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

After Bai Lu and I finished talking about the inn, it was just past nine o'clock in the morning when Instructor Ma came out of his room, which really shocked me, because since I met this guy, he has never gotten up before 12 o'clock.

Bai Lu knew him better than I did, which made it even more unbelievable for her. She asked Coach Ma, "What happened to you?"

While straightening his clothes, Coach Ma replied, "I've arranged to meet a friend who does wholesale liquor today. I'm planning to get a batch of goods from him. I'll talk to him about the price first, and then see if I can pay him after the liquor is sold here."

"You must have been through something to upset you!"

Coach Ma rarely smiled, and then said, "You've all been quite concerned about the inn, so I feel bad about just sitting around doing nothing."

"Okay, go ahead and do it. It would be best to supply the goods first and then pay, so that we won't be too stressed about not having enough funds."

After making a comprehension gesture, Coach Ma left first...

After staring at his retreating figure for a moment, Bai Lu said to me with deep emotion, "Seeing him like this, I'm genuinely happy for him. He's been giving up on himself for far too long!"

"Is there a story behind it?"

"That's all in the past..." She paused briefly, then changed the subject, saying, "Michael, our temporary team, although it looks like a makeshift operation, has a really great entrepreneurial atmosphere. At least for now, everyone is selfless... I hope everyone can maintain this mindset and enjoy the entrepreneurial process... If we can ultimately make this inn a success, I'll consider it atonement!"

"Atonement?"

"Um."

Bai Lu responded vaguely, looking preoccupied. After a moment of silence, she continued, "So, I really hope you can keep Taozi here to help Coach Ma. You and Tie Nan are focused on the inn and may not be thinking much about the bar, but I can sense that Coach Ma is very committed this time. He wants to make this little bar in the inn a success... I'm an insider in the bar industry, and I feel that Taozi's bartending skills are at least above average. If she can stay, it would be like having another capable assistant for Coach Ma... Think about it, although our inn doesn't rely on the bar to make money, having a bar that can mix good drinks would be another selling point for the inn."

"I really wanted her to stay, but..."

Before I could finish speaking, Bai Lu interrupted me, saying, "I really hope you can have a proper talk with Taozi again... Let me state my position first: I'm willing to offer her a higher salary than she had when she worked in Shanghai, and I can also let her take a portion of the revenue as commission."

"There's a misunderstanding. We really can't offer her a higher salary than she did in Shanghai."

Bai Lu replied with a puzzled look, "Tie Nan told me that she also works as a hotel receptionist in Shanghai. The income in this industry is probably not that scary."

I didn't know how to explain it to Bailu, so after a long while I replied, "I'll find a suitable opportunity to talk to her about this, but don't put all your hopes on her. It's best to have a backup plan. Anyway, I'm not very confident that I can keep her in Dali."

"I understand that it takes a lot of courage for anyone to truly want to stay and live in Dali."

……

After talking with Bailu, she called Tienan to go and run the sewage treatment equipment business together, while I took Taozi and left the inn. According to the previous plan, I would accompany her to take a stroll in the ancient city today.

Taozi is a woman who loves shopping, so after arriving in the ancient town, she bought a lot of Yunnan specialties such as tea and flower cakes. She said she was going to take these things back to share with her friends. Her enthusiasm for the ancient town was limited to shopping, so after finding there wasn't much left to buy, she suggested that they explore other places.

I didn't deliberately take her to any tourist attractions. We just strolled along the lakeside road, and then stopped at a spot where the scenery was nice. We found a grassy area to sit on, and across from us was Erhai Lake. Next to the lake was a rose garden, where groups of tourists were chatting and drinking tea, while others were busy taking pictures. Everything looked so relaxed and peaceful…

I handed Taozi a cigarette, and after she lit it, she said to me, "I feel that people living in Dali are different from those in other places. They seem to lack a sense of urgency in their lives."

"Yes, compared to people outside, the people here don't seem to like comparing themselves to others. Everyone seems to have their own hobbies, and they'd rather spend their time on those hobbies than chasing after money. Maybe that's just the atmosphere here."

Peach smiled, then stared intently at the rose garden across the way for a long time. I knew she liked it here…

It seems that humans are just like that. Like Peach, she dances and sings in nightclubs every day, but deep down she craves peace and quiet more than most people. However, she has no choice but to put on a smile and please others in nightclubs in order to make a living.

"Michael, do you think people have a next life?"

"I wish I could, because I have too many regrets in this life!"

Peach turned to look at me and suddenly asked, "If Leilei wasn't a prostitute, would you have chosen to be with Leilei or Lu Jia?"

Caught off guard, I met her gaze and after a long pause replied, "Is such an option in my life? Lu Jia or Wang Lei?"

"Can't you really feel Leilei's affection for you?... It's a pity she's a prostitute, she's not good enough for you, so after you got Lu Jia as your girlfriend, she didn't even have the confidence to occasionally ask you out for a meal... She always says that every time she sees you with Lu Jia, she feels particularly inferior!"

I took a deep drag of my cigarette and replied, "Maybe I'm just a very realistic person."

"But in Leilei's eyes, you were a good man worthy of entrusting yourself to... Michael, there are some things I really don't know whether I should tell you, after all, Leilei is dead, but if I don't say them, I can't help but want to cry whenever I think of what Leilei said to me!"

Taozi wiped away her tears with the hand holding the cigarette, but the word "death" sent chills down my spine, and I instinctively didn't want to hear her continue. I had a premonition that what Wang Lei said to her would break my heart!

After Taozi calmed down a bit, she asked me again, "Can you tell me honestly, if Leilei were still alive, would you really bring her to Dali and make her your woman? Or even marry her?"

I looked at the peach, but couldn't say a word.

Peach burst into tears again, but smiled and said, "I feel sorry for Leilei, but I can't blame you... she just dreamed too big of a dream!"

I remained silent because what Taozi was talking about was something I didn't want to face, because I knew that the woman I loved was Lu Jia... and love shouldn't be a result obtained through calculating what you give.

However, I can't tell whether the reason I haven't fallen in love with Wang Lei after knowing her for so long is because of her profession. Apart from her profession, she is almost a perfect woman.

I finally spoke to Peach, saying, "Regardless of whether there's something deeper than friendship between us, I've come to Dali. She's a woman who changed my life, and I'll remember her for the rest of my life."

Peach smiled and replied, "At least you still have some conscience... I hope you know that compared to Lu Jia, Wang Lei is more worthy of your love... She won't leave you because you don't have money, and she won't ask you for a house or a car before marriage. She will only silently accompany you in your struggles, and she can even endure the despair of living in a big city better than you."

"Isn't this a reflection of your inner self?"

This time, it was Peach who fell silent, and her silence was the answer... Although she kept saying that she didn't need love, deep down she still longed for a love that she would give her all for, which is why she spoke up for Wang Lei.

She desperately wanted to find the answer from me: she would marry Wang Lei, because Wang Lei was a mirror reflecting her own situation. Unfortunately, everyone has a pragmatic side!