CH 81

Everything seemed no different from six years ago.

Hokkaido had just experienced a drop in temperature, and the snow on the ground was even thicker than six years ago. The luggage left deep tracks on the road, and the travelers’ footsteps made a crisp, creaking sound in the snow.

The street was brightly lit, with clean and bright light strips sticking to the shop windows. Small snowflakes drifted down from the sky, melting into the warm yellow glow.

However, the traveler brochures that were once handed out six years ago had been replaced by concise QR code links, and there were slight rust spots on the corner of the station sign, making it look weathered.

Ji Yao took a deep breath, and the cold, moist air flowed into his chest through his throat. The warm and gentle streetlights lined up along the road, spreading across the vast expanse of snow outside. He looked around, feeling that everything he could see was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Across the street, a little girl was chasing a small dog, and Ji Yao found it amusing. He wanted to take out his phone to capture the moment, but before he could focus, an arm suddenly appeared around his waist, gently pulling him backward.

Ji Yao staggered a step and fell into the person’s arms. His finger accidentally brushed the shutter button, leaving behind a blurry photo.

“Yao.”

Ji Yao instinctively turned around, and his gaze met the smiling eyes of Jiang Heng.

In the frame of the camera, the captured moment happened to coincide with a falling snowflake.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Heng tilted his head playfully and looked at Ji Yao’s phone screen.

The little girl had already disappeared around the corner, leaving only the ethereal lights in the photo. Jiang Heng was captivated by the falling snowflake in the picture, so he reached out and tapped on the save button for Ji Yao.

“It’s quite nice, you took a good shot,” Jiang Heng said as he straightened up and handed Ji Yao a warm coffee.

Ji Yao naturally exchanged his phone for the coffee. He lowered his eyelashes and held the coffee bottle for a while, then gently touched Jiang Heng’s cold face with the back of his hand.

“Are you cold?” Ji Yao asked.

Jiang Heng shook his head helplessly.

Everything was so similar to six years ago, even the temperature of the coffee bottle. However, this time, Jiang, couldn’t be as cool as he was six years ago. Ji Yao, was afraid that Jiang Heng’s delicate stomach would catch a cold in the icy weather, so he bundled him up tightly before leaving, even with extra layers of scarves.

“Where should we go first?” Ji Yao asked. “For dinner? Just to be clear, you can’t eat raw food.”

“I know,” Jiang Heng replied. He took off his right glove, naturally held Ji Yao’s hand and tucked it into his own pocket, then pulled the suitcase and led Ji Yao across the street.

“Let’s first drop off our luggage,” Jiang Heng said. 

The warmth from their skin contact continuously transmitted familiar body heat. Ji Yao walked alongside Jiang Heng, his fingers couldn’t help but move slightly.

The palms of their hands soon became slightly sweaty from the firm grip, and Jiang Heng, who couldn’t control Ji Yao’s fidgeting, simply took Ji Yao’s hand and firmly interlocked their fingers, holding him in the palm of his hand.

“Hold on tight,” Jiang Heng said with a smile. “I won’t go looking for you if you get lost.”

The last time they came to Hokkaido was six years ago, but Ji Yao’s memories had not been completely buried by the trivialities of daily life.  He followed Jiang Heng for a while until they reached an alley with wooden buildings. It was as if he had finally confirmed something, and he turned to look at Jiang Heng.

Jiang Heng sensed Ji Yao’s gaze from the corner of his eye but pretended not to notice. He led Ji Yao into the alley.

In the six years that had passed, the town had undergone some redevelopment. There was now an Edo-style alley outside the traditional hot spring inn that wasn’t there before. However, the overall layout of the buildings remained unchanged, and the traces of the past could still be vaguely seen.

It was now 9:30 in the evening, and red paper lanterns had been hung on both sides of the narrow alley. The lanterns depicted simple and abstract Asakusa patterns, and within the transparent paper, the ancient candles swayed gently with the night breeze.

“What about that shop…” Ji Yao hesitated for a moment and asked, “Is it still open?”

Jiang Heng nodded.

“It’s open,” Jiang Heng said. “I asked earlier, and even though business hasn’t been as good as before in recent years, the landlady said they would keep it open.”

At the end of the alley, the entrance to the hot spring inn was marked by a special lantern. Their inn still had no signboard, and a young and unfamiliar waiter was waiting outside. He approached them from a distance and took Jiang Heng’s suitcase.

“Welcome,” he said in broken English. “Guests of East Garden.”

For some reason, Ji Yao’s heart suddenly started pounding. He held Jiang Heng’s hand and followed the waiter into the inn. They walked through the familiar dry landscape garden, and as they opened the door, they saw an elderly woman standing behind the counter, smiling and greeting the two of them.

“Welcome,” the woman said. “Guests from afar.”

Everything in this inn remained the same as it was six years ago, including the layout of the floor and the style of the lanterns. Even the marks on the pillar to the right when entering the room were exactly the same as six years ago.

At that moment, Ji Yao suddenly felt like he was standing in the past.

The scenes of the past suddenly reappeared in his heart. He knew that next, the waiter would take their luggage to the East Garden, Jiang Heng would step forward to chat with the landlady of the inn, and then, in the next moment after handing over their documents, Jiang Heng would turn around, take his hand, and lead him.

It was as if time and fate had responded to his heart. In the next moment, Ji Yao saw Jiang Heng at the counter turn around, extend a hand to him, and smile at him.

“Let’s go, Yao,” Jiang Heng said. “The landlady is going to take us to our room.”

Ji Yao felt like he had returned to the starting point of everything, as if he had never left this place.

In the dim light, he couldn’t control himself from reaching out, taking Jiang Heng’s hand, and then walking together through the courtyard towards the rooms on the east side.

There were no other guests in the inn this time, and it was all quiet along the way. Several courtyards had their doors locked, shrouded in darkness inside, except for the entrance to the East Garden, where a lantern was lit.

The waiter had already placed their luggage in the room in advance. Jiang Heng hung the room key by the door but didn’t turn on the light. Instead, he closed the door behind them.

In the darkness of the night, everything was just vague outlines. The door to the courtyard was wide open, and the warm mist, accompanied by the cold wind, blew into the room, lifting a few withered bamboo leaves on the balcony.

Everything seemed peaceful and stable. After a moment, someone in the darkness sighed lightly. Then, at the edge of the dim outline, there was a moment of blurriness, and two cold lips met, igniting a warm and lingering kiss.

The natural hot spring in the courtyard flowed gently, and the slender watercourse wound its way around the spacious balcony. Amidst the indistinct sound of the wind, someone found a gap in this extended kiss and whispered, “I love you.”