Over the next few days, Gu Wenxi didn’t see Yun Han at the inn and wasn’t sure if Du Yunyan had met him privately. Du Yunyan wouldn’t report his whereabouts to him at all times, but he couldn’t help but be concerned about those two, and unintentionally, his gaze towards Du Yunyan became more frequent, even catching the other’s attention.

“What are you looking at?” Du Yunyan was washing sheets in the yard. He didn’t need to turn around to know who was standing behind him.

“Nothing,” Gu Wenxi replied nonchalantly after being caught, “Why don’t you use the washing machine?”

Du Yunyan spread out the sheets and laid them on the washboard, then picked up a brush, “Got ink on them, can’t wash it off with the washing machine.” Indeed, there were not-so-small black ink stains mixed in on the white sheets.

He used cold water for washing, his hands were very white, and gradually turned red after being soaked for a while. Gu Wenxi stared at those reddening hands, thinking that if it were him, he would have found it painful.

Du Yunyan once again immersed the fabric in the water, both hands sinking in together.

“Let me help you wash?” The words came out, even Gu Wenxi himself hadn’t expected to take the initiative to do this kind of work. He disliked coldness on his hands and usually preferred warm water for washing dishes and vegetables in winter.

“No need,” Du Yunyan dismissed it, “You won’t be able to wash it clean.”

Gu Wenxi remained silent, squatting down beside him, rolling up his sleeves a bit, and reaching into the basin himself. When he touched the other’s right hand, it was as cold as expected. Du Yunyan let go of his hand.

“Let me try.” He said, with a bit of force, he took over the item from the other’s hand. The water was really cold, and the skin above the water surface quickly became covered with fine redness, he regretted his impulsive behavior.

Du Yunyan didn’t insist, letting him sit in his position, and got up to go indoors. Less than a minute later, he came back out with a kettle of hot water.

“Raise your hand.” After telling Gu Wenxi, he opened the kettle lid and poured some hot water into the basin.

The warm water quickly spread out, and Gu Wenxi’s hands, which had just felt numb, began to warm up. He started to earnestly scrub and clean the dirty areas.

“Now that there’s hot water, why don’t you use it yourself?” He asked, lowering his head.

“I’m used to it.” Du Yunyan closed the kettle lid again, moved another small stool beside him, as if monitoring him.

“You’re still not at ease?” Gu Wenxi observed for a while, knowing what to do.

“It’s not really about that,” Du Yunyan’s arms were resting on his knees, “I don’t think you need to compete with me over these things.”

Gu Wenxi raised his head slightly, although he didn’t glance at him, “What do you think I’m competing with you for?”

“I don’t know… to prove yourself?” Du Yunyan pondered, “But we’re not the same kind of people to begin with.”

“Do you think I’m useless in your eyes?” The brush in Gu Wenxi’s hand made a scraping sound against the washboard.

The corners of Du Yunyan’s eyes curved slightly, “Didn’t I say that to you a few times already? Why are you so petty!”

“It’s not that…”

“You’re just not what I originally imagined,” he continued, “I rarely see such a young master like you.”

“What do you mean?” Gu Wenxi lifted the fabric slightly, revealing faint traces under the sunlight.

“I don’t want to say, if I did, you’d be proud,” Du Yunyan stood up, “The hot water is running out, so add some yourself. I’ll go cook.” With that, he turned and went back inside.

A slight flush appeared on Gu Wenxi’s face as he glanced in the direction Du Yunyan had left, “Really good at pretending.”

The stains on the sheet should have just been dyed. After timely cleaning, the ink stains finally disappeared. Gu Wenxi then used the washing machine to spin dry it and hung it in the courtyard.

“Uncle Gu!”

Following the sound, Gu Wenxi peeked out from behind the bedsheet and unsurprisingly saw Yun Yan’s bouncing figure. The girl held a helmet in her left hand, clearly having been given a ride.

“Yan Yan! What brings you here today?” He remembered it was Sunday, and Du Yunyan had mentioned stewing meat in the morning.

“My mom made rice cakes,” she said happily, “She sent them over for you guys!”

“Your mom—” Gu Wenxi followed her gaze and saw an unfamiliar woman outside the low hedge, supporting a motorcycle with her feet on the ground, waving at them.

Gu Wenxi hadn’t met Yun Yan’s mother before. He hesitated whether to call Du Yunyan out to greet her, but Yan Yan had already run back to the motorcycle, “Uncle, we’ll go to town first!”

“Thank you, see you later!”

Carrying a bag of rice cakes, Gu Wenxi walked into the kitchen.

“From Yan Yan’s mom?” Du Yunyan immediately understood when he saw it, seeming accustomed to such gestures.

“Yeah,” Gu Wenxi placed the items by the stove, feeling they were still warm. As he opened the slightly open bag, he saw rhombus-shaped white steamed cakes, looking very familiar, “Hey, isn’t this what I had when I first came here?”

“You still remember?” Du Yunyan washed his hands and picked one, breaking it into halves to share with him, “Yes, it was also from Yan Yan last time.”

“You’re quite popular,” the cakes made of glutinous rice and rice flour were quite sticky, with a hint of sweetness, something Gu Wenxi liked very much.

“It’s pretty much the same among villagers,” Du Yunyan didn’t mind, “And sometimes I help Yan Yan with her homework.”

“Does Yun Han often come to help you at the inn?” Gu Wenxi blurted out almost without thinking, immediately regretting it, and nervously looked at the other person.

“…Yeah,” Du Yunyan nodded slightly, turning away, “He comes during the busy season.”

But that young man later went to S City, so maybe he won’t come anymore? Gu Wenxi stared at Du Yunyan’s back, trying to detect a hint of loneliness, but then felt it was unreasonable to be overly sensitive for someone else.

“This place is really nice,” he originally just wanted to steer the conversation back to the beginning, but suddenly remembered the moment over a month ago when he decided to stay, “I was originally planning to leave, but that night, I saw the sunset from the window of the room, and suddenly didn’t want to leave anymore.”

“Sunset?” Du Yunyan turned around, his expression slightly surprised.

“Yeah, are you suggesting that all my decisions are impulsive?” He leaned against the cupboard. “When I came here, I had just had a fight with my dad and had just broken up with my girlfriend. I looked like a deserter… But actually, I’m happy, happy to be able to make my own choices.”

“Is that so…” Du Yunyan served the dishes from the pot. “By the way, are you free this afternoon?”

“As long as you don’t assign me any tasks, I’m free!” Gu Wenxi joked.

“I don’t have anything for you to do today. Come with me somewhere this afternoon.”

“Where to?”

“Why the rush,” Du Yunyan rarely teased, “you’ll know when we get there.”

The clay pot stewed pork simmered, bubbling continuously. The aroma wafted through the air, making Gu Wenxi swallow hard, wondering when they could start eating.

However, where exactly did he want to take him?

Knowing Du Yunyan’s temperament, he shouldn’t play big jokes. Perhaps it was something worth looking forward to.

---

“Have you been around here before?” Du Yunyan led him onto a rarely traveled path.

“No.”

They had walked quite a distance from the inn. Du Yunyan said they didn’t need to drive, so Gu Wenxi assumed it was nearby. But after nearly an hour of walking, it still felt like they were navigating through endless mountains, surrounded by lush vegetation and difficult uphill terrain, unable to guess where their destination was.

Du Yunyan glanced forward and asked without turning his head, “Can you tell the direction?”

“Are you testing me?” Gu Wenxi looked up at the sky. It was a clear day, and he pointed in a certain direction. “The sun is about to set, so that side is southwest.”

“Not bad.”

Rolling his eyes, Gu Wenxi was about to retort when Du Yunyan said, “We’re almost there.” They climbed a small hill, and suddenly the scenery opened up. Below was a tranquil river, shimmering with golden light.

“What is this place?”

“The perfect spot to watch the sunset.”

Although the sun was low in the sky, it hadn’t fully set yet. The clouds in the western sky seemed to be outlined in gold, shining brightly.

“Did you bring me here to watch the sunset?” Gu Wenxi was very surprised.

“Don’t you like it?” Du Yunyan gestured to a relatively flat patch of grass. “You can sit here for a while.”

Seeing him sit down, Gu Wenxi didn’t hesitate and joined him on the slope. The river below was probably the upper reaches of the river he had seen before. The surrounding weeds were more abundant, slightly yellowed due to the season, but under the evening light, they appeared bright and colorful, like waves of wheat.

“How did you find this place?” Gu Wenxi recalled the photos posted by netizens and had no impression of this hillside, perhaps because no one else would come here.

“I knew about it a long time ago…” Du Yunyan tilted his head slightly back. “I used to bring Yun Han here, but he wasn’t very interested. Later, I often came here alone.”

The weather was good today, and the rolled-up clouds floated overhead, as if they could be reached out and touched.

“Du Yunyan,” Gu Wenxi hugged his knees, looking ahead, “I don’t understand. How did you come up with the idea of ​​opening an inn in the first place?”

“Doesn’t seem like something I’d do?”

“Not at all.” Uninterested in publicity, not interested in making money, and not enthusiastic… it all seemed like asking for trouble.

“This inn was my mother’s dream,” Du Yunyan’s voice was as light as a dream, “she passed away on the eve of the official opening. I wanted to fulfill her dream.”

Hearing him say this, Gu Wenxi suddenly remembered that the name of the inn seemed to come from a woman. “So the name of this place—”

“Yes, it’s her name.”

“You’re fulfilling your mother’s dream…” Du Yunyan’s words somewhat overturned Gu Wenxi’s impression of him. “But what about you? Are you really willing—” even if the relationship with his mother was deep, they were still separated by life and death.

“I owe her,” he said in a tone of resignation, without a hint of complaint. “If it weren’t for me, she could have had a better life.”

An indescribable feeling spread in Gu Wenxi’s heart, as if the suffocating emotions he felt in the hospital were resurfacing, and growing stronger.

He had thought that Du Yunyan’s relationship with his birth mother was similar to his own situation, but now it seemed not entirely so. At least he wouldn’t have such a calm attitude towards his mother.

His parents got together under the interference of their elders, but unfortunately, one truly fell in love, while the other remained unchanged. Later, his mother Wen Nan found out that Gu Yuching had always had someone else he deeply loved, so she decisively withdrew from this misplaced relationship. However, she never regretted raising Gu Wenxi, tolerating all her son’s stubbornness and quirks, never allowing him to compromise for the sake of the older generation’s selfishness. The years spent with Wen Nan were also the happiest time for Gu Wenxi.

Perhaps the topic was too heavy, so Du Yunyan added, “Of course, life here is… different.”

He didn’t specify how it was different from elsewhere, and Gu Wenxi didn’t ask anymore.

The setting sun descended rapidly. The once golden sky was instantly covered by orange-red hues, and the distant mountains were half bright and half gray.

“It’s about to set.” Gu Wenxi pointed to the other side of the river.

The setting sun was dazzling, like a painting, with its brilliance seeming to come from another world, unreal and overly magnificent. The color of the water turned red and deep, dispelling the originally sparkling golden reflections.

Indeed, this was the best place to see the most beautiful sunset.