Rebirth and the Beautiful Soaring

In fact, no one could have guessed that Zhou Meihua would grow up to be so tall. If Yu Fei hadn't been reborn, he would never have believed it.

In Yu Fei's memory, Zhou Meihua suddenly grew taller like bamboo shoots after a spring rain in her third year of junior high school, growing from 1.65 meters to 1.78 meters, taller than most of the boys in the class. Such a height was absolutely outstanding among girls in the south at that time.

That height also has an advantage: it puts immense pressure on most boys, making them hesitate to approach. Otherwise, Yu Fei, who wasn't brave enough in love in his previous life, might not have been able to find a perfect first love.

"Don't you think the people in the painting look familiar?" Yu Fei asked with a light laugh.

"Who is she?" Zhou Meihua felt like it was herself, but she was also a little insecure, mainly because she felt that she couldn't possibly be that tall, let alone have such a good temperament.

Yu Fei laughed and said, "Zhou Meihua, don't you even recognize yourself?"

Zhou Meihua pouted and said, "Is that me? How could I be so pretty? And my height and age are wrong too."

Yu Fei chuckled and said, "Sorry, I forgot to mention something. The painting I made is of you ten years from now. Actually, you are just as beautiful now as you are ten years from now. These are two different kinds of beauty." Yu Fei didn't say the last sentence, afraid that Zhou Mei would be too shy and embarrassed by his praise, which would be counterproductive.

Zhou Meihua exclaimed in surprise, "You drew me ten years from now? How could you possibly know what I'll look like ten years from now?"

Yu Fei chuckled and said, "I can imagine it. I've always had a very vivid imagination. I think you'll definitely look like that in ten years. I bet you won't believe me."

Zhou Meihua rolled her eyes at Yu Fei, annoyed, and said, "I'm not betting with you that we won't know the answer for another ten years!"

Yu Fei smiled slightly. Zhou Meihua has one great advantage: she is very opinionated and will not be easily led astray by others.

"Indeed, a ten-year cycle is too long. It's better not to gamble! By the way, Zhou Meihua, do you know what day it is today?"

"What day? Isn't today August 20th?"

"This is the Gregorian calendar, what about the lunar calendar?"

"It's the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, I think. Oh, I know, today is Qixi Festival, the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet in legend." After saying that, Zhou Meihua suddenly realized something, and her face turned a little red.

"Hey, not bad, you got it right." Yu Fei blurted out a catchphrase often used by the later-famous star Jay Chou, and then continued, "Let me test you again. The Song Dynasty poet Qin Guan once wrote a famous poem about the Qixi Festival. What is the name of its title?"

"I know this one, it's 'The Magpie Bridge Fairy'."

Qin Shaoyou's "The Magpie Bridge Fairy" is a Song Dynasty poem that most young men and women love, and Zhou Meihua is no exception.

"Zhou Meihua, please recite this poem."

"The clouds weave patterns, the stars convey sorrow, and the Milky Way stretches far and wide in secret." Zhou Meihua's voice wasn't loud, but her pronunciation was clear and accurate. Among girls from the South, her Mandarin was excellent, and it was very pleasant to listen to.

The era of 1996 was different from the 21st century. Mandarin teaching was not yet widespread, and students usually communicated in their local dialects. Even some older rural teachers used their local dialects in their teaching, which naturally resulted in the general low level of Mandarin among students in the south.

"A single meeting of golden wind and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world."

"Tender as water, a beautiful time like a dream, how can I bear to look back on the road to the Magpie Bridge?"

"If love between two people is destined to last, why should they be together every day and night?"

The poem sounded exceptionally beautiful as Zhou Meihua recited it softly, giving Yu Fei an urge to embrace her. However, he restrained himself. They had already been separated by death for over a decade; what more could he ask for than to be able to meet her again in the prime of his life? Take it slow!

"Great! That was a wonderful recitation, Zhou Meihua. In recognition of your excellent performance, I've decided to give you this pen sketch, 'You Ten Years Later,' as a reward. I hope you like it. And happy Qixi Festival!"

"Really? Thank you, and happy Qixi Festival to you too." Zhou Meihua was very happy because she really liked the painting, especially the image of herself ten years in the future, which touched her heart and made her yearn for it.

The 1996 era was still reserved. Although Qixi Festival represented beautiful love, it hadn't become China's Valentine's Day yet; that was a later development. So Yu Fei didn't mention the word "Valentine's Day" to avoid embarrassing Zhou Meihua.

Next, Zhou Meihua asked Yu Fei a few more questions about painting. Having received guidance from his father, the famous painter Yu Ming, in his previous life, Yu Fei had no questions at all and spoke fluently, which greatly benefited Zhou Meihua. Her big eyes revealed even more admiration and respect.

"Yu Fei, thank you for your guidance. It's getting late, so why don't we go to Grandma's house first to avoid worrying them? I'll ask you for advice another day."

"No problem, we can exchange ideas more about drawing in the future. Let's go."

The two stood up and walked across the flower bridge. The chattering of the magpies on the eaves and their agile figures flying into the air to play filled Yu Fei with a special fascination.

Zhou Meihua experienced this wonderful joy for the first time and was in a particularly happy mood. She didn't know if it was because of the scenery or because she had met this outstanding boy.

Smelling the familiar scent of earth, walking on the dirt roads in the countryside feels like stepping on a soft sponge, making you feel exceptionally light and carefree.

In the future, all these places will be paved with cement roads. Although cement roads are very clean, they will lose a special rural flavor.

The two chatted casually along the way, and time passed quickly. After more than twenty minutes, they arrived at the entrance of Yunwu Village. There was a fork in the road, which split into three paths.

Yunwu Village is a large village with several thousand people, divided into several brigades. Zhou Meihua's maternal grandmother's house is in the east of the village, and Yu Fei's maternal grandmother's house is in the west of the village, so they have to part ways when they reach the village entrance.

Yu Fei handed the pink backpack to Zhou Meihua and said softly, "Zhou Meihua, I want to climb Fairy Peak. If you want to go too, let's meet at the pavilion at the foot of Fairy Peak at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

"This..." For a moment, Zhou Meihua hesitated, unsure whether to agree or refuse.

Zhou Meihua was willing, but in this day and age, it was easy for young boys and girls to go hiking alone, which would be considered puppy love. Moreover, she was worried that her grandparents would not approve of her going out so early.

“It’s up to you whether you go or not, don’t feel guilty. I’ll wait for you in the pavilion for a while tomorrow morning. If you don’t come, I’ll go alone.” After Yu Fei finished speaking, he waved to Zhou Meihua before she could make a decision, and then strode towards the side path in the west of the village.

As Zhou Meihua watched Yu Fei's handsome back as he turned and left, she thought of the painting he had drawn for himself ten years later, and felt a strange flutter in her heart.

If you want to go, then go. Why not go? Is it just because you're afraid of what others will say?

Having made her decision, Zhou Meihua stopped hesitating and walked briskly towards the east of the village.

Before Yu Fei even reached his grandmother's house, he ran into his aunt who was hurrying towards him on the way.

She was wearing a purple dress, and her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying gently as she walked; she looked absolutely beautiful.

When Yu Fei met his aunt, he thought he could remain calm, but the tears of excitement welling up in his eyes made him realize how important his aunt was to him.

Although the two are from different generations, they are only ten years apart in age. In her previous life, no matter what Yu Fei encountered, besides Lin Yang, the person she liked to confide in the most was this seemingly carefree aunt.

Yu Fei's aunt also doted on him the most, and she provided him with a lot of help when he first started his business.

"Feifei, why are you only arriving now? What have you been doing?"

While Yu Fei was still in a daze, Fang Yi had already stepped forward and punched his chest several times with her small fists.

"Ouch, Auntie, be gentle." Yu Fei pretended to clutch his chest, but in fact, it didn't hurt at all.

"Your aunt didn't even exert any effort. Why should a real man complain about pain? But you're too thin. You should exercise more when you have time."

"Auntie, as you know, we're very busy with our studies, so we don't have much time to exercise."

"No time is an excuse. I think it's mainly because you're lazy." Fang Yi rolled her eyes at Yu Fei, her mature and reproachful demeanor completely different from Zhou Meihua's current naivety.

"Auntie, then I'll just call myself lazy!" Yu Fei chuckled, but couldn't help opening his arms and hugging his aunt.

"Feifei, what are you doing? What's wrong?" Fang Yi was a little surprised and flustered when Yu Fei suddenly hugged her, and subconsciously thought that Yu Fei had encountered some difficult problem.

In this era, the feelings between relatives are reserved; they are not only reluctant to say "I love you," but also reluctant to hug each other.

"Auntie, I'm fine, I just missed you a little." Yu Fei grinned and said, then quickly let go of her arm.

Being hugged by a boy who was not yet a teenager, and who was also her nephew, Fang Yi was not embarrassed, even though she had never experienced it before. Moreover, she could feel the affection Yu Fei had for her from his eyes, and she was actually very happy.

However, Fang Yi then felt that Yu Fei's performance during that hug was calm and practiced.

"Hey kid, you're pretty good at this, quite skilled. Tell me, are you dating someone?"

"Auntie, don't make wild guesses. Hugging is a human instinct. In fact, family members should hug each other more often. This will make their relationship stronger. We Chinese are too reserved. Parents and grown children rarely say 'I love you' to each other, and hugs are also rare. On the other hand, people in other countries are completely different in this regard."

My aunt chuckled and said, "Actually, this is just a cultural difference between the East and the West. But as times change, I believe people's views will gradually change. However, Feifei, remember what I said: boys shouldn't easily say 'I love you' to girls. Once you say it, you must take responsibility. At your age, you can't take any responsibility at all, so you must be careful when it comes to relationships, understand?"