San San lowered his head, kneeling on one knee below Chen Yunqi. After a moment, he looked up and stared directly into Chen Yunqi's eyes, saying, "I never thought of it that way before. You taught me so much. You are in my heart..."
He didn't continue speaking, but simply looked at Chen Yunqi with his deep eyes. Chen Yunqi felt that San San's gaze was affectionate yet misty, and the moment their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat.
"I'm leaving now. Be careful. Message me when you arrive."
San San snapped out of her daze, averted her unrestrained gaze, stood up with the help of a tree, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and turned to continue walking uphill.
Chen Yunqi watched until San San's figure became a blurry dot in the distance before turning his head to lean against a tree, completely relaxing and coughing violently.
He drank some water he had brought with him, rested for a while, and felt his body temperature drop. The sweat he had produced earlier had also stopped, so he stood up, leaned on a tree, moved his limbs, and began to move down the mountain.
He had only taken a dozen steps when he slipped and fell twice, hurting himself so badly that he simply refused to get up. Sitting on the ground, he angrily berated himself for not listening to advice and for trying to be a hero. He had only done farm work for a few days and already thought he was capable of it. Not only had he not been of any help, but now he was stuck here, unable to go up or down, utterly humiliated.
He was furious with himself and delirious from his illness. In a fit of anger, he had the idea of giving up and trying to go all out. The way down the mountain was just as difficult as the way up. Rather than going back in disgrace and being laughed at, he might as well prove himself and keep climbing!
With a determined look, he felt a surge of strength. Without hesitation, he stood up and turned to look ahead. Irregular footprints were clearly visible on the earthen slope. It was getting late, and he dared not delay any longer. He began to climb upwards.
Chen Yunqi struggled to climb up the path, following the footprints. The forest was cold and silent, with only the mournful sound of the wind cutting through the trees and the scraping of his shoes against the stones. His shirt was soaked with sweat again. He climbed, panting, carefully watching his surroundings while constantly looking ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of San San. But even after he exhausted all his strength to cross the forest and reach the top of the mountain, he still couldn't catch up with San San.
Upon reaching the summit, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a series of cloud-shrouded mountain peaks stretching into the distance. A howling wind swept across the summit, nearly knocking Chen Yunqi off his feet. The path forked into three directions at the top, the footprints becoming blurred and indistinct. He bent down to observe for a long time, ultimately choosing the left-hand path, which appeared to have fresh footprints, based on his intuition, and nervously began his ascent.
As Chen Yunqi walked cautiously, he marveled at the surrounding scenery. He had never been interested in mountain climbing before, nor had he ever experienced the feeling of "standing on the summit and looking down on all the mountains" when one is on a high vantage point. But at this moment, he finally understood why so many literati and poets throughout history had been passionate about mountain climbing, and why they felt so exhilarated and overwhelmed after reaching the summit, only able to express their feelings by composing a poem on the spot.
He slowed his pace and looked around. The distant mountains and nearby ridges were shrouded in mist, like a fairyland. Wild grasses, half a person tall, covered the mountainsides along the road, swaying in the wind and making a slow "swish" sound in the open field. The world was desolate and empty, with clouds moving in all directions. Although he was in the midst of it all, he felt as if he had become invisible, and a sense of emptiness lingered in his heart.
After a moment of unease, Chen Yunqi panicked again. He didn't know when the road ahead would end, or if he had chosen the wrong direction. He took out his phone to check and found there was no signal. After calming down, he realized that his reckless climb could very well lead to unpredictable consequences.
But he was already in a bind, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue. His heart was filled with anxiety as he silently called out San San's name. He didn't know how long he had walked when Chen Yunqi suddenly glimpsed wisps of smoke rising from the opposite mountain peak. Looking closer, he could also see two small black dots moving. Realizing that it might be signs of someone starting a fire or moving around, he was overjoyed and frantically waved and shouted at the faint black dots.
"Hello--"
Is anyone there?
He called out several times, but there was no response from the other side. Chen Yunqi hurriedly examined the path beneath his feet, judging that if he followed the path and went around the hill in front of him, he would probably reach the other side. He no longer had time to admire the scenery and quickened his pace to get there.
Finally, as the saying goes, "when one door closes, another opens," and his hopes for a brighter future appeared. After turning the corner and walking for a long time, he finally saw his father's familiar brown cotton jacket in the distance.
The open space was cluttered with timber and various farm tools. The kiln had been sealed off, with an opening dug in the side. Most of the charcoal that had been dug out had already been packed into sacks, while the rest lay scattered on the ground. Next to the kiln stood a large shed made of plastic sheeting, with several blackened towels draped over the roof and a pair of rubber boots drying there.
San San's mother, carrying a quilt, crouched down and crawled out of the shed. When she looked up, she saw Chen Yunqi and stared at him in surprise for a long time without saying a word. San San's father and Sheng Xueli were huddled around the fire, their faces and heads covered in soot. If it weren't for their clothes, Chen Yunqi probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart even if he got closer.
The two women turned their heads following San San's mother's gaze and saw Chen Yunqi. They were both surprised, and after a moment they quickly got up to make room for him and invited him to come and warm himself by the fire.
Chen Yunqi rushed over and squatted down, pressing his palms close to the flames, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Coughing, he took the bowl of water from San San's mother, and just as he was about to drink, he heard her ask worriedly:
"Didn't San San take you back?"
Where is San San?
A note from the author:
--- ①From Du Fu's "Looking at Mount Tai". Almost there!
Chapter Twenty-Five: Moved
Chen Yunqi's mind went blank for a moment, his heart felt like it had plummeted from a mountaintop to the bottom of a valley, shattering instantly. He felt as if he had been hit by a bomb; the loud bang and bright light blinded him, and his limbs, now severed, rendered him unable to move.
Just seconds later, he suddenly stood up, staring wide-eyed at San San's mother in disbelief, and said, "San San didn't catch up with you?"
San San's mother was also stunned. "No! Didn't he say he was going to take you home? Why are you here again?"
The group looked at each other, confused about the situation. Chen Yunqi frowned, turned to look at the way he had come, and said, "I separated from Sanfen. I told him to hurry up and catch up with you. I rested for a while before coming here myself."
"San San may have gotten lost."
Everyone panicked. San San's mother exclaimed in disbelief, "How could this be... how is this possible! He's walked this road before, how could he get lost!"
With a stern face, San San's father picked up a wood-chopping knife from the ground, put on a cotton hat and wrapped his clothes tightly around himself, and said to San San's mother and Sheng Xueli, "You wait here, I'll go find it."
Sheng Xueli wanted to go too, but San San's father told him to stay behind in case San San came by another route and couldn't find them. He also told San San's mother to hurry back and call a few more people to come up and help.
Sheng Xueli agreed and turned around to get a thick rope for Sheng Xuelu to wear. He looked around for a long time but couldn't find the rope. Then he realized that Chen Yunqi was also gone. He immediately shouted at his back as he ran away.
"Teacher Chen—where are you going! Don't wander off if you don't know the way!"
Chen Yunqi didn't even have time to put on his gloves. He picked up a bundle of thick rope from the ground and started running. He kept reminding himself that he had to find San San before sunset. He ran as if the wind was blowing under his feet, completely unaware of how narrow the road was. He wished he could grow a pair of wings and become a hunting eagle to fly up into the sky and carefully look around the mountain.
He ran, calling out San San's name. But all he could see were wild grasses; he didn't even see a pheasant. When he returned to the fork in the path, he ran straight to the other side.
He couldn't understand why he was so lucky to have chosen the right path, nor could he comprehend why San San had gotten lost on a path he knew so well. He hated himself, hated himself to death! He wanted to kill himself! If it weren't for him, San San wouldn't have fallen behind, wouldn't have walked alone on this secluded and dangerous road, wouldn't be stranded alone in some corner right now. He must be cold and helpless now, what if he's injured? What if he's tumbled down the mountain? What if he's been attacked by wild boars?
Chen Yunqi dared not think any further. He ran, shouted, then stopped and looked around. His voice grew hoarse, his face was covered in sweat and tears, his heart pounded with panic, and his whole body trembled. His mind screamed like a madman—San San! My San San! Where are you?!
San San! I'm so sorry! I just want you to be safe and sound! Please stand before me unharmed, so I can hug you and kiss you one more time!
A hoarse call echoed through the mountains, the sun barely visible behind the distant peaks. Night was fast approaching, and Chen Yunqi, his mind in turmoil, wandered aimlessly. He turned on his flashlight and swung its beam across the darkening landscape, hoping San San would see it and respond.
As dusk settled, the mountaintop was chilled to the bone. San San's left trouser leg was ripped, and her undershirt was torn open with a large gash. A finger-length cut was visible on her calf, burning painfully in the cold wind.
His ribs ached as if they were broken, and a scrape on his forehead was covered with the only tissue in his pocket, which barely stopped the bleeding. Looking up, he saw that the spot where he had rolled down was hidden by weeds, and there was no movement around him. He gripped the lighter in his hand tightly, and with difficulty, turned his body to the side and moved his stiff right leg.
A few hours earlier, he had parted ways with Chen Yunqi, and following his past memories, he slowly made his way through the woods to the crossroads.
He was worried about Chen Yunqi the whole way, thinking that he had come despite being sick because of him. He regretted not stopping him before setting off, and he shouldn't have been fooled by Chen Yunqi's words—what did he mean by "I won't talk to you anymore"? How could a grown man talk like a three-year-old?
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice he'd gone the wrong way. By the time he realized it, he'd already walked quite a distance down the wrong path.
As San San turned around to walk back, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching him from the weeds not far ahead.
He heard a rustling sound and stopped abruptly, reaching into his pocket to fumble for a lighter.
That lighter belonged to Chen Yunqi. He had drunk too much that day and left it on the table. San San had picked it up for him, but hadn't had a chance to return it to him yet.
San San took a few steps back and was startled to see a robust, brown-haired wild boar hiding in the grass.
These ferocious beasts are extremely aggressive, and the male boar before them possessed a pair of terrifying tusks. It wouldn't necessarily eat people, but when it went berserk, it charged wildly, and even bears and tigers feared it. Many people in Tianyun Village had been attacked by wild boars, suffering serious injuries or even death. Although San San had been up the mountain several times, this was his first encounter with a wild boar, and he had no experience in dealing with it. For a moment, he panicked, but he quickly calmed down and stood still, facing the boar at a distance.
He intended to stay put and wait for the wild boar to realize he posed no threat before leaving. However, after observing him from the shadows for a while, the boar suddenly became agitated, howling and charging straight at San San. San San's first instinct was to find a tree to climb, but with a bottomless cliff on one side and thickets of wild grass on the other, there were no trees to climb. With the boar already upon him, San San had no choice but to run.
The wild boar was incredibly fast, and San San was still carrying a backpack. In the blink of an eye, the boar rammed into his back. Its tusks grazed his waist, and San San dodged, but his foot slipped, and he instantly lost his balance and fell off the cliff.
The frame slammed into the back of his head. As he rolled down, San San instinctively reached out and grabbed at anything he could, but the hillside was covered only with weeds and rocks, nothing he could hold onto. Sharp pieces of rock tore at his forehead and clothes, and then, unexpectedly, his back slammed into a huge rock, the pain making his vision go black.
A large boulder suddenly emerged from the hillside, barely stopping his tumbling body. San San grabbed the edge of the boulder with both hands, and with one hand, he took off the carrying frame from his back, which rolled down the slope. He struggled to roll himself onto the slope, landing one foot on the boulder, and his heart, which had been pounding in his chest, finally settled.
After regaining his balance, he tried to move his left leg, but it hurt terribly, and he didn't know if it was broken. The slope was too steep; maintaining his current position only ensured he wouldn't roll any further down, but he had no way to climb up. He kept looking up, worried that the reckless wild boar might stubbornly charge down, while anxiously trying to think of a way to escape his predicament.
As darkness approached, he was cold, exhausted, and his whole body ached terribly. In despair, he thought of his parents, who might not know he was in danger and mistakenly believe he had gone back down the mountain. By the time they found out, he might already be... He thought of Chen Yunqi, wondering if he had made it back to school safely, and if he was feeling any better... If something had happened to him, would Chen Yunqi be heartbroken and cry, or would he forget about it after a while...?
San San felt desolate and couldn't stop his mind from wandering. He hadn't had a chance to tell Chen Yunqi his feelings, and he hadn't had a chance to go back to school... He thought he couldn't bear to die, couldn't bear to leave his family, and couldn't bear to leave Chen Yunqi.
Chen Yunqi, I want to see you again, and hear you teach me again. If I have the chance, I want to tell you that I like you very much.
The surrounding light dimmed, and San San lay helplessly on the slope. He opened his eyes, thinking that he couldn't give up like this, and wanted to try one last time to struggle to get up.
The flashlight fell out of his pocket and disappeared as it rolled down. He turned on the small light at the bottom of Chen Yunqi's lighter and shone it upwards, vaguely noticing what appeared to be a shallow hole diagonally above.
San San carefully rolled over and lay face down, bending his uninjured right leg and pushing hard against the slope, using his hands to move upwards. All the wounds on his body, big and small, ached all at once, but he bit his lower lip to endure the pain, using his last bit of strength to finally reach the cave entrance.
The cave wasn't large, and it looked like a small animal's nest. Inside, there was nothing but some dry grass and unidentified fruit. San San managed to sit up at the cave entrance.
The cave was about twenty meters from the path above. San San rested for a moment, checking himself over. Apart from a serious scratch on his calf, he had no other external injuries. He didn't know about any internal injuries, only that even slight breathing caused pain in his ribs. He planned to rest a little longer before trying to climb back up. If he accidentally tumbled down again, he could only pray that another rock would appear to stop him.
Although he longed to just lie there and resign himself to fate, he mustered his strength, rolled over, and got up, stepping on the cave entrance to use as leverage to climb upwards. Just as he stretched out one hand, he suddenly heard what sounded like shouts mixed with the howling wind.
A thought struck him, and he immediately lay down on the ground, trying to catch the sound, barely daring to breathe. The shouting grew closer and closer, and he could tell that the voice was hoarse and exhausted from shouting for so long.
It's Chen Yunqi! It must be Chen Yunqi!
San San's heart pounded wildly, and he could no longer hold back as he screamed, "Brother—! I'm here—! Brother!"
I don't know how long I shouted, but then a beam of light shone down from above.
Looking up and seeing Chen Yunqi's faint silhouette in the night, San San's tears welled up instantly. Chen Yunqi's voice, choked with sobs, was like a lifeline: "San San! San San, is that you!?"
San San tilted his head back and shouted, "It's me, Brother Xiao Qi, it's me!"
On the verge of collapse, Chen Yunqi finally found San San. Overwhelmed with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy, he quickly untied the thick rope in his hand, tied a tight knot at one end, and threw it forcefully towards San San, shouting at her, "San San! It's me! Grab the rope, I'll pull you up!"
San San stared intently at the thick rope slowly sliding down, afraid that she might miss it if she wasn't careful.
The rope fell in front of him. San San, face down, freed her hands to wrap the thick rope around her waist, tightened it, and pulled downwards a few times to signal Chen Yunqi that it was ready. Chen Yunqi felt the other end of the rope sag slightly, so he moved to a rock protruding from the ground by the roadside and sat down, shouting down, "San San! I'm pulling you up now, hold on tight!" Then he braced his feet firmly against the rock and began to pull upwards with all his might.
His palms ached from the rough rope, and his arms felt as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, the rope pulling so hard his muscles felt like they were about to tear. Chen Yunqi ignored it all, gritting his teeth and gripping the rope with all his might, not daring to loosen his grip even slightly. He lowered his body weight, his hands struggling to pull upwards alternately, his palms bleeding from the friction.
San San also tried his best to climb upwards, but the impact of his waist hitting the rock was too heavy, and one of his legs was unable to move. Even so, he still endured the pain and struggled to climb, with sand between his fingers.
Just when he was exhausted, Chen Yunqi finally saw San San's head emerge from the ground. He let out a low shout, and with his last bit of strength, he instantly pulled San San's entire body to the ground.
In that instant, Chen Yunqi, ignoring his own breath, lunged at San San, grabbing her under his arms and pulling her close to his chest. San San lost her balance and, held in his arms, stumbled back a few steps away from the cliff edge, falling into the wild grass.
Chen Yunqi landed on his back, and San San fell face down onto his chest, causing another sharp pain in his ribs. Just as he was about to push himself up and move to the side, Chen Yunqi's sticky, wet hands suddenly cupped his cheeks and lifted him up.
The flashlight lay to one side, its beam completely blocked by the weeds. Chen Yunqi, hidden in the shadows, spread his legs to support San San as he knelt before him, cupped his face in his hands, and without the slightest hesitation, kissed his lips precisely.
Screw your bullshit principles!
San San felt all the blood rush to his head, and the pain instantly stopped. His pupils contracted, and in the darkness, Chen Yunqi's tightly closed eyes and handsome nose were inches away. His body was being held tightly by Chen Yunqi, as if his bones were about to break.
Chen Yunqi kissed San San relentlessly, disregarding all else. He didn't possess any particularly skillful kissing techniques; at this moment, he simply followed his heart, greedily sucking on San San's chapped lips, involuntarily probing his tongue into his mouth to demand more. He seemed to be kissing until his heart was broken, wishing he could suck the bones and marrow from the person before him, chew them up, and swallow them whole.
The sudden kiss was both gentle and violent. San San's limbs went limp from the kiss, and she leaned against Chen Yunqi's chest as if boneless. After the initial shock, she couldn't help but respond to him, closing her eyes and focusing on Chen Yunqi's breath, afraid that she was dreaming. The more he kissed her, the more passionate and fervent he became. For a moment, he completely forgot that just a few minutes ago, he had been on the verge of death, forgot the decades that had passed in the blink of an eye, forgot what day it was, and forgot what tomorrow would bring.
The biting wind swept fiercely across their faces, yet they felt no chill. Their surging love, suppressed for so long, erupted so suddenly that neither of them had time to process it, enduring it with a bittersweet mix of pain and joy.
Chen Yunqi had never known that kissing could be so heartbreaking yet sweet. San San's lips were soft and wet in his mouth, and he lingered on the warm and moist feeling in San San's mouth, unwilling to leave for even a moment. However, his remaining rationality forced him to stop. He pushed her away slightly, turned to pick up the flashlight, and used the light to check San San's entire body from head to toe, worried about missing any small wounds.
He cupped San San's face in his hands, gently brushing aside the stray hairs at his temples with his thumb, his movements incredibly light. The abrasion wasn't serious. Then he lightly touched San San's arms and shoulders, carefully and gently probing each spot, asking as he checked, "Does it hurt here? Can you move it? How about here?"
San San's eyelashes were wet, and his lips were bright red. He grasped Chen Yunqi's flustered hand and said reassuringly, "Brother, I'm fine, really fine. Don't panic."
Chen Yunqi stared blankly at San San, his agitated emotions gradually calming down. He pulled San San into his arms again, kissing the top of his head repeatedly, muttering with lingering fear, "You scared me to death...you scared me to death...it's good that you're alright...Are you in pain? Are you cold?"
San San wrapped her arms tightly around Chen Yunqi's neck. His hands were icy cold, and his whole body was trembling slightly. Chen Yunqi felt around in his coat and found that the chocolate he had bought at the small supermarket near the county hospital was still in his pocket. So, with one arm around San San, he held the chocolate in the other, tore open the wrapper with his teeth, and held it to San San's mouth, saying, "Hurry up and have a bite, you must be freezing."
San San curled up in his arms, took a bite of chocolate, then buried her face in the crook of his neck and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, I thought I'd never see you again..."
Chen Yunqi affectionately rubbed his chin against San San's head, "Don't talk nonsense. Look, I've found you. No matter where you are, I will find you." As he spoke, he straightened San San's body, "Your parents were so worried when they found out you were lost. Come on, I'll carry you. Let's go back quickly."
After saying this, Chen Yunqi was about to get up to carry San San on his back, but San San grabbed his arm, looked at him, and said almost inaudibly, "Wait a little longer..."
Chen Yunqi squatted down again, looking at him with a puzzled expression. San San lowered his head and after a long while said, "I...I'm afraid I'm dreaming...I don't want to..."
Chen Yunqi felt a mix of tenderness and bitterness in his heart. Before San San could finish speaking, he reached out and gently pinched his chin, lifting it slightly before kissing him again.