Entertainment from Divorce

The hum of the engine mixed with the citrus scent of the car's aromatherapy, and Tan Yue's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel.

In the rearview mirror, Chen Ziyu was tilting her head to twist the ends of her hair into a loose braid. The street light shone through the car window, casting an amber halo on her profile, which reminded him of the hem of her skirt that was lifted up when she was chasing egrets barefoot by the Jin Lake three hours ago.

"How long will it take to get there?" Chen Ziyu turned the navigation page towards him and tapped the screen with his fingertips. "It says it will take more than an hour to drive."

"No hurry." Tan Yue freed his right hand to cover hers, and rubbed the wedding ring on her ring finger with his thumb. "I heard that the night view of Zhouzhuang is the most charming."

An old song sounded on the car radio at the right time, and the melody of the saxophone poured into the car with the warm breeze of late June. He caught a glimpse of the curve at the corner of Chen Ziyu's lips, which looked very much like the honey syrup flowing on the sweet-scented osmanthus candied lotus root in the Suzhou restaurant.

The car drove out of the industrial park. Chen Ziyu rolled down the window. Humid water vapor carrying the fragrance of grass and trees blew in his face. The lights in the villages in the distance were sporadically lit up, like stars falling into the world.

She suddenly pointed at the rice fields passing by the road and said excitedly, "Tan Yue, look! The rice ears are starting to sprout!"

Tan Yue slowed down the car. The golden rice waves rolled in the evening breeze, and in a trance they overlapped with the embroidered patterns on her white wedding dress on the wedding day in his memory.

He remembered the tears on Chen Ziyu's eyelashes when they exchanged rings, and the crimson color on the tips of her ears when the guests urged them to kiss.

The way she turned to look at him at this moment was more moving than any other scenery.

When the navigation prompted us to turn into the county road, the street lights became increasingly sparse, but the moonlight became brighter.

Chen Ziyu turned on the flashlight on his phone, followed the route map sent by the owner of the B&B, and whispered the landmarks along the way: "Turn right after the double-plank bridge, and there is a century-old ginkgo tree 500 meters ahead..."

Before he could finish his words, a tabby cat suddenly jumped out from the front. Tan Yue slammed on the brakes, and the tires made a harsh sound as they rubbed against the ground.

"Are you okay?" He turned around quickly to check, only to see that Chen Ziyu had already opened the car door.

In the moonlight, the yellow and white kitten was curled up beside the roadbed, and its hind legs seemed to be injured.

"What should we do?" Chen Ziyu squatted down, his eyes full of distress, "Should we take it to the veterinarian?"

Tan Yue looked at the distance displayed on the navigation, then looked at Chen Ziyu's red eyes, and finally sighed and picked up the cat.

The kitten purred gently in his arms, its claws unconsciously grabbing his sleeves. "Let's go to the B&B to put our luggage first. I remember the guide said there's a pet hospital at the entrance of the ancient town."

The cobblestone road in Zhouzhuang made a crackling sound under the wheels. Tan Yue drove carefully, fearing that the bumps would hurt the kitten in his arms.

Chen Ziyu was concentrating on searching for the contact information of the pet hospital on her mobile phone. The ends of her hair fell down to cover the side of her face, but it could not hide the corners of her pursed mouth - after spending all this time together, he was too familiar with her expression that was both nervous and excited.

"We're here!" Chen Ziyu pointed to the wooden sign with a red lantern hanging in front of them, "Ancient Style House, this is it!"

The owner of the B&B had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw the kittens in their arms, he smiled and said, "It just so happens that we have three stray cats in our backyard!"

Pushing open the carved wooden door, you will see the wisteria trellis in the patio dripping with night dew, and the water lilies in the water tank in the corner are about to bloom.

The boss took the kitten and checked the wound, saying it was just a minor abrasion and it would be fine after applying some ointment and resting for a few days.

Chen Ziyu finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed the boss through the corridor to the guest room they had booked.

The room was decorated in an elegant and simple style. The carved bed was covered with a blue and white coarse cloth sheet. The sound of gurgling water could be faintly heard outside the window.

Tan Yue pushed open the wooden window, and the moonlight poured down, dyeing the river below into silver satin. The lanterns on the opposite bank swayed on the water, casting colorful shadows.

"So beautiful." Chen Ziyu leaned on his shoulder, her hair brushing across his chin, "Even prettier than in the photo."

After cleaning up, the two took the kitten to the backyard.

The owner of the B&B had prepared clean cushions and food for it, and several aboriginal cats came over curiously, surrounding the kitten and sniffing it. Chen Ziyu squatted on the ground and teased them, his laughter as clear as a bell.

Tan Yue leaned against the door frame and looked at it, and suddenly felt that this was the most beautiful form of traveling - no deliberate check-ins, only unexpected warmth.

As the night deepened, Chen Ziyu suggested visiting the ancient town.

Tan Yue took the oil-paper umbrella hanging under the eaves, took her hand and stepped onto the stone road.

The night in Zhouzhuang is completely different from the day. Without the hustle and bustle of tourists, only the soft light of swaying lanterns and the sound of oars are left. They walked across the double bridges, peeked at the traces of history through the cracks of the door of the old house of Shen Ting, and stopped in front of the ancient stage to listen to a piece of Kunqu opera.

Chen Ziyu stopped at a handicraft shop and was attracted by the blue printed cloth sachets on the shelf.

"How about giving this to the kitten?" She picked up the sachet embroidered with lotus flowers. "The mosquito repellent herbs on it can just keep away mosquitoes."

Tan Yue smiled as he paid the bill. Looking at her carefully selecting the colors, he suddenly remembered that she had also carefully selected the candy boxes on her wedding day.

When we returned to the B&B, the moonlight had already climbed to the middle of the sky.

Chen Ziyu carefully placed the sachet next to the kitten's nest and poured some clean water into it.

Tan Yue leaned against the door frame, looking at her gentle silhouette, and a soft feeling rose in his heart.

"Are you tired?" He walked over and put his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Not tired at all." Chen Ziyu turned around, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, "It seems like I did a lot of things today, but it also seems like I did nothing, but I just feel very happy." She stood on tiptoe and pecked his lips lightly, "Thank you, Tan Yue."

Tan Yue hugged her tighter and kissed her hot earlobe.

Outside the window, the sound of flowing water in the stream and the flickering lanterns in the distance were like their intertwined breathing.

That night, they fell asleep to the sound of water in Zhouzhuang. In their dreams were the purring of cats, the scent of wisteria flowers, and each other's warm body temperatures.

And in a corner of the ancient town, the injured kitten curled up beside a sachet embroidered with lotus flowers and finally purred in peace.

The moonlight shines through the carved window lattices, casting a gentle filter on the night, turning all encounters and companionships into the sweetest dreams.

The next day...

As the morning light crept in through the gaps in the carved window lattices of the homestay, Chen Ziyu was standing on tiptoe to feed the stray cats under the eaves.

The corner of the blue printed cloth pajamas was lifted up by the draft, startling the glutinous rice dumplings in the bamboo basket and causing them to sway slightly.

Tan Yue leaned against the porch pillar and watched this scene. When she was bandaging the kitten's wound last night, she held her breath and concentrated in the same way, and even her eyelashes were filled with cautious tenderness.

"It's time to leave." Tan Yue stepped forward and tucked her scattered hair behind her ear, his fingertips touching her red earlobe. "The owner of the B&B said it would take more than two hours to get to Weiyang by highway."

Chen Ziyu stuffed the last half of the rice cake into the kitten's mouth. When she turned around, her eyes were as bright as the morning dew on the surface of Zhouzhuang River: "I heard that the morning tea in Weiyang can be eaten from dawn to dusk. We can arrive at noon just in time!" She trotted back to the room to pack her luggage. The blue print sachet hanging on the zipper of her backpack swayed slightly with her steps. It was a souvenir she bought in the ancient town yesterday.

When the car navigation prompted us to leave Zhouzhuang, Chen Ziyu rolled down the window.

The June wind, wrapped in the sweet fragrance of rapeseed flowers, rushed into the carriage, and the dark green mountains in the distance were looming in the mist.

She suddenly pointed to a canal tributary passing by the road and said, "Tan Yue, do you think the Sui Emperor saw such scenery when he went to Weiyang?"

Tan Yue held the steering wheel with one hand and placed his other hand on the back of her hand on her knee.

The leather seat was warmed by the sun, mixed with the faint scent of jasmine from Chen Ziyu's body.

In the rearview mirror, she looked like a joyful swallow as she stuck her head out of the car window, her hair tangled into soft arcs in the wind.

When the navigation prompted us to turn into the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, the clouds suddenly became very low.

Chen Ziyu opened the weather forecast on her phone and a yellow rainstorm warning popped up.

"It's going to rain." Before she finished her words, raindrops as big as beans had already hit the windshield. The wipers swung back and forth, blurring the Jiangnan ink painting in the sight into hazy light colors.

"Shall we find a service area to rest for a while?" Tan Yue slowed down the car.

Chen Ziyu shook her head, took out two mints from her backpack, put one in her mouth and then put it in his mouth: "As the saying goes, 'Fireworks are everywhere in Weiyang in March', maybe Weiyang tastes even better on a rainy day!" The coolness left on her fingertips brushed across the corners of his lips, mixed with the coolness of mint, making Tan Yue unconsciously tighten his grip on the steering wheel.

When the car entered Weiyang, the rain increased instead of decreasing.

Chen Ziyu leaned on the car window and counted the ancient bridges passing by. Suddenly, he pointed in the distance and exclaimed: "Look! Is that the West Lake?" In the misty rain, the lake was shrouded in a veil-like fog, and the outline of the pleasure boat was looming, just like the scenery walked out of a meticulous painting.

Tan Yue parked his car in a parking lot near Dongguan Street and took out two oil-paper umbrellas from the trunk.

The raindrops swept across the bluestone road obliquely, and tiny water droplets bloomed on the umbrella.

Chen Ziyu reached out to catch the raindrops, and the water drops slid down her fingertips into her sleeves: "Let's go have morning tea first! I saw in the guide that this 'tea house' has a century-old history..."

Pushing open the carved wooden door, the steaming hot air carrying the delicious aroma of crab roe soup dumplings hits you in the face.

Chen Ziyu stared at the menu with shining eyes. He ordered three-stuffed buns, jadeite steamed buns, and thousand-layer oil cake, and asked for a pot of Kuilongzhu, a special tea made from three kinds of tea: Longjing, Zhulan, and Kuizhen.

Tan Yue couldn't help laughing as he watched her carefully bite open the soup dumpling, with the soup almost splashing onto her nose.

"What are you laughing at!" Chen Ziyu puffed her cheeks. "Try this five-diced bun. It has diced meat, bamboo shoots, chicken, shrimp, and sea cucumber..." She suddenly lowered her voice. "It's a hundred times better than the buns we had at our wedding banquet."

Tan Yue picked up a piece of thousand-layer cake and put it into her bowl. The icing on the surface of the cake shone brightly under the light.

The rain outside the window gradually subsided, and the water drops dripping from the eaves made a crisp rhythm on the bluestone slabs.

Chen Ziyu talked about the funny thing about picking up a kitten in Zhouzhuang. He got so excited that he waved his chopsticks dipped in crab roe in the air, causing the old diners at the next table to laugh.

After dinner, the rain stopped and the aroma of osmanthus sweet wine floated in the air.

Chen Ziyu dragged Tan Yue into the alleys of Dongguan Street. In the lacquerware shop, they watched the master inlay Twenty-Four Bridges under the Moonlight with mother-of-pearl. They also tried the goose pear curtain fragrance in Xie Fuchun's perfume and powder shop.

She stood in front of a paper-cutting stall for a long time, watching the old artist create lifelike lotus flowers with just a few cuts, and insisted on buying a pair to stick on the windows of her house.

As dusk deepened, the two walked to the bank of the ancient canal.

The colorful lights of the cruise ship lit up one after another, and their reflections on the river surface broke into a flowing river of stars.

Chen Ziyu suddenly stopped and turned around with his eyes full of lights: "Tan Yue, you said that the ancients wrote 'Life is only suitable for death in Weiyang, and the scenery of Chanzhi Mountain is a good burial ground', is it because every moment here is worth keeping forever?"

Tan Yue tucked her scattered hair behind her ears and brushed her blushing cheek with his fingertips.

The wind from the canal lifted her blue and white skirt, like an iris blooming in the night.

You don’t have to wait until you die.” He lowered his head and kissed away the raindrops on her eyelashes. “Every spring from now on, we will come to Weiyang to watch the misty rain.”

The sound of pipa Pingtan came from afar, and the soft Wu dialect singing style flowed in the moist air.

Chen Ziyu leaned on Tan Yue's shoulder and counted the red lanterns hanging on the eaves on the opposite bank.

From Zhouzhuang to Weiyang, the wheels rolled over not only the distance of 200 kilometers, but also countless heart-beating moments - her focused profile when feeding the cat, the mints shared in the rainstorm, and the corners of her mouth stained with soup in the morning tea shop.

At this moment, the night of Weiyang is gently enveloping them, prompting them to fall asleep and have a good dream.

The next day...

When the morning light first appeared over Shou Lake, Tan Yue was awakened by the sound of birds singing one after another.

Pushing open the carved window of the homestay, humid water vapor with the faint sweet fragrance of osmanthus poured in. On the bluestone road downstairs, an old lady selling osmanthus wine was walking slowly while ringing a copper bell. The crisp sound of the bell woke up the sleeping tabby cat in the corner.

Chen Ziyu came out of the bathroom wrapped in a blue and white striped robe, with water droplets dripping from the ends of her hair, "What a nice smell!"

She tiptoed to the window and asked, "Is this the smell from the bun shop downstairs?"

Tan Yue smiled and wiped her hair with a towel, his fingertips brushing across her cold earlobes. "Yesterday the front desk said there's a century-old morning tea shop nearby. Do you want to try it?"

Twenty minutes later, the two of them sat at a window seat in the "Jiulu Fenzuo" teahouse.

On the dark brown eight-immortals table, a set of blue and white porcelain tea set glows with a warm light.

Chen Ziyu held up the gold-stamped menu, her eyes sparkling: "Steamed dried bean curd, three-diced buns, jade siu mai, thousand-layer fried cakes... and shrimp roe wontons!"

She ordered seven or eight dishes at once, and finally ordered a pot of Wuding stewed noodles. "I heard that this is made with chicken soup, so delicious!"

Tan Yue watched her studying the menu carefully, and remembered last night by the canal, when she counted the red lanterns on the other side and said, "I want to remember every taste of Weiyang."

When the tea was served, Chen Ziyu was curiously observing how the diners at the next table ate. She saw them gently poke the crab roe soup dumplings with a teaspoon, and the soup slowly flowed out. She followed suit, but accidentally splashed some soup on her apron.

"Be careful." Tan Yue took out a tissue and wiped it for her. "You are so anxious, no one is competing with you for it." (End of this chapter)