“Hey, this tastes rather weird. It’s not my thing.” Jolly took a sip of the green smoothie and unhesitantly pushed it to Leroy, who was sitting across from her. “You finish it.”
The usefulness of a boyfriend would always reflect in the various details of life.
For instance, he would walk on the outer side of a sidewalk, voluntarily carry all her shopping bags, or even become an emotionless robot who finished off her leftovers toward the end of a meal.
No man could be exempted regardless of his social status.
After breakfast, Rachel and Justin headed to the market to get some stuff to redecorate the old house. Jolly tagged along, having tons of energy to spend.
“Aren’t you exhausted? Doesn’t lying in the homestay bed sound tempting to you?”
“What’s so exhausting about a road trip? Besides, I want to see the place you lived in as a kid.”
“It’s not finished yet.”
“Perfect. I can help.”
While helping Rachel choose a wall calendar in a bodega, Jolly noticed Regina lingering by the shelves from the corner of her eyes, unwilling to let them leave her sight. At that, she deliberately raised her voice. “We’re sisters. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
Sure enough, a certain someone became livid with rage.
Their custom-made furniture could only be delivered in the afternoon, but the chaise lounge Jolly chose, which she claimed would add to the liveliness of the house, was delivered over at once.
“I heard there are wild matsutakes in this mountain. Where are they, Chris?”
“All the matsutake would be long gone if you can find them,” Rachel said helplessly. “Amateurs like us can only find them if we’re super lucky. You can definitely find them if you wake up early and follow the homestay owner up here, though.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, she has a spot here.”
“Is it still considered wild matsutake then?”
“It is. She just knows where the matsutake grow, and they grow in the same spot nearly every year.”
Though they couldn’t find any matsutake, Rachel still took the gang up the mountain. After all, it was Jolly and Leroy’s first time here. It gave Rachel a sense of being a host, hoping the guys would like Somerset Mountain a little more as she introduced the place.
“Careful, it’s slippery here.” Justin held Rachel’s hand when they were climbing a slope.
“Thanks.”
Behind them, Jolly smiled dubiously when she saw the former couple’s interaction and deliberately asked, “Leroy, where’s Carmen?”
“She ran off,” Leroy said. “She’s picking pines up ahead.”
“Come on, let’s go find her lest something happens. I heard there are wild boars in this neck of the woods.”
“Wild boars?”
Seeing that Leroy was still reeling in perplexity, Jolly pinched him and dragged him away, leaving Rachel and Justin on the slope.
“Don’t run too far off either, guys. The forest here is pretty deep, and you might get lost,” Rachel shouted toward the couple.
“I got it!” Jolly’s voice came from afar, echoing through the woods.
The morning sun came through the gaps in the woods. As the cold mist dispersed, the dampness of the forest transpired, gradually warming up the place.
“Mr. Lee’s apprentice said they’ll deliver the furniture this afternoon; it’s just that the new furniture still has some chemical odor on it and will need to be aired for a while. As such, it’ll be some time before anyone can live in it.”
“No worries, there’ll be plenty of chances in the future.”
Rachel took a deep breath as she enjoyed the mountain view. “We’ve only been here for a few days, yet it feels like years have passed.”
“I’ll stay here with you as long as you want.”
“Actually, I kind of want to go back to Riverdale.”
Justin’s gaze paused for a split second.
“Like animals, humans constantly migrate from one place to another that’s more suitable for them,” said Rachel. “I’m already used to my life in Riverdale.”
The memories of her eight years living in Somerset Mountain had long been buried in the archives. What she remembered most were her days in Riverdale, even if these twenty-plus years were somewhat miserable. However, with bitterness came sweetness. Those who were miserable would already feel content when given a sliver of sweetness. Besides, Charlotte and Samuel were still in Riverdale.
“We’ll go back in a couple of days,” Justin suggested. “Since the other guys just arrived, we’ll show them around before we leave. Just think of us as hosts entertaining our guests around.”
As he was a head taller, Rachel would have to raise her head slightly to look into his eyes, and right then, she found his side profile basking under the sun. Coupled with the shadows of the leaves enveloping the top of his head, he looked exceptionally affable.
“Sure.” Rachel nodded with a smile.
As they spoke while heading further into the mountain, they spotted a familiar figure on the other mountain path far ahead nearly at the same time, and they stopped in their tracks at once.
Rachel’s dangling hands balled into fists while her brows furrowed.
The figure belonged to Lionel.
What is he doing here in the mountains?
“I’m going to take a look.”
“Rachel.” Justin wanted to stop her, but he chose to follow her in the end.
Lionel had come to the mountains alone with a grocery bag in his hand. It was clear that he wasn’t familiar with the area as he stopped in his tracks aimlessly every now and then.
The former couple stalked him for quite a while and nearly lost him after crossing a slope.
“There.” Justin pulled on Rachel and gestured for her to stay quiet.
Two massive ancient trees had blocked their view, but in fact, Lionel was just up ahead, mumbling to a tree.
Still, they were too far away to hear him. “What is he saying?”
“Don’t go any closer. He’ll see you.” Justin grabbed her.
It was so silent here that one could even hear a wild hare passing by; what more two living adults?
It was safer that they kept their distance.
Meanwhile, Lionel pulled a glass-bottled soda out of the grocery bag and uncapped it with ease. After taking a sip, he suddenly chuckled.
“This tastes a little different from when we were kids, and I bet you’d complain if you tasted it. I still remember how much you love drinking soda, Selena, especially the ones you stored in the icehouse. There weren’t refrigerators yet at that time, and no one had done what you did either. You always figured a way out. Dad has two sons, but he loved you the most, and it turns out he was right. You’re the most excellent among us.”
He continued, “I wonder if you ever regretted it. Maybe you would’ve had an easier life if not for all that medicine and whatnot. How great it would’ve been if you followed me and studied abroad. But you refused to go, saying you were afraid no one would take care of Dad. Well, you were the most pious among us. Selena, Rachel has grown up now. I bet you’d be happy if you could see her. She looks so much like you. I would’ve recognized her in a heartbeat if I stayed in Riverdale. But I’ve failed her…”
Everything in this world had a soul. Apart from the soil, these massive ancient trees lived the longest in this neck of the woods, and people could always leave their mourning with them.
As Rachel and Justin watched Lionel sitting in front of a tree and mumbling away, they suddenly figured out why he had come into the mountain alone.
