Chapter 47: Leisure and Lamentation

The sky in the Western Regions brightens earlier than anywhere else. When Lu Yu and the two women awoke to the sound of the alarm, daylight had already filled the room. The three of them quickly washed up; the two women spent a while dressing, and only then did they head out together to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Today, both women wore flowing gowns inspired by ancient styles—light, airy, and striking. Shi Zixuan’s dress was pale blue adorned with pure white accents, while Qin Xiaomian’s was white from inside out, as immaculate as snow, making their slender waists appear all the more delicate and fragile. Once you set eyes on them, it was difficult to look away.

Lu Yu watched the two women eat breakfast without blinking; they were quite pleased with his attention. After all, women dress up for the ones they wish to please. Their beautiful attire was meant entirely to keep Lu Yu’s gaze lingering a little longer.

After breakfast, the three of them found Aisha in the hotel lobby. She had already arrived and was playing on her phone. Upon seeing the two women, she showered them with praise, saying they looked ethereal, which made both of them beam with delight. In truth, Aisha herself was no less striking—taller than the other two, dressed in a fresh, white, knee-length dress with pale green patterns, and a pair of white sneakers that made her seem even more vibrant. Her charming features bore a hint of regional allure, her hair fell in natural, gentle waves, and she wore a wide-brimmed, artfully woven straw hat of a dusky literary shade.

Lu Yu didn’t know how others looked at Aisha, but he took his time, thoroughly admiring her from head to toe. While he was sneaking glances at Aisha, Qin Xiaomian gave him a sharp pinch at the small of his back, making him wince, though he kept a calm, unruffled smile on his face.

They collected the car keys at the front desk, headed to the parking lot, and drove towards the Heavenly Lake of Tianshan. Along the way, Lu Yu wore oversized sunglasses that covered half his face, focusing on driving as light, cheerful music played through the car speakers. Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian sat in the back, recording various short videos, soon joined by Aisha, who started taking selfies and making videos as well. After shooting and editing, they each posted their creations on social media.

Especially the two women—from the moment they set off yesterday, they had been live-posting their journey with photos and videos across numerous social platforms. The Heavenly Lake of Tianshan wasn’t far, just over a hundred kilometers from the city, and they arrived in no time.

After parking the car, they got out and bought tickets to the scenic area. It was a holiday, so the place buzzed with visitors, coming and going in a lively throng. Shi Zixuan, Qin Xiaomian, and Aisha, all young and beautiful, drew many admiring glances as they walked, while Lu Yu, beside them, was almost entirely overlooked.

Inside the scenic area, they strolled, pausing now and then to take photos. The Heavenly Lake, once called the Jade Pool in ancient times, had a more poetic name than the one given by Mingliang, the Uqi commander during the Qianlong period. Legend has it that over three thousand years ago, King Mu of Zhou once feasted and sang with the Queen Mother of the West by the lake, leaving behind a tale for the ages and giving the lake its name, “Jade Pool.” In modern times, a poet wrote: “An inkwell of deep black at the bottom of the lake, myriad trees like brushes stand at its edge.”

They explored various sites on foot and by shuttle—Stone Gate, the Floating Mirror, the Queen Mother’s Temple. Rivers meandered, waters swirled along winding paths, cliffs soared, valleys plunged deep, and the sound echoed through the misty hills. The lake itself glistened, clear as jade, surrounded by mountains, lush grasslands, wildflowers in full bloom, and verdant spruce covering the slopes.

Lu Yu gazed at the beauty before him, while Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian lost themselves completely in the scenery and photography. Aisha helped take pictures for them; sometimes Lu Yu did too, whether it was photos or short videos. In the camera’s eye, Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian smiled radiantly, delicate and charming, their eyes lowered, glimmering with liquid light. Set against the Jade Pool’s splendor, they looked almost like little fairies.

Aisha, with her fresh, artistic vibe, her long legs and smooth calves, was a sight that tempted curiosity. Occasionally, the two women pulled Lu Yu into group photos—one on each side, arms linked through his, their heads gently resting on his shoulders, soft smiles on their lips. Sometimes, Qin Xiaomian would take individual photos with Lu Yu, either with his arms around her from behind or as she leaped into his embrace.

Sometimes it was Shi Zixuan—facing Lu Yu, holding his hand, laughing as she ran along the lake’s edge, her dress billowing, her hair flying. This made Aisha, walking beside them, glance inquisitively, secretly trying to puzzle out their relationship.

On their own, Lu Yu looked every bit like the boyfriend of the two women. But all three together—it felt oddly out of place. Could there truly be best friends in the world willing to share a boyfriend? Aisha was deeply skeptical. Still, ever professional, she kept her questions to herself. Even if it was some complicated relationship, it didn’t affect her job or earnings.

After a full day of sightseeing, they returned to the city by evening and found a renowned restaurant for dinner. Over the meal, Aisha introduced the upcoming itinerary and sites to visit: Keketuohai, Beitun, Kanas Lake, Five-Color Beach, and the Lavender Fields, among others. The two women listened, nodding eagerly, discussing plans with Aisha as they ate. Lu Yu asked about the distances involved and decided to rent a larger SUV the next day. The idea of a road trip held its own appeal.

Aisha agreed, saying that a self-drive trip made this leg of the journey much more enjoyable, and she mentioned that she knew people at a rental agency. Lu Yu agreed, instructing her to come to the hotel the next morning so they could go rent the car together. She would be joining them for the next few days, so she’d need to bring the necessary luggage.

After dinner, Aisha saw the three of them back to the hotel before taking a taxi home alone. Back in their suite, the three took turns washing up, while the others browsed through the myriad photos and videos from the day.

Shi Zixuan was especially pleased with a photo of her running along the lakeshore with Lu Yu. The joy and happiness in the picture seemed to overflow—she promptly posted it across her social media accounts and even set it as her profile picture. Qin Xiaomian was just as satisfied with a photo of her leaping into Lu Yu’s embrace. Seeing Shi Zixuan’s actions, she, too, posted it everywhere and made it her profile photo. Still feeling it wasn’t enough, she added captions and posted all sorts of pictures—Lu Yu hugging her from behind, and more. In short, she was announcing to the world that she had a boyfriend, and that this uncle treated her very well, so no one should bother her. Besides that, of course, the real reason was to show off. Why take photos if not to flaunt?

The group photos of all three, however, the two women tacitly kept private. Lu Yu, watching their flurry of posting, felt his scalp tingle. “Are you trying to make me look like a total scoundrel?”

Qin Xiaomian wrinkled her petite nose. “Hmph! I want everyone to know I have a scoundrel of an uncle for a boyfriend! So there!” Shi Zixuan chimed in, “And there are still plenty of our three-person group photos I haven’t even posted yet!”

Lu Yu squinted at them and declared, “Well, in that case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” He proceeded to take a slew of unconventional photos of the two women, making them pose in all sorts of shy and alluring ways. Afterwards, in front of the two girls—still protesting—he reviewed each photo carefully, critiquing the results and regretfully noting his photography skills still needed improvement, obviously threatening to keep practicing.

Feeling triumphant, Lu Yu lit a victory cigarette. “This time it’s just photos; next time, it’ll be little videos!” The two women, seeing their own alluring images, were both embarrassed and excited. Hearing about the prospect of videos next time, a hint of anticipation stirred in their hearts—especially Shi Zixuan, whose eyes shone as if a new world had opened before her.

At last, she had found a way to get back at Qin Xiaomian! Who told her always to try to tease her? Next time, she would… Well, after this, let’s see if she still dares to play tricks on her! Shi Zixuan had her own tricks up her sleeve as well.

After a round of teasing, the three of them soon went to bed, sleeping soundly through the night.

The next morning, after washing up, they went downstairs for breakfast, packed their things, and met Aisha in the hotel lobby. They checked out at the front desk and then headed to the rental agency Aisha recommended. Before long, Lu Yu was driving the SUV out of the city, speeding across the open plains.

Under a vast, cloudless sky, the blue and white above lifted everyone’s spirits. Over the next few days, guided by the ever-knowledgeable Aisha, they journeyed through snowy mountains and grasslands, across the Gobi and oases, from deserts to fertile fields. They traveled by day, resting at sunset, lingering longer wherever the sights delighted them, enjoying a leisurely, carefree trip.

Spending so much time together, Aisha gradually figured out the true nature of Lu Yu and the two women’s relationship, secretly cursing him as a true scoundrel! What baffled her most was how two such beautiful women as Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian had fallen for such a rogue. What annoyed her even more was that this so-called scoundrel didn’t even use sweet words or tricks to win them over—it looked for all the world as if the two women had offered themselves up willingly!

Could it be that the prettier the girl, the lower her intelligence? Or was she herself just clueless, or was the world changing too quickly for her to keep up?

One evening, after a day of travel, they stayed at a charming guesthouse with distinct local character. The four of them sat in the courtyard surrounded by wooden cabins, eating skewers, sipping light wine, and chatting about the sights they had seen.

A gentle night breeze drifted by, the sky was clear and full of stars, some twinkling faintly. Lu Yu swallowed a bite of meat, took a sip of wine, and half-reclined in his chair, gazing up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Those seemingly close points of light had traveled through unimaginable stretches of time and space—journeys so vast that the human mind could scarcely comprehend them—before finally reaching here. Their distances were measured in millions of years, in light-years, in astronomical numbers. Compared to the boundless night sky and the immeasurable universe, how insignificant and small was humanity?

Lu Yu couldn’t help but recall the lament of the ancients: “Alas, my life is but a moment; I envy the endless flow of the great river.” In the vastness of the universe, from a grand perspective, is not a human’s life but a fleeting instant? Perhaps not even an instant—the word itself seems exaggerated.

Qin Xiaomian, seeing Lu Yu lost in the stars, asked, “Uncle, what are you thinking about?”

Without moving, Lu Yu continued to gaze at the sky. “I’m wondering when we’ll ever reach those places.”

Qin Xiaomian followed his gaze. “Which places? Those stars?”

Lu Yu nodded and took another sip of wine. “Yes, but they’re so far away.”

Qin Xiaomian replied naively, “One day, we’ll get there.”

Lu Yu fell silent: One day, yes, one day…

And so the night deepened, the stars shone on, and their journey continued.