Chapter 22 — Eight Years Change One Time Letting Go

They sat in the position closest to the water. The wind blew across the lake, carrying cool water vapor. Giang Du Bach ordered a few bottles of craft beer, and the two casually chatted for a few words. Most of the time he talked, she sat quietly and listened. He told her that he was actually a rich young man whose family was somewhat famous in Beijing. But he hated those fake receptions. So I decided to run down to Dali to open a car repair shop and take on a few design projects that I liked.

“The first time I met you was two months ago.”

Suddenly he turned his head and looked at her.

"At that time, she had just arrived in Dali, sitting alone on the side of the road eating baked milk cake. Her face was covered in food, looking like an idiot."

She paused, her pathetic appearance appearing in her mind when she first arrived in Dali.

“Are you praising me?”

“Consider it.”

He took a sip of beer, his eyes became serious.

“I have met many people who have been knocked down by life. They either become whiners or complainers, or go crazy.”

"But not you. You chew up all the pain and swallow it, then grow a new, strong skeleton."

He suddenly reached out his hand. The flesh of her fingertips gently brushed away a strand of hair falling from the corner of her eye. The movement was very gentle, but carried an undeniable stubbornness.

“Han Mo Tuyet.”

This was the first time he called her both her first and last name.

“I am a person who has no patience, nor does I like to beat around the bush.”

He stared into her eyes.

"The homestay has been built. But I still want to stay here, as a long-term tenant. Please give me a definitive statement, will you accept?"

The yellow light of the bar reflected the profile of Giang Du Bach's face. His eyes seemed even deeper. This straightforward throw made Han Mo Tuyet a bit caught off guard. But she did not avoid his eyes. Eight years of patience and wear and tear have taught her how to distinguish between sincerity and lies. This man in front of him was straightforward, bright and upright, just like the first rays of Dai Ly's morning sun.

“Renting a room at my place is not cheap.”

She picked up the glass of wine and clicked it with him. The sharp sound of glass hitting each other dissipated into the wind.

“It's okay if it's not cheap.” The corner of Giang Du Bach's lips curled into a cheeky smile.

He took advantage of the situation and grabbed her wrist holding the glass of wine.

“I can spend the next half of my life slowly paying it forward.”

His palm was very warm, the temperature transmitted intensely through his skin. She did not withdraw her hand. On this extremely ordinary night. After going through a series of struggling and muddy days for several months. She suddenly felt that maybe starting over was not as difficult as she imagined. In the days that followed, life seemed to hit the acceleration button. The homestay's interior decoration under Nam Chi's resourceful hands was quickly completed. They chose a zodiac day. There was no ribbon cutting ceremony, just hanging two red lanterns in front of the door, considered the official opening. On the first day of opening, the homestay was fully booked. Giang Du Bach indeed lived up to his word, becoming a long-term tenant of Homestay Mo Quy. Every day he leaves early and comes home late at the car repair shop. Go home at night Bring along beautiful and strange little items. Sometimes it's a bouquet of wild flowers picked from the mountains, sometimes it's a rose cake made by a local old lady. He never intentionally created romance, but blended care into the smallest details. Right when the homestay business gradually went into orbit for a month. Then an uninvited guest arrived and disrupted this brief peace. Early that evening, the sky was drizzling again.