One day
Lunch was served in a private room at Xiaosheng Bamboo Garden. Sitting opposite each other under the soft lamplight, Jiang Liu smiled and asked, "Why do your clothes match mine so well today?"
Yu Ran said, "After all, he's the second-in-command of the studio, so his aesthetics should be on par with the first-in-command."
The two of them ate stir-fried 5A snowflake beef balls, not steak. Jiang Liu was afraid of eating steak because the meat was fishy and red when cut, which was very disgusting.
The dish "Three Rhymes of the Lotus Pond" is made with water chestnuts, lotus petals, and lychees. As to why the lychees don't keep to themselves and stir up the lotus pond, no one can explain.
"Could it be that the remaining rhyme is actually soup instead of lychees?" Jiang Liu guessed and laughed continuously. He didn't like to drink greasy soup, so this soup was just to his liking. He couldn't help but add bowl after bowl.
Including the staple food and vegetables, there were four dishes for two people. We ate comfortably and drove to the next destination.
The weather is really nice today. It is sunny and not entangled with the heat. The wind and leaves are playing the games of "hitting dates" and "hitting locust flowers" that we played when we were children, and only knocked down pieces of coolness.
At the foot of Qiwu Mountain are Muyu Creek and Fengli Spring, both popular with tourists. It is said that these three scenic spots were the resting places of the auspicious phoenix.
Near the Fengli Spring lies a spring, its water gurgling ceaselessly. Legend has it that the phoenix not only refuses to drink from any other spring but also drinks from the spring's flowing water. Doesn't this magnificent legend imply that the water within the Fengli Spring is tainted with phoenix saliva?
Not far away, there were people selling spring water. Bamboo racks were lined with hangings. I could see crystal clear sunny dolls.
Looking closely, the water was actually poured into a crystal stone with no visible inlet! The water flowed brilliantly under the sunlight.
The queues were packed. This isn't superstition; locals truly believe it's divine dew, claiming it can dispel summer heat and drive away evil spirits. While the story gets more and more mysterious, it's always a good omen to seek.
Jiang Liu heeded the vendor's introduction. He was fascinated by all kinds of legends, especially folk tales. They were like the gentle wind and sudden rain in the empty mountains and deep valleys, or the gentle setting sun at the ancient temple in the suburbs, which could best lift his spirits.
However, there were too many people, and the modern atmosphere would destroy the atmosphere and sense of immersion. Jiang Liu was reluctant to leave, so he pushed Yu Ran's back to let him continue forward.
Yu Ran saw through him: "If you like me, I can show it right away."
Jiang Liu curled his lips and said, "No, it's too troublesome." But he still stood where he was.
"You just say whether you like it or not?"
"I like it." Jiang Liu said honestly.
Yu Ran, a large Shetland Sheepdog, plunged into the crowd of people, sweating profusely as he went back and forth. He held up his catch to show off, waiting for his beloved's praise.
"How did you do that!" Jiang Liu couldn't hide his shock and couldn't let go of the crystal pendant.
"Just answer the questions in advance on the official account," Yu Ran said cheerfully, "but the questions are random and you only have one chance." His tone was casual, implying that he was not showing off.
Jiang Liu said admiringly: "You are so smart!"
After all, Yu Ran's dog, the Shetland Sheepdog, is the most intelligent breed with a high level of ideological awareness. He doesn't need to eat or drink, but a word of praise can motivate him to fight for others.
Surrounding the stream is a semi-natural, semi-urban landscape corridor. There are two paths: one can follow the paved stone path into the secular world, or explore a different path into nature.
Of course, the two wanted to get away from the crowds. The scenery along this road was so beautiful that Jiang Liu couldn't stop taking photos. Yu Ran silently took out a Polaroid camera from his backpack.
Jiang Liu was overjoyed. Behind him was a waterfall, majestic and graceful like a white dragon. Jiang Liu was the embodiment of water. The water played intimately with him, soaking his hair. While Jiang Liu was tidying himself, Yu Ran had already pressed the shutter.
"I didn't take a good picture. Let's take another one." When Yu Ran showed the photo to Jiang Liu, the color had not yet fully developed. Jiang Liu didn't quite understand the principle and thought it was a waste of film. Little did he know that Yu Ran just wanted to keep the photo for himself.
After crossing the covered bridge, there is endless greenery and many people are flying kites on the lawn.
Jiang Liu felt itchy after watching this. There were so many gods descending from the sky, chickens and dogs achieving enlightenment, and old trees and ancient towers taking shape. It was very interesting.
It was a pity that the shoes he wore today were not suitable for hiking, not to mention that they would crease if he ran. Yu Ran had already rented a kite, an antique paper kite.
Yu Ran subconsciously reached into his backpack and pulled out a rubber band. Jiang Liu thought he was going to fly a kite himself, and tying the wolf tail would make it more convenient.
Jiang Liu had never seen Yu Ran tie his hair before, and was full of anticipation. He wanted to take the rubber band and help him tie it; but unexpectedly, Yu Ran held the rubber band with his hands and went around behind him. Before he could react, he felt the ribbon being pulled down.
Yu Ran grabbed a handful of Jiang Liu's hair and twirled it in his palm.
Yu Ran was so nervous that he had no idea how to adjust his hand gestures or how to hold the rubber band. You know, there's a certain type of person who can tie their own hair but can't do it for others, and Yu Ran couldn't do either.
He also had to avoid hurting Jiang Liu, so this step alone made his arms sore.
It's tied into a bun that's loose but tight.
Jiang Liu shook her hair bun, and shook her head to show two rejections, "You can play, the shoes I'm wearing today are not suitable for running."
Yu Ran's hand slipped into the backpack, and yes, he actually took out a pair of sneakers!
Jiang Liu: “?!”
Everything is ready.
Jiang Liu exclaimed, "What else is in your bag?"
"It's gone, really gone." Yu Ran took out two pairs of sunglasses.
"What do you want to do?" Jiang Liutong wore sunglasses, and their eyes merged quietly under the lenses.
"Make you feel it's worthwhile to give your time to me."
"That's true." Jiang Liu was full of joy.
We visited scenic spots, took photos, flew kites, and finally took a cable car up the mountain. It was my first time riding a cable car, and I was greeted by a stunning sunset.
The cable car is incredibly slow, its cable like the blade of a craftsman carving a shadow puppet. The knife moves as it pushes the leather, but never moves during carving, so the cable is meticulously stretched. Only the cable car slowly advances the scenery. A grand shadow puppet show unfolds in the world.
Look at the mountains, the water, the flowers, and the trees; look at the majestic, the vast, the beautiful, and the solemn.
Especially when the cable car rises above the waterfall, the water on the flat top of the mountain is pulled by the cliff and suddenly shrinks and expands, and the violent cracking sound shakes the sky.
Because it was a cable car going up the mountain, in the end we still had to watch the sky, the flowing clouds, and the crows circling in the evening.
Then I looked back at myself in the cable car. The two of us sat face to face, surrounded by glass on all sides, enveloping us both a hundred meters above the ground. It was a challenge that would require my heart to beat wildly a thousand times, my gaze to look at me ten thousand times, or I would never be able to return to land.
Yu Randing's guesthouse was halfway up Qiwu Mountain. The two of them enjoyed dinner—a tea feast—while enjoying the mountain views. Afterward, other tourists were enjoying bonfire dinners and barbecue parties. Jiang Liu, unwilling to smell the greasy smell, stayed away.
After a stroll to help digest the food, I returned to the B&B to soak in the indoor hot spring, with a projector next to me, while catching up on the latest episode of anime.
There are two options for hot springs: open-air and indoor. However, the open-air ones are public hot spring pools by default, which are unhygienic and lack privacy and atmosphere.
Yu Ran asked the front desk to bring two sets of swimming trunks and a yukata. The front desk also sent a fruit plate. Yu Ran hesitated whether to order wine, but decided not to. Both of them drank the wine immediately.
Yu Ran was carrying a fruit plate while Jiang Liu had already changed into his swimming trunks and entered the water. He had re-tied his hair himself, into a neater bun.
Even the skin as smooth as snow has a chilliness to it, and it feels cold to the eyes. I dare not look at it for too long, fearing that I might catch typhoid fever or snow blindness.
But he still made up his mind and burned two holes in the man's back with his eyes.
No matter whether Jiang Liu is made of water or snow, Yu Ran is made of raging fire, and when he burns, he becomes ferocious and unreasonable.
Jiang Liu spread his arms over the edge of the pool. The hotter the water, the cooler the pebbles.
"Eat something." Yu Ran placed the fruit plate next to Jiang Liu. It was a platter of various berries. Jiang Liu picked up a bright red raspberry, lingering on his lips for a moment before sinking between his teeth.
In the darkness of the night, he looked like a bloodthirsty ghost, but he was just a fledgling ghost, so he wasn't scary.
Yu Ran slid down close to the edge of the pool, splashing water onto his face. He looked at his own snake-like tail twisting in the water, then at Jiang Liu's upper body, straight and slender like a jade seal. He felt extremely shy and forced himself to blame the hot spring water for his blush.
The hot spring not only boiled people, but also the chirping of insects outside the window. Not only was Yu Ran peeking, but Jiang Liu's eyes were also malicious.
He admitted that he hadn't seen this body for a long time and even missed it a little.
Especially since Yu Ran didn't have her hair tied up, the wet ends of her hair clung to his shoulders, neck, and chest. Jiang Liu felt dizzy from the heat, imagining those golden threads were actually his own fingers.
"Thank you, I had a lot of fun today." Jiang Liu shook off the water and immediately forgot what he said as soon as he said it. Don't let it be nonsense.
"Just be happy, but give me twenty-four hours. To be honest, I haven't used up all of it yet."
When two people look at each other, their eyes are like buttons finding the buttonhole, tightly pinned together, protecting each other and not slipping into places where the other person should not be looked at inappropriately.
If both of them blush, you can pick them and eat them. Eating them will cause poisoning and make you sick with lovesickness.
"Today was really fun, but I was so sleepy, especially after soaking in the hot spring until I felt dizzy." Jiang Liu put a hot towel on his face, wiped it with his head tilted back, and gathered all the bangs in front of him.
…
"Don't sleep, watch for a while." Yu Ran rewinded the progress bar a little. Who is this person? Rewind a little more. Hiss? Where did this holy weapon come from?
"Hmm. Who is this person?" Jiang Liu asked.
The two of them didn't even look at each other!
"So," after soaking in the hot spring, Yu Ran looked at Jiang Liu, who looked refreshed after having his hair blown dry, "didn't you say you were sleepy?"
Jiang Liu crossed his legs and bent his legs, acting like a tumbler, and said he wanted to start a game.
"No need to fight. I'll take you to a nice place." Yu Ran took the phone away and pulled him out of the B&B.
Both of them were wearing a half-yukata, half-pajamas outfit, and slippers. Qiwu Mountain is at a low altitude, and from the midpoint, you ascend the steps. At the summit, there's a pavilion, a tea table, and several tents with lanterns. This appears to be the management area for the B&B.
Here, they could see the pointed red roof of the homestay, so they sat down on the lawn.
Yu Ran and Jiang Liu leaned against the grass and trees, looking up at the starry sky.
"Look—" he said, pointing his finger in the distance, causing a few stars to flash strangely.
The Milky Way is too shallow, the moonlight has receded, and the wandering stars have all become shells on the sand. White, vast, and dazzling.
Yu Ran wanted to take the opportunity to express his love by saying “The moon is so beautiful tonight”, but seeing Jiang Liu’s fascinated expression, he realized that no good night or good time could compare to the one beside him.
So, if Yu Ran wants to confess his love, he will definitely say, "The moonlight tonight is not as beautiful as you."
"I rarely look at the stars. I rarely have the time to look at them carefully like this." Jiang Liu hugged his knees, a small one, as if hugging his childhood self. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Ran said, "Yes, life is always so busy. After living for more than 20 years, my memory of the starry sky is still blank."
Jiang Liu felt nostalgic and asked, "By the way, how was the project you mentioned last time?"
He blinked and began to read the stars. The starry sky held so many mysteries, perhaps one of them was actually writing their future.
"I'll just do the project. Whether it succeeds or not is up to fate. Now..."
"What now?" Jiang Liu closed his eyes, his mind wandering far away, and he answered unconsciously.
"Now I just want to cherish everything in front of me." Yu Ran swallowed his saliva, "Jiang Liu, I..."
He glanced at Jiang Liu quickly and nervously.
To complete the second half of the sentence, the smoldering heartbeat was noisy, not fitting the tranquility of the night. Only the struggling sound of panting, one heavier than the other, could be heard, like a buoy on the river, testing whether a fish had taken a bite.
"Jiang Liu?" He finally made up his mind to turn his head to look at him, but found that he was sleeping with his face tilted up like that!
His hands still hugged his knees stubbornly, not letting go.
Yu Ran was afraid that he was not asleep yet, so she leaned over to listen to his breathing. His breath was warm and gentle, caressing Yu Ran's lips.
Yu Ran sighed and carried him back to the B&B.
Jiang Liu woke up halfway, and because of the shaking, he found himself in Yu Ran's arms. It was so warm and so tear-jerking.
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