Volume 1, Chapter 88 "The World is Getting More Beautiful"

Tarzan will subdue anyone who talks back at him.

Du Ruo's physical condition is entirely due to her unremitting Tai Chi practice over the years. She does not exercise much on weekdays.

The danger of the Eighteen Bends almost cost her her life.

Fortunately, she was not alone in this embarrassment.

Except Xu Jingmo, no one is much better.

Jian Yu and others even started to tremble with their legs, wishing they could crawl up.

Du Ruo almost completely relied on Xu Jingmo, letting him support her as she walked slowly and arduously, one step at a time.

She panted and begged, "How come you have such good physical strength?"

Xu Jingmo said simply: "I practiced."

Du Ruo weakly gave him a thumbs up, "Great."

Xu Jingmo chuckled, lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "You've seen and touched them before, my muscles are real."

Du Ruo wanted to give him an elbow, but he didn't have the strength.

She was so tired that her back and waist ached, and her lower abdomen was a little painful, and she didn't even want to talk.

Xu Jingmo suggested again: "Let me carry you up. I can carry you up there. It's easy as pie."

Du Ruo shook her head to refuse. It was too conspicuous and she felt embarrassed. It was enough to support her like this.

Before they knew it, they were at the front of the team.

Du Ruo looked back and saw Shi Rui lying on the steps, asking Meng Senyang to take a picture of him. His posture looked like a zombie.

"..."Du Ruo expressed his sincere admiration for E-man.

After stopping and walking along the way, and cheering each other on, they finally reached the top of Yuhuangding before 7 o'clock.

Before sunset, the group looked for a camera to take photos, and took turns to pose in various positions: bowing the head, bending the waist, side lunge, one-finger meditation, back view with trekking poles, grandmaster stance, etc.

Little Tarzan, successfully captured.

As the sky was gradually dyed with the orange and yellow sunset, Du Ruo and Xu Jingmo quietly left the noisy crowd, found a quiet corner, and captured a sunset photo that belonged only to the two of them.

I also carefully selected the angle and took two single side profile photos against the light. In the interweaving of light and shadow, their side profiles were clear. If the two photos were put together, it would look like the two of them were kissing in the sunset glow.

Perfect for couple profile pictures.

The sun slowly sank into the horizon, and a corner of Yuhuangding became quiet and warm.

The boy sat quietly on a protruding rock, his eyes penetrating the distant sky, immersed in the disappearing sunset.

The girl sat on his lap, snuggling in his arms. Her voice was clear and melodious as she slowly recited the writer's essay.

The two of them were wearing the same black combat jacket and snuggled up to each other intimately, as if the years were peaceful and the mountains and rivers were tranquil.

"The world is becoming more and more beautiful. I am alone, but I am very comfortable. I have no other desires but to be bathed in the sun. I am eager to mature. I am ready to die and to be reborn."

“The world is becoming more and more beautiful.”

—Hermann Hesse, The Mountain Pass

*

After watching the sunset, everyone found a hotel on the top of the mountain to have dinner. After dinner, everyone admired the night view together for a while, and then went to a resting place.

Only when they arrived at the destination did Du Ruo know exactly what the big shop that Shi Rui mentioned looked like.

It was a simple room with only beds, ten camp beds placed side by side. There was not even a toilet in the room, so people had to go outside to use the shared toilet.

Before going up the mountain, Xu Jingmo explained to her that if they wanted to see both the sunset and sunrise at the same time, they would need to spend the night on the top of the mountain.

However, since it was a holiday, the hotel on the top of the mountain was not only difficult to book, but also much more expensive than usual. The room facilities were not of the same level as hotels of the same price in the city, and the value for money was seriously low.

They need to reach the top of the mountain before 3 a.m. to occupy a position to watch the sunrise. They don't rest for long, they just simply find a place to stay.

Du Ruo could accept this and she would even not sleep.

But when I saw the simple environment inside the house, I really felt disgusted.

These camp beds looked really dirty. She didn't know how many people had slept on them. Even if she slept on them with her clothes on, she found it a little hard to accept.

While she was silent, Xu Jingmo and several other boys had already opened their backpacks, took out many sets of disposable toothbrushes and four-piece sets of disposable bed sheets, and distributed them to everyone.

Du Ruo approached curiously and asked, "When did you buy it?"

She helped him pack the backpack last night, but she didn't notice he was taking it.

Xu Jingmo: "I bought it on purpose when I went out to buy milk tea for lunch."

He laid out the disposable sheets and put a quilt on her, and whispered, "Just make do with it for now. Don't worry, I bought medical ones."

Du Ruo looked at him and squinted her eyes. Just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by Xu Jingmo, who said in a threatening tone: "Du Ruo, don't forget that I am narrow-minded. If you mess with me again, you will go home."

Du Ruo couldn't help but laugh, "It's only been one day, have you heard enough?"

Xu Jingmo glanced at her with helplessness in his eyes.

He hadn't heard enough, but he would rather she told him in private.

In such a public place, she kept calling him "brother" to coax him, which was simply toying with him. He remembered it all.

Everyone made their own bed, used mineral water bottles as tooth cups, and after a hasty wash, they lay down to rest.

The boys were on the outside, the girls were on the inside, with Xu Jingmo and Du Ruo as the dividing line in the middle.

The room was pitch black and everyone lay there silently.

The hotel's soundproofing is not very good, and the footsteps and voices outside can be heard clearly.

Du Ruo had no desire to sleep. She even felt a very uncomfortable stomachache. This symptom seemed like her period was coming soon, but it was not due yet. Could it be that she had taken the Chinese medicine too early?

She was still distracted when suddenly, a faint sound was heard in the house.

"Um...are you all asleep?" It was Shi Rui's voice.

Meng Senyang: “No.”

Jian Yu: “No…”

People answered the call one after another, and all ten of them were awake.

Shi Rui sat up and turned on the light.

"Damn! You haven't slept yet! I'm dying of suffocation. I can't sleep. Let's get up and play something."

Xu Jingmo: "Let's tell a ghost story. It's a dark and windy night, just right."

Shi Rui quickly exclaimed: "Second brother!!! Did I provoke you?"

Dai Ziyi: "I agree. When I was in high school, I attended summer camp and everyone's favorite part was the ghost story telling session."

Shi Rui: "I don't agree! You are targeting me! I don't want it, I don't listen, I refuse. Let's play Werewolf."

A few boys nearby deliberately teased him and tried to force ghost stories into his ears. Shi Rui hid under the quilt and shivered.

Seeing his frightened look, Xu Jingmo couldn't help laughing. He turned his head to look at Du Ruo and found that she was lying there with a frown on her brows, looking a little listless.

He sat up and reached out to touch her forehead. Du Ruo spoke first, "I don't have a fever."

"Then what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Du Ruo whispered, "My stomach hurts."

Xu Jingmo was stunned for a moment, then he moved closer and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Du Ruo shook her head. "Not yet. It should be soon. I started to feel uncomfortable a few days ago."

Xu Jingmo frowned and said, "This Chinese medicine is useless."

"How can it be effective so quickly? I've only been drinking it for less than 2 weeks."

Xu Jingmo was silent for a few seconds, got out of bed, put on his shoes and said, "Wait for me a moment."

Seeing this, a few people who were making a fuss nearby asked, "Second brother, what are you doing in the middle of the night?"

Xu Jingmo: "I'm going out to buy some things. Is there anything you want to bring?"

Shi Rui: "Bring back a deck of cards."

Xu Jingmo nodded and left the room.