CHAPTER 22: WEALTH AND LONELINESS AT THE TOP

Gu Yuan took out the kettle that had just boiled and brewed a pot of fine Moonlight White tea.

Just as the tea was brewed, Gu Yuan looked up and saw Sheng Yi rushing towards the crouching back of Dao An, then grabbing him in a hug and saying, "I missed you so much."

Gu Yuan: "..."

The chainsaw’s chain got stuck, and Dao An was applying oil to it. He was wearing a straw hat and cotton and linen clothes, squatting there and busy. Suddenly being hugged by a woman, even a strong man would be startled.

Dao An struggled in horror and asked, "Did you mistake me for someone else?"

"How could I have mistaken..." Hearing a man’s voice, Sheng Yi froze, and the next second she immediately let go and stepped back several steps: "Sorry, sorry, I got the wrong person, sorry, sorry..."

Her repeated apologies were ceaseless like a broken recorder, but upon seeing Dao An’s face, they abruptly stopped.

"...Dao An, it’s you!?"

Sheng Yi’s earlier embarrassment instantly dissolved, and she was excited to go up and hug Dao An again.

"Sister Yi, Sister Yi, wait a moment..." Dao An couldn’t stand such enthusiasm, especially since it was Sheng Yi, he continuously retreated and shouted.

Sheng Yi chuckled and said, "Alright, I won’t scare you anymore. Actually, I thought I was hugging Gu Yuan, but it turned out to be a man speaking." She spoke while fanning herself.

Having just arrived and run all the way here, she was both exhausted and extremely hot.

A cup of warm water was handed to Sheng Yi. She instinctively took it and said, "Thank you."

Gu Yuan: "You’re welcome."

Sheng Yi was startled.

She suddenly turned her head, and with this movement, some water spilled from the cup onto the ground.

What followed was an uncontrollable scream from Sheng Yi: "Ah—"

Gu Yuan raised her hand to cover Sheng Yi’s mouth: "Screaming so loudly, do you want people to think something happened to you?"

"..."

Sheng Yi was truly overwhelmed with excitement and handed the water to Dao An without drinking, freeing her hands to hug Gu Yuan, passionately complaining:

"You still know how to come back, huh. It’s been four months, do you know how long four months is? Over a hundred days, and I’ve missed you for more than a hundred days like this. I was even thinking if you didn’t come back soon, I’d go to Sydney and find you."

While expressing her longing, Sheng Yi couldn’t help but complain a bit.

Gu Yuan accepted all of Sheng Yi’s complaints and then said, "It hasn’t actually been four months."

Sheng Yi looked at Gu Yuan in confusion.

Gu Yuan gently explained, "Don’t get angry yet, I’ll explain it to you."

Sheng Yi took a deep breath, nodded, and replied, "Go ahead, I won’t get angry."

Originally, Sheng Yi intended to get angry after Gu Yuan finished speaking, but after hearing her explanation, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry anymore; instead, she felt more pity for Gu Yuan.

"Yuanyuan, I feel sorry for you," Sheng Yi said, clutching Gu Yuan’s arm tightly.

Gu Yuan smiled and asked her, "What are you sorry for? Sorry that I am so rich I can’t bear the heights, or sorry that I’m a fruit farmer in the countryside and still earn a fortune every day?"

Sheng Yi: "..."

Embarrassed by the mistake, Sheng Yi thought she should be sorry for herself the most.

The two sat down to enjoy their tea while Dao An continued to oil the chainsaw chain. Sheng Yi talked about some recent trivia, and after finishing her own story, she eagerly waited for Gu Yuan to share her experiences in Ancient Water Village.

Upon learning that Gu Yuan was the innkeeper Yanyan, Sheng Yi was astonished, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Really."

Sheng Yi exclaimed in excitement, "You hid it so well, I didn’t see you even once after a day here. Yuanyuan, you opened a countryside inn in such a remote village, making it hard for me to find you."

Gu Yuan said, "It’s peaceful here."

"It is..." After a short pause, Sheng Yi suddenly remembered last night’s heavy rain and sat up in shock: "Was it you who encountered the landslide leaving Ancient Water Village last night?"