In the bustling market, Gu Wenxi stopped at the dough figurine stall.

The master’s hands were very skillful, colored dough in his hands, kneading, shaping, and occasionally using a plastic tool to carve and press, transforming into various figures of men, women, old and young, gods, and animals.

Gu Wenxi had seen these small trinkets sold elsewhere before, but he had never had the patience to watch for so long.

“Wenxi!”

Du Yunyan had turned around after buying some snacks from a stall, only to find his companion missing. His voice was drowned in the noise of the bustling crowd.

Gu Wenxi, as if sensing something, turned his gaze behind him and waved his arm from a distance, “Over here!”

Du Yunyan carefully made his way through the crowd. Most of the people around the dough figurine stall were children, making the presence of two grown men rather conspicuous.

“Why did you wander off?” Du Yunyan’s tone had a hint of complaint.

“Just looking around.”

Despite the small size of the temple fair, there were many craftsmen—dough figurine makers, sugar blowers, hand painters—displaying their skills throughout the night.

Some vendors had come from other places, and the visitors were not limited to locals, making it very lively.

Gu Wenxi bought a dough figurine of “Sun Wukong,” a vividly crafted little figure standing on a thin wooden stick, adorned with a purple-gold crown and golden armor, with intricate details.

They moved to a less crowded area to eat. The cakes Du Yunyan bought were made from a mixture of flour and glutinous rice flour, fried to perfection and best eaten hot.

The temple fair centered around the village’s Earth God Temple, with a stage set up opposite it. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Wenxi and Du Yunyan had watched villagers perform there. This time, performers had been invited from outside.

Except for the last day, there were opera performances every afternoon and evening during the temple fair. The opera usually attracted an older audience. Gu Wenxi and Du Yunyan weren’t particularly interested in the operas, so they stayed a bit farther away to rest and eat their cakes. The high-pitched singing, softened by the distance, sounded ethereal and pleasant.

Gu Wenxi, still holding the little figurine in his left hand, examined it for a while before putting it into his waist bag. Du Yunyan glanced at it, “I can make those too.”

“Dough figurines?”

“Yes,” Du Yunyan smiled slightly, “Although not as finely detailed.”

Gu Wenxi was still surprised, “How do you have so many skills?”

“It’s not really a skill. There’s not much entertainment in daily life, so you find things to do when you’re bored.”

“Really?” Gu Wenxi propped his chin with his hand, “What else do you like?”

“Just the things you already know.” Du Yunyan said, “Shall we walk a bit further?”

There was going to be a fireworks display later, but the area around the Earth God Temple was too crowded. They planned to watch it from the quieter riverside.

Gu Wenxi found it refreshing, as Du Yunyan rarely talked about his own life, “Do you ever feel bored?”

“Who doesn’t? But it’s not uncomfortable. Finding things to do yourself is quite good.”

“What about when you were in S City?”

Gu Wenxi, speaking without thinking, realized he might have asked something he shouldn’t have. He hesitated, only to hear Du Yunyan say, “Are you interested in my past?”

“Of course,” Gu Wenxi didn’t hesitate, “As long as you’re willing to tell me. It’s fine if you don’t want to.”

Du Yunyan almost instantly understood his thoughts, “You’re overthinking it. I don’t have anything to hide, and my past isn’t complicated.”

“Hmm?”

After finishing the snacks, they threw the empty bags into the trash. Ahead, the light and noise faded, but under the dark sky, the moonlight and starlight were particularly prominent.

“I didn’t have many friends before. Maybe my classmates thought I was a bit odd. The things they were interested in, I wasn’t. In school, if you don’t want to talk about what everyone else does, eventually, no one wants to talk to you. You probably haven’t experienced that feeling, have you?”

After all, Gu Wenxi was someone who could blend into any environment.

“I haven’t,” he said, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t understand.”

“True,” Du Yunyan told him, “It was different after I came here. The villagers…they didn’t treat me like a friend exactly, more like family.”

Friends accept each other because of shared interests, but family accepts you for who you are. Gu Wenxi remembered the people he had met here a few months ago and could somewhat understand.

“We’ve been here for three years. I went to school in the county, took the college entrance exam, and shortly after, my mom had an accident and was basically paralyzed…”

Hearing this, Gu Wenxi clenched the hem of his coat tightly.

“I tore up the admission letter and told her I had left the application blank, and I didn’t want to retake the exam.”

“At that time, I was a bit flustered, not having any experience in caring for a sick person, but everyone helped me a lot,” he noticed Gu Wenxi’s gaze and said, seemingly to reassure him, “Actually, I just liked studying. Even if I missed out on the chance to enroll, I could still read on my own. There was nothing to regret. Despite my mom’s illness, she became more optimistic, as if she had come to terms with everything. We were very happy during those years.”

Hearing him mention his mother again, it was clear that the only person he never talked about was his father. The woman named “Yaning” had suffered a major accident, but her mindset had improved. Perhaps they had been through more painful experiences.

Gu Wenxi speculated to himself that whether it was due to his parents’ divorce or being abandoned, these were unlikely to be pleasant memories for Du Yunyan. Since that was the case, there was no need to ask.

“So you don’t want to leave again?”

“You could say that. I’m not someone who enjoys seeking excitement and change.” Du Yunyan slightly turned to face him and said, “Wenxi, do you think we are completely different people?”

Gu Wenxi had grown tired of hearing such remarks, but at this moment, he had a bit more patience to discuss it in detail: “Do you think you know me? What kind of person do you think I am?”

“I suppose… you’re not someone easily understood. If you wanted to, you could have a much broader world.”

“No matter how broad the world is,” Gu Wenxi looked at him directly, with a radiant smile, “there will never be another Du Yunyan.”

As his words fell, fireworks burst in the distance. The booming sound masked the rapid beating of Du Yunyan’s heart.

“Yunyan, I asked you before, if I came back, could I finish what I couldn’t say on New Year’s Eve?” Gu Wenxi was still smiling, “Can I say it now?”

Above the direction they were walking, fireworks exploded layer by layer, scattering like golden rain. From a distance, it looked even more magical. This year, the investment must have been greater, as Du Yunyan couldn’t remember ever seeing such a grand display at the temple fair. His gaze unconsciously drifted there, and Gu Wenxi followed the sound and light.

“Okay,” Du Yunyan’s voice was soft, like the thin mist over the river, “I’m listening.”

Nearby, there was a small hill with a better view. Before saying a word, Gu Wenxi suddenly ran to the top of the hill. Du Yunyan looked at him, puzzled.

Standing on top of the hill, Gu Wenxi turned around and spread his arms, with bright spots of light illuminating one side of his face.

Du Yunyan understood and immediately started running towards him. His steps were hurried, and when he reached Gu Wenxi, he was slightly out of breath, his chest rising and falling.

Gu Wenxi still held his arms open, waiting for an embrace. When Du Yunyan stepped forward and firmly embraced his neck, Gu Wenxi tightened his arms around him.

In that split second, almost too fast to react, Du Yunyan felt the arms around his waist suddenly tighten, and his feet left the ground. The spinning brought a brief dizziness, and his already rapidly beating heart seemed ready to burst out. The last time he was this nervous was when Gu Wenxi took him on a motorcycle ride from the guesthouse to the foot of the mountain. He closed his eyes and held onto Gu Wenxi’s shoulders even tighter.

After spinning half a circle, Gu Wenxi steadily set him down.

When his feet touched the ground, Du Yunyan opened his eyes. This time, a brilliant purple “flower” bloomed in the sky, and as it blossomed, it began to fall. The colors changed several times, ending in a seductive red that blended into the dark night.

“Be with me, Yunyan.” As the fireworks faded, the only thing left in his ears was this voice.

Neither of them let go. Du Yunyan leaned slightly against Gu Wenxi’s shoulder and closed his eyes again: “Okay.”