Su Tingbai drove like a maniac. The road was not particularly bumpy, but Shen Rui'an was still frightened by his intensity. He wrapped his arms around Su Tingbai's waist and gritted his teeth. "Can't you drive slower? It's not like we're going to war."
He had never ridden in such a thrilling vehicle before!
There were clearly no obstacles on the road, yet Su Tingbai drove it like a race car.
Su Tingbai glanced at Shen Rui'an's puffed-up cheeks in the rearview mirror and laughed heartily. Shen Xiaoyao finally seemed alive now.
Before this, aside from showing a bit of a smile when he ate, he had usually looked so gloomy that it seemed as though he might jump off a building the next second. It had made Su Tingbai nervous. Now, at least, he seemed more real. At the very least, his will to live was strong.
"Hey, you really shouldn't say that. If we slow down, we really won't beat the others to it."
The area was close to the mountains, and people from the neighboring village also went up the mountain to dig up wild greens and such to take home. Some elderly people still liked gathering firewood and would occasionally come by to chop some.
It was perfectly normal to dig up wild greens and pick mushrooms while gathering firewood in the mountains.
The mountains here were rich in plant life, making them well suited for foraging wild greens.
"How could there be anyone here? There are so many mountains," Shen Rui'an muttered. Then Su Tingbai surged up a slope, frightening him into tightening his arms around Su Tingbai's lean waist.
It was midsummer. Su Tingbai wore a sleeveless undershirt beneath a thin hiking jacket, and when Shen Rui'an hugged himself tightly against him, Su Tingbai could feel the warmth of his body through the thin fabric.
Su Tingbai's Adam's apple bobbed. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the electric bike's handlebars, and the vehicle sped up even more. His voice was slightly hoarse. "I wasn't lying to you."
The bike was so fast that they soon reached the foot of the mountain. He stopped it just in time to see an old man carrying a fertilizer sack on his back and holding a stick as he drove cattle. The old man greeted Su Tingbai when he saw him. "Boss Su, heading into the mountains?"
"Yeah. Taking the cattle out, Uncle?" Su Tingbai greeted him as well.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries before the old man drove the cattle away.
Su Tingbai parked the bike. "All right, we're here. Get down."
Shen Rui'an's legs were a little weak. He grabbed Su Tingbai's shoulder with one hand and braced himself against the bike with the other as he slowly got down. Only when he felt the soft ground beneath his feet and looked down to see that he was standing on grass did he finally let out a breath. Then he shot Su Tingbai an irritated glare. "I'm never believing your nonsense again."
Su Tingbai laughed. "We're already here, so come with me!"
He held out a hand, signaling for Shen Rui'an to take it. He did not mean anything by it; he simply thought Shen Rui'an was too frail and worried that if he did not support him, he might faint halfway there.
Shen Rui'an grumbled as he placed his hand in Su Tingbai's, looking as though a eunuch were supporting an empress dowager.
Feeling the cool, soft hand in his palm, Su Tingbai could not resist enclosing it in his large hand. "Why are you so cold?"
He was somewhat surprised. It was nearly noon, and the sun was blazing. Even with the wind blowing against him as he rode, he had felt hot, yet Shen Rui'an's hand was so cold.
Shen Rui'an was used to it. "This is fine. Hurry up, the sun is about to roast me alive!"
If he had known, he would not have come. This damned curiosity.
Shen Rui'an complained to himself. Well, they were already here.
Su Tingbai had thought things through. He took off his baseball cap and put it directly on Shen Rui'an's head. "Wear this. It'll be better."
They had left in such a hurry that he had forgotten Shen Rui'an was not wearing a hat.
The cap seemed to carry Su Tingbai's scent. Shen Rui'an felt a little awkward as he adjusted it. "Hmph. That's more like it."
Shen Rui'an had not noticed that he was becoming less and less restrained around Su Tingbai. He had always been rather pampered by nature.
Hearing that slightly breathless huff beside his ear, Su Tingbai paused. His ears felt itchy. Why was Shen Xiaoyao suddenly acting so coquettish?
When he abruptly stopped, Shen Rui'an nearly bumped into him. "Why did you suddenly stop? Hurry up, hurry up!"
He shook the hand Su Tingbai was holding tightly, urging him on.
"All right, we're here." Su Tingbai soothed him helplessly. Once they passed through a small patch of woods, a sparkling lake appeared before them.
"We can just look around here." Su Tingbai actually wanted to find some Deer-Ear Chives, but they grew at relatively high elevations, not at the foot of the mountain. There was, however, a kind of wild chive called Broad-Leaf Chives. As the saying went, June chives—not even donkeys would look at them.
Chives grew quickly in June and became tough just as quickly, so they did not taste very good. Even donkeys did not like them.
But it was fine. Broad-Leaf Chives had a richer texture than the cultivated kind, and being in the mountains, they were fresher too.
When foraging wild greens, it was not really about eating them. It was about the fun of the wild.
Besides, he had picked and preserved some Deer-Ear Chives before. They were great wrapped around grilled meat. He would let Shen Rui'an try them next time. Since he loved eating so much, he would probably like them.
Every now and then, the wind rustled the leaves and birds called, but otherwise there was not another person in sight. Fortunately, the woods were close to the lake. Whenever the wind stirred the water, the lake's reflected light scattered through the trees, forming dappled patterns of light and shadow.
This patch of ground was probably visited often. A narrow path trampled out by people led toward the lake.
It was Shen Rui'an's first time in such a remote wilderness, and he was a little afraid. He stayed close behind Su Tingbai. "Will there be snakes? I'm scared!"
Frightened by his own thoughts, Shen Rui'an clutched Su Tingbai's clothes and refused to let even half a step separate them.
Su Tingbai had forgotten about that, so he teased Shen Rui'an. "Then you'd better be careful. You never know."
Shen Rui'an was frightened, and his face turned even paler. He gripped Su Tingbai's clothes harder, feeling as though there was nowhere safe to place his feet. He wished he could turn into a koala and cling to Su Tingbai. "Y-you... why didn't you tell me earlier? You bastard!"
If it had not been just Su Tingbai and himself, Shen Rui'an would have turned around and left long ago. Curiosity really did kill the cat. He was never coming out with Su Tingbai again!
Su Tingbai cut a clump of wild chives. When he stood and looked down, he saw the dark head pressed tightly against him. Looking more closely, he could even see Shen Rui'an's lips, bitten pale. He smiled. "I was lying. There aren't many snakes here, so don't worry. Even if there are, I'm here. Besides, snake soup is pretty tasty."
He looked utterly sincere.
Shen Rui'an glared at him. "Hmph. Hurry up and dig. Once you're done, let's go back quickly. I don't want to stay here!"
"You don't want to see the lake? It's quite beautiful. Look, there's a huge patch of Wild Roses blooming by the shore. Want to take a look?" Su Tingbai was genuinely making a suggestion. The lake was like a mirror, and even more remarkable was that the shrubs lining the path to the shore were covered in Wild Roses. It was flowering season now, and from afar they formed a blazing red expanse. Every so often, the breeze carried over the scent of flowers.
He occasionally brought friends to camp by the lake. On the other side was a level stretch of grassland that was perfect for camping.
Shen Rui'an craned his neck to look, but the lake's glare stung his eyes until he could not open them. He said unhappily, "I can't see it!"
"I really don't know what to do with you. I'll take you there!" As he spoke, he crouched and lifted Shen Rui'an with one arm. "Hold on tight."
With that, he strode forward.
Before you continue