There are several huge rocks and a forest on the top of the mountain. The spring water flowing out of the cracks in the rocks gathers into a small pool. This spring water does not dry up even in the dry season. It flows down the mountain along the cracks in the rocks and gathers into the largest river in Tianshui Village, nourishing generations of Tianshui villagers.
In winter, the pond is filled with a light mist, the weeds and shrubs on the top of the mountain grow particularly lush, and some wild vegetables that can only be seen in spring also emerge. At this time, the weeds are withered and yellow, and the purple and green bracken poke their heads out from the weeds, making them particularly easy to find.
In the early morning, the fern sprouts out of the soil with a fist-like head, only as long as a little finger. When the sun rises, the fern stretches out its body, growing longer and longer, almost as tall as a chopstick, strong and tender. The fern grows fast and ages fast. If you don't pinch it on the first day, the fist-like head will stretch out leaves on the second day, and the fern will also age.
Xie Zhao carried Cheng Yaoyao all the way up the mountain, with a little sweat on his forehead. He put down his hatchet and basket, scooped up water from the spring and drank it in one gulp, then washed his face.
Cheng Yaoyao was enjoying the scenery on the mountain leisurely. He found two ferns by the pond. They were plump and strong, and the leaves on top were somewhat stretched out. Cheng Yaoyao reached out and plucked them at the root, put them in his small basket, and said, "We came up so late, the ferns are almost old."
Xie Zhao asked, "Who is the one who is dawdling?"
"It's all your fault." Cheng Yaoyao said righteously, "You should have walked faster."
Xie Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, with drops of water running down his deep eyebrows and nose. He looked handsome and fierce: "You can go down the mountain by yourself."
"...No." Cheng Yaoyao's tone softened again, "Let's have a competition. Whoever finds the most ferns will carry the other person down the mountain."
Xie Zhao's eyes fell on her thin and graceful shoulders. She couldn't even carry a stubborn shoulder, yet she dared to boast.
"Let's compete." Cheng Yaoyao's pair of peach blossom eyes sparkled with cunningness that said "I know you can't refuse me."
Xie Zhao thought, who would be willing to reject her?
The top of the mountain was flat, and the two of them each took one side to look for ferns. Cheng Yaoyao used a stick to pick at the grass, but he didn't find any ferns for a long time. Xie Zhao had already picked a small bundle.
Cheng Yaoyao ran over to take a look and asked, "Why is this fern purple?"
Xie Zhao said: "Purple fragrance."
The bracken in Tianshui Village is only half the thickness of a chopstick, and comes in two colors: purple and green. The purple bracken is thicker, bitter and tender, while the green bracken has thin stems, gets old easily and has no flavor, so the people of Tianshui Village prefer to eat the purple bracken.
Cheng Yaoyao said domineeringly: "There are a lot of ferns here. I'll look for them here, and you go over there."
Xie Zhao liked her coquettish look the most, and he smiled and walked to the side. Cheng Yaoyao secretly watched him looking for bracken, and saw Xie Zhao standing in the place where Cheng Yaoyao had found nothing just now, and with a casual glance, he picked up a lot of bracken from the bushes.
Cheng Yaoyao held his breath and, following his previous experience of finding mushrooms, he glanced into the bushes and indeed saw a few bracken roots sticking out. But there were more broken stalks of bracken, with fresh juice still oozing out of the broken ends, all of which were just pinched off by Xie Zhao.
Cheng Yaoyao felt that she had been fooled, so she ran back to Xie Zhao and decided to switch places with him. As soon as she spoke, Xie Zhao turned around and looked at her: "Why are you so clingy?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao felt even more aggrieved: "I won't..."
A gentle kiss landed on the top of her head, with a little warmth. Xie Zhao looked dotingly and said, "Be good."
Cheng Yaoyao's cheeks immediately felt hot, and his whole body felt numb as if an electric shock had passed through it. He could not get up and said, "I can't even find any bracken."
Xie Zhao glanced at her basket, understood, and put the small bundle of ferns in his hand into the empty basket. He took out his hatchet and chopped up a pile of dead bushes, clearing them aside. From the dark soil and grass debris underneath, countless thick and plump ferns emerged, each as tall as a chopstick.
It's a treasure! There are ferns everywhere, but they are hidden under the weeds.
Xie Zhao cleared two more bushes and ordered, "Just pinch them here and don't run around. I'll go put down two condoms."
Cheng Yaoyao asked: "Catching rabbits?"
"Well." Xie Zhao gave another instruction, "Don't run around. There are some traps here."
"Got it!" Cheng Yaoyao's attention was all attracted by the fern.
She happily dropped the basket and started picking ferns left and right. Soon she had filled half the basket. All the ferns on the ground were picked down to the stems, and some small ferns had just sprouted. These small ferns were only as tall as fingers and were very plump and tender. They would grow as tall as chopsticks tomorrow, and she could harvest another crop.
Cheng Yaoyao turned to another empty space, picking ferns while thinking about what to cook. The first batch of ferns can naturally be fried to taste fresh, and can also be made into Korean side dishes for preservation. Ferns are rich in starch and can be made into fern root powder, which is also a life-saving food in times of famine.
Picking is addictive, and Cheng Yaoyao became more and more excited as she picked, forgetting Xie Zhao's instructions. She finished picking the two empty spaces Xie Zhao had marked out, and then she saw a few particularly lush ferns in the bushes on one side, so she walked over.
The bushes were green and very tall. Cheng Yaoyao imitated Xie Zhao's movements and stretched out her foot to push the branches aside. She stepped down but didn't reach the bottom. Before she could react, she stepped on empty air and suddenly slipped.
"Ah!" Cheng Yaoyao screamed and fell on her back, crushing a bunch of dry grass. Cheng Yaoyao was staring at the sky in a daze, and then she felt her coat quickly become heavy, and wet water soaked her body.
What the hell is this? Cheng Yaoyao subconsciously shouted: "Xie Zhao!"
The next second, Xie Zhao appeared in her sight.
He was holding a condom in his hand and breathing rapidly. His tense eyes suddenly turned into laughter when he saw Cheng Yaoyao's appearance at this moment.
Cheng Yaoyao was embarrassed and ashamed, and said angrily: "Hurry up and pull me up!"
Xie Zhao lifted Cheng Yaoyao up. The bushes beneath her were crushed, and underneath was a ditch, with gurgling spring water being diverted from the small pond. The ditch was filled with dead leaves and mud, and Xie Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, as Cheng Yaoyao was at least not injured.
Cheng Yaoyao's face was intact, white and beautiful, but her back and hair were soaked, dirty with grass clippings and twigs, like a precious cat that had fallen into a ditch.
Xie Zhao picked the leaves off her hair and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"My feet hurt, and my hands hurt too." Cheng Yaoyao stretched out his hand.
There were a few scratches on the back of her white and slender hands. Xie Zhao frowned distressedly and said, "Go wash it."
Xie Zhao held Cheng Yaoyao by his hand. She had twisted her ankle and was limping. The two walked to the edge of the pond and carefully washed the grass and dirt off her hands. A little blood oozed from the wounds. Xie Zhao said, "We have to go home and disinfect them."
Cheng Yaoyao felt so uncomfortable that his whole body was covered with hair, and he could feel dirty water flowing down his back: "My body is itchy."
"It's Liang, right?" Xie Zhao said.
"It's cold and uncomfortable. The water stinks!" Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie Zhao, almost crying: "What should I do?"
Xie Zhao touched her coat, which was completely wet, and black dirty water was coming out. Xie Zhao took off his coat and said, "Put it on first, we will go home immediately."
Cheng Yaoyao just moved a little and she felt cold all over. Her clothes, soaked with dirty water, felt cold and heavy: "It's so cold... and what if others see me like this!" Her image in the eyes of the villagers has always been impeccable!
Xie Zhao said: "Your hands need to be disinfected."
Cheng Yaoyao crossed his arms, showing a resolute and tragic expression: "I would rather die in beauty."
Xie Zhao looked at her for a long time and sighed: "Take it off."
There is a large rock blocking the view of the pond. The sound of water and the mist are lingering, which makes people think more.
Xie Zhao was wearing a tight black sweater, with his sleeves rolled up, squatting by the pond. He stared at the clothes in his hands, which were soft and fragrant. He soaked the clothes in the water for a few times, scrubbed them clean, and hung them over the fire to dry.
The thick coat was particularly dirty and took on most of the mud. Xie Zhao scrubbed it carefully and washed it with full concentration. His big hands made a mistake and the thick coat, which was soaked with water, squeezed out water. In two strokes, it was squeezed dry and hung on the rocks to dry.
He let out a long sigh and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. Only then did he dare to pay attention to the movements behind the rocks.
There is no sound of water.
Xie Zhao raised his eyes and looked over, his heart suddenly trembling heavily.
In the lingering mist, Cheng Yaoyao poked her head out from behind a rock. Her wet black hair was scattered on her shoulders, her skin was white and her lips were red, and there was a teardrop mole under her peach eyes that was washed by water and was still clear, giving her a breathtaking beauty.
She clung to the rocks and said aggrievedly, "Are my clothes dry?"
Xie Zhao took a long time to find his voice again, and said in a harsh voice: "It should be... OK."
The close-fitting clothes dried up quickly, and after Cheng Yaoyao put them on, he came out holding Xie Zhao's coat. Xie Zhao's coat covered Cheng Yaoyao, like a child secretly wearing adult clothes, tightly wrapping Cheng Yaoyao up, with the hem hanging down to his knees, and a pair of jade-white ankles were straight and slender.
Sweaters and pants are not easy to dry. Cheng Yaoyao sat next to Xie Zhao, stretched out his hands to warm the fire, and said aggrievedly: "It's so cold."
Xie Zhao asked, "Will you dare to run around again in the future?"
"..." Cheng Yaoyao glanced to the side, his moist black eyelashes trembling with a hint of charm.
Xie Zhao swallowed his words of admonition, took her hand in his palm and rubbed it to warm her hand. Cheng Yaoyao's fingers were slender without visible joints, and her ten fingers were pointed, just like her appearance, which was rare and beautiful.
They were both picking bracken. Xie Zhao's fingers and finger joints were all dyed brown by the juice, while Cheng Yaoyao's nails were still clean and shiny like crystal. The back of his hand was also white and flawless...
Xie Zhao paused and carefully wiped the back of Cheng Yaoyao's hand. It was still white and flawless, and the few scratches just now were completely gone. Not to mention the scratches today, even the landslide that happened that time, when Cheng Yaoyao dug his nails to save him and his hands were covered with scars, there was no trace left.
In the past, he only thought that it was the effect of rhino horn, but now many doubts came to his mind, and Xie Zhao looked at the hand over and over again.
Cheng Yaoyao's fingers twitched itchyly, and he finally noticed Xie Zhao's gaze. His body froze and he immediately pulled his hand back and hid it behind his back.
Xie Zhao's eyes were filled with mixed emotions, but his tone was calm as usual: "Sister, does your foot still hurt? Let me rub it for you."
"No...my feet don't hurt anymore." Cheng Yaoyao's pair of white and tender feet were originally stepping on Xie Zhao's shoes, but now his toes curled up nervously and he backed away.
Xie Zhao grabbed one of her ankles and pulled her over. Her ankle was as white and smooth as jade, slender and straight, without any sign of sprain.
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