1
Rui Xiaodan arrived in the Ancient City at 3:00 p.m. When she was nearly arriving at Nancun Community, she called Ding Yuanying on her mobile phone, but no one answered. It suddenly dawned on her that he had already moved. So she turned around and drove towards Jiahe Garden Community. She redialed the number of his new house and said that Han Chufeng had something for him and asked him to come downstairs to pick it up.
As soon as the car drove into Jiahe Garden Community, Rui Xiaodan saw Ding Yuanying waiting downstairs from afar. She parked the car beside him. Ding Yuanying looked at the car, a hint of confusion flashing through his eyes.
Rui Xiaodan got out of the car, gave Ding Yuanying a smile as a greeting, then used the key to open the trunk, revealing two cardboard boxes sealed with tape. She said to him, "These are the two boxes. You take the bigger one."
Ding Yuanying picked up a larger cardboard box and went upstairs first.
Rui Xiaodan put her backpack on, locked the car, and then picked up the other box and went upstairs. When she reached the second floor, Ding Yuanying came down again, took the box from Rui Xiaodan, and the two of them entered the room together. Both of them knew that this was an awkward and subtle moment.
This house was much more spacious than the one in Nancun Community. The air conditioner was on, and a cool breeze hit them as soon as they entered. The furniture was basically arranged in the same way as before, so one room was empty. Due to having just moved in, some details in the room hadn't been tidied up yet.
Ding Yuanying put down the box and said politely, "Please have a seat."
Rui Xiaodan sat down and placed the vehicle registration certificate and the car key on the coffee table together, saying, "Han Chufeng brought you 30 packs of cigarettes and 50,000 yuan. The Tieguanyin was brought from his hometown by Zheng Jianshi, and Jenny asked Zheng Jianshi to bring you over 20 records. Han Chufeng asked me to drive your car back, but the car isn't registered under your name. I didn't think it was appropriate to ask more."
Ding Yuanying was silent for a moment and said, "Chufeng knows I can't drive, and I don't need a car in the Ancient City."
Rui Xiaodan was startled and asked, "Is there a problem?"
Ding Yuanying said, "No. It was a car he lost in a bet last year. Just a joke."
Rui Xiaodan suddenly realized: Since Ding Yuanying couldn't drive, it meant that she would be the one to drive him around. Ding Yuanying had no use for a car in the Ancient City, except for daily life. Han Chufeng asking her to drive the car back at this time was clearly a proper and subtle way to show his attitude towards Ding Yuanying, acknowledging her presence. Although Rui Xiaodan knew that Han Chufeng's attitude couldn't influence Ding Yuanying's decision, she still felt touched.
Ding Yuanying said, "Ouyang Xue has been here, and I've already given her the money. I can't drive, and I don't have a place to park the car. I still need to trouble you to find a place for it."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Okay. It's me who's troubling you."
Ding Yuanying used the car key to cut open the tape on the box. In the small box were a whole box of Mild Seven cigarettes and 50,000 yuan in cash, while the big box was full of tea and records.
Ding Yuanying browsed through the records, then took scissors to open a pack of Tieguanyin, poured some on his hand, and examined it carefully. A smile gradually appeared on his face, and he said, "Good tea." He showed it to Rui Xiaodan. His expression and movements were like a child showing off his favorite toy. The tea leaves were pearl-shaped, plump and round, with a dark green color faintly shining with an oily luster.
Rui Xiaodan said, "I don't know much about tea. I can't tell."
Ding Yuanying picked up the small self-heating electric kettle on the coffee table. Steam was puffing out of the spout. He scalded the tea cups, the fair pitcher, and the gaiwan with boiling water. He used a wooden spoon made of mahogany to scoop some tea leaves into the gaiwan, poured in boiling water, stirred it a few times with the lid, poured it out, then poured in boiling water again. He poured the brewed tea soup through a strainer into the fair pitcher, let it settle for a while, and then poured it into a tea cup. Finally, he placed the cup on a wooden saucer and handed it to Rui Xiaodan.
Rui Xiaodan put the cup to her nose, and a delicate fragrance wafted out. She took a deep breath, and the fragrance went straight to her lungs, making her feel refreshed immediately. She couldn't help saying, "So fragrant!" She took a small sip of the tea, and an aftertaste filled her mouth. Then she said two more words, "Good tea!"
Ding Yuanying picked up the tea cup and drank it all in one gulp, closed his eyes to savor it, nodded approvingly, put down the cup, then lit a cigarette and took a satisfied puff.
Rui Xiaodan didn't drink any more tea. She picked up the vehicle registration certificate and the car key on the coffee table, stood up, and looked calmly into Ding Yuanying's eyes, saying calmly, "I'll treat you to dinner tonight. Wait for my call later."
Ding Yuanying thought for a moment and asked, "Where to?"
Rui Xiaodan gave a faintly melancholy smile and said, "Don't worry. No one will ask you for the bill today."
2
Rui Xiaodan didn't go home directly but went to the supermarket first.
She usually liked to stroll around the supermarket, enjoying the free and cozy shopping environment. Even if she didn't buy anything, just looking around was a pleasure. But today, she had no intention of admiring the dazzling array of commodities. Instead, she carried a shopping basket straight to the food section, picked out the vegetables, seafood, meat, and tea she had planned to buy, and then grabbed a few cans of high-end beer, filling the basket to the brim.
When she got home, Rui Xiaodan parked the car, went inside, and wearily lay down on the sofa.
After resting for a while, she got up and went to the kitchen to start cooking. She prepared the dishes according to her needs, leaving only the final stir-frying step. Then she put a scallop and radish ball soup that needed to be simmered over low heat for a long time on the stove, and freed up her hands to tidy up the room. After finishing the cleaning, she turned on the water heater to take a bath. After drying her hair with a hair dryer, she sat in front of the dressing table to put on makeup carefully. Then she went to the bedroom to pick out clothes from the wardrobe.
Rui Xiaodan chose a milky white cotton shirt and dark casual trousers. The combination of this outfit and her unique temperament was a perfect match. With her long black hair hanging over her shoulders as usual, she was equally charming, but her bright black eyes had a bit less of their usual sharpness and a bit more sadness.
The wall clock had already pointed to 6:40 p.m. She called Ding Yuanying and told him to come downstairs in 20 minutes. Then she locked the door and drove to Jiahe Garden Community.
Ding Yuanying was waiting downstairs. Without saying a word, he let Rui Xiaodan take him away.
It was dark, and the streetlights were on. The road was filled with all kinds of noisy sounds. The wind blew in through the open car window, carrying the sweltering heat of summer. Ding Yuanying sat in the back seat, smoking indifferently. It wasn't until the car drove into Rose Garden Community that Ding Yuanying realized that the place for dinner wasn't a hotel.
Ding Yuanying followed Rui Xiaodan into the house, looking around at the overly empty house, and sat down on the sofa by himself.
Rui Xiaodan went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and put it, along with an empty plate, in front of Ding Yuanying, saying, "I've prepared some West Lake Longjing for you. If it doesn't suit your taste, just make do with it. I've thrown away my ashtray, so you can use this plate."
Ding Yuanying asked, "Is there no one at home?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "I have no relatives left in the Ancient City. This is my mother's house for when she returns to China."
After a while, Rui Xiaodan brought out the cooked dishes and placed them on the coffee table. One plate was shrimp and celery salad, another was stir-fried broccoli. Finally, she carefully carried out a casserole, lifted the lid, and a steaming aroma wafted out. There were small round balls in the milky-white soup, and it was hard to tell what they were.
She scooped a bowl of soup from the casserole and placed it in front of Ding Yuanying, saying, "This is scallop and radish ball soup. I learned it from the chef in a restaurant. Have a taste."
Ding Yuanying took a small spoonful of the soup and said, "Good soup."
Rui Xiaodan poured a glass of beer for Ding Yuanying and said, "I can't drink. You drink."
Ding Yuanying took a sip of beer and tasted each dish.
Rui Xiaodan asked, "What do you think of women? Be honest."
Ding Yuanying knew that this was the prelude to the showdown, so he said frankly, "Women are the exemplars of formal logic and the obstacles to dialectical logic. I have no intention of hurting women, nor do I want to be hurt by them."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Are women really that hard to deal with?"
Ding Yuanying said, "Female confidants have existed since ancient times, but it also depends on whether the man is a fine wine. Since ancient times, how many men have been able to refine themselves to a state of noble simplicity? It's not something you can achieve just by trying. Just muddle through if possible."
Rui Xiaodan said, "I think we won't have another chance to sit together like this in the future. You're a sensible person. Let's skip the circumlocutions of women. I invited you here today for nothing else but to go through a procedure."
Ding Yuanying knew that he would have to go through this procedure sooner or later, but he didn't know how it would be carried out.
Rui Xiaodan stood up and walked into the bedroom, closing the door. After a while, when she came out, she was wearing a moon-white silk nightgown. She slowly walked up to Ding Yuanying, gently pulled the sash, and the silk nightgown slid off her body like water, revealing her delicate, voluptuous nude body. The beautiful curves and the soul-stirring texture were like a flawless white jade artwork, with every inch of skin and every detail exuding a sanctity.
Ding Yuanying was shocked and stunned by this scene that even the devil couldn't desecrate.
Rui Xiaodan said calmly, "I've done everything a woman can do, including sacrificing my modesty and what you might consider as wantonness. I won't have any regrets later. Now you can leave. It's over."
Ding Yuanying stared at Rui Xiaodan's nude body for a long time and said calmly, "I'm human, and I haven't evolved to the point where I can ignore my instincts at this moment. However, what virtue or ability do I have to receive such a gift from heaven?"
He stood up, bent down to pick up the nightgown, and gently wrapped it around Rui Xiaodan. Then he sat back down and looked at her extremely sincerely, saying, "You're a piece of fine jade, but I'm not a craftsman. I'm just a bit of a speculator at best, at most earning a few copper coins to get by. What you're asking for is the soul of male culture. I can't pretend not to know just because you didn't say it out loud. Accepting you means accepting a certain height. I don't have that confidence."
After a brief pause, he said, "I always thought I was a learned person, but today I have to admit that you've taught me a lesson. You've made me understand the sanctity of women with my soul rather than words. You did this based on a corresponding personality. Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Thank you!"
Ding Yuanying stood up and walked towards the door.
Rui Xiaodan stood still and said, "A man who can't transcend his instincts isn't a real man. You've made a woman experience the pleasure of being conquered. Thank you."
The door closed silently between the two of them.
Rui Xiaodan suddenly turned her head, but Ding Yuanying was already out of sight. The cold door separated them into two worlds. The bone-chilling despair seemed to freeze her blood, and tears streamed down her cheeks.