The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

Early on the third day, Lin Feng drove his newly bought Tank 400, carrying Zhou Mei, Wang Yuqing, and Xiao Yu. Zhou's parents stayed at home, saying they didn't want to travel far and wanted the young people to go and have fun on their own.

After driving along the valley road for more than half an hour, the scenery on both sides of the road kept changing, from farmland to forest, and from forest to river beach.

Xiao Yu peered out the car window, while Da Huang rested its head on his lap, its tail wagging occasionally. Zhou Mei sat in the passenger seat, while Wang Yuqing and Xiao Yu sat in the back; the journey was quite quiet.

Lin Feng parked the car on a riverbank. The water wasn't deep, and it was crystal clear, revealing the pebbles at the bottom. Xiao Yu took off his shoes and stepped into the water, followed by Da Huang, who jumped in after him, splashing around with its four paws and whipping its tail, sending up sprays of water.

Wang Yuqing spread a picnic mat on the pebbles of the riverbank and laid out the fruits and snacks she had brought one by one. When she squatted down, the back of her cotton shirt stretched out a narrow curve, her waist was very slender, and from the side, the outline of her chest was clearly bulging under the shirt.

Zhou Mei sat on the cushion, stretched out her legs, supported herself with her hands behind her, and looked at the mountain ridge in the distance illuminated by the sunlight.

Raymond Lam took many photos from the side.

Xiao Yu stood in the water holding Da Huang, Zhou Mei sat on a mat looking into the distance, and Wang Yuqing squatted on the riverbank, testing the water temperature with her hand. Around noon, the group drove to a nearby ancient town.

The town was small, with a cobblestone path winding along a narrow river, lined with small shops selling silverware and tie-dyed fabrics. Xiaoyu, holding Wang Yuqing's hand, ran back and forth in the alley, curious about everything.

When Zhou returned to the courtyard in the evening, his mother had already set up a charcoal grill under the courtyard wall. The charcoal was burning red-hot, and a row of chicken wings and meat skewers were placed on the wire mesh, with small flames leaping up as the oil dripped down.

Lin Feng took the grill tongs and stood in front of the grill, skillfully flipping the skewers, brushing them with oil, and sprinkling cumin. Zhou's father watched for a while, holding a teacup, and suddenly said, "Not bad, better than mine."

Lin Feng handed him the grilled chicken wings, saying, "Uncle, try them. They should be cooked just right."

Mr. Zhou took the chicken wing, took a bite, chewed it a few times, and hummed in response. He didn't offer any further comments, but instead pulled up a low stool and sat down next to the grill, eating the chicken wing while watching the charcoal fire.

Several people sat in the yard eating around the grill. Xiao Yu's face was covered in oil from eating, while Da Huang squatted at his feet waiting for the bits of meat to fall. Zhou Mei sat next to her mother, whispering something to her, the two of them occasionally laughing.

Wang Yuqing sat at the corner of the table, a plate of roasted potato slices in front of her, eating slowly.

The conversation was quite casual, ranging from the flowers in the yard to the vegetable prices in town, from Da Huang's recent weight gain to how Xiao Yu was getting along with his classmates at school. No one tried to force a conversation, but there were no awkward silences either.

"Next week is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the company should be quite busy." Zhou Mei broke the roasted corn into two pieces and handed one piece to Lin Feng.

"I'm used to it." Lin Feng took the bag and took a bite. "Everything that needed to be arranged has been arranged."

"Will you be able to find the time next month?" Zhou Mei asked.

"I probably won't be able to get away on Mid-Autumn Festival," Lin Feng said. "We'll see how things go after the holiday."

Zhou Mei didn't ask any more questions and finished eating the corn.

The charcoal fire slowly dimmed, and the embers gradually died out in the night.

Around 10 p.m., everyone went back to their houses, and the lights in the courtyard were turned off one by one. Lin Feng sat in the courtyard for a while longer, watching the distant mountain shadows merge into a deep black outline on the horizon, and the evening breeze rustling the ivy on the wall.

The next morning, he packed his bags and prepared to leave.

Zhou's mother packed a bag of homemade pickles and a few pieces of cured meat for him and put it in his backpack. "Eat this if you get hungry on the way. The food on the plane isn't very good." Zhou's father stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding a teacup in his hand. He didn't say much, only that "call ahead next time you come."

Zhou Mei stopped at the gate of the courtyard, not following the car. She stood on the threshold, her hand on the door frame, the morning light shining from behind her, gilding her silhouette with a pale gold edge.

"Be careful on the road." Just those four words.

Wang Yuqing stood beside her, while Xiaoyu squatted on the steps, hugging Dahuang's neck. Lin Feng waved to them, got into the car, and drove back towards the airport.

In the rearview mirror, the figure at the gate of the courtyard grew smaller and smaller until it shrank into several blurry blocks of color, which were then obscured by the bushes by the roadside.

The flight was scheduled for noon, and it landed in Qingyuan a little over two hours later.

After getting off the plane, I took a taxi directly to the hospital. The old man's ward was in the VIP ward of Qingyuan First Hospital. The corridor was very quiet, and the young nurses at the station were filling out forms with their heads down.

Shen Qianqian, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, sat on a chair next to the hospital bed, peeling an apple in a crooked and messy way.

The old man leaned against the headboard; his hair was a bit whiter than when we last met, but he seemed to be in good spirits. When he saw Lin Feng walk in, he pointed to the stool by the bed and said, "Little Lin's here! Sit down. Qianqian, pour Little Lin a glass of water."

Shen Qianqian put down the apple and stood up to pour water. As she bent over, the neckline of her T-shirt slipped down, and the patch of fair skin on her chest shimmered under the fluorescent light. When she straightened up and handed the water glass to Lin Feng, she winked at him, then turned back to continue peeling her apple.

Lin Feng sat down on the edge of the bed. "Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

"It's my old problem, just catching a cold." The old man waved his hand. "They insisted I move in, but I could have just stayed home for a couple of days." He pointed to the bedside table. "The chess set is in the drawer. Take it out and play a game."

Shen Qianqian chimed in from the side, "Grandpa, you just finished your IV drip. The doctor said you need to rest."

"Playing chess is a way to relax." The old man looked at Lin Feng. "Play a game with me."

Lin Feng set up the chessboard on the quilt, and the old man made the first move. Shen Qianqian peeled an apple, cut it into small pieces, put them in a bowl, stuck toothpicks in it, and handed it to her grandfather. She then moved a stool to the foot of the bed and sat down to watch the two play chess.

During the middle of the second game, the nurse came in to take his blood pressure. The old man reluctantly put down his chess pieces and let the nurse put on the cuff. After taking the blood pressure, the nurse said it was normal, gave him a few more instructions not to overexert himself, and then left.

As soon as she left, the old man rearranged the chess pieces and said, "That move doesn't count, let's start over."

The nurse urged him three times, and the third time she said directly, "Mr. Shen, you should rest now," her tone was a bit harsher than the previous two times.

Lin Feng put the chessboard away in the drawer. The old man leaned against the pillow and watched him put away the chessboard. He didn't insist anymore, but only said, "Bring a new chessboard next time you come. This chessboard is too shiny."