Chapter 31: Mountain Climbing and Praying

Spring goes and autumn comes, and in the blink of an eye another summer has passed.

The ginkgo trees outside the window were dyed golden. The bright red countdown on the calendar on the desk shone brightly in the setting sun.

A warm touch suddenly fell on the top of my head, as if someone had rubbed the clouds into my dream.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping here."

Kan Zhao opened his eyes.

There were still traces of sleep on the collar of his clothes, and the back of his neck was red from the sun, but he was unaware of it. The dark circles under his eyes were particularly conspicuous against his cold pale skin.

Under his body was the Chinese language test paper he had taken recently. His score of 120 was quite a distance from his ideal score.

A three-foot-thick ice doesn't form overnight. Hard work is no joke, and even a genius can't surpass others who have studied for more than a decade overnight. This is especially true in the subject of Chinese.

Kan Zhao had spent six months memorizing all the basics, and his scores were significantly higher than before. His teachers were delighted by his sudden improvement, some even saying that if he continued like this, even prestigious schools would be within his reach.

But he was going to the highest institution of learning in the country, which was undoubtedly a fantasy for someone who only started to work hard in his second year of high school.

But it didn't matter. He could devote more time and energy to it, even if the goal was as far away as a chasm.

There was no time to feel sorry for himself, time waits for no one, Kan Zhao took a new set of test papers to do.

Looks like you're working hard.

Lin Qingxu looked at him, thinking. She was a little distracted, and while writing, she accidentally rubbed the tip of the water-based pen against her wrist, and the black ink spread out into a small crescent on her wrist.

Lin Qingxu stared at the blurred color in a daze.

"Kan Zhao, which university do you want to apply to in the future?"

"King Kong University." Kan Zhao said without hesitation.

It was the only university in the same neighborhood as Beijing University of the Arts. Even though it was difficult to get into.

"What about you?" He asked casually, knowing the answer.

"South America."

That was a completely different answer from what I remembered.

"Why?"

Although it is also among the best in the country, Beijing Academy of Fine Arts is the dream place for every art student.

It is obvious that with Lin Qingxu's ability, he could go to a better school.

The sycamore leaves outside the window were curling up, rustling in the wind with the unique throbbing rhythm of seventeen years old.

Lin Qingxu said softly: "The north is too cold."

"It's far from home."

She saw that the listless big cat was full of life again.

"Then I'll apply to Nanchuan University."

*

The heavy academic workload in the third year of high school was making it hard for people to breathe. After the school leaders read the news that a third-year high school student in a certain province or city had become depressed and committed suicide by jumping off a building, they made a hasty decision to organize a mountain climbing activity.

——Students stepped onto the bluestone steps in the morning mist, letting the long-lost breath of nature awaken their numb senses. By the way, they could also write a review of the mountain climbing experience afterwards.

*

The mist of the autumn morning has not yet dissipated, condensing on the bluestone steps, and the moist water vapor moisturizes the moss on them.

Lin Qingxu climbed up carefully on the mottled moss. The moss under her feet was slippery. She fell backwards without noticing and was pulled back by Kan Zhao.

"Be careful." Kan Zhao's palms were warm, supporting her back.

Lin Qingxu nodded. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, along her cheeks and neck, soaking her collar.

She didn't have the physical strength to be good at sports. She had lost several points in the high school entrance examination because of physical education, not to mention that she had been slacking off during the morning exercises and physical education classes for the past three years.

In fact, it wasn't just her. Many people in the class were too tired to walk.

Kan Zhao unscrewed the mineral water bottle and handed it over: "Drink some water."

"good……"

Lin Qingxu took it and drank a little. Feeling a little more energetic, he climbed up the mountain in one go.

The homeroom teacher, who was in his forties, was incredibly energetic. "Everyone, keep up!" he shouted into the loudspeaker. "You think you can get into college with this little perseverance? Hurry up! We're almost at the top!"

The crowd below was filled with complaints, their voices filled with protests against the ruthless exploitation of the capitalists. But they still followed Wang Hong's pace and walked towards the top of the mountain.

After reaching the top of the mountain, several people almost collapsed on the stone bench immediately.

But thankfully, hard work pays off, and the morning light on the mountaintop is truly beautiful. Threads of light stream down through gaps in the clouds, outlining the mountain's contours, giving it the appearance of a golden edge from afar. Clouds and mist linger.

Wang Hong held onto the railing and spoke passionately, without a trace of fatigue, as he loudly gave inspirational speeches to the students beside him.

"All your efforts will be rewarded, just like your college entrance exams. Every stroke of your pen will become the cornerstone of your high score..."

No one replied, no one listened.

When he finished speaking and turned around, the class of students had already dispersed and left.

Climbing such a high mountain really drained our energy and we were starving. Fortunately, there were a few restaurants at the top of the mountain, so the students went there to buy something to eat.

Qiao Yang reserved a seat in the dessert shop in advance. He ran the fastest, before anyone realized how precious the empty seat was.

"Boss, give me one—"

"Taro Grand Slam."

"Yangzhi sago."

"Taro pudding bowl."

"Peach gum and snow swallow stewed with milk."

After sitting on a chair and ordering some other snacks with the waiter, Qiao Yang saw Zhou Yu and his group rushing towards him.

"Borrow a seat, borrow a seat."

"Go away, go away, there are only four seats." Qiao Yang refused vehemently. However, Zhou Yu was shameless and sat on his lap with the sweet soup he had just bought.

Hundreds of high school seniors came to climb the mountain. How could there be so many seats for Zhou Yu? If you miss Qiao Yang's village, there will be no Qiao Yang shop.

Zhou Yu turned a deaf ear to Qiao Yang's refusal.

Qiao Yang was sweating profusely from climbing the mountain, and not wanting to be stuck to anyone, he immediately stood up. Zhou Yu, riding downhill, grabbed his spot.

"Damn it, Zhou Yu, you're so shameless! Hurry up and get up! I grabbed this seat."

Zhou Yu pretended not to hear.

"You!" Qiao Yang was furious and sat on him like Zhou Yu.

At the same table, there is war on one side and peace and tranquility on the other.

Ruan Yanyan glanced at the class group, "Lu Lu said he just saw a marriage tree."

"Um?"

"I don't know if it's a marriage tree, but it's one with words written on red silk and hung on it." Ruan Yanyan looked at Lin Qingxu and Kan Zhao, "Would you like to go and take a look later? It seems quite interesting."

Qiao Yang, who was competing with Zhou Yu for a seat, heard this and asked Ruan Yanyan: "Why didn't you ask me?"

"Are you not sure about going? Don't I know you well enough?" Ruan Yanyan glanced at him.

She hadn't really wanted to talk to Qiao Yang lately. This jerk always looked where he was going in the classroom, knocking her pen holder to the ground every day, ruining several of her pens every time. Even when she told him to, he wouldn't listen, just grinning with his big white teeth.

Lin Qingxu was not very interested in this.

There are so many infatuated men and women in the world who come here to pray for a lifetime together, but not all of them get a good result. Either they exhaust their passion over the years and become tired of each other, or they are separated by insurmountable obstacles such as mountains and seas, leaving only regrets.

So even if the wish came true, it wouldn't be of much use. It would be better if they had never been together in the first place.

*

Finally we went together.

The marriage tree was crowded with people, and Zhou Yu came along to take a look.

Qiao Yang became interested: "Do you have someone you like?"

Zhou Yu took the red silk given by the old lady. There was a silver bell hanging on it, which would tinkle when the wind blew.

He wrote on it

——Pass the imperial examination.

"I'm just a pure-hearted high school boy, so I can't have ideals?"

Qiao Yang: “6.”

This makes him look like he's not doing his job properly, right?

Despite saying so, Qiao Yang still wrote his and the goddess' names, and circled them with a little love heart.

They must be together in the future.

Amitabha, definitely, definitely.

He hung the red silk on the branch.

Ruan Yanyan and Lin Qingxu fulfilled their wishes and walked towards him.

"Ruan Yanyan, what did you write?" Qiao Yang asked her.

"Of course I'm with my idol."

"Lin Qingxu, what about you?"

"Everything goes well for the person I love." Kan Zhao's wish came true.

Qiao Yang came closer: "Does that include me?"

Lin Qingxu nodded.

Qiao Yang chuckled twice.

He asked Kan Zhao again: "What about you?"

It happened that Wang Hong was holding up the loudspeaker and calling for assembly at this moment.