"Hey, when did you learn jade carving?" Huang Xiaoyang asked casually while driving.
Li Younan shifted his gaze and said nonchalantly, "Oh, that? I learned it when I had nothing to do."
Huang Xiaoyang didn't press further, just nodded slightly, "Your carving is pretty impressive."
Li Younan politely said, "Do you want me to carve something for you as a gift?"
Huang Xiaoyang replied without hesitation, "Yes."
His decisive answer made Li Younan stunned for a moment, as if Huang Xiaoyang had been waiting for him to say that.
Seeing the bewildered expression on Li Younan's face, Huang Xiaoyang chuckled happily.
He had known Li Younan for so long but never took the initiative to give him a gift nor asked for anything from him.
Among all his friends, he had experienced receiving and giving gifts many times, but most of them, whether given to others or received from them, had no real value, just superficial industrial garbage.
In his limited life, only two gifts left a deep impression on him.
One was during his childhood when an elementary school playmate gave him a roly-poly toy made from a cut ping-pong ball, weighted with heavy clay as the base, and folded paper from a notebook to form the body.
He still keeps that roly-poly toy, but the playmate who gave it to him passed away from leukemia in middle school.
The other meaningful gift was a wooden slingshot given to him by a transfer student from the mountain when he was in middle school. The student's skills were so good he could hit the school monitors from dozens of meters away, leaving with a carefree demeanor when expelled.
Huang Xiaoyang said, "I want something impressive."
Li Younan leaned against the seat, truthfully, this expensive sports car wasn't as comfortable as his small coop.
He hummed, "Quite demanding."
The next day, Li Younan finished the jade carving gift before mealtime.
It depicted several anime characters—Vegeta from Dragon Ball, Zoro from One Piece, Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, Sasuke from Naruto, Sesshomaru from Inuyasha—all in their coolest poses, harmoniously appearing in the same carved picture, full of tension.
Huang Xiaoyang received the gift and stared at it for a long, long time. Although his gaze wasn't directed at Li Younan, it made Li Younan feel somewhat nervous.
Li Younan coughed, "Do you like it?"
Huang Xiaoyang then lifted his head, his expression revealing no emotion, and nodded lightly, "I like it a lot."
...
Li Younan left.
Though Lin'an City had many acquaintances of his, including Huang Xiaoyang, one of his few good friends,
Li Younan felt that the adult world is just like this, when people at a crossroads part ways, they might meet again occasionally, but soon they will continue on their own life paths.
All you can do is be moved to tears when you meet again, then pack up your things and continue to move forward without looking back. Perhaps the next time they meet, their relationship will be a bit more distant.
But it doesn't matter; every change has a meaning.
Li Younan wasn't sad.
...
Of course, Li Younan didn't rush to leave Lin'an City. After all, he wasn't sure when he would be back, so in the limited time, it was only natural to experience the places that could represent Lin'an City.
Wang Yue sent a message saying he was with Yang Manman now. Yang Manman also messaged, saying, "Senior, thank you."
Li Younan replied to Wang Yue, telling him to treat Yang Manman well, "It's not easy to meet a girl like her in a lifetime." He also replied to Yang Manman, saying, "Feel free to scold him when needed. Don't spoil him too much, or he'll easily become spoiled."
They wanted to treat Li Younan to a meal, but he refused. Their happiness was too dazzling and might keep him awake at night.
Besides them, there were several other school friends he was relatively close with, but after such a long time without contact, the sense of unfamiliarity between them was palpable.
The head of the student council's literature department was now married and had a child, visibly gaining weight, yet she looked happy overall.
The most quiet "Little Glasses" from their class now styled his hair into a slicked-back look, handing out cigarettes at their gathering.
The girl whose name Li Younan couldn't recall, who always sat in the last row with thick glasses, had taken off her glasses, her freckles were gone, and she wore thick lipstick. During the gathering, she mingled among the boys, making cheeky jokes that made people's faces flush.
And Li Younan calmly took it all in. At night, he wandered alone the streets of Lin'an City, softly chuckling to himself.
...
A few days later, Li Younan decided to leave Lin'an City and head to his next destination.
The general direction hadn't changed, still focusing on marking places as the main objective.
Li Younan opened the map, carefully researching the nearest place to check off from Lin'an City, finally setting his sights on Jinhua City to the southwest.
He chose Jinhua City for two reasons. In terms of distance, it was one of the closest places to check off; secondly, along the way was Tongji Lake in Pujiang County.
Li Younan did some thorough planning, learning that Tongji Lake was a great place to camp, and the scenery around the check-in spot was quite nice.
Li Younan thought this place was tailor-made for him.
Upon acquiring cooking skills, he had long dreamed of finding a scenic place to cook a meal, set up a folding chair, and relax in it after eating while enjoying the view.
Now he could do whatever he thought of immediately.
Before leaving, Li Younan went to the supermarket to buy a folding chair, folding table, a gas stove, and a set of portable cookware.
The ingredients weren't urgent as he planned to buy the freshest ones near Tongji Lake.
The weather was still very hot, and after preparing everything, Li Younan drove straight out of the city. Before getting on the highway, he drove to a gas station. "Pop!" The fuel pump clicked, stopping at 691.07 on the gauge.
The attendant asked, "Do you want to round it up?"
Li Younan stared dazedly at the number, feeling somewhat complicated.
If you don't manage a household, you don't realize how expensive rice, oil, and salt are; if you don't drive, you don't know how expensive gasoline is.
His small coop had an auxiliary fuel tank, and although there was still more than half a tank left, the total capacity was nearly 140 liters. Yet, Li Younan felt uneasy unless it was full, so he always filled the tank before setting off.
Such a simple refuel cost nearly 700 yuan.
Li Younan said, "Round it up."
The attendant topped off the gas, and after paying, Li Younan got back into his car. He smiled wryly, patting the steering wheel, "You really are a gas guzzler."
After all, this was a V8 beast, and when the eight pistons fired simultaneously, it wasn't something an average household could afford to maintain.
Li Younan did some mental calculations and found that ever since his small coop came to life in his hands, gas alone had cost him a few thousand yuan.
His plan to find a way to earn money couldn't be postponed any longer.
The distance to Jinhua City was not far, less than 200 kilometers, and after completing his preparations, Li Younan officially set off.
...
"Even if you want to write a novel, there's no need to do it outside, can't you just do it at home?"
"A young girl going everywhere alone, what if something happens?"
"Can't persuade you, can I?"
The middle-aged woman with glasses looked intellectual and spoke sternly, but her expression showed more helplessness.
Zhu Qingyue absentmindedly nodded and then looked up, saying, "Mom, you look pretty good in that red dress."
"I'm talking seriously with you."
"But I think it would look better paired with a beige skirt."
"Are you trying to drive me mad?"
Zhu Qingyue playfully smiled, stood up, and shook her mother's hand, "Mom, please let me go. I promise I won't go to dangerous places."
The intellectual middle-aged woman was silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "You tell your father yourself."
Zhu Qingyue happily kissed her mother's cheek and ran out like a child.