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

Tie Nan was right. A distance of 30 kilometers wasn't really that scary for a gasoline-powered motorcycle. So when I brought Ye Zhi to Cheng Ge and Li Jie's farmhouse, it felt like it had happened in the blink of an eye after leaving the airport. Perhaps this was the effect of relativity; the reason I didn't perceive the passage of time was because the person sitting on the back of the motorcycle was Ye Zhi!

I'm not one to shy away from strangers, so even though it was only my second time here, I acted like a regular. After offering Brother Cheng a cigarette, I started chatting with him. I said to him, "Brother Cheng, I really think your cooking is top-notch! Look, our inn is close to your farmhouse, so why don't you collaborate with us in the future and become our inn's private kitchen? We don't need to take a single penny of your commission; we just need you to be one of our specialties when I promote our inn."

"No problem at all... I'm just worried that if your inn gets too popular, our little kitchen won't be able to handle it!"

I replied in a Taiwanese accent, "Relax, relax, we only have ten rooms, which is perfect for your small kitchen."

Cheng smiled, and I turned to Ye Zhi, who had been standing idly to the side without saying a word, and said, "I heard from your friend that you are a hotel investor, so I would like to ask you for some advice on our inn."

"Hotels and guesthouses are completely different business models. We mainly target high-end group clients, while you are small individual clients, so my advice may not be of reference value to you."

Ye Zhi's answer surprised me a bit, because subconsciously I expected her to give me some very useful advice as an industry elite, but she seemed somewhat resistant. She seemed very unwilling to participate in the discussion about my opening a guesthouse.

After thinking about it, I felt relieved. She was a bit aloof by nature, and since she ran a high-end, large hotel that was several levels above ours, she naturally wouldn't be interested in discussing a small business like ours.

I didn't force her; I was still basking in the joy of the upcoming collaboration with Brother Cheng. I felt his private kitchen was truly unique, and if we could collaborate with our inn exclusively, it would definitely become a highlight for our guests.

……

About half an hour later, Tie Nan finally arrived at the farmhouse with Tao Zi. At the same time, I called Coach Ma, Bai Lu, and Yang Sisi to tell them to come and have dinner there as well.

As the food was almost ready, everyone sat down around the long table, and I took the opportunity to formally introduce Peach to them. Everyone raised their beers to her in welcome.

Peach downed a large glass of beer with gusto, then said to us, "I really envy you all for having the opportunity to live in a place like Dali... Before coming here, I kept wondering what kind of charm Dali has? Why is it a place so many people dream of visiting?... To be honest, I've only been here for half a day, so I can't possibly find the answers in such a short time. But seeing you free spirits, able to openly let go of some things and choose to live here, I admire you from the bottom of my heart... So, I especially want to drink with you all tonight until we're all drunk!"

Everyone raised their glasses to Taozi again, and after drinking another beer, Yang Sisi, who always loved to express her opinions, said to Taozi, "Sister Taozi, some decisions aren't as difficult as you think... Take Cheng Ge and Sister Li, who cook for us, for example. One of them was a Michelin-starred chef, and the other was a senior architect... Pretty prestigious jobs, right? But for the city they love, they resolutely gave up their former glory... I bet they're incredibly grateful for the choice they made back then, because I can feel how happy they are living in Dali... Look how beautifully they've made their little courtyard! Think about it, without a fulfilling inner life, how could they have the leisure to create such a meticulously crafted courtyard?!"

I've always admired Yang Sisi's eloquence. What she said was exactly what I wanted to say to Taozi, but I didn't know how to express it. Taozi, somewhat moved, looked at Cheng Ge and Sister Li, who were cooking in the kitchen.

At this moment, Tie Nan pressed on, saying to Tao Zi, "In Dali, you won't be very rich, but you won't starve easily either... If you really yearn for Dali, you can choose to stay. You can help out at Bai Lu's bar, or you can stay and help out at our inn."

Peach hesitated for only a moment, then said firmly, "No, I still can't give up my current job!"

Yang Sisi asked, puzzled, "Sister Taozi, did you have a high salary in your previous job?"

Peach hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's alright... I just have an ordinary job, barely enough to support myself."

"Then what is it that you can't give up? It's not like I haven't lived in Shanghai before. Especially for outsiders like you, just a house can make you feel hopeless... But it's different in Dali. Even if you rent a house your whole life, no one will laugh at you."

Taozi just smiled but didn't respond to Yang Sisi's words. Among everyone present, I was probably the only one who could understand her thoughts. Unlike the lonely Wang Lei, she had a family to support. Although her current job was not respectable, it was indeed a high-income job...

I once heard Wang Lei mention that she had a younger brother back in her hometown. Her extremely biased parents placed the entire burden of her brother's marriage and career entirely on her shoulders. Last year, she had just helped her brother make a down payment on an apartment in the county town, but her good-for-nothing brother was not only ungrateful, but also pressured their parents to give Taozi another 20 yuan as a dowry to the woman he was to marry…

I know that Peach has had enough, but she just can't let go of this family bond that has turned sour.

I finally spoke to Peach and said, "We can talk about whether or not to stay in Dali later... It's rare for everyone to be gathered together like this today, so why don't you show off your skills and mix a few drinks for everyone to liven things up?"

"No problem, I've been wanting to find a way to thank everyone for a while now. I'll mix a few of my best drinks for you."

Everyone looked at Peach with surprise, but to me, who knew her profession, it felt perfectly normal. Because in their line of work, they often have to make customers happy, so they all learn a few tricks that can be used at the dinner table, and bartending is Peach's specialty.

……

Taozi borrowed a set of bartending equipment from Cheng Ge, and then mixed a drink for each of us according to our preferences. I had a lot of confidence in her, and everyone praised her skills after their first taste. Among them, Coach Ma and Bai Lu were the most excited.

Bai Lu said to Tao Zi, "After drinking your wine, we'd like to keep you here even more... because our inn is also planning to open a small bar, but we're lacking a capable bartender. If you were willing to do it, it would be a perfect fit for us... By the way, I also run a bar in the ancient city. It's true that you need to compare bartenders to see who's the best! You're great, really..."

Amidst Bailu's effusive praise, it suddenly dawned on me that I was planning to turn my inn into a small bar. This serendipitous discovery only strengthened my resolve to keep Taozi here.

I have a strong feeling that when we, people with different strengths, come together, we will definitely be able to achieve something great, and Dali is where we set sail!