Coincidentally, after Du Yunyan recovered, the weather stayed sunny for several days in a row.

Du Xinyu’s uncle’s house had a small orchard where they grew bayberry trees. Du Yunyan had a good relationship with the villagers, and because he had tutored Du Xinyu a lot, Du Xinyu’s family invited him to pick bayberries every year and gave him some as gifts, and this year was no exception. However, this time he went with Gu Wenxi, and in the bayberry orchard, they also saw the bustling Du Xinyu and Yan Yan.

Looking down from above, the continuous mountains were covered with greenery, with neatly trimmed orchards and wild groves. The stone walls and gray roofs of the village were hidden among them, with half of the mountains basking in sunlight, and golden light dancing on the branches.

Bayberry trees weren’t very tall, but even the lower branches couldn’t be reached from below. Du Xinyu’s uncle was about the same age as them and was still agile, so without using a ladder, he climbed up the tree to pick the berries.

Gu Wenxi remembered Du Yunyan climbing trees to pick wild fruits before and teased him, “Not climbing trees anymore?”

“We’ll stay down here.” Du Yunyan indeed didn’t mind when no one was around, but he felt embarrassed when being watched, especially in someone else’s orchard.

The ripeness of the fruits varied: green, greenish-red, bright red, deep red… The treetops were filled with fruits of various colors, and they picked only the fully red bayberries.

“We can make wine when we go back,” Du Yunyan said to Gu Wenxi beside him.

“Do you really like bayberry wine?”

“Yeah,” his movements were skillful as he wore gloves and maneuvered between the branches, using scissors to cut the thin branches, “Although other fruits can be used, I think bayberries make the best-tasting wine.”

“Uncle Yunyan!” Yan Yan rushed over soon and complained, “Du Xinyu ate the bayberries without washing them first. It’s so unhygienic.”

The boy shrugged indifferently. “I only ate two, what’s the big deal? Being too fussy.”

“Xinyu,” Du Yunyan shook his head and continued picking berries, “It’s better to listen to Yan Yan, be careful not to hurt your stomach.”

Later, Du Xinyu’s mother washed some bayberries and soaked them in saltwater in a plastic bucket, inviting everyone to taste. 

The freshly picked bayberry flesh was plump. When you bit into it, the sweet and refreshing juice overflowed into your teeth, and after being soaked in cold water, it became even more cool and refreshing. Gu Wenxi ate several in a row, getting some red stains on his fingers. Du Yunyan, on the other hand, was much more leisurely, chatting with the adults from the Xinyu family.

“Come again next month, you can pick even more.”

“Okay,” Du Yunyan smiled, “I’ll trouble you again then.”

Gu Wenxi noticed that his lips had darkened in color. Just as he was staring at them, Du Yunyan handed him a tissue.

Du Yunyan turned his head and pointed to their lips, indicating for him to wipe them clean. He also unfolded a tissue and wiped off the dark-colored juice that had just been on his lips.

When they left, each carrying a basket of fresh bayberries, Du Yunyan said that these would be used to make wine first, and they would pick more to eat later. The bayberries harvested later would be even sweeter.

He had already bought white wine in advance, and the container he used was a large glass jar similar to the one used to make rice wine last time. The cleaned bayberries were spread out with rock sugar at the bottom, and about half a jar was filled with wine before it was sealed. After doing all this, they placed the wine jar in a cool place and waited to open it after a while.

After June, the weather became sticky and hot. Du Yunyan laid straw mats on the bedroom bed and took out a small fan to use for a while before going to bed every day.

Du Yunyan himself wasn’t afraid of the heat and preferred the natural breeze of the countryside, but Gu Wenxi was afraid of the cold in winter and the heat in summer. Even with the fan on, he still couldn’t sleep well. One night, when the temperature was a bit higher, he only wore a sleeveless shirt and boxers, but he still tossed and turned on the bed like a fish just out of water. Du Yunyan had to turn on the fan again, which he had just turned off.

“How about installing air conditioning in this room too,” he said, “You won’t be able to bear it next month.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be cool in the mountains?” Gu Wenxi remembered that a blogger recommended this place before, saying that it was very cool in the summer, much more comfortable than in the city.

“It’s cool for ordinary people,” Du Yunyan rolled his eyes, “but not for you.”

“Am I that difficult to serve?” Gu Wenxi fanned himself with his left hand.

“It’s not that you’re difficult to serve,” Du Yunyan chuckled, “you’re just a rare species.”

“Are you complimenting me or scolding me?”

The curtains were only half closed. On a moonlit night, the silver light filled the window, pouring into the room, creating their own little world. The fan blew one side of the mosquito net slightly bulging.

“Figure it out yourself,” the moonlight illuminated the corner of Du Yunyan’s mouth, adding a bright spot.

Gu Wenxi lightly pressed the particularly bright spot with his left index finger, and Du Yunyan held his finger. Their eyes met in the dim light.

They had exchanged goodnight kisses before turning off the lights, but because of the hot weather, Gu Wenxi’s enthusiasm wasn’t high, so they stopped there. Now he was lying on his side, half propping up his body with his elbow, and Du Yunyan held his finger, suddenly having the intention to continue further.

The moonlight faded, seemingly blocked by clouds, and Du Yunyan’s face became blurry. Gu Wenxi couldn’t see clearly, but he felt the moisture on his fingertips and was lightly licked, with a gentle bite.

…

Gu Wenxi took another shower and finally felt sleepy. The fan had been on all the time, and the breeze blowing through the mosquito net helped disperse the stuffiness on his body, making him fall asleep faster than Du Yunyan.

The next day, Du Yunyan was thinking about the air conditioning and searched for the business card left by the previous air conditioning installer in the guest room.

“What are you looking for?” Gu Wenxi changed into a T-shirt and shorts, just came downstairs from upstairs, and was surprised to see Du Yunyan rummaging through boxes and cabinets.

“The phone number of the air conditioning installer. There’s no one in the village who can install it, so I have to call someone from outside.”

“You’re really going to install it?” Gu Wenxi wasn’t very interested. “Don’t you dislike using air conditioning?”

“It’s not that I can’t stand it.” Du Yunyan searched under the counter and found nothing. He hadn’t thought about reinstalling it at first, and he didn’t remember where he had put the business card. “How about I look up the phone number of the installation point online?”

After spending a long time together, Gu Wenxi also knew how efficient Du Yunyan was in daily life. Whatever he thought of, he would immediately start doing. Gu Wenxi wasn’t necessarily like that; he would focus on what he needed to do immediately, and as for the rest, it depended on whether it was troublesome or not.

“What’s the rush?” He said, “There are many guests staying at the inn these days. Let’s not cause any more trouble.”

“But—”

“Uncle Yunyan!”

The matter of the air conditioner was not settled, and Du Yunyan’s words were interrupted by the sudden intrusion of Yan Yan, who burst into the guesthouse. It was scorching hot, and the little girl seemed to have run all the way, sweating profusely, looking very anxious.

Du Yunyan furrowed his brows, “What’s wrong?”

“Uncle Yunyan, at my home—” She just started speaking, but her gaze met Gu Wenxi’s nearby, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Gu Wenxi understood the look. After all, he wasn’t a villager, and hadn’t gotten close enough. If what she was about to say was something difficult to talk about, she might not want outsiders present. He gestured to Du Yunyan and entered the kitchen, letting them finish talking.

However, in less than a minute, Du Yunyan called him out again, saying seriously, “You go with Yan Yan to find the village chief.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll go to Yan Yan’s house first.”

Gu Wenxi sensed something was wrong, “What’s going on exactly?”

“Don’t ask, Yan Yan will talk to the village chief. Just go,” Du Yunyan didn’t intend to explain, “Trust me, Wenxi.”