That evening, Aunt Guo called, laughing heartily: "I knew you'd gone out to hide. Not to mention you, even your sister-in-law Guoqing and Xiaofeng are tired of entertaining guests."

Especially your sister-in-law during the National Day holiday, she spent the holiday alone in Jinan, and now when she comes back to the village, she eats at one place for lunch and another for dinner; she's not used to it at all.

Chen Hong also found it funny: "It's a sweet burden. People in the city don't even visit each other's next-door neighbors."

The villagers are so hospitable, inviting me to meals like a celebrity rushing from one event to another; I'm not really comfortable with it. Auntie, you're right, I don't like interacting with strangers either.

I don't usually interact with the villagers, so sitting at the same table for a meal always felt a bit strange.

…………

To go home, count two, five, eight; to go outside, count three, six, nine!

Chen Hong decided to wait two more days for Zhou Yi's advice, and would not return to Jinan on the eighth day, but would definitely leave on the ninth day.

Yu Yang still needs to go back to attend training courses. If Zhou Yi can't get back before the 8th of the lunar month, she won't wait any longer.

Perhaps this year is not the right year for them to get married; even God isn't giving them the chance. She can only continue her relationship with Zhou Yi.

After two days of traveling, Chen Hong and her son were getting tired of it. The weather was dry and cold, and having lived in the countryside all their lives, the beautiful mountains and rivers were no different from the deep mountains of their hometown in their eyes, and they were not very attractive.

Thinking of the remote mountains of her hometown, Chen Hong felt very annoyed. She must have been out of her mind to take her son to tourist attractions.

What's so interesting or fun about that? It costs money, and all the scenery is the same as what they see every day; there's nothing amazing or rare about it.

Why not take my son to the hot spring valley? We can enjoy the scenery, soak in the hot springs, and pick mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It's a win-win situation!

Her brain wasn't working properly, which must have been influenced by Zhou Yi. She decisively blamed her mental lapse on Zhou Yi.

On the morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Hong got up as soon as it was light and fed the chickens, ducks and dogs.

We prepared enough food and water for the chickens and ducks for three days. After breakfast, we packed up a large basket.

It contained a small iron pot, a large basin, two stainless steel lunch boxes, a large bag of various seasonings, a ten-pound bag of grain, a kettle, a short knife, and four large sacks...

Also carrying a wool blanket, Chen Hong locked the door, led her son and two dogs, and braved the thorns and brambles to head into the deep mountains.

After crossing one mountain after another and one valley after another, we headed straight for the hot spring valley.

"Mom, this mountain is really hard to walk on. There are too many wild jujube trees and thorns. Has no one come here for many years?"

Yu Yang followed closely behind his mother, making every step firmly forward.

Holding a short knife, Chen Hong chopped down the dead branches and bushes blocking the road, and her feet were also busy, trampling down the weeds as she walked, trying to make the road as flat as possible for her son behind her.

"Son, are you tired? If you are, Mom will carry you. Watch your step, don't trip over the tree roots."

"Just hang in there a little longer, and once we get over this next mountain, we'll reach our destination."

"Mom, are there really hot springs there? Can you take a bath in them? Can you boil eggs in them? The science program said that some hot springs can cook eggs."

Yu Yang turned into a walking encyclopedia of questions, asking his mother curious questions as they walked.

"You'll see when we get there! Come on, Black Tiger and Glasses have disappeared, let Mom carry you."

Let's hurry, we can have lunch in the cave. Mom will tell you that the valley is full of bamboo forests, and the bamboo forests are full of bamboo fungus.

This is the season for digging winter bamboo shoots. The bamboo shoots are at their tenderest and plumpest now, and taste the best of the year.

For lunch, we can make a bamboo fungus soup and stir-fry some tender bamboo shoots; it'll be so delicious it'll make your jaw drop!

Yu Yang was really tired. For a six-year-old child to persevere for four hours, following his mother over mountains and valleys for more than thirty miles, is already an amazing feat of willpower.

Exhausted, I leaned against my mother's warm, fragrant back, wrapped my arms around her neck, and suddenly I could see much farther.

Chen Hong carried her son on her back, with a basket slung across her left shoulder. Her left hand supported her son's bottom as she walked, while her right hand quickly brandished a short knife to clear a path. Chen Hong quickened her pace.

Yu Yang hugged his mother's neck tightly, hooking his legs around her waist to prevent himself from falling off and affecting her walking.

A dozen minutes later, the mother and daughter finally crossed the mountain and stood on the top, looking down at the lush greenery below.

The emerald green bamboo forest swayed in the wind, and layers of white mist floated in the air above the valley, flowing slowly with the bamboo waves.

It's like being in a fairyland!

"Son, look! We're here! This is the hot spring valley that your mother discovered last year."

Isn't this bamboo forest covering the entire mountainside beautiful? Isn't it breathtaking?

Yu Yang stared wide-eyed at the green bamboo forest shrouded in white mist before him.

"Mom, it's so beautiful! I've never seen such a large bamboo forest before!"

It's so beautiful! It stretches as far as the eye can see! Mom, do you think this is a place where immortals cultivate?

I've heard that only places where immortals live can be this beautiful. Is that white mist some kind of celestial mist, imbued with spiritual energy?

They finally arrived at their destination, and Chen Hong was very excited. Seeing that her son was also happy, she smiled and said to him:

"You have such a vivid imagination! Let's go down and look for them. If there really are gods, they must have left traces of their lives."

"Son, hold on tight to Mom, let's go down the mountain! Watch Mom take you on the roller coaster!" Chen Hong carried Yu Yang and ran quickly down the mountain.

It's often said that going uphill is easy but going downhill is hard, but Chen Hong thinks the opposite is true; it should be that going downhill is easy but going uphill is hard.

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