Chapter 709: Returning Late to Youfeng Xiaoyuan

Half an hour isn't long; when immersed in something, it passes even faster.

Wang Yan and Xu Hongdou rode slowly on their trotting horses, took a few photos, and that time was gone. After bouncing on horseback for half an hour and taking enough pictures, Xu Hongdou naturally didn't want to ride anymore. Beyond the feeling of wandering freely among mountains and grasslands, she found no joy in horseback riding—it was merely a fleeting novelty, unsustainable.

They dismounted at the wooden house, and Wang Yan crossed his arms, waiting patiently as Xu Hongdou removed her protective gear.

Just then, a man stepped out from another door of the wooden house, startled slightly at the sudden appearance of guests. It wasn't because of anything special—just that he hadn't expected visitors and was momentarily taken aback, but the moment passed quickly. Still, his gaze lingered a little longer on Xu Hongdou. Naturally enough—men enjoy looking at beautiful women.

This was, of course, the saintly male lead of the drama, Xie Zhiyao. He asked: "You're tourists here, right?"

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "We were wandering around, saw the horse farm, thought it looked nice, so we decided to try it out and take some photos."

"I'm the owner of this horse farm. Any suggestions on pricing, service, or anything else? Speak up—we'll definitely take them to heart and improve."

"It's fine, everything's good."

Xu Hongdou stood up, brushed her hair back, stamped her foot, smiled politely at Xie Zhiyao, then turned to Wang Yan: "Alright, let's go. It's almost dark—we should have dinner. You remember the way, right?"

Wang Yan nodded and waved to Xie Zhiyao: "We're off, boss. Goodbye."

"Goodbye. Come back anytime—we'll give you a discount."

Wang Yan waved goodbye to Xie Zhiyao, and he and Xu Hongdou left the horse farm, still walking slowly northward.

"If we keep walking at this pace, we won't get back until after seven, right?"

"About that."

"Will the restaurant still be open? Are we going to starve tonight?"

"How could we starve? Even if the restaurant's closed, we won't go hungry. I saw vegetables and frozen food in the guesthouse fridge—we can borrow some for now and return them tomorrow. Plus, we can ask Xie Xiaochun for a meal. And I've got instant noodles, self-heating meals, and ready-to-eat snacks in the car. If all else fails, we can drive to the ancient city—there are plenty of restaurants there, no chance of hunger. Don't worry."

"Today's physical exertion exceeds my entire week's total. I'm exhausted, starving, and sleepy—I don't want to think about anything except lying in bed and sleeping until I wake up naturally."

Xu Hongdou stretched her arms lazily, rolled her neck, savoring the post-exertion relaxation. She could feel that after tonight, tomorrow's energy would be excellent—better than ever before.

Seeing Wang Yan walking behind her with his hands clasped like an old man strolling, she asked: "Hey, from what you said earlier, you can cook too?"

"If you can't cook while traveling, you'll suffer. Though I rarely camp outdoors—I usually stay in inns or towns and eat at restaurants—there are still times when I have to cook myself. Eating nothing but instant noodles one meal and self-heating meals the next? That's no fun."

"What can you cook?"

"Too much to list—I've traveled everywhere, so I know a bit of every cuisine. One day when I have time, I'll cook a full meal for you—you'll see."

"It's a deal." Xu Hongdou asked, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"What about you?"

"I'll probably be sore for the next couple days—I won't be going anywhere."

Wang Yan smiled: "So what? Rest tomorrow morning, have lunch at Bada Wan, then head into town to check things out and wash the car. There are plenty of street snacks—eat until evening, no need to walk far like today, and you can rest anytime. Want to go?"

"Of course I'll go. I didn't come out to play just to stay at the guesthouse—it's boring. And I bet you wouldn't enjoy eating alone either."

"Thanks for the company."

Xu Hongdou smiled too. After a full day together, her impression of Wang Yan was excellent—he was witty, knowledgeable, and carried a carefree, unrestrained aura, perhaps from wandering the world; being with him felt utterly natural.

She let out a soft "Hey," and asked: "Can I ask you something?"

"Mm."

"How did you get through all those journeys before?"

Wang Yan grinned and raised an eyebrow. It was dark now, the mind quiet, especially here in the silent wilderness as night approached—he couldn't help wanting to talk about deeper things. Of course, "deeper" didn't mean romantic advancement, but a deeper exploration of human connection.

He said: "Mostly I'm alone. Sometimes I meet people on the road, travel and eat and have fun together for a while, then part ways somewhere and never see them again. There's always more parting than staying."

"Never see them again?"

"They're just passersby, just travelers—of course you never see them again."

"Don't you exchange contact info?"

"If you exchange contact info, do you really keep in touch? You should understand this—look at your own contacts, how many do you actually talk to? You're most active right after parting, but then they return to their lives, and I move on to new journeys, and gradually contact fades. It's perfectly normal."

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this now—it doesn't suit the mood. It's nighttime already, and talking like this brings a bit of sadness. You'll lie in bed tonight and overthink it."

"Then how did you adapt before?"

"Go with the flow. After experiencing enough, you stop feeling anything. Read more inspirational articles—they explain this clearly. No one can stay by your side forever, but there's always someone beside you. Something like that."

Wang Yan strolled lazily, indifferent. To Xu Hongdou, though, it seemed: "He's so carefree, so full of stories…" "Is he just pretending to be strong…?"

She wasn't afraid of anything else—only her own imagination was most dangerous. Xu Hongdou filled in Wang Yan's journey with her own tears and sorrows, crafting a fictional version of him and projecting it onto him. Then she'd realize: none of her imagined version matched the real Wang Yan's richness—even a fraction of it. This man… needed to be savored.

The rules of Yunmiao Village's business premises forbid noise after eight p. m. That means by eight, the villagers are already preparing to rest. This is the normal routine for most villagers—no entertainment, no late-night phone scrolling; they wash up and sleep by eight or nine, then rise at five or six to eat and work.

So unsurprisingly, when Wang Yan and Xu Hongdou returned to the village, the restaurant was closed, and even if open, had no ingredients left. They'd brought little to begin with, and the remaining food wouldn't be fresh tomorrow, so it naturally became their dinner.

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Fortunately, one barbecue stall was still open.

Xu Hongdou, eyeing the few remaining pre-threaded skewers, asked curiously: "Boss, there's hardly anyone walking around the village at night—do you even have customers?"

"You're new guests from Youfeng Xiaoyuan, right? I'm Yang Guanjun—I've known the guesthouse owner since childhood."

Yang Guanjun looked professional—he wore a mask to block spit spray, and smiled warmly: "My business is okay. Mostly kids and young people, but some uncles and grandpas buy a few skewers for drinks. It's convenient here, and cheap—easier than grilling at home. I'm the only one selling barbecue in the village. I set up every evening at six, and by seven-thirty, I'm usually sold out. Today's leftovers are just these—try some?"

Seeing Xu Hongdou look at him, Wang Yan smiled: "Grill them all. Pack them up—we'll eat them back at Youfeng Xiaoyuan."

"Got it! Perfect—I was heading home anyway. Since you're guests of Youfeng Xiaoyuan, I'll give you a ten percent discount. Come often! Total's… scan this code." Yang Guanjun efficiently lit the charcoal, placed the remaining skewers on the grill, and soon the aroma rose.

Without Wang Yan's help, Xu Hongdou scanned the code and asked: "Boss, one more thing—how about breakfast here?"

"Most villagers make their own—just buy steamed buns or mantou from the store or that restaurant over there. If you don't like that, you'll have to go to Dacheng. It's not far, but it's not worth going just for breakfast—so you might as well cook at Youfeng Xiaoyuan. You're city folks, probably don't cook much daily, so this is good practice. I've got pickled vegetables—I'll bring some over tomorrow morning."

"Thanks so much. No need to come early—whenever you have time is fine."

Wang Yan smiled and waved his hand, then walked over and placed the items he'd carried from the car onto the table: instant noodles, self-heating hotpot, sealed ready-to-eat dishes, beer, and drinks.

He took out two beers, handed one to Yang Guanjun: "Come on, have a drink."

"Oh, look at that—I've got beer!" Yang Guanjun laughed, took the beer, and opened it, clinking it with Wang Yan's…

Nothing special—Wang Yan was just a bit thirsty. Besides, Yang Guanjun was so warm, even offering pickled vegetables—he couldn't be aloof. Their casual chat was actually quite enjoyable.

They chatted and drank one can of beer, and Yang Guanjun finished grilling the skewers. With his enthusiastic invitation to "come back and eat again," Wang Yan and Xu Hongdou returned to Youfeng Xiaoyuan.

"You go back and get settled first. I'll just boil some water and slice up the cooked food—it'll take less than fifteen minutes."

"You really don't need my help?"

"Who needs help with instant noodles? Go on."

Finally, she could rest. Xu Hongdou walked ahead with light steps; hearing Wang Yan's words, she headed straight for her room. Just then, a woman with a braided ponytail, large eyes, an oval face, and stylish loose clothing stepped out from the side room serving as kitchen and living area.

"Hello, I'm in Room One—call me Seeing Nana. Did you just get back from playing all day?"

"Yeah, we didn't know the area at all, so we kept walking farther and farther, and it took a lot of effort to get back—we didn't even eat. Oh, by the way, I'm Xu Hongdou, he's Wang Yan. I'll go get settled first, then come down later."

"Alright, go ahead." Seeing Nana nodded with a smile; her first impression was good.

Seeing Nana now worked at Youfeng Guan Xiao Guan, making coffee, milk tea, and heating up instant meals. Originally a livestreamer, she faced online abuse because netizens thought her donation amount was too small—she wore luxury brands worth tens of thousands, so they believed she should give more. Unable to bear it, she broke down and came here to hide her identity and enjoy life, quietly healing her wounds in her spare time.

"Hello." Wang Yan smiled and nodded at Seeing Nana as he walked toward the kitchen: "Have you eaten? If not, want to join us? I bought some grilled food, instant noodles, self-heating hotpot, and cooked dishes."

"I already ate, thanks. These are your own supplies, right? The one downside of the village is that food isn't easy to get—next time, make sure you come back earlier."

As they spoke, the two entered the side room one after the other. Seeing Nana said, "Wang Yan, let me introduce you—this is..."

"Ma Qiushan? I know. Xiao Chun introduced him to us when we arrived, but back then, Ma Qiushan was meditating."

Wang Yan cut off Seeing Nana's words, smiling as he looked at Ma Qiushan sipping tea, then placed his items on the kitchen table.

Ma Qiushan waved his hand and chuckled: "Don't call it meditation—I'm just a self-taught amateur, don't understand the mysteries, it's purely a personal hobby."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan actually held him in higher regard. He didn't put on a pretentious air of detachment or spout mystical nonsense—he admitted he was just practicing blindly.

But Wang Yan's admiration rose too early, too fast—Ma Qiushan paused, then continued: "Still, after years of study, even as a self-taught amateur, I've gained some insights. If you have time later, we could sit, drink tea, chat, and exchange ideas."

Hmm… that made sense. After all, a middle-aged man who was oily, claimed past success, and had a bit of psychological superiority couldn't help but brag—it was normal.

"Of course." Wang Yan smiled and nodded, fiddling with the electric kettle. "Have you eaten, Ma Qiushan? Want to join us? We've got grilled food, cooked dishes, and beer—we can eat, drink, and talk together."

"Thank you, but I don't eat after noon."

"Understood."

With a hiss, Wang Yan opened a bottle of beer and raised it toward Ma Qiushan, who smiled and raised his teacup in return.

After drinking, Wang Yan unpacked the cooked food and asked, "Seeing Nana, Xiao Chun said our Youfeng Xiaoyuan is full—six rooms but only four people. Who are the other two?"

"Room Three is Hu Youyu—he's a live singer at a bar in town and hasn't come back yet. Room Four is Daimai—'mai' as in wheat. She's a net novelist; she doesn't like crowds, so she usually stays in her room writing."

"If what you say is true—another net novelist who avoids the spotlight, dislikes noise, and writes nonstop in her room—her schedule must be all over the place. Has she eaten? I've got Guizhou specialty crispy duck and pig's trotters—should I take some up to her?"

"No need. She'll come down when she's hungry. But you can leave some out—I'll message her on WeChat."

Seeing Nana was good friends with Daimai. She was glad that newcomers were easy to get along with and showed care and tolerance toward Daimai. She tapped her forehead: "Oh, right! Let's add each other on WeChat—we have a Youfeng Xiaoyuan group. Now that you two are in, we're all together."

"Alright."