Dr. Liаng suddеnlу dесidеd tо stay uр lаtе оn Nеw Year's Evе. Тhe four оf them, alоng with а dоg, sаt in thе living rоom, talking аbout everything that neеdеd to bе said. Shаng Zhi Тао had bееn ехhаusted frоm the past fеw dаys оf running around, and hеr fatigue hаdn't yet fаdеd. Shе соuldn't hеlр but yawn, hеr еyеs grоwing mistу.
Dr. Liang fоund her quitе аmusing. Even thоugh shе was this tirеd, she still sat upright оn the sofa, mаintаining hеr pоsture. It made hеr think thаt Luаn Nian hаd fаllеn in lоvе with а rarе kind оf pеrson.
Аnd indeed, thаt was thе саse.
Luаn Niаn hаd bеen pickу since childhood—thе things he liked had tо be spеciаl аnd the bеst, and so were his friends. Dr. Liang had only spent a short time with Shang Zhi Tao, but she could already understand why Luan Nian loved her.
Looking at Luan Nian again, he was reading a magazine with his head down, occasionally glancing at Shang Zhi Tao. When he saw her yawn, he lifted his leg and nudged her: "We're staying up late, don't slack off." He was saying this for Dr. Liang to hear, expressing his dissatisfaction with her request to stay up.
Dr. Liang nudged Luan's Father: "Let's not stay up anymore, I'm tired." She said to Shang Zhi Tao, "Tao Tao, you should go to bed too." She pulled her up and led her to the guest room: "This is Luan Nian's room. He's only stayed here once. Make do for the night."
"Then where do I sleep?" Luan Nian asked Dr. Liang.
"You sleep in the smaller room."
"I'm not sleeping in the smaller room. Why should I sleep in the smaller one?" He took a step inside: "Shang Zhi Tao, come in here."
"Then I'll sleep in that room."
Shang Zhi Tao felt uncomfortable sleeping in the same room with him while his parents were around. Luan Nian grabbed her by the collar: "That room has mice, fifty centimeters long. And cockroaches as big as fists." He pulled her into the room and closed the door.
"This is impolite!"
"How is it impolite?"
"Sleeping in the same room in front of your elders."
"? It's not like we're doing anything. If we get married someday, are we never going to sleep under the same roof?" Luan Nian asked her.
...
Shang Zhi Tao froze when she heard the word "marriage." Luan Nian, however, acted as if nothing had happened and tapped her head: "Go to sleep quickly!"
Shang Zhi Tao didn't know whether to leave or lie down, feeling torn.
Luan Nian got up, picked her up, and tossed her onto the bed: "That room really does have cockroaches."
He turned off the light, held her tightly, and teased her: "Why do you have so many silly rules?"
Shang Zhi Tao tried to argue, but he covered her mouth with his hand: "Sleep!"
Luan Nian didn't want to pretend to be a gentleman, nor did he want to be bound by those formalities. He knew what his parents were like—they would be more than happy for Shang Zhi Tao to sleep in the same room with him, and they would be thrilled if they went to get their marriage license tomorrow. That way, they could hand him over to her.
They really liked Shang Zhi Tao. Luan Nian could tell. Especially Dr. Liang. She wasn't always like this, and Luan Nian could distinguish between Dr. Liang's surface politeness and genuine affection.
Shang Zhi Tao was exhausted. She turned over to face him, nestling her head in the crook of his arm and tucking her legs between his. It was a comfortable sleeping position she had discovered the day before, and she smiled to herself.
"Luan Nian," Shang Zhi Tao whispered to him.
"Hmm?" Luan Nian responded softly. It was as if the house had terrible soundproofing—in fact, the old house really wasn't that soundproof. But their voices were so soft that it was hard for the other to hear, like two children whispering in the dark.
"I like Dr. Liang," Shang Zhi Tao said.
"Don't you like my dad?"
"I like him too."
"What about me?"
"I like you."
Shang Zhi Tao's voice grew softer and softer until she finally fell asleep, content. Luan Nian listened to her soft breathing in the darkness and drifted off to sleep as well.The next day when they woke up, Dr. Liang and Luan's Father had gone to visit friends. Dr. Liang had sent Luan Nian a message: "You young people go have fun on your own."
"Where do you want to go?" Luan Nian asked Shang Zhi Tao as they headed out.
Shang Zhi Tao missed the scenery on the mountain a little—his bar, the stars and moon visible just by sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. "I want to go up the mountain. It must be especially quiet now, right? Is the bar still open?"
"It's open. Let's go."
The bar manager had been sticking around Luan Nian's place for nearly ten years. He loved staying on the mountain, so Luan Nian's bar never closed, operating 365 days a year. Strangely, no matter the season or weather, there were always people going to the bar. Some would drive from far away with their laptops and books, spending their time there until evening. For a while, the bar manager found those people peculiar and said to Luan Nian, "Why are there so many lonely people?"
Luan Nian couldn't answer him at the time because he, too, was lonely.
Luke still remembered the road up the mountain and grew excited even before they arrived, spinning in circles in the back seat. As soon as they reached the place and the car door opened, it dashed out. First, it went to relieve itself on the small path where Luan Nian often made it walk, then claimed the mountain as its own. It then ran toward the bar, where Luan Nian had already opened the door and was waiting. Luke rushed inside, saw the bar manager, and jumped up, barking, "Where's my meat! Where's my meat!"
Dogs really have great memories.
The bar manager looked at Shang Zhi Tao, then at Luke, unwilling to believe it. "I thought I'd never see you two again in this lifetime!"
Luan Nian gave him a cold glance, and he fell silent, taking Luke to eat meat. The last time Luan Nian came, he had suddenly brought some meat and told the bar manager, "Luke will definitely come."
Shang Zhi Tao turned around with a smile and saw the huge painting in the shadows.
In the painting, they stood on the streets of Lhasa, in the prime of their youth.
She looked at the painting in disbelief, thinking she would never see it again in this lifetime. The photos she had tucked into books had long been placed on the upper shelves of her bookcase, and along with them, that period of time had been stored away and forgotten.
They looked so beautiful in the painting.
It was that year when Luan Nian finished work late at night and drove out of the company. It was Qixi Festival, and he had experienced a maddening traffic jam. The streets were bustling with people, young girls holding flowers leaning against their boyfriends, and everywhere was lively. Only one high school student sat under a bus stop sign, holding a book and reading, oblivious to the commotion around her.
It was 22-year-old Shang Zhi Tao jumping off the bus and running into the elevator lobby, lifting her leg to prop up her backpack as she stuffed a thick business English book inside.
The breakdown came unexpectedly.
The next morning, Luan Nian flew to Lhasa and stood on the bustling street, looking at the photography studio. Their photos were still hanging there. The owner said he had never taken a better photo since then.
He stayed alone in Lhasa for three days, then went to Nyingchi. There, he reminisced about their impromptu trip. It was the one trip he loved talking about the most in his life.
Shang Zhi Tao stared at the photo for a long time before finally saying to Luan Nian, "Look, if you had known how much you loved me back then, wouldn't it have been better to treat me a little nicer?"
"Shut up."
Luan Nian refused to accept her teasing and walked behind the bar. "What do you want to drink?"
"Anything."
Shang Zhi Tao loved watching Luan Nian mix drinks.He had always been wild, and his movements while mixing drinks were equally unrestrained. Yet, when he lowered his head to carve that piece of ice, he became intensely focused. Shang Zhi Tao leaned on the bar, watching him. He took a long, long time to prepare the drink. When he finally finished and presented it, there was an icy moon floating in the glass, surrounded by a deep blue liquid that looked like poison.
"What's this drink called?"
"Moonlight Guiding One Home."
Luan Nian was rarely romantic, and the few moments of romance in his life had all been given to Shang Zhi Tao. He watched as she took a sip of the drink—it had the sweet and sour flavor she liked, with a subtle, lingering warmth.
"It's delicious," she nodded, then walked behind the bar. "I want to mix a drink too."
"You know how?"
"I've learned a little."
In recent years, Shang Zhi Tao had picked up other skills. She had accompanied He Yun to learn aerial yoga for postpartum recovery, spent time with Shang Zhi Shu learning pole dancing, and later, dabbled in mixology on her own.
Old Shang always teased her for being restless, but she argued earnestly, "I'm expanding the breadth of my life."
Her hands shook the shaker swiftly, the ice clinking loudly inside. Luan Nian watched her, impressed by her practiced movements. After a while, she presented a drink with a white base. He asked, "What's it called?"
"Snow White and Bright," she blinked, making it up on the spot. But the drink in the glass resembled the snow clinging to the mountain peaks ahead, fitting the scene perfectly.
Carrying her glass to the window to savor the drink, they idled away the time on the first day of the new year. The mountain was so quiet that even the fall of a withered leaf seemed audible.
"I'll take you back to Ice City tomorrow," Luan Nian said to her. "You can catch the tail end of the New Year celebrations."
"Alright. Would you like to come to my house for a meal?"
"What do you think?" Luan Nian gave her a meaningful glance, then added after a moment, "If my parents visit your home in a while, would that be convenient for you?"
"Huh?"
Shang Zhi Tao was momentarily taken aback, not understanding why Dr. Liang and the others would visit her home.
Luan Nian understood customs, though not extensively. If two people intended to marry, it was essential for both sets of parents to meet. Sitting together to discuss matters would clarify the young couple's future plans.
Shang Zhi Tao was too naive to notice his intentions.
"Can they come?" Luan Nian asked her.
"Of course," Shang Zhi Tao finally caught on. "Are we talking about marriage?"
Luan Nian glanced at her but said nothing.
He had rented a plot of land on the mountain, where he planned to plant roses. When the roses bloomed, he would give her the entire garden.
The topic was left at that.
Luan Nian took Shang Zhi Tao back and formally joined her family for a meal. Her parents were already quite familiar with him, and the four of them sat together without any sense of distance. They chatted and laughed, and Luan Nian shared a few drinks with Old Shang.
Old Shang still enjoyed urging him to drink, and Luan Nian would pretend to be drunk and slump over the table after about six liang. Old Shang eventually saw through the act but never called him out on it.
Luan Nian stayed with Shang Zhi Tao until the eighth day of the new year before returning to Beijing.
After the New Year, Shang Zhi Tao wanted to explore a new business avenue while also taking on advertising for another company. She threw herself into work day and night once again.
She consulted a channel manager about the new venture, and the manager introduced her to two second-generation entrepreneurs, suggesting she manage a few accounts to gain experience. Shang Zhi Tao took the advice seriously and diligently practiced.Although she was very busy, she no longer forgot about Luan Nian the way she used to when caught up in work. After finishing a meeting or seeing a client, she would send him a message—sometimes to discuss a problem, sometimes just to act coquettish. As for Luan Nian, his replies remained brief. But often, after receiving her messages, he would directly call her to chat for a few moments.
Shang Zhi Tao often said to him, "I miss you."
He often replied, "Mm, I know."
"Do you miss me?"
"Mm."
"Do you or don't you? I want you to say it directly."
Luan Nian would always pause for a moment before saying, "I do."
They were truly in a relationship, just like other couples, even though they were both past the age of thirty.
They were both certain and in no hurry, wanting to take a lifetime to slowly savor this love.
Sometimes late at night, after both were done with work, they would have a bedtime call. Occasionally, they would argue over the phone, still because Luan Nian didn't know how to speak tactfully—he expressed his views as directly as ever. But it was just arguing; Shang Zhi Tao never took it to heart because she had come to fully understand what kind of person Luan Nian was.
At the end of March, Dr. Liang and Luan's Father came to Ice City.
Not wanting to trouble Shang Zhi Tao's parents, they all had a meal together at their old tavern.
All four elders were good people, chatting and laughing together. In the end, Dr. Liang said to Da Zhai, "I know Luan Nian has a difficult personality. I hope he hasn't caused you any displeasure."
"Not at all. Luan Nian is very polite."
"That's good." Dr. Liang nodded. "If the two were to marry, are there any customs here? Like a bride price."
Old Shang shook his head. "My daughter is priceless. I'm marrying off my daughter, not selling her."
"Then we understand. If the two children reach that point, you can rest assured—we will treat Tao Tao well."
And that was that.
Sitting to the side, Shang Zhi Tao quietly asked Luan Nian, "When did we say we were getting married?"
Luan Nian smiled without answering.
He was brewing a lifetime of romance.
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