Chapter 19
Yu Le fell asleep at the table, with Lu Yao’s hand still pinned under his arm.
Lu Yao used his other hand to dial a number. While waiting for the call to connect, his gaze quietly lingered on Yu Le’s face.
Yu Le, though drunk, was remarkably well-behaved. He didn’t act out or make a fuss, and even his tendency to be chatty was mild—just a bit more affectionate, though he never realized he was being affectionate.
The principle that the less one tries, the more likable one becomes, remains unchanged. Perhaps there were other reasons as well, all blending together, making Lu Yao find Yu Le increasingly charming and endearing.
“Hello, Ah Yao.”
When the call connected, Lu Yao’s mother’s voice came through the receiver, filled with warmth, “What’s wrong? Why are you calling so late?”
Lu Yao: “Mom, I wanted to ask you something. The guy you mentioned introducing me to, do you know his name?”
Mrs. Lu: “Hmm, I didn’t actually ask for his name. I only know their family surname is Yu.”
Lu Yao: “Yu, as in the character for ‘more’?”
“No, it’s ‘Yu’ as in ‘Yu Meiren’ (a type of beauty). Why do you suddenly want to know?”
Mrs. Lu: “Has it been so long that you’re getting impatient because you haven’t met him yet?”
The guess was confirmed, and Lu Yao couldn’t help but smile slightly as he lowered his eyes. He paused before responding.
Mrs. Lu misinterpreted his silence and sighed, “Alright, I understand that you’re not too keen on arranged meetings. If you really don’t want to, I’ll talk to his parents—”
“No,” Lu Yao cut her off to prevent her from going off-topic. “Mom, I actually do want to.”
Mrs. Lu: “Then what’s this about?”
Lu Yao: “I just wanted to say that you don’t need to look for other matches for me. I’ll wait for him to be available.”
Mrs. Lu was a bit surprised, “What’s happened? Did something occur?”
“Nothing happened.” Lu Yao looked at Yu Le’s peaceful sleeping face. “I just feel that if we met, I would probably like him.”
After hanging up, he couldn’t help but laugh softly to himself at the unintended outcomes of his inquiries.
He hadn’t been able to avoid the blind date and had also failed to avoid the absurdities of drinking, only to find himself repeatedly walking into the same traps.
It was a bit silly, but at least he hadn’t been bullied by others.
Lu Yao slowly withdrew his hand and carried Yu Le horizontally, going upstairs through the courtyard.
Yu Le had said he wanted to pretend that nothing had happened, not realizing that some things, once they have passed the heart, can’t be so easily dismissed with just a few words.
To him, Yu Le had already become a special presence, as if naturally coated with a layer of filter, every action filled with sweetness.
He felt a surge of love within him. Looking back now, he couldn’t distinguish whether everything from their first encounter was driven by a desire to make amends or by hidden personal desires.
Or, to put it another way, even though he knew holding such an attitude towards that accidental encounter was absurd, he had to admit that he had long tasted the sweetest part from Yu Le.
He placed Yu Le gently on the bed and carefully tucked him in with a blanket.
Yu Le’s hand still held onto him, unwilling to let go, so Lu Yao took his hand and lightly touched his forehead to Yu Le’s.
He couldn’t pinpoint when exactly he had developed feelings for this person, but he now definitely had ambitious thoughts about him.
Sunlight squeezed through the window cracks, bathing Yu Le’s nose in its golden rays.
Yu Le opened his eyes, squinted at the brightness, then closed them again, and when he reopened them, the sunlight outside seemed to have transported him to another world.
Was this still the rainy town of Daiwa?
Today, there were unusually many guests at the inn for breakfast: Ye Bao, Zhao Xiaosong, and Wen Yuan, with Lu Yao just in time to make a complete table.
As soon as he came downstairs, Zhao Xiaosong spotted him and, still chewing his bun, called out loudly, “Brother Le Le, come eat breakfast!”
Ye Bao was seated next to Zhao Xiaosong, leaving the remaining spot perfect for Yu Le.
Yu Le usually didn’t remember much when he was drunk, and seeing Lu Yao today made him feel a bit embarrassed.
Fortunately, Lu Yao didn’t mention last night at all and placed a bowl of soy milk in front of him. “Sugar is here, add it yourself.”
His demeanor was unchanged, and Yu Le sighed in relief.
Though he tended to speak recklessly when drunk, it seemed Lu Yao hadn’t taken his nonsense to heart.
“The weather is suddenly so nice today.”
Yu Le added a large spoonful of sugar to his soy milk, “It’s been raining every day before, now it’s so nice, it feels a bit unusual.”
Lu Yao: “Do you want to take a walk in the mountains?”
Yu Le: “Today?”
Lu Yao nodded.
Yu Le wanted to go but hesitated. “Maybe another day. I’m not really in the mood.”
Lu Yao observed his lowered eyelids and calmly said, “The clear weather won’t last more than two days.”
Yu Le was taken aback. “Huh?”
Zhao Xiaosong also looked puzzled and was about to speak when Wen Yuan quickly shoved a shao mai (steamed bun) into his mouth, “Be good, children should focus on eating, not talking.”
“Sunny days in the mountains are rare, so if you want to go, you should seize the opportunity.”
Lu Yao delivered a decisive statement, “Otherwise, when the rainy season comes, you won’t get another chance to go out for ten days or more.”
After some hesitation, Yu Le was persuaded. “Alright, I’ll go upstairs and change clothes.”
Lu Yao stood up as well. “I’ll wait for you at the door.”
Yu Le was surprised, “You’re coming with me?”
Lu Yao remained calm, “Are you planning to go into the mountains alone? Do you know the way?”
… That made sense.
Yu Le immediately switched to a brisk walk, “I’ll be right down!”
Zhao Xiaosong watched the two leave, confused, and poked Wen Yuan. “Why is the boss tricking Brother Le Le?”
“It’s not tricking,” Wen Yuan said sagely. “It’s coaxing.”
Zhao Xiaosong: “Huh?”
Wen Yuan: “You wouldn’t understand. Letting the person you care about think about your rival for even a second is the greatest insult to a man.”
He was surprised by his own insight. “Wow, I’m quite clever!”
Zhao Xiaosong: “???”
Zhao Xiaosong: “…”
Zhao Xiaosong: “Ye Bao, do you want some shao mai?”
Daiwa Mountain was so vast that Yu Le began to feel lost when he reached the entrance. “Is this the path to the summit? Is it a straight path or winding? Can we reach the top before dark?”
Lu Yao: “The summit is too high; we can only go up to about a third of the way up the mountain. It’s a straight path without winding roads. We’re only going to the Mountain God Temple, which will take about half an hour.”
The path up the mountain was paved with blue stone slabs, and the rain had washed the surface clean, leaving only the areas covered with fallen leaves on either side covered in moss.
There were no small trees in the forest; even the smallest trees had trunks that required both arms to encircle. The canopy was lush and dense, filtering most of the glaring sunlight, leaving only scattered specks of light to trickle through.
Lu Yao walked ahead, with Yu Le trailing closely behind him.
Yu Le: “Is there a temple on the mountain?”
Lu Yao: “Yes.”
Yu Le: “Is there a master there?”
Lu Yao: “No masters, just a senior monk.”
Yu Le: “Can one monk handle everything?”
Lu Yao: “Not many people come up the mountain usually, and if there’s a mountain opening event, there will be others to help.”
Yu Le: “What does ‘mountain opening’ mean?”
Yu Le was full of questions.
Lu Yao turned to look. At some point, Yu Le had collected a large stack of leaves and was now considering whether to pick a leaf from a nearby vine.
Noticing he’d been caught, Yu Le instinctively tried to hide the leaves behind him.
Lu Yao, with a hint of a smile, said, “What are you hiding for? No fines here.”
Yu Le, embarrassed, “They looked nice, so I thought I’d take some for inspiration.”
He had gathered so many that he could hardly hold them all. Lu Yao reached out and took a leaf from the vine Yu Le was eyeing, opening his hand. “Give them to me. I’ll hold them for you.”
Yu Le handed over the leaves, and in the next moment, his hand was completely enveloped in Lu Yao’s large, dry palm.
Lu Yao held him tightly and turned, “The path ahead is slippery. Be careful with your steps.”
After about half an hour, Yu Le saw the red eaves of the Mountain God Temple peeking through the dense forest.
When they reached the temple gate, Yu Le realized that Lu Yao’s description was accurate and not exaggerated—the temple was indeed built halfway up the mountain.
It seemed like a space chiseled out of the sheer cliff face, surrounded on three sides by rock walls. It was built along the mountain, with caves every few steps, each housing a different clay Buddha statue. The floor was covered with three lotus-shaped mats made of ragged cloth, and incense smoke wafted in front of the merit box.
“Do we need to pray?”
Yu Le wanted to point, but hesitated, fearing he might offend the Buddha, and quickly withdrew his hand.
Lu Yao: “Which one do you want to pray to?”
Yu Le didn’t know and wasn’t familiar with them. “How about praying to all of them?”
“That’s fine.” Lu Yao nodded, “Then you can stay the night here; you don’t need to go back today.”
Yu Le: “……”
Never mind then. He felt his sincerity was in his heart, and the Buddha, with their great powers, would surely sense it.
After passing through a rugged cave, Yu Le faintly heard the sound of dripping water, “Oh, it’s raining?”
“No,” Lu Yao led him to a large circular basin where clear water continuously dripped from the wet rock walls, forming a curtain of water.
Yu Le noticed three small bowls with wide openings but low heights at the edge: “Is this water drinkable?”
“Yes.” Lu Yao said, “It’s mountain spring water that flows from the top of the Buddha’s head. It’s said that drinking it will bring Buddha’s blessings. Do you want to try it?”
“Mountain spring water? Is it sweet?”
Yu Le scooped up a full bowl and drank it, smacking his lips. “It seems a bit sweet.”
As he was about to put the bowl down, Lu Yao stopped him. “Wait a moment.”
Yu Le: “?”
Lu Yao: “In temples, you need to drink three bowls of this water. Didn’t you know?”
“????”
“I didn’t know.”
Yu Le was baffled, “But I just drank such a big bowl!”
Lu Yao hadn’t considered this earlier, feeling both amused and sympathetic. “You don’t need to drink it all. Just a sip counts as one bowl. It’s enough to reach the bottom.”
Yu Le reluctantly drank two more bowls, his face showing a mix of frustration and compliance.
Lu Yao stayed by his side and casually asked, “Have you never been to a temple before?”
Yu Le shook his head. The closest he had come to a temple before this was passing by a large charity temple.
“Got it.” Lu Yao put down his hand, “Let’s go. I’ll show you something interesting.”
They arrived at a small Buddha niche around a corner. Yu Le didn’t recognize this Buddha but found its plump, smiling figure very friendly.
He asked Lu Yao, “What’s interesting about this?”
Lu Yao tilted his chin, “This Buddha is very effective. You can make a wish to him for something you want or hope to achieve in the short term.”
Yu Le: “Really?”
Lu Yao remained composed, “Yes, but this Buddha is special, so the wishing method is also unique. You need to do it backwards and speak your wish out loud for it to work.”
Yu Le: “How do you do it backwards?”
Lu Yao: “For example, if you want to eat steamed locust flowers tonight, you should tell him that you don’t want to eat steamed locust flowers tonight.”
“Oh, I see!”
Yu Le’s trust in Lu Yao was already overflowing, and he believed whatever he said without question. He turned to the Buddha, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes. “Hello, Buddha. I’m starting now.”
“I hope it rains every day starting tomorrow. I hope Da Huang stays far away from me and doesn’t cling to me. I hope Xiaosong’s ice powder stand can’t open. I hope Boss Lu and Boss Wen’s inn sees no customers. I hope Boss Lu suffers excruciating pain in his hands every rainy day.”
“……”
The smile in Lu Yao’s eyes gradually faded.
Yu Le, “I hope my luggage doesn’t get found. I hope I can’t sleep until dawn every night. I hope Cheng Xiwu contacts me more. I hope I can continue to like him forever—”
“Enough.”
Lu Yao’s face darkened as he interrupted. He must be out of his mind to make this joke with Yu Le: “Too many wishes. The Buddha won’t hear them all.”
So there’s also a limit to the number of wishes.
Yu Le reluctantly lowered his hands: “Alright, that’s it for now. Thank you for your hard work, Buddha.”
Lu Yao put all the cash he had into the merit box, silently praying for the Buddha’s great virtue, asking for forgiveness for the child’s ignorance, and promising to repair the Buddha’s golden body the next time they came.
“Hey, can we go there too?”
Yu Le was already standing at the entrance, pointing at a Buddha statue carved into the opposite cliff. “Why don’t I see a path?”
Lu Yao walked over to him, “No, you can only look.”
“Oh.” Yu Le withdrew his hand and, remembering something, turned to ask him, “Did you make a wish?”
Lu Yao nodded.
Yu Le: “What did you wish for? I didn’t hear it.”
Lu Yao: “Do you want to know?”
“Yes.” Yu Le smiled, with a fairly convincing reason, “What if the Buddha can’t fulfill it? Maybe I can help you?”
This time, the scenery behind him wasn’t a lush locust tree but rugged mountains and cliffs. The beautiful scenery was like a miniature version in his eyes—open, pure, like the clear wind freely weaving through the valley, binding Lu Yao’s heart in fine threads.
Looking at Yu Le, Lu Yao suddenly felt that perhaps he was the one being hunted, passively led by him. Every unintentional gesture or glance stirred his heart, willingly and sweetly.
“You can.”
My wish, you can fulfill it.
Yu Le’s eyes brightened, just as he was about to ask what it was, a deep, resonant bell rang from the mountaintop. He barely heard the sound before Lu Yao covered his ears with both hands.
As the bell’s sound became faint, Lu Yao spoke, but Yu Le couldn’t hear it.
However, he saw the emotions swirling in Lu Yao’s eyes, dark and containing a casual smile, so deep it almost melted away.
Yu Le involuntarily grasped Lu Yao’s wrist, feeling that each remaining bell chime seemed to pound against his heart.
