From Luxon aboard an antique steamship, Yin Jie headed south. During the whole voyage, I passed many historical sites and famous ancient towns, including the birthplace of the S country, and many other places of great significance, so I was able to enjoy the scenery of the lake and the mountains, and I was able to experience the historical atmosphere, which was quite fulfilling.

Yin Jie met an old lady on a cruise ship. The old lady looked a little like the strawberry grandma she met at the weekend market in Hausen, and she was in her 70s, still in good spirits and nimble.

Yin Jie asked her how to stay healthy and energetic, and the old lady replied:

"Keep in a good mood, young man. Never allow anything that will pollute your mind to enter your heart. Also, be sure to eat a healthy diet and exercise moderately. ”

The old lady said that she used to be a hospital nurse, and she was rehired after retirement. She now works at the hospital 2 days a week, and spends the rest of her time doing what she loves or sightseeing. This time, she plans to visit an old friend in Fringen, whom she hasn't seen in years.

Yin Jie was surprised: "You are so long-lived, what do you do in the hospital?"

He replied, "It's still a service job, but I'm now mainly responsible for the companionship and care of elderly patients." As I am older, I have a common language with them, and I have rich experience in medical practice, so I can not only help the elderly to relieve their emotions in daily life, but also assist the nurses on duty to take care of the bodies of these elderly people. ”

Yin Jie asked again, "Do your children live with you?"

"No, they have their own lives, and I have my own lives. It's too inconvenient to live together and interfere with each other. ”

"And are you going to take care of the kids for them? your little grandchildren?"

"Of course, I'm happy to take care of them on a temporary basis if they need it. But in general, the children are theirs and they should take care of themselves, it is their responsibility. ”

Yin Jie introduced her to the general living conditions of the elderly in China. The old lady shook her head slightly and said:

"I think this way of life should be very in line with Chinese traditions, right? Maybe it's a different culture, in country S, when the children have the ability to be independent, we will encourage them to leave the family, and it is enough to come back on the weekend, and we all have our own lives. If you stay with your parents all the time, your child may become unaccountable. As far as I am concerned, my pension insurance is enough, plus my own salary, I am fully capable of walking around and have a much better mood. ”

Yin Jie couldn't help but think of his parents. Parents seem to have lived around their children all their lives, and they always have an endless heart. Dad is less than sixty this year, and Mom is even younger, but the mental state of the second elder is not as good as the old lady in front of him. She plans to discuss with her brother after returning to China, maybe help her parents sign up for some overseas tour groups, so that they can go out and see more.

The old lady kindly reminded Yin Jie to watch out for the thief. She said that country S rarely stole in the first place, and Lucerne did not. However, because people from other countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement can enter the border of country S at will, the situation becomes a bit bad. A gang of thieves consisting entirely of Eastern Europeans had recently been spotted in Lucerne, and they had targeted Chinese because only Chinese were accustomed to carrying large amounts of cash with them.

Yin Jie thanked her very sincerely. Because she felt that Country S was too safe, her sense of defense was really relaxed. For example, just now, she left the box on the seat and ran to the side of the boat alone to take pictures.

The 3-hour voyage was spent with a gentle and wise introduction from the old lady.

After the boat reached Fringen, Yin Jie needed to take the train all the way south again. Forint is simply the old lady's destination. Watching the old lady wave goodbye to her with a smile on her face and leave neatly, Yin Jie couldn't help but think of Miss Marple in Agatha Christie, who is also an old lady who is keen to travel despite her age.

From here, Yin Jie boarded a train to Lugano. Compared to the Sulek-Luxena train, there were significantly more passengers on this train. The seat she had struggled to find was close to the side of the mountain, and she had passed many long and short culverts along the way, and the constant change of light made her uncomfortable, and she had little chance to see the scenery outside the window during the whole journey, so she had to close her eyes in the seat.

Luckily, the journey was not long, and it took more than an hour to reach Lugano.

Lugano belongs to the southern region of country S, located in the southern foothills of the Alps, with a pleasant climate and many lakes. Compared with other parts of country S, the culture, food, architecture, language, folk customs and climate are very different.

As soon as Yin Jie got off the train, he saw An Hong on the platform, and the two hugged each other tightly, feeling emotion in their hearts.

They hadn't seen each other since graduating from college, and the two of them had been separated for eight years. How many eight years can there be in life?

After graduating from university, An Hong returned to live in Tianjin, and met Francesco, who was an exchange scholar at Nankai University, and the two fell in love at first sight and got married not long after. After some time of marriage, she returned to Lugano with her husband to settle down.

Although for the two who have been reunited after a long absence, hugging can best express each other's feelings, but Lugano's weather is indeed very "warm" - a warm hug has already made Yin Jie sweaty. An Hong looked at Yin Jie's flushed face and couldn't help laughing. She took Yin Jie to find a hotel to check in, and then took her to the street to buy summer shirts to solve her urgent needs.

"Actually, I'm not much fatter than you, what's wrong with wearing my clothes for the time being?" An Hong chuckled. She looks slightly plump.

"Well, look at it. Yin Jie motioned for her to keep an eye on pedestrians on the street. Today is not a day off, and there are not many pedestrians on the old streets of the ancient city. However, whether it is a passerby, or a restaurateur, or even a clothing store clerk...... Everyone is well-dressed, and even their hair is very delicately groomed, as if they have stepped down from a fashion pictorial.

"Oops, it's okay. Locals are like that, and you don't have to be so yourself. Don't you see that there are also tourists?" An Hong gestured slightly to two people on the side of the road, dressed in casual T-shirts and jeans, carrying crossbody bags at random, one of whom was gulping water, and the other was holding a camera to take pictures.

Yin Jie thought thoughtfully: "So, in Lugano, locals and tourists can see it at a glance, right?"

An Hong smiled a little reservedly. Stop talking.

The two of them arrived at a clothing store with a slightly narrow façade. Yin Jie quickly chose a T-shirt with a gray-blue background and a yellow flower font "Less is More" printed on it, as well as a dress with white florals on a blue background. She immediately changed into that T-shirt in the store, which was just right with her beige pencil pants.

"Life is easy now!" she let out a long breath. The clerk and An Hong both looked at her with a smile on the side.

The two immediately returned to the hotel, and Yin Jie took out the things he brought to An Hong and handed them to her. I heard An Hong say that she is alone at home now, and her husband is on a business trip. I couldn't help asking:

"You don't plan to have a child?" Unlike herself, An Hong got married soon after graduation, and it stands to reason that she should have at least one child now.

An Hong's eyebrows were stained with a touch of sadness: "Of course we want it." But I accidentally flowed one in my early years, and it was difficult to get pregnant again later. She reinvigorated, "Don't talk about me, what about you?"

"We want it! But the child is a gift from God, and we can't ask for it. We want to go with the flow. ”

"That's fine. An Hong changed the subject, "How many days can you stay here?" Do you have any special arrangements?"

"It was possible to stay for three days. Yin Jie said mischievously: "My special arrangement is to meet our esteemed professor's wife, An Hong. An Hong stretched out her hand to tickle her, and the two of them giggled.

An Hong cut her hair and said, "That's good, leave it to me to arrange these three days." Actually, there are a lot of things to see in this state, but I think you will have more opportunities in the future, so let's take a leisurely stroll? Today we will take you to the ancient city, and tomorrow I will take you to Fox Town for shopping and then go to the state capital to see the World Heritage Castle. The day after tomorrow, Francis will come back, and I invite you to my house to relax. I'll get you on the train the day after tomorrow. How?"

Yin Jie thought for a moment and nodded: "Quasi!" The two of them laughed again.

Throughout the afternoon, An Hong took Yin Jie to experience the city little by little, to see the boutique fashion stores, to walk the flower-filled lakeside path, and then to the blue lake. There are large squarely shaped bushes, large fields of flowers in full bloom, and large fields of green lawns that feel like woolen carpets. Several couples sit on the lawn by the lake, talking sweet words and kissing from time to time, and parents and children are happily playing hide and seek among the trees.

The two of them found a bench and sat down to talk about their college years, their recent situation, and their families.

Yin Jie's eyes suddenly looked fixedly into the distance. An Hong was surprised to see a row of white trees planted on the shore of the lake in the distance, the body of the trees was scrawny, but the branches and leaves grew in four directions in a chaotic but rhythmic way.

"What's wrong?" An Hong asked Yin Jie.

"Look at those trees!" Yin Jie whispered in surprise, "Like the sacred tree in Gondor in the third part of The Lord of the Rings?"

An Hong looked at Yin Jie helplessly, and couldn't help but feel a strong envy in her heart. has been a classmate for four years, and Yin Jie has always been the "group pet" in the dormitory because of his young age and good grades. When Yin Jie was a student, he often had some strange ideas. How many ups and downs have I experienced in the eight years since graduation? An Hong seems to be able to see that her soul is gradually aging. But how did this Yin Jie maintain this naivety and childishness?

After a short break, An Hong took Yin Jie to Livelmar Square in the city center. Take her to your favorite café. Under the long arcade, the two of them sipped a cup of coffee and felt the bright sunshine in the square and the vibrant laughter of children.

It seems that the last thing the city lacks is sunshine and laughter. Colorful architecture, colorful clothing, colorful food... Yin Jie, who had traveled a long distance from the silence of the north, couldn't help but quickly immerse himself in the splendor and vitality in front of him.

For dinner, An Hong chose an Italian restaurant not far from Yin Jie's hotel, and the two of them ordered a seafood pizza and vegetable salad, and then each had a delicate and creamy Gelato (fruit/dried fruit ice cream), which was healthy and delicious.

"It's good to have locals to receive you!" On the way back to the hotel, Yin Jie stretched his arms in satisfaction.

An Hong invited again: "Why don't you come to live in my house." ”

Yin Jie still refused. An Hong is in a foreign land... , Yin Jie hasn't seen Francesco yet, and I don't know what kind of heart this man is. She didn't want to cause trouble for her friends because of her momentary willfulness.

"See you tomorrow. She hugged her friend again.