Ji Ming turned his head and saw a young boy stopping Tang Li, but after only a few words were exchanged, the boy stepped aside, and Tang Li walked back holding two roasted corn cobs.
When Tang Li got back under the tree, Ji Ming asked, "Did someone ask Miss Tang to dance?"
Sure enough, Tang Li turned her head to look at him.
It seemed he had guessed right.
Ji Ming smiled, pointing towards the bonfire: "Everyone is dancing, and I see most are partnered dances between men and women, so I guessed that boy wanted to invite you to dance."
Hearing this explanation, Tang Li glanced at Song Baiyan who was sitting there.
Song Baiyan was tapping ashes off his cigarette onto the ground.
Unlike Ji Ming, he seemed unaware that someone had asked her to dance.
Tang Li shifted her gaze away and answered Ji Ming, "I’ve already turned him down."
"Actually, going to dance for fun is pretty good," Ji Ming said. "They seem to be dancing well. I’ve only ever seen it on TV; men and women from ethnic minorities, no matter their age, are all good at dancing."
Little Monk took over the corn, tugged at Tang Li’s sleeve, and asked, "Do you want to dance? If you want to, I can help you find a partner."
Tang Li was just about to refuse when suddenly a few young girls came over.
One of the girls enthusiastically took Tang Li by the arm: "It’s boring just standing here. Come dance with us, we can teach you if you don’t know how."
"Go on, go on," Little Monk urged earnestly from the side.
Tang Li couldn’t help but look at Song Baiyan again.
At that moment, she was like a child completely obedient to the instructions of her elders.
Song Baiyan had already snuffed out his cigarette butt. Under the brilliant glow of the fire, his expression was gentle, and his gaze on her face was indulgent: "Go ahead if you want, just be mindful of the fire pit."
In that instant, Tang Li heard the sound of a match crackling.
She was pulled by the girls to the front of the bonfire while Little Monk followed like a tail.
The blaze of the bonfire didn’t diminish, making their cheeks feel blazing hot.
Accompanied by music, people were pairing up to dance around the bonfire, making quite a lively scene.
Seeing Tang Li standing motionless, Little Monk covered his ears amidst the music and yelled to her, "Why aren’t you dancing?"
Tang Li looked up, her gaze drifting back towards the big tree.
However, night’s dim light made it hard to see clearly from under the tree to the bonfire area. She wanted to see the scene under the tree, but could only make out a few vague shadows.
"Come on, dance." Little Monk pulled on her hand. "Just dance randomly, it’s okay."
Tang Li lowered her head and saw the child’s flushed face, his suppressed excitement, and feeling moved, she said, "I can dance, but you have to stand still and be my pillar."
This request was not hard for him.
Little Monk agreed immediately: "Then you dance, I’ll just stand right here."
Tang Li looked back once again towards the big tree.
After she withdrew her gaze, she took off her elaborate headdress, placed it on Little Monk’s bald head, took a deep breath, and visualized in her mind the dance segment she had learned for the filming of "Original Sin." She then extended her arms, found the rhythm of the music, and began to dance by the bonfire.
She was not a professionally trained dancer, but her dance was not bad either. Whether it was her left hand raised high during a turn, the straight right arm, or the pause in her spinning to raise and then slowly lower her hands—each graceful and leisurely movement was full of spirit.
While dancing, she suddenly disappeared into a curtain on one side.
Sitting on a bench, Song Baiyan saw the enchanting silhouette of a girl behind the curtain. It seemed even more dazzling than the bright flames. He took a sip of beer, the cold liquid slid down his throat, and then he saw her emerge from behind the curtain, her smile radiant.