Chapter 8
Jiang Bai thought as she tied the rubber band, then spread the towel flat and stuffed it into her back. She was sweating so much that her long sleeves were soaked. To avoid catching a cold, Jiang Bai had to use the towel she had originally prepared for bathing as a sweat towel.
Lan Shuqing just watched her fix her hair. When her hair was down, Jiang Bai's face looked very small. Lan Shuqing was a little curious. What kind of person was Jiang Bai?
When Jiang Bai wiped the sweat off his back and was about to look up, Lan Shuqing looked away first. She stood up and suddenly saw that Jiang Bai's head was steaming. She laughed, "Jiang Bai, your head is so hot that it's smoking..."
Jiang Bai wiped the sweat from her forehead again. It was no longer wet after she had just wiped it, but she was still sweating. "It's okay, I'll be fine after a rest."
Lan Shuqing looked at her, thinking that Jiang Bai shouldn't catch a cold like this, right?
"Come, eat something first." Jiang Bai pushed the roast duck towards Lan Shuqing, then took a piece himself. "I won't be polite."
Lan Shu looked at her like this and smiled, "You're welcome." Then he started to work as well.
I'm so tired after climbing up the mountain, why should I be polite?
In this way, the two of them finished half a roast duck with mineral water and ate a few small pieces of bread before they slowly recovered. Jiang Bai leaned on the railing, drank the water and threw the bottle into the trash can. She stood up and stretched her thighs and calves, and rubbed them twice before she felt the soreness was not so severe.
People climbed up one after another. This place is called the second stop, the top of the Ninety-nine Turns. A girl climbed up and lay on the railing staring down, as if waiting for someone. However, no one came up, and the girl began to call her companions' names.
Jiang Bai smiled. It seemed that this girl was quite fast at climbing.
After a while, two foreigners came up, a man and a woman. They looked strong and didn't seem very tired after climbing up. The first thing they did when they came up was to buy some water. Jiang Bai stared at the two people going back and forth with the proprietress, as they seemed unable to communicate much.
Lan Shuqing saw Jiang Bai staring at a certain place. After drinking her water, she also looked in that direction. She also saw that the foreigner and the proprietress were not communicating well, and no one around wanted to go up to help. Lan Shuqing had an idea and walked towards the three people.
After Lan Shuqing went over, Jiang Bai saw Lan Shuqing greet the foreigners with a few words and ask what they wanted, and then conveyed the message to the proprietress, and the transaction was completed in a few minutes.
As expected of a scholar, Jiang Bai stretched his back and arms, sat down again, and began to lie down.
Lan Shuqing walked back and saw Jiang Bai lazily leaning against the railing, his slender waist faintly visible under his white T-shirt. She stared at him for two seconds before looking away and said to Jiang Bai, "Jiang Bai, I'm going to the bathroom."
Jiang Bai nodded and looked after the bag for Lan Shuqing.
The girl's companions finally climbed up, there were two girls again. The three of them came over and sat opposite Jiang Bai. Jiang Bai looked outside and saw a vast expanse of white fog with a few drops of rain.
Jiang Bai realized it was drizzling. Fortunately, it wasn't pouring. Although she didn't have a hat, her coat was still warm enough to cover her head. She just didn't know if Lan Shuqing had one.
Just as she was thinking, Lan Shuqing had already returned. She looked up at Lan Shuqing, who seemed to have fixed his hair or something, and looked even better. Jiang Bai was stunned for a moment, then straightened up and asked, "Lan Shuqing, do you have a hat? It's raining..."
Lan Shuqing stood outside the pavilion. The air was a little damp. It turned out to be raining. She bent down and took out a beret from her bag. "I brought it."
Jiang Bai nodded, "That's good."
It's a little rain so there's no need to use an umbrella. A hat is just right.
"Shall we sit for a while?"
Lan Shu chuckled, "Okay." She hadn't fully rested yet.
After sitting for about ten minutes, the two foreigners had already set off. They seemed to be in good physical condition, while the three girls were still resting. During this time, a group of people walking together came up, four men and three women, three couples and a boy, all resting in the pavilion or nearby.
Jiang Bai and Lan Shuqing packed up and set off again. Jiang Bai still had a bottle of water left in her bag, and Lan Shuqing's previous bottle was half empty. They still had more than half the distance to go, and the task was arduous. However, Jiang Bai would not say this on her own initiative. After all, she told Lan Shuqing that they had already walked more than half the distance.
Starting from the second stop, the road was easy, mostly flat or downhill, which meant they had to climb stairs again later.
There was no conversation along the way. About twenty minutes later, the two began to climb the stairs again. It was obviously not as difficult as the ninety-nine turns just now. However, their legs were still sore, so they did not climb very fast. As a result, the four men and three women they met at the second stop caught up with them and reached the third stop before them.
The third stop is also a famous temple on Damei Mountain, but Jiang Bai didn’t have much perception of it, and Lan Shuqing had even less. There was a memorial archway at the gate of the third stop, which exuded solemnity. The bluestone road went straight forward. Turning right was the road ahead, and going up the stairs on the left was the temple gate of the third stop.
Lan Shu leaned lightly on the bamboo stick and looked at the huge third stop. It was much larger than the temples they had seen before. She wanted to take a picture, but it probably didn't look very good now, so she gave up. She still had the burden of beauty.
Jiang Bai didn't even want to take pictures. She just wanted to go up and find a place to sit.
The two walked to the front of the temple gate. There was a long bench for passers-by to rest. The two sat on the bench on the left side of the temple gate. The seven people were ready to leave, and Jiang Bai also saw the two foreigners who were communicating with the monks in the temple.
It is cold in the mountains, and the monks are wearing cotton jackets. They are not like the otherworldly monks in TV dramas, but instead have a worldly air.
Jiang Bai noticed that there seemed to be hot water next to those people. She put down her backpack and walked over there. She saw free boiled water and ginger soup, and they also thoughtfully prepared paper cups. It seemed that the mountain was very cold, and these temples were well built. She took a glass of boiled water and a glass of ginger soup, and carried the two glasses of water back.
Lan Shuqing looked at the two glasses of water in her hands, unable to see what they were, until Jiang Bai handed her the glass in his right hand. "Here's some ginger soup, drink some to warm yourself up."
Ginger soup? Lan Shuqing looked at the yellow liquid in confusion. This wasn't the ginger soup she remembered, but it shouldn't be a problem since it was what Jiang Bai had given her. Lan Shuqing took it. It was warm, and her hands felt warm too. She took a sip carefully, and a spicy taste rushed straight to her throat and forehead. She swallowed it down, suppressing the taste, and then looked up at Jiang Bai.
Her eyes were wet, as if she had suffered some injustice. Seeing her like this, Jiang Bai smiled awkwardly, "The ginger soup here is probably made directly with ginger slices, without adding anything else. The taste may be a bit strong, but it can definitely drive away the cold. You drink it first, and I'll get you something to eat after you finish." As he said that, he took out a sausage from his backpack and handed it to Lan Shuqing.
Lan Shuqing looked at Jiang Bai. Although the taste wasn't very good, she felt warmer after taking a sip. She endured the taste and took two more sips. Then she couldn't drink any more. "Jiang Bai, give it to you. I can't drink any more."
Jiang Bai took it and said, "Okay, then you eat something to get rid of the smell." Jiang Bai drank the glass of water first, and then drank the glass of ginger soup. She no longer cared that Lan Shu had already drunk it, and then she drank it in two gulps.
The taste was really unpleasant. Jiang Bai almost vomited the first mouthful, but she held it back. Lan Shuqing had already drunk it, so she couldn't show her weakness. Then Jiang Bai endured the nausea and drank the rest of the ginger soup. Fortunately, she didn't take much, otherwise she really wouldn't be able to finish it.
The two rested for a while and then continued on their journey. The two foreigners stayed at the third stop, and it seemed that they had a reservation. Jiang Bai vaguely heard them talking, and it seemed that there were several other people together, and there was someone specifically to receive them.
The sky gradually darkened. Although it was only five o'clock, there was no sunshine in the mountains. It was full of fog and light rain, which slowly fell, blocking the eyes of pedestrians. The next stop was the fourth stop. It was said that there was a longevity slope on the way from the third stop to the fourth stop. I wonder if I can really live a long life after walking this slope.
Lan Shuqing didn't know whether she would live a long life or not, but when she passed a bend, she saw a fiery red tree. The fruits on the tree were red, with only fruits but no leaves. They hung on the branches, looking very beautiful. The fruits were crystal clear, like rubies.
Lan Shuqing walked behind Jiang Bai. They had been walking for almost five or six hours from the beginning to now, and with the rest time in between, it was also six or seven hours. However, Jiang Bai didn't seem to be tired at all, and his pace was even getting steadier.
Lan Shuqing stood on the stone steps in front of the fruit tree, surrounded by dense woods. The damp air filled her nostrils, but her body was warm and she could even feel her muscles jumping.
The bluestone slabs were covered with fallen leaves, but there was no sound when stepped on. Realizing that the person behind her had not caught up, Jiang Bai turned around and saw Lan Shu staring at the tree with red fruits in a daze. It was the first time she had seen that kind of tree. It was a veritable bright spot in the green mountains and forests.
But Lan Shuqing, standing on the bluestone road, with her beret covering half of her face, revealing the delicate lower half, wearing a short windbreaker and with a slender figure, looked good no matter how you looked at her. Jiang Bai was silent for a moment, then she walked back and stood beside Lan Shuqing.
Lan Shuqing felt someone beside him, and when he looked over, he met Jiang Bai's clear eyes, without a trace of fatigue.
"Does it look good?" Jiang Bai asked with a smile.
Lan Shuqing also smiled and nodded, "It looks good."
The two looked at each other and continued to walk forward. Jiang Bai walked side by side with her. "Are you tired? If you are, we can take a break."
Lan Shu chuckled, "I'm fine," and then she deliberately moved closer to Jiang Bai, "Sister, I'm younger than you." She also has better physical strength than Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai was a little stunned by the sudden call of "sister". This kid was really something. "Okay, you're younger than me. If you feel tired, just tell us. We're not in a hurry."
Lan Shu nodded slightly, she would seize the opportunity.
The road to the fourth stop was not difficult to walk. After about forty minutes, the two arrived at the fourth stop. They happened to see the seven people preparing to set off at the fourth stop. Apart from Jiang Bai and the seven people in front, they did not meet anyone else on the road.
It seems that only these two groups are continuing to move forward.
Jiang Bai and Lan Shuqing sat at the fourth stop for more than ten minutes. Jiang Bai wanted to find a place to go to the toilet. She saw the sign on the road ahead and thought she would go there when she left. When they were almost done, they walked forward. When they were about to leave the fourth stop, they saw the simple toilet.
"Lan Shuqing, are you going to the bathroom?" Jiang Bai looked at Lan Shuqing who was standing aside.
Lan Shuqing thought about it and decided that it was okay to go, as there was still a long way to go.
Jiang Bai came out earlier than Lan Shuqing. She put on her backpack. She had used the plastic bag to carry food before, and she had almost finished eating it on the way, so she took the plastic bag off the backpack and put it in the backpack. While zipping it up, Jiang Bai seemed to see something out of the corner of her eye.
In front of him was a bluestone road more than ten meters long, and then there were stairs leading upwards. There were railings on both sides of the bluestone road. At this time, two monkeys, one big and one small, were sitting on the railings and on the ground respectively, staring at Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai zipped up his bag, and the two monkeys bared their teeth at him, looking very ferocious. Thinking that the wild monkeys in Damei Mountain were going to snatch his bag, Jiang Bai quickly zipped up his bag, put on his backpack, and knocked on the floor with a bamboo stick, trying to scare the two monkeys away.
Although the bamboo sticks in their hands were used for support, they were also monkey-driving sticks.
In addition to the two monkeys in front of them, there was an old monkey at the intersection of the bluestone road and the steps ahead. It was probably a group of three monkeys coming to rob things. Seeing that Jiang Bai was alone, they came over, but they were afraid of the stick in Jiang Bai's hand. Because the two monkeys were right at the bathroom exit, Jiang Bai was afraid that Lan Shuqing would be attacked as soon as he came out. She took two steps forward, tapping with the stick in her hand, and shouting, "Go! Go! Go away!"
The little monkey on the ground glanced at the big monkey sitting on the railing, as if watching his expression. Jiang Bai kept knocking on the ground with a bamboo stick, and neither of them dared to come over.
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