Spring water blends into the meal, blending delicious flavors into the mountaintop, and the shadows etched on the mountaintop accompany the beautiful woman.
Liu Che's voice drew back Xue Jiuyue's envious gaze, and also brought a surprise. He also took out the tent from his treasure bag...
Since Xue Jiyue didn't plan to sleep at noon, she simply installed the canopy and set up simple tables and chairs under Liu Che's guidance. Despite this simplicity, it still created a space dedicated to the two of them in the mountains and forests, bringing a special feeling of home.
Just as Xue Jiuyue was about to start preparing the "lunch" she had prepared with a blushing face, Liu Che once again demonstrated his professionalism.
He took out a stack of copper sheets from his bag. After he fiddled with it for a while, Xue Jiuyue finally realized that this was a foldable hot pot for hot pot and grilling. Different from the traditional round hot pot in Dongyuan, this one was square for easy carrying. There was also a
Tray for barbecue.
Liu Che then took out smokeless charcoal, a lighter, and an insulated box... Finally, he handed the "spring" water he brought to Xue Jiuyue and revealed the answer with a smile, "Spring water hot pot, please!"
Sesame paste from Dongyuan's "Donglaishun" and Xialin's famous barbecue sauce, paired with carefully selected meats and vegetables, brought together the essence of northern and southern cuisines amidst the natural beauty. The experience lingered not only on the lips and teeth, but also in the heart. Especially the various camping delicacies that had just made Xue Jiuyue envious seemed crude compared to what she saw now, far less rich, authentic, and exquisite than what Liu Che had prepared.
"Thank you for letting me enjoy delicious food in such a nice environment for the first time." Unexpectedly, the first person to express his gratitude was Liu Che.
"Xiao Ming, stop being naughty. This is all prepared by you."
"What's the point of me preparing without you?"
The double entendre turned the "spring" in Xue Jiuyue's hand into a bottle of fine wine, sweet and intoxicating. Even Xue Jiuyue's reply was tinged with intoxication - "So, do you need to be so polite?"
"Cheers!" Liu Che raised his glass in response.
"cheers!"
There are clouds in the blue sky, and water ripples in the bottle. Everything is self-explanatory.
The lunch was relaxing and enjoyable, like enjoying a light music performance, and it also happened to avoid the most scorching sun at noon.
Xue Jiuyue, barefoot, crushed the reflection of the mountain, and led Liu Che with laughter, chasing the dream of swimming fish together.
Even after being exposed to the midday sun, the mountain stream still felt chilly, especially as the sun was retreating. So Liu Che suggested, "The water's too cold. Staying there for too long won't be good for your health. Shall we go boating?"
"Well, I'll listen to you."
Boating on the lake, a gentle breeze blew. Unlike the boundless expanse of the sea and sky a few days ago, the scenery was full of winding paths among the lush green mountains, and there was a more natural flavor of life. Xue Jiuyue felt unrestrained and free. Later, she simply lay on the boat, feeling the flow while gazing at the blue sky surrounded by the mountains.
After Xue Jiuyue explained the scenery in detail to Liu Che, she suddenly had an idea, "Xiao Ming, do you think I'm just looking at the world from a narrow perspective?"
"Sitting in a well and observing the sky? Who among us isn't sitting in a well and observing the sky? The elephant is invisible. Anything that can be observed is not the biggest. That's all sitting in a well and observing the sky."
Liu Che's explanation was very jumpy, but Xue Jiuyue understood, "It makes sense."
Liu Che did not stop, "Actually, there is nothing wrong with sitting in a well and observing the sky. The key is that many people can't even do that."
"oh?"
"Well, everyone is looking at the well from afar, but too many people haven't even observed the well clearly. How many people can confidently say, 'The sky is only as big as the wellhead'?"
Liu Che's statement was indeed novel. To Xue Jiuyue, it sounded similar to his father's "short-sightedness", but he was more focused on grasping the present.
"Brilliant!" Xue Jiuyue couldn't help but praise, and then she asked, "Aren't you tired of thinking so deeply all day long?"
"I'm just sitting around doing nothing anyway!"
Liu Che's words made Xue Jiuyue laugh thoroughly, and also reminded her of another question, "What was the meaning of the bedtime story you told me that night, the one about Zhang San and Li Si?"
"You mentioned the story of 'Bearded Zhang San, Black-Faced Li Si,' I read it in a book. The original meaning of the book is that we need to look at things in a flexible way. What was right yesterday may not be right today. Nothing is static."
"That makes sense, but from what I've heard, there's also a 'Xiao Ming' version of understanding. Tell me about it."
Liu Che smiled gently and continued, "My understanding is that Zen Buddhism emphasizes the equality of all beings, the absence of obsession, including the absence of obsession with what does not exist. Yesterday's answer of 'Bearded Zhang San, Black-faced Li Si' showed that Monk Juechu had no obsessions, believing that the 'he' in the Buddhist scriptures could be anyone. But if he answered 'Bearded Zhang San, Black-faced Li Si' today, the originally imaginary 'Bearded Zhang San, Black-faced Li Si' would become concrete, becoming a constraint, and itself an obsession. The absence of any obsession is the true meaning."
"Are you trying to enlighten me?"
"Otherwise, I would say you have wisdom!"
…
They chatted comfortably, wandered easily in the cool breeze, and felt the ripples of the water. Only when the sunlight was clearly tilted did Xue Jiuyue reluctantly leave this lake that was destined to be often recalled in the future.
Since the scenic area is a circular section and the waterfall is not the midpoint, the return journey to "Kan Hongchen" is not too long, although it is uphill all the way.
When Liu Che and the other arrived at "Kan Hongchen", the evening light behind them had just taken away the last bit of the remaining light from the treetops on the top of the mountain.
"Kan Hongchen" is an observation deck, about 20 square meters, standing on the cliff.
Looking out from the railing, I could see the lights gradually lighting up in the twilight, radiating against the gradually brightening stars in the sky. At first, the heavens and the earth were a sea of sparks, reflecting and blending with each other, an eternal and lasting scene. Gradually, the lights morphed into a vast ocean of light, like a flame, burning with desire and clamor at the horizon, eclipsing even the nearby starry sky. But looking at the world as a whole, the incomparably prosperous human world remained a mere corner, an insignificant drop in the vast ocean amidst the silence of the mountains and sky.
Only then did Xue Jiuyue understand the meaning of the name "Kan Hongchen". Standing on the mountaintop, one with the starry sky, overlooking the vast world in the distance, in addition to the beautiful scenery, there is also a detached perspective to reflect on gains and losses, and on cause and effect.
There was a stone bench in the middle of the viewing platform, large enough for two people to sit side by side and enjoy the distant scenery. Xue Jiuyue sat on it, describing the beautiful scenery to Liu Che beside her. The two were very close, and although they didn't touch, their auras had already merged.
The moon has risen. Today is a full moon, hanging above the sea of lights in the mortal world, pure and elegant, like a lotus emerging from water, purifying the hustle and bustle of the world and returning to tranquility. Heaven and earth have once again become one.
The cool moonlight continued to shine, outlining the figures of the two people on the top of the mountain behind them.
Xue Jiuyue caught a glimpse of this and suddenly started to act mischievous.
"Xiao Ming, let's turn around and sit with our backs to the outside." Liu Che did as he was told without asking why.
Xue Jiuyue also turned around and sat down, then continued: "Xiao Ming, now raise your right arm. Yes, yes, good, good, fold your forearm back, yes, yes, don't bend your palm, yes, yes, that's it."
Liu Che continued to do as he was told. He didn't know that Xue Jiuyue was carefully and silently extending her left arm and leaning towards Liu Che. Their shadows formed a heart shape on the ground.
The "click" sound when Xue Jiuyue was taking pictures startled her mischievousness.
"Ah!" She jumped up in embarrassment.
"how?"
"It's okay. I wanted to take a picture of you with the moon as the background, but a cloud floated by." Xue Jiuyue explained hurriedly.
"It's okay, we'll take a photo again when we have a chance. Are you hungry?" Liu Che's concern eased Xue Jiuyue's panic.
"It's okay. I ate too much at lunch. Why don't you eat the sandwich I brought first so it doesn't go to waste."
"As you say."
The bright moonlight returned, and with the cool mountain breeze and the tranquility of the night, even the ordinary sandwich was delicious. However, the fatigue accumulated over the past two days, taking advantage of the emptiness after the meal, began to weigh on Xue Jiuyue, making it difficult for her to open her eyes.
"I'm sleepy. Why don't we go back?" Liu Che is always so perceptive.
"No, I can't walk now. I'll take a nap before I go."
"Then set up the tent and sleep for a while?"
"I don't want to struggle anymore, how about..." Xue Jiuyue wanted to lean on Liu Che's shoulder, but she was too shy to speak out, and she wasn't sure if she would feel excruciating pain.
"Hold on."
Before Xue Jiuyue could muster up the courage, Liu Che took action first. He fumbled for the simple chair that the two of them had sat on before and started working on it. In less than a minute, a recliner appeared in front of Xue Jiuyue, with a freshly unpacked pillow and blanket on it.
"Take a break."
"Xiao Ming, you are so nice!"
This time Xue Jiuyue didn't say thank you again.
With a heart full of emotion, Xue Jiuyue lay down on it.
I was already very sleepy, but the brightness of the full moon was still lingering in my mind. Fortunately, my breathing and my mood were still peaceful.
As I breathed in and out for a long time, it seemed as if only I and the moonlight were left between heaven and earth.
After I had exhaled my last breath, I finally opened my eyes. The bright moon was in the sky, reflecting the snow-capped mountains, illuminating the night with endless tenderness.
"Ming?" He turned around and whispered, his warmth like the distant fragrance of plum blossoms in the snow.
A man in a green robe emerged from behind a rock. The cold, snowy night made the graceful and elegant manner seem a little stagnant. "Put on some clothes, Yue." The misty voice still tickled my heart.
The crane cloak covered his body, and the vibrant spring air boiled over the scattered moonlight. Only then did he see his beloved's upright, round nose, which had been stained a cold blood-red in his lonely gaze.
Sitting side by side, close to a trace of body warmth, still unable to understand the pity in my heart, "I told you not to come."
"I'm worried you'll be cold alone, haha." The voice lingered in my ears, and I wrapped my collar tightly to block out the cold wind.
"I won't be cold."
"Because the moon festival is about worshipping the moon? The moon would be cold without the stars."
The voice was full of care and lingering affection, clinging to the lover's longing. The crystal-like eyes shone like stars in the moonlight, emitting a trembling tenderness.
The concern and heartache did not diminish because of this, "I will be cold only if you are cold."
"I'm not cold, I have this..."
With a chuckle, a ball of cloth emerged from the depths of his clothes. Unfolding the layers of wrapping, he discovered two heavy chicken legs nestled within the innermost layer of oil-wrapped paper.
Each person gets one, and it's perfectly warm when you put it in your mouth. The rich aroma lingering between your lips and teeth is nothing compared to this warmth.
"Are you thirsty?" There is always a surprise after a chuckle.
An expectant response came, "Yeah!"
He produced a water bag from nowhere and said, "You drink first."
The hot and sweet wine burns in this world of ice and snow, melting the snow, melting the night, and melting out the misty fog, filling the world, the eyes, and the heart.
"You drink too."
The water bag passed to her, and the coldness that penetrated through her beloved's fingers pierced her heart. "Don't come again. I can't be distracted when I'm worshiping the moon. Wait for me at home."
"Then wait a moment."
I picked up a small stone and, in the milky moonlight, sketched it on the snow-covered mud behind me. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, lingering like a heavy weight hanging by a thread, rushing like water bursting a dam. Though perched on a peak of ice and snow, crouching with no room to stretch, my focused demeanor still evokes the ethereal charm of West Lake.
"Huh..." He stood up and let out a long sigh of relief, which was a heartfelt conclusion.
The watery moonlight diluted the darkness of the night, and what was spread out on the ground was his own no longer moving shadow.
Before the doubt could be asked, the voice lingered again.
"Shadow is a person's soul! When I can't disturb you, my soul and my spirit will accompany you."
The gentle breath caressed my ears, bringing spring to full bloom. My senses and consciousness transformed into a river of spring water, flowing like tears...
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