You & Yu 3
Zhang Shuo went to get the car.
The others stood by the roadside waiting.
Before long, a battered minivan stopped in front of them. It was a Jinbei, with seating for eight. The driver was a Bai man, wearing a short, front-opening jacket, black wide-legged trousers, and a white headscarf wrapped around his head.
He got out and smiled at everyone. Yu Nan stepped forward and spoke with the Bai man. The two conversed in a local dialect, chattering away in a jumble of sounds that left everyone else staring at each other, completely unable to understand.
Yu Nan had a smile on her face, her tone gentle. No one would have thought such soft, lingering words could come from that little mouth of hers.
You Song stared at her lips. He instinctively reached for a cigarette, only to remember that he had given the whole pack to Zhang Shuo just moments ago.
Yu Nan introduced him to everyone. “This is Lao Hu, a member of the Bai ethnic group. He only speaks simple Mandarin, but he’s a good man, and he’s a good driver too. He’s been driving for a long time, so he’s steady behind the wheel.”
Lao Hu greeted them in Mandarin. “Hello, everyone.”
Zhang Qihui was clearly not very satisfied. She complained under her breath, “Yu-jiejie, don’t you have a better car? This one is so dirty and beat-up...”
Yu Nan did not respond.
Zhang Qihui’s voice was low, and with the language barrier, Lao Hu could not make out what she was saying.
The others had no objections.
Lao Hu came forward to help Shi Ming and the others with their luggage. Shi Ming was kind-hearted and could not bear to let him do it, so he quickly waved him off and carried the luggage into the trunk himself.
You Song stood beside the car without moving. He was carrying a medium-sized black leather travel bag that looked quite expensive from its quality.
They stood there for two minutes before seeing Zhang Shuo running toward them from a distance.
You Song stubbed out his cigarette and got into the car first, taking a seat in the middle row at the back. Zhang Qihui and Shi Ming followed him in, while the young couple took the last row.
Yu Nan remained where she was waiting. Only after Zhang Shuo had put away the luggage and gotten into the car did she settle into the passenger seat.
Zhang Shuo plopped himself down beside You Song. When he sat, his momentum knocked into You Song’s shoulder.
There was little room in this row. Two men, both tall and broad, with a black bag wedged between them. The already cramped space felt even more constricted.
You Song kicked him. “Go sit in the back.”
Zhang Shuo clicked his tongue and muttered, “As if I wanted to.”
The Jinbei had already merged into the traffic, gradually picking up speed.
Zhang Shuo hunched over and squeezed his way toward the back, grinning at the two of them. “Let’s squeeze in. It’ll be easier to chat.”
Shi Ming and Zhang Qihui were both slight in build, so the three of them fit reasonably well in the last row.
This was Zhang Qihui’s first time traveling, and she was very excited. She pulled Zhang Shuo into introductions, not showing the slightest trace of unfamiliarity.
After they talked for a while, she looked toward You Song in front. Leaning her body forward, she gripped the back of the seat with both hands and rested her little face against it as she asked, “Gege, what’s your name?”
You Song turned his head. “My surname is You.” He did not give his name.
Zhang Qihui gave an “oh,” then sweetly called out, “You-gege.”
You Song’s scalp prickled. He said amicably, “Just call me You-ge.”
Zhang Qihui stuck out her tongue and said softly, “Oh.”
***
The traffic gradually thinned, the road grew wider, and Lao Hu drove with an even, steady hand.
The car soon left Dali Station behind. The bustling crowds and roadside vendors gradually shrank into the distance, eventually disappearing from view.
The clamor outside dissolved into silence inside the vehicle, with only the cool mountain breeze blowing in through the half-open window.
The mountain wind tousled Yu Nan’s hair. The fine down along her right temple all flew onto her face at once, gently brushing against it.
It tickled. Yu Nan wrinkled her nose, then brushed the strands at the corner of her mouth back behind her ear.
After a while, everyone had settled down, and Yu Nan prepared to speak.
She raised her head and happened to glance at the rearview mirror.
You Song was looking at her.
A pair of eagle eyes, sharp-edged, with a hint of probing interest. His nose was high and straight, making his eye sockets appear especially deep, and his pupils were pitch-black.
He was watching her through that tiny rearview mirror.
Yu Nan’s expression remained blank. She pressed her lips together and stared into those eyes, her gaze as cold as the wind in a mountain stream.
She turned around and cleared her throat.
Everyone’s attention focused on her face.
She said, “Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Yu Nan, Yu as in ‘remaining,’ Nan as in ‘man and woman.’ You can call me Guide Yu or Xiao Yu. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to be of service to everyone. China is such a big place, and the fact that we’ve met here in Dali can also be considered a kind of fate. I hope that over the next five days, we’ll get along happily. I used to be a tour guide for a youth hostel. I’ve been in the industry for a long time and have traveled this route many times, so please rest assured. I’ll use my extensive experience and professional knowledge to show everyone a colorful and vibrant Yunnan. We don’t have many activities on our itinerary, and we won’t be rushing to beat the clock. All you need to do is relax, follow my pace, and look, listen, and experience things as we go. In the end, I hope everyone will come away with an experience that feels a little different.”
It was a very official introduction, delivered with the distinctive rises and falls in tone of someone in the tour industry.
She paused, then continued, “Next, let’s exchange phone numbers. If anyone gets separated from the group, you can contact us by phone.”
Everyone rustled around with their heads lowered, looking for their phones, except You Song.
Yu Nan glanced at him but said nothing.
She gave her own number first.
Zhang Shuo raised his voice. “Hey, hey, Guide Yu, slow down. 13836 and then what?”
She repeated it slowly, and everyone bent their heads and committed the number to their phones.
Yu Nan looked at You Song. “You’re not writing it down?”
He was a large man, occupying an entire row by himself, stretched out across the front, making him impossible to ignore.
Shi Ming, sitting in the corner at the back, was almost completely blocked from view by him.
His arms were folded across his chest, the muscles of his upper arms raised and taut. His legs were spread apart, his knees almost reaching the seat in front.
...A very domineering posture.
“I memorized it.”
Yu Nan: “...”
Zhang Shuo cut in, “His brain works pretty well. Once it goes through his head, he never forgets. He used to pull this trick all the time when picking up girls, using his superior IQ to attract beautiful women’s attention.”
His tone was sour with envy. You Song glanced sideways at him and teased, “Jealous?”
Zhang Shuo snorted. Having been hit where it hurt, he automatically shut up.
Zhang Qihui cheerfully picked up the conversation. “Really? You-ge, what’s your IQ?”
Yu Nan paid no attention to their idle chatter. She craned her neck around You Song and looked at Shi Ming from the side. “Shi Ming, got it down?”
Shi Ming answered, “Got it.”
“Good.” She continued, “Everyone, give me your numbers.”
Zhang Qihui leaned over the seatback in front and raised her hand. “Me first, me first.”
***
The car had been on the road for about half an hour when it suddenly changed lanes and turned off the highway. On both sides were Bai residences, all white walls and gray-tiled roofs, their buildings arranged in pleasing disorder. In front of the houses, Bai aunties sat in the shade doing their handiwork, while two or three children laughed and played.
A narrow, winding path stretched deep into the distance. After rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a corner of Erhai Lake ahead, its deep-blue waters flowing in tranquil stillness.
A fishing boat passed in front of them. The fisherman stood at the bow, wearing a conical hat, poling the boat along as he called out a couple of loud cries.
In the distance, the Cangshan Mountains were dark as ink, stretching endlessly in rolling peaks. Wisps of mist hovered around the mountaintops, like a mirage.
The scene before them was harmonious and peaceful.
The car pulled over and stopped. Before getting out, Yu Nan told them they had ten minutes of free time. They could take pictures or use the restroom, but they were not to wander too far.
This was Dali’s most famous cluster of lakeside inns. The inns were distinctive in style, some quaint and understated, others artsy and stylish. Two- and three-story buildings stood along the lake, with covered walkways, tables, and chairs by the water for visitors to rest or take pictures.
Zhang Qihui was the first to jump out of the car, excitedly crying out as she pulled Shi Ming along to take pictures.
You Song was the last to get out. The air was fresh, and he could not help loosening his muscles, rolling his neck.
Zhang Shuo spread his arms and sighed, “We came and went so quickly last time that I didn’t really feel anything. The scenery this time is pretty good, though.”
You Song said, “Your state of mind is different.”
Zhang Shuo blinked. “The state of mind is better, or the person?”
You Song curled his lips, his meaning unclear. “Both are good.”
Zhang Shuo leaned closer and sniffed him. “I smell something lewd.” He burst out laughing. “At your wolf-and-tiger age, that’s understandable.”
He raised a leg and kicked him. “Get lost.”
Zhang Shuo brushed the shoe print off his backside. “Come on, let’s go take pictures.”
You Song lowered his head and lit a cigarette, waving him off.
Zhang Shuo did not try to persuade him either, running off alone toward the two people in the distance.
You Song walked forward for a while, then half leaned against a railing and silently smoked, his eyes turned toward the path on the right.
It was the direction Yu Nan had disappeared in just now.
He smoked until the cigarette burned to the end, crushed it out against the railing, then looked around before tucking the cigarette butt back into his pocket.
In the distance, after Zhang Qihui and Shi Ming finished taking pictures, she dragged Zhang Shuo into them as well, striking all kinds of poses and treating him entirely as a backdrop. Zhang Shuo’s movements were stiff, while Shi Ming wore an expression of helpless indulgence.
You Song smiled and lit another cigarette.
He had only taken two puffs when he saw the person from the path on the right returning.
Yu Nan now had a small backpack over her shoulder and was carrying a huge travel bag in her hand. It looked heavy. Her small frame was having some difficulty carrying it.
You Song watched her, his back slightly hunched, without moving.
Yu Nan seemed to glance this way. Her figure paused, then she walked toward him.
The man had his hips against the railing, broad shoulders relaxed in the most casual posture. One leg was slightly bent while the other stood straight, his legs long and sturdy.
His gaze was open and unguarded as he followed her approach.
The shimmering lake lay behind him, yet he remained utterly at ease. Only the smoke curling around his nose stirred. One part of the scene was moving, the other still, as though a camera could capture a striking photograph simply by framing it at random.
Yu Nan stopped in front of him.
He was too tall. Even with him half leaning against the railing, she still had to tilt her head up slightly.
You Song raised one arm, resting the elbow of his other arm on it, the cigarette held between his fingers.
His arms were very muscular, with heavy body hair, rough skin, and broad, thick palms, like some... “beast” that had not quite finished evolving. But the lines of his arms were still fairly smooth, with clear veins running onto the backs of his hands, one after another, relaxed and crisscrossing, wild and taut.
Yu Nan studied him for a while, neither avoiding nor dodging his gaze as she met those deep eyes head-on, her expression as still as a cold pool.
You Song’s fingers moved. Before the cigarette even reached his lips, she suddenly rose onto her toes and snatched it away.
His raised fingers remained by his lips. He did not seem to understand, and asked, “Not allowed to smoke?”
Yu Nan bent down and picked up the cigarette end on the ground. Together with the half cigarette she had just taken from him, she put both into the right back pocket of her pants.
“If you’re going to throw them on the ground, then don’t smoke.”
You Song did not explain.
He looked at her, amusement tinting the corners of his eyes. A fine breeze flowed between them, gently stirring the tassels on her clothes.
You Song said, “Tourism Bureau regulations?”
Yu Nan smiled. “Basic morality. Even children know that.”
You Song knew that Yu Nan was getting back at him for touching her waist earlier. The fingers that had been holding the cigarette pressed against his forehead. He said nothing.
Zhang Shuo called toward them, “What are you two doing? Coming or not?”
The three of them had had enough fun and came back laughing and talking.
Yu Nan said, “Get in the car.”
She turned and walked toward where they had parked.
After a few steps, she sensed the person behind her following. His footsteps came quickly, accompanied by a rush of wind. The next second, the hand holding the bag was suddenly empty.
The man’s chest was almost pressed against her. Her shoulder trembled, and an unfamiliar warmth brushed her ear.
“Remember, you owe me a cigarette.”
Yu Nan’s scalp went numb. That faint trace of cigarette smoke suddenly rushed into her nose, while a low, slightly hoarse voice sounded beside her ear.
Only for an instant, You Song straightened.
He took a long stride past her and reached the car in a few steps.
He opened the passenger-side door, tossed the bag inside, and shut the door.
Then he turned and said, “Sit in the back.”
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