The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Next to the classroom was a house made of stone tiles.

The wind seeped in through the cracks in the wall, carrying the dampness of the mountains. Fortunately, the roof was covered with plastic sheeting, which blocked the rain from leaking into the house.

"To be honest, Brother Xu, you've come all this way to see me, and I don't really have any good way to entertain you."

Qi Yu fished two cans of beer from the well, the cans covered with fine water droplets. He pushed one can in front of Xu Nian and pulled the tab himself.

"There's nothing we can do. The mountains are poor. This house used to be where the village chief lived. It was the best house in the village."

"Knowing that I was coming to teach, the village chief gave me his house."

He scratched his head, his tone slightly hesitant.

"Half of it was used as a classroom, and the other half as my living quarters. He moved to someone else's house and squeezed in."

"It's alright, I'm here to study."

Xu Nian smiled indifferently.

He spent most of his early life enduring hardship, living a simple life with coarse food and drafty rooms.

His fingertips touched the cool can, he pulled the tab, lightly bumped it against Qi Yu's can, and tilted his head back to drink it down in a big gulp.

The bitterness of the beer was neutralized by the coolness of the well water, as if it had been chilled, and slid down my throat, but it couldn't suppress the faint, lingering unease in my heart.

The two were chatting casually when suddenly there were light footsteps at the door. A tall figure lifted the curtain and walked in, carrying a bamboo tray with several clean wild fruits on it, which she gently placed on the stone table in front of them.

"Brother Xu, it's been a long time."

She smiled slightly at Xu Nian.

Xu Nian squinted and stared at her for a while before recognizing her from those familiar eyes and brows.

"Zhao Lin, it's you too, long time no see."

The Zhao Lin in front of me has a face that is rough from being exposed to the sun and rain.

Her once fair and delicate skin now, like Qi Yu's, has a healthy but rough tan.

Her palms were covered in calluses, the marks left by years of hard work. She wore simple coarse cloth clothes, her hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and her trousers were rolled up to her ankles, speckled with mud. At first glance, she looked no different from the women in the village.

But the calmness and gentleness hidden in those eyes could not ultimately conceal the delicate beauty in her bones.

She looks completely different from the bright-eyed girl she was more than a decade ago.

Zhao Lin nodded, turned around and spoke to Qi Yu in a gentle tone.

"Ayu, you guys chat, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where are you going? It's still raining outside. Why don't you wait until the rain stops before going out?"

Qi Yu stood up, his face showing concern.

"It's raining, and the mountain roads are slippery. I'm worried about the children going home, so I'm going to see them off."

"Oh dear!" Qi Yu slapped his forehead, looking annoyed. "Look at me, what a terrible teacher I am, I completely forgot about this. Wait a minute, I'll go with you."

"No need, I can go by myself."

Zhao Lin turned around and rummaged through the cabinet, pulling out a large oil-paper umbrella. She glanced back at Xu Nian and then spoke to Qi Yu.

"Brother Xu came all this way to see you, but he doesn't have much to offer at home, so please keep him company."

Qi Yu glanced at Xu Nian, then at Zhao Lin, and scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

He took off his coat and draped it over Zhao Lin's shoulders: "Take care, Lin, be careful on the road."

Zhao Lin gave a soft "hmm," tightened her grip on her coat, opened her umbrella, lifted the curtain, and stepped into the rain. Her figure was quickly enveloped by the misty rain.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you two."

Xu Nian blushed and said somewhat shyly.

"That's too polite!"

Qi Yu opened his arms and gave Xu Nian a firm hug, his tone sincere.

"Isn't it a joy to have friends coming from afar? I've missed you so much all these years!"

"When did you come out?"

"It's been more than two years."

"Why haven't you contacted me at all?"

"I tried to contact you, but I couldn't get through on the phone or reply to your messages. If I hadn't found out your whereabouts from Brother Tiger, I wouldn't know where to look for you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing what was going on.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, there's no cell phone signal in this remote mountain village. Look at my memory."

He chuckled, picked up the beer bottle, and downed it in one gulp, as an apology between men.

"Speaking of which, Brother Xu, you've met with Xu Xi in the past two years, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've seen him."

"That shouldn't be the case."

Qi Yu frowned in confusion.

"Xu Xi has been looking forward to your release from prison for a long time. If you two really meet, and if you want to go to school, Xu Xi can definitely arrange for you to study at the best school in Yuncheng. Why did you end up in this remote mountain village?"

He thought for a moment, chuckled, and gave a "I understand" look.

"Did you two have a fight? Are you two having a disagreement?"

No, no.

Xu Nian lowered her head, a hint of guilt and disappointment flashing in her eyes.

After returning home from the market that day, he read through all the online reports about him and Xu Xi.

The more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt, as if a million silver needles were piercing his heart, causing him unbearable pain and making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He saw that Xu Xi was attacked by netizens and her career was affected because of him. Seeing her pretending to be strong in front of the camera, his self-blame grew like wild vines.

The barrage of insults from netizens was overwhelming, like a tidal wave engulfing him.

He was ashamed to face Xu Xi, and even more afraid that his existence would continue to drag her down and ruin her future.

So, without telling anyone, he found Qi Yu in the deep mountains and hid there.

This mountain is a natural barrier, isolating him from the world's hustle and bustle, as well as the insults directed at him, allowing him to catch his breath for a while.

Qi Yu happened to be teaching here, and he thought he might as well take advantage of this time to learn some cultural knowledge and make himself better.

At least, he deserves the girl who did everything she could to protect him.

"Oh, I understand, I understand."

Qi Yu was unaware of what was happening outside; he simply assumed that Xu Nian and Xu Xi had a falling out.

He patted Xu Nian on the shoulder, comforting her.

"When two people are together, they will always have different opinions. Arlene and I sometimes argue, but we always make up before we get out of bed."

"Spend some time with me to calm down, then go back. Xu Xi likes you a lot, loves you very much, and puts you first in everything. No matter what your disagreements are about, he will always make concessions for you."

Xu Nian smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

"Oh dear, it's so late!"

Qi Yu glanced at the clock on the wall, then slapped his thigh and said, "Brother Xu, I have something to do and need to go down the mountain. Why don't you rest here for a while?"

Seeing his anxious look, Xu Nian knew how important the matter was.

He had disturbed the lives of Zhao Lin and her husband, so he should have helped them when needed.

So he put on his coat and stood up: "I'll go with you."

The two picked up their umbrellas, lifted the curtain, and stepped into the rain.

The rain fell slantingly, wetting my trouser legs, and the mountain wind carried a chill, making my nose sting.