65: A story from the past

"Follow the horse's rhythm, don't tense your waist."

The young girl, still shaken, turned back and saw Jiang Yuan's handsome and calm face; her face instantly turned as red as an apple on the plateau.

"Th-thank you, big brother."

"You scared me to death, I thought I was going to fall off."

Jiang Yuan withdrew his hand and smiled faintly:

"It's like that the first time you ride; just relax and you'll be fine."

After this little episode, the atmosphere of the group became noticeably more lively.

The young girl was no longer so reserved and started taking the initiative to talk to Jiang Yuan:

"Big brother, you're so good at riding! Did you train specifically for this?"

"And that camera of yours, it looks so professional. Can you help me take a picture?"

Jiang Yuan didn't put on any aloof airs.

Since they were fellow travelers who had met by chance, he might as well help out where he could.

He took out the nikon z9 hanging around his neck and casually took a few photos of the girl from behind as she rode.

Snow-capped mountains, forests, a black horse, and a young girl.

With the support of top-tier equipment, these photos looked like movie posters.

When the young girl saw the photos on the camera screen, her eyes practically sparkled.

"Oh my god! This is just too beautiful!"

"Master! Please, let me add you on WeChat so you can send me the original files!"

This time, he accepted the request readily.

Not only because this girl was pretty, but more so because her eyes were very pure.

Unlike that "biochemical mother" from before who wanted to find a sugar daddy the moment she opened her mouth, this girl's eyes showed a pure clarity, along with a hint of imperceptible melancholy.

The journey was long.

Three people and three horses moved slowly along the winding wooden boardwalks and dirt paths of Changping Valley.

They were all young people, and once the conversation started, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

They chatted about their experiences in various places along the way, from the misty rain of Jiangnan to the wind and sand of the Northwest.

Jiang Yuan asked casually:

"By the way, why did you come to a place like this all by yourself?"

"Western Sichuan is usually a place where couples or groups of friends come together; it's so lonely to be here alone."

As soon as these words were out.

Zhou Xiu, who had still been smiling while responding, saw her smile instantly freeze.

She lowered her head, her fingers subconsciously stroking the handle on the saddle, her silence somewhat abrupt.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

All that remained were the "clip-clop" sounds of horse hooves on the gravel road and the whistling wind in the mountains.

"Ah, never mind."

Jiang Yuan was someone who could read the room; he immediately laughed it off, preparing to change the subject.

"Everyone has secrets; if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I was just asking."

"It's not that I can't talk about it..."

Zhou Xiu took a deep breath, her voice very soft, somewhat shattered by the wind.

"Originally... I had planned to come to Western Sichuan with my boyfriend."

"We spent a year planning it, promising to take our wedding photos here and hold a destination wedding just for the two of us."

"But..."

Her voice carried a hint of obvious trembling and sobbing.

"Did you... break up?"

Jiang Yuan asked tentatively, his tone carrying a bit of caution.

Even the Tibetan Uncle leading the horse in front had his soul of gossip burning fiercely; he deliberately slowed the horse's pace and pricked up his ears.

"No! We didn't break up!"

Zhou Xiu suddenly raised her head, her voice rising sharply, as if defending something sacred.

But the next second, tears burst forth like a dam breaking.

"He... he passed away."

"..."

Jiang Yuan and the Tibetan Uncle exchanged a look.

Their expressions instantly froze on their faces, especially Jiang Yuan, who was so embarrassed he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment with his toes in the stirrups.

He really wanted to slap himself.

Why did he have to have such a loose mouth?

Why did he have to bring up such a sensitive topic?

They were out on a perfectly good trip, and he had to go and ask about someone's pain.

Now it was over; the conversation was dead.

"Um... I'm sorry."

Jiang Yuan was a bit at a loss; as an incredibly dense guy, the thing he feared most was girls crying, especially crying over life-and-death separations.

"I really didn't know you..."

"It's okay... actually, these past few days, I've already come to terms with it."

Zhou Xiu wiped the tears from her face haphazardly and sniffled.

"He was very good, really especially good."

"We were together for three years, and he never let me suffer any grievances. Whatever I wanted to eat, even in the middle of the night, he would go buy it for me."

"Actually, this is all my fault..."

Zhou Xiu's eyes became vacant, as if she had fallen into that most painful memory.

"That night, I just casually said I wanted to eat candied hawthorn."

"It was pouring rain outside, but he insisted on driving out to buy it."

"As a result... at an intersection, he encountered an overloaded, out-of-control truck."

Speaking up to here, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders heaving violently.

"He didn't pass away on the spot... when I rushed to the hospital, he was covered in blood, but he was still conscious."

"Do you know what the first thing he said to me was when he saw me?"

Zhou Xiu bit her lip hard until she tasted blood.

"He said... 'I'm sorry, wifey, I didn't manage to buy the candied hawthorn you love.'"

"He said... 'I won't be able to take care of you anymore, you have to be a good girl.'"

"Wuwuwu..."

The stifled sobbing echoed in the empty valley.

"I hated myself so much at that moment! Why did I have to eat that damn candied hawthorn! Why didn't I stop him!"

"I thought about going with him, I really did."

"But he told me at the end to live well, to even live on for his share."

"To let me complete... all the promises we had made."

Zhou Xiu reached out her left hand tremblingly.

On the ring finger where a wedding ring should have been, there was a plain silver ring.

That was the last memento he had left her.

"So, I came."

Zhou Xiu looked at the distant snow-capped mountains, her eyes gradually becoming firm, even though tears were still flowing.

"I brought him with me to see these snow-capped mountains in Western Sichuan, to fulfill our promise."

Silence.

A long silence.

The Tibetan Uncle leading the horse for Zhou Xiu sighed and silently turned his head to wipe the corner of his eye.

Jiang Yuan only felt as if a large stone was blocking his chest, heavy and oppressive.

This wasn't a trip.

This was a one-person wedding, a long farewell.

Any verbal comfort felt pale and powerless in the face of such heavy love and pain.

Jiang Yuan didn't speak.

He just silently raised the nikon z9 hanging around his neck.

That expensive lens gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Perhaps..."

Jiang Yuan's voice was low and gentle, breaking the silence.

"I can help you take more photos."

He pointed to the ring on Zhou Xiu's ring finger, then pointed to the distant snow-capped mountains.

"Include him in the photos, too."

"For you, and for him, to leave a memento."

Zhou Xiu was stunned for a moment.

She looked at Jiang Yuan's sincere eyes, and her emotions slowly calmed down.

She tried hard to squeeze out a smile through her tear-stained face; it was gratitude, and also relief.

"Then... thank you so much."