Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Qinglan kept walking forward, but how long had she been walking? She was unaware of where she had gone.
It wasn't until she felt the light in front of her dim that she realized the warm sunlight was no longer above her. The fine beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead while walking began to shrink under the cold sky.
She felt a bit chilly and instinctively hugged her arms tightly.
Looking up, she saw no sky above, only a dense forest obscuring it.
"Is this Wife Mountain? How did I end up here?" she murmured to herself.
This was a place An Shaojie used to like visiting.
Unknowingly, she had followed in his footsteps and traces.
Confirming it was Wife Mountain, she looked up again at the sunless sky above, where only slivers of light occasionally pierced through the gaps in the trees, falling onto her face and body.
She glanced around; it was quiet all around. In such a cold winter, not even the chirping of insects or birds could be heard. Some slopes and shaded areas still held remnants of scattered snow from before the New Year, which had yet to melt, indicating that it was much colder here in the mountains than at the foot of them.
In the past, whenever An Shaojie came to this place, she always followed behind him. At that time, she was curious about what fun there could be in such a dark and deserted place; she didn't understand why he always wanted to come here.
She remembered how An Shaojie would always shout a few times at the sky where blue skies and white clouds were invisible. The sound would be blocked by the trees and echoed back with a buzzing resonance.
Qinglan imitated An Shaojie's actions, cupping her hands around her mouth to form a trumpet shape, tilting her head back, and shouting loudly into the densely wooded area:
"An Shaojie, you jerk! If you don't love me, then why did you take me away from Xu Wen?"
Initially, she only intended to mimic An Shaojie's shout, but after calling out his name three times, her voice grew weaker until tears streamed down her face without her realizing it.
This was the question she most wanted to ask him directly, but he was not there. Instead, she dared to question the sky, the earth, the trees, the hibernating insects, the withered grass—everything in this silent mountain devoid of chirping insects or birds.
She slumped down onto the grass despondently. "An Shaojie, one day I will confront you about this."
After sitting for a while, the grass felt cold beneath her, and thin mist had already dampened her hair.
She stood up and walked slightly out of the forest, finding a flat stone to sit on by the side of a small path.
On the other side of the path, there was a downhill slope with dense, tall trees, but sitting on the path allowed her to gaze far into the distance.
At the foot of the mountain, another village could be seen, with the eaves of its roofs hidden among the hills, faintly visible.
In the distance, there were more villages and farmland scattered across the landscape.
Further away, a mountain road led out of the mountains, and in front of it flowed a wide river whose origin and destination were unknown. The sandy banks on both sides of the river were clearly visible.
Even further away, layers upon layers of misty mountains and hills could be seen.
Although there was a thin layer of mist swirling around, the sky was clear for miles. Qinglan still felt that her view was open and clear, so clear that it seemed if she took just one more step forward, she would see figures on the other side of the river.
But in reality, Qinglan could not take another step forward because just one more step would lead to a steep bank.
Moreover, no matter how clear it looked across the river, her visual ability could not discern any figures; the belief that taking one more step would reveal them was merely a feeling in her heart.
However, looking down from above at her feet and the distant scenery felt very good, instantly broadening her mind.
When Qinglan returned home from her descent, dinner had already been served on the table, and her family was waiting for her to eat.
"Where have you been?" Grandma asked, pulling Qinglan to the dining table with concern.
"I went out for a while; climbing mountains is quite interesting. It’s good exercise and I worked up a sweat," Qinglan said as she did some stretching exercises to show everyone at the table that she had recovered from her illness.
"Hurry up and eat," Qing Shusheng said as he handed chopsticks to Qinglan.
"Be careful when going up the mountain; watch out for hornet nests," Qing Shusheng added.
"I know," Qinglan replied. "There are no hornet nests now; that incident..." she said while scooping rice.
Later, until the start of school, Qinglan went to Wife Mountain almost every day, as if it were a required course for her. She would shout a few times in the forest, curse An Shaojie for being a jerk, then sit on a stone by the roadside for a while, stand for a while, gaze into the distance, and then return.
After some time of this routine, Qinglan's mood gradually became much calmer.
After recovering from her illness and during the school period, Bai Cuifen and An Shaomin secretly approached her to ask about her relationship with An Shaojie.
Qinglan said, "For so many years, I have liked him, but he does not like me. I have misunderstood him all along and put pressure on him. Mother, no matter what happens, please do not blame him, okay?"
Bai Cuifen replied, "I don't care who he likes; you can like someone else too. But one thing: if that boy does anything to hurt you and cannot face your father or the situation back in Liu Family Village, I will not let him off easily."
An Shaomin also said to Qinglan, "Lanlan, no matter what has happened between you and An Shaojie, you must believe that those who love you will protect you for life and will not leave you. So whether it's about An Shaojie or anyone else, you don't need to worry. Just live your life happily."
Qinglan responded, "I understand."
A few days before school started, Simple and Jian Ming visited Liu Family Village again.
Why again?
Because during Qinglan's illness, Jian Ming had come twice.
The first time was just before the New Year; Jian Ming hurriedly came for a visit during the first two days of the holiday. Due to supplementary classes during the winter break at school and the late holiday schedule, he hadn't returned home yet and came directly from school to Liu Family Village to see An Shaomin. He looked worn out and his face showed how much he missed her, which was truly heart-wrenching and touching. That time, after staying overnight at Bai Cuifen's house, he rushed back home the next day. The second time was on the fourth day of the New Year when he came to pay New Year’s greetings to Bai Cuifen. This time he was full of spirit because An Shaomin had finally agreed not to go to Shenzhen and was willing to work hard with him in the city where he taught after the New Year. Both of them were uncertain about their future but were filled with confidence. Bai Cuifen did not understand An Shaomin's and Jian Ming's plans and kept telling An Shaomin, "If you don’t take that good job in Shenzhen and can’t find another job in the city, what will you do?"
Comment 0 Comment Count