After resting for a morning, they took a car to the foot of Mount Emei that afternoon.
Shi Jinzhe looked at the mountain route map one last time and confirmed with Sher, "Thirty kilometers of steps, not flat ground, are you sure you want to hike the whole way?"
"Of course, otherwise what's the point of climbing? Walking is the best way to experience it."
Shi Jinzhe checked his watch: "Let's start at three o'clock in the afternoon. Let's get used to it today and try to get to our place before it gets dark at seven."
Schech took the first step with full confidence. Their starting point was very basic; they had to walk along a paved road in the low mountains before starting to climb stairs.
Shi Jinzhe's backpack contained only a little food, and the rest were everyday items. To reduce his load, he decided to plant fruit trees on the mountain whenever he was thirsty and eat them as soon as they grew.
There are far fewer tourists starting at the same time as at Qingcheng Mountain, but it's not so crowded that you can't see anyone. This hiking route has a very comfortable population density in the scenic area.
After climbing several long slopes in a row, Shech walked for two hours and got a bit hot.
As the sun began to set, she asked Shi Jinzhe for two oranges to eat. Seeing another temple ahead, she asked, "How far have we walked?"
"There are still three kilometers to the ticket gate."
Where is it?
"Ticket gate," Shi Jinzhe said. "Does your knee hurt? You can rest for a while."
Shekh tossed his head, leaving behind a dashing silhouette: "No need, I can walk."
Shi Jinzhe truly admired her; once she got stubborn, not even eight oxen could pull her back.
When I'm lazy, I can be really lazy; when I want to do something, I really have to do it.
After walking two kilometers, the two finally reached the ticket gate.
Shi Jinzhe: "This is a deliberate act of discouraging people from going. It takes two hours to walk to the ticket gate, which is equivalent to climbing half of the front of Qingcheng Mountain."
Sheikh: "Are you tired?"
Do I really look that fragile?
"Isn't it you who always pretends to be weak?" Sheh exposed him, saying that he always put on this act to deceive her and coax her, and that he was very shrewd.
Shi Jinzhe looked completely innocent. "What are you talking about? You're just accusing me. Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
With no one around, Shekh spoke bluntly: "You're not. You're just a hypocrite who knows how to take off people's clothes even when you're asleep."
Shi Jinzhe directly brought up the topic of vicissitudes of life, so she simply went along with Sheh's words and recklessly declared, "Actually, I'm worse than an animal now."
"A person who has no shame will be like a tree that has no bark."
Shekh thought to herself, "Thank goodness no one's around, otherwise this would be too embarrassing for the snake."
She glanced at the road sign; they were almost at their accommodation. "Hurry up, hurry up!"
Around six o'clock, they saw two or three monkeys sitting by the roadside, looking like kiwis, each holding a bottle of yogurt.
Sher remembered that the group of tourists walking ahead of them had this brand and flavor of strawberry yogurt.
Shekh: "We can see monkeys already? We haven't even reached the first ecozone yet?"
Shi Jinzhe: "It's not impossible for someone to have wandered here from a distance of several kilometers."
The three monkeys were quite plump, unlike the pointed-mouthed monkeys described online; in fact, they were quite cute after a second look.
They didn't steal anything and were quite well-behaved. The three of them sat by the roadside, their eyes darting from Shehe to Shijinzhe and back again, each one with a sly look.
After walking smoothly up the steps, less than half a minute later, Shekh heard a short, startled cry.
She turned around and saw a young woman with her hair in a bun having her phone snatched. The monkey darted away quickly, and a man next to her picked up a banana from the ground and threw it at the monkey, but the monkey didn't even look at it and remained unmoved.
Shi Jinzhe said, "I thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect to actually run into a monkey that was robbing people."
Getting your phone stolen while out playing is a real hassle, and it's hard to get a solution from the tourist attraction. It really ruins your mood.
The man and woman behind him were indeed annoyed and stopped looking.
The sun was about to set, and it would get dark even faster in the mountains where there was shade. They still had a short distance to walk.
At seven o'clock, the two arrived at the booked guesthouse on time.
After checking in, we headed further in. Due to the limited conditions on the mountain, the accommodations here were either temples or small hotels where many people squeezed into one room to spend the night.
The hotel they stayed at certainly couldn't compare to the high-end hotels they were used to, but the decor was very stylish, the rooms were clean, and there was a small courtyard outside the bungalow where they could see a glimpse of the sunset. It was a very nice place to stay.
Shekh didn't pick and choose much. After checking the room and finding no problems, Shi Jin folded the sheets he had brought and then they went out to eat together.
The farmhouse dishes tasted pretty good, just a little salty. Shi Jinzhe placed a bowl of soup in front of Shehe and said, "It's late today, we can try vegetarian food tomorrow."
"Either is fine." Shekh ate slowly, enjoying the last smoky purple sunset in a pleasant mood.
She still really likes the mountains and forests. The mountain ranges stretch out, and she feels very comfortable in such a magnificent and spacious environment.
She remained in the courtyard until the sun disappeared, still enjoying the breeze.
The beautiful mountain scenery can feel oppressive at night, but that's not a problem for Shekh and Shijinzhe; they still enjoy it.
The two stood side by side, admiring the scenery and chatting quietly. It was unclear what they were saying, but the atmosphere was exceptionally warm under the light of the overhead bulb.
Just then, five young people came in to check in. They looked to be in their early twenties, three men and two women, laughing and joking with each other.
The five of them were all sweaty after climbing the mountain, but instead of going inside, they sat in the courtyard and chatted while ordering food.
Shehe glanced down and continued discussing with Shi Jinzhe which hilltop to buy a house on.
A few people behind me were making a ruckus. A boy with dyed gray hair suggested playing Truth or Dare. They were quite loud, and the people sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air could hear them. Before long, some onlookers frowned.
The five of them booked a four-person room, but there was a young couple in the room, and they became the target of their endless jokes.
Shi Jinzhe never expected these young people to speak so freely.
Including him and Shekh, there were two other tables of people eating. One of them was a couple with a ten-year-old girl. There were about ten people in total, but they were all treated like they didn't exist.
Shekh turned to observe the young couple.
The man didn't care at all. When joking with his girlfriend, he didn't treat other people as outsiders. He occasionally observed the reactions of strangers, but it didn't seem like he was paying attention.
On the contrary...
Like showing off?
The woman blushed as she chatted and laughed with the other four people. Some of the things she said didn't reveal any reluctance or embarrassment to Sheikh; she seemed to be enjoying herself.
The entire courtyard was filled with their noise, like a giant bed where everyone was part of their loving play.
Sher looked away. They were a perfect match. She respected and wished them well.
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