Jing Qi Ci walked with his arm around Huan’er’s shoulders through several stores. Faced with the soul-searching question “Does this look better or that one?” he was mentally exhausted, wishing he could upload the clothes to a system and run some programs to get an optimal ranking. Saying he liked shopping would be a complete lie – even for online shopping, he stuck to just one or two stores with consistent style, easy sizing, and friendly customer service who would occasionally recommend: “We’ve got new arrivals in your size, want one?”
It was practically the future form of artificial intelligence.
And now Huan’er held up two dresses before him – which do you think looks better?
Jing Qi Ci rubbed his eyes, “Is there a big difference?”
“This one is black with white dots,” Huan’er held up one in each hand to explain, “This one is white with black dots, and they’re different lengths.”
Jing Qi Ci somehow thought of the “101 Dalmatians” cartoon, and he even began to doubt whether those dogs were black with white spots or white with black spots.
“The left one,” he pointed randomly at one.
Huan’er thoughtfully hummed in response, then handed the white one back to the waiting sales assistant, “My husband says this one doesn’t look good.”
Jing Qi Ci had been watching them listlessly, but his ears perked up at this. He hesitantly asked, “What?”
Huan’er ignored him, continuing to talk with the sales assistant, “We won’t take this one then, right, husband—”
She deliberately dragged out the word, and this time Jing Qi Ci heard it crystal clear.
He first turned away to hide his smile, then turned back still unable to suppress it, “Say that again.”
“Husband.”
“One more time.”
“Husband—” Huan’er glanced at the rejected dress from the corner of her eye, “You think… it doesn’t look good?”
“It looks good! Who said it doesn’t look good!” Jing Qi Ci hurriedly nodded to the sales assistant, “We’ll take both, thank you.”
The sales assistant, who had enjoyed watching this entire show, covered her mouth in delight, taking the dress from Huan’er while asking, “The size fits, right?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Your husband is so good to you, and handsome too,” the sales assistant smiled warmly. “Please follow me to check out.”
“You rest here, I’ll go.” Jing Qi Ci pressed Huan’er onto the waiting sofa and quickly followed.
So this was possible too.
Huan’er watched his back, finally unable to hold back her laughter.
There was a direct bus to their place from the shopping center’s main entrance. Huan’er said she felt stuffed from afternoon tea and wanted to walk, so Jing Qi Ci checked the navigation app before putting away his phone and taking her hand, “This way.”
It was the opposite direction from the bus route, making Huan’er ask, “Are you sure?”
He ignored the question, “A little detour doesn’t matter.”
Indeed, the price of taking the regular route is losing the chance to see more scenery.
Thinking Huan’er was worried about going the wrong way, Jing Qi Ci ruffled her hair, “This is a shortcut, and if you get tired, we can just call a car home.”
“Mm.” Huan’er nodded, “Actually, a detour isn’t bad.”
Just like the two of them – taking the winding road made them better understand each other’s importance.
The city was still that city, with the scent of its river, the weight of its history, and its dialect that sounds fierce but is bright and straightforward. At eighteen, she took the train south full of aspirations, and this city recorded both her and his stories of youth – some dejected, some brave. There were always regrets, always belated realizations, and always helpless situations that could only be laughed off in retrospect. But those days, ah, they remain forever vivid in memory, forever frozen at certain points with genuine sincerity.
Under the phoenix trees, Jing Qi Ci stopped. He stopped a passerby, “Could you help take a photo of us?”
The stranger took them for tourists, accepting the phone and adjusting the camera angle, “One, two, three.”
The shutter flashed several times, and the passerby returned the phone, “I took quite a few, take your time choosing. Have fun.”
Jing Qi Ci thanked them and casually opened one photo. Huan’er leaned in at this point, “Wow, so beautiful.”
Under the dense row of trees, he had his arm around her shoulders, both wearing jeans, solid-colored T-shirts, and sneakers – the most ordinary outfits you could find in a crowd, and they were both smiling at the camera.
A bit silly, perhaps adding a filter would make it more artistic.
But undoubtedly, those were smiles that bloomed from feeling happiness in their hearts, smiles that carried many, many layers of meaning, and the most important layer was –
Meeting you makes me feel wealthy.
In the upper right corner of the photo, in the deepest background, as if sheltered peacefully by the trees, there was a faintly visible red house that seemed to belong in a fairy tale.
—END—