Chapter 710: Truly a Story to Tell

Xu Hongdou packed up quickly. In just a few minutes, she had changed her clothes, put on her slippers, and came thumping down the stairs.

Seeing Wang Yan skillfully slicing cooked food with a kitchen knife, Nana was resting her chin on her hand with a smile on her face at the long solid wood dining table not far away. She walked over and asked, "What are you talking about? You look so happy."

"Nana was asking where we went, and I was just telling her."

"We weren't familiar with the place, so we just ran around aimlessly. As for what we did, we didn't really do much; we just rode horses for half an hour at the horse farm in the south. What left the deepest impression on me was that everyone we met was very nice and enthusiastic. Especially just now when we came back to buy barbecue, that boss named Yang Guanjun even wanted to give us some pickled vegetables for free."

It was indeed as Xu Hongdou said; they had met quite a few people along the way, and they were all very polite. Even when Wang Yan slung his camera over his shoulder and shoved it in people's faces to take pictures, they were very cooperative, which was truly impressive. As for Yang Guanjun, that went without saying; he was Xie Zhiyao's childhood friend, a die-hard supporter, and an absolute advocate for Xie Zhiyao's development of their hometown. He was extremely enthusiastic toward tourists like Wang Yan who were willing to come to this remote corner to play, all to leave a good impression on outsiders.

Xu Hongdou shared her feelings with Nana, then turned to ask Wang Yan, "Do you need my help?"

"No need, it'll be ready in a moment. Just wait to eat. Oh, that's right, I added Nana on WeChat just now, and she pulled me into the 'Windy Courtyard' group. I added you to it too, take a look."

Xu Hongdou nodded, walked to the dining table, and sat opposite Nana. While fiddling with her phone, she started chatting with Nana, though she didn't forget to greet Ma Qiushan.

Aside from his posturing and doing useless things, Ma Qiushan was actually quite easygoing. At forty-something years old and having been a big boss, he got along quite happily with a bunch of working-class people.

Wang Yan listened with a smile as the three of them exchanged idle chatter, and soon the meal was ready.

Using the plates and bowls provided here, the food was set on the table, looking clean and appetizing. The staple food was, of course, instant noodles. In addition, there was crispy duck, spiced beef, pig's trotters, a bag of Eight-Treasure vegetables, and a pile of barbecue they had packed to go, looking quite sumptuous.

Handing the chopsticks to Xu Hongdou, Wang Yan took out a six-pack of canned beer: "Want one?"

Xu Hongdou gave a hum of agreement: "Let's have one. It's easier to fall asleep feeling a bit buzzed."

With two *pssh* sounds, Wang Yan opened two cans of beer. He handed one to Xu Hongdou, took a sip of his own, and turned his head to look at the sofa by the window: "Ma Ye, Nana, are you really not eating? Having a drink is fine too. If it's not enough, I have more; didn't you see that big bag? Let me tell you, these are all local specialties, and they taste pretty good."

Ma Qiushan's Adam's apple bobbed. He feigned composure as he picked up his teacup: "Thank you, but I really won't eat."

Just now, when Wang Yan was preparing the food, the aroma was too strong. Especially the instant noodles; after not eating them for a long time, the sudden smell of instant noodles was truly enticing.

"I really won't eat either. I'm not being polite; I've gained a bit of weight recently and am currently on a diet. There's so much food, it'll be the same if I eat it tomorrow. Thank you both." Nana waved her hands repeatedly, saying this very politely.

Wang Yan nodded, picked up his beer, and toasted her twice: "That's fine too. Besides what's in the kitchen, I have quite a lot in my car. I'll bring it all back tomorrow; if you want to eat, just take it yourselves, don't be polite."

Ma Qiushan and Nana thanked him in response, feeling even better inside. Although in today's society, everyone maintains a superficial, shallow social life, and at most they would take one or two to taste the flavor and would absolutely not take things as casually as Wang Yan said, they still liked Wang Yan's generosity. Unless it was generosity with an ulterior motive, generally speaking, generous people were very easy to get along with and didn't fuss over trifles.

They had only known Wang Yan for ten minutes, and apart from Yunmiao Village, they hadn't talked about anything else. Clearly, it was impossible for Wang Yan to have any designs on them. That could only mean the latter: Wang Yan was a broad-minded, generous person who didn't fuss over trifles.

Watching Wang Yan finish the sausage and egg in the instant noodles in a few bites, then tear off a duck leg to share with Xu Hongdou before picking up the other one to gnaw on, all while not forgetting to eat skewers and drink beer—he looked so satisfied. Such a way of eating didn't make people feel repulsed; instead, it made them feel that this was how one should eat. Not only did he eat quickly, but he was also very natural.

Nana asked curiously: "You got so much stuff, can you two finish it? Putting it in the fridge won't spoil it, but the taste will be much worse."

Xu Hongdou, who was happily slurping her instant noodles, looked up and said with a smile: "Don't look at how thin he is; he has a great appetite and can really eat. At noon, the two of us ordered four dishes and one soup at the Gesanghua Restaurant, including a clay pot fish... The staple food was rice noodles. I was almost full after one bowl, and he basically finished all those dishes."

"Really?" Nana was a bit surprised. "I know Gesanghua Restaurant. I've eaten all the dishes you ordered; they are very affordable and the portions are huge. You could finish all that? Then why do you still look so thin?"

"Thanks for your concern, but I don't have any illness. I just have the habit of exercising, so my consumption is relatively high." Wang Yan shook his head with a laugh, rolled up his sleeves, clenched his fist to exert force, and tightened the muscles on his forearm: "Look, not bad, right?"

Being able to eat is a blessing; being too able to eat is an illness. Nana was still feeling a bit unsatisfied; perhaps she thought that since they had just met, it wasn't easy to bring it up. After all, no one would walk up and say, "Could there be some kind of illness?"

Wang Yan was very clear about this point. After all, he was a master of both Chinese and Western medicine. He was a general practitioner in both, and apart from not being good at *Zhu You* sorcery, he was extremely badass. In the past, when his medical skills hadn't reached mastery but were still at a very high level, he would still want to offer a few words of warning when he met people. Never mind the current social situation; even in the so-called polite ancient times, unless he had obvious proof on his body, seven out of ten people wouldn't care about his warning, and two of those seven who didn't care would have explosive tempers and curse at him.

Later, he changed. Unless he was truly playing the role of a practicing doctor, he would just let things be, depending on his mood. In general, he became cold and indifferent.

To tell the truth, to this day, the number of people he has saved is far less than the number of people he has killed...

Looking at Wang Yan's lean, angular, and powerful forearm, Ma Qiushan said with a gasp of surprise: "You must have trained these muscles a lot in your daily life, right?"

"It's alright." Wang Yan nodded with a smile, answering very modestly. After all, he had been training for nearly a thousand years.

Xu Hongdou hadn't seen it before, and Wang Yan's answer was vague, so she didn't ask in detail. Only now did she discover that Wang Yan's muscles were well-trained. She asked curiously: "You've been outside for such a long time, running around every day, and you still exercise?"

"Wait!"

Just as Wang Yan was about to speak, Nana spoke first. Seeing Wang Yan and Xu Hongdou looking at her in unison, she felt awkward and asked embarrassedly, "From what I heard Hongdou say, you two don't seem to be close?"

Ma Qiushan also had a gossipy look on his face, and his question was even more direct: "Yeah, I'm curious too. Aren't you a couple?"

Xu Hongdou glanced at Wang Yan, who was raising his eyebrows and smiling at her, and shook her head with a laugh: "No, you all misunderstood. It was this morning. I wanted to hail a taxi on the street in Dali to come here, and he happened to be driving by. He said he was going to drive around Erhai Lake and could give me a ride on the way. It was only in the car that I found out we had both booked rooms at the Windy Courtyard. We are both here for the first time and are both alone, so it must be more interesting to travel together."

"Oh~" Nana gave a long "oh," and Ma Qiushan also gave Wang Yan a "brother, I understand everything" look, labeling him.

Wang Yan laughed: "A fair lady is a gentleman's quest, after all."

"What are you talking about." Xu Hongdou waved her hand. "Did you see that camera? He's a photographer, a very good one. He wanted me to be his model. It was only after he knew we had both booked rooms here that he didn't take photos and drove halfway around Erhai Lake to get here. Hey, right, Wang Yan, when will you finish the ones you took this afternoon? I still want to post them on my Moments."

"Soon. After dinner, I'll bring the computer down, and you can watch from the side; it'll be more engaging." Wang Yan answered while eating.

Before, when others said they were boyfriend and girlfriend, Xu Hongdou didn't explain because they weren't close and it was highly likely they wouldn't have many dealings, so there was no need to waste breath. Now it was different; Xu Hongdou was going to live here for three months, so it was necessary for her to clarify. If she glossed over it and Nana and the others found out the truth later, she would feel very uncomfortable living in this courtyard, which was decorated nicely, looked pleasing to the eye, and felt comfortable, because she would be excluded.

On the other hand, the reason was, of course, that they had only known each other for a day, and she had to express her own thoughts. Not explaining once or twice was fine, but she couldn't keep not explaining, otherwise it would cause some misunderstandings. Although she had a good impression of Wang Yan so far, she actually had concerns, which was Wang Yan's past experience.

Furthermore, Wang Yan stopped to pick her up, of course, because she was beautiful. So how could she believe that Wang Yan had never let other women hitch a ride before? What she should be thinking about was how many experiences Wang Yan had actually had. After all, someone who had walked across the country for seven years and was also rich, it was hard not to make people wonder what kind of "blazing fire" he had been through...

Xu Hongdou nodded, agreeing with Wang Yan's words.

Nana laughed: "What kind of model? Isn't that still a fair lady? After all, if you aren't good-looking, you can't be a model. Hey, don't say, Hongdou, I think you two can consider ancient costumes, or the Bai ethnic costumes here. The photos taken will definitely be very beautiful."

Hearing this, Wang Yan raised his beer with a smile. This was Dali, which was Nanzhao a long time ago. Nana understood *Zhao Ling'er*...

"That's a good idea, worth considering." He took a sip of beer and said while eating, "Nana, you are also a fair lady. Do you want to consider being a model too? Don't worry, Hongdou just said my level is good enough. In a while, you'll know after you see my results from today."

Unsurprisingly, Nana shook her head repeatedly and refused without even thinking. She ran to this remote corner to hide and heal herself; she didn't want to go out and show her face, looking for trouble.

Wang Yan shrugged, didn't say anything else, and turned back to continue eating and drinking.

Actually, Nana's situation was still a bit exaggerated. After all, she was just an internet celebrity who sang. Even if she was very famous on the internet, she still hadn't reached the level of being a household name. Even if some people had watched her live streams, and even if she was confident in her looks and didn't use beauty filters, and she looked the same in person as on camera, given that she had been here for a year and considering the cycle of internet celebrities, she would have long since cooled down. Even if there were true die-hard fans, after such a long time and in such a fast-paced era, seeing her in person would just make them feel she looked familiar, and they wouldn't be able to recall who she was for a while.

Unless it was the kind of "top-tier big brother" who embezzled public funds and sold houses and land to tip female streamers, that might be true obsession...

Ma Qiushan swallowed again, drank some tea to moisten his throat, and then asked: "Wang Yan, just now Hongdou said you've been outside all along, and you have such a pile of specialties. Did you drive here all the way?"

"Yes, just wandering around when I have nothing to do. I'm also a photographer, but I don't specialize in anything. I shoot everything, both landscapes and people, and I just came here all the way like this."

"That's great. Traveling through mountains and rivers, enjoying nature; it seems you are a person who pursues freedom."

Seeing Wang Yan smiling and not speaking, Nana took over the conversation: "Where did you come from? What places have you been to?"

Without needing Wang Yan to speak, Xu Hongdou helped Wang Yan brag: "Speaking of this, I admire him. Nana, Ma Ye, Wang Yan is from Liaoning Province. He has been walking alone for more than seven years and has basically traveled all over China. He's incredibly amazing. Oh, right, I just remembered, he has an account on Weibo, and everything he posts is his photography work. You'll know once you search his name."

Although Xu Hongdou had gone out for a trip and walked a lot, and her body was very tired, her spirit was very good. People, when their spirit is good, they talk a lot. Especially since she also felt that Wang Yan was indeed an amazing person.

So, unsurprisingly, what followed was Nana holding her smartphone and flipping through Wang Yan's photography work along the way, and Ma Qiushan also peeking from the side. After all, he was playing the "high-level person," distancing himself from the secular world, and using a Nokia.

The two of them asked Wang Yan all sorts of questions, basically the same as what Xu Hongdou had asked, curious about the scenery and people he had encountered along the way, and what he relied on to support his life. Ma Qiushan even discussed cars with Wang Yan, hearing that he drove a Raptor and had all kinds of modifications. Although Ma Qiushan didn't know much about it, it didn't stop him from liking big cars too.

Curiosity, everyone has it. Wang Yan was just eating and drinking while answering their questions with a smile. Of course, his speech was very humorous and vivid, so the atmosphere was very harmonious and happy, and the sounds of laughter spread out.

Wang Yan's sharp ears even heard the movement in the room upstairs. Although he didn't see anyone, he knew clearly that it was the curious Da Mai coming out to see what they were chatting about...

After dinner, Wang Yan kept his word. First, he washed the dishes with Xu Hongdou, then went to shower and wash up, and then took his computer downstairs to start post-processing the photos. Xu Hongdou's washing up was also quite fast; twenty minutes later, she ran to Wang Yan's side with wet hair, sat down, and looked at the photos he had taken of her together.

Of course, he didn't ignore Ma Qiushan and Nana; they were all sitting at the dining table from before. Ma Qiushan brought his tea set over, and everyone chatted aimlessly.

Of course, the main focus of the conversation was still on Wang Yan; he really had too many stories to tell... ===== CHAPTER 711 =====