novelWho Shaped The Mountain?
| ← Ch.174 | Ch.176 → |
100 miles east from Xi'an, there is Huayin City. The city neighbors the Weihe River plain and the Yellow River in north and the Qinling Mountains in south. There is a granite mountain on the north side of the Qinling Mountains range.
Of course, only people who are familiar with geography know the detail. Most people only have heard of the name of the mountain.
The Weihe River plain is only over 300 meters above sea level, and the mountain is 1700 meters high. It is grand, steep, and eminent... Lin Luoran read about the descriptions online. This is her first impression on Mount Hua.
Huaxia language is magical. People can compose the image of a splendid mountain with a few words. Of course, no word can fully describe that breath-taking feeling of standing by the foot of the mountain.
This feeling becomes intense at night. It is 10 pm, the best time to climb Mount Hua.
Lin Luodong is staring the crowded mountain with his mouth wide open. He looks up at the peak and can't hide his surprise.
Lin Luoran understands Luodong's feelings. Back in the city which they come from, there are lots of mountains. However, the mountains are mostly mild. Let alone Luodong, Lin Luoran herself has never seen a steep mountain like this in her life.
"Let's go!"
Lin Luoran takes the lead. Carrying a backpack half as tall as himself, Luodong sticks closely to his sister. The passengers around shake their head and think, "This woman is so cruel to her younger brother. She actually makes a kid climb Mount Hua with such a huge bag." Lin Luoran hears some of the complaints. At first, she doesn't want to respond. However, she finally can't stand these nosy people anymore. She looks around, and other passengers stop whispering.
God! This beautiful woman's clear and shiny eyes are so cold!
Lin Luoran and Luodong got off the train at Xi'an and they took the bus to Mount Hua. Three hours later, they arrived together with a bunch of tourists. People who start to climb the mountain at this time are going to see the sunrise. The tourists are mostly well-prepared. They bring food and water. Lin Luoran and her younger brother are carrying one backpack each. Lin has the space, so she doesn't have to put food in her bag. Luodong's bag is filled with outdoor gears.
In a way, the tourists are not accusing Lin of "child abuse" wrongly.
Lin Luoran leans on the iron chain and asks Luodong with a smile, "Do you want to have a rest?"
They have been climbing for over an hour. Lin Luoran feels easy, yet Luodong is soaked in sweat. There are millions of steep stairs. He has to hold on to the iron chains by the side. Luodong must concentrate. He is also carrying a heavy backpack. This is so tiring for Lin Luodong, a twelve years old boy.
Lin Luodong is stubborn. He doesn't want to say that he is tired before his sister tells him to stop and rest.
They have reached an open area where there is a little store. Many other tourists also stop here to have some rest. Lin Luoran and Luodong pick a corner. Under the disguise of the bag, Lin takes some peaches and grapes from her space.
The fragrance of peach spreads into the air while Lin Luoran peels the peach. It is reasonable that people always connect tour with food. People who love food not always love to travel, while those who love to travel are mostly foodies. Most of the other tourists around are attracted to the fragrance of Lin's peach.
Lin Luoran is not bothered at all. She keeps eating the peach under the attention of the others. However, Luodong is shy. He stops eating when he notices that people at the similar age of his grandpa are staring at him. Luodong looks at the peach in his palm and feels awkward.
There are a bunch of grapes in Luodong's left hand. He thinks for a while and gives them to the other tourists.
"Are the grapes..." An old man is wondering whether the grapes are sweet or acid. He wanted to have a taste of the peach, yet the kid generously gave him some grapes. The old man puts a grape in his mouth. It is juicy and sweet... He is sure that this is the best grape he has ever tasted in his entire life!
He wants to have more, but there is nothing left. The tourists around have shared all the other grapes.
"So sweet!"
"Little boy, where did you get these grapes?"
"Are these even grapes? They don't taste like the grapes I used to eat!"
The tourists are chatting. In general, they reach the conclusion that the grapes are delicious!
When they calm down and look for the generous kid, they only find that the kid and his elder sister are gone. None of tourists noticed when they left.
This group of tourists has enough rest and continues their journey. A few other tourists come to this open area to rest. They are wearing baseball hats and sweatshirts. It seems that they are young students.
A boy walking in the front stops and takes out a bottle of water from his bag. He hands it to a girl whose eyes are covered by her hat.
"Bingyan, let's have some rest here. Are you thirsty?"
The girl called Bingyan is cold. She thinks for a while and takes the bottle of water. The boy is thrilled. He casts a provocative glance at another boy in the back.
Bingyan's neck and chin look so beautiful even when she drinks. Under the dim lamplight, everybody can see that she is a pretty girl.
Getting the provocative glance, Pei Yuan smiles bitterly in the back.
This is such a cheesy situation which is commonly seen in love stories. The most beautiful girl in the school likes to talk with Pei Yuan, a boy who is nothing special except for his volubility. The other pursuers of the girl all hate Pei Yuan very much.
Something bad happened days ago. Pei Yuan posted a picture. Some people believed it was real, and some didn't. Xia Bingyan, Pei's friend, didn't believe him. She also told Pei that "he should stop trying to please the public and just be real" in front of their friends. Other pursuers of Xia believed that Xia and Pei were estranged so they stood by Xia and humiliated Pei... Now, they are together on the trip arranged by a rich boy.
Pei Yuan knows that the rich boy is the most scheming pursuer of Xia Bingyan. His name is Zhang Shuming. He always acts as a gentleman. If he didn't try to destroy Xia and Pei's relationship, Pei would actually be fooled by him.
Why did he come here when he knew what would happen?
Perhaps Pei wanted to relieve the depression in his heart by going on this trip. Perhaps he wanted to protect Xia Bingyan... He must endure all the sarcasm from his competitors!
"Pei Yuan, I'm actually quite curious. Maybe the fairy you saw the other day was real..." Zhang Shuming sips the water and says seriously.
Hearing this, Xia Bingyan can't help frowning.
Zhang's followers start to smile "kindly", so do Xia's roommates. These girls have accepted many gifts from Zhang and they have promised to help him.
"Pei Yuan, I used to think that you were an honest person. I never imagined that you were a person who desired empty reputation... Hey, Bingyan is so nice for inviting you to this trip with us. If I were her, I would be ashamed of seeing you..." The girl keeps talking and Xia Bingyan doesn't stop her.
Zhang Shuming is smiling. He is the best judge of character. Xia Bingyan only liked Pei Yuan before. She was not in love with him. Now, Xia is starting to hate Pei... God is helping him by letting Pei Yuan claim that he has seen a "fairy"!
Pei Yuan is so sick of this.
Since he posted the picture on Weibo, his life becomes chaotic. His believers follow him around to get more details, and others mock him for "imagining" this movie-like story.
Though the golden hawk did disappear that night, you couldn't say that a woman rode on the hawk and left! If some Koreans really wanted to catch the hawk, why wouldn't the government say anything?— although the woman on the hawk was pretty, those who don't believe Pei Yuan are sure that they will find the evidence to prove that the picture is composed by Photoshop.
Seeing that Pei Yuan is distracted, Zhang Shuming smiles and says, "Alright, Pei Yuan. As your classmates, we are willing to believe you. Nevertheless, the fairy on the hawk can't stop us from watching the sunrise on Mount Hua... Let's go!"
Xia Bingyan looks at Pei Yuan indifferently. She used to think that he was a nice person to be with. Why did he tell such a stupid lie...
Pei Yuan feels bitter inside. Climbing up, he can't help grabbing the iron chain tightly.
Zhang Shuming is showing off his knowledge. He recites a poem written by Zhang Qiao, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, "Who was the hero/ who used the Sword of Yitian/ to shape the Mountain of Yitian?" Xia Bingyan's roommates chime in with him.
Pei Yuan looks up at the steep peak. He thinks, "Who was the hero that shaped the Mountain of Yitian?
Pei believes that the fairy on the hawk must be able to do this — however, he is only a normal student of Jinling University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Even Xia Bingyan doesn't believe in him. Will god give some signs to help him prove that he never lies?
| ← Ch. 174 | Ch. 176 → |