Bright and clear sunlight scattered upon the sparkling coastline.
The faint scent of plants was carried onto the island in gusts, mingling with the fishy sea breeze.
A male figure stepped out of the white house and walked to the embankment. He took off his hat, placed it under him, picked up a pebble beside him, and casually tossed it off the embankment. The pebble vanished into the blue waves in an instant.
Sweat stains still clung to his face, as if he had just finished exercising.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
The distant waves sounded rhythmically.
The young man looked around for a moment. On the distant coastline, there seemed to be the figure of a woman in a black dress. She wore a large straw sun hat, stood barefoot against the vast blue backdrop, like a fresh, elegant deep-blue painting.
–You can go talk to her.-
Footsteps approached, and Feng Juguan’s deep voice sounded from behind.
Hong Haocheng turned his head and said, –Are you healed? Sorry, I don’t know what happened. I was scared to death at the time—I thought you were going to die.-
–I’ve sunk to the bottom of the sea, seen torpedoes explode right before my eyes. My boat capsized, my yacht lost power in the middle of nowhere, and I’ve fought sharks. None of these killed me.-
Feng Juguan sighed deeply and sat down beside the young man. –Haih~-
His eyelids, darkened by years of sun exposure, gazed steadily into the distance.
–So, a little whelp like you isn’t fit to take my life.-
Hong Haocheng let out two awkward chuckles.
He himself didn’t understand what was happening. Two days ago, after finishing a training session, he saw lines appear behind Feng Juguan once more. Instantly, he felt ravenously hungry, as if he could devour every last one of those lines into his own body.
Then he lost control.
When he woke up again, he found himself tied to the bed.
–Not much time left. If you want to know something, go find her.- Feng Juguan pointed at the distant figure of a woman.
……
The gracefully built woman was holding the brim of her hat with one hand, turning her head to gaze at the distant sea.
Suddenly she looked back, watching the boy run down the slope behind the white house, slapping his hat against his thigh along the way.
–Report! Feng Juguan sent me to find you.- Hong Haocheng rushed to her side.
Before he could even make out the woman’s face, he caught a faint, pleasant fragrance wafting from beneath her black gauze skirt—a scent that filled him with comfort.
The woman lifted the brim of her hat slightly and scrutinized the person before her.
Such vitality radiated from him.
–Haocheng.-
–Uh, do we know each other?- Hong Haocheng looked at her oval face with some confusion.
She flashed a very sweet smile and said affectionately, –We do now.-
Hong Haocheng glanced to her side. The tide washed over the carcass of a seal, where bristle-like marine worms fed on the rotting flesh. The summer heat had already spawned maggots in it.
Hong Haocheng was momentarily struck silent.
–So this is what you were looking at here.-
The girl before him carried an air of refined elegance, yet here she was, staring at a rotting seal.
If a painter had ever captured that moment, no viewer would ever guess that the subject of the painting was actually gazing at a corpse.
–Come with me.- The woman smiled and walked toward a folding chair set back a ways, shaded by a sun umbrella. Next to it, a glass teapot with lemon and flower tea sat on a small table, alongside several books.
–You look like you’re on vacation.-
–You could say that.-
She sat down on the wooden chair, gracefully pouring a cup of tea for the young man.
Hong Haocheng picked up a book from the table and flipped through it—every word was foreign to him. –Learning a new language? What is this? The script looks pretty abstract.-
–Here, we call it Hermesian.-
–Is that a real language?-
The teacup clinked as it was set on the table before him, and at the same time, the woman handed a large, oddly textured book to the boy across the table.
–This is for you. You’d better memorize it within the next month.-
Flipping through the pages, Hong Haocheng’s eyes widened more and more. –You want me to memorize all of this in just over twenty days?!- he said, utterly shocked.
–Uh-huh.- The woman smiled and nodded.
–Do you know how they’ve tortured me these past two weeks?- Hong Haocheng pointed at the distant house without even glancing at his arm. –You think I’ve got time to kill?-
The woman propped her smooth chin on her palm. –Of course I know—because it was all my idea.-
–What?!-
Hong Haocheng shot to his feet, staring incredulously at the woman before him.
–What the hell is this place? Who are those people? And who are you?!-
–Don’t be in such a hurry.-
The woman stood up, stepped back twice, and twirled—like a celestial maiden stepping out of a painting scroll.
–Do you think I’m pretty?-
–Uh… yeah, you’re pretty.- Hong Haocheng answered truthfully. His heart had raced the moment he set eyes on her, but she seemed much older than him.
–So, do you like me?-
–Huh?!- Hong Haocheng suddenly stammered. –That’s way too…-
He suddenly recalled the image of her staring at the seal carcass. Her audacity seemed innate. Fortunately, she was a language research expert, which gave her a scholarly air; otherwise, she’d definitely be a streetwise older lady.
–What’s the matter? Hesitating when a twenty-eight-year-old big sister confesses to you?-
–I… um…-
Hong Haocheng had been about to refuse to answer, but when he saw her teasing smile, as if she were flirting with an innocent boy, a surge of defiance rose within him.
He deliberately put on a disdainful tone. –So what if I do like you?-
–If you like me, then let’s get married.-
–Are you a demon?!- Hong Haocheng leaned back and fell to the ground, chair and all, making the woman in the black veil cover her mouth with laughter, her eyes curved into crescent moons.
The woman approached him, then suddenly reached out and twisted his chin.
–What are you doing… mm…-
The stunned Hong Haocheng felt her soft lips press against his—a moist, gentle touch that struck his mind like lightning.
Under the sunlight, the waves lapped against the shore.
After about ten seconds, he was finally allowed to breathe. Hong Haocheng felt his face flush with confusion and stared incredulously at the beautiful woman in front of him. –You!-
–We’re getting married. Today.-
……
The small island suddenly burst into activity.
When Hong Haocheng fled back to the dormitory in panic, he found Feng Juguan directing the other young men to hang lanterns and colored streamers, putting up red lanterns and pasting couplets.
–What are you doing?!-
–Huh? Didn’t she tell you?-
–Are you kidding me?- The boy’s eyes went wide. –Wow, is this the 18th century or the 15th or 16th? You kidnap someone and make him the mountain king’s live-in son-in-law?!-
Laughter erupted around him.
Feng Juguan grabbed the bewildered boy’s arm and pulled him to the corner of a house painted snow-white.
From here, they could still see the woman sitting on a lounge chair, sunbathing along the distant shoreline.
–You’re not pulling some prank on me, are you? Huh? Why did I go crazy and pass out before? Who the hell are you people?!-
Feng Juguan clamped a hand on his shoulder.
–Calm down!-
A majestic roar like a tiger slightly calmed Hong Haocheng, who had been in a confused state. But he still glared, breathing rapidly, at the person in front of him.
Suddenly, he kicked at Feng Juguan, but was subdued in a few moves—his wrist twisted behind his back and pinned against the wall.
–Not bad, you can already trade four or five moves with me after only a week.-
The young man was twisted and dragged by him toward the woman in a black gauze dress. The woman smiled as she watched the youth being pushed and pulled, along with the stern-faced Feng Juguan.
–Did you not explain it to him clearly? Why is this kid being so uncooperative?-
–Yeah, I didn’t tell him. I thought I’d let him figure it out on his own when the time comes.-
–I understand you…-
Feng Juguan covered Hong Haocheng’s mouth, stared at the woman, and said:
–But if that’s the case, he simply won’t be able to calm down and train, will he? Didn’t you say there isn’t much time left?-
–It’s fine. Let’s treat the next period as a honeymoon. I believe he will grow up quickly in the future.-
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