I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

After arriving at the market, at Yang Sisi's insistence, I bought a piece of Dali Nuodeng ham, which is very famous, and then bought some green peppers, tofu, eggs, and other vegetables. I felt that it was enough for four people before I prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, Yang Sisi stopped at a barbecue ingredients stall and said to me, "We've been in Dali for a while now and haven't had any barbecue yet. How about we have barbecue tonight... and some 'Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon' beer? How wonderful!"

I've always enjoyed the atmosphere of barbecue, so when Yang Sisi suggested it, I agreed. I said to her, "You choose, I'll go to the supermarket over there and buy some beer."

"Okay... Oh, by the way, could you contact Sister Ye Zhi and ask her to come over for dinner tonight? Also, tell her that I've found a place to stay."

"Why don't you contact her yourself?"

"I'm angry with her right now, so I'm not going to contact her first."

I smiled helplessly, then took out my phone from my pocket. After finding Ye Zhi's contact list on WeChat, I sent her a voice message request.

She answered after a while, and then, sounding a little sleepy, asked, "Is something wrong?"

In my memory, she wasn't the type of woman who liked to sleep in late, so I was a little surprised. But I didn't want to seem too concerned about her private life, so I put aside my doubts and said to her, "Are you free tonight? Come to our inn for barbecue."

I'm in Shanghai.

I was slightly surprised and replied, "I saw you yesterday morning. When did you get back?"

"My flight was yesterday afternoon... There's a rather urgent contract that I need to go back in person to sign."

I was a little disappointed, but I couldn't force the issue, so I replied, "Oh... let's make it up another time."

"Um."

"Then I won't disturb your rest... You can continue sleeping."

"etc……"

"What's wrong?"

My interruption seemed to have banished Ye Zhi's sleepiness, and she asked me, "Has Sisi found a place to stay?"

I was immediately launched into a long-winded explanation, saying, "Don't even mention it. She came to work as a receptionist at our inn. I felt it was really inappropriate. She should have found something to do on her own. Now she's working at my inn. What are her parents going to think? But my partners are extremely happy about it and insist on keeping her here no matter what. I really had no choice but to accept it passively."

Ye Zhi paused for a moment, then said, "She's also earning her own living there, so as long as you don't give her any extra treatment, the effect will be the same."

"That's one thing..."

I was just about to tell Ye Zhi about my troubles when I heard her other phone ring. After apologizing to me, she ended the call. I stood there for a while before I came to my senses and started to complain about Yang Sisi.

I'm not afraid of anything else, except that Lao Huang might turn against me because of this... I suddenly felt like I'd had enough, because it seemed like I was going to have to find another way to deceive Lao Huang. But I can't keep living in this cycle of deception and being deceived. I came to Dali seeking a simple and free life, but the current situation seems to have deviated from my original intention.

……

Back at the guesthouse, Tie Nan and I cooked lunch together. After we finished eating, we weeded the yard. That evening, we set up a barbecue grill in the yard and brought out everything we wanted to grill and some beer. The atmosphere really got lively when Tie Nan put the charcoal into the grill…

We sat around the barbecue grill, drinking beer and eating meat skewers, enjoying the breeze blowing from Erhai Lake... Not only that, the ambient lighting that was already installed in the guesthouse also created a dreamlike atmosphere throughout the courtyard...

Tie Nan said that this is the life that should be lived in Dali. If you come to Dali and are still held back by the troubles of the mundane world, then your trip to Dali will have been meaningless.

I'm conflicted, yet undeniably, in this moment filled only with eating, drinking, and having fun, I truly found the feeling Wang Lei described. My circle of friends is now devoid of realists like Lao Huang and Lu Jia; only Yang Sisi, Tie Nan, Bai Lu, and Coach Ma remain—friends who seem to exist only in a dream.

Before we knew it, we'd already downed two cases of "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon" beer, and we'd inevitably become more talkative. Tie Nan said to me, "Our inn is now all set except for one crucial element: we bet if we can make it into the first batch of inns to reopen, we can recoup half our investment in just three months before the Lunar New Year..."

Coach Ma replied, "Do you even need to tell me? There are only 30 seaside inns that have reopened, so it's clear that demand exceeds supply. We won't need to do any advertising; customers who want seaside rooms will come looking for us on their own."

Tie Nan smiled and said, "Believe it or not, if we can really make this happen, and we offer a transfer fee of 200 million, there will definitely be a bunch of people fighting over it."

Before I could react, Coach Ma replied, "Don't get any ideas about making quick money. It's not easy for us to find a decent place to live here... Just work hard and treat this place as your own home."

I then realized what was happening and said, "Instructor Ma is right. If we're thinking about making a fortune from the transfer fee right now, we're essentially selling off Bailu's social resources and connections. What contribution would we make then? ... Let's focus on making the inn a success and expanding it. We absolutely cannot let it become a one-off deal."

"You two, calm down. What I mean is to let everyone know the value of this inn, and then work together to make it successful. Actually, everyone's goal is the same." After a slight pause, Tie Nan changed the subject and said to everyone, "I talked to Michael about changing the inn's name earlier. To be honest, I also think the current name is a bit too feminine... If our ultimate goal is to become a chain of reputable inns, then it's necessary to change the name... Bai Lu, Instructor Ma, what do you think?"

Bai Lu and Instructor Ma exchanged a glance, and then Bai Lu replied, "I don't object to changing the name, but I'm afraid Zhao Jing will have objections, since she's quite attached to this inn."

Bailu's thinking is different from ours. Our biggest concern is that changing the inn's name will affect the reputation and credibility we've built up on the website, but she sees it from a friend's perspective. So, even in such small details, you can see that she values ​​friendship very much.

I think this is a good thing, because our team really needs someone like this. When everyone works together, disagreements and conflicts are inevitable. That's when we need someone like Bailu to coordinate and balance things out.

At this moment, Coach Ma spoke up, saying to Bai Lu, "Go and discuss it with Zhao Jing..."

"Alright, everyone wants to change the name so that the inn can develop better. Although she's a bit stubborn, she's not unreasonable... But, if you're going to change the name, what are you going to call it?"

Everyone turned to look at me, as if I were the most cultured person in the team. I withstood the pressure and said, "I think the name of the inn must convey an emotion to the customers, such as that we are very dedicated to running the inn; or that we are enthusiastic and look forward to their arrival. This will increase the inn's overall image and make it more recognizable… The previous name, 'Fragrant Flowers and Clouds,' wasn't very distinctive because there were too many similar names, making it difficult for guests to differentiate."

Everyone agreed, saying, "That makes sense..."

I was so immersed in the pleasure of my vanity being satisfied when Coach Ma suddenly yelled, "Then you fucking come up with a name... If you're counting on us, believe me, we'll give you a name even less unique than 'Fragrant Clouds'."

I gave an awkward smile, gestured for him to calm down, and then looked at the beer bottles scattered on the ground. Countless tragic stories that had happened in Dali flashed through my mind... and I saw countless heartbroken people.

But they stayed in Dali and did not leave.

Who are they waiting for? And who is thinking of them from another corner of the world?

This feeling is both sad and beautiful... because what is lost and what is unknown is what touches people's hearts the most.

I finally spoke up to everyone and said, "I think we should call it 'Waiting for You Amidst the Romantic Scenery'."