The car pulled up smoothly and stopped outside a small courtyard. Shen Jixue looked up at the scene before her: a peach-wood gate, a circle of wooden fences surrounding the yard, and the faint glimpse of the house’s interior peeking through the gaps. It was mid-summer, the peak of the flower season, and a couple of little cats could occasionally be seen darting through the lush blossoms.
“We’re here. You can get off now.”
Yun Fei noticed Shen Jixue peering out with curious eyes and stepped forward to tap gently on the car window.
Snapping out of her daze, Shen Jixue hurriedly got out of the car to fetch her luggage.
Yun Fei carried the groceries they had bought into the shared kitchen one by one, pointing out Shen Jixue’s room along the way so she could take a shower first and come out to eat later.
Curious, Shen Jixue walked toward one of the rooms in the courtyard and pushed the door open. Inside was a simple, clean little living room with brand-new furniture, and through the partition was a bedroom already made up with fresh bedding. A faint, subtle scent of orange blossom hung lightly in the air.
Shen Jixue put down her luggage, dug out a change of clothes, and took a shower first.
After traveling such a long distance, letting the hot water soak her legs relaxed her tense muscles, making her feel infinitely better.
The shower cooled her down considerably, and outside, the sun was no longer as scorching as it had been at noon. Letting out a tired yawn, Shen Jixue opened the door, only to be greeted by an enticing, mouth-watering aroma.
She walked over to the small thatched shelter set up in the middle of the courtyard. It was tightly draped with white gauze curtains, likely to keep out mosquitoes and insects.
Yun Fei was setting out bowls and chopsticks at the table. With her sharp eyes, Shen Jixue noticed what looked like a red bucket placed under the stone table, inside of which a watermelon was bobbing up and down in the water.
“I figured you’d be done with your shower about now. Come eat first.”
Before coming here, Shen Jixue had asked if meals were provided. When the homestay owner had mentioned that food was available, she had been quite happy. After all, she was a complete disaster in the kitchen. She just hadn’t expected that “having food available” meant the owner herself would be cooking for her.
Yun Fei filled a bowl with cooling mung bean soup to beat the heat, then handed a pair of chopsticks to Shen Jixue.
Never having been treated so attentively before, Shen Jixue took them in flattered fluster.
“I can get it myself. Owner, please sit and eat together with me.”
Seeing that Shen Jixue wasn’t the overly reserved type, Yun Fei sat down as well and began her meal.
She casually switched on the small electric fan beside them, fished the watermelon out of the bucket, sliced it up, and set it on the table, indicating that it was for after dinner.
A cool breeze drifted past. Taking a sip of the mung bean soup, Shen Jixue felt that life had suddenly become delightfully cozy.
When her friend had suggested she take a trip to relax and unwind, she hadn’t taken it to heart. But now that she was actually enjoying it, she really had nothing left to complain about.
The home-cooked dishes on the table were incredibly appetizing. The stir-fried green beans were deliciously chewy; the tomato and scrambled eggs struck a perfect balance between savory, sweet, and sour; and the hot-and-sour shredded potatoes offered a rare, delightful kick of flavor, wonderfully crisp and refreshing. There were also a few small side dishes of pickled vegetables—nothing extravagant, yet plentiful nonetheless. The sweet, soft mung bean soup washed away the summer heat, and a bite of the chilled watermelon left her feeling completely refreshed from head to toe, instantly driving away the lingering warmth of the day.
Shen Jixue was a born-and-raised native of Nancheng. Although she had eaten northern cuisine during the years she worked in the capital, she had never encountered home-cooked dishes made from vegetables so fresh they had been pulled from the earth less than ten minutes before hitting the wok.
Back where she worked, these pure, pollution-free farm-fresh vegetables and fruits were practically as precious as gold.
Having finished her own meal, Yun Fei picked up her bowl and gestured with her chin toward the shaded pavilion not far away.
“You can wash the dishes over there. You can rest this afternoon—I have an errand to run outside. Feel free to make yourself at home, and use anything in the common areas as you like.”
Seeing that Yun Fei was about to leave, Shen Jixue instinctively reached out and tugged lightly at the hem of her shirt.
“Owner.” She tilted her head up with a smile. From this angle, she could clearly see the soft, fine peach fuzz on Yun Fei’s ears, as well as a small red mole near the outer corner of her left eye.
You can’t even see it unless you look closely, the thought flickered through Shen Jixue’s mind.
“Is there anything else?”
Yun Fei tilted her head to look at her, thinking she might need some other kind of help.
“Your name, Owner.”
“Hmm?”
A look of mild confusion crossed Yun Fei’s face, as if she hadn’t quite understood Shen Jixue’s question.
Shen Jixue let go of the shirt hem, stood up, and extended her hand.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shen Jixue, and I’ll be your tenant sharing this space with you for the next few months.”
Realizing that Shen Jixue simply didn’t know her name yet, Yun Fei tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear in slight embarrassment, reaching out to grasp Shen Jixue’s hand in return.
“My name is Yun Fei. ‘Yun’ as in cloud, ‘Fei’ as in crimson. We don’t interfere with our guests’ lives here, so you’re free to do whatever you like. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”
Shen Jixue offered a soft smile, assuring her she would reach out if anything came up, before the two of them let go of each other’s hands.
By the time she finished her meal, the afternoon was already half over. Shen Jixue nimbly washed the dishes, let them drain, and neatly placed them inside the dish cabinet in the shared kitchen before giving a long stretch.
Summer here was filled with the persistent song of cicadas. Beneath the hot sun scorching the earth, the automated irrigation system in the decorative flowerbeds kicked on, spraying arcing streams of water that caught the sunlight to form mini rainbows.
Shen Jixue opened a can of cat food from the kitchen cabinet and beckoned to the two tabby cats basking in the yard, attempting to feed them.
Unfortunately, after spending only a short while in the sun, the cats scurried off into the shade and vanished from sight.
Although it was midsummer, the area sat close to a small mountain. The architecture of Cloud Cottage was remarkably clever—drafts swept naturally through every room, feeling far more comfortable than any chilly air-conditioner breeze.
Surrounded by such serene comfort, Shen Jixue slowly closed her eyes.
When Yun Fei returned, this was the scene that met her eyes.
Shen Jixue was curled up on the lounge chair under the shade, one slender wrist dangling over the edge. Her long, dark-brown hair was dyed a warm golden hue beneath the setting sun, while two tabby cats sat neatly on the small tea table before her, licking their paws.
Yun Fei walked over, hesitating for a moment before deciding not to wake her. She fetched a lightweight, silk-satin blanket and gently draped it over Shen Jixue’s waist.
Then, she grabbed a book of her own and settled in to pass the time.
Perhaps it was because she had driven all the way here from Nancheng, exhausted both physically and mentally after experiencing the misfortune of a blown-out tire and having to haul over ten pounds of camera gear on foot, but Shen Jixue slept deeply and sweetly. The nightmares that usually plagued her night after night were nowhere to be found.
When she finally opened her eyes again, she realized it was the most comfortable sleep she had enjoyed in recent memory.
All the fatigue in her body had completely melted away during her nap. Looking around blankly upon waking, Shen Jixue almost thought she was still in a dream, looking utterly dazed and adorable.
Yun Fei was sitting on the lounge chair opposite her, reading a book. The warm yellow light in the yard attracted a few insects, but she had already lit mugwort incense around the courtyard. Every mosquito-repelling measure had been taken; otherwise, Shen Jixue’s nap would have surely been ruined by the mountain mosquitoes.
The neighboring houses in the area were all lit up in their yards as well. After dinner, families would drag chairs outside to sit and enjoy the cool evening air, creating a surprisingly lively atmosphere.
Seeing that Shen Jixue had woken up, Yun Fei closed her book and tucked her bookmark into the page she had just finished.
“Go wash your face to wake yourself up. Do you want to eat some noodles?”
Shen Jixue patted her cheeks—a habit from her days on set. Whenever she felt exceptionally groggy, she would “abuse” her face like this to snap herself awake as quickly as possible.
Doing so left several red marks on her face, making her look quite pitiful, though she herself didn’t feel it at all. Yawning, she walked into the bathroom, splashing a handful of cold water onto her face before finally waking up completely.
From outside, Yun Fei called out to her. Shen Jixue left the bathroom door open, trying to hear more clearly.
“Do you eat cilantro?”
Realizing she was preparing the toppings for the noodles, Shen Jixue waved her hand toward her. She couldn’t handle foods with overly strong aromas, and cilantro was something she had always politely declined.
Seeing her wave her hand, Yun Fei understood and casually tossed the handful of freshly chopped cilantro she had just cut into her own bowl instead.
She kept a small vegetable garden behind her courtyard, which had yielded plenty of produce under her careful tending. Not to mention, whenever neighbors saw her, they would insist on gifting her some of their home-grown vegetables. Yun Fei heated oil in the wok, deciding to make pork strip noodles for dinner.
Right before plating, she used a flat pan to fry an egg for Shen Jixue.
Shen Jixue was checking the messages on her phone. Having journeyed for half a day and rested for the afternoon, she found almost no messages waiting for her.
Annoyed, she turned off the screen. Looking up, she saw Yun Fei bringing over two bowls of noodles and quickly stepped forward to help carry one.
Yun Fei turned back to the kitchen fridge to grab some of her homemade pickled sauces. Paired with the shredded pork noodles, the meal was savory enough to make anyone lightheaded with delight.
And indeed, Shen Jixue ate until she felt blissfully lightheaded. She didn’t have many friends who knew how to cook, and even those who did rarely cooked as well as Yun Fei. Most of the time she was consumed by work, relying almost entirely on takeout to survive. Downings a bowl of noodles like this, she let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
“Is it really that delicious?”
Yun Fei took another bite of her noodles, unable to tell any difference from how she usually cooked. Back in university, when she rented an apartment outside campus, she had forced herself to master the art of cooking. She just hadn’t realized her culinary skills were good enough to make someone look so enchanted while eating.
Before coming here, Shen Jixue had been coaxed into it by her friends. They claimed it was for her mental and physical health, booking a new photography site for her—except it was thousands of miles away in Beicheng. Since the rest of the team was busy and only Shen Jixue had free time to shoot, someone sent her an address right after she got off the highway, telling her they had spent a fortune booking a homestay for her and that she wasn’t allowed back until five months were up. If she came back early, their money would go down the drain, and she’d have to work like a dog for them for the rest of her life.
Exasperated by her friends, Shen Jixue had resigned herself to her fate and kept driving, finally arriving in Beicheng three days later. Who could have anticipated that her tire would blow out the moment she arrived? Drifting on a countryside cement road, she had already planned out every possible pose to beat up her colleagues once she got back—yet somehow, she had come to a stop safe and sound.
Even though she had walked several kilometers carrying heavy gear while tired and thirsty, the outcome was good. She had happened to run into the homestay owner out buying daily necessities, and now she was eating such delicious food. All in all, she was thoroughly satisfied.
Yes, Shen Jixue thought happily to herself, very satisfied indeed.