Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 116 Seaside

It looks best when it's just before it gets dark.

The sun had sunk below the horizon, but its light hadn't completely dissipated, spreading across the sea like scattered gold, making people squint.

The clouds were burned to a bright orange-red, spreading out from one end of the sky to the other, like someone had spilled a palette of paint.

The seagull flew past the light, flapped its wings twice, became a black dot, and disappeared.

Xiao Yunqing stood on the steps, stunned.

Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes were bright, and the setting sun shone on her face. At that moment, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Song Huan was also stunned, and only then did she understand the meaning of that lyric.

Your shadow is lengthened by the sunset, and my longing is in a distant place.

"Huanhuan, let's go play on the beach."

After saying that, Xiao Yunqing ran downstairs.

Her sandals clicked on the steps, her skirt billowed in the wind, and she held it down with her hand, running even faster.

There weren't many people on the beach, just a few here and there. Some were walking barefoot with their shoes in hand, some were squatting and digging sand pits, and some were standing by the water waiting for the waves to come.

Xiao Yunqing ran to the middle of the beach, bent down, took off her sandals, held them in her hand, and stepped barefoot on the sand.

She took two steps, glanced back, and saw that Song Huan was still standing on the steps, hands in his pockets, not moving.

She ignored him, turned around, and saw a small crab scurrying sideways past her feet. She chased after it, but after three steps, the crab disappeared into a sand hole.

She found another one and chased after it again. This time, she chased it for five steps, but the little crab ran faster than her, and she couldn't catch it.

She stood on the beach, panting, and glanced back.

Song Huan was still standing on the steps, hands in her pockets, in the exact same posture as before.

Her lips immediately pouted.

It's not the kind of pouting you do when you're angry; it's the kind of pouting you do when you feel wronged and want to cry.

She stood on the beach, the wind blowing her skirt up, but she didn't press it down.

She looked at the person on the steps for two seconds, then shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Song Huan! If you don't come down and play with me, I'm going to jump into the sea!"

The sound drifted from the beach, crisp and clear, though half of it dissipated in the sea breeze, but every word was still distinct.

People strolling nearby stopped and turned to look.

An uncle carrying a bucket of water stopped, looking at Xiao Yunqing and then at Song Huan on the steps.

A couple also stopped; the girl tugged at the boy's sleeve and pointed in their direction.

A mother with a child squatted down and said something to the child, who then turned to look.

Xiao Yunqing stood on the beach, her face flushed red in the sunset, her lips pouting, her eyes bright, and her eyelashes seemingly glistening with moisture.

The wind blew her hair onto her face, but she didn't brush it away. She just stood there, looking at the person on the steps.

The people next to her started talking quietly, but Song Huan heard them.

"Is this girl calling for her boyfriend?"

"Why are you standing still?"

"Young man, get off here, your girlfriend is about to cry."

Song Huan was in a real bind.

What the hell does this have to do with me!

She was wearing sandals, and I was wearing canvas shoes!

Seeing that he still hadn't moved, Xiao Yunqing's lips trembled and her eyes reddened.

This time it wasn't an act; her eyes were genuinely red, and tears welled up in them, glistening as if they might fall at any moment.

Seeing her expression, Song Huan didn't say a word. She bent down, took off her shoes and socks, picked them up, and ran towards the beach.

The sand had been in the sun all day, and the surface was still warm. When you stepped on it, your toes sank in, and it felt warm.

He ran very fast, and sand splashed up and stuck to his calves.

When Xiao Yunqing saw him run down, the tearful look on her face instantly disappeared.

She laughed, her eyes curving into crescents, and her dimples appearing.

She turned and ran, her ponytail swung, her skirt billowed, and her bare feet pattered on the sand.

Come and chase me!

Her voice drifted over from the front, cheerful and bright.

Song Huan chased after her and caught up in just a few steps, but didn't stop. She ran past her and glanced back at her.

"Don't run, I'm going to hit you!"

"Are you stupid? You're about to hit me, and you're telling me not to run away."

"Don't you dare insult me!"

Xiao Yunqing pouted and chased after him, reaching out to slap Song Huan. He tried to dodge, but couldn't, and the slap landed on his arm—not hard, but loud.

She laughed, then patted him again, this time on the back, "I'm hitting you for ignoring me!"

He turned and ran, she chased, the two of them running one after the other on the beach, leaving a trail of footprints.

The waves crashed in.

A white expanse, pushed in from afar, drew closer and closer, and with a whoosh, it washed over my ankles.

It felt cool, from my toes all the way down to my calves.

Xiao Yunqing flinched, ticklish, and laughed as she took a step back, bumping into Song Huan.

His chest was pressed against her back, and he could feel her body temperature through her clothes.

His hand was already on her waist without her noticing, gently and without any force.

As the wave receded, she stumbled forward, but his hand tightened to steady her.

The waves came again, this time bigger, washing over her ankles and down to her calves. Her trouser legs were wet and clung to her skin.

She glanced down, frowned, then bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and turned to splash it on him.

Water droplets splashed on his T-shirt, leaving dark little dots, one, two, three.

She laughed, a very happy laugh, and scooped up another handful, this time sprinkling it on his face.

Song Huan wiped her face, water dripping from her chin onto the sand, leaving a small puddle.

He tossed his shoes aside, bent down, and scooped up a handful.

She turned and ran, but after a couple of steps she tripped over a wave, swayed, and then regained her balance.

He didn't spill it; he poured out the water in his hand.

"I'll let you off this time..."

The sea breeze blew in from afar, scattering her laughter; it was salty, damp, and mixed with the smell of sand.

Her voice filled the entire sea, soft and crisp, like a wind chime.

She stopped running, squatted down, and rummaged through the sand.

Where the waves crashed, the sand was wet and smoothed out by the water.

She poked around in the sand with her fingers and pulled out a small piece of conch, about the size of a fingernail, white, with a few lines on it.

She glanced at it, held it in her palm, rummaged through it, and found another piece, gray with a missing corner. It didn't look good, so she threw it away.

I found another piece, brown with spots on it. I compared it to the white one in my palm, kept the white one, and threw away the brown one.

She squatted there and rummaged through the pieces for a long time, accumulating three small and unattractive pieces in her palm. But she was very serious, picking through them one by one, and after a long time, she still couldn't find one she was satisfied with.

His lips were pouting again, and his brows were furrowed, just like when he was doing physics problems.

Song Huan stood to the side and watched for a while, then took a few steps forward.

He walked slowly, head down, looking at the sand beneath his feet.

There was a small white object where the waves came from, buried in the sand, with only half of it showing.

He bent down and picked it up. It was a conch shell, round, thin, and clean, with several fine lines on it. It was smooth from being washed by water, without any chips or spots.

He wiped the fine sand off with his fingers, walked back, and handed it to her.

"for you."

Xiao Yunqing looked up at the conch shell between his fingers.

It's round, white, and very clean; it looks better than the three pieces she has in her hand.

She put the conch shell in her hand into her pocket, took his, and held it up to the light to examine it.

The setting sun shone on the conch shell, giving it a faint, lustrous sheen, like jade.

She held it tightly in her hand, then put it in her pocket with the other three pieces.

He touched his pocket once, then again.

"A little gift just for the beach," Song Huan said casually.

Xiao Yunqing didn't speak, her head was down, and her fingers were still clutching the conch shell in her pocket.

After a while, she stood up, brushed the sand off her knees, and said, "Let's go, it's getting dark."

It was indeed dark.

The sun had set, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon, like the last flicker of a burnt-out ember.

The scattered gold on the sea surface has disappeared, turning into a hazy gray expanse. In the distance, the ships have lit up their lights, one by one, like stars floating on the sea.

All the lights on the shore were on, and the streetlights illuminated the walkway, stretching in strings from the sea to the distance.

Most of the people on the beach had left, leaving only a few couples walking slowly together.

The tide is coming in.

The waves were bigger than before, and they surged up a considerable distance, almost reaching the spot where they had just been standing.

Song Huan walked towards the shore, with Xiao Yunqing following behind.

The two walked up the steps and sat down. The steps were made of cement and had cooled down after being in the sun all day. They were warm to sit on.

Xiao Yunqing put on her sandals and tied the straps.

A sea breeze blew by, and she hunched her shoulders.

Song Huan took off her coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The coat was very large, covering her completely, leaving only her face and two hands visible.

She took her hand out of her sleeve, pulled her coat closer, and then pulled it down to her chin.

"It's very humid by the sea, don't catch a cold," Song Huan said.

She hummed in response, without looking at him.

She put on her sandals and stretched her feet out. Her snow-white toes swayed under the streetlights, and her toes twitched as if she were playing the piano.

Song Huan stood up and walked to the stall next to her.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman. In front of her was a row of small steamers filled with transparent bowl-shaped rice cakes filled with red beans, mung beans, coconut shreds, and osmanthus flowers, and each cake was skewered with a bamboo stick.

Song Huan pointed to the mung beans, and the stall owner handed her one.

He paid, walked back, and handed it to her.

Xiao Yunqing took it and glanced at it.

The translucent cake, filled with mung beans, glistened under the streetlights.

She took a bite, chewed it, and squinted her eyes.

"tasty."

He took another bite, his cheeks bulging, and mumbled, "How come I've never eaten this before?"

Song Huan sat down next to her. "You'll like it once you try it."

She nodded. There was still a small piece left on the bamboo skewer. She hesitated for a moment, then handed it to him, saying, "You should try some too."

Song Huan glanced at her, thinking to herself, "You're so generous," and then bent down and took a bite of the small piece.

Her face flushed, she threw the bamboo skewer into the nearby trash can, and pulled her hand back into her coat pocket, clutching the seashell.

"I want more," she said.

Song Huan stood up and walked back to the stall.

I bought three this time: red bean, chocolate, and pumpkin.

He carried back a row of small steamers and placed them between the two of them.

Xiao Yunqing picked up the red bean one, took a bite, and the red bean filling flowed out. She licked the corner of her mouth.

"This is delicious too."

He picked up another chocolate and took a bite, then frowned. "This is too sweet."

He picked up another pumpkin and took a bite. "This one's so-so."

She finished the red bean one, took two bites of the chocolate one but didn't want to eat anymore, so she stuffed it into Song Huan's hand.

Song Huan took it and ate it in a few bites; it was indeed so sweet it made her throat ache.

She stuffed the last bite of pumpkin into her mouth, put down the bamboo skewer, and leaned against the steps.

Her coat slipped down a little, so she pulled it up.

My feet were still dangling, white, reflecting the light under the streetlights.

The sea breeze blew, blowing her hair onto her face. She reached out and gently brushed it away.

"Song Huan".

"Um."

Are you happy today?

Song Huan thought for a moment.

In the afternoon, I was dragged out of the air-conditioned room and scared half to death by Xiao Yunqing hiding in the closet.

She had run all over the beach and was covered in sweat; her trousers were wet, and her T-shirt still had seawater on it. Now that it was dry, the salt grains were sticking to her skin and making her a little itchy.

He sat on the steps, looking at the sea in the distance.

The sea was dark, and the ship's lights flickered like blinking eyes.

The wind blew in from the sea, carrying a salty smell and cool, which felt very comfortable on my face.

"It's alright," he said. "Are there ever times I'm unhappy when I'm with you?"

Xiao Yunqing smiled.

It wasn't a loud laugh, but a soft laugh that slipped out from the corner of her mouth.

She rested her chin on her knees and looked at the sea in the distance.

"Me too! I'm really happy being with you!"

She couldn't see anything clearly on the sea, but she looked very intently, as if she could see very far away.

She took her hand out of her pocket, holding the conch shell between her fingers.

The streetlights shone on it, giving the conch shell a faint, glossy sheen.

She looked at it twice, put it back, and patted her pocket.

"Let's go, it's time to go home."

She stood up, took off her coat, and returned it to him.

Her scent lingered on my coat, faint and hard to describe, a bit like laundry detergent, but also a bit like something else.

He draped his coat over his arm and followed behind her.

The two walked back along the trail.

The streetlights illuminated the road clearly, one by one.

She walked ahead, her steps slow. Her skirt billowed in the wind; she pressed it down, it billowed again, and she pressed it down again.

Song Huan followed behind, hands in his pockets, strolling slowly.

She stopped when she reached the parking lot and glanced back at him.

The streetlight shone on her face, making her eyes bright; her lips were slightly upturned, and her expression was serene.

"Song Huan".

"Um."

"I will keep that conch shell forever."

She turned and walked away quickly, her sandals clicking on the ground, her ponytail swinging in the streetlights.

Song Huan stood there, watching her retreating figure disappear into the distance.

She took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at him.

"Come on, what are you standing there for?"

He smiled and followed.

The sea breeze blew from behind, making her hair flutter.

She reached out and pushed it aside, then continued walking forward.

That's probably what youth is like.

I can't quite put my finger on what's so good about it, but nothing can replace it.