Chapter 175: Relationship Breakthrough! (Two chapters in one)
Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan went to the beach this time. The destination was chosen by Xiang Yuanyuan. They did not choose the nearest Jiangsu. In Xiang Yuanyuan's words, going to Jiangsu was too close and it didn't feel like they were going out for fun.
As for other places, such as Zhejiang and Fujian, these places are all coastal, but she subconsciously ruled out Zhejiang first, if for no other reason, because Li Qiyao was there, and it would not be appropriate to go there without notifying her.
As for the notification, Xiang Yuanyuan doesn't want to be an extra light bulb, and she and Du Ruo have just confirmed their relationship. This is their first time going out for a trip, and it's the time for them to enjoy their own world. How could she agree to be an extra light bulb?
As for Fujian, that is her hometown. Subconsciously, Xiang Yuanyuan didn't think much about it. Since it was a trip, she would have to go to an unfamiliar city. If she missed home, she could find another time to go back.
So after much deliberation, Xiang Yuanyuan chose Hainan, the farthest place with island beaches. Du Ruo would probably prefer a place without too much commercialization.
Du Ruo knew nothing about this. When Xiang Yuanyuan asked him to go to Hainan, he nodded and agreed without thinking twice. He never thought that there were some twists and turns involved.
Because the tickets were booked too early and it was too troublesome to go to town to take the airport bus, which would also waste time, so Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan chose to ask Yang Chenguang to take them there instead of driving to the airport or taking a taxi.
"I said you guys are going on a trip and you still want me to send you off, that's too much. I finally stayed in the village yesterday and was thinking I wouldn't have to send the kids off so I could sleep in."
Yang Chenguang yawned, glanced at the two people sitting next to each other in the rearview mirror, and muttered in dissatisfaction.
It's not that he was really dissatisfied. It was just a matter of friendship between them, and he was just sending her to the airport. It wasn't too much at all. He just felt that Du Ruo had changed. When she rode in his car before, she always sat in the passenger seat, but now she sat in the back seat with Xiang Yuanyuan.
"You can go too. It's nice to take your wife and kids out to play occasionally. I'll be there to pick you up."
Du Ruo said with a smile.
"Well, forget it. It's hard enough to support a family, but I don't have the energy to travel."
Yang Chenguang shook his head with a wry smile and sighed. The job of a village official really doesn't pay much, otherwise he wouldn't grow so much tea, engage in breeding, and even do live broadcasts in his spare time.
His parents, his wife's parents, and even his two sons, a family of eight all depend on him. Of course, both parents are not too old now and can still work and earn some money, so they don't need him to support them now, but he can't relax. The family must always have savings to deal with any eventuality. He dare not be as carefree as Du Ruo.
"Hehe, then don't forget to like your post on WeChat Moments."
Du Ruo laughed and felt comfortable and relaxed chatting with friends.
"Don't worry, I will block you..."
"Then you won't be able to eat seafood..."
……
While chatting and laughing, Yang Chenguang sent Du Ruo to the airport. As soon as Du Ruo and the other person got out of the car, he left quickly.
Du Ruo was pulling a round suitcase and carrying a backpack on her back, but when going through security, Du Ruo subconsciously touched her waist.
However, Du Ruo was not treated differently during the security check this time. Like everyone else, he was simply scanned. The instrument even made a sound when it scanned Du Ruo's waist. The security officer just touched it and let Du Ruo go directly when he saw it was the belt.
"Eh? Didn't they collect your needles today?"
Xiang Yuanyuan was a little curious. She saw Du Ruo putting on the belt. She was worried that Du Ruo would not pass the security check again. Unexpectedly, the security officer did not say anything this time.
"Well, it looks like I won't be treated differently in the future."
Du Ruo just smiled and didn't explain too much. It seems that it would be a good idea to show more strength.
"Uh-huh."
Xiang Yuanyuan didn’t understand the reason, but she believed Du Ruo. Since Du Ruo said there was no problem, then there must be no problem.
……
I waited in the waiting room for about forty minutes, and the flight to Hainan took more than three hours. When the plane landed, it was almost lunch time.
"Let's go eat first."
After leaving the airport, Du Ruo held Xiang Yuanyuan's hand and did not decide to go directly to the booked room, but went to eat seafood first.
The seafood that Du Ruo and his friends bought in the city is definitely incomparable to here in terms of variety and freshness, so both Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan are full of expectations.
After they left the airport, they didn't take a taxi, but instead each scanned a shared electric vehicle. Since they didn't have much luggage, the electric vehicle could carry it all. Then they rode while enjoying the scenery.
Occasionally, when they come across beautiful scenic spots, Yuanyuan will stop to take photos.
Finally we stopped at the door of a restaurant that looked pretty good.
"Just eat this."
Du Ruo looked around. As he was new in the place, he didn't know where to eat, so he simply stopped looking. The restaurant was not big and looked like a couple's shop. The last time Du Ruo was in Heilongjiang, the couple who opened the restaurant gave Du Ruo a great impression, so Du Ruo now prefers to eat in this kind of small restaurant with a stronger human touch.
"Well, do you want some wine?"
Xiang Yuanyuan had no objection, she just asked. She and Du Ruo had been eating together these days, and she didn't understand Du Ruo's mysterious appetite. Sometimes he could never be full after a meal, and sometimes he just ate a little more than a normal person.
However, Du Ruo had already explained it to her, and only then did she understand that Du Ruo drank those tonic medicinal wines not simply for the sake of drinking, but to replenish the body's consumption.
So this time she not only brought some with her, but also asked her mother to send it over by express delivery in advance, because she was worried that Du Ruo would be hungry if she had no wine to drink.
"No, we'll drink together tonight."
Du Ruo laughed, but was met with a cold stare from Xiang Yuanyuan, who then walked in first.
At noon, Du Ruo did not show his extraordinary appetite, but just ordered some seafood that Yuanyuan liked.
"Hmm~ This crab is delicious, it's fresh and sweet, and it's also deliciously cooked. Brother Du, try it."
Xiang Yuanyuan nodded while eating, and even remembered to pick up a piece of food for Du Ruo with her chopsticks. Xiang Yuanyuan no longer looked like she did when Du Ruo first met her.
In the past, Xiang Yuanyuan didn't eat staple foods, such as rice, but she didn't have any other dietary restrictions and enjoyed eating a lot of meat and fish. But after quitting drinking for a while, her eating habits improved a lot. Her figure became fuller and her complexion looked better.
"If you like it, eat more. Then I'll catch big fish for you from the sea."
Du Ruo was just like coaxing a child. When he spoke, he opened his hands wide and made exaggerated gestures.
"Okay, I'll definitely catch a big one, take a picture and send it to Yaya, and make that little girl cry with envy."
Xiang Yuanyuan smiled happily, but at the same time did not forget to show some mischief.
"Big sister, you are tourists from other places, right?"
Because it was a little past dinner time, Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan were the only ones sitting at the same table in the restaurant. The restaurant was not very big, so Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan were chatting, and were heard by the proprietress who was eating melon seeds nearby. She couldn't help but start a conversation.
"Yes, we just came to Hainan."
Xiang Yuanyuan was eating a big crab. When she heard the proprietress talking to her, she didn't think anything of it and responded naturally.
"Then you didn't come at the right time. We just received a notice that a typhoon is likely to hit in two days. If you go out to sea, you must pay attention to safety and keep an eye on the weather."
The lady boss was very enthusiastic. She put down the melon seeds in her hand. Afraid that the two people would not believe her, she even opened her phone to show them:
"Look, this is it. I heard that this typhoon is very strong and there were warnings many days in advance. I received many text messages."
"Oh, thank you, big sister. Brother Du, what do you think we should do?"
Xiang Yuanyuan didn't look too surprised. Fujian is also a coastal city. It was just a typhoon. It was just a period of time when children were forced to suspend classes. She wasn't too surprised. However, she saw the information from the boss lady that the typhoon might be quite strong, so she asked Du Ruo.
"Well, now that you're here, don't worry, I can protect you. Just don't go out during the typhoon."
Du Ruo was not too worried and continued to eat the food, but he did not forget the proprietress's kind reminder:
"Thank you for the reminder, boss. Are you from the north? How long have you been running this shop?"
"Huh? How come you can tell right away that we're from the North? I thought I had an accent, too."
The proprietress was a little surprised. It seemed that she had been asked this question many times.
"Hey, I just went to the north a few days ago, to Heilongjiang, so the boss lady's accent sounds familiar."
Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan looked at each other, both of them smiling. "Heilongjiang, my family is from Heilongjiang, oh brother, what a fate."
The proprietress seemed quite happy. She came over with a stool and started chatting with Du Ruo and the other person in a very familiar manner.
Finally, Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan finished their meal, but the proprietress was still a little reluctant to leave, because as they chatted, they found out that the proprietress and the boss were from Heihe, but it was quite far from Gangzi Village where Du Ruo went, and their home was closer to the northern border.
Just because Du Ruo praised Heihe highly, the proprietress insisted on giving them a discount when it came time to pay the bill.
“Are all northerners so enthusiastic?”
Xiang Yuanyuan came out of the hotel and couldn't help asking Du Ruo.
"How should I put it? Most of them are very enthusiastic and generous."
Du Ruo nodded. Of course, nothing is absolute, and human hearts are even less absolute.
After the two came out, they took a taxi because the rental car was in the village, which was quite far away.
As a result, when we got in the car, we found that the online car-hailing driver was also a person from Northeast China. The key point is that he was very talkative. When we heard that the two of them were from other places, he talked about some famous attractions in Hainan.
It’s a pity that the two of them didn’t want to go to those overly commercial attractions, but they didn’t show it.
"Huh~ Are there so many people from the north in Hainan?"
After getting off the online taxi, Xiang Yuanyuan couldn't help but sigh.
"Well, it's probably because the winter in the north is too cold. It's more comfortable here. We're in the village now. This place is pretty good."
Du Ruo sighed and then looked around.
This is a rural area, and the houses are self-built in the countryside. The online taxi just passed through a lot of farmland before coming here. Now the two are already at the entrance of the village. Tall coconut trees can be seen everywhere in the village, and even chickens and ducks raised by farmers on the roadside.
"Yes, I knew you would like this kind of environment. This place was recommended by one of my fans. It's only about one kilometer away from the beach. We can walk there when the time comes."
Xiang Yuanyuan replied with a smile. After all, she is an internet celebrity and has a group of loyal fans. However, after chatting with Du Ruo last time, she decided to change her shooting style in the future. She will no longer post daily videos such as drinking, but will focus on scenery and cultural features. Of course, there will definitely be videos of Du Ruo practicing martial arts.
"Well, let's go into the village."
Du Ruo nodded. Indeed, this kind of environment was what he liked.
The commercial area might be more interesting, but he prefers this rural atmosphere, away from business, to experience more of the local culture, which can also allow Du Ruo to better appreciate nature.
Du Ruo was dragging her luggage towards the village. Xiang Yuanyuan was already using her phone to contact the booked homestay.
As the two walked through the village, they were somewhat surprised to find that there were quite a lot of young people in the village. This was indeed a very unexpected thing.
Today's rural areas are seriously aging. Take Dujia Village where Du Ruo lives for example. There are almost no young people there. This is because the village cannot provide jobs, and farming is not enough to support a family. So regardless of whether they have the conditions or not, those young people have moved to the town.
There are many young people here, probably because there are enough resources nearby for these young people to make money.
Du Ruo was thinking about these things as he walked.
"Here~Is this the bar owner?"
As the two were walking, someone in front of them waved at them. It was a middle-aged man with somewhat dark skin. He should not be old, but he had been at the seaside for many years, exposed to the wind and sun, so his age could not be seen.
"This person is the one who rented the house to us. His daughter is a big fan of mine. It's just a pity that her daughter works in the city and will not be back to the village for two days."
Xiang Yuanyuan spoke to Du Ruo for a while, then she and Du Ruo quickly walked over to him, and introduced herself and Du Ruo:
"Uncle, I'm the proprietress of the tavern. My name is Xiang Yuanyuan, you can just call me Xiao Xiang. This is my boyfriend, you can just call him Xiao Du."
"Oh, I didn't expect you guys to come so soon. I was just about to tell Yuanyuan that a typhoon is coming soon, so I asked you to come another day."
Yuanyuan is called Li Yuanyuan. She is the daughter of her uncle, Li Fusheng. Her uncle has been fishermen for generations. In recent years, the village's economy has improved. In addition, his daughter is also promising, so under the persuasion of his daughter, he renovated the old house by the sea and occasionally rented it out as a B&B.
This time, it was because of his daughter that he specially left the house to Xiang Yuanyuan. However, Li Fusheng was also very practical and didn't want his daughter's friends to waste money, so he said that.
"It's okay, uncle. We can just not go out to play when a typhoon comes. We can still go out to play at other times."
Xiang Yuanyuan didn't care at all and followed Li Fusheng.
"I'm glad you don't mind. If you have any problems, tell me. If you have time, you can also walk around the village. We are in the village and everyone is very nice. If someone bullies you, tell me."
Li Fusheng is a very nice person. When he sees villagers walking in front, he will say hello. He also introduced Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan to the nearby villagers, saying that they are his daughter's friends. He did not treat them as outsiders and it felt like he was introducing them to his family.
"Uncle, I will take some videos and upload them online. Is there anything I should pay attention to?"
Xiang Yuanyuan felt the enthusiasm of Li Fusheng and the villagers and waved her mobile phone. She planned to make this the first location for the transformation and also publicize the enthusiasm of the local people in return.
"Go ahead and take pictures. You are Yuanyuan's friend, so you are our friend. Besides, they are often photographed by others, so they won't mind."
Li Fusheng didn't care, and he didn't care at all when talking about being photographed, as if he was photographed often.
The house is quite far away, but not remote. However, Du Ruo likes it very much because although it is far from the village, it is closer to the sea.
"This is it. The supplies here are all cleaned by my wife herself and specially disinfected. If you have any needs, you can tell us. By the way, come to my house for dinner tonight. It's the first house along the road to the village."
Li Fusheng took the two of them to take a look around the house. The house was well built and the facilities inside were new. The house was also very clean. Although the bedding was not as neat as that in a hotel, it was very clean and had a fresh fragrance. Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan were very satisfied with this.
Li Fusheng left after the introduction. The two put down their things, and then Xiang Yuanyuan and Du Ruo couldn't wait to walk towards the beach.
Xiang Yuanyuan's hometown is on the coast, but her home is not on the coast. That is, she is always there when there is a typhoon, but she rarely goes to the beach on normal days, and even if she does, she tends to go to commercial beaches.
This kind of pristine ocean next to a village was the first time Xiang Yuanyuan had seen it.
In fact, this was not the first time Du Ruo came to the beach. It was just that the last time he went abroad, he had no interest or energy to see the sea. Now was the first time he had such a relaxing time at the beach.
Somewhat surprisingly, there is a small beach here, and there are many people having fun around.
The scenery at the seaside is very beautiful, and Xiang Yuanyuan took a lot of photos.
Du Ruo originally wanted to go into the water to practice boxing when he arrived at the beach, wanting to try whether practicing boxing in water could better experience the true meaning of water.
However, seeing that Xiang Yuanyuan was having so much fun, Du Ruo decided to postpone the time and let Xiang Yuanyuan have fun first.
It was not until the evening that Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan, who was still reluctant to leave, went to Li Fusheng's house for dinner with some gifts.
Mr. and Mrs. Li Fusheng were very hospitable, and let Du Ruo and Xiang Yuanyuan taste a lot of seafood.
The two did not stay and returned to their rented house after eating and drinking.
"..."
Back in the living room, the two looked at each other. It seemed to be the first time they were alone together at night since they confirmed their relationship.
"I saw a small shop in the village. I'll go buy some peanuts. Can you bring out the wine so we can have a drink?"
In the end, it was Du Ruo who spoke up to break the slightly silent atmosphere.
"Okay."
Xiang Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but her ears turned very red.
There was no rich meat or seafood for their midnight snack, but they were intoxicated by the wine, and they ate peanuts and clinked glasses occasionally. Their eyes gradually became dim and the atmosphere became ambiguous. They moved closer and closer, and it seemed that the air became restless.
……
At night, there was no wind or waves on the beach, it was the calm before the typhoon. However, the passion of the two people in the house was like a typhoon, sweeping through every corner of the house until the early morning when the wind and the waves calmed down. The two snuggled together, feeling each other's tenderness, and fell asleep.
(End of this chapter)
