Du Yunyan had asked someone to help him purchase ingredients. Ten minutes later, he heard someone calling him from outside. He was wondering if the driver had returned so quickly, when the guest called out again, “Yunyan!”

“Village chief?” Du Yunyan went out, slightly surprised, and quickly invited him in, “Come, have a seat inside.”

The village chief had the same surname Du, was over fifty, and was a kind and serious old man, respected by the villagers. Although he rarely took the initiative to visit the inn, Du Yunyan was both surprised and puzzled by his visit.

The two dogs, recognizing the familiar person, wagged their tails symbolically and continued to lie down under the front yard fence, resting.

The old village chief loved tea, and Du Yunyan knew it. Coincidentally, Aunt Liu had just sent him some high-quality Maofeng tea a few days ago. He brewed a pot, poured it into small white porcelain teacups, and brought it over.

“Please.”

The two of them sat down casually at a dining table, and the village chief didn’t touch his teacup for a while, surveying the room, “Yunyan, have there been many visitors recently?”

“It’s been good, we’re not fully booked yet. It might get busier in a few months.”

“Okay,” he took a sip of tea, then said softly, “That’s good.”

Du Yunyan didn’t think he was specifically here to chat over tea, “Village chief, do you have something to discuss with me?”

“I can’t hide it from you,” the village chief looked embarrassed and lowered his head, “There’s something I want to ask, but of course, it’s up to you to decide.”

Du Yunyan seldom saw him being so hesitant, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s about that famous director, Shen Qiuming – have you heard of him?”

“I have a vague impression.” However, Du Yunyan’s impression was limited to the name. He didn’t watch many movies or TV shows, so even if he knew the other party’s fame, it was far from understanding the extent of it.

“He’s interested in using our village as a location for his next movie,” the village chief hesitated for a moment, “The main thing is, he wants to do some filming here at your place.”

Du Yunyan was very surprised, “At the inn?”

“Yes, his film requires a unique style of inn. I don’t know how he learned about yours, but he’s very interested and has contacted me. If you’re interested, he’ll come over to negotiate in person. Of course, the production team will pay the corresponding rental fee.”

After the village chief finished speaking, Du Yunyan completely understood.

“Village chief, thank you for coming to tell me about this,” he said without hesitation, “But I’m sorry, I don’t want to rent out the inn for this purpose.”

There was a moment of silence in the atmosphere. The old village chief picked up his teacup, but didn’t immediately bring it to his lips. His almost squinted eyes looked down at the irregular shadows of the table and chairs on the wooden floor.

“Ah,” he sighed softly, “I know your temperament. I should have thought of it earlier. Saying so much has put you in a difficult position.”

“How could that be,” Du Yunyan relaxed and smiled apologetically, “It’s my fault for not accepting your kindness.” The village chief must have been enthusiastic about recommending such an opportunity for him to do better, but his mindset was no different from when he faced Cen Fei’s invitation back then.

“I don’t care at all, I’m getting old, I don’t want to compare this and that with others, just live peacefully for the rest of my life,” the village chief finished his tea, jokingly, “Who knows when my time will come.”

“You’re kidding,” Du Yunyan said, “You still have a long way to go.”

The filming plan fell through, but the two people were familiar with each other, and the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. The village chief talked about the upcoming temple fair, the increase in visitors this year, and finally mentioned his own children who had settled in the city, complaining, “If only my child could be as willing to stay as you.”

“People make different choices,” Du Yunyan comforted him, “If you’d like, you can come here often.”

“Alright, alright… but it’s about time for today, I have something to do,” he said, standing up, “So, um, I’ll head back first. I’ll help you with the filming, you focus on your business.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Du Yunyan insisted on accompanying him out, and as they left, he instructed Du Hong, “If there are any deliveries later, please receive them for me.”

“Alright!”

Du Yunyan wanted to ride his bike to see him off, but the old man said it was unnecessary, so they walked together along the village road, with the vast rapeseed fields faintly visible ahead.

“Yunyan,” the village chief glanced at him, “You’ve been here for over ten years, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve watched you grow up. You were quite sensible even back then.”

Du Yunyan smiled faintly, “You didn’t just come to talk to me about filming and family matters today, did you?”

“I wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with you,” the old man lowered his head awkwardly, “Yunyan, do you really like it here? Have you ever regretted it?”

“Of course not,” Du Yunyan replied immediately, “I used to plan on going back after finishing college, but my mom had some issues… so I decided to stay. It didn’t make much of a difference. This place is great, and I hope to keep living here like this.”

“Right, thanks to you taking care of Yaning.” The village chief sighed, “You know, it’s strange. People in the village always want to go out and explore, as if they feel stifled at home. But outsiders, they think our place is great, and they’re willing to come here for vacation.”

The fragrance of flowers in the air gradually intensified as Du Yunyan remained silent with his hands behind his back.

“Pingliang Village’s reputation is much bigger now than before. Can you feel it?”

“Yeah, I can.” Otherwise, his guesthouse would have struggled to stay in operation.

“There are more people now, which has its pros and cons. Things will definitely be different in the future. Development is inevitable. The county has been looking for strong companies to cooperate with, but it’s hard to say how things will change…” The village chief spoke with emphasis, “I know you don’t like these things, but you need to be mentally prepared.”

Du Yunyan slowed down a bit. He understood what the village chief meant, and he had a sense of foreboding. The villagers had simple ideas, but the leaders above might have more macroscopic and practical considerations. Many things were beyond their control.

“These are just my thoughts,” the village chief continued, “You should have an idea. There’s no need to talk about these things outside. We’re all family here, we can talk freely behind closed doors.”

“I understand,” Du Yunyan said gratefully, “Thank you for telling me these things.”

“Focus on your current life first. It’s not necessarily a bad thing when you reach a crossroads in life.” The old man smiled kindly, then bid farewell to Du Yunyan, “Let’s stop here. We’ll meet again when we have time, but let’s not talk about these messy things.”

“Yeah, take care.”

The old man’s figure grew smaller and smaller, seemingly blending into the golden flower field. Du Yunyan turned around and walked back in the direction he came from.

………………

The motorcycle on the village road stopped suddenly as it approached the flower field.

“Hey handsome, there’s still a stretch of road ahead,” the young man riding the motorcycle said to his passenger.

“It’s okay, I’ll get off here.” Gu Wenxi returned the helmet and got off, paying the fare.

He only carried a red travel bag and effortlessly caught up with the figure he had spotted on the bike just now.

Du Yunyan was attracted by a bee lingering on a flower nearby. The little life emerged from a cluster of golden flowers, laden with gifts from the blossoms.

The bee circled around in front of him, searching for its next target. His gaze shifted away from the flower field, about to take a step, when he felt a prickling sensation as if he was being watched, a subtle electric current passing by. It lingered despite his attempts to brush it off.

He turned around.