Huai Shi carried his travel backpack, suddenly unaware of where he actually was.
"Shocked, aren't you?" Next to him, a young male traveler passing by revealed a smile, patted his shoulder, and said, "Welco to Yellowstone National Park, friend, Arica welcos you."
Arica... Yellowstone...
It seed as if sothing was stirring in his heart.
Gradually, in his daze, he began to understand.
Yes, this was Arica, no mistake. He had co to the place with the most magnificent scenery.
Forgetting to recall his purpose, he shouldered his backpack and instinctively moved forward along the road, surveying the smooth, mirror-like lake in the distance. Under the daylight, the colorful rocks at the bottom of the lake rendered the water incredibly dazzling, and the scattered light reflected onto Huai Shi's face. He bent down, washed his face, and heard the crisp calls of distant birds.
An Arican Deer cautiously raised its head from the distant thicket, glanced at Huai Shi, then turned and ran off, crossing the raging river to join the herd, returning to tranquility. A fiery red fox poked its head out from the green grass, looked at Huai Shi, called out twice, and then disappeared back into the dense forest.
In the fresh breeze, it was as if he could hear the sounds of all living things growing.
Huai Shi couldn't help but smile, continuing forward along the road, brushing past other travelers, consulting the map in his hand, until, at last, he stopped outside a café.
In this lazy afternoon, the gentle sunlight bathed the tranquil café in a splendid golden hue. Behind the bar, the elderly owner was smoking a cigarette, casually chatting with a dignified lady custor, while a familiar-looking waiter warmly invited Huai Shi to sit and handed him a nu.
"An Aricano, thank you," said Huai Shi after glancing at the nu for a mont.
"With your Aricano, how about a croissant to go with it?" the young male waiter suggested. "They're fresh out of the oven and still warm."
Huai Shi thought for a mont and nodded.
As the waiter turned away, Huai Shi called out to him, "Please wait a mont."
"Hmm?" The waiter turned back with a cheerful expression. "Do you need anything else, sir?"
"Please, bring another... black tea." After pondering for a mont, Huai Shi said, "Serve the croissant later, I... I..." After stamring for a while, he abruptly realized sothing and looked up, saying, "I'm waiting for a friend to arrive."
The waiter's smile grew even more pleasant. "That's even better."
Soon, a cup of coffee was placed on the table in front of him.
Behind the bar, the waiter was cleaning a coffee pot and, seemingly out of curiosity, asked, "Is this your first visit to Yellowstone? So young and traveling alone, that's quite rare."
"Because I made a promise with soone a long ti ago." In this dreamlike, ethereal world, Huai Shi responded calmly, "I made a promise to travel to Yellowstone together."
"A friend?" The waiter beca curious. "Forgive for being forward, but is it a gentleman or a lady?"
"A very cute girl," Huai Shi said with a smile, unabashedly expressing his innermost thoughts. "It's been a long ti since I've seen her. I guess she might have grown a bit taller, right?"
"What's her na?" the dignified lady asked. "What's the na of the kid?"
"Lily, her na is Lily."
Huai Shi's heart was filled with mories as he murmured softly, "She also has another registered na called 'Hela,' even though that na might sound frightening—but once you get to know her, you realize she's only scared of other people. That's not the real her."
"How old is she?" The elderly owner turned around, taking a drag on his cigarette, looking at the young man before him. "She must be around your age, I suppose."
"That's hard to say precisely," Huai Shi reflected. "Back then, she told she was only four years old, but after so much ti, she must have grown—however, I still feel like she should be a little younger than , like a little sister to ."
"Sounds like a gentle lady," the old man nodded in understanding.
"Yes, she seems to always think she did sothing wrong, a bit timid, but in reality, no one would dislike her," said Huai Shi. "But I think she must be stronger than the last ti I saw her? She's the kind of person who has courage. All that's missing is a bit of insignificant encouragent and support."
The dignified lady pondered long and then asked softly, "After such a long ti apart, do you think she will have undergone any transformations?"
"Maybe?" Huai Shi considered this and said earnestly, "She must have grown a bit taller, her hair might be a bit longer, maybe she's matured a bit. As long as she tries, there's nothing she can't overco, right? The person she is now must be able to live well without relying on anyone."
"Don't you wish for her to depend on you?" the old owner asked curiously. "Don't you want her to stay by your side forever?"
"Wouldn't that be too cruel?" Huai Shi shook his head. "If that were the case, could I still be considered her friend? Even if she leaves , she should be able to achieve sothing in this world. Isn't that what a friend should hope for?"
"Yes, you're right," the owner said with a gratified smile. "You indeed are the best friend, Huai Shi."
"You flatter ," Huai Shi said, a little embarrassed, waving his hand.
"By the way, what does she look like?" the curious waiter leaned in. "Is she pretty?"
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