Incurable Pain

IP Chapter 99.1

Incurable Pain | Chapter 99.1

Travel Diary

8. Travel Period

Shayao Village was nestled in the mountain valley, with fresh and pleasant air. Between breaths, it feels like the impurities in the lungs are being washed away, then replaced by the fragrance of surrounding banana trees.

The climate here was humid and hot. Banana trees were planted on both sides of the road, with dense clusters of bananas hanging from them, weighing down the branches.

Early the next morning, Bai Xunyin and Yu Luoyin went to the village market. Along the way, they saw many clusters of bananas dropped on the ground.

Anything in excess will inevitably be wasted, and the sight of so many bananas on the ground made them feel a bit regretful.

When they arrived at the market, it was bustling with people, crowded with stalls.

Besides being suitable for growing bananas due to the climate, Shayao Village is also ideal for beekeeping. Almost every household in the village has beehives for honey production.

The honey here is naturally top-notch. In addition to honey, there are also grilled wine, hand-woven items, and other ethnic specialties…

Of course, there is also the local characteristic ethnic clothing.

If people come here, it would be a shame not to try on a Hani girl’s outfit. Although ethnic clothing is cumbersome to wear and adorned with jingling accessories, it is really beautiful.

Bai Xunyin picked out a set of clothes in a grid shop. The auntie next to her, wearing a silk hairpin on her head, glanced at her figure from head to toe and couldn’t help but smile. 

“The little girl is so slim, she must be able to fit into it.”

They were artisans who make a living by selling goods in the tourist village, so it’s only natural that they speak Mandarin fairly well after years of doing so.

Bai Xunyin blinked in surprise and smiled, “Are there sizes that won’t fit?”

Shouldn’t clothes come in all sizes?

“Of course there are. The skirts here, the largest waist size is only sixty-five. Plump girls can’t fit into them. Many people come here and can’t buy these clothes.”

The auntie said matter-of-factly.

Sixty-five? 

Bai Xunyin and Yu Luoyin glanced at each other, both feeling a bit astonished.

So there really are regional differences in body types. Hani girls were naturally slender, just like the ‘endowed gifts’ of black people. They, too, were naturally slim, with slender limbs and supple waists.

Dietary habits and climate in different regions can indeed affect one’s body shape, hence the so-called ‘regional differences’.

Fortunately, Bai Xunyin’s waist was less than sixty, so she can fit into this ethnic-style long skirt with a bare waist.

Compared to girls who love beauty, men don’t have as much desire to try on local traditional clothing.

Yu Luoyin only bought a tie-dyed oversized T-shirt and shorts, covered with large patches of bright and colorful graffiti, which was eye-catching.

With sunglasses on, when he saw Bai Xunyin coming out in the Hani-style long skirt, his eyes behind the lenses lit up.

He changed his lazy appearance from before.

“Don’t move.” 

He stopped Bai Xunyin and quickly lifted the SLR camera to take several snaps.

…

Yu Luoyin acted almost like a dedicated photographer all the way, leaving Bai Xunyin amused and exasperated.

She hadn’t even seen how she looked after putting it on, so she awkwardly tucked away the stray hairs near her ear and said, “I don’t even know if it looks good yet, why are you taking pictures?”

“You’re overthinking it.” 

Yu Luoyin smiled and walked over to kiss her on the cheek, smelling of mint. 

He murmured vaguely, “You look good in anything.”

Bai Xunyin glanced at him. She wore a Hani-style hat with a silver-trimmed pendant, falling on her forehead, making her look like a beautiful ancient beauty.

With a smiling face and peach blossom eyes, she asked Yu Luoyin jokingly, “Are you my fan?”

Must be an obsessive fan.

After all, thinking she looks good no matter what.

Yu Luoyin was now only thinking about when they returned to Linlan. He definitely had to get Bai Xunyin to try on those costumes in the photography shop.

Lost in his own thoughts, he nodded in response to Bai Xunyin’s question with a smile. 

“Is there any more sincere term than ‘fan’—uh, I think I should be at a higher level.”

…

The tour guide they found couldn’t help but smile enviously. 

“You two have such a good relationship.”

Bai Xunyin blushed at the compliment, pushing away Yu Luoyin and walking ahead.

Shayao Village, enveloped by tropical rainforest-like valleys, the most beautiful ‘feature’ here is undoubtedly the scenery.

After exploring the magnificent valleys, suspension bridges, and streams for three or four hours, Bai Xunyin’s calves were a bit sore and numb. 

Finally, Yu Luoyin carried her to the last destination.

With a camera hanging around her neck, Bai Xunyin temporarily became the photographer, instead of Yu Luoyin.

With a ‘ride’ along the way, they were having fun taking pictures.

This place is really beautiful. 

It’s a shame not to bring the kids here. 

When they’re all on vacation, they must come again.

But for now, they could only show him the photos.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the three of them arrived at the lotus pond in Shayao Village.

In the clear lake, densely packed lotus leaves stretched as far as the eye could see, like an endless sea of green, stunning and refreshing.

“Few tourists have the patience to come here because it’s far from the market.”

The tour guide took a deep breath, smiling at the lake and introducing it to the two of them. 

“But almost every guest who has come here and takes a leaf boat out to the center of the lake for a while, basically never regrets this long journey.”

Bai Xunyin had already jumped off Yu Luoyin’s back. Holding hands, they glanced at each other and saw familiar content in each other’s eyes, smiling knowingly.

—They had come to a place thousands of miles away, which was already quite far, so why would they hesitate to take such a journey?

Following the guide’s instructions, the two of them rented a boat from the boatman and entered the lake.

The boats here are wooden skiffs that need to be rowed by hand—fortunately, Yu Luoyin was strong and knew how to row a boat.

The boat wasn’t big. Bai Xunyin sat at the bow, her feet adorned with red beads resting on Yu Luoyin’s lap. When the man rowed to the center of the lake, she curiously leaned over to look.

Feeling surrounded by lotus leaves and flowers, it felt like entering a fairyland, dreamy and surreal.

But there was also one disadvantage. 

Where there were many flowers and leaves, there were also many flying insects. Fortunately, Bai Xunyin’s outfit had a layer of red gauze draped over it, which blocked most of them.

She thought for a moment, then moved closer to Yu Luoyin’s side from the bow of the boat, using the thin red gauze to cover both of them.

In an instant, the sky darkened with a reddish hue, and the atmosphere became ambiguous and charming.

Yu Luoyin was slightly startled but couldn’t help chuckling, “I’m not afraid of getting bitten.”

As a big man, a few mosquito bites wouldn’t bother him.

Bai Xunyin didn’t say anything, just stubbornly covered both of them with the veil. Yu Luoyin couldn’t stop her, he just smiled and watched her, gradually… it seemed to turn into a poolside romance.

Yu Luoyin simply stopped rowing the boat, placed the oars on either side of the boat, and let the skiff slowly sway in the pool.

They put the thin veil on the boat, lying side by side, leisurely watching the blue sky above.

As Keigo Higashino once said, in this world, only the sun and human hearts cannot be stared at directly, so they dared not open their eyes wide, only squinting slightly. 

Fortunately, it was sunset, so the sunlight wasn’t so glaring.

A gentle breeze blew over the water, incredibly leisurely.

“This place is really nice,” Bai Xunyin sighed softly, “Humans come from the ocean and go to the sky, feeling like they’ve become very small in the midst of it all.”

But also very peaceful, as if everything in the world became light and ethereal.

All the trivialities of the world, the endless official duties, all the things that bind ankles…

They are all just passing clouds.

Bai Xunyin leaned against Yu Luoyin’s waist, acting like a spoiled child as she nuzzled into his arms. 

“Let’s come back next year, with the kids.”

Yu Luoyin rubbed her head with his chin and whispered softly, “Okay.”

The lotus pond boat, a paradise on earth.

But for him, the woman beside him was even more important.

As long as he could be with Bai Xunyin, anywhere would be good.

In the future, besides here, they could also go to the desert, the snow-capped mountains… 

He believed that as long as it was a place of ‘pristine nature’, full of ‘vitality’, it could attract Bai Xunyin.

Because deep down, she’s a wild girl.

Far from being just a delicate flower.