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77 Hiking and Picnics (Part 2)

The mountain isn't that steep, and the summit is relatively flat, so the goal is to climb to the top and then have a barbecue there.

Xie Shujue was initially reluctant to be far from Xie Chengjing, but after Xie Chengjing solemnly told him, "Shujue, take good care of Tingting," he treated it as a task and focused intently on caring for Tingting. When the little girl went to gather tender vines and wildflowers to make a wreath, he solemnly stood guard beside her, as if some monster might leap out of the bushes at any moment and he would have to fend it off.

Tingting was having a blast hiking. Dressed in a bright red tracksuit, she shone like a little sun, radiant and vibrant. She chatted happily with Xie Shujue, with whom she had absolutely nothing in common, completely unconcerned that even if she said ten sentences, Xie Shujue wouldn't necessarily respond with half a word. Su Tong noticed that Tingting seemed to have quite a few snacks in her backpack. She would take one out to eat every now and then, insisting that Xie Shujue eat with her, and would also bring some to her parents in front. However, she never "disturbed" Su Tong and Xie Chengjing behind her. But last time, when she came to the film set to visit Su Tong and catch a glimpse of the movie shoot, she clung to Su Tong, even bringing several commemorative albums of Lin Zhen and asking Su Tong to get a few autographs from Lin Zhen. What a clever little devil!

Xie Chengjing was carrying the heaviest and most heavy load among them, but he seemed completely relaxed. Fortunately, Zhang Yuxia, gentle but not very athletic and chatting and laughing with Wang Lu along the way, kept them moving at a slower pace. Tingting, always curious and frequently stopping to play, also kept them going. Otherwise, Su Tong felt like she was constantly dragging Xie Chengjing down. The initial part of the journey was relatively easy. Although it was a narrow dirt path only wide enough for one person, the slope was gentle, making it easy to walk.

However, the narrow path became somewhat obscured by weeds, and they basically just walked uphill along the areas where the grass was noticeably shallower. Before they even reached the halfway point, Su Tong started to feel very tired, but Tingting had only sweated a little and was breathing rapidly, without complaining of being tired yet.

Xie Chengjing glanced at her, then said to Wang Lu in front of him without changing his expression, "Wang Lu, you guys go first, Su Tong and I will come later."

Wang Lu and Tingting, father and daughter who were remarkably similar in some ways, turned around and heard this. Their gazes instantly fell on Su Tong's face, then circled back to Xie Chengjing. Their subtle expressions made Su Tong feel that she might as well have said she was tired and stopped to rest for a while. Wang Lu and Tingting's subtly ambiguous gazes circled between the cold-faced Xie Chengjing and the calm-faced Su Tong, whose forehead was slightly sweaty, before they each took swift action. Wang Lu pulled the gently smiling Zhang Yuxia, while Tingting dragged the equally cold-faced Xie Shujue, and they disappeared from Su Tong's sight with astonishing speed.

As soon as they left, Su Tong sat down on the grass nearby, no longer hiding the fact that she was very tired. She took out a bottle of water to drink while panting, and wiped her sweat with a wet wipe. Although Xie Chengjing's words seemed to have given Wang Lu and Tingting some interesting ideas, she still said to Xie Chengjing, "Thank you, but now you know that I really have very poor physical strength."

Xie Chengjing did not sit down, but looked down at her, seemingly unconcerned about her weak appearance, and said indifferently, "As expected."

Su Tong laughed, "Hey, I'm just making fun of myself. You should say something like, 'Nothing of the sort, I don't mind at all.'"

Xie Chengjing looked at Su Tong. Today, she was wearing a blue and white striped tracksuit, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail for convenience. The dappled sunlight filtering through the sparse trees illuminated her flawless, fair face, making her not-so-enthusiastic smile sparkle. He liked her smile like that—not a faint, indifferent smile, but a joyful one. It made him feel, for some reason, as if he too could show that kind of smile. With Su Tong's hands on the ground, looking up at him, he said as he was told, "No, it's nothing. I don't mind at all."

This surprised Su Tong, who had been teasing him.

The autumn mountains were tranquil, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the grass and the faint chirping of insects, like a natural symphony. These subtle sounds, which the six of them hadn't noticed when they were together, now seemed amplified countless times. Xie Chengjing and Su Tong sat and stood there quietly for a while.

Suddenly, Xie Chengjing walked a short distance into the bushes beside him, then squatted down, his large hiking backpack facing Su Tong. Curious about what he was doing, Su Tong brushed the grass clippings off her hands, stood up, and walked over. She discovered two fallen tree trunks covered in clusters of grayish-white mushrooms, which Xie Chengjing was picking. He had already piled up a small mountain of mushrooms in his left hand.

Since Xie Chengjing was picking them, they must be safe to eat, and might even taste good. Su Tong took a plastic bag from her backpack (the kind she usually uses for trash) and squatted down to let Xie Chengjing put the mushrooms he had picked into it. After picking all the mushrooms from the two pieces of wood, they had filled a small bag. Su Tong felt she had rested enough, so the two continued their slow ascent. However, when climbing mountains, if you're really tired, you might feel much better after resting, but after climbing a bit more, Su Tong's fatigue inevitably returned.

Since Su Tong had already said that she was really weak, she didn't want to be stubborn and suffer for Xie Chengjing's sake. However, when Su Tong said she would rest again, Xie Chengjing did not follow her advice and said to Su Tong, "Hold your backpack."

Su Tong didn't react immediately and was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Xie Chengjing didn't repeat his words. He took Su Tong's backpack off her and put it in her arms. Then he picked Su Tong up and walked steadily up the mountain along the muddy path that was barely visible under the wild grass.

Su Tong's head was directly in front of his chest, and she could hear his voice above her head as he said, "You're too slow."

The two stopped to pick some wild vegetables along the way, but because Xie Chengjing walked fast, Su Tong and Xie Chengjing caught up with Wang Lu and the others just as they reached the top of the mountain. When they heard Tingting calling Xie Shujue cheerfully, "Little Shu, Little Shu," Xie Chengjing put Su Tong down. Su Tong thought for a moment that no matter how thin she was, she was still an adult weighing several tens of kilograms, and carrying someone felt much heavier than carrying someone on her back. After thanking him, she asked Xie Chengjing, "Are you tired? Tell the truth."

"No," Xie Chengjing replied. "That's the truth. This weight won't tire me out, and it won't last long either."

Once we got to the mountain, it was a busy but joyful time, because we wanted to enjoy a picnic, which included cooking on the mountain. All the ingredients were just washed; the chopping and skewering were all done on the mountain. With outdoor survival experts like Xie Chengjing and Wang Lu around, setting up the barbecue grill and starting the fire was quick. Since barbecuing wasn't very healthy, we brought a pot to cook a vegetable soup. We set up a simple stove and cooked the wild vegetables and mushrooms that Xie Chengjing had picked. It smelled delicious.

Tingting seemed a little mischievous, chopping vegetables and skewering them alongside Su Tong and her mother. Her movements were quite skilled and efficient, clearly indicating she often did housework. However, she had a strong passion for meat, showing particular enthusiasm for cutting and skewering it. Making your own barbecue is definitely more hygienic than eating out, and this time they brought all the necessary seasonings. The "barbecue masters," Xie Chengjing and Wang Lu, were quite experienced, and the barbecue turned out quite delicious; Su Tong herself ate a lot.

As the saying goes, a half-grown boy can eat his father to death, so Su Tong wasn't surprised that Xie Shujue's appetite was almost on par with Xie Chengjing's. However, she was astonished that Tingting, who had already eaten quite a few snacks on the way, also ate a lot, almost as much as Xie Shujue. Su Tong was stunned, wondering how Tingting's petite body could hold so much food.

She could also clearly see that Xie Shujue, who was barely maintaining a blank expression, was also surprised. He even tried to get Tingting to eat less. The usually taciturn man took Tingting's food several times and coldly advised her, "Don't eat anymore. It's not good for a girl to eat so much."

Tingting was also surprised by Su Tong, and said while gnawing on the roasted chicken leg she had snatched from Xie Shujue, "Aunt Su, you're not eating enough."

Su Tong was internally hurt again. When Tingting visited her on set before, she still called her "sister". She could only pat Tingting's shoulder and say sadly, "Child, it's not that I eat little. My appetite is still normal among girls. It's just that you are too extraordinary."

Xie Shujue nodded in agreement, then snatched the chicken leg back and, in a grown-up manner, advised Tingting, "Really, don't eat it, you'll get indigestion."

Going uphill was harder than going downhill. On the way down, Xie Chengjing didn't even need to tell them to go first; they automatically left Xie Chengjing and Su Tong behind. Su Tong walked roughly the first third and then the last third by herself, and in the middle section, she had the privilege of using the special method she used on the way up. Compared to when Xie Chengjing carried her up the steps in the city, Su Tong was now quite used to it. Apart from a slightly faster heartbeat, she felt none of the precariousness she felt when Xie Chengjing carried her in the city.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Su Tong and Xie Chengjing called back Kongkong and Xie Er'er. They then went to meet the person Xie Chengjing had mentioned, parting ways with Wang Lu and the others. Tingting was reluctant to leave, repeatedly asking Su Tong and Xie Chengjing to invite her out again next time. (166 Reading Network)