Chapter 61 Where My Heart Finds Peace
"Dad! Mom! Hurry up!"
"I've arrived! It's so windy here!"
With inexhaustible energy, the little girl climbed to the highest point using both her hands and feet, becoming the first to arrive.
He excitedly waved his arms and shouted loudly to his parents who were still struggling to climb up below!
Kids have so much energy, they're so full of vitality!
Cheng Cheng looked at her daughter, her brows furrowing slightly. How could it still be so far?
It's so hard to climb!
She was already panting heavily from climbing, while Zhou Yue beside her only had slightly heavier breathing. She had long been well aware of the good stamina of men.
After finally climbing the last few steps, she could no longer support herself and collapsed onto the soft sand.
My chest heaved violently, like a fish washed ashore, greedily inhaling the air, too exhausted to utter a single word.
In stark contrast to her, Zhou Yue's breathing was only slightly heavier and deeper than usual, but he quickly regained his composure.
Fine beads of sweat glistened on the man's forehead, shimmering in the sunlight, yet his posture remained as upright as a pine tree, as if the climb he had just made was merely a routine warm-up.
"Mom, are you alright?"
The little girl knelt beside her mother, her bright, excited eyes now tinged with worry.
"I'm fine, I'll be fine after a rest." Cheng Cheng waved her hand, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red from overexertion, and her hair was wet with sweat and stuck to her cheeks.
"I don't think we should challenge the highest point; climbing up is too tiring."
While sliding down from the highest point might be exhilarating, it only lasts for a minute or two at most before it's over.
But climbing up from the bottom takes more than a few minutes. It's a steep climb, with one foot in the deep and one foot in the shallow, and it's also a climb uphill in the desert, which doubles the difficulty!
Little Lingxiao shook his head in disagreement upon hearing his mother's words, his little face full of seriousness: "Mom, what you said is wrong!"
The little girl's voice was clear and firm as she imitated the tone her father usually used to teach her, "Dad said that exploration and progress mean not being afraid of difficulties! We can't be defeated by any difficulties! We must face them head-on!"
"Victory will definitely be ours! It would be such a shame to give up the best view just because we're tired!"
The little one has clear logic and can refute others in a logical and reasoned way, with a series of well-reasoned arguments.
The little girl glanced at her father, then looked at her mother, tilted her head, and continued, "Besides, Dad doesn't look very tired! Mom, do you not exercise enough?"
Cheng Cheng: "..."
She glared at Zhou Yue, who was laughing beside her, and the next second she heard her daughter continue, "Mom, let's learn boxing with Dad tomorrow morning."
She's such a good daughter!
That's so filial!
Zhou Yue looked at his wife, who was slumped on the ground, looking both disheveled and adorable, and his daughter, who was speaking without restraint. One was exhausted and looked completely out of sorts, while the other was full of energy, spouting profound truths.
A gentle smile involuntarily spread across his eyes. He squatted down, looked his daughter in the eye, affirmed her courage, and helped his wife out of the predicament: "Xiaoxiao is right. Not being afraid of difficulties is a very good quality."
"However, Mom was very brave today. She didn't give up, right? Mom used her best effort to climb up, and we should praise her."
"Uh-huh!"
The little girl blinked her big eyes, thinking that what her father said made sense. She looked at her mother earnestly and said, "Mom, you're great!"
Cheng Cheng: "..."
Why does this feel even more awkward?
She couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead, giving Zhou Yue a look that was both funny and exasperating.
Zhou Yue received a signal of embarrassment and annoyance from his wife. He suppressed a laugh and quickly stood up.
To steer the conversation back to business, he pointed to the long slope beneath his feet and his tone returned to its usual composure: "I'll try it first to confirm whether the speed and landing point are safe. You guys wait for me up there."
He calmly placed the sandboard on the edge of the steep slope, carefully checking the edges and grips of the sandboard again to ensure that everything was in order.
I sat down steadily, gripped the ropes tightly with both hands, and leaned back slightly.
Seeing this, Cheng Cheng patted the little guy and instructed the little girl to give her father a push to help Zhou Yue.
The little girl's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this.
She immediately scrambled to her feet, rushed behind her father like a small cannonball, and pushed him with all her might.
The sudden thrust, combined with the potential energy of the steep slope, allowed Zhou Yue to use his own weight to propel the sandboard forward at a speed far exceeding expectations.
Like a silver lightning bolt, its figure grew smaller and smaller, leaving a clean trail across the golden sea of sand.
Wow! Daddy looks like he's flying!
Little Lingxiao jumped up excitedly and turned to look at his mother: "Mom, look!"
Zhou Yue slid a long way before stabilizing himself at the bottom of the slope and slowly coming to a stop. He looked back at the long gliding trajectory and had already made his calculations.
Carrying his sandboard, he steadily climbed the dune once again.
"dad!"
Little Lingxiao couldn't wait to run to his father.
Cheng Cheng remained seated on the sand, watching her daughter run towards Zhou Yue. The father and daughter then joined hands and climbed up from below.
It's astonishing how terrifying a child's energy is!
Zhou Yue held his daughter's hand and walked step by step toward his wife, his tone calm and serious, carrying a reassuring strength:
"Based on the initial estimate of speed, slope and wind speed, if the weight is too light, it is easy to lose balance at high speed and may tip over."
“So,” Zhou Yue looked down at his daughter, “Xiaoxiao, you can’t play by yourself. You’re too light. You need to be supported. You must be held by your father or mother to ensure your safety.”
Little Lingxiao understood what his father meant, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.
I really want to grow up quickly!
"Alright, Zhou Yue, you take Xiaoxiao out for a ride." Cheng Cheng stood up, supporting herself on the sand, patted the sand off her hands, and smiled gently, "I'll push you guys!"
"Yay!"
The little girl immediately stopped worrying and called for her father to put down the sandboard.
With her father's help, she carefully sat in front of the sandboard, her small body trembling slightly with excitement and a little nervousness.
Zhou Yue sat down behind her, his strong and reliable arms wrapping around his daughter from behind, holding her firmly in his arms, forming an absolute protective circle.
"Xiaoxiao, hold on tight to the rope," Cheng Cheng reminded the little girl, then asked in a light voice, "Comrade Da Zhou, Comrade Xiao Zhou, are you ready?"
"Ready!"
Little Lingxiao deserves a resounding reply!
"Three, two, one—launch!"
Cheng Cheng gave a strong push, and Zhou Yue, holding his daughter, slid down the sandboard quickly.
"Wow!"
Xiao Lingxiao instinctively gripped his father's arm and let out a sharp, bright scream mixed with a hint of fear.
The wind whistled in their ears as they slid down quickly. Zhou Yue hugged his daughter tightly, comforting her through the wind, "Don't be afraid, Daddy's here."
Xiao Lingxiao's body relaxed slightly, and then her fear was instantly replaced by an unprecedented sense of freedom. She exclaimed, "Dad, I feel like a bird!"
"It can fly!"
Zhou Yue could clearly feel his daughter in his arms go from tense to relaxed, and then to excited. Listening to his daughter's innocent words, he couldn't help but smile.
Cheng Cheng watched as the two figures, one large and one small, clung to each other, speeding down the arc of the sand dune slope, finally coming to a slow stop in the distance. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
A happy smile involuntarily appeared on her face. Although climbing the hill was tiring, it was all worth it to come out and have fun, seeing Xiaoxiao's happy face.
When Zhou Yue led his daughter up the long sand dune once again, the little girl's face was as red as a ripe apple, rosy and flushed.
Little Lingxiao let go of his father's hand and ran towards his mother with his short legs.
She practically jumped into her mother's arms, excitedly sharing her joy: "Mom! Sandboarding is so much fun! Whoosh, it felt like Dad and I were flying!"
After chattering away, the little girl suddenly remembered something, looked up at Cheng Cheng earnestly, and said, "Mommy! Now it's your turn to play!"
Looking into her daughter's bright, expectant eyes, Cheng Cheng smiled and nodded: "Okay, Mom will try too."
This time, the roles were reversed, and the little girl was still sitting in front of the sandboard, held tightly in her mother's arms.
Zhou Yue walked behind them, firmly gripping the edge of the sandboard with both hands, his voice tinged with amusement: "Ready?"
"Ready!"
The mother and daughter shouted in unison.
A new wave of exclamations and laughter echoed once more across this golden sea of sand, their silvery laughter carrying far and wide across the dunes.
As they slid to the bottom of the slope, a golden wave of sand surged up. Due to inertia, their bodies lurched forward. Cheng Cheng gripped the rope tightly, clamped her legs around her daughter, and brought the vehicle to a stop.
"This is so much fun!"
Little Lingxiao climbed out of the sand, his face flushed and his hair full of sand, but he was excitedly waving his arms and legs.
After playing three rounds, Cheng Cheng finally ran out of energy.
She slumped onto the soft sand, not wanting to get up and climb the slope again.
"I can't go on... You two, father and daughter, go ahead and play. I'll cheer you on!"
Zhou Yue and his daughter played a few more rounds. They then found another sand dune that was slightly lower and easier to climb.
After Xiao Lingxiao had had his fill of playing, the family of three found a crescent-shaped sheltered sand dune at the foot of the dunes.
Zhou Yue spread the old bed sheet he brought on the sand, and the three of them sat down on the ground and began a simple picnic.
The wind in the Gobi Desert is blocked by the sand dunes, leaving only the azure sky and warm sunshine overhead, as you eat scallion pancakes with cool boiled water.
Xiao Lingxiao recovered his energy very quickly. After eating a scallion pancake and drinking a few sips of water, he was full of energy again.
Unable to sit still, she ran to the flat, fine sand next to the sandpit, squatted down, stretched out her index finger, and began her creation.
This hobby originated from the family portrait Cheng Cheng drew in the sand during the last tree planting trip. After digging up several buckets of sand from the desert, the little girl fell in love with writing and drawing in the sand.
She drew three little people of different heights with crooked lines. The shortest one was walking in front, while the two taller ones were leaning against each other behind, supporting each other. The painting was titled "Climbing".
Little Lingxiao glanced back at his parents before continuing to work on his second painting, his face beaming with focus and satisfaction.
Cheng Cheng and Zhou Yue did not disturb her. The man leaned back against the sand wall, closed his eyes slightly, and Cheng Cheng gently rested her head on his strong shoulder.
Her fingers naturally intertwined with his, gently playing with his long, slender, and well-defined fingers, before she looked up.
Looking at his closed eyes, still showing signs of fatigue on his profile, I couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. At the same time, I joked, "I never thought that someone as energetic as Engineer Zhou would ever be so exhausted?"
See? Anyone who takes care of kids knows that children have boundless energy, and even the most capable person can't withstand their antics!
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue opened his eyes, lowered his head slightly, and finally rested his head on Cheng Cheng's lap.
The movement was sudden, yet incredibly natural.
Cheng Cheng chuckled softly. Her free hand naturally rose and landed on the man's brow bone, blocking the glaring sunlight.
Zhou Yue closed his eyes and let out a satisfied, almost sighing sound.
Cheng Cheng's fingertips gently ran through his slightly messy hair, massaging it lightly.
The tranquility of this moment, even many years later, will still bring a sense of happiness when recalled occasionally.
The vastness of the sky and earth, the gentle breeze, the bright sun, the golden sand, and the blue sky—this scene is not unique to one person. In a daze, Cheng Cheng felt the same state of mind Su Shi had when he wrote the Ode to the Red Cliff.
As the wind swept across the sand dunes, Cheng Cheng looked at her beloved resting peacefully on her lap, her daughter painting not far away, and then at this world that seemed to belong only to the three of them. A huge sense of satisfaction suddenly welled up in her heart.
She had never seen the river and moon described by Su Shi, yet at this moment, she resonated with the same open-mindedness as Su Zizhan from thousands of years ago.
Happiness is probably just like this: though the world is vast, home is where my heart finds peace.
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Author's Note: See you tomorrow.
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