Peak
In the early morning, the sky was vast and the wind was obviously much stronger than at the foot of the mountain, making the two men's clothes rustle.
Ye Shu stood on a lone boulder at the edge of a platform, gazing at the rolling mountains below and the hazy city skyline in the distance. The wind blew his hair into a tangle, yet he stood with unwavering stability, like a slender bamboo nailed to a rock, ready to be blown away by the wind at any moment, yet strangely anchored to this world. His gaze was distant, no longer apathetic, but filled with a calmness bordering on tolerance.
Chen Xu plopped down on the grass beneath the boulder, panting unceremoniously as he busily unloaded his enormous backpack. "Oh my god... we're finally here... this slope is so steep... Ye Shu, aren't you tired? Are you a monster?!" He pulled out his water bottle and took a few gulps, then pulled out energy bars, fruit, and even a small bag of nuts.
Ye Shu didn't turn around. His voice was a little scattered by the wind, but it was clearly heard by Chen Xu: "The view is great."
"Right, right! I told you it's worth it!" Chen Xu suddenly regained his spirits, climbed up, jumped onto the boulder, stood beside Ye Shu, put his hands on his hips, and shouted proudly, "Wow! I feel like I can touch the clouds! Hey! Hello to you guys down the mountain!" He shouted exaggeratedly towards the valley, and the echoes came back layer by layer.
Ye Shu frowned slightly, not because he was annoyed by the noise, but because he felt the behavior was a bit... childish. But he said nothing, just stood there quietly, absorbing the excited energy emanating from his friend, which was almost tangible.
Chen Xu had shouted enough and was in a good mood. He began to give Ye Shu instructions like a commentator: "Look over there! That blue reflection should be the lake in the city! And those tall buildings over there, are they the financial center? They look like building blocks..."
Ye Shu's eyes followed the direction he pointed, showing no particular interest. He simply hummed a faint "hmm." His gaze lingered more on the undulating lines of the mountain ridges, the shifting shadows cast by the clouds, and a flock of migratory birds flying in a V-shaped formation in the distance.
Chen Xu said he was tired and quieted down, imitating Ye Shu's way of just watching. After a while, he suddenly whispered: "Ye Shu, sometimes I feel like you don't belong here."
Ye Shu finally turned his head and glanced at him, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"It's like... you and all of this," Chen Xu gestured, trying to find the right words. "This mountain, this wind, these clouds... are one. And we, like me, like those people down there, are just intruders. You're just... temporarily wearing a human form, standing here."
Ye Shu turned back and gazed into the boundless distance again. The wind had grown stronger, blowing his loose coat tight against his body, outlining his thin figure.
"Whether it's a human form, a mountain, a rock, or a plant, it's all just a form of existence." He was silent for a long time before he spoke slowly, his voice low and calm. "All living things are busy, like the wind blowing through a crack. What are they seeking? What are they fighting for? In the end, they are just like the clouds in the mountains, gathering and dispersing in an ever-changing manner."
He raised his hand and pointed at a patch of slowly dissipating mist in the distant valley. "Look at that mist. Did it ever try to stay?"
Chen Xu followed his finger and saw that the fog was indeed dispersing silently in the sunlight, leaving no trace. He seemed to understand, but he didn't quite understand. He felt an inexplicable shock in his heart, but he couldn't grasp the feeling.
Ye Shu put down his hand and continued, "I am here, watching, listening, feeling, and that is existence. It is no different from you and this mountain. It's just that you fight for gathering and separation, but I don't."
Chen Xu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself, usually eloquent, at a loss for words in the face of Ye Shu's words. He ultimately muttered, "...You're giving me a headache. Anyway, just being here is fine." He subconsciously leaned closer to Ye Shu, as if being close to him would make him feel more secure.
Ye Shu didn't say anything else.
The two people, one still and one moving, one standing and one leaning, formed a strange picture in the whistling mountain breeze.
Chen Xu suddenly remembered something and took out his phone from his pocket: "I almost forgot! Take pictures! Such a beautiful view must be captured!" He pulled Ye Shu's arm, "Come on, look at the camera!"
Ye Shu had a natural aversion to the camera. His body stiffened almost imperceptibly and he subconsciously tried to avoid it.
"Just one! Just one!" Chen Xu tugged at him like a spoiled child, "Smile? Teacher Ye? Master Ye?"
Ye Shu was helpless because of his shaking, and finally turned sideways with great reluctance. His eyes were not looking at the camera, but at an unknown point in the distance. Naturally, there was no smile on his face, only his usual calmness. In fact, because of that helplessness, he seemed a little popular.
Chen Xu didn't care. He snapped several photos and looked through them contentedly. "Wow, even though you're not smiling, this background is amazing! Look, the wind blows your hair... Hey, it's like there's a halo behind you... You really are..."
Ye Shu glanced at himself on the screen. The background was a vast expanse of sky and earth, and his figure was blurry and faint. He certainly didn't look like a real person. He looked away, uncommenting.
"Okay, we're done filming. Let's eat! I'm starving!" Chen Xu's attention quickly shifted. He jumped off the rock and started rummaging through his treasure chest again.
He spread out his picnic mat and laid out the food, a dazzling array of items, including two thermoses. "Look! My mom made me some chicken soup! She insisted I bring it, saying it'd keep me going for the climb! Come on, drink it while it's hot!"
The rich aroma of chicken soup instantly spread, mixed with the sweet aroma of energy bars and fruits. It is an extremely secular yet extremely warm temptation.
Ye Shu looked at Chen Xu's busy and happy appearance, and at the bowl of steaming hot chicken soup that was stuffed into his hand. The temperature of the bowl wall penetrated through his fingertips and seeped into his skin bit by bit.
The wind is still blowing, the clouds are still moving, and the city in the distance is still blurry.
He held the bowl, but didn't drink it immediately, just feeling the warmth.
Chen Xu had already sat down cross-legged, chewing on an apple, mumbling, "Drink it quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold! My mom spent the whole morning stewing it!"
Ye Shu lowered his head and looked at the clear soup in the bowl. A few golden oil stars floated on the surface, and a few pieces of stewed chicken sank to the bottom of the bowl.
He blew on it very lightly, then drank it in small sips.
Warmth instantly spread from the stomach, dispelling the slight chill brought by the mountain breeze.
Chen Xu looked at him expectantly: "How is it?"
Ye Shu savored it carefully for a while before softly commenting:
"Hmm. Smells like sunshine."
Chen Xu was stunned for a moment, then smiled brighter than the sunshine on the mountaintop: "Of course! My mom said they use old hens raised in the yard. They grow up eating grain and vegetables, so of course they smell like sunshine!"
Ye Shu didn't say anything else, just took another sip, then sat quietly on the mat, listening to Chen Xu chattering and eating this noisy and warm picnic lunch.
He still ate slowly and ate little, but he tasted a little of everything.
The sunlight spread across the entire mountaintop and also fell on his slightly drooped eyelashes, casting a small, quiet shadow.
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