A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

The two got out of the car and came to a place that resembled a market.

There were no signs, no fences, just an open space with dozens of stalls scattered around.

Most of the vendors were elderly men, wearing military overcoats or old cotton-padded jackets, squatting behind their stalls with their hands tucked in.

In front of me were lingzhi mushrooms, deer antlers, pine nuts, mushrooms, and various other mountain products I couldn't name.

Xu Xin instructed, "Brother Fan, this is where those mountain herders sell their goods. You can browse around first, but don't rush to buy anything you like. Let me bargain. These old men will dictate the price based on the customer. With your out-of-town accent, they can triple the price."

Su Fan nodded and slowly walked inside.

He had walked a few steps when he stopped in front of a stall.

There was a pile of grass on the stall, long and thin, with yellow spores densely covering the back of the leaves.

He squatted down to take a look. The single leaf was about six or seven centimeters long and no more than a finger's width. The leaf resembled both willow leaves and bamboo leaves.

Su Fan thought to himself, "Could this be the legendary 'roaring roar'? It's a pity I don't have anyone married around... Maybe I should bring some back for Director Qi... But no, what if he suspects me of questioning his abilities? That would be hard to explain."

The stall owner, a man in his sixties, grinned when he saw Su Fan squatting there for a while and said, "Young man, want some? This stuff is really good!"

Su Fan smiled and waved his hand: "Grandpa, I don't need it."

The old man said, "Young man, don't be stubborn. You'll know how good it is once you try it. Let me tell you, everyone who's used it says it's great."

Su Fan stood up and said in a serious tone, "Grandpa, I'm still a child. Please don't lead me astray."

Su Fan walked to a few more stalls, where the products sold were largely the same: Ganoderma lucidum, deer antler, pine nuts, and hazel mushrooms. The quality varied, and the prices ranged from tens to thousands of yuan.

He squatted down and glanced at it a few times, then stood up, shook his head, and continued walking.

Then he saw a woman.

He stood out conspicuously among a row of old men.

He was in his early twenties, dressed neatly and cleanly, a stark contrast to the mountain hikers next to him whose skin was tanned dark by the mountain winds.

There weren't many items on her stall, but the most eye-catching was a Ganoderma lucidum mushroom with a dark brown cap and a thin layer of spore powder on the surface. It looked oily and looked like it had just been brought down from the mountain.

Su Fan walked over and asked, "How much is this Ganoderma lucidum?"

The woman said, "This was just brought down from the mountain, it weighs about two pounds. If you really want it, give me six thousand yuan."

Seeing that she was dressed neatly, Su Fan began to doubt whether the Ganoderma lucidum was really a wild one.

So I casually asked, "I didn't expect that mountain herders also have women."

The words weren't harsh, but they conveyed the meaning.

The woman explained, "I'm helping my dad mind the stall. He went home for lunch, so I'm covering for him for a bit."

Just then, Xu Xin walked over from behind.

Su Fan thought he was there to help him bargain, and was about to speak when he noticed that Xu Xin's steps suddenly slowed down, and his expression became quite interesting.

The woman's gaze shifted from Su Fan to Xu Xin's face.

Then the two of them just stared at each other without saying a word.

Su Fan stood in the middle, looking at this person and then at that person, thinking, "There's a story here! Judging from their expressions, it's definitely a love story."

He tactfully moved aside so as not to block their view. If there had been a small stool, he really wanted to sit down and grab a handful of sunflower seeds.

After a long pause, Xu Xin finally spoke: "This Ganoderma lucidum... is quite good."

The woman lowered her head, pinched the edge of the cloth with her fingers, and softly hummed in agreement.

Then came an awkward silence.

Seeing this, Su Fan couldn't contain himself any longer and said, "Boss, pack this up, I'll take it."

The woman wrapped the Ganoderma lucidum in newspaper, stuffed it into a plastic bag, and handed it over, saying, "Four thousand will do."

Su Fan took out his phone, scanned the code, and paid six thousand.

The woman glanced at the amount deposited and said, "You gave me too much."

Su Fan held the Ganoderma lucidum in his hand and said, "Consider the extra money as the cost of my ticket to see a play."

The woman's face flushed instantly.

Xu Xin's face also turned red.

Su Fan looked at the two of them and said, "You two are both from Northeast China, how come you're even more shy than people from Jiangnan? I can tell you both have a lot to say, why are you holding back? Alright, if you think I'm in your way, I'll leave first, you two can chat slowly."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Xu Xin hesitated for a moment, glanced at the woman, then at Su Fan's back, gritted his teeth, and followed.

Seeing Xu Xin follow, Su Fan said with a hint of exasperation, "Brother Xu, what's wrong? You're a grown man, why are you being so dramatic?"

Xu Xin sighed: "Ah, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore."

"Judging from your behavior, things are different from before. What can't you say to each other face to face? Why do you have to look like you want to say something but can't? Tell me, aren't you feeling stifled?"

Xu Xin was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "That's my ex-girlfriend."

Su Fan waited for him to continue.

But Xu Xin shut his mouth after saying that.

Su Fan waited a few seconds, and seeing that he didn't continue, asked, "And then?"

"I already said she's my ex-girlfriend, what else is there to say?"

"Are you trying to say you've let go? The way you two looked at each other just now, it didn't seem like you'd let go."

Su Fan then asked, "By the way, Brother Xu, are you married? Or do you have a girlfriend?"

Xu Xin shook his head: "No."

Su Fan understood: "Alright, so you can't let go, can you?"

Xu Xin was about to explain when Su Fan continued, "Don't tell me you haven't met the right person. You two don't seem to have any deep-seated grudges. If you ask me, even if you can't become lovers, you can at least be friends, right? Isn't this awkward?"

Xu Xin was a little unsure how to respond.

Su Fan said somewhat angrily, "Brother Xu, let me tell you, I can't stand people like you the most. If you like someone, you like them; if you don't like someone, you don't like them. There's no need to like someone in your heart but say it's all in the past, and then sentimentally lament things like 'love comes from free will, no regrets after the fact, no debts, no regrets for meeting, may we each live our lives in peace.' Pah! This is a typical escapist behavior. No matter how nicely you put it, it's still escapism."

Xu Xin was completely stunned by Su Fan's barrage of questions.

Then he began to tell his story.

The matter is very simple. The woman's name is He Jiayu. She and Xu Xin were high school classmates and have known each other since high school.

We started dating after graduation and stayed together for several years.

Later, Xu Xin graduated from university and took the civil service exam.

Then, they broke up.

Su Fan frowned: "What's the reason?"

Xu Xin said, "She said she's found someone she likes and wants to get married."

"You believe that? Didn't you ask what happened?"

"She said she's found someone she likes and wants to get married."

Su Fan almost laughed out of anger: "Brother Xu, do you think you're the male protagonist in those melodramatic novels? A little misunderstanding and you go your separate ways, then one day you meet unexpectedly, realize it was all a misunderstanding, hug each other and cry, and make up? That's novels, that's TV dramas, that's all lies."

Xu Xin wanted to say something, but Su Fan didn't give him a chance and continued: "Are you still going to say 'If I get it, I'm lucky; if I don't, it's my fate'? Bullshit! If you like it, go for it; if you don't like it, let it go. Your inability to take it or let it go is just self-degradation, and it's also degrading two people."