The inn was built on the foundation of the house where Du Yunyan and his mother used to live. He had lived in this place since he was a child, about a kilometer away from Yun Han’s house. They had walked this path countless times before.

As the clouds grew heavier, as Gu Wenxi had predicted, the two of them hadn’t gone far before it started drizzling. The rain was moderate, and the black umbrella opened up, the water falling on the fabric like the sound of an old-fashioned TV losing signal, a bit noisy.

“Now that you’re settled there—have you gotten used to it?” Remembering their meeting in S City after the Lunar New Year, besides anticipation for the future, there was also fatigue and confusion in the young man’s eyes; even though Du Yunyan’s attitude towards him had changed, there was still a lingering concern similar to that of an older brother.

“Yeah, much better now,” Yun Han nodded slightly, embarrassedly saying, “Don’t laugh at me, but if it was two months ago, even if I had vacation, I probably wouldn’t have dared to come back.”

“What’s wrong? You’re not used to it?”

“You could say that,” he glanced at Du Yunyan, “I didn’t tell you during the New Year, but in that kind of place, I felt quite weak.” Because of the disparity between reality and expectations, he clearly saw his limits and felt deeply embarrassed when he thought of his abandoned hometown and past.

“Yun Han, you’re still young; you don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself.”

Yun Han’s academic performance was average, and he didn’t go to college. In fact, his age was equivalent to that of a college student who hadn’t entered society yet.

“There, it’s not considered young. Aren’t Du Hong and Du Yi thinking about leaving next year? They’re not even twenty yet.” He smiled faintly after speaking, “Ge, you’re so good at taking care of people. It seems like in your eyes, everyone is a child.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” Yun Han said affirmatively, “but, seeing you this time, it feels a bit different.”

Du Yunyan curiously asked, “In what way?”

“You know I’m not good with words; I can’t describe it,” Yun Han rubbed his temples in frustration, trying to find some vocabulary, “It’s like you’re more lively?”

“What kind of talk is that,” Du Yunyan shook his head with a smile, “Do you think I was lifeless before?”

“I’ve said I’m not good with words; anyway, you’ve always been quite serious. But—” he suddenly stopped speaking, looking somewhat hesitant.

“Yeah?”

Yun Han’s gaze shifted forward, and he could already see their house shrouded in the rain and mist, “Regardless of how you are, you’ll always be my brother.”

The sound of rain intensified, like suddenly malfunctioning speakers. He turned his head, “I’m sorry, I seem to have said something strange.”

“It’s okay,” Du Yunyan saw him off to the door, the two stone steps covered with moss under his feet, “while you’re in the city, take care of yourself.” After saying this, he turned back and descended the steps.

“Ge!”

After Du Yunyan had walked about a dozen meters, he heard Yun Han call out to him again.

“You take care too!” The young man waved to him through the rain and mist, “Take care of Gu ge too!”

“Okay, goodbye!” He didn’t shout loudly, just exaggerated the mouth shape, believing the other person saw it.

The rain weakened again.

Walking along the rain-drenched mountain path, even with an umbrella, his feet in sandals were completely wet, and his calves gradually felt damp. The soaked fabric of his pants clung to his skin uncomfortably.

As he approached the inn, around a corner, two pomegranate trees in front of the building caught his eye. The new leaves, not yet large, glistened with rainwater.

In the evening, those eating in the inn were all guests staying overnight. Du Hong and the others were busy in the kitchen, while Gu Wenxi set the tableware. He glanced at the door and saw the figure with an umbrella coming closer down the bend.

He didn’t immediately enter the building, waiting for the figure to approach him.

The rain stopped just in time.

Du Yunyan placed the umbrella under the canopy by the stove, then turned to Gu Wenxi leaning against the door and said, “Let’s go, it’s getting crowded inside.”

“Yeah.” Gu Wenxi smiled and responded, then casually glanced up at the sky as he turned around.

The sky above, presenting a purer azure than he had seen in S City, deepened his smile.

---

Although the light rain didn’t last long that day, it seemed to usher in the rainy season. With May approaching, continuous rain became the norm in the mountains.

Those doing tourism business in the village were all affected to varying degrees. Old Du, who operated a strawberry farm, sighed all day long, but Du Yunyan enjoyed the leisure. During his free time, he either practiced calligraphy or researched new recipes. When the weather cleared up, he would also go outside with Gu Wenxi.

They discovered a good spot to watch the sunset in the small forest near their inn. When the weather was clear, the slanting sunlight through the trees cast a golden hue over the otherwise ordinary mountain woods, giving them a sacred appearance. They had kissed there before. The riverside at night was also a good place to go. If they were lucky, they could see fireflies. Du Yunyan told Gu Wenxi that there would be more in June and July. The flashing little lives weren’t afraid of people and occasionally landed on them.

The weather wasn’t hot, but the humidity was high, and the mosquitoes near the inn began to become active. They set up a mosquito net for the double bed in the bedroom together, and when they slept, all four sides of the net were lowered, creating a private space like a curtain.

After arriving in the mountains, Gu Wenxi didn’t lose contact with his family. Right after the rain stopped that day, he was drying several blankets on the second-floor terrace when he received a call from Gu Wenheng. It was just ordinary chatting, but his tone was a bit off, hesitating and evasive, which was nothing like his usual style. Gu Wenxi asked several times, but Gu Wenheng still beat around the bush. Later, when they talked about his graduation next year, he heard some complaints before the call ended.

Gu Wenxi felt a bit puzzled. Gu Wenheng didn’t seem like the type to be troubled by academic pressure. Just to be safe, he called Gu Yuching to ask if his younger brother had encountered any problems.

“Nothing’s wrong, everything’s fine.” Gu Yuching’s tone was stiff, seeming unwilling to engage with him. Gu Wenxi asked about some family matters again, and his father’s side replied impatiently, “Live your life well, and don’t forget we have an agreement for one year.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Okay,” Gu Yuching said, “if you come back before a year, don’t think about going back again.”

“I won’t.” Gu Wenxi didn’t like him using this to threaten him. “How’s your health recently?” Gu Yuching was not yet sixty years old, usually focused on exercise and health preservation, always in good health. Gu Wenxi wasn’t really worried, but he asked casually.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.

“Hello?” Gu Wenxi thought the signal was bad and walked to the railing at the east end. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Gu Yuching replied, “I’m fine. Don’t worry, Wenxi, take care of yourself.”

“Got it.” The call log showed a fifteen-minute duration, and Gu Wenxi stared at the number in a daze.

“Wenxi, are you ready?” Du Yunyan had arranged to pick mulberries by the riverbank after the rain stopped and had come to the terrace to call him. Seeing him in a soulless state seemed a bit strange. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I made a call home, nothing serious.” Gu Wenxi answered bluntly. He didn’t want to hide anything, but it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong at home. It was just a gut feeling that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Wenxi,” Du Yunyan didn’t rush him, closing the terrace door and walking over, “Is it that your family doesn’t want—”

“No, it’s nothing,” Gu Wenxi interrupted him, “My dad gave me a year to prove that I can live well here. He’s not an unreasonable person. But there’s something I need to apologize to you for.”

“What is it?”

“Our situation. I didn’t tell him the truth,” Gu Wenxi’s expression was unusually serious, “I didn’t want to deliberately hide it, but in my dad’s eyes, I have a short attention span, and at that time, we weren’t really together. I was afraid that if I said too much, he wouldn’t even let me come here. Even though I could sneak out even if he forbade me…”

At this point, Du Yunyan, who had been listening attentively, couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you still thinking of being reckless?”

“I’m not. I just didn’t want any conflict with him. When the time is right, I will definitely introduce you to him,” this was Gu Wenxi’s plan all along, and he confessed to Du Yunyan at this moment, “Are you willing?”

“Sure,” Du Yunyan held his hand in his palm, “No matter how your dad reacts, I’ll be there for you.”

“Don’t think too negatively,” Gu Wenxi said, “Actually, my dad is very open-minded, and he feels guilty about me and my mom. He just hopes that I’ll be with the person I choose in the future.”

Du Yunyan’s only relative passed away, and as for the Gu family, they had not discussed practical issues. Gu Wenxi felt it was time to let him know what to expect.

“I don’t think your family is scary.”

Whenever he casually mentioned family matters, there were complaints and dissatisfaction, but they couldn’t hide the warmth beneath. In Du Yunyan’s eyes, if Gu Wenxi hadn’t been raised with such tolerance, he might not have been as carefree and unrestrained as he was.

“I think your father loves you very much, and so do I.”