen, but she’s almost twenty-eight now and you’re still protecting her – are you even human?”
Jin Chao lounged casually, one hand on the back of Jiang Mu’s chair, letting them curse as they pleased while maintaining his smile.
Jiang Mu tried to smooth things over: “My driving skills are too poor, and I still need to drive back later. Next time when you come to Nanjing, visit our home. I’ll let you try my cooking and properly drink with you then.”
San Lai exclaimed in surprise: “Oh, why wait? How about tomorrow? By the way, what happened to your voice?”
Jiang Mu quickly sat up straight and cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing with guilt, but tried to act calm as she said, “I caught a cold last night.”
After saying it, she felt she had been corrupted by Jin Chao, now telling such obvious lies.
Jin Chao lowered his lashes, smiling silently, his fingers lightly tracing patterns on her back, making Jiang Mu incredibly ticklish but unable to move. She turned her head to glare at him silently, making Jin Chao’s smile even more unrestrained.
Later in the conversation, Jiang Mu learned that when Jin Chao was hospitalized years ago, Jin Fengzi had left Wan Ji and moved out from home to take care of him, partly feeling guilty about the Iron Rooster incident. He even lived with Jin Chao for a while after discharge. At that time, Jin Chao had many difficulties with daily life, but fortunately, Jin Fengzi’s strong build meant he could manage the care.
But two grown men staring at each other all day inevitably got boring. Later, when Jin Chao prepared for self-study examinations, annoyed by Jin Fengzi playing games loudly beside him all day, he dragged him to study together.
However, Jin Fengzi had never seriously studied a day in his life. After graduating from technical secondary school, he had even idled around for several years. Now when Jin Fengzi thinks back, he still feels Jin Chao must have been seriously ill then – studying for exams himself was one thing, but dragging him along was another.
Under Jin Chao’s torment, Jin Fengzi got his bachelor’s degree. When he followed Jin Chao from Changchun to Anhui, Jin Chao wanted to drag him along to study for a master’s degree, but Jin Fengzi had to threaten him with his life before Jin Chao finally gave up the idea of torturing him.
Now he was working at the factory as a technician under Zhang Guangyu, with a stable life, just no partner yet. He asked Jiang Mu to help keep an eye out for someone.
San Lai’s story was even more extreme. The year Jin Chao left Tonggang, Xishi died, and a heartbroken San Lai closed the pet shop. Then he rented Feichi’s storefront, connected it through, and opened a fast food restaurant that actually did quite well.
When Jiang Mu heard this, she froze: “That fast food place was yours?”
San Lai said “Ah”: “You’ve been there?”
“Never went in, but when I came back from abroad in my freshman year, I especially went to Feichi and saw it.”
Jin Chao turned to look at her, and Jiang Mu gave him a resentful glance back. Jin Chao held her hand, everything was understood without words.
But San Lai’s entrepreneurial journey got interesting after that. When Jin Chao and Jin Fengzi all left Changchun, seeing his brothers heading south for development, he hurriedly followed and opened a branch opposite their factory. Initially, there wasn’t much business.
Zhang Guangyu came up from the workshop floor and met many people. Jin Fengzi loved drinking and had lots of friends. Adding to Jin Chao’s influence, the restaurant’s initial customer flow relied entirely on its brothers’ support.
The taste was better than the factory cafeteria, and although slightly more expensive, the portions were generous. People didn’t mind the extra ten or eight yuan, and more and more people abandoned the cafeteria food for his place. Later, San Lai took Jin Fengzi’s savings to expand the business, and the scale nearly rivaled the factory cafeteria. This caused the factory cafeteria’s business to decline, and the leadership wasn’t happy. The next year, when they were preparing to change cafeteria operators through bidding, San Lai eagerly went to bid. Many leaders had eaten at his place, and with his silver tongue, he successfully won the cafeteria’s operating rights.
He became a legitimate cafeteria manager, even with proper business cards.
Jiang Mu couldn’t help but think of that year when she went with San Lai to find Jin Chao, and they were stopped at the bottom of the mountain by Old Man Wan’s people. San Lai had boasted then that with his culinary skills, he could run a restaurant. At that time, Jiang Mu could never have imagined he would end up managing a cafeteria. Life had its turning points.
Jiang Mu sighed: “So you’ve all settled down here now.”
San Lai responded: “That’s right! As soon as I got here, I took a room next to You Jiu, and became his neighbor again, hahaha…”
Jiang Mu’s face gradually darkened as she silently turned to look at Jin Chao. She remembered asking someone last night if anyone lived next door, and he had answered “No one decent.”
Hearing San Lai’s unrestrained laughter, Jiang Mu oddly felt like that answer wasn’t exactly wrong.
Jin Chao of course knew what Jiang Mu was thinking, his eyes carrying an indescribable amusement as he looked at San Lai.
After leaving Tonggang, almost none of the new people Jin Chao met knew about his past. In his current colleagues’ eyes, he was steady and reliable, with solid technical expertise in his field. He had entered this circle anew like a blank sheet of paper, completely burying his former self. No one knew about his tumultuous past. Only in front of these old friends was he still You Jiu.
…
Although everyone was rowdy at lunch, no one drank. When they were almost finished eating, San Lai called Jin Chao to join him for a smoke on the outside balcony.
After walking onto the balcony and closing the glass door, San Lai lit a cigarette and cursed: “You dog, why didn’t you wait until kids were running around before telling us brothers?”
Jin Chao leaned against the railing and smiled: “It hasn’t been long, she’s only been with me for about two months.”
San Lai exclaimed dramatically: “Two months? You have the nerve to say that – how many meals have we eaten together in these two months? Did you put a padlock on your mouth?”
Jin Chao glanced at him indifferently: “Like an old woman, do I need to specially call and report everything to you?”
Speaking of calls, San Lai suddenly remembered that a few months ago, he had indeed heard a woman’s voice near Jin Chao on the phone. That was how long ago? The next time he saw Jin Chao and asked if he had found someone, he refused to say anything.
San Lai cursed: “That time I called you, that woman was Mu Mu, right? Were you two together then?”
“Not at that time.”
San Lai rambled on: “No wonder I thought you were rushing around like crazy lately, leaving as soon as you came, refusing dinner invitations – you were hurrying back to be with Mu Mu?”
Jin Chao touched his nose and coughed: “Well, we’re in love.”
San Lai cursed angrily: “In love my ass, you’ve been in love for decades!”
“Get lost.”
San Lai continued questioning: “How far have you gotten now?”
Jin Chao looked at him, his gaze obscure, and only said three words: “Want to marry.”
San Lai’s hand shook when he heard this: “Old Jin and I were always saying, you being all alone, whoever of us got married first, you’d be pretty pitiful by yourself. Now look at this – the two of us are still single, and you’re saying you want to get married? You always said I wasn’t human, I accepted that, but you’re truly a dog.”
Jin Chao smiled as he told him, and San Lai really couldn’t stop: “Back then you changing your number was one thing, but you persuaded me to change mine too, not letting me keep in touch with Mu Mu. Tell me, weren’t you guarding against me all these years? Tell me. You were just jealous of my charm and grace, afraid Mu Mu would develop feelings for me if we contacted too much, right?”
Jin Chao calmly smiled and replied: “Yes, whatever you say. Let me ask you something – how’s your drone flying these days?”
The topic change was too sudden. San Lai stared at him blankly for a while before saying: “Why are you asking about that? Didn’t you say my skills were trash?”
In the past two years, San Lai had become obsessed with flying drones, going from machines worth hundreds or thousands to now playing with ones worth tens of thousands. He had even joined some amateur enthusiast associations and would charge out with other drone enthusiasts every weekend.
Seeing Jin Chao looking at him seriously, San Lai flicked his bangs and said: “My skills might be trash in your eyes, but out there people respectfully call me Master Lai, they all come to me for advice. What do you know?”
Jin Chao patted his shoulder: “After lunch, trouble Master Lai to run an errand for me. I’ll give you Gu Tao’s contact info, bring your gear and contact him when you get there.”
“…”
In the private room, Jiang Mu was holding Zhang Guangyu’s son and playing with Shandian. The little boy wanted to touch Shandian but was scared of his huge size, touching him once with his little finger before hiding in Jiang Mu’s arms, making everyone laugh.
San Lai laughed too, then suddenly sighed: “After going in a full circle, she finally came back. Do you regret sending her away back then?”
Jin Chao was silent for a few seconds before responding: “I’m grateful. Grateful she didn’t see me at my worst. Even you guys wanted to beat me to death then – how could a girl handle that? Even the best feelings would have been exhausted. Fortunately, she came back when I was able to settle down. Even two years earlier would have been difficult.”
San Lai sighed: “Yeah, two years ago you were still considering selling the house to support the coffee shop. Good thing we all made it through.”
Jin Chao’s gaze lingered on Jiang Mu’s smiling face, his lips curving upward.
…
After lunch, San Lai said he had something to do and left in his car. Jin Chao and Jiang Mu returned to the apartment and stayed a while longer.
Jin Chao had gotten up early, and they had been quite wild last night without restraint. Jiang Mu was worried about tiring him out and wanted him to rest a bit before heading back.
Jin Chao reclined in the massage chair in the living room. Jiang Mu covered him with his fleece coat, then sat on the nearby sofa, keeping him company while looking at her phone.
Jin Chao hadn’t fallen asleep, just dozed for a while. He turned his head to look at her and called out, “Mu Mu.”
Jiang Mu put down her phone and turned around. He lifted the fleece coat and said to her, “Come here, let me hold you.”
Jiang Mu thought he was cold and walked over to touch his hands, but they were still warm. Jin Chao wrapped his arm around her waist and let her half-lie on top of him. Jiang Mu carefully asked, “Am I heavy? Will it hurt your leg?”
Jin Chao smiled, “Not heavy, quite soft.”
Jiang Mu buried her face in his collarbone and complained, “You can’t mess with me anymore, I still need to drive later.”
Jin Chao remained silent. Jiang Mu looked up at him, seeing tender affection in his eyes. He asked, “Where’s the mileage I asked you to record?”
“In my phone.”
“Take it out and look.”
Jiang Mu pulled up the notes on her phone. Jin Chao stared at the screen and asked, “What do these numbers look like to you?”
Jiang Mu stared at the phone for a long time at the seemingly random string of numbers. Jin Chao pointed at two of the numbers and said, “What are the first letters of these two destination names?”
Jiang Mu thought for a moment and said, “E and N.”
Jin Chao followed her words: “What kind of markers do they look like?”
Jiang Mu pondered for a moment before saying, “Latitude and longitude?”
Jin Chao stroked her hair: “Add the numbers.”
“Could they be coordinates?”
Jin Chao continued, “Try connecting them.”
Jiang Mu marked the numbers with latitude and longitude and rearranged them. Jin Chao pulled her up closer and played with her hair ends, asking, “Don’t you want to know where it is?”
Jiang Mu turned to stare at him: “You know?”
Jin Chao shrugged: “Would you like to take me to see?”
Jiang Mu immediately searched for the coordinates on her phone. It was only about a hundred kilometers away, not too far, but the map showed it was a large forest park area, without much detail.
Interested, Jiang Mu sat up and said to Jin Chao, “Shall we go? We could make it before dark if we leave now.”
Jin Chao tilted his neck: “Need me as your navigator?”
Jiang Mu leaned down for a kiss: “What are we waiting for, my navigator?”
The drive was leisurely. Shandian sat in the back seat, his head between them, tongue hanging out. This rare out-of-town trip seemed quite exciting for him.
Before evening, the car reached a scenic area parking lot. Jin Chao unbuckled his seatbelt and said to her, “Get out.”
Jiang Mu locked the car door and asked, “Are we going in? Isn’t it closed?”
Jin Chao had already taken Shandian’s leash and said to her, “Let’s go see.”
Jiang Mu locked the car and followed.
The scenic area was huge. They rented an electric sightseeing cart and drove around the coordinates for quite a while. Shandian was the most excited, finding everything novel and happily rubbing against Jiang Mu.
Jiang Mu looked at the location on her phone and told Jin Chao, “We’re here, don’t go further. Let’s turn in here and look.”
But when Jin Chao turned in, Jiang Mu was stunned by the sight before her. A massive hot air balloon hung in the sky, suddenly bursting into her view. She pulled Jin Chao’s arm saying, “Wow, you can ride hot air balloons here!”
Jin Chao smiled, “Quite surprising, isn’t it?”
The coordinates matched perfectly. The sightseeing cart stopped, and before them was an open grassland, the launching point for the hot air balloons. Jiang Mu craned her neck, eyes full of delight.
Jin Chao turned to look at her: “Since we’re here, want to ride?”
Jiang Mu’s eyes sparkled as she asked in amazement, “How did you find this place?”
“You found it, remember?”
Jiang Mu looked at him sideways, his eyes dancing with captivating light: “Come on, let’s commemorate our first time.”
Jiang Mu was pulled along towards the massive balloon, still asking dazedly, “What first time?”
Jin Chao turned back, teasing her with his gaze: “First time riding a hot air balloon. What first time did you think?”
Jiang Mu felt her thoughts had become very impure lately, definitely corrupted by Jin Chao. Everything he said made her think of inappropriate things.
But once they were actually in the hot air balloon, Jiang Mu was both excited and very nervous. Shandian was excited about them, and she took out her phone to take various photos. But as they kept rising higher, she put away her phone, afraid to stand near the edge. She turned and held Jin Chao tightly, patting his arm. Jin Chao understood and completely encircled her, only then did she feel secure. Jiang Mu looked up and asked, “Are we still going higher?”
Jin Chao looked at the distant valley and replied, “We should. What can you see like this?”
He turned Jiang Mu around and held her from behind. In that moment, as they rose higher, her pupils were coated in a dazzling gold. The mountains stretched out below them, and in the distance, other hot air balloons rose slowly into the sky, scattered between heaven and earth like blooming flowers in a dream, breathtakingly beautiful.
The world presented itself to them in a frozen state, as if all that remained in the world was just the two of them, facing that radiant light, growing toward the sun.
Jiang Mu’s gaze was distant and peaceful as her voice scattered in the valley wind: “Do you regret it? If you could do it again, would you still race that race?”
There was silence from behind for a while. Jiang Mu only felt his arms gradually tightening around her. After a long moment, he said to her: “I might have lived a dim but healthy life, or I could take a chance for the possibility of seeing daylight again in the latter half of my life. This world is fair in some ways – what you gain and lose always balances on an invisible scale. You ask if I regret it. For a long time, I kept asking myself this question.”
His voice paused as the last rays of sunset illuminated the entire valley with full force. After a long while, he told her: “Now I can tell you with certainty, I don’t regret it anymore. Now that you’re back by my side, I don’t regret any of it…”
Just as Jin Chao’s words faded, countless balloons suddenly soared into the sky from the distant valley, decorating the mountains in brilliant colors. The stunning visual impact made Jiang Mu exclaim: “Chao Chao, look, quick, look there – someone’s releasing balloons, it’s so beautiful! Where are they releasing them from?”
She even forgot to take out her phone for photos, just staring dazedly as the mass of colored balloons rose into the sky, the scene so spectacular it seemed unreal.
Jin Chao lowered his head, his breath falling on her cheek, and said to her: “I still remember when you saw that movie poster and kept pulling at me with questions. You said you envied how the old man and child could be pulled into the sky by balloons, asking me what it felt like to fly in the sky. Could balloons lift a house? Would the balloons explode in the sky? Do you remember how I answered you?”
Jiang Mu’s thoughts instantly flew to the past, her breathing quickening as she recalled: “You said… you knew of something called a hot air balloon that could pull people into the sky. I pestered you to take me for a ride, and you said when we were older.”
The wind was strong at this height, and Jiang Mu felt cold. Jin Chao opened his coat and wrapped her inside it, saying to her: “It’s quite regrettable, that we couldn’t choose our childhood lives.”
As balloons soared higher across the mountains, uniquely, a pink heart-shaped balloon flew toward them. Jiang Mu thought her eyes were playing tricks on her – it seemed incredible that a balloon could fly toward them.
But as the balloon came closer, her pupils gradually dilated. Even when the drone carrying the pink balloon stopped in front of them, Jiang Mu still hadn’t processed it. The next second, bizarrely, San Lai’s shout emerged from the drone: “You Jiu, your dog, making me come here to eat dog food, doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
Jiang Mu’s body trembled, while Jin Chao calmly cursed back: “I thought humans didn’t eat dog food, you aren’t human.”
Jiang Mu watched in horror as the man and machine traded insults, wondering why they needed to argue in mid-air, then heard San Lai shout at her: “Mu Mu, quickly take the…”
Before he could finish saying “bag,” the drone retreated with lightning speed.
Jiang Mu turned her head, still shocked. Jin Chao sighed: “I didn’t know his drone could speak. Miscalculated.”
Jiang Mu held up the small bag and asked, “Then what?”
Jin Chao rarely showed signs of discomfort, but now he said to her: “Last time I saw that ‘Dawn to Dusk’ keychain was old, so I thought of getting you a new one.”
Jiang Mu took out the small box from the bag. Although she had a premonition, when she opened it and saw the sparkling diamond ring inside, with “Dawn to Dusk” engraved indelibly on the inner band, uncontrollable excitement welled up in her eyes.
Jin Chao took the ring and said to her: “We couldn’t choose our childhood lives. We were forcibly separated despite being family. Now, would you like to build a new family with me?”
A warm tear irrigated her entire heart. Jiang Mu’s emotions surged. Between heaven and earth, at the transition of day and night, on the first day of the new year, witnessed by the vast sky and towering mountains, she firmly rooted herself in his entire life journey.
Though completely moved, she pretended to be calm and said to him: “I knew you were leading me here for something, just didn’t expect you’d propose at such a high place.”
Jin Chao smiled: “Yes, giving you no escape route. If you want to refuse, you’d have to jump down, but you’re too timid.”
Seeing her not move, Jin Chao lifted his pant leg saying, “Looks like I’ll have to kneel to show my sincerity.”
Jiang Mu couldn’t bear to see him make such a strenuous movement and quickly extended her hand, voice choking: “I do, I do, I do – important things must be said three times.”
Jin Chao smiled as he sealed her with the ring. Jiang Mu looked down at the “Dawn to Dusk” now set on her ring finger, mumbling: “But isn’t it too fast? We’ve only been together for two months and we’re getting married?”
Jin Chao turned her around and held her from behind again, saying: “Your calculation of time has an error. You’ve been with me since you were 19, it’s been 7 years until now. If I don’t marry you now, how could I justify it?”
He touched her flat belly, his voice soft: “Besides, we didn’t use protection several times. If you are pregnant, I can’t let our child come into this world without proper status.”
Jiang Mu’s hand covered his large one, a subtle expectation climbing into her heart. She suddenly really wanted to have Jin Chao’s child. She could imagine he would surely love their baby as much as he loved her. They would build a new family, one with children and Shandian and both of them. Just thinking about it made her smile uncontrollably.
Jin Chao kissed her hair devoutly and said to her: “Next month during New Year, I’ll go to Australia with you to visit Mom.”
Jiang Mu’s heart trembled violently. That rainy night when he left Suzhou, he could no longer call Jiang Yinghan “Mom,” but many years later, he could finally call her “Mom” in a different capacity.
The surrounding valleys gradually darkened, the sun’s last rays disappeared into the earth, and the moon finally returned to the sky. Dusk to dawn, time flies like a shuttle.
On the first day of the new year, Jiang Mu gained a new identity, taking her husband’s surname: Jin Mu.
The End