Ning Meng was very unhappy during her few days in the mountains.

She followed Huo Jingnan and Pei Nian the whole way, but when they got off the train, Huo Jingnan seemed to have completely forgotten about her. When they arrived in the mountains and took a bus, she didn't have any change, so Huo Jingnan bought her a ticket, but his attitude towards her was as if he didn't know her at all, and was just kindly helping a stranger buy a ticket.

Ning Meng tried to talk to him, but he ignored her completely, while he was very protective of Pei Nian.

Along the way, Ning Meng got nothing but a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

Once they entered the mountainous area, she made a point of appearing in the places they passed by every day, and she also went to the school, even volunteering to take pictures of the children with her own camera.

But Huo Jingnan remained indifferent to her.

His eyes were only on Pei Nian.

Unfortunately, the signal was poor in the mountainous area, and Ning Meng couldn't find anyone to vent to. Coupled with the poor living conditions, she found it extremely difficult to adapt.

*

Huo Jingnan and Pei Nian stayed at the only guesthouse in the area. The owner was a kind and friendly uncle who wasn't a local but was attracted by the scenery and opened the guesthouse purely out of love for the place.

This guesthouse rarely gets any visitors throughout the year, but the owner keeps it spotless every day. The arrival of three grown men this time made him incredibly happy.

He would brew a pot of good tea every now and then and bring it to the courtyard to chat with Huo Jingnan and Pei Nian.

After they got to know each other better, he asked with a smile, "I can tell you two are a couple, but who is that girl...?"

“Oh,” Huo Jingnan said evasively, “that’s our neighbor’s daughter.”

"But I feel like she came after you!"

Huo Jingnan's eyes widened, and he kept winking at the uncle, while secretly glancing at Pei Nian.

Pei Nian smiled faintly, sipping her tea in silence.

"Oh, I see." The uncle smiled slyly. "It must be that the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is indifferent, right?"

"Uh..." Huo Jingnan was embarrassed and covered his face with the blanket.

"But no matter what, it's not very safe for a young girl to wander around in the mountains all day. Over there... see that village? There are plenty of old bachelors there! They might just kidnap her and take her as their wife!"

"No way!" Huo Jingnan smiled. "She's timid and wouldn't dare go that far."

Pei Nian looked towards the other side of the mountain, her bright eyes clouded with gloom.

Huo Jingnan sensed something was wrong with her expression, gently took her hand, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Pei Nian remained silent for a long time, then asked, "Do you know that village?"

“I know,” Huo Jingnan said. “I’ve been to that village before when I was on a mission here. It looks like the mountain is close, but it’s still quite a long distance to get over it to the village.”

"Do you know the people there?" Pei Nian gripped her teacup tightly, suddenly feeling a chill.

"Hmm." Huo Jingnan nodded. "I know that village is even poorer and more backward. The men are all lazy, and their only hobby is drinking. After drinking, they beat the women..."

He stopped abruptly, as if suddenly realizing something.

Pei Nian had told him before that when she was a child, she was fostered by a family in a mountain village. The male head of the household would go on a drunken rampage, and every time this happened, she would suffer an unexpected disaster...

"Niannian!" Huo Jingnan embraced her and gently stroked her back.

Pei Nian took a deep breath, paused for a moment, as if finally mustering the courage to say, "That's where I grew up."

Huo Jingnan paused for a moment, then hugged her even tighter.

The uncle chuckled twice, said he would go get some more hot water, and then tactfully walked away.

The mountain wind had already picked up a chill, and this bleak scene seemed to have triggered some unpleasant images from the depths of Pei Nian's memory.

“I ran away after I grew up and have never dared to go back,” she said softly. “Even though I came to teach in this mountainous area, that mountain is one I can never cross.”

"It's alright," Huo Jingnan patted her hair, "There's nothing to miss about that kind of place. Besides, he's not your biological father."

“Jingnan,” she looked up at him, “I can’t get over this mountain… Do you think I can never get over that experience either?”

Huo Jingnan's heart tightened. Looking into her bright eyes, he didn't know how to answer the question.

“Niannian, actually, you don’t have to step over every single step on this path of life,” he said. “We won’t be living here anymore, and this mountain won’t be moved to Yangcheng. This may be the last time you see this mountain in your life.”

“So there’s nothing wrong with running away.” He smiled gently. “On the battlefield, deserters are not allowed, but here with me, you can run away however you want. I can even take you with me.”

“Jingnan…”

"It doesn't matter whether you cross it or not, I'll always be with you. It would be great if you could cross this mountain, but if you can't, I'll be by your side and I won't let the shadows from your childhood resurface."

Pei Nian bit her lip and leaned on his shoulder.

Perhaps she suffered too much in her childhood, which is why God sent such a wonderful man to redeem her.

Perhaps, she can truly bury the shadows of the past completely.

"Alright, don't think about that." Huo Jingnan chuckled, changing the subject. "What we need to think about is that we're leaving with the children in the next couple of days, and we need to do a final headcount. Also, my family's private jet has landed at the airport in the nearest city, and bodyguards are here to pick us up and escort us back to Yangcheng."

"Hmm." Pei Nian's gloomy expression vanished. "Are there enough seats on the plane?"

"That's enough." Huo Jingnan looked at the list on his phone, while also looking at each child's file.

Pei Nian watched with him, and on the children's innocent faces, there were eyes that yearned for knowledge.

Taking them out of the mountains and letting them receive the best education in the city will benefit them for life.

The list was mostly girls, but a boy suddenly caught Pei Nian's eye.

She frowned slightly. This boy was relatively unfamiliar to her; he often skipped class and was frequently absent from the classroom. She seemed to have only seen him a few times. Moreover, his eyes looked somewhat strange.

Other children were also afraid of making eye contact at first, but they became much better after getting used to it.

The boy seemed to be hiding in a corner the whole time, and his gaze was somewhat gloomy.

Pei Nian looked at the photo carefully. The fierce look in the boy's eyes suddenly made her heart pound.

"Jingnan, is he... also on the list?"

Huo Jingnan checked carefully, "Yes, he is enrolled in this school."

Pei Nian suppressed the strange feeling in her heart.

"Hmm...when do we set off?"

"The day after tomorrow." Huo Jingnan looked at the entire list and smiled slightly at her.

At this moment, Ning Meng ran back with her camera in her arms, and as soon as she entered the door, she rushed towards Huo Jingnan, "Brother Jingnan!"

Huo Jingnan stood up without making a sound, and Ning Meng missed her target and fell headfirst into the wicker chair he had been sitting on.