Not having to go to work and being able to freely manage one's own time is always very comfortable.
Du Ruo sat in the lobby of the Bed and Breakfast, blowing the air conditioning and playing on his phone, occasionally helping Yang Ling with small tasks like changing a light bulb or delivering slippers and toothbrushes to a room.
By four or five in the afternoon, Yang Chenguang called to ask Du Ruo to come over to his house for dinner.
Today, Yang Chenguang returned to the village alone; his wife and children were still in town. The reason he called Du Ruo over for dinner was because his father had strongly insisted on it, just to confirm that Du Ruo was doing alright.
Upon seeing that Du Ruo was doing well, he finally felt at ease. However, at the dinner table today, Uncle Yang spoke far more than usual, reminding Du Ruo in both direct and subtle ways to go up the mountain less and to pay attention to his safety.
Although the words were nagging, Du Ruo listened with extra care. He was no longer in his teens or twenties; he could still distinguish who was good to him and who was looking out for his best interests.
After the meal, Du Ruo did not rush to leave. Instead, he held his teacup and continued chatting with Uncle Yang, listening to the current situation in the countryside, hearing about events in the nearby mountains, and learning about what needed to be implemented in the village.
Du Ruo gained quite a lot, and it was rare for Uncle Yang to have such a satisfying conversation. It was basically like this at home; Uncle Yang and Yang Chenguang usually found it hard to talk to each other, as Yang Chenguang would always get impatient after a few sentences, whereas chatting with Du Ruo was very comfortable.
Because Du Ruo always asked many questions and never argued, occasionally even offering some praise, no elder would be unhappy during such a conversation.
"Dad, what's the use of saying all that? I'm tired of hearing it. Let's talk next time. Du Ruo, let's go, let's go drinking."
"Mom, leave the door unlocked for me. I won't be going back to town after I've had some alcohol."
Yang Chenguang no longer wanted to sit at home dryly listening to the two of them talk. He said this to his father, then pulled Du Ruo along and went out.
"Du Ruo, what are your thoughts now? Do you want my wife to introduce you to some of her best friends, or are you interested in the Tavern owner?"
Once outside, Yang Chenguang handed Du Ruo a cigarette and began to talk about Du Ruo's future.
"What's this? Did my mom ask you to tell me this?"
Du Ruo glanced at Yang Chenguang. This guy he had grown up with seemed a bit different now. Well, that made sense; he was now the Deputy Secretary of the village and the pillar of his family, so it was normal for him to be more mature.
"Regardless of whether Auntie talked to me or not, you have to give an answer, right? You've established your career now, and your family's situation is pretty good, so it's time to settle down."
"I have my own plans. Matters of the heart can't be rushed, so don't worry about it. If I meet someone suitable, I'll pursue them myself. As for your wife's best friends, forget it. As for the Tavern owner... we've only just come into contact. Don't worry about it blindly."
Du Ruo had essentially laid his cards on the table. Yang Chenguang talking to him like this definitely had to be at his mom's instruction; if he didn't give an answer, his mom would surely come to talk to him personally next time.
"Suit yourself then. I've said what I needed to say. But if you really want to pursue the Tavern owner, you'd better be careful. I've known the Tavern owner for nearly a year now; her appearance and character are beyond reproach, but this drinking..."
When Yang Chenguang reached this point, he just shook his head repeatedly and didn't continue.
"Alright, we're almost there. It's my treat today."
As the two talked, they had already arrived at the Tavern doorway. Du Ruo ended the topic and pushed the Tavern door open with one hand.
The Tavern seemed to have more people today than last time. The Tavern owner was still sitting at a small table in the corner, and besides her, there were four other tables of guests.
One of the tables caught Du Ruo's attention: two men and one woman. They were the three travel commando university students who had just checked into Du Ruo's Bed and Breakfast this afternoon. He just didn't know why there were only three of them, and he remembered them saying they were going to climb the mountain at night. He didn't know why they hadn't gone and were drinking here instead.
When Du Ruo looked over, he happened to meet the gaze of the one called Qiangzi. Du Ruo nodded to greet him.
Then he went to the front desk, ordered two types of Medicinal Wine and some snacks for drinking, and then walked with Yang Chenguang toward the small table where the Tavern owner, Xiang Yuanyuan, was sitting.
"Tavern owner, thank you for treating my wound this morning. This drink tonight is on me."
Du Ruo first greeted Xiang Yuanyuan. He didn't sit down immediately, just stood to the side. If she refused, he would just find another spot to sit with Yang Chenguang; there was no need to be overly eager.
"That's good, please sit. Xiao Juan, bring a bottle of 'Mendaolu', and put it on Boss Du's tab."
Xiang Yuanyuan didn't stand on ceremony. She invited the two to sit and even shouted over to Xiao Juan at the bar counter.
"And don't keep calling me Tavern owner, Tavern owner. Just call me Yuanyuan."
Xiang Yuanyuan was an alcoholic, and quite a bold one at that; she wasn't the type to be coy.
"Boss... Yuanyuan, are you from Inner Mongolia?"
Du Ruo and Yang Chenguang sat down and casually asked a question to start a conversation. Last time he saw Xiang Yuanyuan, she was drinking 'Taomaguan', and this time she ordered 'Mendaolu'. Both were strong liquors from the grasslands, and the average person wouldn't dare drink this stuff.
"No, I'm from Fujian Province. I just simply like drinking strong liquor."
Xiang Yuanyuan shook her head. She wasn't the only one who had asked her that, and she didn't mind.
"That's quite far away. How did you end up opening a Tavern here?"
It was Yang Chenguang who asked. He knew a little about Xiang Yuanyuan, but they weren't very close. After all, he already had a wife; if his wife found out he was asking about such things, he feared he wouldn't be able to sleep in his own bed at night.
"I only have two hobbies: mountain climbing and drinking. They say that after returning from Mount Huang, one doesn't look at other mountains. The first time I went to Mount Huang, I was captivated by the scenery and couldn't bear to leave. Plus, my family's ancestral craftsmanship for brewing and mixing wine had no one else to inherit it, so I just opened a Tavern here. I have both good mountains and wine."
Xiang Yuanyuan seemed like she hadn't sat down to drink and chat with people like this for a long time, so she didn't hide anything and was very open.
"I envy this kind of life."
Yang Chenguang didn't have the carefree nature of Xiang Yuanyuan, doing whatever he wanted. After he graduated, he returned to his hometown and worked diligently to get where he was today. Everything was for the sake of his livelihood and family, so he really did envy Xiang Yuanyuan and Du Ruo for being able to make their own decisions about some things.
"I envy you too. Your little one is almost in elementary school, right?"
Du Ruo chimed in. Life is just like that; while you are envying others, others are envying you. Living your own life well is more important than anything else.
"Two bosses, do you mind if I come over and join you for a drink?"
Just as the three were chatting and drinking, Qiangzi walked over from the side. He said he wanted to join for a drink, but he was actually holding a wine cup in his hand.
"Sit. This is a guest from the Bed and Breakfast, just arrived today. A university student who practices Xing Yi Quan."
Du Ruo didn't mind him coming over. The few of them were just chatting idly anyway, so one more or one less didn't matter. Besides, the other party was a university student, much younger than them, and chatting with young people was also quite nice.
"Boss Du, are you really not going to learn martial arts from me? My master is very impressive. There is a move called Qi Guan Xiong Tang that is truly amazing. Even if you can't learn that move, practicing martial arts to strengthen your body is also very good."
Du Ruo had originally thought the guy had come over to hit on Xiang Yuanyuan because of her beauty. Who knew he was actually aiming for him? As he spoke, he even took out his phone to show Du Ruo, seemingly wanting to show him the master he spoke of.
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