CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 377: THE LITTLE WHITE RABBIT IS LOST AGAIN

The sun was about to set, yet still cast its brilliance across the sky, though with little warmth remaining.

The eaves could shield the high-hanging sunlight, but not the afterglow of the sunset. When the orange-red light fell upon his face, Qin Guanglin awoke, his energy fully replenished. He stood up from the lounge chair and stretched, suddenly feeling vibrant.

Maintaining a regular exercise routine certainly had its benefits. It felt great.

He Fang had already woken from her afternoon nap and was seated in the hall engrossed in a book. Qin Guanglin came in, quickly downed two cups of tea, and wiped his mouth before asking, "Should we eat first, or go out for a stroll?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Mmm... not particularly."

"Then let’s go for a walk and see if we can find some good local specialties to eat."

He Fang closed her book, got up, and placed it back on the shelf, looking down at her clothes. After some thought, she decided not to go upstairs to change. "Let’s go."

Sakura Avenue in Li City was most beautiful in spring. Now, in the scorching summer, only green leaves were visible; not a petal in sight. Yet the two weren’t very disappointed, strolling leisurely through the wooded path, enjoying the tranquility. As the remaining daylight filtered through the leaves, Qin Guanglin looked up, lost in thought.

Calculating the time, he had three years left to live.

Three years...

It would be great to avoid it, but if he couldn’t and something unexpected happened, he would still have had a very satisfying ten years.

It was just He Fang he felt sorry for.

"Next time, let’s come in the spring, with Ya and Qin’s Mom," Qin Guanglin suddenly said. "And my father-in-law too, if he has time."

"What ’father-in-law’? Can’t you just say ’our dad’?"

"Oh, our dad, our mom."

He paused, then gestured, "How’s... Yuan doing?"

"She’s in middle school at a different place, so we don’t see her often." He Fang shook her head with ease. "But I have her Weixin, and from her moments, it seems she’s doing well. Sometimes she posts photos she’s taken with friends on weekends."

"That’s good."

Qin Guanglin smiled and glanced around before suddenly picking up He Fang and spinning her around twice on the spot.

"Ah! How can you still be so childish at your age!"

"You’ve gotten heavier."

"It’s you who’s getting weaker!"

"Clearly, it’s... alright, I’m weaker." Qin Guanglin wrapped his arms around her and walked towards a street stall. "This floral cake is said to be highly nourishing, let’s buy a couple of boxes to take back with us."

"Who did you hear that from?" He Fang wondered if middle-aged men just believed everything was nourishing.

"I thought so myself."

"..."

After wandering through the snack street, dusk had already enveloped them, and the street lights were ablaze. The two ambled back to the inn after eight, too early to rest. Qin Guanglin busied himself with a simple sketchpad, doodling and drawing.

Although there were no cherry blossoms on the trees, he could add them in his artwork. Sakura Avenue, laden with blossoms, was recreated on his canvas, with two silhouetted figures linked together amid the scattering petals.

"Not bad."

The innkeeper had been watching behind him for a while and seized the chance when Qin Guanglin changed his pen to speak up.

"We came in the wrong season, so I had to imagine it myself." Qin Guanglin turned to ask, "Is it like this in spring?"

"Pretty much, though there aren’t quite so many fallen petals. To see this many, you’d have to give the trees a good kick."

"You can kick the trees?" Qin Guanglin arched his brow.

The innkeeper seemed a bit helpless, "Of course not, but you know tourists... They’re uncontrollable when it comes to taking photos."

"Alright."

Qin Guanglin expressed understanding and flexed his wrist, preparing to continue with his drawing by switching to a different paintbrush.

"How about I trade a wind chime with you for a painting?" the owner turned back and offered a string of seashell wind chimes.

"This one?"

"Any is fine... If you can’t bear to part with it, you could find time to paint another."

"Sure."

Qin Guanglin nodded. The owner’s string of wind chimes was quite exquisite, and trading was different from selling; he was happy to make such an exchange.

"These shells on the string were carefully selected; they are the best of the batch. I’ll give them to you first, just don’t forget about the painting."

The owner placed the wind chimes beside Qin with a smile and then left him uninterrupted.

Making various trades with the passing travelers was also one of the pleasures of running an inn.

The painting of cherry trees in full bloom was given to He Fang. Although he had received many similar ones, He Fang was still happy and gave Qin Guanglin a big surprise in the morning.

Morning greetings always made one feel cheerful. Being asked and volunteering felt worlds apart. Humming a tune, Qin Guanglin stretched in the early morning sunlight and after some thought, painted another one with the same composition but in a different season for the owner to complete their trade.

The painting depicted a tree full of leaves without flowers, still with two people’s silhouettes on the avenue. The owner liked it so much that he found a frame to encase it.

"Are you going to hang it here?" Qin Guanglin watched the owner busying himself and asked, pointing to a corner of the lobby.

"May I?"

The owner looked at him with an inquiring gaze.

"Of course, I’m glad you like it."

Soon after, the owner framed the painting and hung it on the display wall; the image of two people holding hands against a backdrop was immortalized there.

...

After spending ten days in Li City, avoiding the crowded hotspots, Qin Guanglin and He Fang leisurely strolled through the ancient city, where the enchanting charm of small bridges over flowing water was fully evident.

He tried some mushrooms once. Although those from the formal shops were delicious, he did not experience the legendary little people jumping before his eyes, which left Qin Guanglin slightly disappointed; he was curious to see what would appear before him.

On the day before departure, Qin Guanglin and the owner exchanged contact information on Weixin, agreeing to meet again next time they were in the area.

The old city was vast, and since they had not visited the popular spots this time, next time they might bring Qin’s Mom, Ya, and others for another visit, perhaps in spring.

"Sleeping so early?"

At night, He Fang was nudging and nuzzling against Qin Guanglin. Her intent was obvious; Qin caught on instantly. Glancing at the clock and closing his eyes, he said, "It’s not early, it’s almost eleven, hurry up and sleep."

"It’s just past ten..."

"We have to go back tomorrow, what if we sleep too late and miss something?"

"Hmph."

After a moment of silence, He Fang suddenly sat up. "Let me tell you a story."

"What?"

"Once upon a time, there was a cute little white rabbit that hopped along carrying a basket into the forest to pick mushrooms. Then, somehow it got lost. It turned and turned until it met a little grey rabbit..."

He Fang narrated the tale of the lost little white rabbit in a sweetly cloying voice. Qin Guanglin listened with amusement at first, but then something felt off.

Little white rabbit... lost... Why does this sound so familiar?

"The little white rabbit asked the little grey rabbit, ’Brother grey rabbit, do you know how to get out of this forest?’ The little grey rabbit nodded, ’I do...’"

"Stop! I don’t want to hear a story."

"No, you do."