Chapter 6 Chapter Six
"What did they tell you to do?" Mei Qiu said, staring at Lan Moshi in disbelief.A few minutes ago, he knocked on her door, and she responded "please come in", thinking that it was Furan who came to help her with her luggage.Unexpectedly, after opening the door, Moshi with serious face and deep frown appeared.He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
It's just that her hand was still holding the doorknob, and her eyes were staring at him fiercely. "What did they tell you to do?" she said again, softer this time.
"I'll be your slave as long as you're here," he said, without a trace of humor in his voice.
She didn't know him, but the way he rolled his eyes to one side made her suspicious. "Why don't I believe you?" she asked.
Moshi sighed heavily, and walked into the room. "Look, if I promise not to harass you, can you close the door? It might be embarrassing to watch."
"To you or to me?"
"To me," he said.
"Very well," she said, and closed the door, but she did not leave the room. "Finish what you have to say quickly. Your father is waiting for me."
"He is waiting but he is not waiting." Mo Shi said.
She felt that the appearance of the person in front of her was different from what many people saw.She thought the real Moshi was confident most of the time, but now he acted like he'd rather face the shooter than be alone in this room with her.Just what my vanity needs, she thought.
"First of all, I should apologize to you," he said.Seeing that she didn't answer, but just stood there with her arms folded, he waved his hands and sat down on the chair in front of the window. "Well, do you want to hear the truth?"
"That would be a nice change."
Moshi smiled. "Do you know Dr. Otola?"
"I know," Mei Hagi said conservatively. "But what does she have to do with me blackmailing your cousin through divorce proceedings?"
"Hmm!" Mo Shi said in a tone as if she had hit his sore foot. "She's my aunt, my mother's sister, and it seems like you and your husband are being invited here. It's my aunt who wants you to have a nice holiday."
Hearing this unexpected announcement, Mei Hagi's hostility disappeared, and she sat down on the corner of the bed. "Me?" She was confused.Since arriving here, she's felt like a trespasser, like this isn't where she should be.She never expected that it was she who was really invited instead of Ajie.
"Why don't you explain it from the beginning?" Mei Hagi said, listening to him quietly.After he finished explaining, she said: "So, if I leave here, you will get into big trouble?"
"Of course it wouldn't be like being targeted by the IRS, or failing a test or something—"
"When is the next time you see your aunt?" Mei Hagi asked with a smile.
Mo Shi made a face. "Thanksgiving!" He looked at her. "If you leave here, I'll be the turkey on the dinner table that night."
Meiqi laughed out loud. "I see. So, what did your family tell you to do?"
"When you really leave here, they hope you can tell my aunt sincerely that you spent the most enjoyable vacation in your life here."
Mei Qiu just stared at him for a while, then she stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, thinking silently.Then she stopped and turned to face him. "What on earth does that mean?"
"My mother didn't say it, but I think it means: I'll give you what you want."
"Blank cheque?"
"If that's what you want," he said stiffly.
"Or does it mean that you have to take me to play? Eat and drink with me or something?"
"Anything you want. We can fly to New York to shop and hang out at the clubs there; then we can come back here and let me take you to some places where you can wear the clothes you bought in New York The place."
She turned again, pretending to consider his offer.It was clear to her that that was what he thought she would want to do, or that "someone like her" would do. "Okay," she turned to look at him. "I'll tell you what I want to do."
He raised an eyebrow. "Please enlighten me."
"Do nothing," she said. "I don't want anything. I just want to be free of responsibilities for a few days, I want to be in a hammock all day, I want to read romance novels, I want to do puzzles, I want to eat and drink and just lie in the sun or whatever None of it. The most strenuous thing I have to do is pick up a glass and sip lemonade."
From his expression, she knew that she had indeed frightened him.Obviously, this was not what he expected her to say.It's like the genie gave you the right to make three wishes, but you refused it.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly. "My brother's going to a lot of parties, and I'm sure Applejack will be with him. You're going to need some clothes, so I can—"
"No, I don't need a party dress, because I don't go to those parties. Look, I know everyone in this room can tell that Applejack and I don't have a relationship anymore. I don't think anyone Can still be in love after what we've been through. So it's okay to tell you that Jay and I agreed to take our own vacations. He can go to all the parties he wants; I've never liked crowded places, yes I'm not interested in that kind of place."
She could see that he didn't believe what she said.She said angrily, "You've never had a good opinion of me since you first set eyes on me. What did I do to make you think that way?"
When he spoke, his voice was soft and low. "Usually a girl with your look thinks only about diamonds and the occasions she can wear them to."
This sentence made Mei Hagi laugh. "This kind of thinking may be true in your world, but it is not in my world. Whether you believe it or not, Mr. Lan, I am still the same person under my appearance."
The way he stared at her made Maygi wonder if she forgot to put on her clothes.
"You know what? I think maybe you're right," he said, and slowly rose to his feet and walked to the door. "I'll take care of you getting what you want," he said, and left the room.
After he left, Mei Hagi was discouraged.There was something about him that made her feel charged when she was near him.When she was angry with him, she seemed to be terribly angry.When he made her happy, she seemed to laugh until every cell in her body trembled.And when he complimented her, Maycho was sure it was the most beautiful compliment she had ever heard in her life.
Applejack's boot protruded from the bottom of the bed, and Meigi kicked it hard. "Calm down, miss!" she told herself. "You're married, and...and..." She couldn't think of any reason, except that a man like Lan Moshi, who came from such a family background, was by no means something she could admire.
Mei Hagi finally felt bored after holding on for a full twenty-four hours.She hadn't read anything but medical books for the past two years, and now she desperately wanted something light-hearted, something that didn't tell you in detail what horrible things were going on with the human body.But when she picked out a book that was classified as a "beach reading book," she was bored.How could she still believe in romance stories?How could she believe in the ending of "happily ever after"?Once lovers are married, all the rest is work.Once lovers are married, they don't even talk anymore.
She promised to set Ajie free and never interfere with his life during this holiday.At the time, it seemed like an excellent idea.But now, as she lay in her hammock a few feet from the large swimming pool, she almost wished she could join the frolicking and splashing in the pool.Ajie in the water no longer needs to use crutches, so he is alive and kicking like a child.Of course, all of them are accompanied by those "girls".
Mayhagi had tried to join them late yesterday.Originally, she was alone in the room, trying to read her romance novels, but laughter kept coming from outside the room.So she changed into the plain white one-piece swimsuit and headed to the pool.But as soon as she appeared, all the noise of play stopped immediately.Mei Hagi in jeans is already amazing, and Mei Hagi in a white high-split swimsuit is even more breathless.
Ten minutes after she arrived, Applejack emerged from the pool. "Why are you ruining the atmosphere here?" he said, and Mei Hagi turned back to their room immediately.She didn't see that Mo Shi was sitting on the periphery of the group of people, with a textbook spread out in front of her.
Early the next morning, Mei Hagi quietly got out of bed.She wasn't worried about waking Applejack because he was snoring—he was out all night after all—she just wanted to slip out of the house without being noticed.She puts on jeans, a jumper, a flannel shirt, and her hiking boots, which she's barely worn out.But her slight movement was almost in vain.When she opened the door, she nearly bumped into the long green canvas bag some idiot had put on the door.
Mei Hagi catches the bag just in time before it topples and wakes up the room.The moment she touched the canvas bag, she knew it contained a new fishing rod.Even through the canvas bag, she could tell that the rod was one of those ultralight rods that pull marlin effortlessly.This kind of fishing rod has always been the only place where she drools at the sporting goods store.And she knew who put it there.
There was a small envelope tied to the handle of the canvas bag with a pink ribbon, and she opened it. "This is an apology gift. Please accept it. Come to me in the fish hole. I have a proposal for you to consider."
There was no signature on the letter, and there was no need for that.In an instant, Mei Hagi went from being afraid that this would be another day with nothing to do to being inexplicably excited.She almost ran to where Lucy kept the rest of her fishing gear.And when Mei Qiu opened the cabinet door, she gasped.There was a brand new pair of waterproof boots in the cabinet, and she knew that the boots must be her size without checking.The last pair she wore were too big, she could barely walk in them.There was also a new vest in the closet, one of those fishing vests with lots of little pockets for hooks and bait.And there was an old-fashioned fish basket on the floor—the kind of hand-woven wicker basket that was very beautiful but was twenty times more expensive than a plastic basket.Like a fishing rod bag, it is also tied with a pink ribbon.
"I shouldn't have done this," she murmured as she put on her vest and picked up the fishbasket. "I shouldn't accept gifts from strangers. I shouldn't—oh, fuck it!" she said, grabbing her waterproof boots, and ran out the side door, avoiding what must have been a busy day by now. A kitchen in one piece.
After a few minutes, she approached what Moshi called "the fish hole," but when she was almost there, she hesitated.What did he mean by "proposed"?
As soon as she came out of the bushes, she saw that he was not there, and her heart sank to the bottom of the valley for a moment.
"Morning." He popped up behind her, startling her.
"Do you always do this?" She blurted out accusations, but she was actually angry at herself for being so happy just because he was here.
"I like to have the upper hand. Would you like something to eat? Or did you stop by the kitchen before coming here?"
"It's funny." He walked away, and she followed with her arms full of gifts.When he stopped by the creek and picked up his rod, she said: "You see, I can't take home any of these presents. Assuming I'm here to use a good horse?"
Without raising his head, he concentrated on loading artificial flies on the fishing rod. "As you please," he said. "There's the food. I brought hot chocolate, so I hope you're not on a diet."
"I never go on a diet," Mei Hagi said honestly, putting down his waterproof boots and fishing rod and walking towards the ice bucket; a large thermos stood beside the ice bucket.She poured herself a mug of hot chocolate, and took a brioche and strawberries from the ice bucket.Mo Shi didn't leave the stream, and now he was turning his back to her, and began to swing the pole for the first time.
Food in hand, Meigi sat down on a large boulder near him. "Tell me about your proposal!" She tried to speak lightly, but even she could hear the sharpness in her voice.
"It's not what you think," he said, not looking at her from his fishing. "Then again, you must have had people propose to you from time to time."
"Yeah." Mei Hagi replied simply.
His line got tangled and it took him a few minutes to untangle; then he dropped his rod and walked back to the ice bucket behind her.He handed her another egg roll, took one himself, and sat down by the rocky stream. "I think you and I are two unlucky couples."
Mei Hagi was about to refute but couldn't find an argument, so she shut up again.
"At least here it is. This place has been ruled by my sister, my brother, and their friends. It hasn't always been like this, by the way. It was my favorite summer vacation when I was a kid. Twenty-five miles around, every I've walked an inch of land. I've fished in most streams. But then my siblings grew up too..."
He shrugged and leaned on his elbows.Mei Hagi looked at him.He wore an old canvas hat to cover his eyes, but Mayggio could have sworn the line between his brows was less deep when he looked at the stream.
"In short, they prefer parties to nature. In fact, they plan to have a dinner party tonight."
At this point Meiqi sighed.For her, the party represented: Drunk people trying to get their hands on her.
"Well, I feel the same way." Mo Shi said. "I can't stand parties. Listen, I was thinking maybe... I mean, I know you said you just wanted to lie still and read a book, but I thought maybe you'd like to go hiking with me. "
Some Umehagi really wanted to shout "Long live"!But another part of her remained silent.
"On one condition," Moshi said. "No romantic reveries."
"What did you say?" Mei Qiu fell back from memory to reality.
He turned to look at her. "Women always want to marry me."
"Really?" Mei Hagi said. "It must be annoying to you."
He grimaced and looked at the stream again. "I just thought maybe you'd understand. Ever said 'a rich man must have a wife' or something? Anyway, I'm rich and women start planning weddings as soon as they find out. And still I see, as soon as a man sees you, he starts planning—"
"Honeymoon trip?" Mei Hagi said.
"Completely correct."
She also looked at the stream. "I hadn't thought of it that way, but I think you're right that we were a coincidence. So what's your proposal?"
"Let's go free, both of us. In my whole life with women, I've never really had a time when I could call it 'having fun'. It's been calculated. You can't imagine how many Women told me they liked fishing, and then I found out that they studied me and found out that I like fishing, so they..." He broke off, and then he shrugged. "One of them even paid for fishing lessons."
"Then let's go free means..." May Hagi asked, looking directly at him.
"Have fun. Nothing to do with it. You seem to have the same things I don't like, so I thought maybe you might have some of the same things I do. I can see you like fishing, so I thought maybe we could climb mountains, Fishing, uh, being normal. You forget I'm rich, and I don't notice that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life."
His words involuntarily aroused a little bit of excitement in her body, and she really wanted to say: "Really? The most beautiful? Or just one of the most beautiful?" But Mei Hagi didn't say it after all.
"What do you think of this proposal?" he asked.
Mei Hagi cleared her throat, afraid that she would become hoarse with excitement. "Not bad," she said. "Sounds good."
"Unless you'd rather spend the rest of the day in the summer house reading, or going to parties with your husband. Or you could sit on the front porch with Mom and Dad at night—"
"No," Mei Hagi cut him off quickly. "I'd rather spend my time on—" She didn't say "you."She didn't want him to think she was any different from the women who were chasing him. "In nature," she said at last. "What do you think we can do?"
"Mountain climbing. Unless you're the kind of city woman who's afraid of the wild."
Hearing this, Mei Hagi laughed. "I'm from Montana. How can your hills in New York compare to mine back home?"
Moshi smiled at her, and when he did, his expression softened. "Very good. I need a break from too much reading. We can go down the boat a little bit. No dangerous trips, so no guides, just the two of us. We can go down the river and camp out in the wild, That means...well, if you're not afraid to be alone with me. And if your husband lets you do it."
After all I've done for Applejack!It was the first thought that came to Mei Hagi's mind, but she didn't say it. "I'm sure it's okay. There's a gentleman's agreement between Ajie and I." She almost choked on the lie.
"That would be great." Moshi said, then stood up and stretched.
Mei Qiu, who was still sitting on the stone, raised his head to look at him, and the rising sun shot from behind him, outlining his tall and strong body, showing the muscles under his clothes.How long had it been since she touched a body that didn't need medical attention?How often did she see him looking down at her, Mei Qiu brought the empty cup to her lips, and moved her eyes to the ground.She'd better hide what she was thinking and feeling just now.
"Have some more chocolate!" He happily took down her paper cup and poured some liquid from the thermos. "I think it's going to be a great vacation for both of us. Nothing to do, no worries about any physicality between us. I know you and your husband don't get on very well, but I Think you're the kind of woman who respects marriage vows."
Seeing that he had nothing to say, she looked up and saw that he seemed to be waiting for her to answer.
"Well, indeed," said Maygigo. "Very respectful." She drank the chocolate, wondering inwardly if Applejack and Terri would honor his marriage vows as well.
"Great," Moshi said. "Perfect. Now, what do you want to do first? Any suggestions?"
"You know better than I what can be done here," she said, looking up at him.
"Perhaps you'll think I'm being conceited, but I thought you'd like the idea, so I planned ahead. In two hours, 'Very' will meet us on the other side of the mountain—or to you It's just a small hill as far as I'm concerned - she'll drive over in a wagon full of supplies and a rubber raft. From there we go on a backcountry tour. It doesn't take long, three to four days That's all. Do you think you can handle it?"
Mei Hagi could only blink and look at him.Three or four days alone in beautiful nature with a man she finds extremely attractive?Three to four days without constant encouragement for a man to seriously rehab?
"Who cooks?" she asked, squinting at Moshi.
"We split evenly. Most of the food Aya has already prepared and put in vacuum bags."
Mei Hagi knew he should say no.Reason told her that she should go back to the summer house to discuss this matter with Ajie, after all, he was still her husband.Although he doesn't act like it, and makes it clear that he—
"Okay," Mei Hagi said. "I really like the plan."
"So, what happened next?" Ellie pressed, holding up the glass for Lacey to refill.
Mei Hagi lit another cigarette, took a deep breath, and then spoke again. "I had the best vacation of my life."
Seeing that she didn't go on, Airi's expression looked like she was about to strangle Mei Hagi. "Details! I want to hear details. You go out there with your lazy, useless husband, and then go out into the wild for days with a man who wants to maintain a platonic relationship with you, and—" Her words were caught by Mei Tho's laughter stop.
"What's wrong?"
"Moshi didn't tell the truth, every word in his proposal was a lie. He told me later that he wanted me to think about it until his palms were sweaty. But when he saw everyone's reaction to me, He knew that if he said it so bluntly, he would have no chance at all."
"I see," Ellie said. "It makes sense. I mean, from a writer's point of view. Turns out he's trying to give you time to like him."
"Yes," Mei Hagi said softly. "That's what he meant. He wanted me to get to know him without being surrounded by his family, without outside influence. And he wanted to get to know me, the inside of me, not just the outside."
"Yeah, I have that problem too," Ellie said. "You too, Lacey?"
Seeing that Lacey was silent, Ellie turned to look at her. "Believe it or not, I was like that for a while. It's not that my face is as attractive as my body. But it was so long ago that I can't recall it now."
Umegi narrowed his eyes and stared at Airi through the smoke. "Stop pretending that you won't be fascinated by men if you're not pretty."
"Maybe I can attract some men, but I've never been able to get men as passionate as you two can single out. Know what men want to do with me?"
Mayha raised his eyebrows. "You really want to tell us?"
"Maybe your secrets are private, but my dreams are all printed. Anyway, men always like to talk to me. No, I'm telling the truth. After ten minutes with me alone, a man will tell Me, he doesn't need any psychiatrists."
"Men are sexually abusive when I'm around," Lacey said with a sigh. "You're not going to believe what the boys in college are asking of me."
Seeing Umegi and Ellie looking at her expectantly, Lacey smiled slightly. "Ellie may have written all her secrets, but I want to keep my little secret. So tell your story!"
Mei Hagi continued speaking after a while. "If men can understand one thing, they can win the heart of any woman in the world. Even the ugliest man can marry the most beautiful bride."
"Am I missing something?" Ellie said. "What's the one thing a man needs to know?"
"Give a woman what she wants, not what he thinks she wants," Meigi said quietly; then she looked at the other two women and smiled. "Moshi realized that all my life men have always wanted to take advantage of me because of my looks. So of course I wanted someone who would talk to me. I used to fantasize about falling in love with a blind man, a man who couldn't see mine, so he treats me like any other woman."
Ellie snorted. "I'm the opposite. In high school, I was in the gifted class, so everyone saw my head. What I wanted more than anything else was my body. Now my life is spent thinking. If I had been in a relationship — not that I wanted to be in a relationship — but if I had, I would just want to go by my feelings and fall in love like a storm.”
The way she said that last sentence made the other two women laugh out loud.
"I won't," Lacey said. "I'm the kind of person who needs flowers, love, champagne. Tea in china cups, picnics in lace dresses, hand kisses. No molestation. Of course there will be no storms!"
At this point, the three women all laughed.
"But at least you got what you wanted," Airi said to Maycho. "You find someone who will talk to you, and I'm still waiting for my storm."
"And I can tell you that Aaron is not the loving, flowery type," Lacey said. "On our tenth wedding anniversary, what he gave me was a retirement fund for the elderly." Seeing the two women looking at her questioningly, she shrugged. "It's a very sensible approach. The flowers I want will wither, but the old age fund can last forever."
"Again," Meigi said. "Diamonds outlast companies that give out old age funds."
Once again, the three of them burst out laughing at the same time; then Lacey suddenly looked at Meigi with a serious face. "Sorry I have to ask a very personal question. Why didn't you divorce Ajie to marry Moshi?"
For a moment, Mei Hagi turned his head, tears seemed to appear in his eyes.
"Okay!" Ellie lay down again. "Back to the story just now. Tell us what happened later, every detail. If you didn't marry him, I believe you must have a good reason."
"Yeah," Mei Hagi said softly. "I have a good reason. He—"
"Wait!" Ellie said. "You have to tell this story in sequence, go back to the beautiful nature of New York, and tell us—" Ellie sat up suddenly.She pointed to Mei Hagi. "Just sit and talk. Tell me, are Moshi's legs really good-looking?"
"Beautiful," said Maygi, leaning back on the foot of the sofa. "Every part of him is beautiful."
"How old are you?" Moshi frowned and said, holding Meiqiu's foot with one hand and turning over to observe her bleeding blisters. "Look at you doing such a stupid thing. You should not be more than six years old."
Although his tone was harsh, Mei Hagi felt his concern.It took them three hours to cross what Moshe called a high mountain to where the "very" awaited them.During the whole climbing process, Mo Shi kept encouraging Mei Qiu to speak.He told Mei Ha that his mother had told him that Mei Ha had rehabilitated Jay, so he wanted to know all the details.
At first, Mei Hagi didn't really want to talk about it.For one reason, she has no experience talking to men.She had tried talking to men, but became "absent" once they saw her.After they got married, she tried talking to Applejack about the books she'd read, but Applejack said it was hard enough for him to have to do what she saw, and he didn't want to hear from her anymore.
Moshi, who just took the lead, insisted on her talking. "I'm about to start deciding to specialize in the cranium, maybe I'll want to go into 'physiotherapy'."
When they walked to the place where the truck was parked, Mei Qiu realized embarrassingly that he had been talking non-stop along the way.
There was no one in the van, just an orange rubber raft waiting to be inflated and two rather heavy-looking backpacks.
"Where is 'very'...?" Umehagi asked, looking around.
Murth leaned against a tree trunk to check supplies. "She's around, but you probably can't see her, she's shy."
Mei Hagi approached him. "Why is she called 'Very'?" she murmured.
He still buried his head in checking the supplies in the van, and his answers flowed as if he had repeated them many times. "Because she's very shy, very useful, very invisible. Whatever you want." He looked up at her. "Looks like everything is in place. Can you carry your backpack?"
Mei Hagi tilted his head and smiled at him. "If I say I can't carry it, will you carry it for me?"
She was teasing him, but Moshi didn't take her words as a joke. "Yes." He said simply.
For a moment, their eyes interlocked, and Mei Qiu felt her heartbeat start to speed up.She looked away nervously. "I can do it," she said at last.
After finishing speaking, she carried a backpack on her back.Murray carried his backpack and the rubber raft for a mile before finding a place to set it down to inflate.
She watched Mersh tie everything into the raft, then he motioned her to sit on the raft; and as he pushed the raft into the water, he said, "It's a gift to be beautiful like you , like playing the piano or painting. How do you deal with your talent?"
Meigi grabbed the seat belt on the raft and watched him jump aboard.It never occurred to her that her looks were a "talent".
Moshi took the oars and began to maneuver the raft.The sun shines through the leaves, and the water is quiet.
After straightening the boat, he looked directly at her. "talk?"
"My hometown folks sent me to New York to study modeling," she blurted out.
"And then? I mean, leave aside the part about you marrying Applejack."
This sentence made Mei Qiu look at him puzzled, because his words seemed to have a deep meaning.She had moved away from home since marrying Applejack, but whenever she met people from Erskine, she would tell them that she had given up modeling for the man she loved.
"Why don't you think I'm giving up a potentially brilliant career to help a man I love get back to health?"
As Moshi cut the rubber raft apart from a large rock jutting out of the water, he said: "The enthusiasm you show for the rehabilitation work you do tells me that you love nursing work. But I don't see or hear you. Applejack responded with the same eagerness. Based on these two points, I guess you love nursing more than catwalks."
She couldn't help laughing; then she leaned back against the raft and reached out to the surface. "You're so right. I know a lot of girls would love to have a glamorous modeling career, but I hate it. Modeling makes me feel ugly."
Hearing this sentence, Moshi stopped paddling and raised his head to look at her.His expression made Mei Hagi feel comfortable.His face seemed to say that it was impossible for her not to be pretty.
After staring at the stream for a while, she turned to face him.The way he looks at people can force the other party to tell the truth. "I can't get you to accept that I'm giving for love?"
"No. Applejack is a jerk, and you don't love him. Honestly, I doubt you ever loved him. Yet when you talk about rehabilitating him, your face lights up. You go back to him yes Because you want to do that. Then again, don’t we all do what we want to do, don’t we? So, why don’t you want to be a model?”
"You're so stubborn," she said, turning away for a moment, before facing him again. "In New York, there are a lot of girls like me. There's nothing special about me."
"I don't believe it," Murth said flatly. "I live in New York and I don't see a woman like you every day."
"Maybe you haven't seen it, but they are there. They get up early every day and go to bed late. During this time, they are instructed how to stand, how to sit, where to look... In short, any person who wants to Get the pose." She grimaced. "And then being criticized. That's the part of my ego that can't stand it."
For a while, Mo Shi just paddled without speaking. "How could they criticize you?"
"One of my eyes is a little smaller than the other. See that?" she said, leaning towards him. "And my butt is a little fat."
"Ha!" Mo Shi responded. "you are perfect."
"But you're not a photographer."
"If you have blemishes, then the other models in the magazine must have blemishes too," he said, looking at her intently.
Mei Hagi looked at the river bank they passed by and thought, Moshi is right.She would leave modeling because she wanted to, not because of Applejack.
She turned to face him. "Why don't we talk about yourself?" she said. "Why did you choose to study medicine?"
"I saw a cousin drown when I was a kid, and I was nine years old, but that's when I decided I was going to learn how to save people."
"It's an uncomfortable situation," she said. "I watched my mother die before rehabilitating Ajay. It took four years."
Mo Shi paddled silently.The stream is calm and calm, and the sun shines on all the scenery. "Is this how you spent your four years in college?"
Mayha shook his head at him. "I'm starting to think you're clairvoyant."
"No!" he grinned. "I just read too many mystery mystery novels. I like to observe people and speculate on their personalities. I like to collect various clues and then try to draw conclusions."
"Oh? When you first saw me, you thought I was going to defraud you or blackmail your sister?"
Moshi turned to the beginning, she thought, maybe he was trying to hide his blushing. "I'm distracted by your looks." Before she could respond, he continued, "Ha! What else do you want to know about me? I'm a very interesting person. I've traveled a lot and seen the world .”
She thought he was teasing her. "Is it okay to study medicine? Isn't that kind of school that keeps you so busy that you can't sleep all year round?"
"I'm thirty-one years old, and I've done a lot of other things besides taking classes."
To Mei Hagi, who was twenty-three years old, thirty-one years old seemed very old and mature. "Tell me," she said. "I've only been in Montana and New York. But I'd love to go...to..."
"You pick the place, and I'll tell you about it," he said, steering the boat around a tree that had fallen halfway across the creek.
"Anywhere..." she said, eyes widening.
Therefore, for the rest of the day, Meiqiu listened to Mo Shi talking about the places he had been to, the customs and customs he had seen.She didn't think about her feet the whole time.But when the sun was setting, Moshi rowed the rubber raft to the river bank, saying that they could camp here, and when Maygi stepped out of the raft, she realized that her foot hurt badly.
Moshi saw her flinch and her limp.He sat her down on a flat rock, lifted her feet into his lap, and untied her shoelaces. "I should have noticed that your hiking boots are pretty old," he said, brow furrowed as usual. "Look!" He lifted her foot to show her the blisters on her toes and heel. "Did you know that a broken skin may be infected with bacteria?"
"It's just some blisters." She said in a nonchalant tone.
默实没有笑，只是用干净的水将纱布沾湿，然后清洁破皮处冒出的血水。接着他突然开口说：“你可曾想过从事医学这一行？”
“你是指做职业护士？”
“我想的是你可以当医生。”他静静地说，开始包扎她的脚。
“我？医生？”她不敢置信地说，声音透露出她对这个主意的真正想法。
默实眉头一皱。“你已经医治了两个人，为什么不能再医一些？”
“我的母亲死了，而另外一个……”她放低了音量。“阿杰憎恨我对他的所作所为。他说我的护理技巧就像石制棒球棒一样精致。”
默实闷哼一声。“阿杰是嫉妒你。”
“嫉妒我？”梅萩的反问话中带笑。
“当然。他因嫉妒而口出恶言，就像一条在太阳下晒了一星期的鱼一样臭气冲天。”
梅萩微微一笑。“你说得我好窝心，让我觉得自己很聪明。”
“你不需要我赞美。阿杰知道你比他聪明，长相和性格方面也比他高明。他怎么能和你这种人竞争得了？”
“像我这种人，”她柔声说。“蒙大拿女牛仔。”
默实没有回应她这句话，也没对在见到她本人之前就如此称呼她而加予道歉。相反的，她看着他的头顶、看着他浓密的黑发，心里在想，他替她包扎脚似乎用了太长的时间。至于她自己，她愿意让他握着她的脚——或是碰到她身体的任何部分——永远。
天色愈见昏暗，他们的一边是溪，另一边则是高大的岩石。四下旁无一人。
她专注地看着他。如果他对她采取行动，她会怎么反应？如果他将手顺着裤管里面爬上她的腿？除了阿杰没有别的男人像那样碰过她，而和阿杰在一起时，她却没有像和这个男人在一起的感受。现在她身体的每个细胞似乎都活了起来。
是默实打破了魔咒。他猝然地放下她的脚，站起来，接着低头看着她。“我们有两个睡袋，但只有一个帐篷。这是说，如果我们是住在同一个帐篷里，你会试图占我便宜吗？”
他说话的口气令她发笑。“这得看你的内裤是什么颜色。”她说，跟着站了起来。
“红色。”他立刻响应。
“那就不会，这个颜色对我不起作用。”
“抱歉。我忘了。是黑色。”
梅萩再次失笑。“不会。那个也没用。”
“绿色？”他企盼地问。
She smiled. “今晚有什么吃的？我饿得吃得下一匹马。”
“哦，现在我想起来了，我的内裤是用那种小马布做的。你知道的，就是白底棕点的那种。让我看起来像匹马。迷死人了。”
Mei Hagi laughed. “少来。我要吃东西，还有我在哪里可以……你知道的？”
“我带你去。”他说，眉毛扬了起来。
“'不搞男女关系'的禁令到哪里去了？”
“那是在我喜欢上你之前。”他说，对她微微一笑。
一时间她只能看着他。“我敢打赌你到处旅行的时候，一定和女人有过某些有趣的邂逅。你只需要解开眉头的皱纹，她们就——”她说不下去了，因为默实正咧着一张大大的笑脸看着她。他的皱眉没有了，因此露出了大大的圆眼睛，不再是瞇成一条缝；而他的嘴唇看起来的确柔软丰润。
就是在那一刻，梅萩领悟到如果——非常不可能的如果——他们之间会发生任何事，她必须、绝对必须，不让它发生在这趟旅程中。尽管他时常调侃逗笑，直觉告诉她，她必须将这趟旅程保持轻松愉快。
“嗯，我也喜欢你，”她的口气像是在对小男孩说话。“但我已经是名花有主了。”说完，她提脚走向树丛。
“分享，”默实在她身后叫道。“人们应该有福同享。如果大家都拿出自己的玩具和众人分享，这个世界会变得更好。”
梅萩的笑声在山岩之间回荡着。
Notes:
Notes: