Chapter 140: The Boundless Sky, The Countless Stars
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In just a short period, the camping area had attracted a large crowd.
Jason and his gang had already attracted some attention when they were harassing Tina and the other girls, and Li Du’s actions in taking down Carey twice had attracted even more.
Thus, quite a few people had seen Jason’s “exhibition.”
As the gossiping around them grew heavier, Jason and his gang lost their will to remain there. They packed up their unopened tents and left the camping ground.
Li Du said, “In Chinese, we have a saying: ‘When the old man from the frontier loses his horse, how could one know if it will not be fortuitous?’ What this saying means is that some things you think are bad could turn out to be blessings in disguise.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Those idiots came to provoke us. Although it seemed like a bad thing at first, now that they’ve left, several spots are free to use now. With that, we don’t have to squeeze together anymore. Isn’t that something good?”
Rebecca shrugged. “He left too quickly. I was hoping that he would stay for awhile longer. That small worm of his sure was cute.”
“You still can catch up and examine it if you want,” Tina mocked. “I think with that attitude of his—like a dog-in-heat—he’ll show it to you.”
Rebecca shrugged again and said, “Forget it, I guess. What if he tries to stab me with it? I’m afraid of needles.”
Li Du laughed. These girls were more even more open toward this topic than he was.
Bringing Ah Meow with him, he entered the forest.
There was a small path that had probably formed from the steps of tourists. Li Du walked along it and felt the shade was cool, and that the summer wind wasn’t as warm anymore.
While in many places the summers in June were not very warm, in Arizona, summers in June were scorching.
The canopy was green and thick, and radiant streaks of light formed by the sun’s rays came through. Some insects were hiding in the leaves and chirping. Although they made different sounds, the ambiance felt quiet and calming to listen to.
Li Du let go of Ah Meow, and soon it came running back with a plump hare in its mouth. Another round later, and it came back with a wild chicken.
That was one of the strengths of a long-tailed ocelot. A forest would become its territory.
That night, he made honey-grilled hare, chicken soup, and some other grilled meat. The five girls enjoyed the meal in high spirits with Li Du.
When it was time to clear up, Tina lifted her t-shirt slightly and revealed her slim and smooth waist. She gave a pat on her tummy and said with a satisfied smile, “I’m so full, seems like I need to work out, or else I’m gonna turn flabby.”
“You can have a good work out with a stud tonight,” Rebecca said as she gestured with her eyes.
Tina gave a mysterious smile to Li Du and asked, “How about it?”
Li Du couldn’t tell if she was joking, so he waved his hand and said, “With such a beautiful night sky out tonight, wouldn’t such a topic ruin the view?”
Indeed, the night sky tonight was beautiful. If one lifted their head up to see the night sky, they wouldn’t see the Moon, but they would be greeted with a sparkling sky full of stars.
The starlight seemed to paint the night in many colors. It was as if the atmosphere of the Earth didn’t exist. Millions of miles out were stars, stars, and even more stars, glowing in colors of red, orange, green and blue!
As they sat around the bonfire, Li Du gazed at the starry sky. He couldn’t help but mutter, “The sea of stars, that is my adventure!”
That phrase was said in Chinese. Tina couldn’t understand, and asked, “What does that mean?”
Li Du realized that what he said was cringe-worthy, so he laughed it off and said, “Oh, nothing much. I was saying that since the ambiance feels right, how about a song?”
The girls were pursuing their dream of music, and singing had become their way of life. After hearing what Li Du said, they sprang into action.
Tina took out a guitar from the tent. After testing the tuning, she opened her cherry-red lips and lightly sang, “Memories we share together…”
The other four girls harmonized: “moments no one else can know, I will keep them close to me, never let them go…”
Their voices were clear and full of soul. Li Du closed his eyes and enjoyed it.
The song was one of the early works of a genius songwriter from Ireland, Enya. It was called, “Stars and Midnight Blue,” which sang about the boundless sky and the countless stars in the night.
At that moment in time and place, accompanied by this song, Li Du felt that it fit perfectly with the ambiance.
Tina had a great voice; unique and memorable like Enya.
As the song continued, Li Du had a dream-like feeling. The singing voices molded an atmosphere that was almost meditative. He shut his eyes, and he felt as if he were touching the pulse of the night; calm, light, and rhythmic.
With the end of the song, the other girls started singing another tune, again with stars and night as the theme.
Their voices had a magnetic charm, and many people were attracted over to the site. From five-year-old children to eighty-year-old folks, they sat around the bonfire and quietly listened.
They listened to a free concert. Tina and the girls sang past midnight.
Mr. Li constantly provided water and tea for the girls. Although he was like a waiter, the work was enjoyable.
The girls were all night-owls, and became more energetic the later it became. Eventually, they started dragging Li Du along and wanted him to sing a song as well.
But poor Mr. Li was tone-deaf. With those horrible vocal cords of his, he wouldn’t even want to hear himself sing—how could he sing in public?
Luckily, with the many people that had gathered over here, there would definitely be someone who wanted to sing. Li Du didn’t want to sing, so a black youth volunteered and borrowed the guitar.
Alas, another singing voice echoed in the air.
The fire was burning on pinewood, emitting the fragrance of pine. From time to time, crackling sounds could be heard from it, like a back-up harmony for the songs.
Li Du’s spontaneous suggestion had turned into the biggest event of the night, lasting all the way until two in the morning, and it was only then that they washed-up and went to sleep.
Li Du and Hans had agreed to meet at eight. Thus, he woke up early and left the place with the girls.
After driving for a distance, Li Du suddenly realized something and said, “I shouldn’t have woken you girls up I don’t remember you girls talking of any plans to return to Sedona today, right?”
He was feeling groggy before, and had just cleared his head up.
Tina leaned her elbow on the car door and said with a slight smile, “Our original plan was to stay in town for a few days, but after last night’s concert under the stars, we have no plans to stay anymore.”
“That will be one of the best memories of my life,” Rebecca said. “A pity there was no one recording at the time. It would be great if there were a recording of it.”
Ilfen said, “It’s okay, we’ll have another chance someday. Last night’s sky wasn’t exactly the best.”
“Right. I’ve heard that in St. John, Canada, there’s an island called Newfoundland. The night sky over that is even better. Under the blue sky, with only the ocean, and our souls, let’s go there to sing next time.”
Li Du asked where they wanted to go next, and Tina said that they had no specific destination and would just go with the flow, so he could just let them off anywhere.
After some thought, Li Du let them off at the entrance of the hostel that he was staying at. The first reason was that it was on the way, and the second was that it was at the center of the town.
Tina and the girls had packed up and were ready to leave when Li Du brought her to the side, and shoved 2,000 dollars into her bag.
Tina’s eyes widened. She asked, “What’s this for?”
Li Du smiled and said, “I’m lending you 2,000 so that I’ll have a reason to see the beautiful Tina again.”
Tina couldn’t help but smile, and said, “Li, you don’t know—I, um, we’re not what you expect…”
“Do you girls have money to buy bread while chasing your dreams? You can’t chase your dreams on an empty stomach, right?”
“Alright.” Tina gazed at him deeply, and said with a gentle smile, “Thank you. I’ll accept this.”
