By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 32 An Encounter with a Video Blogger
The lake water turned grayish-white under the scorching sun, with withered algae floating on the surface, and the heat waves made the shadows of the mountains on the opposite shore sway slightly.

Li Younan stood on the exposed shallows by the shore, where a few clumps of reeds drooped with their withered yellow leaves. He held a camera in his hand, and occasionally a white egret would skim across the water, its wings stirring the stagnant air.

It's a bit of a shame that he didn't buy a lens that could photograph birds.

On the lake, fishermen huddled under their straw hats, their wooden boats gleaming from the heat, and beads of sweat on the gunwale dried instantly. The cicadas' chirping was so dense it was like a net, enveloping the entire frozen midday.

Li Younan squinted his eyes with a hint of helplessness. He had already received the task. Today's task could not be completed in a short time. The task was to take a picture of the starry sky here, which meant he had to stay up until night to complete the task. However, the good news was that the weather at Tongji Lake was relatively clear at the moment. If nothing changed, he would be able to see the stars at night.

Li Younan parked the car directly by the lake. This was a free campsite. There were several other cars not far away, and their camping equipment was more complete. They had pitched tents and tarpaulins, and there were children running around excitedly.

The weather was hot, and Li Younan couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Despite all her planning, she had completely forgotten to buy a canopy or a parasol.

In this kind of weather, staying in the car is obviously not a wise move; staying outside and enduring the scorching sun is equally foolish.

Fortunately, Li Younan was wearing a baseball cap. He put the cap on his head and slowly walked to the lakeside.

Because this is a national first-class water source protection area, there are no fishermen nearby. Li Younan casually picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. The stone spun and skipped across the water several times.

He began to plan how to spend the time waiting for nightfall.

The scenery around here is quite nice. There's a village not far away with guesthouses, so there should be a place to sit. Perhaps we could go into the village for a stroll and come out after sunset.

Just as he was thinking this, someone asked from the side, "Young man, are you alone?"

Li Younan looked over and saw a chubby, bearded man. The man was wearing a fishing vest, the kind that fishermen often wear, and baggy work shorts. His thick legs and arms were covered in dark body hair.

A mosquito landed on the uncle's arm, but was blocked by body hair, its long proboscis unable to penetrate and touch the skin. Li Younan was somewhat shocked. The uncle casually swatted the mosquito that was blocked by body hair and killed it.

Li Younan then came to her senses and smiled, "Yeah, all alone. I want to take pictures of the starry sky here tonight."

The middle-aged man nodded, his smile unwavering: "Good, so you're a photographer after all." He pointed to two or three canopies not far away, where there were quite a few people below, making it seem lively. He continued, "We're preparing lunch, come join us, young man."

Li Younan was somewhat surprised. In such a place close to nature, the distance between people seemed to have shortened considerably.

The uncle seemed extremely cheerful. Seeing that Li Younan remained unmoved, the uncle assumed he was shy and chuckled, "You young people are all too distant and have too many boundaries. It's more fun when you're out and about with a lot of people, so don't be shy."

Li Younan chuckled and said, "Okay."

As we walked towards the campsite, the uncle briefly explained his family's situation.

They were two families traveling and camping together, unlike Li Younan who aimed to travel all over the country. They were just citizens of Lin'an City, taking a break from their busy schedules to relax.

A little further away, two cars were parked by the lake. Several folding tables were set up under the canopy of the mountaintop, where two families were sitting.

The bearded man said, "I just found this young man by the lake. He was planning to take pictures of the starry sky here tonight, so I invited him to come and have lunch with us."

The people were far more enthusiastic than Li Younan had imagined. At that moment, a woman was cutting a watermelon. She cut a slice that was easy to eat and handed it to Li Younan to a pretty little girl beside her, saying, "I put this watermelon in ice water for a long time, little brother, have a taste." The little girl looked about five or six years old, with two cute pigtails. She carefully held the watermelon in her small hands, trying not to let her fingers touch the red flesh, and slowly walked to Li Younan, then proudly raised her hands.

The bearded man smiled and said, "My wife, my daughter."

Li Younan was stunned for a moment. Such a friendly and warm couple, no wonder they had such a lovely daughter.

Li Younan didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the watermelon and took a bite. The sweet juice instantly made the hot weather feel more pleasant.

The man pulled another folding chair out of the trunk, placed it under the canopy, and said, "Young man, come and sit down."

Li Younan sat down, the blazing sun shielded by a silvery canopy, and a gentle breeze blew across the lake.

This is life.

At this moment, the two women were cooking. The two older women were busily working around a small folding table.

The two middle-aged men chatted with Li Younan. Having reached a certain age, they naturally had their own insights into life and occasionally shared their opinions.

The bearded man said, "There's a saying I don't agree with: people always say they'll travel and have fun after they retire. I think you should do it while you're young. Once you get old, you can't eat or walk anymore, so what's the point of traveling?"

Another middle-aged man held the opposite opinion, saying irritably, "Don't corrupt these young people." The man solemnly told Li Younan, "You still have to work hard when you're young. To put it bluntly, if your family doesn't have money, you can't afford to play around, right?"

Li Younan nodded: "Both of you are right."

The bearded man asked, "So what kind of work do you do now?"

Li Younan leaned back comfortably in her chair, thought for a moment, and then said, "I just resigned."

The bearded man was somewhat surprised. He had only casually mentioned wanting to travel while he was young, but deep down he didn't really mean it. He then asked Li Younan a few questions, and after understanding Li Younan's current plans, the two men looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Seeing their expressions, Li Younan found it somewhat amusing. He also knew that his decision to travel around the country without any financial means was a bit foolish. To avoid them associating it with negative thoughts, Li Younan said, "My next plan is to travel while also becoming a self-media blogger."

Upon hearing Li Younan's words, the bearded man burst into laughter, and the man next to him also wore a playful smile.

Li Younan was a little puzzled. What were these two uncles laughing about?

The bearded man's expression turned serious, and he asked Li Younan, "Do you know who I am?"

Li Younan shook his head honestly: "I thought you were Li Kui just now, but I found out you're not."

The bearded man paused for a moment, then chuckled, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. He pulled out his phone, faced the camera, and began talking to himself: "Guys, you'll never guess what kind of guy I met today... He quit his job at 25, determined to travel around China..."

The middle-aged man next to him explained, "He's a video blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers."

(End of this chapter)