After exchanging contact information, Chen Jue also asked Yun Xiaomei, "Will you be going into the mountains again over the next few days?"
Yun Xiaomei nodded. "Yes! The old black bear's cubs are a little weak. I'll have to keep bringing them milk over the next few days."
Hearing this, Chen Jue had a thought. He felt he could spend more time roaming that stretch of mountain forest over the coming days.
With a learning prodigy like Yun Xiaomei, who understood things with just a hint, he now had an excellent partner with whom to discuss everything he had learned.
The two walked and chatted until they parted at a fork in the mountain trail.
Yun Xiaomei had to return to her village to let her family know she was safe, while Chen Jue needed to return to Wazhai to replenish his supplies and rest up.
Since this area was near the Dulong River, he had traveled over a hundred kilometers from Wazhai, which lay beside the Nujiang River. Chen Jue could only leave the mountain trail, make his way to a nearby concrete road, and flag down a passing tour bus carrying tourists.
Sitting on the bus, watching the beautiful mountains retreat outside the window and a few low white clouds drift across the blue sky, Chen Jue's mind was filled with images of Yun Xiaomei, whom he had spent less than half a day with.
Earlier, the two had traveled together through the remote, primeval mountains, crossing ridges and leaping over streams at a brisk pace. By the time they reached the fork where they parted, they had covered more than fifty kilometers.
At that point, Chen Jue noticed Yun Xiaomei beginning to pant, with fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead-signs that her stamina was