The Erhu tune welcomes guests to the mountain stream, and the Cuigu spring keeps guests entertained.
The location Liu Che described was very detailed, but it was indeed empty now, with only the blooming roses looking gorgeous in the morning light.
There was no need to seize the sudden surprise, nor to worry about the inexplicable loss. There was still plenty of time to enjoy this long-awaited trip.
Liu Che and I had previously arranged to go mountain climbing together this weekend. After a little over half an hour's drive, we arrived at our destination—a newly developed scenic spot on the outskirts of the city. Liu Che had been there before and admired its tranquility.
Maybe because it has not been fully developed yet, not only is there no entrance required, but there is not even a decent entrance.
Just when Xue Jiuyue was hesitating about the choice of a fork in the road, Liu Che gave her a solution at the right time.
“Follow the sound of the erhu and you will find the entrance.”
Listening quietly, I could hear the melody of an erhu, a musical instrument, rising and falling, lingering faintly beneath the din. Following the sound, I found a thin, elderly man sitting in the shade of a tree, playing the erhu piece "Happy Little Golden Bull." Originally written for children, the piece captivated the performer. Not far from him was the entrance, a newly constructed memorial archway; the main gate was still unfinished.
Liu Che did not go to the entrance, but walked straight to the old man and listened quietly to the music. When the song ended, he applauded.
As soon as the word "good" came out, the old man playing the erhu looked up and greeted Liu Che with a smile, "You're here!"
Only then did Xue Jiuyue see clearly that the old man had white hair and a youthful face, sporting a goatee. Although thin, he had a certain air of a celestial being. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses, suggesting he had eye problems. In front of him was a tin can containing a few small-denomination banknotes.
"Hello, old man!"
Liu Che also greeted him happily. He then took out a few red banknotes, walked over to the old man, squatted down, and placed the banknotes in his palm.
"No, no, didn't I tell you last time? This is the last time!"
"This is not given by me. I have a friend with me. She also listened to the song you just played. This is given to you by her. It's your first time, so you can't refuse it. Keep it quickly!" Liu Che said as he turned around and nodded in the direction of Xue Jiuyue.
Xue Jiuyue also spoke up quickly: "Yes, old man, this is the first time I've heard you play, it's really beautiful, you can't refuse a little gift."
"This little girl came with you. Okay, okay, then I, an old man, will accept her!" The old man's skinny face was covered with wrinkles, which deepened with his smile.
He raised his head, sniffed, and then continued, "The weather is nice today, with good visibility. You should be able to see beautiful scenery at Kanhongchen tonight. Go quickly, and I'll play a song of 'Pastoral Spring Scenery' to see you off!"
"Thank you, we'll go in first!"
"Goodbye, old man!"
The old man's erhu music brought Liu Che and the other man to the entrance and then took them a long way.
After the voice had completely faded, Xue Jiuyue asked Liu Che in a low voice, "Do you know this old man?"
"Yes, he is blind just like me."
"So you give him money every time you come?"
"Yeah, he saved me!"
"Saved you?"
"Well, more than once!"
"Really? Or is it fake?"
"Well, every time I come here to listen to him play, it always helps me unwind some of the depression in my heart! You know, psychologists themselves are the most in need of psychologists, but it's not easy to find the right one! It just so happens that the sound of this old man's erhu is the perfect medicine for me! He not only healed me, but also taught me to see with my ears. So I know this area like the back of my hand, and I won't get lost even if I walk for a whole day."
"I was wondering why you always act as if you saw it with your own eyes. So how do you plan today's itinerary?"
"Well, today we'll start by walking along the canyon. It's about half a day's walk and there's a waterfall—the one with the largest drop near Xialin! We'll have lunch and a nap there! And it's also cooler to play in the water at noon."
After hearing Liu Che's words, Xue Jiuyue was fascinated, but then she remembered what the erhu player had just said. "Well, it feels good. What about the afternoon? And where is the 'view of the red dust' that the old man mentioned?"
"'Kan Hongchen' is nearby. It's a steep climb up from here, and I heard the night view is even better there! There's a mountain road leading from the waterfall, but it's a gentle slope all the way up. We'll get there just in time for dinner. I'm worried you might be tired; you didn't sleep well last night."
"I'm fine, I'm in high spirits! And if I'm a little tired I'll sleep better at night! Let's go!" Xue Jiuyue said as he jogged out two steps.
After Liu Che's introduction and the signboards on the roadside, Xue Jiuyue already had a general understanding of the entire scenic area.
The scenic area here is named "Xishan Cuigu". A stream meanders, with quiet pools and rugged rocks; the green mountains on both sides are lush and graceful, with lush forests providing shade and mountain flowers blooming.
Along the valley floor, a narrow path and the stream nestle together, like a couple in love. Sometimes they walk side by side, sometimes they intertwine, sometimes a small bridge spans the other side, and sometimes only a few bluestones connect the two sides.
Although the road sometimes curved and sometimes straight, sometimes flat and sometimes undulating, it was all man-made cement. This slightly diminished the scenery, but made for a safer walk. Therefore, Xue Jiuyue could rest assured to admire the scenery along the way, patiently explaining it to Liu Che.
Although Liu Che was already familiar with the terrain in this area, it was the first time for him to appreciate the scenery in such detail.
Only today did he know that the subtle fragrance filling the valley came from irises; only today did he know that the green of the lush hillsides included not only various banyan trees such as the big-leafed banyan and the small-leafed banyan, but also large tracts of bamboo forests; only today did he know that the stream beside him, when narrow, had only a few rapids and flying flowers and splashing snow; but when it was wide, there could be a lake with still water and boats.
"Ouch..." Liu Che was immersed in the beautiful scenery, but when he heard Xue Jiuyue's cry, he was instantly panicked.
"What's wrong?"
"It's okay. I didn't see a rock here and I fell."
"You didn't get hurt anywhere? Did you twist your ankle?"
"My foot is fine, my hand just rubbed it a little."
"Don't be careless, spray some medicine." As he said that, Liu Che took out a bottle of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic aerosol from the side of his huge mountaineering bag.
Xue Jiuyue took it and sprayed it a few times. It felt cool and the pain, which was not serious to begin with, completely disappeared.
"You brought everything!"
"Better safe than sorry. Come, I'll pull you up."
Seeing the trekking pole extended to her, Xue Jiuyue tried to stand up, but suddenly a tug-of-war scene flashed through her mind, and she playfully grabbed the pole with both hands and exerted force. Liu Che, unprepared, was pulled closer, and the distance between them was immediately close, with their hands already touching the pole.
With a scream, everyone scattered, leaving only the indescribable feeling of the electric shock, which spread into ripples in the open hearts.
It’s not that unacceptable!
The scar engraved on the tip of my heart was not reopened, there was no stabbing pain from the soul, there was some dull pain, similar to the slight discomfort that I had every month, but it was definitely bearable.
"I'm sorry!" Liu Che apologized in a panic, completely clearing away the slightest discomfort.
"It's okay..." Xue Jiuyue's face was red, but she finally held back and didn't directly say her change, "It's not your fault. Let's go!"
"Hold on!"
"Hold on!"
Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly remembered something, and their tacit understanding made them speak in unison and laugh heartily again.
When the laughter died down, Xue Jiuyue suddenly had another crazy idea, "Xiao Ming, I'll throw a stone into the water. Can you listen to how deep it is?"
"OK."
"No, come closer. Take two steps forward. There's a stone. Yeah, right there. Kneel down and listen carefully."
"Pah..." The stumbling block fell into the stream. The stream was not deep, and the splashing water soaked Liu Che.
"Hahahahahaha..." A prank made two people laugh, and the laughter filled the valley, echoing for a long time, until it finally converged in their hearts.
The light melody returned to the silky smoothness of the main theme after a small variation, but the atmosphere surrounding the two people was gradually getting stronger like the sunshine.
"Wait a minute!" Liu Che stopped at a fork in the road.
"how?"
"Take you to a place!"
Leaving the main cement road, I embarked on a path that competed with the fragrant grass. After about half a mile, I skirted the hillside in front of me and arrived at another valley. The path, hidden in the dense green, continued vaguely forward, gently ascending. After about another half mile, the sound of "dingdong" water returned.
"Wow, it's a spring!" Xue Jiuyue said in surprise. "There's even a stone tablet next to it: 'First Spring'! This name is interesting. It doesn't lack a single character from 'First Spring', but it's much more natural."
Xue Jiuyue soon made another discovery. "There's another line of small words on the back: 'The water quality of this spring has been tested and meets national standards for direct drinking water. It is rich in a variety of trace elements essential to the human body. Please drink it with confidence. We also ask that you work together to protect the water source and leave a clear spring and good water for future generations.'"
When Xue Jiuyue turned around to look at Liu Che, he saw that he had taken out a freshly opened hiking water bottle from his backpack and started to get water.
"Let me do it!"
"It's okay, just take a break. Every time I walk here, I take a break to drink some water and bring some back for the return trip. Try it."
"Yeah, that's true. I'm thirsty." Xue Jiuyue took Liu Che's water bottle and took a sip.
Sweet, refreshing and refreshing.
"It's really good. It tastes much better than the purified water sold here."
"As long as you like it." Liu Che said this, but his hands did not stop. He filled several water bottles and was still filling a large hiking water bag.
Xue Jiuyue was a little puzzled. "Xiao Ming, even if it tastes good, there's no need to bring Yiquan with you on the mountain. We can't carry it."
Liu Che smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry, I'll carry it. The hermit has his own magic tricks."
For the rest of the journey, no matter how Xue Jiuyue insisted, Liu Che didn't want her to carry too much weight.
"You didn't get enough rest last night. You will be exhausted if you are too tired! Be obedient!" Liu Che's gentle words always made Xue Jiuyue obey.
Fortunately, we soon reached our destination for lunch. From afar, we could hear the gurgling sound of water, nestled among the chirping of insects and birds. The stream beside us gradually widened and deepened into a long, narrow lake.
The water's surface, like a mirror, a photograph, records the story of this moment. The green mountains on either side, along with their whispered past, are submerged beneath the water. A bird flies by, carrying the story of what's to come to the forest, perching on a sun-drenched branch, graceful and melodious.
The waterfall Xue Jiuyue had longed for finally revealed its true form after winding its way through the mountains. It wasn't as grand and majestic as she had imagined. Instead, it was a delicate, delicate line of white, like a woman's affectionate figure, folded within her husband's broad chest, shedding a stream of tender affection. The water flowed slowly, its gentle descent all the more graceful. It fell slowly, sending cascading sprays across the lake like fluttering sleeves and swaying skirts.
The water is quite large, with people boating and splashing around. There's also a large beach, ideal for camping. Smoke from cooking fires ignites laughter, and the aroma of food adds a touch of human allure to the natural world.
Xue Jiuyue's original image of mountain climbing was like a spring outing as a child, with pre-packaged food and picnics under the shade of trees. But now, looking at the tents and awnings curling around the crackling smoke and fire, a sense of envy quietly arose.
"Sorry, I have to rely on you from now on."
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