7 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes, and 7 seconds.
The Hourglass Timer on the phone just continued to deplete. Liu Sha is still out of contact.
Mo Jiagei's whereabouts are now unknown, and she doesn't interact with Ma Jianyu anymore. Thankfully, according to Mo Aini's calculations and comparisons with the other routes' needed Cupid Points to achieve Good Ending, they have exactly enough.
It was almost like Shimeifen had already seen them learning about their AI companion competition coming.
When they searched for the website where the rankings for the contest were shown, they are met with Error 404. It no longer exists.
They check up on Ma Jianyu and She Haoran, who still has no progress on recollecting their lost memories nor a clue on how to do so. They do try to interact more with each other, ever since the summer has come to an end and they both submitted the novel on behalf of the school, with the title, "The Days We Wish We Could Still Remember Tomorrow".
Shimeifen then announced after a month of consideration that Nushen High won the contest, and a ceremony was held, but nothing else happened after that. A representative just gave the cheque to the school, and congratulate them before going on their day.
The only curious thing is the representative gave She Haoran and Ma Jianyu another reservation for a 2-day getaway to a high-quality mountainside hot springs resort to celebrate Qixi Festival, which they politely declined.
They did, however, suggest passing the reservation to the names of their fellow classmate who they believe to be more appreciative of the trip. Mr. Mo and Mr. Hu.
Days are looking bleak. All of them are aware of it. This reservation will be like a serotonin shot before pushing them to a cliff of despair.
But they desperately and pathetically needed that serotonin, so they pack their bags for another Shimeifen trip.
The mountain trail did not take long. They passed by a temple for Zhinu, and decided to stop by there. Paper banners were all around, along with the scent of incense sticks in the air. They saw a lot of girls, along with married couples. Following old traditions, they saw some carving and doing needlework in the darker parts of the temple, and there were also Qiao Guo peddlers outside. They were the odd pair of two city men with backpacks to the eyes of the locals, but they did not mind.
The women who are praying for a good husband to the star Vega ogled at Hu Chuntian, feeling like their prayers have been answered.
They just ignored the man beside him. But then....
"Is there a problem?" The man glared at them with those scary eyes.
"Eepp!!!! The rural girls who were praying yelped. They muttered to themselves in a different dialect.
"Do you think they're talking shit about me?" Mo Aini whispered to Hu Chuntian.
"Maybe not, Da Ge. They must just be amazed by your handsomeness." Hu Chuntian clung to him. "What, are you jealous?~ No need, Da Ge, I only have eyes on you~"
Seeing this interaction, the girls fantasizing about Hu Chuntian felt like they were struck by lightning. So this man who they thought could be the Niulang to their Zhinu....
Turned out to be tied down already, and by a man no less! Ah, what fate!
"City dwellers are scary and cruel. Taking the handsome boys for themselves, leaving the girls all alone to just have the scraps." They mumbled and went on to add another line in their prayer:
"Please don't let the boys in our area to fall in love with boys."
The two travelers didn't hear nor understand this and went on to pray. Kneeling down, Mo Aini and Hu Chuntian wrote their prayers on a piece of paper and prepared offerings they bought outside. This is a very new experience for them. They barely visited temples throughout their life. The quiet feels nice too.
They just enjoyed each other's presence in the silence as they prayed for the gods to keep them together. Then, they bowed again before taking their leave to continue the trail.
"Da Ge, I got a talisman for the good fortune of newlyweds." Hu Chuntian showed the wooden door talisman to his Da Ge while on the trail. "It says for a 'happy marriage and happy family'."
Mo Aini took a look at it and his mind went blank.
"Hu Chuntian.... This is a talisman for brides to get pregnant soon. The locals told me earlier that they hang it outside the door where the newlyweds consummate their marriage."
"Eh? That's what it's for?" Hu Chuntian just looked at the wooden talisman with the carved characters for family.
Mo Aini scratched his head, taking it and turning back. "I'll go ask for the seller to change it---"
"No need, Da Ge! This talisman is perfect!" Hu Chuntian took back the thing from him, grinning happily. "Does it really come true? Do the bride really get pregnant after the consummation?"
Right. He forgot about Hu Chuntian's sudden fixation on having a baby after a dream!
Mo Aini couldn't help but smack his own forehead, not knowing if the proper reaction was to laugh or cry. "A-Tian.... Just forget about the talisman. Throw it away. We're not even married."
"Then let's get married, Da Ge!" Hu Chuntian grinned. " I'll go wear red, then we can cut locks of our hair and put them in bags, bow four times, and exchange cups before we consummate!"
"That's a lot of hassle, don't you think?" Mo Aini was amused by Hu Chuntian's enthusiasm for things like marriage and children when he himself have never considered those things. "Why don't we just go straight to the consummation part? Our ritual would be to watch fireworks, take a bath in the hot springs, and then sleep together in a nice bed. "
"Does Da Ge not want to marry me?" Hu Chuntian frowned.
"No, no! Just that... You shouldn't rush marriage, A-Tian." Mo Aini patted his cheek. "And besides, those things felt cheesy when we really would not be 'officially' married anyway. I'm too thin-faced for that cheesiness."
"So what if it's not official? Maybe the gods will acknowledge it, maybe Niulang and Zhinu would! They got married without official approval too!" Hu Chuntian tried to convince his Da Ge while clinging on to him. "After all, isn't their love story just like ours? About separation and being bridged together by magpies only every 7th day of the 7th month? Maybe they'll take pity on us and help us be together!"
"Pfft, they couldn't even be together permanently themselves. And I don't really believe in gods, A-Tian." Mo Aini patted his head. "And don't compare us to them, we'll not be forever apart only enjoying one day per year together. We'll defeat our 'Goddess', the fucking Shuaige system, and we won't need any magpies or bridges anymore."
"I know. I just thought that..... I came to appreciate the story of the Qixi festival now that I could relate to it." Hu Chuntian smiled sadly, then shook his head. "But still, I wanna get married to Da Ge! Then I'll hang this talisman outside the door in hopes of getting pregnant!"
"Sigh...." Mo Aini didn't answer for a while, only walking on the trail.
"Is that a yes?"
No answer.
"Da Ge? Hey, Da Ge! Come on now..."
Mo Aini just sighed again, then turned to him. "Fine. I'll see if I could gather the materials to be needed."
"Yes!" Hu Chuntian hugged him. "I'm getting married today!"
Mo Aini couldn't help but frown. It's not the prospect of getting married that he's upset about.
It just feels so... foreboding. For them to be married during the Qixi Festival. It felt like a final goodbye, a final burst of happiness before separation comes.
Soon, it started to rain.
-------------------------------------------
The story of the Qixi Festival is a simple one, about the cowherd Niulang, and the weaver girl Zhinu.
Zhinu's mother, the Goddess, did not agree to their marriage. And so, she separated the two with a large river in the sky, which we know as the Milky Way. The magpies took pity on them, and connected themselves to form a bridge so they can see each other every 7th night of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. Niulang and Zhinu are represented by the stars Altair and Vega, while the bridge is Deneb, and people look for those stars at night to recall their bittersweet story.
It was said that when it rains during the Qixi festival, the river washes over the bridge, or it symbolizes the couple's tears.
Mo Aini thought about this while he was bathing in the open space hot spring, where he could see the night sky beside Hu Chuntian. The rain has stopped, so maybe he shouldn't worry so much about omens. Maybe the bridge was brought up again, and the couple is happy.
But the timer...
That stupid timer, it keeps bugging his mind even with his determined monologue that day.
"Da Ge....." Hu Chuntian swam beside him, leaning his head on his shoulder. "I wish we didn't go here anymore and decline the offer."
Mo Aini raised an eyebrow, breaking away from his thoughts. "Why?"
Hu Chuntian looked at him in the eye, saying with full honesty. "You look so sad. I don't like it."
Mo Aini looked up to the sky again, at a loss. Should he tell Hu Chuntian about it? When they were supposed to spend such a romantic and happy day?
Only a week left. Only a week before he knows what that timer meant.
Maybe not now. After all, his persistent Tiger Emperor is looking forward to their marriage.
"I'm not sad. Just wondering if I could ever make a good husband for you." He took Hu Chuntian's hand and kissed it. "When do you want to start the ceremony, by the way? The fireworks will be at 6:30, the resort owner said, so it'll be here soon."
"Let's get married at 7:07 then." Hu Chuntian kissed Mo Aini's hand back. "So it'll be even more symbolic."
"Mn....." Mo Aini leaned back and sighed. "The sky is dimming, we'll soon see the stars."
Hu Chuntian nodded, leaning back as well. "But you know, the stars are always there, Da Ge. We just don't notice it because the sun is too bright. But through the darkness, we see their light."
"It is only through the darkness that we see light." Mo Aini repeated, closing eyes.
Then, he chuckled. "Sounds like something from a quote from those motivational videos."
"It is true though, Da Ge."
Swish..... Swash....
Hu Chuntian waded in the hot water to face him. He placed both hands over Mo Aini's sleeping face. "I realize it now, Da Ge. I shouldn't be disheartened by just a few challenges. Because they are actually what makes my love for you even stronger."
Mo Aini opened his eyes, and met with those sincere blue ones. There's something so... beyond physical about them, something similar to looking at planets, gastronomical in size and hard to fathom. He felt like he is losing gravity just by staring too long at them.
"My Tiger....." He muttered, pulling Hu Chuntian closer.
They kissed just as the first burst of fireworks started, and Altair and Vega shone brightly right above them.
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~BRIBE ME, PLEASE~
Ok, I'm getting desperate and pathetic so now I'm willing to accept bribes. I get jealous easily of other books that have a huge following and get sad everytime, thinking what's the point of writing if I feel like no one's reading/appreciate it.
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