Chapter 32

4:00-PM (2)

What was the day like 1,075 days ago?

In this terrible weather, the inn couldn’t open its doors or windows, and the warm air conditioning created a stuffy, humid feeling.

Out of the corner of Xu Muzi’s eye, she saw Xia Xia wipe the sweat from her forehead and continue editing the notification on her phone.

Xu Muzi also received a group message sent out by Xia Xia.

The content was comprehensive and basically answered various questions that the guests might have.

At the end, it added that dinner would be served as usual.

The landline phone rang, and Xia Xia rushed over to answer it.

Xu Muzi felt her face flush as she tried to recall memories from 1,075 days ago amidst Xia Xia’s friendly voice.

That was the time when they all knew about the investment failure at home, right?

Xu Muzi pulled out a calendar and tried to estimate the approximate date, but she couldn’t remember what she had done that day.

At that time, their home was shrouded in gloom, and everyone was in a dazed state—neither sleepy nor hungry, like zombies who had ignored their basic needs.

The only good news she had heard was from Aunt Chen, who was selling their house.

Aunt Chen said a couple planning to return to the country had shown interest in their second-hand villa and offered a price slightly higher than other buyers.

Moreover, that couple was traveling in Africa at the time and was willing to pay without seeing the house. Since their return was relatively late, Xu Muzi and her parents could move out later, saving nearly two months’ worth of rent.

Was this when Deng Yun was moved?

Was it about her?

But why at such a time?

Xu Muzi couldn’t figure it out; she just had a feeling that this timing was related to her.

She didn’t reply, wanting to wait for him to come back to talk.

Thinking about this, Xu Muzi’s face grew even redder.

Even Xia Xia noticed, silently lowering the temperature of the warm air conditioning.

Her phone rang again, and she thought it was Deng Yun. Her heart raced, and she eagerly looked at the screen.

To her disappointment, it turned out to be her cousin contacting her.

It had been about ten hours since their last communication.

Xu Muzi guessed that her cousin, who lived abroad, had just finished breakfast or had already sent her child to kindergarten…

In the photo, her cousin sent, there was indeed a little child with a backpack walking into the kindergarten gate.
—-
After a night of sleep, her cousin was still concerned about Xu Muzi’s relationship issues, asking if her parents had mentioned anything about her new blind date.

Xu Muzi replied, “No.”

“You can ask them yourself.”

“Isn’t it unnecessary…?”

“What’s wrong with asking?”

“If I’m afraid it’ll be awkward to meet in person, I could just add them on social media first.”

Xu Muzi continued replying, “I don’t want to add.”

Her cousin persisted.

She said it was just casual chatting, not asking her to get married and have kids right away. She also said Xu Muzi was being too negative and resistant; she couldn’t just keep refusing to interact with the opposite sex.

Xu Muzi’s ears were still burning.

She kept thinking about Deng Yun and absentmindedly typed, “I’m in contact with someone.”

This response was like poking a hornet’s nest; her cousin immediately bombarded her with questions:

“Who are you in contact with?”

“Are you dating behind the family’s back?”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

But she wasn’t dating; they just hugged and kissed.

However, she couldn’t conveniently share this with her cousin.

Xu Muzi couldn’t evade her cousin’s probing like she could with other relatives.

Previously, her dad and her uncle had incompatible personalities, and whenever they met, they would engage in sarcastic remarks, so they didn’t interact much.

But when her family fell into hard times, only her uncle made an overseas call, first criticizing her father for being too reckless with investments, then tearfully asking how much they owed.

Her uncle’s family even offered to lend them money in their time of need.

At that time, her cousin had just been married for less than a year, and after discussing it with her husband, she surprisingly offered to lend a large portion of the money received from their wedding to help Xu Muzi’s parents pay off their debts.

Xu Muzi didn’t want to lie.

But she couldn’t tell her cousin that she went out to clear her mind and happened to run into an old acquaintance with whom she had once had some ambiguous feelings.

They had only met for twelve or thirteen hours, and they were already kissing…

If she said that, it would surely scare her cousin to death!

Xu Muzi could only text back, “Let’s talk about it later.”

According to Xia Xia, there were swallows’ nests under the eaves of several houses, located on the side of the inn, and there were a few fledgling swallows in the nests that couldn’t fly yet.

If the nests were blown down, the little swallows would definitely get hurt.

So they had just gone out with a ladder and tools, saying they were going to reinforce the nests with hemp rope.

They had been gone for quite a while.

Xu Muzi stayed downstairs with Xia Xia and discussed names for the three stray cats.

She had never owned a pet, so she had no inspiration for naming.

The calico cat was named “Cai Cai,” the white one was called “Yuan Yuan,” and the orange cat was called “Guan Guan.”

Xu Muzi said, “Since the inn is run so attentively, I wish the boss good fortune and prosperity.”

Speaking of the inn’s owner, Xu Muzi remembered the comments she hadn’t finished reading.

Didn’t the comments mention who this inn was originally intended to be a gift for?

Xu Muzi rarely felt curious about gossip, so she threw this question to Xia Xia.

What kind of day was it 1,075 days ago?

In this terrible weather, the inn couldn’t open its doors or windows, and the warm air from the air conditioning created a damp feeling.

In Xu Muzi’s peripheral vision, Xiaxia raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and continued editing the notification on her phone.

Xu Muzi also received a message sent by Xiaxia to the group.

The content was comprehensive, basically answering the various questions that guests might have.

It added at the end that dinner would be served as usual.

The landline phone rang, and Xiaxia ran over to answer it.

Xu Muzi felt her face turn red as she tried to recall her memories from 1,075 days ago, listening to Xiaxia’s warm voice on the phone.

Was that the time when they had all realized their family’s investment had failed?

Xu Muzi pulled out a calendar to estimate the approximate date but couldn’t remember what she did that day.

At that time, their home was shrouded in gloom, and everyone was in a daze, neither hungry nor tired, like zombies ignoring their basic needs.

The only good news she had heard was brought by Aunt Chen, who was selling their house.

Aunt Chen said there was a couple preparing to return to the country who had shown interest in buying Xu Muzi’s family’s second-hand villa, offering a price slightly higher than other buyers.

Moreover, the couple was traveling in Africa at the time and were willing to pay without viewing the house, and since they were returning home later, Xu Muzi and her parents could move out at a later date, saving nearly two months’ rent.

Was it at that time that Deng Yun had developed feelings?

For her?

But why at such a time?

Xu Muzi couldn’t figure it out, but she had a feeling that this time had something to do with her.

She didn’t reply, wanting to wait for him to come back and talk.

Thinking about this made Xu Muzi’s face grow even redder.

Even Xiaxia noticed, silently lowering the temperature of the air conditioning.

Her phone rang again; she thought it was Deng Yun, and her heart raced as she eagerly looked at the screen.

To her disappointment, it turned out to be her cousin contacting her.

It had been about ten hours since their last communication.

Xu Muzi guessed that her cousin, who lived abroad, had just finished breakfast or had dropped off her child at kindergarten…

In the photo her cousin sent, there indeed was a child’s back, walking toward the kindergarten with a backpack.

After a night’s sleep, her cousin was still thinking about Xu Muzi’s relationship issues, asking if her parents had mentioned anything about her new blind date.

Xu Muzi replied, “No.”

“You can ask them proactively.”

“Isn’t it unnecessary…”

“What’s wrong with asking?”

“If I’m afraid of it being awkward to meet directly, I can add their contact information first.”

Xu Muzi continued to reply, “I don’t want to add.”

Her cousin continued to persuade her.

She said it was just casual chatting and didn’t mean for Xu Muzi to get married and have kids immediately. She also mentioned that Xu Muzi was being overly negative and resistant; she couldn’t keep rejecting contact with the opposite sex forever.

Xu Muzi’s ears were still burning.

She kept thinking about Deng Yun and touched her hot ears, casually replying, “I am in contact.”

This reply was like poking a hornet’s nest; her cousin bombarded her with questions:

“Who are you in contact with?”

“Are you dating someone behind the family’s back?”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

I’m not dating anyone; we just hugged and kissed.

But it was inconvenient to tell her cousin that.

Xu Muzi couldn’t avoid her cousin’s questioning like she did with other relatives.
—-
In the past, when her father and uncle had personality conflicts, they would exchange passive-aggressive remarks whenever they met, resulting in little interaction.

But when her family was down on their luck, only her uncle made an overseas call, first criticizing her father for being reckless in his investments and then, with a choked voice filled with concern, asking how much they owed.

Her uncle’s family proactively lent them money in their time of need.

At that time, her cousin had been married for less than a year, and after discussing it with her husband, she was willing to lend Xu Muzi’s parents most of the money they received as wedding gifts to pay off their debts.

Xu Muzi didn’t want to lie.

But she couldn’t tell her cousin that she was out to clear her head and coincidentally met an old acquaintance with whom she had some past ambiguous feelings.

After just seeing each other for twelve or thirteen hours, they had already kissed…

If she said it like that, wouldn’t it scare her cousin to death?

Xu Muzi could only type, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Xiaxia mentioned that there were swallows nesting under the eaves of a few houses, situated on the side of the inn, with a few fledglings that couldn’t fly yet.

If the nest were blown down, the little swallows would surely get hurt.

So they had gone out with a wooden ladder and tools, saying they were going to reinforce the nest with some rope.

They had been gone for quite a while.

Xu Muzi had been downstairs keeping Xiaxia company, discussing names for three stray cats.

She had never kept pets and didn’t have much creativity when it came to naming.

The three-colored cat was called “Lai Cai” (meaning “coming wealth”), the white one was called “Yuan Yuan” (meaning “source”), and the orange cat was called “Gun Gun” (meaning “rolling”).

Xu Muzi said, “Since the inn is managed so diligently, I wish your boss can have a fortune rolling in.”

Mentioning the innkeeper reminded Xu Muzi of the incomplete comment she had read earlier.

Didn’t the comments mention that this inn was originally intended as a gift for someone by the owner?

Xu Muzi, rarely in the mood for gossip, tossed this question to Xiaxia.

---

Xiaxia seemed a bit startled: “Who did you hear that from?”

“I saw it in the early reviews of the inn. I’m sorry to ask; am I being offensive to your boss?”

“No, not at all…”

The landline rang again.

Perhaps Xiaxia really found it inconvenient to discuss her boss, so just before running to answer the phone, she pointed out to the lush greenery outside the rain curtain.

Xiaxia said, “There used to be roses planted there; it was called the London Eye.”

Xu Muzi, curious about what the “London Eye” looked like, searched for it on her phone.

It was a type of pink-orange rose with layered petals, very beautiful, and its flower language represented first love.

It seemed the innkeeper was a person with a story.

Her phone battery was low, so Xu Muzi returned to her room to grab a flashlight.

She didn’t close the door and just knelt on the bed to find her power bank when the ringtone from her cousin, eager to dig for more information, and the voices from downstairs reached her ears simultaneously.

A flurry of anxious noise created a sense of foreboding.

Xu Muzi didn’t bother answering the call; she grabbed her power bank and the flashlight and rushed downstairs.

From halfway down the floor, she heard Xiaxia anxiously saying, “Wait, I’m going to get the first-aid kit.”

Several people were gathered around the sofa in the common area downstairs.

They brought the dampness of the rain indoors, and the shadows of the swaying figures and plants were elongated by several different light sources, casting shadows on the surrounding walls.

Silencing the conversation made the atmosphere feel like a horror movie.

Through the gaps in the shadows, Xu Muzi saw Deng Yun sitting on the sofa.

He was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, with the left sleeve rolled up and the sleeve stacked on his shoulder.

In his hand, he held a square white towel pressed against his shoulder, and where the towel touched his skin, she could faintly see dark red blood seeping through.

Xu Muzi’s heart tightened, and she squeezed a few steps forward.

The ones who had gone to help reinforce the nest were all relatively young and lively guests staying at the inn.

Among them were a few people who had participated in the small drinking gathering that morning and had gone mushroom picking.

They had seen Xu Muzi before, but not knowing she was acquainted with Deng Yun, they not only didn’t make way but also kindly kept Xu Muzi, who was trying to step closer to the sofa, at a distance.

They said, “Do you faint at the sight of blood? If you do, don’t crowd around.”

A male college student around the same age as Xing Pengjie was apologizing to Deng Yun with a flushed face, “I’m sorry, bro, it’s all my fault.”

Someone complained, “How could you let go of the ladder?”

The boy said he had seen the swallows flying back and was afraid that holding the ladder under the nest would scare them, so he intended to quickly put the ladder away…

Standing outside the crowd, Xu Muzi pieced together what had happened—

The ladder had many thorns, and the boy didn’t dare to hold it tightly.

Moreover, when he was about to put the ladder away, a gust of wind blew past, blinding him; he had shielded his eyes, losing grip of the ladder.

Deng Yun was picking up something when the ladder fell, and a nail sticking out from the side had scratched him.

The boy, holding a piece of unused rope, was almost ready to hang himself in guilt, saying, “I’m really sorry…”

Deng Yun, easygoing, replied, “I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t dodge.”

“But bro… you’ve lost so much blood; should we take you to the clinic down the mountain?”

After this ordeal, the boys seemed like brothers in adversity, all showing concern for Deng Yun’s injury. They spoke one after another, making Xu Muzi feel like an outsider who couldn’t interject.

Deng Yun said it was just a small injury and would be fine after a bit of disinfectant.

As he spoke, his gaze crossed several boys to meet Xu Muzi’s.

Just then, Xiaxia rushed over, shouting, “Make way, make way, the first-aid kit is here!”

After Deng Yun had finally sent away those who were concerned about him, he didn’t let Xiaxia help, saying his clothes were wet from the rain and that he was going to grab the first-aid kit and go back to change.

Xu Muzi felt very worried, didn’t think much, and took the candle, following him upstairs.

The two walked up in silence.

At the door of the room, Deng Yun swiped his card to open the door, unexpectedly asking, “Are you here to watch me change clothes?”

Xu Muzi was so angry that she wanted to hit him, but considering he was the injured party, she took a deep breath to hold it back and said, “I’m here to help!”

“Are you afraid of blood?”

“Not really.”

“Then come in.”

Deng Yun seemed nonchalant, and upon entering the room, he didn’t hurry to open the first-aid kit. Instead, he first filled a glass with water and leisurely opened the small refrigerator in the room, slowly adding ice cubes to the glass.

He said, “I’ll give you something.”

She watched in astonishment as he pulled out a blooming rose from his pants pocket, holding it between his fingers.

Like a magic trick.

The rose had its stem broken by the wind and rain, with only a few inches left holding the fluffy flower.

It looked exactly like the one she had just seen in an online image—pink-orange with layered petals.

Xu Muzi accepted the cup of water and instinctively said, “London Eye…”

“Do you know this flower?”

“I just looked it up. I heard the innkeeper planted it.”

Xu Muzi’s hands were quite full. One hand held her phone, power bank, and scented candle, while the other held the rose.

She was pondering where to put her things when she raised her eyes and locked gazes with Deng Yun.

The room was still lit only by the candlelight, with a soft glow around them.

Less than an hour ago, they had been close in this room.

So, Xu Muzi didn’t mention that the language of this rose represented first love.

Deng Yun didn’t continue the topic either.

If they kept staring at each other, they might end up doing something stimulating again.

Xu Muzi looked at the candle in her hand and mumbled, “You… go take care of your wound…”

Deng Yun went to the bathroom.

When Xu Muzi put down her things to check, he was using saline to rinse the blood from his wound.

After rinsing, he applied a layer of hemostatic powder.

Just watching him made Xu Muzi feel intense pain, yet throughout the entire process, he didn’t even furrow his brows once.

He was extremely calm, like someone without any sense of pain.

In reality, the wound was quite deep, and the mixture of blood and powder was shocking to see.

Xu Muzi was very careful while wrapping the bandage, afraid to touch it.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” she asked.

He smiled and simply replied, “Doctor Xu, don’t be nervous.”

There were only simple exchanges, followed by silence.

In the text messages, Xu Muzi had shown great courage, even daring to ask if he had ever dated anyone before.

But now, face to face and in close proximity, she felt so nervous that she couldn’t say anything.

Deng Yun had just gotten drenched in the rain, and the damp fabric of his short-sleeve shirt clung to his waist.

The sticky, humid feeling, combined with her irregular heartbeat, surged again, making Xu Muzi feel like her fingers were uncooperative. She tried to cut the bandage with scissors several times but couldn’t manage to cut through it.

Deng Yun held Xu Muzi’s hand and said, “I’ll do it.”

During the few minutes they spent working together to bandage his wound, Xu Muzi’s phone stacked on the power bank rang frequently.

Xu Muzi felt it buzz, and at one point, when a certain layer of bandage wrapped around his arm, Deng Yun glanced towards the source of the sound.

Earlier, Xu Muzi had ended a call with her cousin, who must have thought she was avoiding the issue.

She worried that her cousin would treat her contact with a guy as the biggest news and report it to other relatives.

After she finished applying the last piece of medical tape, Xu Muzi hurriedly said to Deng Yun, “I’m going to check my phone.”

There were a bunch of unread messages.

It seemed her cousin misunderstood, thinking that Xu Muzi had befriended a particularly terrible guy, which was why she was hesitant to mention it to her family.

Each message urged her to be cautious and warned her not to let a bad man take advantage of her.

Then…

When she helped Deng Yun bandage his wound, her fingers brushed against his arm through the gauze, and it felt like a mist was rising in her chest that wouldn’t disperse. That strong desire to kiss him again—did it count as taking advantage of Deng Yun?

While Xu Muzi was typing out an explanation to her cousin, Deng Yun emerged from the bathroom.

He leaned against the bathroom door and asked her, “Are you arguing?”

How could she argue with her cousin?

Xu Muzi didn’t stop her hands and didn’t look up: “No, just explaining.”

Once she sent the message, she turned around and saw Deng Yun, one hand pulling at the hem of his shirt, taking off the short-sleeve shirt that was almost soaked from the rain.

He casually tossed the shirt onto the table.

He stood there shirtless, took a similar loose short-sleeve shirt from the closet, turned around to face her, and pulled it over his head.

Her phone rang again.

Deng Yun silently watched Xu Muzi, causing her breath to hitch.

After a moment, she heard him ask, “Haven’t you finished explaining?”

Xu Muzi lowered her gaze.

This time it wasn’t her cousin; it was a group message. Xing Pengjie was talking about a “Detective Conan” episode involving a bandage monster murder case. Halfway through, he realized his phone was dying and asked if anyone wanted to go down to the first floor to play some cards.

She shook her head, “Xing Pengjie is looking for people to play poker in the group.”

Deng Yun sat down in a computer chair and glanced at Xu Muzi.

He presented her with a choice, but his tone didn’t match the situation: “Want to go play cards? Or should I explain the fridge magnets to you now?”