Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu changed into light and simple clothes and entered the early summer forest. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves around them.
They followed the path from the vegetable garden behind the house deep into the woods, uphill all the way to the top of the mountain, then down the forest path to the bottom, crossed a log bridge, and climbed over to another mountain.
The deeper you go, the denser the forest becomes, and the fewer people you see. The intense sunlight can only filter through the gaps in the leaves, and the wind that blows in is cool and shady.
"Sister, there are thorn bushes here, don't get caught."
Zhou Chenyu took the thorny branch that Baoyu handed her from the roadside. The branch was covered with small leaves, and only upon close inspection could one see the dense, cone-shaped thorns covering it.
If you grab it hard, you'll definitely get several bloody holes in your palm.
Zhou Chenyu avoided the thicket of thorns and carefully followed behind Baoyu. She heard the sound of flowing water and could feel the ground beneath her feet was noticeably wet.
"Baoyu, are we almost there?"
"We've arrived."
Zhou Baoyu emerged from the woods, where a stream of water cascaded down a three-meter-high stone slope, resembling a small waterfall. The dripping water wore away at the stone, eventually forming a crystal-clear pool.
He unloaded his load, put earthworms into the basket as bait, and threw them into the pond, waiting for fish and shrimp to bite. "Sister, let's go up there and find crabs. When we come back the way we came, we'll bring this basket with us."
Zhou Chenyu dipped his hands into the pool to wash them. The water was clear and icy, like water melted from ice, with a few fallen leaves floating on it. It was much cooler than the stream that flowed through the village.
She stared at the area around the basket. "There's not a single fish in there. Could there be shrimp?"
Zhou Baoyu rubbed his hands together and said confidently, "Sister, you don't know this, do you? The cleaner the water, the more fish and shrimp there are. There must be fish and shrimp here."
This kid has always been unreliable, Zhou Chenyu thought with great skepticism. The next second, a leisurely little fish swam by, as if deliberately slapping her in the face, "Hey, don't run away!"
Zhou Chenyu pushed his feet into the pool, slipped, and before he could catch the fish, he fell flat on his backside, his clothes covered in mud.
"Sister, see? Serves you right for not believing me." Baoyu smiled smugly.
"Zhou Baoyu, you're still laughing! Hurry up and help me up!"
Zhou Baoyu suppressed a laugh and helped her up, then suddenly said with a serious expression, "Sister, this is the mountain god's home, you can't say things like that!"
"Mountain God? I'm more like the Earth God!" Zhou Chenyu rolled her eyes at him, concerned about her dirty skirt.
"You can't talk nonsense anymore!" Zhou Baoyu said nervously. "Look, you didn't believe me just now, didn't that anger the mountain god and make you suffer?"
What?
Can't I really say?
Zhou Chenyu looked around and found it quiet, as if a chill was seeping into her clothes.
In the past, she held a double standard towards this kind of feudal superstition. If it was harmful to her, then feudal superstition was unacceptable; if it was beneficial to her, then a twitching left eye meant good fortune, and a twitching right eye meant disaster.
But her experience visiting the mountain during the Qingming Festival made her believe in these things.
People should have something to revere.
Zhou Chenyu stared intently at her surroundings, a little frightened: "Then what do I have to do to appease the Mountain God?"
"Huh?" Zhou Baoyu's trembling reply carried a sly smile. He hadn't expected that a few words would be enough to intimidate his fierce older sister, who wasn't even afraid of money.
Zhou Baoyu cleared his throat, looked at his position, and widened his eyes. "Sister, according to our customs, you have to face the west and solemnly kowtow three times for the mountain god to calm down."
Kneel three times?
Although one may have gold under their knees, it seems harmless to kowtow to a deity in order to save one's life.
"Then I'll kowtow to him, old man. What's to the west?" Zhou Chenyu grabbed Baoyu's arm.
Baoyu stamped his foot and stood in a proper position: "Sister, over here, over here."
Which side?
Zhou Chenyu saw the direction Baoyu was pointing, paused for a few seconds, silently let go of his hand, straightened her back, and smiled at him: "Is that so? As long as I kneel three times, he will let me go?"
"That's natural."
Zhou Baoyu was still immersed in joy when he suddenly saw his sister reveal a sinister smile, exactly the same one she had shown when she dealt with Qian Rushan that day.
He was stunned. "Sis, what...what are you going to do?"
"What am I going to do? I'm going to strangle you, you brat, how dare you tease me!" Zhou Chenyu stretched out his claws and grabbed his neck.
"No, no, no, sister, I was wrong."
"Stop right there!!"
Zhou Chenyu picked up a wooden stick and chased after Baoyu. Baoyu was hit twice and dared not cause any more trouble.
The two climbed up to the top of the pool, which was a valley between two mountains. The clear spring originated at the end of the valley and flowed down the fine sand and rocks. Wherever the water flowed, the vegetation on the banks was more lush and abundant than in other places. The crabs they were looking for were hidden in the mountain spring.
Looking at the mottled and swaying shadows on the stone wall, Zhou Chenyu thought not of the bright moon shining among the pines, but of the sunlight shining among the pines and the clear spring flowing over the stones.
She and Baoyu walked barefoot into the icy mountain stream. The water was very shallow, only covering their ankles, so they could squat down without getting their clothes wet.
"Let me see where the crab is?"
Zhou Chenyu stared intently at the floating water surface, walking slowly through the mountain stream. His gaze swept over fallen leaves, river sand, fish, and weeds, finally stopping at a rock covered in yellow mud.
A small crab, about the thickness of three fingers, landed on it, almost blending into the yellow mud and stones; it would be hard to spot without careful observation.
With quick reflexes, she dodged the crab's claws, swiftly grabbed the hard shell, and lifted it up.
"Hey, I caught one."
Zhou Baoyu answered absentmindedly, his eyes still fixed on the water. Suddenly, he saw a crab walking sideways in a crevice between the rocks, grabbed it, and said, "Sister, I caught one too. It's quite plump and must have a lot of meat."
"Is that so?"
Zhou Chenyu peeked over, compared his own to the picture, and then went to see his father, saying, "Kid, don't get too excited. I'm sure I can catch a big one too."
"Sister, whether you catch them or not, you and Mom can have the big ones."
Zhou Baoyu grinned, revealing red lips and white teeth, looking utterly adorable.
Zhou Chenyu didn't know if she had gotten used to her sister's filter or something else, but looking at him now, he seemed to have become more handsome like a grown man than when they first met when he was still a young boy.
He seems like a grown-up, someone you can rely on.
She watched his retreating figure and sighed, "He's good-looking, but he's got an extra brain."
"Sister, what are you whispering behind my back?" Baoyu turned around, looking wary.
Zhou Chenyu tilted her head and smiled, coaxing him, "I'm praising your good looks."
"That's right." Zhou Baoyu shrugged smugly, looking even more foolish.
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