The Lingering Sounds of Blooming Flowers

There were two vehicles parked next to each other in the yard, one was a haze blue motorbike and the other one was familiar to Lu Chenfeng; it was Lin Chaosheng’s bike. 

Lin Chaosheng let Lu Chenfeng choose first and Lu Chenfeng’s eyes twitched. These two types of vehicles rarely existed in his life and he forced himself to point at the bike, “This one.” 

They left the guest house and went straight ahead. When Li Chaosheng didn’t have to lead the way, the two always rode next to each other at the same pace. Whenever they encounter lively blooming flowers and glistening grasses, the blue from the corner of Lu Chenfeng’s eyes would always slow down. Lu Chenfeng occasionally looked back and had a strange feeling that he returned to his high school life. 

The sun chased the girls and boys who were brightly playing with each other, and the enthusiastic youth was long gone. Because there was nothing in particular that was worth his remembrance, Lu Chenfeng was indulged in studying and establishing his own studio without experiencing what youth should’ve been. 

He stopped the bike with his feet and watched Lin Chaosheng, who was enjoying the view of the flowers. Suddenly, he felt something he shouldn’t be feeling at his age. Perhaps because they just mentioned uniforms, he couldn’t help but to picture what Lin Chaosheng was like while he was a student. 

They slowly arrived at the end of the bushes of flowers and Lin Chaosheng looked straight ahead again. He confusedly looked around and stopped to look for Lu Chenfeng. He pushed the motorbike with his feet and asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Lu Chenfeng asked, “Do you like flowers a lot?” 

“Not really,” Lin Chaosheng smiled shyly and adjusted the helmet’s belt under his chin, “I just thought that I want to take a few more looks at the beauty of this world.” 

THe two rode off again at the same pace. Lu Chenfeng stepped on the pedal like a robot in difficulty as his legs were too long, and recalled something, “I didn’t see any flowers in the guest house, there were only some green plants.” 

Lin Chaosheng stopped, “Jian Yi’s in charge of them, honestly, I’m the type that can’t even keep a cactus alive.” 

Lu Chenfeng was surprised, “Did you water it too much?” 

“I forget to put them under the sun. I’ve always left them in a shady and wet place, never really noticed them.” Lin Chaosheng confessed, “I was too busy with work and never had enough time and effort for anything else, I just couldn’t remember anything other than work.” 

Lu Chenfeng opened his mouth but closed it again as he stopped the urge to keep chatting in time. He wasn’t close enough with Lin Chaosheng to heartlessly ask about his past, and it would seem too rude. 

“Plus, if I have too many flowers there,” Lin Chaosheng’s voice suddenly became small as if he was muttering to himself, but it was soft enough for Lu Chenfeng to hear him, “Perhaps I wouldn’t want to leave the place and I will miss out too much.” 

The scenery before their eyes turned into rows of houses with low roofs, a few old buildings with tiled roofs stood amongst them. It was a famous visitor spot in Shuanglang. 

They parked in the parking lot and walked in. The view expanded and it was crowded with visitors. They could hear the noise before they could enter the historic town, Lin Chaosheng changed the direction when Lu Chenfeng was about to head over there, “This way.” 

They walked along a slope towards a hidden alley. The path was even more narrow here and the houses were more crowded together too, but it was also the quietest place. The fishing village next to the historic town was still kept in its original way without any influences from tourism. Lu Chenfeng walked along the bank and found a few old and worn boats. 

After a not so long stony path, they arrived at some stairs that were always away from the sun. A thick layer of moss grew on it and Lu Chenfeng almost fell down when he stepped on it. He stood beneath and offered his right arm to Lin Chaosheng, “It’s slippery here, be careful.” 

Lin Chaosheng froze for a second and his eyes softened. He held onto Lu Chenfeng’s arm lightly and stepped down firmly, “Thanks.” 

“I’ll get you a drink.” Lin Chaosheng suggested. 

Lu Chenfeng pretended to ask, “This is VIP treatment or is it going on my bill?”

Lin Chaosheng smiled. He didn’t expect this man to be humorous and he was more open than when they first met. A few minutes later, they walked leisurely in the village with a cup of fruit tea each in their hands. Lu Chenfeng almost never experienced a time that was intentionally slowed down. 

His life was fast paced, and his work schedule was full. Lu Chenfeng often went to South-East Asia countries for business and being busy was the norm for him, he enjoyed this moment of peace and tranquility very much. 

But he was also scared of peacefulness.