The fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
Since returning on the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, he had spent six days on the mountain before he knew it. Today was the day Chen Shi'an would head down.
With Chen Shi'an leaving, Lin Meng Qiu naturally could not stay on the mountain alone. After two days of vacation up there, the girl still had not had her fill. Surely her dad would come back to burn incense next year too? Hmm?
After having an early lunch at the Taoist Temple, the two packed their luggage and headed down together.
Chen Shi'an had taken his bicycle and extra luggage down ahead of time yesterday. School would start in just a few days, and his winter break cycling travels were over. Once he returned, he would go back to school as usual.
"Class Monitor, have you packed everything?"
"Shall we go, then?"
"...Aren't you taking back the luggage you brought before?"
"I am."
"Then if you're giving me a ride to catch the bus later, won't there be no room on the bicycle...?"
"It's fine. I'll take those big bags to the little shop at the village entrance, pack them up, and ship them back."
"Okay."
"Mm..."
"Fat Ink, let's go!"
"Meow."
The two of them headed down the mountain with the cat.
Lin Meng Qiu seemed even more reluctant to leave than Chen Shi'an, looking back again and again on the way down.
"Chen Shi'an."
"Hmm?"
"When will you come back to the mountain next?"
"Not sure. I'll probably come back in March or April to pick some tea, but with school, I might not have time to stay very long."
"What about summer break?"
"I'll probably go traveling again over summer break. We get two months, right?"
"...We have