"By the way, Lu Fei, do you still have that envelope?" Xin Chen is currently traveling in the Czech Republic with Lin Leqing and makes it a habit to call Lu Fei at around the same time every day. As they were about to say their goodbyes, she suddenly asked this question.

  Lu Fei naturally knew what Xin Chen was referring to. The envelope with Xin Chen's mother's address on it had been kept by him for twelve years.

  "Of course I remember, how did you suddenly think of this?"

  Xin Chen fell silent for a moment, then laughed. "Maybe it's because the Czech Republic and Austria are adjacent, maybe." Her voice came from the phone receiver, low and soft. "Or maybe it's because of what you said to me that day."

  She agreed to start anew with Lu Fei, but still insisted on staying in Beijing for work. Her reason was simple: "The job is going well, I have to do it for a period of time with a clear beginning and end. If I just leave like this, I'll lose credibility everywhere."

  Lu Fei acknowledged that she was right, but at the same time, it was clear that this was not the most important reason why she didn't want to come back. She maintained a cautious attitude and refused to rush, which he could understand, and was willing to enjoy the process of getting close to her again.

  He suggested going to see her over the weekend, but she repeatedly declined, "Your legs are not suitable for travel, let's wait until I have time to come back."

  She did fulfill her promise, coming back on a Saturday morning directly to his place and giving him a big surprise. Unfortunately, his phone kept ringing nonstop, and he had social engagements that night which he had to attend, returning late at night with fatigue, only to find Xin Chen already asleep in bed.

  He sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, looking at her calm and peaceful face, feeling guilty, and when she woke up the next day as if nothing had happened, it made him even more uneasy.

  The company's business expansion was going smoothly, but Lu Fei's workload became increasingly heavy. As soon as he could put down his crutches, he took on a new assignment to go on a business trip to Beijing. The steel nail in his leg triggered an alarm during security checks, and the staff had no choice but to use a handheld metal detector to scan him from head to toe, even resorting to manual body searches. He had always been fastidious about cleanliness and avoided physical contact with strangers, so he could only endure this process.

  Xin Chen was happy to see him, but he mentioned that his sister Lu was also in Beijing on business at the moment and intentionally invited her to dinner together. She hesitated and said after a pause: "Let's talk about it next time."

  Lu Fei didn't want to force her, nodded, "Alright, next time I'll probably come here on business often."

  I plan to take a trip to the Czech Republic next month during my vacation and have already obtained a visa.

  Lu Fei was a bit embarrassed, "Next month I have to focus on following up the acquisition of shares in a company in Hunan Province, I'm afraid I won't be able to take time off to accompany you."

  "You don't need to accompany me, I've already made arrangements with Yueqing, the itinerary, hotel, air tickets and train tickets are all booked."

  He couldn't help but smile wryly, embracing her and looking into her clear eyes, "I wasn't included in your plans from the start, was I?"

  Xin Chen smiled and shook his head, saying calmly: "You won't have a peaceful weekend, your phone will keep ringing nonstop as soon as it's turned on, and even when traveling, you'll probably be thinking about work, which would be a waste of the scenery and money."

  He acknowledged that she wasn't entirely unreasonable, of course she was no longer the little girl who clung to his arm and refused to let go, but her rational attitude made him feel a pang, he smiled warmly, "Xiao Chen, can we be considered as being in love like this?"

  Xin Chen was stunned, his eyes dimmed, and he remained silent for a long time.

  "You know I'm not complaining, nor do I want to force you, but living apart and doing our own thing doesn't help us get closer. If you decide to stay in Beijing for work from now on, I'll reconsider my work arrangements."

  "Wait until I get back and we'll discuss this matter again, okay?"

  Xin Chen has been to many places, but all the places she traveled before were in wilderness areas. Except for Kunming where she was born and grew up, and Beijing where she lives now, she doesn't have much concept of other cities.

  Her longing for the Czech Republic originated from an online travelogue with many photos, one of which was a panoramic view of Prague at sunset, where the undulating buildings in red and yellow hues seemed crowded but warm and cozy under the golden light.

  When she really stood in this city, she no longer regretted this trip at all.

  Late August was still the peak tourist season in Prague, and Xin Chen and Lin Leqing came out of Prague Castle with a smile. There were many tourists, as well as tour groups from Taiwan and Jiangsu Province, who were led by guides holding small flags and loudspeakers, seriously visiting the sights, which somewhat spoiled the atmosphere.

  Prague is not a big city, and its metro lines are simple. With just a little bit of homework, it's actually a very suitable city for free travel.

  Lin Leqing studied architectural design, and as they walked, he introduced Xin Chen to the various architectural styles in the city, one by one, like a treasured family heirloom: Romanesque, Gothic, Rococo, Baroque, Renaissance... completely disregarding her distracted expression.

  The old man playing the accordion on the street, the artist blowing saxophone in the Old Town Square, the calm flow of the Vltava River, the girls sunbathing leisurely on the lawn, the winding alleys in the Old Town, the slightly damaged brick-paved streets, the moss and weeds growing in the gaps between the bricks, the dim yellow streetlights, the tramcars, the horse-drawn carriages... These scenes make people feel completely relaxed and not at all tense as if they were walking in an unfamiliar city.

  Xin Chen calls Lu Fei every day, and most of what they talk about is trivial gossip.

  It's really strange that you have to turn on your headlights even during the day when driving in downtown Prague.

  The scenic spot's water is very expensive, a 500ml bottle of purified water costs 15 krona, which is equivalent to 6.6 yuan RMB.

  "Leqing and I went to KFC to drink 8 kronor unlimited refills of black tea, and left after we were full."

  Passing by a garbage house, the door is actually a modern sculpture, it's really an artistic luxury.

  "For some reason, seeing the magnificent and beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral, I suddenly thought of the village church that passed through the Dulongjiang mountainous area, unfortunately, I didn't hear the legendary Lisu people's unaccompanied heavenly singing poetry that time."

  The taste of Goush is okay, but this word easily leads to associations, haha.

  "There were many kissing couples on Charles Bridge at night."

  Lu Fei listened to her phone calls with a serious and happy expression, his mouth slightly curved into a smile. This sentence in particular made him feel like he was floating on air. He had traveled to many countries for work and never had much interest in sightseeing. But holding the phone, he couldn't help but think that if he were standing with her under the night lights of Charles Bridge instead of facing piles of documents on his desk, it would be incredibly exhilarating.

  I will go on a business trip to Hunan tomorrow.

  "Tomorrow, Leqing and I will take a big bus to Cesky Krumlov, which is said to be a very beautiful town."

  Lu Fei said in a low voice, "It's unfair for you to say these things to someone who hasn't had a holiday."

  Xin Chen smiled softly and said, "A workaholic doesn't complain."

  "I don't complain about work, I just complain that I can't accompany you to Charles Bridge."

  Xin Chen coughed slightly, with a smile reporting: "By the way, Yueqing had an encounter there, a beautiful Eastern European girl approached him, I was one person who returned to the hotel first."

  "Over the phone, Leqing's protest has already been conveyed: 'Don't listen to Hehuan's nonsense, I only had a drink with her.'"

  Lu Fei was amused into loud laughter.

  Xin Chen and Lin Leqing took a big bus to Cesky Krumlov, a remote small town with only 14,000 residents far from Prague. This is a favorite place for backpackers, almost a miniature Prague, with Gothic architecture, cheap beer, lively bars, and the clear Vltava River winding around the city like a horseshoe.

  They booked a rural inn in the alley online, a white-walled and red-roofed house with flower boxes on the windowsill, filled with all kinds of blooming flowers. The room was clean and warm, and outside the window was a carefully maintained small garden-style courtyard, which had a very homey atmosphere.

  The small town can be walked from one end to the other in just 10 minutes, apart from a trip to the ancient castle, they decided to act separately, Lin Leqing took his camera to take pictures of various buildings, Xinzhenxiang went wherever he pleased, strolling along.

  Tourists can be seen everywhere, dressed casually or even shirtless, some enthusiastically rowing rubber boats on the river, while others lie down by the riverbank, putting their legs up on the shore to bask in the sun and daydream, coming and going, lively but not noisy.

  Before Xincheng, I was used to walking quickly and didn't like to sit idly. But after coming here, I was infected by everyone's leisureliness, feeling exceptionally relaxed, strolling and stopping, resting randomly on the wooden chairs of outdoor cafes, steps of alleys, and stone benches by the riverbank.

  There were men who came to chat her up, but she was not good at English and had no intention of chatting with anyone, so she just smiled and shook her head. Occasionally, one would persist, not being unpleasant, but sitting next to her, taking out a travel conversation handbook and muttering to her in Japanese and Chinese, as if doing conversation practice. Just then Lin Leqing turned around, put his hand on her shoulder, and smiled at the man, who also knew when to retreat.

  "I want to tell Lu Fei that he should be anxious and can't sleep." Lin Leqing sat down beside Xin Chen, fiddling with the camera as she spoke.

  Xin Chen was staring at a little girl on the brick road, she looked like she was only one year old, her soft light brown hair was blowing in the wind, her snow-white skin, a pair of gray-blue big eyes were almost disproportionate to her small face, happily holding up her chubby little hands and walking forward, stumbling but not hesitating, rushing towards her mother who was squatting in front of her, another man on the side smiled as he watched. Xin Chen took the camera from Lin Leqing's hand, quickly adjusted the focus and aperture, took a few shots in a row, just capturing the moment when the little girl rushed into her mother's arms and hugged her, and the mischievous smile on her fluffy little head leaning on her mother's shoulder.

  Lin Leqing took the camera and looked at it with admiration: "This photo is really well taken, the background is blurred just right, the angle and expression are flawless."

  He stood up, took the camera and walked over to show it to the standing man. The woman also picked up her daughter and looked at it carefully, smiling happily, chatting for a few words. The man took out paper and pen, wrote something and handed it to Lin Leqing, then turned his head to wave goodbye to Xin Chen who was still sitting in her original position, she also smiled and waved back at them.

  "They liked these few photos, thank you for letting me know, gave me an email address and asked me to send them back." Lin Leqing sat back beside her.

  Xin Chen smiled silently. If she were alone, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to show her camera to others. In fact, she avoided opportunities to deepen connections with people and would rather travel with strangers to places where few people lived. Now, surrounded by such a warm landscape, she suddenly felt lost.

  The young mother held her daughter, with her husband's hand resting on her waist. The three of them walked slowly away, chatting and leaning against each other, their silhouettes in the sunlight gilded with a golden hue that matched this small town, intimate without any gaps.

  She had also walked hand in hand with a boy, strolling along the quiet tree-lined path behind the park, from sunset to streetlights coming on. Their shadows sometimes stretched out long behind them, and sometimes slanted forward. She leaned her head on his shoulder, their two silhouettes overlapping partially, one tall and one short, that scene had been deeply etched in her memory.

  "Can we be considered as being in love?" This sentence emerged again in her mind along with memories.

  Two men have already said this to her, although Feng Yi'an was cold and Lu Fei was warm, but the doubt was consistent.

  Do you really want to keep a safe distance from everyone? After the road has increasingly recaptured your heart, can you really stick to this distance? She asked herself.

  "What's on your mind, Huanhuan?"

  "I feel like I've become a coward now." She said to Yueqing, who didn't mind her pouring out her heart.

  "Are you afraid? A coward wouldn't dare to take that road in northwest Yunnan." Lin Leqing was skeptical, but Xin Chen sent him the link to Old Zhang's travelogue on the hiking forum, and he became engrossed. "Honestly, I'm planning to try it out next year if I have time."

  "That's not bravery, that's just walking a less crowded road with others. What I understand as bravery is..." Xincheng tilted his head in thought, "like that little girl who had just learned to walk, but walked with such determination, without any fear."

  "This analogy doesn't hold, because even if she's small, she knows her mother's arms are waiting in front of her, so there's nothing to be afraid of." Lin Leqing wiped the lens with a soft cloth, saying casually.

  But there was a hug waiting ahead, and she hesitated, even if that person was Lu Fei.

  This hesitation has nothing to do with trust.

  She thought she had a complete set of logic for dealing with life, but was completely unaware that she had lost the courage to face it from some time ago.

  The address in German came with Chinese notes, and it was a small town under Steyr, the manufacturing center of Austria. Lin Leqing asked the hotel owner and learned that locals provided shuttle services between here and Linz, the third largest city in Austria, just 30 kilometers south of the Czech border, which took only an hour and a half by car, while Linz was only 40 kilometers away from Steyr, with very convenient transportation.

  Twelve years have passed, will she still live in the original place? Xin Chen had no grasp of it, but she decided to take a look. She wasn't interested in mother-daughter recognition or reconciliation, but rather planned to start from the first gap in her life that she could see clearly.

  Xin Chen called Lu Fei and told him about his arrangement: "I plan to go to Strayer in two days, no more than two days, Leqing will go to Wenquan City as originally planned, I will meet with him in Prague and return to Beijing together."

  "I'm already at the airport, about to take a flight to Vienna. Leave your phone on and we'll meet in Linz." Lu Fei didn't wait for her objection, "This isn't just a simple trip, no need for you to face it alone."

  As we approached Linz, the first thing that caught our attention was the many tall chimneys. This was Xincheng's first trip without doing her homework beforehand, and all she knew about the place was from Lin Leqing's translation of the hotel owner's introduction, which said it was an industrial zone in Austria. Having grown up in a city famous for its industry herself, she didn't expect that upon entering the city center, she would find out that Linz is also a city with a rich cultural atmosphere.

  She had agreed to meet Luffy at the square in the city center, where there was a yellow miniature sightseeing train. She wasn't really interested in sightseeing, but since she still had some time to kill, she got on anyway. To her surprise, there were Chinese explanations on board, and music played to match the scenery - when they arrived at Mozart's former residence, his "Linzer Symphonie" was playing; as the train passed by Linz Cathedral, Bruckner's religious music filled the air. Half an hour later, she had already finished touring the city's main sights and returned to the square.

  When Lu Fei arrived, she dialed Xin Chen's cell phone and he answered quickly: "I'm on the east side of the square next to the municipal building, can you hear me?"

  A familiar melody of Kreisler's "Love's Joy" came from the phone, and his heart skipped a few beats. He had gone abroad to study with his violin, playing it was one of his hobbies in his free time, so he certainly remembered what this song meant.

  Austria is a country of music, with street performers everywhere. Four years ago, on a deep autumn day, he was on a business trip to Vienna and stopped in his tracks on the way back to the hotel after finishing his work, standing in the cold wind, listening to this song full of joy, happiness and romance, he couldn't help but think of that warm spring day, that bright smile that had passed away.

  In a foreign and unfamiliar city, they happened to be listening to the same song at the same time. The two remained silent until the end of the song, when Lu Fei softly said: "Thank you for giving me such simple joy."

  Xin Chen held her phone, lost in thought about the first time she heard him play for her. From then to now, she had once thought that they were separated by insurmountable mountains and years, two life trajectories that could no longer intersect, yet somehow converged again in this strange city.

  Another famous piece by Bach, "Air on the G String", came from the mobile phone, Lu Fei walked through the square, getting closer and closer, the music enlarged in his ears.

  On one side of the ancient town hall, a middle-aged man with a goatee was intently playing his violin. Among the crowd of tourists, he caught sight of Xin Chen with her backpack on, bending down to put a euro bill into the violin case, then stood up, still holding onto his phone. Lu Fei stopped behind her, just about to place his hand on her shoulder, when she slightly turned her head and softly said into the phone: "I love you, Lu Fei."

  Accompanied by the violin melody, this voice came from her lips and the phone receiver at the same time, until it pierced Lu Fei's heart. He put down his phone and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly in his embrace.