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Chapter 89 - 89: Nighttime on the Mountain
Chapter 89 - 89: Nighttime on the Mountain
Chapter 89: Nighttime on the Mountain
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Xiaowan clicked her tongue and thought to herself, ‘If 1 wasn’t worried about tiring this ungrateful man, would I be so considerate?’
The group had rested before they hiked up the mountain. It was already close to midnight when they began their hike. However, the liveliness of the people in the surroundings made people forget about the time.
Gu Yuwu took a few photos before she stuffed her camera in her back. After that, she stuffed her bag into Qin Yanchuan’s hands and patted him on the head as she said, “Don’t fall too far behind. 1’11 take more photos after we’ve walked for a bit.”
Qin Yanchuan hugged her and kissed her before he said, “Are you looking down on your husband? 1 hold the record of carrying your things for more than ten kilometers!”
Mount An was not very high in altitude, but Lin Xiaowan’s stamina was really poor. In the beginning, she could still stride forward valiantly, but it did not take long before her legs started aching.
In the beginning, there was a long slope, and it was easy to walk. However, strictly speaking, this part of the journey could not be considered climbing the mountain.
After walking for ten minutes and climbing a few steps, the path suddenly became narrow. Next to the street lamp, there was a blue street sign.
[Congratulations on reaching the starting point. There are still 6,217 steps waiting for you!]
Lin Xiaowan’s eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, “If this is the starting point, then what was it before? The road to the starting point?”
Huo Zheng handed Lin Xiaowan her water bottle so she could have a drink as he asked, “Tired?”
Lin Xiaowan took two sips and conveniently hung the water bottle around her neck. She stretched her arms and legs as she said, “I’m okay.”
After a moment, she added, “Six thousand steps don’t seem like a lot… How high is the mountain?”
“The mountain is not very high. It’s not very steep, and it’s not dangerous…”
Lin Xiaowan’s fighting spirit was reignited after hearing this, and she said, “Alright! Let’s go!”
Huo Zheng reached out and said, “Water bottle.”
Lin Xiaowan did not give it to him. “I can carry it. It’s more convenient this way.”
Huo Zheng did not insist this time. However, he kept an eye on her. As she walked the bottle would sway, and the strap would rub against her neck. It did not take long before a light red mark appeared at the back and sides of her neck. He was walking behind her so he saw everything clearly when they passed by the street lamps. After holding it in for a long time and seeing how uncomfortable she was, he could not help but take the water bottle from her.
Lin Xiaowan was puzzled. After all, it was just a water bottle. It was not hard to carry it. Nonetheless, she had to admit that it was more comfortable after he took the water bottle from her.
After more than an hour of walking and stopping, Lin Xiaowan felt that she could not move anymore. She was shocked when she discovered that among the four of them, she was the only one who was tired. The other three looked very relaxed.
‘How can this be?!’
The further they went up, they saw that apart from one or two peddlers at the designated areas, there were only the steps and the hikers. There were no more street lamps as well. Apart from the moonlight, the only source of light was the flashlight in the hikers’ hands.
Lin Xiaowan rested for two minutes before she looked at her current location on her phone. She almost fainted when she saw that she was still very close to the starting point. She had walked for more than an hour, but she had only advanced less than one centimeter on the mobile map.
‘No, this map is definitely inaccurate!’
“Are you tired?”
Upon hearing this, some kind of hidden energy surged up in Lin Xiaowan’s body. She raised her head, unwilling to admit defeat as she said loudly, “I’m not tired! 1 can do it!”
Gu Yuwu said, “It’s okay. If you can’t walk anymore, we can take a car up there.”
Lin Xiaowan was slightly tempted, but she quickly insisted she was not tired again. They had already started climbing. If she took a car now, she would feel as though she had climbed in vain so far. However, she also felt that the speed of climbing the mountain was very slow. Every time they took a break, she was the only one panting and gasping for breath. The other three also took care of her and accompanied her when she rested.
Lin Xiaowan felt a little apologetic for delaying the others so she said, “You don’t have to wait for me. You can go ahead first, and I’ll catch up to you.”
Huo Zheng only looked at her silently as he helped her tidy up her air.
“Don’t say that,” Gu Yuwu said with a smile, “Our main goal is to watch the sunrise, not climb the mountain. Climbing the mountain is just part of the journey. Riding the car up the mountain is also an experience. Moreover, 1 haven’t seen the mountain road at night.”
Lin Xiaowan was not very keen about taking a car up the mountain. They had been hiking in the dark so she assumed that there would be no street lamps if they drove up as well. She thought it would be dangerous driving without any street lamps to light their way. She did not notice that the path up the mountain for cars had street lamps when they passed by earlier.
Lin Xiaowan tried to reduce the time she took to rest and gritted her teeth as she continued to climb up silently. She was originally wearing a thin coat, but because it was too hot, she tried to remove it a few times. However, Huo Zheng kept stopping her. She naturally felt a little unhappy.
It was June now. The weather was good during the day, but at night, the mountain wind was cold.
Lin Xiaowan wore a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. She felt that her clothes were sweaty and sticking to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. She looked at the three people with a hint of admiration. They could even chat while they climbed the stairs. On the contrary, she felt as though she did not have enough oxygen. She really wished she could just lie on the ground and close her eyes at this moment.
Gu Yuwu held Lin Xiaowan’s hand and cheered the latter on. “You can do it. Let’s sit down and rest up ahead. 1’11 buy you an ice cream. Don’t worry about Huo Zheng.”
Huo Zheng had rejected Lin Xiaowan’s request to have ice cream earlier. He had filled her water bottle with warm water he had gotten from the peddlers earlier. She was naturally unwilling to drink the warm water. She was already feeling hot and sweaty in the first place.
Lin Xiaowan looked up and saw a bustling crowd at the end of the steps where a large resting area was located. After taking a seat, she touched the water bottle. Seeing that the water was no longer warm, she hurriedly drank from the bottle, gulping most of it down.
Huo Zheng frowned. However, seeing that she was ignoring him, he did not say anything. He waited for her to finish drinking before he filled half of the bottle with hot water.
Lin Xiaowan was so tired at this moment that she did not even bother to protest at this moment.
Gu Yuwu returned after buying a bowl of creamy and fruity shaved ice and sat next to Lin Xiaowan. Seeing that Lin Xiaowan was as angry as a pufferfish, she said with a smile, “Are you still angry at Huo Zheng? Don’t be angry. Let’s eat something to relieve your anger.”
It was now past 3 AM, and they were already almost at the halfway point. There was still plenty of time left.
Lin Xiaowan wanted to eat, but she was worried that it was too cold. She looked a little pitiful as she scooped small bites and waited for them to melt a little before she ate them.
Gu Yuwu did not care about these things. She often ate whatever she liked, and she never had any problems. Nonetheless, she was still worried about Lin Xiaowan and did not dare to let the latter eat too much. She said, “Just eat a little, okay?”
Lin Xiaowan was very easygoing. She nodded, looking satisfied.
Gu Yuwu was in fact about the same age as Lin Xiaowan. However, the former spoke and acted like an elder sister. As for Lin Xiaowan, whether it was her temperament or anything else, she appeared much more childish. Moreover, it seemed like the older she got, the more childish she became. Her lost childhood seemed to return after she grew up and was in her twenties. Time seemed to be going backward for her. While others grew up, she seemed to be going back in time..