Yu's footprint

That small wooden house often comes into my mind. I can still feel the atmosphere of that snowy afternoon in February. The sweet smell of boiling coffee, the huge German dogs lying outside of the glass door, the smiling and friendly hostess, and the white snow on the mountain. I’ll always remember everything of that quiet afternoon, remember that paradise in my inner side.

It was the second day after we arrived at Lugu Lake. The weather suddenly turned extreme, then God even brought us snow. Nothing in the world could be worse than spending holiday with snow but without fire and enough clothes, especially near the lake. We all felt so cold, and had no idea how to spend the tedious time after lunch. The local people were warm hearted, they gave us so many advice about how to get rid of coldness, they even gave us thick gloves! But Kumu, a beautiful Lugu girl, suddenly shouted with euphoria, ”Go to Paradise! There’s a fireplace!” What!? Nothing is more beckoning!

Paradise is a wooden cafe locates on the foot of the mountain, right beside the lake. Kumu didn’t tell us anything more. But it needn’t hypes, a fireplace was enough to make us have strong inclination to be there at once.

Our target mingled with several houses and huts. Its outside structure was generic. I noticed the wooden plaque on the top of its door, written “Paradise” with red paint. The hostess was a young lady, expecting us with warm smile. “Pretty cold day, isn’t it? Welcome!”

I glanced at the room. It was not big, but everything was bright and elaborate. My attention was caught by the big fireplace, obviously the air inside was lit by the fire. We chose a table with green wax printing cloth near the window fallen to the ground. Sitting on the soft sofa, we felt slack and satisfied. We asked for hot milktea, which was recommended by the hostess in such a freezing weather. I stared at the room again carefully, tried ro find every amazing detail. The cuntains were beautifully matched with light yellow gauze., and the decoration in each corner had different styles. Three big dogs were wandering in the small back yard outside of the glass door. A carpenter was making a table near the fire, occasionally he talked with the hostess about size, and pattern.
“I prepare to put a low table neat the stairs, to put some flowers. Do you think it’s a wonderful idea?” When the drink was served (in a cute china pot), the hostess asked us.
“Absolutely. A nice decration.” I replied.
“He’s a good carpenter. A native person.We’ve known each other since I came here.”
“You are not a lacal citizen?” We got a little surprise. It was such a remote place. Though the scenery was perfet, the traffic was inconvenient. Seldom people would like to stay here for a long time.
“No, I’m from Dali. Well, would you like some nuts? They are free in such a cold day.”
She went to take the nuts. They were meticulously placed in several glass bottles arranged in a cabinet. We drank the tea. The tasty liquid heated up our bodies immediately. Half an hour later, the boys wanted to go back to the frozen world again. The hostess told us there was a binoculars on the top of the mountain, so they decided to go. I prefered to stay indoor. I was obsessed with the quite and pure air around me. It WAS a paradise.

The hostess transported two piles of books from upstairs to my place. She decided to let me, the only visitor, spend whole day at her place with her. I even accidently found my favourite writer—Anne’s book! Gorgeous!

My hostess was busy all the time. Sweeping the floor, talking with the carpenter, feeding her dogs, and smiling to me. I suddenly realized there was nobody else working in this cafe. No waiter, no waitress. She ran this place just by herself? This idea was unbelievable, so I asked her.
“My husband is with me. Now he goes to buy flowerpots 200 km away. We need to raise more plants in the room.” She answered peacefully and full of happiness. “We’ve been here for five years. Yes, it’s a remote place. But I fell in love with the lake and the mountains at once. I couldn’t find a reason to leave here. The business sometimes is depressed. You see, there’re even no tourists in winter. This morning, there were only four Koreans came, but they just asked the way and left soon. And now, only you and I.” She smiled in a humorous way.
I didn’t ask her now that the business was bad, why they still stayed here. I thought I’ve understood the reason. I had a strong impulse to tell her I also wanted to live a life just like her. At an obscure place far away from the city, running a small hostel or cafe, with my man. But I didn’t let myself say it out.

The guys came back two hours later. They talked about the snow on the mountain, the things they saw from the binoculous, and the interesting natives. The hostess seemed so glad to know they had a good time. A craft came towards our direction with some tourists from Sichuan. They waved to us outside of the window, and we waved back. Everyone was friendly, like in the paradise.

We left before the sky turned dark. The hostess sent us to the door. When we walked on the narrow path along the lake, I had a strange feeling that I was just from another world. A world full of warmth, full of peace, full of happiness, and full of love.

I often think about Paradise, and hope to go back again. It’s a paradise hidden in a secret place, a paradise hidden in everyone’s heart.