Chapter Ninety-One: The Cloud Sea Rages, and Fire Playing Ends in a Burned Bed and Wet Sheets

It was soon proved that there really was not enough to eat.

Su Baor took the last bite of the three pan-seared strips of bacon on the blue-green porcelain plate, then stared longingly at Lin Shenlu’s plate.

“Just have a little to tide you over. I’ll take you to a feast later,” Lin Shenlu said, guarding his breakfast.

“Mmm... got it...”

After breakfast, Lin Shenlu remembered a joke.

It was about a young couple staying in a hotel for the first time. The sign said breakfast not included.

The couple thought it meant there was no breakfast... included with the room.

So the two of them ended up sitting helplessly outside the guest room door at dawn.

The boy swore that from then on, he would always make sure the girl stayed in a hotel with breakfast included.

He glanced at Su Baor beside him and figured this was exactly the sort of thing this girl would do.

“Come on, let’s check out!”

The little wooden cabin, eighteen hundred a night, had been a good experience. Lin Shenlu was very satisfied.

Before heading to the next attraction, he first took Su Baor to eat to her heart’s content.

After leaving the cabin and crossing the long bridge back into the real world, Lin Shenlu found a restaurant.

There was nothing in this world more worth treasuring than fine food.

“Boss, bring the wine!”

Lin Shenlu pointed to the restaurant’s signature pear wine.

“Mm, and one serving of purple-perilla bighead fish, a clay pot of mushroom soup, a plate of pan-fried rice cakes... and another serving of fried small fish. Also one of those crispy egg pastries.”

He had discovered several dishes he had not yet tried.

Soon, blue-green porcelain wine pot and cups were brought to the table.

He poured himself a cup of pear wine, a bright amber hue with a delicate fragrance.

Perhaps because Longquan porcelain from this place was so famous, many restaurants and hotels here used this fine porcelain.

The glaze on the blue porcelain shone with a quiet radiance, most enchanting to behold.

He sipped the pear wine. It had no trace of sharpness on the tongue, only a gentle warmth spreading through his body.

Comforting.

The newly served purple-perilla bighead fish from Yunhe Lake had tender flesh and a lingering aftertaste.

The clear, clean mushroom soup was made entirely from local mountain ingredients. Lin Shenlu took one sip.

Only one word came to mind: fresh.

The pan-fried rice cakes were excellent in texture, glutinous and fragrant without sticking to the mouth.

And then there was the little fish scooped from a stream by Yunhe Lake.

The owner said they were little silvermouth fish—cute, odd little things—and Lin Shenlu even hesitated to raise his chopsticks.

Then Su Baor swept away seven or eight of them in one chopstick.

At last, Lin Shenlu made it to the place for admiring the sea of clouds.

The journey there had been full of twists and turns.

The sea of clouds was a natural spectacle so beautiful it inspired awe.

As one of the essential sights of mountain scenery, Lin Shenlu now stood with Su Baor at the very top of the terraced fields.

A sea of clouds, as the name implied, was a cloud layer formed under certain conditions, with its height lower than the summit.

When one stood upon a mountain peak and looked down upon the clouds, it was as though gazing upon an endless ocean: waves rising into peaks, spray scattering, surging surf pounding the shore.

Looking at the sea of clouds before him, Lin Shenlu felt a surge of heroic ambition well up within him.

The sea of clouds was boundless, just like the long road of life.

Perhaps this sea of clouds was itself a kind of life’s realm.

A scene like a sea of clouds, a realm like a sea of clouds.

What a pity he had not come sooner.

If one could watch the sea of clouds at sunrise or sunset, it would be at its most beautiful, for then the cloud sea would blaze in a riot of colors, magnificent beyond measure. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a rainbow sea of clouds.

Of course, when it came to the beauty of the sea of clouds, Lin Shenlu knew in his heart of two especially fine places to see it.

One was Floating Cloud Ranch; the other was Mount Fanjing.

If he ever had the chance, he would surely go there himself and witness that strange and wondrous sight: clouds billowing and drifting, the sea of clouds churning, like a sea yet not a sea at all.

Returning from the sea of clouds, Lin Shenlu was just preparing to head to the next destination with Su Baor when his phone rang.

It was a Dali number. Hai Lanjing.

Wasn’t that girl supposed to be discussing cooperation?

Why was she calling him?

Could it be that she had succeeded?

And so soon?

Only a day had passed. If that were true, then he might have underestimated her.

“Hello?”

“Are you coming back today?” Hai Lanjing asked.

“Should be no problem today. I’m almost done here too. Just two more places left, and I’ll have finished all the attractions,” Lin Shenlu said, looking down at his little pink notebook.

Unknowingly, he had already recorded eight or nine stories from Lishui.

Of course, that was mainly because there was so much food and so many beautiful sights in Lishui.

“Oh, good. Then come back. I’ll wait for you tonight and we’ll eat together. My treat!” Hai Lanjing’s voice was bright with excitement.

“What, so Ms. Hai really sealed the deal?” Lin Shenlu laughed.

“More or less. Buying it definitely isn’t possible anymore, but renting it out should be no problem...” Hai Lanjing said, plainly thrilled.

“All right, see you tonight,” Lin Shenlu said with a smile.

Just after the call ended, before he could even put his phone back in his pocket, it rang again.

Why was it calling again?

Was there something left unsaid?

Frowning, Lin Shenlu looked at the screen.

This time... it was a Lishui number.

Hm. Who now?

“Hello?” he asked cautiously.

“Is this Xiao Lin? This is the landlord, Uncle Wang...” came a voice from the other end.

Lin Shenlu froze.

Then he remembered.

This was the owner of the little courtyard he had rented.

What was it? Had the rent expired?

No way. He had paid for a full month back then...

“What’s wrong, Uncle Wang?” Lin Shenlu asked hurriedly.

“Where are you? Come back and take a look. Didn’t I rent out the other half of the courtyard yesterday? Well, today that brat was barbecuing in the yard... and set the place on fire...” Uncle Wang said very gravely.

That stunned Lin Shenlu completely.

Set the house on fire?

That writer he had seen yesterday morning, the one who had been going out for an early run?

The man the little girl had called Brother Hand?

Barbecuing in the yard?

Good heavens... did he not know the old house was all wood and had long since fallen into disrepair?

Any open flame and it would go up in no time?

Why had he been so greedy for it?

“Uncle Wang, how bad is the damage to my place?” Lin Shenlu asked carefully.

The thought that his laptop was still in the house made him ache a little.

The computer itself hadn’t cost all that much, but so many of his drafts and photos were in there!

“Mm... it’s not that serious. Mostly the fire was on his side; yours got a bit of the smoke and flames. It’s already been put out... Come back and have a look, check whether you’ve lost anything,” Uncle Wang said, which finally eased Lin Shenlu’s mind.

Thank goodness the fire had not been too severe.

Still, Lin Shenlu was curious. That Hand Brother—weren’t you a writer?

What were you doing playing with fire for? That is no way to seek inspiration!

Did you never hear that playing with fire will wet the bed?

All right, better hurry back.

It looked as though he would have to forgo the last few stops.