A perfect score on the college entrance exam? The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng has astonis

"Are you... Chen Mo, the singer?"

Su Wanci answered for Chen Mo.

"Auntie, do you know him?"

The aunt smiled.

"My daughter watched it for me all night last night, saying that this 'Chen Mo' sang 'Pipa Xing' as a song, and it was so beautiful."

She turned to look at Chen Mo.

"Young man, could you sing it in my yard? My daughter said she wants to hear it live. She's on summer vacation at her grandma's and hasn't come back yet, so I'll record it for her."

Chen Mo glanced at Su Wanci. Su Wanci nodded at him.

Chen Mo said, "Okay."

The courtyard was small, planted with bamboo, with tea sets on the stone table, and a pomegranate tree in the corner bearing a few unripe fruits.

Chen Mo stood in the middle of the courtyard, without a microphone, without speakers, without accompaniment, only himself and the evening wind.

He sang "Seeing off guests at night on the Xunyang River".

When he sang, his landlady recorded it, and Su Wanci also recorded it.

After recording, Su Wanci posted a message on her WeChat Moments with only four words in the caption.

"At the foot of Mount Tai."

After recording the video, the landlady posted it in the family group chat with the following caption:

"Girl, your Chen Mo is staying at our house."

After Chen Mo finished singing, the landlady clapped for him, clapping very hard, leaving red marks all over her palms.

When we had dinner that evening, my aunt prepared a huge table of dishes.

Braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a plate of pan-fried tofu, and a large bowl of egg drop soup.

Su Wanci picked up a piece of braised pork, chewed it a couple of times, and her eyes lit up.

"Auntie, this meat is delicious!"

The aunt smiled and said, "Eat more if you like it. You're going to climb Mount Tai tomorrow, and you won't have the energy if you don't eat enough."

She served Chen Mo a large bowl of rice, pressing it down repeatedly.

After finishing their meal, the two went back to their room to pack their things.

Su Wanci brought a complete set of items—down jacket, hand warmers, flashlight, trekking poles, power bank, dry food, water, hat, and gloves.

Chen Mo brought a windbreaker.

Su Wanci felt sorry for him when she saw his thin windbreaker.

"You're wearing this? It's freezing on the mountaintop tonight!"

Chen Mo said, "I'm not afraid of the cold."

Su Wanci said, "I'm afraid you'll be cold."

She took the down jacket out of her bag and handed it to Chen Mo.

"You wear mine."

What are you wearing?

"I'll wear yours."

Su Wanci snatched his windbreaker and put it on.

The jacket was too big; the sleeves were way too long, and she tucked her hands inside, looking like a penguin.

Chen Mo's lips twitched as he watched her comical appearance.

Su Wanci glared at him.

"What are you laughing at? I'm sacrificing myself to warm you."

Chen Mo did not refute, and put on the down jacket.

At 11 p.m., the two of them went out.

It's a short walk from the guesthouse to the foot of Mount Tai.

Chen Mo walked on the side closer to the road, while Su Wanci walked on the side closer to the mountain.

The streetlights shone orange, casting their light on the rocks.

The night breeze blew down from the mountain, and it was cool.

Su Wanci zipped her windbreaker all the way up, pulled the hood up over her head, and curled up into a ball.

Mount Tai is very high.

When it gets dark, you can't see the top; you can only see the steps extending upwards, reaching the end of the lights, and into the darkness where you can't see anything at all.

Su Wanci was out of breath when she reached the hundredth step. She stopped and held onto the railing.

"Chen Mo, I can't walk anymore."

"Only level 100. There are over 7,000 levels in total."

Su Wanci's expression changed.

Chen Mo walked up to her and squatted down.

"Come up."

Su Wanci lay down on it.

Chen Mo carried her uphill, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

Su Wanci lay on his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.

She suddenly realized that the best trip in the world is not watching the sunrise on the top of Mount Tai, but having someone willing to carry you up when you can't climb anymore.

She didn't want to get down; she wanted him to carry her until dawn.

Chen Mo carried her up more than a hundred steps.

Su Wanci lay on his back, her face buried in his shoulder, her eyes closed.

The night wind blew down from the mountain, cool and refreshing, but she wasn't cold because his back was warm, as warm as a radiator in winter.

"Chen Mo, are you tired?"

"Not tired."

"You're lying. I could hear you breathing."

"That's breathing. To live, you need to breathe."

Su Wanci was taken aback by his words, then laughed, her laughter rising and falling on his back like a cat lying on a warm kang (heated brick bed).

She laughed for a while before stopping, then buried her face in his shoulder.

She didn't say she wanted to get down, and Chen Mo didn't put her down either.

After climbing more than a hundred steps, a small platform appeared by the roadside, with several large stones placed there.

Two hikers were sitting on a rock drinking water.

Chen Mo walked over, squatted down, and placed Su Wanci on the stone.

"Take a break."

Su Wanci sat on the rock, her legs still a little weak, like two overcooked noodles.

She took out a water bottle from her backpack, unscrewed it, took a sip, and handed it to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo took it, tilted his head back and gulped down two mouthfuls of water, which spilled from the corners of his mouth and dripped down his chin.

Looking at the two water streaks, Su Wanci suddenly thought his jawline was very handsome.

Why didn't she notice his handsome jawline before?

Perhaps she hadn't dared to stare at it before.

she does not know.

After finishing her water, Chen Mo screwed the lid on the kettle and put it in the side pocket of her backpack.

Su Wanci didn't speak, but she noticed him putting his backpack back.

Su Wanci didn't speak, but she noticed him putting his backpack back.

It's not "give it back to her," it's "keep it safe for her."

The difference between these two actions is called "habit".

He had gotten used to helping her pack her things, blocking cars for her, walking for her on the side closest to the road, and squatting down to carry her when she couldn't walk anymore.

She had become so used to being treated this way by him that she had forgotten to thank him.

The two sat on the rock for a while.

A night breeze blew by.

Blowing Su Wanci's hair onto her face, she tried to brush it off several times but couldn't get it all away, so she simply took out a hair tie from her pocket and tied her hair up.

She tied her hair into a low ponytail, revealing a small patch of skin on the back of her neck. Chen Mo glanced at it, then looked away.

"Have you rested well?"

"Alright." Su Wanci stood up, stomped her feet, and her legs were no longer weak.

"Let's go, I can walk by myself."

"Sure?"

"I'm sure. It's not that I can't walk, I just want you to carry me."

"Then you just said 'I can't walk anymore'."

"That's the truth. I really couldn't walk at the time. I've recovered now."

Chen Mo looked at her.

The trees on both sides of the stone steps grew denser and denser, their leaves rustling in the night wind like countless hands clapping.

After walking for a while, several figures appeared ahead.

There were three young women, wearing sports vests and shorts, revealing their long legs and arms.

They were resting on the stone steps. One of them was drinking water with her head tilted back, another was taking a selfie with her phone, and the third was rummaging through her backpack with her head down.

Su Wanci slowed her pace slightly. She glanced at the three girls' clothing; they were dressed very lightly.

A sports vest, shorts, and long, white legs that were dazzling.

Su Wanci glanced at Chen Mo again.

Chen Mo's gaze was fixed straight ahead, neither to the left nor to the right, but directly on the stone steps in front of him.

Su Wanci swallowed her anger and continued walking.

After walking for a while, a supply station appeared ahead.

A small shed with a freezer at the entrance containing bottled water and energy drinks. Next to the freezer is a styrofoam box with the words "Old-fashioned popsicles, three yuan each" written on it.