Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Let him set it up himself.
Yao Nian glanced at the fleeting warmth in her hands and silently picked up the pork belly from the table to start skewering.
When Song Xiaolin returned after taking photos, the barbecue grill was already sizzling with meat. The charcoal was glowing, and wisps of smoke rose into the air, while the skewers crackled as they released their juices.
It smelled so good! She leaned in to take a whiff and then kicked the slumped Ji Zheyuan, asking, "Why is only Shen Lu grilling? Aren't you going to help?"
"Oh dear, give me a break," Ji Zheyuan replied, tilting his head back. "You have no idea how hard it is to set up that tent; it took a lot of my energy."
Song Xiaolin rolled her eyes and ran over to join Yao Nian in skewering.
"Little Yao Nian, we’ll share a tent tonight."
As Yao Nian inserted beef onto the bamboo skewer, she innocently asked, "Aren't you staying with Brother Zheyuan?"
Song Xiaolin laughed heartily, "If I stay with him, what will you do? Are you going to stay with Shen Lu?"
Ah, she almost forgot—they had only booked two tents!
Yao Nian glanced at Shen Du, who was focused on fanning the fire, unaware of their conversation.
"Can you wake up in time?" Song Xiaolin asked as she placed the skewers Yao Nian had prepared into a plate. "If we want to catch the sunrise, we need to get up early."
Yao Nian nodded. "I’ll definitely wake up; I’ve never seen a sunrise before."
A skewer of chicken wings was handed to her.
Shen Du continued his work without pausing, checking the seasoning.
The skin of the chicken wings had turned crispy, infused with the heat of the charcoal.
Yao Nian took a bite. "The seasoning is just right; it would be even better with a bit of spice."
"Uncle Shen," she said while gnawing on the chicken wing, "if you ever lose your job, you might consider starting a barbecue stall."
Shen Du raised an eyebrow playfully. "Why would I lose my job?"
Yao Nian continued cheerfully, "You could run a barbecue stall at night and sell breakfast in the morning!"
His eyes sparkled with amusement as he added more skewers of grilled gluten and beef onto her plate.
As the sun set, darkness gradually enveloped them. With no sunlight left, the temperature at the mountaintop dropped sharply, and the wind felt sharp against their skin.
Ji Zheyuan was the first to give in; as soon as the sun disappeared below the horizon, he grabbed Song Xiaolin and hurried into the tent.
Yao Nian zipped her down jacket all the way up, burying half her face in the collar, leaving only her eyes visible.
"Are you cold?" Shen Du asked her. "Do you want to go inside first?"
Yao Nian shook her head. "I want to stay a little longer."
Shen Du piled the firewood and dry branches into a small mound on the ground, took out a box of matches, and struck one gently. A faint flame flickered at the end of the twig, initially producing only a few wisps of blue smoke. But with a gust of wind, it quickly extinguished.
Yao Nian had somehow squatted beside him, her small hands forming a half-arc to carefully shield the tiny flame, her eyes fixed on it without blinking.
Shen Du paused for a moment, noticing the seriousness on the little girl's face as she feared that the fragile spark would be snuffed out by the wind.
"Stay back," he reminded her. "Your clothes might catch fire."
Slowly, the flame began to catch, crackling softly as it climbed along the branches' grain, and the warm orange glow started to spread.
In the dark expanse of rolling mountains, fragmented tree shadows danced around them, and before them, the campfire slowly rose. Nearby, sounds of revelry from the campsite mingled with the aroma wafting from a mocha pot.
Yao Nian rested her elbows on her knees, propping her chin up as she secretly watched him. The man's rugged features softened under the glow of the fire.
Oscar Wilde wrote in "The Remarkable Rocket":
"The moon hangs forever unfallen,
Romance remains steadfast until death."
The meaning of romance lies in sharing beautiful things with others.
Comment 0 Comment Count