The heat of the sun was extremely hot, beating down along miles and miles of yellow sand. There was no tree to provide any kind of shade. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu sat in the middle of nowhere in the desert, feeling the oppressive heat. At this time of the year, the weather in the south was indeed very hot and humid.
Zhao Renshu opened his leather water bag and took a drink, but it was empty. He complained, "Stupid old Shan must have pointed us the wrong way. I can see nothing, only mile after mile of nothing but sand."
Ping'an handed her leather water bag to Zhao Renshu, offering her last drops. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "He has never been wrong."
"He may be wrong this time," Zhao Renshu grumbled, wiping his own sweat. "Ah... I am too hot!"
"He won't accept the job for no reason," Ping'an reasoned calmly, trusting their guide.
"How much do we get paid for this job?" Zhao Renshu asked, trying to find some motivation.
"Two thousand coins," Ping'an replied.
"Where the hell is Baiyu?" Zhao Renshu complained, his patience wearing thin.
"Be patient," Ping'an advised.
"If it were me, I would have brought water back already," Zhao Renshu boasted.
"Don't you remember the last time you went to fetch water?" Ping'an teased, a faint smile on her lips. "You were gone for two whole days!"
"Please stop telling that story," Zhao Renshu groaned, his face flushing.
"Why? Embarrassed?" Ping'an continued to tease.
"No. Angry. Angry!" Zhao Renshu frowned, though a hint of amusement played in his eyes.
From a distance, they saw Guo Baiyu approaching, a solitary figure against the shimmering sand. Guo Baiyu walked to them and shook his head, a sign of no immediate success.
"Nothing?" Zhao Renshu asked, deflating.
"Nothing," Guo Baiyu confirmed. "There is a small abandoned house far away, though."
"It's better than baking in this high temperature," Zhao Renshu conceded, eager for any shelter.
It took the lovers two hours to reach the abandoned house. The distance was not that far, but the wind and the blowing sand made it difficult to reach this place. They could only walk slowly until they reached the dilapidated house. The house had only half of its roof left, a ruin against the sky. The condition of the house was very poor. Next to the abandoned house was a small, stagnant pond.
Zhao Renshu began to undress himself, eager to cool off. Suddenly, two women screamed from the other side of the abandoned house and pointed their fingers at Zhao Renshu, horrified.
"Pervert!" Cui Zuanshi and Mao Zhenzhu shouted in unison.
Zhao Renshu quickly pulled his robe back on. "Hey ladies, why are you two peeking at me?" he retorted, unrepentant.
The two women wore black long-sleeved dresses from neck to toe, completely covered. They removed their headscarves, revealing their faces. The two women were very beautiful, despite their austere clothing.
"We are here to pray to the sun god," Mao Zhenzhu said, primly.
"To do what? Give you more sunshine?" Zhao Renshu laughed, his usual flirting instincts kicking in. He shamelessly flirted with the two ladies with his eyes.
"After we pray and drink the water from the pond, our wish will come true," Cui Zuanshi explained.
"Really," Zhao Renshu said, feigning innocence. "I'm about to take a bath in it."
"How dare you?" Cui Zuanshi said madly, her eyes blazing. "This is holy water!"
"So, what did you two ask for?" Zhao Renshu asked, changing tactics.
"We were just praying for our husband to show up," Mao Zhenzhu giggled, a shy smile.
"Could it be?" Cui Zuanshi smiled, looking suggestively at both Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu.
"We are married men," Guo Baiyu stated simply, cutting off any misunderstanding.
"Let me ask you two beautiful ladies two questions," Zhao Renshu interjected, undeterred.
"What?" Cui Zuanshi smiled, intrigued.
"Where is Ocean City?" Zhao Renshu asked, getting to the point of their mission.
"Silly," Mao Zhenzhu giggled, finding his ignorance amusing. "You are standing in Ocean City!"
Zhao Renshu scratched his chin with his left thumb. "Are you sure? Last I heard, Ocean City is beautiful and rich. This place here is a vast land of sand."
"Silly man, that's because you are outside the city," Mao Zhenzhu giggled again. "You haven't been inside the city yet!"
"If you were smart enough," Cui Zuanshi added, "then you should travel by sea. It takes a little longer, but it's more convenient."
"Traveling by sea?" Zhao Renshu asked, surprised.
"Yes, one week will take you to Capital City, and then one day will take you to Cloud City from Capital City," Cui Zuanshi confirmed.
"Thank you for your suggestion. This is our first time here," Guo Baiyu said, genuinely grateful for the information.
The two women giggled, enjoying their surprise.
"Would you be so kind to show us to the city?" Guo Baiyu requested.
"Follow us. We are going back," Mao Zhenzhu offered.
"You can take your bath in our tavern," Cui Zuanshi looked at Zhao Renshu, a hint of playful revenge in her eyes.
"My apologies," Guo Baiyu said, introducing himself properly. "I am Guozhao Baiyu. This is my brother Guozhao Renshu. This is Ping'an, our wife."
"I am Zuanshi, and this is my cousin Mao Zhenzhu," Cui Zuanshi introduced herself and her cousin.
"Follow us," Mao Zhenzhu urged, starting to walk.
After following Cui Zuanshi and her cousin Mao Zhenzhu for an hour, the lovers stood at the magnificent gate of the city. The cousin took the lovers to a small tavern within the city.
"This tavern belongs to us," Mao Zhenzhu said proudly.
"Come in," Cui Zuanshi invited. "I will make sure all three of you get a room."
The tavern manager stepped forward, bowing deeply to greet the two owners.
"Please make sure that these three guests have three rooms," Cui Zuanshi instructed.
"Boss, the tavern is well booked," the manager replied, apologetically.
"Before we left, there were many rooms!" Cui Zuanshi exclaimed, surprised.
"A young gentleman just came and booked the last ten rooms," the manager explained, "and then a lot of hunters came to book the rooms before the young man."
"Don't worry, I will figure out something," Mao Zhenzhu reassured her cousin.
Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled from the stairwell. "Baiyu!"
The lovers walked towards the stairwell, and they saw Lim Peizhi standing there, smiling brightly at them.
"That is the young gentleman booked the last ten rooms," the manager whispered, pointing at Lim Peizhi.
"Where is Baiyu?" Guo Longtong rushed over, appearing from somewhere, pushing Lim Peizhi aside in his eagerness. Seeing Guo Baiyu, he shouted happily, "Baiyu!" He rushed down the stairs, missed the last step, and fell to the ground with a thump. He quickly got up and embraced Guo Baiyu fiercely.
"Why are you here?" Guo Baiyu asked, genuinely surprised.
"If my guess is correct," Zhao Renshu grinned at the clumsy Guo Longtong, "you followed Hongse here."
Lim Peizhi went downstairs, gracefully. "Where is Yaoting and Dachin? Yaoting won't miss something like this."
"He is home. His mother is sick," Ping'an explained.
"Really?" Guo Longtong said, surprised. "The last time I sent Yaoting's letter to her, she was pretty healthy."
Huang Hongse stood on top of the stairs, her arms crossed. She said coldly, "You are such a dummy. That was a year ago. Many changes may happen within a year." She looked at the group of people coldly. "Are you going to stand there or want to come to eat?"
The group of friends walked upstairs, and Huang Yueliang was already at the table, smiling. When she saw the lovers, she smiled and greeted them warmly. The group of friends sat around the dining table, reminiscing about the past, and catching up.