Flowers all the way

Chapter 28 Epilogue: The Joy of Love

"By the way, Lufei, do you still keep that envelope?" Xin Chen is currently traveling with Lin Yueqing in the Czech Republic, and she will call Lufei at about the same time every day. When it's time to say goodbye, she suddenly asks .

Of course Lu Fei knew what Xin Chen was talking about. The envelope with Xin Chen's mother's address had been kept by him for 12 years.

"Of course I keep it. Why do you suddenly think of this?"

Xin Chen was silent for a while, then smiled, "Maybe it's because the Czech Republic is close to Austria, maybe." Her voice came low from the receiver of the mobile phone, "It's because of what you said to me that day."

She agreed to start over with Lu Fei, but still insisted on staying in Beijing to work. Her reason was simple: "The work is done smoothly, and it has to be done for a while. No more credit."

Lu Fei admitted that what she said was reasonable, but at the same time, it was clear that this was at least not the most important reason for her unwillingness to come back.She kept a cautious attitude and refused to go too fast. He could understand and was willing to enjoy the process of getting close to her again.

He proposed to visit her on the weekend, but she repeatedly said no, "Your legs are not suitable for business trips, so I'd better wait until I find time to come back."

She did keep her promise, came back one Saturday morning, went directly to his place, and gave him a big surprise.It's a pity that his mobile phone kept ringing, and he had to go out for dinner at night. When he came back tired late at night, Xin Chen had already fallen asleep in bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her peaceful face for a long time, feeling guilty, but when she woke up the next day as if nothing had happened, he was even more disturbed.

The investment company's business is expanding smoothly, but Lu Fei's work is becoming increasingly onerous.After he was able to throw away his cane gradually, he immediately took over a job on a business trip to Beijing.The steel nails on his legs made abnormal noises during the security check, and the staff inevitably used hand-held metal detectors to detect him up and down, and even manually checked him.He has always been obsessed with cleanliness and avoids physical contact with strangers, so of course he has to endure the process.

Xin Chen was happy when he saw him, but when he mentioned that his sister Lu Shi was also on business in Beijing at the moment, and he deliberately asked her to have dinner with her, she hesitated, and said after a pause: "Let's talk about it next time." .”

Lu Fei was unwilling to force her, so he nodded, "Okay, I should come here often on business trips."

"I plan to take a vacation to the Czech Republic next month, and I have already applied for a visa."

Lu Fei was a little embarrassed, "Next month, I have to focus on the follow-up work on the acquisition of shares in a company in Hunan. I'm afraid I won't be able to spare time to accompany you."

"I don't need you to accompany me. I have an appointment with Yueqing. The itinerary, hotel, air ticket, and train ticket are all booked."

He smiled wryly, embraced her, and looked into her clear eyes, "You didn't include me in your plan at all, did you?"

Xin Chen shook his head with a smile, and said frankly: "You can't spend the weekend in peace, your phone keeps ringing when you turn it on, and you probably miss work when you go on a trip. You will only disappoint the scenery and waste money."

He admitted that what she said was not unreasonable. Of course, she was no longer the little girl who held his arm and refused to let go, but her rational attitude made him sigh, and he smiled gently, "Xiaochen, we are like this , can it be considered love?"

Xin Chen was stunned, his eyes dimmed, and he remained silent for a long time.

"You know I'm not complaining, and I don't want to force you, but living in two places and going our own way doesn't help us get closer. If you decide to stay and work in Beijing in the future, I will reconsider my work arrangements."

"Let's talk about it when I get back, shall we?"

Xin Chen has been to quite a few places, but the places she traveled in the past were all wild environments. Except for the place where she was born and raised, Kunming and Beijing where she lives now, she has little idea of ​​other cities.

The longing for the Czech Republic stems from a travel note with many photos that I occasionally saw on the Internet. One of them overlooks the whole city of Prague from the top of the mountain. The building looked a bit crowded, but it had a warm and pleasant golden tone, which moved her heart.

By the time she actually came to this city, she had no regrets about this trip at all.

Late August is still the peak tourist season in Prague. Xin Chen and Lin Yueqing came out of Prague Castle and smiled at each other.Needless to say, there are many tourists, and there are also tour groups from Taiwan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Under the leadership of the tour guides with small flags and squeaky small electric speakers, they visit in a serious manner, which is really a bit unpleasant.

Prague is a small city with simple subway routes. As long as you do a little homework, it is actually a very suitable city for free walking.

Lin Yueqing studied architectural design, and along the way introduced Xin Chen to various architectural styles in the city: Romanesque, Gothic, Rococo, Baroque, Renaissance... She didn't care what she said. .

The old man and the organ on the street, the artist playing the saxophone on the Old Town Square, the calm water of the Vltava River, the girl sunbathing leisurely on the lawn, the winding alleys of the old town, the slightly damaged brick and stone Streets, moss and fine weeds in the cracks of the bricks, dim and swaying street lights, trams, carriages... These scenes make people feel free from the tension of walking in a strange city, and feel happy and relaxed without looking at the map.

Xin Chen had a phone call with Lu Fei every day, mostly talking about trivial knowledge.

"It's weird that you have to turn on your headlights when driving in the city of Prague during the day.

"The water in scenic spots is very expensive. A bottle of 500ml pure water costs 15 crowns, equivalent to 6.6 yuan.

"Yueqing and I drank 8 crowns of black tea with unlimited refills at KFC, and we left when we were full.

"Passing by a garbage room, there is actually a modernist sculpture on the door, which is really extravagant art.

"For some reason, when I saw such a majestic and beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral, I suddenly remembered the country church I passed by in the Dulongjiang Mountains. It's a pity that I didn't hear the legendary Lisu people singing without accompaniment.

"The taste of Goulash is okay, but the word is easy to associate, haha.

"There are a lot of kissing couples on the Charles Bridge at night."

Every time Lu Fei answered her call, he listened seriously and happily, with a slight smile on his lips, especially this sentence, which made him yearn even more.He has been to many countries on business trips, and has never been particularly interested in sightseeing.But holding the phone, he couldn't think about how enjoyable it would be if he stood with her on the Charles Bridge in the night instead of facing the documents piled up on the table.

"I'm going on a business trip to Hunan tomorrow."

"Yueqing and I will take the bus to Cesky Krumlov tomorrow, which is said to be a very beautiful town."

Lu Fei groaned, "It's too unfair for you to say this to a person who has no vacation."

Xin Chen chuckled softly, "Workaholics don't complain."

"I don't complain about work, I only complain that I can't accompany you to the Charles Bridge."

Xin Chen coughed and reported with a smile: "By the way, Yueqing had an affair there. A beautiful Eastern European girl approached him. I went back to the hotel alone first."

Yueqing's protest came over the phone: "Don't listen to Hehuan's nonsense, I just had a drink with her."

Lu Fei was amused and laughed.

Xin Chen and Lin Yueqing took the bus to Cesky Krumlov, a small remote town far away from Prague with only [-] residents.This is a favorite place for backpackers, almost a miniature Prague, with Gothic architecture, cheap beer, lively bars, and the clear Vltava River running around the city like a horseshoe.

They booked a country hotel on the back street online. The house has white walls and a red roof. There are flower boxes hanging on the window sills, and various blooming flowers are planted. The room is clean and warm, and there is a well-kept small garden-like courtyard outside the window. , very homely atmosphere.

It only takes 10 minutes to walk from one end of the town to the other. Apart from visiting the ancient castle together, they decided to go their own way. Lin Yueqing took a camera to take pictures of various buildings. Xin Chenxing walked wherever he went.

You can see casually dressed or even bare-chested tourists everywhere. Some people row rubber boats enthusiastically on the river, and some people lie down on the riverside, laying their legs on the bank to bask in the sun in a daze. People come and go, lively but not disturbing.

Xin Chen used to be used to striding fast and didn't like to sit around doing nothing, but when he came here, he was infected by everyone's leisure, and he was very relaxed, walking and stopping, casually sitting on the wooden chairs in the open-air cafes and the steps of the alleys. , Resting on a stone bench by the river bank.

A man came to strike up a conversation with her, but her English was mediocre, and she had no intention of chatting with others, so she just smiled and shook her head.Occasionally, a person who can't get rid of it is not annoying, just sitting next to her, flipping through a travel conversation booklet and chatting to her, sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in Chinese, as if to do conversation practice, Lin Yueqing just turned around and put his hands on her. On her shoulder, she smiled at the man, and the man retreated in spite of the difficulty.

"I want to tell Lu Fei that he should be too anxious to sleep." Lin Yueqing sat next to Xin Chen and said while fiddling with the camera.

Xin Chen only looked at a little girl on the square brick road in a daze. She seemed to be only a little over one year old, with soft light chestnut hair fluttering in the wind, snow-white skin, and a pair of big gray-blue eyes almost as small as a little girl. With a disproportionately small face, she cheerfully walked forward with her chubby little hands raised, staggering but without hesitation, and rushed towards her mother who was squatting in front of her, while another man watched with a smile on her side.Xin Chen took the camera in Lin Yueqing's hand, quickly adjusted the focus and aperture, and took a few shots in a row, just in time to capture the moment when the little girl threw herself into her mother's embrace and the naughty smile with her furry head on her mother's shoulder.

Lin Yueqing took the camera and was amazed: "This shot is really good, the background is blurred just right, and the angle and expression are impeccable."

He stood up, took the camera and walked over to the standing man to see, the woman also picked up her daughter to watch carefully, smiled happily, and talked a few words, the man took out a pen and paper and wrote something and handed it to Lin Yueqing, and then Turning her head and waving to Xin Chen who had been sitting where she was, she also waved to them with a smile.

"They like these photos very much. Let me thank you for giving me an email address and asking me to send them back." Lin Yueqing sat back beside her.

Xin Chen smiled and said nothing, if she was the only one here, she would not take the initiative to show the camera to others.In fact, she avoids opportunities to deepen connections with people, preferring to walk with strangers and go hiking in places where few people live. Now she is in such a warm landscape, and she suddenly feels lost.

The young mother hugged her daughter, with her husband's hand on her waist, and the family of three cuddled up, talking and walking away slowly. Under the sunlight, their figures were gilded with the same golden color as this small town, and they were so intimate that there was no gap between them. .

She also once walked arm in arm with a boy like this, walking around the quiet tree-lined road behind the park, from the setting sun to the street lights, their figures sometimes trailing behind for a long time, sometimes slanting printed on the front.She held his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. The two shadows, one tall and one short, always overlapped partly. That scene has been deeply engraved in her memory.

"If we're like this, can it be considered love?" These words resurfaced in her heart along with the memories.

Two men have already said this to her. Although Feng Yi'an is indifferent and Lu is not gentle, the doubts are consistent.

Do you really want to keep a safe distance from everyone?After Lu Fei reoccupied your heart more and more, can you really stick to this distance?she asked herself.

"What are you thinking, Hehuan?"

"I'm thinking, I seem to be very cowardly now." Facing Yueqing, she didn't mind confiding her thoughts.

"Are you cowardly? Cowardly people dare not take the road in the northwest of Yunnan." Lin Yueqing didn't take it seriously. Xin Chen gave him the link of the strategy that Lao Zhang posted on the donkey friend website, and he was fascinated by it, "Seriously, I plan to try it next year when I have time.”

"That's not bravery. It's just walking with others on a road less traveled by. What I understand is bravery." Xin Chen turned his head and thought for a while, "It's like that little girl who just learned to walk, but she walks so firmly. , without any fear."

"This analogy doesn't hold true. It's because no matter how young she is, she knows that there is nothing to be afraid of with her mother's arms waiting in front of her." Lin Yueqing wiped the lens carefully with a lens cloth, and said casually.

But there was a hug waiting in front of her, so she hesitated, even if that person was Lu Fei.

This hesitation is not even about trust.

She thought she already had a complete set of logic for dealing with life, but she didn't know when she lost the courage to face it.

Lu Fei sent the address in German with Chinese annotations. It is a small town below Steyr, the manufacturing center of Austria.After Lin Yueqing inquired with the hotel owner, he learned that someone in the local area provided a chartered car round-trip service between Linz, the third largest city in Austria, which is only 30 kilometers south of the Czech Republic. Tyre is only 40 kilometers away, and the traffic there is very convenient.

After 12 years, will she still live in the same place?Xin Chen was not sure, but she decided to take a look. She was not interested in mother-daughter recognition, reconciliation, etc. She just planned to start by looking directly at the first gap in her life.

Xin Chen called Lu Fei and told him his arrangement: "I plan to go to Steyr the day after tomorrow, at most two days, Yueqing will go to Hot Spring City as originally planned, and I will meet him in Prague and go back to Beijing together. "

"I'm already at the airport, I'm going to fly to Vienna right away, keep your phone on, let's meet in Linz." Lu Fei didn't wait for her objection, "This is not a simple trip, you don't have to face it alone."

When approaching Linz, the first thing you see are many tall chimneys.This is the first time Xinchen embarked on a journey without having time to do his homework. He only listened to Lin Yueqing's translation of the hotel owner's introduction. This place is an industrial area in Austria.The city where she was born and raised is also famous for its industry, but she didn't know until she entered the urban area that Linz is also a city with a strong cultural atmosphere.

She made an appointment with Lufei to meet at the square in the city center, where there is a miniature yellow viewing train.She had no intention of sightseeing at first, but it was still early, so she got on the bus. There was a Chinese commentary on the bus, and music was played in conjunction with the scenic spot. When Mozart lived, he played the "Linz Symphony" written for this place; As the train passed the Linz Cathedral, Bruckner's solemn religious music sounded.After half an hour, I returned to the square after browsing the main landscape of the city.

When Lu Fei arrived, he called Xinchen's mobile phone, and she answered quickly: "I'm next to the city hall on the east side of the square, listen—"

Lu Fei's familiar violin melody, Chrysler's "Joy of Love", came from the phone.His heart stopped for a few beats. He took the violin to study abroad. Playing the violin is one of his leisure time entertainments. Of course he remembered what this piece of music meant.

Austria is a country of music, and street performers can be seen everywhere.One late autumn four years ago, he went to Vienna on a business trip, and on the way back to the hotel after finishing his official business, he also stopped in the sound of this song, standing in the cold wind, listening to this song full of happiness, joy and romance. He couldn't help but think of that warm spring day and that bright smile that passed away in his life.

In a strange city in a foreign country, they actually listened to this piece of music at the same time. The two kept silent until the end of the piece. Lu Fei said softly, "Thank you for giving me such pure joy."

Holding the phone, Xin Chen was fascinated by the scene when he stood in front of her and played for her for the first time. From then to now, she once thought that there would be an insurmountable gap between the two people who could never meet again. The trajectories of life overlapped in this strange city.

Another Bach famous song "Aria on the G String" came from the mobile phone. Lufei walked across the square, getting closer and closer, and the music was amplified in his ears.

On the side of the ancient city hall, a middle-aged man with a beard was playing the violin intently. Among the tourists, he saw Xin Chen with a backpack on his back, bent down to put a euro bill into the violin case, Then he stood up, still holding the phone in his hand.Lu Fei stood behind her and was about to put his hand on her shoulder when she turned her head slightly and said softly to the phone: "I love you, Lu Fei."

Accompanied by violin music, this voice came from her lips and the receiver of the mobile phone at the same time, until it penetrated into the bottom of Lu Fei's heart. He put down the mobile phone, put her in his arms, and hugged her tightly.

(End of this chapter)