He took a few drags, glanced at Lu Fan, and offered him the pack of cigarettes.
Lu Fan paused for a moment, then took it. He pulled one out and lit it with a lighter he fished from his pocket.
The two of them sat on the bank, smoking and watching the water in the pond.
The wind blew, wrinkling the surface of the water into a layer of ripples.
In the distance, someone was burning straw in a field. Smoke drifted up, dispersing into the gray, hazy sky.
"Instead of staying in Jinling, what are you doing running all the way out here?" Jiang Guoqiang was the first to speak, his voice hard.
Lu Fan took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "I came to see you and Auntie."
"What's there to see?" Jiang Guoqiang snorted. "I'm doing just fine. I don't need you to come see me."
Lu Fan just smiled and didn't reply.
The two of them fell silent again.
