Ning An walked over to open the door.
She saw Weiran standing at the door, saying, "The host has invited us downstairs to join them by the fire to make tea."
This time, they were staying at a bed and breakfast run by a warm and kind elderly couple.
"Wait for me a moment."
Ning An had grabbed a jacket and was about to head out when Weiran stopped her. He wrapped a scarf around her neck, helped her into gloves, and then took her hand, leading her downstairs.
The yard was illuminated, and unbeknownst to them, snowflakes had begun to drift from the sky. Ning An and Weiran sat by the window, watching as tea brewed on the stove in front of them and various types of dried fruits and snacks roasted beside it, offering a novel experience.
The owner was a very enthusiastic local, and quite talkative, engaging Weiran in a lengthy conversation. The old lady said little, staying by the fireplace to keep warm.
Ning An discovered that they were actually speaking in German.
Seeing their fluent conversation, she realized her boyfriend seemed more capable than she had thought.
When they returned to their room, Ning An looked at him and said, "Just how many more abilities do you have that I don’t know about?"
Ning An raised an eyebrow, "You can even speak German."
So that was what this was about.
Weiran smiled and explained, "I learned a bit when my roommate during a study abroad was German."
This was clearly more than a bit, he had mastered the language.
In the afternoon, the snow suddenly intensified, and Ning An went back to the town to rest.
After sleeping for a while in her room, she knocked on the neighboring door only to find Weiran was not there.
Ning An checked downstairs as well but couldn’t find him; the snow outside had stopped and settled in a thick layer.
The old lady called Ning An over to warm up by the fire.
Ning An sat by the fire, warming herself while dreamily watching the snowy scene outside.
In her simple interaction with the old lady, she learned Weiran had gone out.
As for what he was doing, the old lady just smiled and shook her head, not revealing it to her.
Ning An guessed that she probably didn’t know either.
It wasn’t until nearly nightfall that Weiran returned.
"Where were you?" Ning An quickly pulled him to warm by the fire, poured him a hot cup of tea, and then curiously asked.
Weiran responded, "Just went for a walk, saw you were asleep so didn’t wake you up."
Ning An thought that since he didn’t know many people here, he probably just went for a walk.
They stayed in the town for a total of five days, during which Ning An noticed that he disappeared for a while every day until the evening of the fifth day when he walked in carrying something large in his hands.
It was only when he approached that Ning An could see that he was holding a handmade snowboard in his hands.
Weiran placed the snowboard on the ground and called Ning An over, "Come here."
An idea suddenly sprang into Ning An’s mind, "You didn’t make this, did you?" Had he been mysterious all these days, sneaking out just for this?
"Do you like it?" asked Weiran.
"For me?" Ning An was momentarily stunned.
Weiran smiled and nodded.
"When did you learn to make this?"
Weiran explained, "I just thought that we’ve been together so long and I’ve never really given you something special. I talked with the owner and he mentioned he owned a snowboard factory in town, so I thought of making a snowboard for you myself. This is my first attempt."
So, was this meant to be a token of commitment from him to her?
Ning An said, "I love it, thank you!"