Chapter 16: Listening to the Rain on a Boat
"What's wrong?" Ye Zhenzhen asked puzzledly while standing on the side of the road.
Wen Baijing opened the car door: "You get in first."
She stood there motionless, not daring to go unless she was told clearly where she was going or what she was going to do.
"I'm doing an honest business. I don't traffic in people, and I won't sell you to the mountains."
Wen Baijing said this and made a gesture of invitation with a faint smile on his face.
I guess he wouldn't be sold to the mountains...
The rain was hazy and the blue sky was right in front of my eyes.
Vehicles on the road were crawling slowly like turtle shells. Wen Baijing drove all the way out of the city, with the wipers swinging constantly.
The first time Wen Baijing saw Ye Zhenzhen during the day, she had loose, slightly curly black hair, a long white cotton skirt, and a pair of sneakers.
No one would be able to connect this innocent-looking girl who looks like a college student with a waitress in a nightclub full of bright lights and wine.
Wen Baijing was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, looking like a young and sunny boy.
Ye Zhenzhen sat in the passenger seat, her fingers tightly gripping the seat belt, "Where are you taking me?"
Wen Baijing smiled at her worried face and said, "Go see the misty rain in the water town, see the most beautiful Jiangnan."
She was somewhat expectant and nervous, but she didn't dare to ask further.
In the morning, she went to the market to buy chicken for Lin Xiaoxi to nourish her body. She had just stewed the chicken and washed and cut the vegetables. Not long after, Wen Baijing called her and said he had something to talk to her about and could only talk in person.
She took out her cell phone and sent a WeChat message to Lin Xiaoxi.
[Xiaoxi, I am sitting in the guest car, the license plate number is XXX, I will send you a WeChat message every half an hour, if I don’t, remember to call the police! ]
Where is he taking you?
[He didn't say anything. Please pay attention to the chicken soup and don't let it dry out.]
After sending the WeChat message, she relaxed a little and twisted her fingers together, feeling confused as to what place Wen Baijing was talking about.
The music in the car is soothing my ears, and the raindrops are falling slowly and quickly, hitting the roof of the car and my heart.
The car stopped steadily in the open-air parking lot, and Wen Baijing handed over an oil-paper umbrella.
She has been in Jiangnan for nearly a year, but she has never been to the famous ancient town. Before, she worked as a cashier for two days and only had enough money to buy a ticket. She didn't have the time or mood to come here, and she was reluctant to spend money.
The drizzle fell in the south of the Yangtze River. Ancient red lanterns were hung on the eaves of the green brick and black tile roofs, and the uneven willow trees were brushing across the water.
They walked side by side on the bluestone slabs. The continuous rain made the stone road shiny, and the air was filled with the fresh smell of grass and leaves.
Being in the misty drizzle of Jiangnan, she felt cheerful and a smile appeared on her face unconsciously. She was surprised to find that Jiangnan was also beautiful in the rain. She always worried about rainy days before, because it meant she had to make a living in the rain.
In the distance, clouds and mists linger, pink roses bloom on the waterside. Ye Zhenzhen is wearing a white dress, with black hair hanging down her shoulders, and the mist of rain is floating on the blue waves in front of her eyes.
Two people held umbrellas and sat on the bow of a black-sailed boat, listening to the rain. The boat swayed, creating ripples, and the people swayed with the boat, creating waves.
"Ye Zhenzhen, turn back!"
She turned around when she heard the voice, her black hair dancing in the white mist and green smoke, her delicate face against the roses, her clear eyes reflecting the green water. In that clear spring, Bai Wenjing saw himself living in the sparkling eyes.
"Crack!"
Ye Zhenzhen reached out to grab the phone, "Why are you taking pictures of me!"
Wen Baijing dodged left and right and hid his phone behind him.
She lunged forward and almost fell into Wen Baijing's arms.
The boatman wearing a bamboo hat smiled and said, "Little girl, he likes you."
She supported herself on the ground with her hands and struggled to stand up, her face flushed with the roses.
The boatman sang a folk song: "The scenery of the south and north of the Yangtze River is beautiful, but it can't compare to the green yarn and sorghum..."
Wen Baijing raised his eyebrows, "Ye Zhenzhen, can you understand?"
She held the umbrella and didn't look back, pretending not to hear.
"Do you want me to tell you?"
"If you want to talk, I'd be happy to listen."
The black-sailed boat sailed on the clear water, and the quaint old houses on both sides gradually receded with the oars. Ye Zhenzhen was intoxicated by the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River, and Wen Baijing was immersed in her pure and innocent beauty.
On weekends, the ancient town is crowded with people, with umbrellas of different shapes and sizes opening in the clouds and rain.
The two were intoxicated by the scenery along the way and did not talk much.
The tourists' umbrellas touched each other, and Ye Zhenzhen wanted to avoid them.
"ah…"
Unexpectedly, her body tilted, and the pavilions and towers collapsed. Wen Baijing's strong arms hugged her waist, and a slight electric current passed through her lower back. Her whole body froze and her face turned red in panic.
The rain was falling lightly, hitting the thousands of green tiles and dripping into the green water.
The two looked at each other in the rain, the drizzle fell on Ye Zhenzhen's cheek, and the slight coolness brought her back to her senses, "Thank you!"
Wen Baijing helped her up, smiled and shook his head, then withdrew his hand like a gentleman, his arm still retaining her body temperature.
Her heart was pounding, and she took a few quick steps forward to put some distance between them.
In her hand she held an oil-paper umbrella painted with a picture of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains. Her white skirt was as white as snow, and the hem of her skirt swayed slightly, and her hair danced in the wind.
Looking at her thin back, Wen Baijing smiled faintly, quickened his pace to catch up with her, and deliberately teased her, "Ye Zhenzhen, why are you blushing?"
Asking questions knowingly!
Her slightly slowed heartbeat was raised again. She smiled mischievously and pointed at the red lanterns under the eaves, "Look! It's the lanterns that illuminate the red!"
Wen Baijing was amused by her and teased, "You are quite cunning."
The two looked at each other and smiled. The laughter passed through the pavilion and the building. The wind stopped and the rain slowed down.
Walk along the bluestone road, stroll in the drizzle, and walk beside the green water and red lotus beside the ancient house.
Wen Baijing was born and raised here, and had seen this kind of Jiangnan thousands of times, but today's Jiangnan seems even more charming and intoxicating.
Perhaps she was tired from walking, so she stood by the water, staring at the rain hitting the lotus leaves in a trance.
Wen Baijing followed her line of sight and looked at the floating leaves of the water lily. "Do you like lotus very much?"
Ye Zhenzhen held up an oil-paper umbrella, her hair dancing in the wind and brushing against Wen Baijing's face. "Well, there is a very beautiful flower in my hometown, called Tianshan Snow Lotus. It blooms on the top of the snow-capped mountains, defying the snow and frost, pure and clean. It takes many years for the seed to break through the rock and bloom. It only blooms once in its life, and then it reaches the end."
His heart was numb and his legs were numbed by the hair. He retracted his gaze and turned to look at Ye Zhenzhen's lonely face. His tone was gentle and serious: "You can also be a cold pine, growing on the mountains, tough and upright, and standing on the snowy peaks."
"If you want to be a tree, choose pine. It doesn't change its expression even in the cold." Ye Zhenzhen smiled.
"This boy is teachable." Wen Baijing praised.
The breeze brought the sweet scent of osmanthus. Wen Baijing followed the scent and bought some osmanthus cake and handed it to her. "I loved eating osmanthus cake when I was a child. You should try it too."
Taking the white and tender pastry, she lowered her head and took a bite. The fragrance filled her teeth and it was soft, sweet and not greasy.
Wen Baijing asked calmly and fairly:
"Is it tasty?"
She held a mouthful of the glutinous cake in her mouth, and her breath was also filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. "Mm, delicious."
Wen Baijing's eyes flashed with melancholy, and he felt a little lonely. "My mother's sweet-scented osmanthus cake is the most delicious. Unfortunately... I can no longer find that taste..."
The cake she was about to swallow got stuck in her throat, and her heart felt a little stuffy. "That taste remains in your heart and memory. It has never disappeared."
Wen Baijing was stunned for a few seconds, looking at Ye Zhenzhen who had a rosy face. He raised his hand to touch her head, but pulled it back halfway, looking at her with starry eyes.
"You're not stupid, actually."
Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen frowned, squatted down and covered her mouth to cough. Wen Baijing hurried forward and patted her back, "I just praised you, and you slapped me in the face."
Ye Zhenzhen's face flushed, she stood up and patted her chest, her eyes drooping, "What do you mean you're not stupid? I was choked by your words."
Wen Baijing remained calm and suppressed his smile, "Are you planning to choke yourself to death to blackmail me?"
Ye Zhenzhen was so angry that she laughed, "You..."
The two stood facing each other in the rain, each holding an umbrella. When their eyes met, the wind blew and the water turned into ripples.
Arriving at a small restaurant in the ancient town, they drank barley tea, which warmed their stomachs and bodies. They ordered local specialties such as steamed sea bass, three-fresh soup, stir-fried wild rice stem, and mutton noodles.
Wen Baijing handed Ye Zhenzhen chopsticks with a smile, "I don't know if you are used to eating this, it's our local home-cooked food."
Ye Zhenzhen took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of wild rice stem and tasted it under Wen Baijing's expectant eyes. "Hmm! It's quite delicious."
The small restaurant was filled with people. Outside the window, raindrops were like pearls, hitting the stone slabs, knocking on the blue bricks, and falling into the green waves, with an incessant sound and dripping.
After lunch, the two sat in a small teahouse, watching the rain falling by the window.
Look at the colorful umbrellas in the rain, the clouds pressing down the rain, and the white mist and smoke.
The wooden loft, tables and chairs are soaked in the humid weather, exuding a faint wood scent.
Ye Zhenzhen stared out the carved wooden window without blinking, her chin in her hand, in a daze.
Wen Baijing looked at her innocent appearance, "Ye Zhenzhen, there will be a day when you will open your heart to me, right?"
She didn't look back, still staring out the window, her tone calm. Revealing one's innermost feelings to someone is a very risky journey.
"In fact, I do not know."
Wen Baijing also looked out the window. On the stone arch bridge, there were people walking side by side, and there were also people walking alone.
A sparrow, with wet feathers, came to the window in the rain and fell sideways beside the carved window. It shivered constantly, and soon it became stiff and its claws curled up.
Ye Zhenzhen said for no reason, "Jiangnan is so beautiful!"
Wen Baijing turned his gaze back and stared at her, "Yes! Jiangnan is so beautiful. As long as you stay in Jiangnan, you will see such beautiful scenery every day."
The rain was not pouring and the wind was not strong. The black-sailed boat was swaying in the water, passing by the stone arch bridge.