Two days later, Sheng Xia and Shi Ye went to Xiaoputuo together.

When riding bikes by the seaside, Shi Ye found it too hot, so he didn’t wear a hat or a mask. Sheng Xia wasn’t cautious either, not thinking to bring any sunscreen. So, they spent a day under the sun.

At first, they both felt fine, but later they realized that their skin had problems after the sun had set. Shi Ye was fine, just a bit dry and reddish, but Sheng Xia was more unfortunate. His fair skin peeled directly from being sunburned, feeling even worse than bleeding, with his face all red, looking quite pitiful.

To make matters worse, it started pouring rain on their way back to Dali. It was heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds, unlike anything Shi Ye had ever seen before. Sheng Xia explained to him, “The weather here is like this, in the morning it can be cloudless, but in the afternoon, it might rain heavily.”

Sheng Xia paused and added, “But I haven’t seen such heavy rain in a long time…”

They finally managed to get on the last bus back to Dali while drenched in rain. After sitting down, they realized both of them were soaked, their sunburned faces mixed with rain, looking quite disheveled and comical.

As the bus started moving, they glanced at each other’s appearance and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The bus swayed as it headed back to Dali. Sheng Xia remembered that Shi Ye might feel uncomfortable on buses like this, so he took out some preserved plums prepared in his wet bag and handed them over, saying, “Teacher Shi Ye, have some.”

Shi Ye noticed that over the past few days, the most frequent things Sheng Xia said to him were ‘have some’ and ‘take a look at this,’ along with that phrase ‘Teacher Shi Ye’ that he found increasingly awkward.

He took the package and ate one, noticing that the taste was different from the ones he had eaten in the past few days, so he asked, “Why does it taste strange?”

Everything he had eaten these days tasted strange, just like Sheng Xia. But even though they were strange, Shi Ye still ate them, whether he liked them or not. He found a very reasonable excuse for himself to accept this oddity: since I’m already here, I might as well try it.

Since I’m already here, and since I’ve already encountered it. Anyway, if I haven’t tried it, why not give it a try?

“This isn’t just preserved plums, Teacher Shi Ye, it’s called ‘sculpted plum.’ It’s a special product from Er Yuan, Dali. I heard it originated during the Nanzhao Kingdom period. Many local Bai girls learn to make this, and their skill is a measure of their dexterity… This sculpted plum can also be used to make liquor. When soaked, it’s called sculpted plum wine, and it’s quite famous.” Sheng Xia explained confidently, “When you leave, bring some packaged sculpted plums back to give to your friends, Teacher Shi Ye, I think they’re quite delicious.”

Shi Ye thought that his group of weird friends probably wouldn’t appreciate such sweet things, so bringing back a few crates of liquor would be more appropriate.

But he still decided to bring some. He handed the things in his hand over to Sheng Xia, saying, “You have some too.”

The bus continued to sway forward. As darkness fell, the rain was heavy, making it impossible to see distant mountains and clouds, unable to see the shadows of trees and scenery.

Outside the window, streetlights flickered in Shi Ye’s pupils, one by one, bright and dim. He felt strange about this city, but also a strange sense of intimacy. Even now, with the howling wind and pouring rain outside, Shi Ye felt that this city was gentle.

The atmosphere inside the bus was a bit weary, no one spoke loudly. It seemed like this bus was heading towards the end of the world, and the people inside were quietly waiting for the apocalypse.

I want to write a song, Shi Ye thought.

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Sheng Xia next to him began rummaging through his backpack, searching for a while before pulling out a notebook and a pen. Then, holding a sculpted plum in his mouth, he leaned against the window and started writing something on the semi-damp notebook.

The bus didn’t turn on the lights, so it was a bit dark.

Shi Ye smelled that faint scent on Sheng Xia again. After being soaked in the rain, it became more refreshing, carrying the clean and fresh scent of plants, the kind that would make people feel refreshed on hot summer days. It was a bit like… the mist in the forest, the wind in the valley, cool.

Mist, wind… it’s another one of those damned descriptions. Shi Ye felt a bit frustrated; he realized he was feeling a bit restless.

Shi Ye knew that Sheng Xia was probably overflowing with inspiration at the moment, so he didn’t disturb him. He took out his phone to check, making sure it wasn’t soaked. After coming here, Shi Ye began to feel indifferent about these things. He even felt that it would be best if his phone broke at this moment.

If it broke, he could completely lose contact with that magnified, virtual, unreal world of radio waves, and he could belong only to Dali, only to this moment, only to this stormy night.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone, held it a bit further away, and shone it on Sheng Xia to help him write.

Halfway through writing, Sheng Xia suddenly looked up and said to Shi Ye beside him, “Teacher Shi Ye, I thought of a concept… about the Mountain God. The Cangshan Mountains have nineteen peaks, and I’ve always felt that there must be a Mountain God protecting the mountains. We often say, ‘the water surrounds the Cangshan Mountains, and the Cangshan Mountains embrace the ancient city.’ I’m thinking of writing a song about a deity who possesses mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, while we are ordinary mortals blessed by him…”

He spoke with a sculpted plum between his teeth, sounding a bit unclear. The sculpted plum, intricately made and rarely seen, was quite beautiful. But upon closer inspection, the carved plum seemed less appealing than Sheng Xia’s mouth.

Being soaked by the rain made them feel cold.

Shi Ye didn’t know if he was talking to himself or talking to him, but it didn’t matter. He actually didn’t have the mood to see what Sheng Xia was writing, nor could he hear his description clearly. At this moment, he just felt that Sheng Xia looked very beautiful in the light, especially on this stormy night.

It was a kind of attractiveness unrelated to anything else. Even though he was soaked, his face was red, and he looked disheveled and tired, he still looked good. Messy was even better.

On such a night, there probably wouldn’t be many nights like this in a lifetime. The journey and the trip all had an end, but Shi Ye knew that this moment would become eternal in memory. Because at that moment, he unexpectedly had a kind of… illusion that he and the person beside him were mutually dependent.

He felt like he wanted to say something, preferably with some sound. So he said, “So, is this song meant to be about gods loving people, or about people loving gods?”

Sheng Xia was taken aback by the question. His movements with the pen stopped, and subconsciously, he looked up towards the light held by Shi Ye, shining on him.

The person in the light glanced at him quietly, then expressionlessly reached out two fingers and plucked the sculpted plum that Sheng Xia was biting on, taking it out—

Sheng Xia watched as Shi Ye took the sculpted plum that he had bitten, then pointed to the empty packaging bag in his hand and said, “I finished it… if you don’t want to eat it, give it to me.”

Actually, Sheng Xia wanted to eat it, but he preferred to nibble on preserved fruits like this a little instead of putting the whole thing in his mouth like Shi Ye.

Feeling that Shi Ye wanted it, he replied, “No need, you eat, Teacher Shi Ye.”

Shi Ye nodded and put the plum, dampened by Sheng Xia’s bite, into his mouth and started chewing.

While eating, Shi Ye asked again, “You haven’t answered me yet, is this song meant to be about gods loving people, or about people loving gods?”

Watching Shi Ye chewing, Sheng Xia said slowly and calmly, “It’s about people loving gods, about dedicating oneself, about giving everything.”

In his heart, Sheng Xia thought, So Teacher Shi Ye really likes eating plums.

“Continue writing, let me see when you’re done.” Shi Ye folded up the empty package with one hand, “I’ll shine the light for you.”

The bus kept moving, still moving. Please don’t stop, Shi Ye thought… After thinking this, he was startled by his own thoughts, how could he think like this?

He frowned and shook his head nervously.

He had to avoid those things… that seemed to be growing wildly in his mind.

The bus continued to drive amidst the lightning and thunder, and soon they reached their destination, and they got off the bus.

Neither of them had an umbrella. The rain was particularly heavy, and the lightning and thunder gave this quiet ancient city a unique atmosphere. The city gate was crowded, with many people holding umbrellas and wearing raincoats, waiting for the bus.

There were also vendors holding umbrellas and transparent raincoats doing business, loudly shouting, “20 for a set, 20 for a set, don’t catch a cold in the rain here!”

Sheng Xia asked Shi Ye, “The rain is too heavy, should we buy an umbrella, Teacher Shi Ye?”

“No need to buy, anyway, we’re already soaked, let’s just go back like this.” Shi Ye smiled, “It’s strange, maybe it’s because of my mood, but I always feel like the rain in your Dali is cleaner and better than the rain in the north. I just tasted it, it’s sweet.”

Sheng Xia laughed along, “Right! Teacher Shi Ye, let me tell you, I love rain. I always feel like rain has emotions, like today’s rain… it’s kind of like a really happy downpour, venting everything!”

The two soaked individuals walked into the ancient city, smiling. People around them glanced at them strangely, then hurriedly passed them with their umbrellas.

“You’re right, rain has emotions.” Shi Ye nodded, wiping the water off his face, “Rain isn’t necessarily the sky crying, it could also be the sky being too happy and shedding tears of joy. How it’s interpreted depends on the mood of the interpreter.”

Sheng Xia nodded, then remembered something, bent down and took off his shoes, stuffed his soaking wet purple socks into the shoes, then stepped barefoot on the bluestone pavement of the ancient city.

The rain was heavy, and it hurt when it hit them. The sound of rain was loud, and they were close to each other, but they still needed to raise their voices to hear each other.

“Teacher Shi Ye!” Sheng Xia shouted loudly at the man in front of him, barefoot in the rain, “When I was a child! If it rained, I would take off my shoes and walk home after school! I remember when I was a child, there weren’t so many people in the ancient city, and it seemed the same in the city center! Every time it rained, I felt like the world was exceptionally clean, and I would be especially happy walking in the rain!”

Shi Ye looked at the pair of bare feet soaking in the rain, stunned.

At this moment, Sheng Xia looked free, unrestrained, finally not just having the appearance of a youth but lacking the spirit of a youth. He smiled, standing in the rain, with his sunburned face moistened, yet looking like a free bird.

“Teacher Shi Ye!” Sheng Xia continued to smile, “Do you want to take off your shoes and try it! It’s so much fun!”

Shi Ye couldn’t refuse that smile at all. He squatted down, took off his shoes and socks, held them in his hand, and together with the young man beside him, started walking barefoot in the ancient city.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, the strong wind, the rain submerged the entire city.

After walking a few steps, suddenly, this rain-soaked ancient city in front of them was completely dark in an instant.

In an instant.

Sheng Xia was startled, “Did the power go out?”

People from nearby shops ran out to inquire with each other, talking loudly. They heard someone say that the electric system near the north city gate was struck by lightning, and they didn’t know how long it would take to repair it, considering the heavy rain.

Shi Ye said with certainty, “The power is out.”

Standing in the rain, they involuntarily stopped and looked at the dark world in front of them.

Have you ever seen a city lose its light in an instant?

They couldn’t see each other anymore. There was only rain around them, only faint light that couldn’t illuminate anything, only a difficult-to-describe excitement floating in the air… The world was dark, and you couldn’t see anything, but in that dark journey, it seemed like something else was being illuminated, ignited.

Shi Ye looked at the darkness in front of him, took a deep breath, and instinctively grabbed Sheng Xia’s shoulder.

He said, “Let’s go.”

Sheng Xia didn’t hear clearly and asked Shi Ye again, “What?”

Shi Ye paused before answering, “I said, it’s getting dark, time to go back.”