I Still Remain (Completed)

VIII - 180-Degree Turn

They finally reached Jiaju Tibetan Village just as the night fell. They were immediately granted entry after paying 50 CNY each. Wang He Di's mind was still wandering off to Shen Yue's last statement a while ago about making a "mistake" when he felt a nudge on his arm.

"Please tell me someone took care of our accommodations?" she asked.

"What?" he asked back, confused.

"Do you know where you're going? Did you book us a place, or do you plan on sleeping inside the car?"

"Oh, right," he said, going back to his senses. "Homestays are really popular here, but since they're locals," he pointed at Zheyi, who was leading the way, "we'll just stay with them. I didn't have to bother booking a homestay or a guest house."

"What?" she said, stopping in front of him. "Her father must be frail and really sickly! Why didn't you book us another place?! Didn't you think of how inconvenienced they'd be?! Now he has to think about us! You should've gotten us—"

It's as if Yueyue's tongue was suddenly tied when she saw for the first time just how breathtaking the ancient village was. She looked around and saw colorful Tibetan style houses, most of which were adorned with red and white roofs. Truly, it was a "Tibetan Fairyland."

He smiled upon seeing her reaction. She has always been fascinated with places like this, so he knew just how much she would enjoy the place. "Hey," he said to get her attention back. "Relax, okay? It's fine. You'll see."

They arrived at the "home" of Zheyi's and Didi had to admit that he was surprised at how well-lit the inside of it was, considering how seemingly closed off it was from the outside, except of course, for the balcony and the roof.

A woman stepped out to greet them out front and led them inside, and they sat in front of a low table that already had cups with hot tea on it. Zheyi went outside to get her "old, dying" father, so Didi and Yueyue were left on their own.

Yueyue's eyes kept on going around the house—savoring the history engraved in its walls, the beauty in its simplicity, and the solace in its peacefulness. After a while, she took a sip of her tea, which she instantly spat not because it tasted horribly, but because it was scalding hot.

By instinct, Didi rushed to her side with a magical cloth that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and carefully wiped her lips, her neck, her arms, even her legs. Yueyue flushed red at the physical contact and strongly tried to protest but ultimately lost.

It was the exact picture that Zheyi and her father saw when they got to the large hall. Yueyue quickly stood up on her feet, blushing like a newlywed, when she heard someone clear his throat.

"Good evening!" the old man cheerfully greeted. "Dinner is about to be served. I'm excited to have you both over to our beautiful village. Especially you, Ms. Shen Yue."

Yueyue smiled, but it was a weird one, as if she's trying to comprehend how exactly this charming old man is dying.

***

Their dinner was literally a feast. And it was healthy too, because most of the ingredients came from the variety of vegetables that was grown on the homeowner's backyard. Didi couldn't help but remember those times that they spent while filming "The Inn," where almost every meal was enough for a day. He has a big appetite and what they had for tonight was exactly what he needed.

"I'm really glad to finally meet you," said Zheyi's father, Ran Wang Shu. "You were the reason my daughter wanted to spend her savings flying to different parts of China and why this guy right here almost killed me."