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Before 7 a.m. on Saturday, Liu Zihao was woken up by a phone call from Li Yue, who was already waiting for him at the school gate.

Liu Zihao quickly washed up, picked up a small plastic bag, and went out.

Standing at the school gate, Li Yue saw him approaching and said apologetically, "Did I wake you? Did we leave too early?"

"No, no, I was just getting ready, this is the perfect time," Liu Zihao said with a smile.

Seeing that he really didn't have much luggage, Li Yue didn't open the trunk, but directly took him into the car, started the car, and drove off steadily.

Li Yue drove very steadily. Liu Zihao was a car enthusiast, and he vaguely remembered that this car was a Buick, but he couldn't quite tell if it was a Regal or a Regal.

In his previous life, he would have asked long ago.

This time he refrained from asking. The girl's family situation should be good, and it wouldn't be good to ask too much.

Li Yue was not a talkative person to begin with, and since she was driving, Liu Zihao didn't want to disturb her, so they remained silent the whole way.

It took an hour and a half to get to the scenic area, mainly because we couldn't drive fast on both the city streets and the mountain roads within the scenic area.

There is a small river in the scenic area, and there are scattered houses along the mountain road on both sides of the river.

After the car turned a corner and went up a slope, we entered the village, and the number of houses on both sides of the road gradually increased.

Li Yue would occasionally get off the bus and randomly enter a house to ask questions.

Before getting out of the car, she told Liu Zihao to wait inside and not to rush off.

After asking around at seven or eight places, Li Yue returned to her car. "This one's not bad, I'll take this one."

Then she started the car and drove it into the yard.

This is a two-story building with courtyards in the front and back.

Liu Zihao got out of the car and went to the back of the car to help carry some things.

Li Yue opened the trunk, and Liu Zihao exclaimed in surprise: "Wow!" The trunk was packed full of blankets, cardboard boxes, and two large bottles of Nongfu Spring water.

Li Yue carried the cardboard box, which contained blankets and other items, and left the two bottles of mineral water for Liu Zihao. Then she carried the stack of things, which were taller than her head, upstairs.

Upon entering the house, we found it to be a large suite with two bedrooms, a living room, and a shared bathroom.

This is definitely more than 60 yuan a day.

Liu Zihao glanced at it and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He hesitated to ask at that moment, because the most important thing about going out for fun is to be happy and comfortable.

Li Yue put her things on the sofa, and then she took an electric kettle out of the cardboard box.

"We've been walking for quite a while, shall we sit down and have some tea?"

"Yes!" Liu Zihao nodded in agreement.

I've been stuck in the car for half a day, now's the perfect time to have some tea.

Li Yue boiled the water, then took out two glasses and a teacup and placed them on the coffee table, and then took out a bag of two boxes of tea and placed them next to it.

"I don't know what kind of tea you like, you can choose for yourself."

"Okay!" Liu Zihao replied cheerfully. He opened the Anji White Tea, which he had never tried before and wanted to give it a try.

"Make yourself some tea after the water boils."

Li Yue bit her lip. "I'm not very good at making tea. Um, I'll go tidy up the house. Do you need some mosquito repellent in your room later? I brought it with me."

"You've taken good care of things! The mosquitoes in these mountains are horrible; you've thought of everything."

Liu Zihao brewed some tea and offered a compliment.

Li Yue blushed slightly, a rare occurrence for her. She took a bottle of floral water from the cardboard box and went into the house, her steps much lighter than before.

A moment later, Li Yue brought out all the existing quilts, sheets, pillowcases, and other items from the two rooms, and then changed the sheets and quilts she had brought into the rooms.

This time, Li Yue specifically chose a two-bedroom suite, which cost 200 yuan per day.

Most guesthouses in the mountains charge 60 yuan a day for three meals a day. They are the kind where three people share a standard room, with men and women separated.

Li Yue finally managed to get Liu Zihao to come out. She couldn't possibly sleep with Liu Zihao, but she definitely wouldn't choose a separate room.

Such large suites are rare, but Li Yue knew they existed. She had done her research before coming, which is why she went door to door asking.

After tidying up for half a day, Li Yue finished and took the unused bedding back to the landlord.

While Li Yue was downstairs, Liu Zihao went into his room and took a look: brand new sheets, blankets, and pillowcases, and the room was filled with a faint scent of floral water.

That's too extravagant! But, hehe, Liu Zihao thought to himself: I like it!

Liu Zihao sat back on the sofa and took a sip of tea.

The aroma of this tea is so strong, it smells like the kind that's ridiculously expensive. It's completely different from the fifty-yuan-per-pound tea he drank in his previous life.

Liu Zihao was sipping his tea when Li Yue returned.

Liu Zihao glanced at his watch; it was already 10:40.

"Li Yue, how about we go out for a walk after lunch? It's too close to lunchtime now."

"Mmm." Li Yue listened to whatever Liu Zihao said. Her purpose in coming here was not to travel; she just wanted to be alone with Liu Zihao.

Liu Zihao then suggested, "The sun is shining so brightly outside, let's sit in the yard. I saw two deck chairs in the yard when we came in; it's the most comfortable place to lie down and sunbathe."

"Great!" Li Yue smiled, a rare occurrence for her. Her voice was also less calm than usual as she said crisply, "I saw that recliner as soon as I walked in, but I was too embarrassed to say I wanted to lie down."

Looking at Li Yue's smile, Liu Zihao sighed inwardly. Li Yue's smile was so beautiful, but this silly girl didn't usually smile much.

She might be like me in my previous life, born unable to smile.

In this life, Liu Zihao has a deep understanding of all kinds of smiles and knows how to express them perfectly.

When he thought this way, he forgot one thing: in his previous life, he couldn't smile and was particularly ugly, while Li Yue couldn't smile, but she was exceptionally beautiful.

Liu Zihao carried his teacup and teapot, while Li Yue carried her teacup and thermos downstairs.

Li Yue brought a complete set of equipment this time, including an electric kettle and even a thermos.

Sitting on a recliner in the courtyard, Liu Zihao made Li Yue a cup of tea.

"I don't know how to appreciate tea, I only know how to drink it," Li Yue said frankly, watching Liu Zihao expertly savor his tea.

"It's okay, I was just drinking randomly, like someone trying to imitate others. We're friends, no need for formalities. You've been busy all day, you must be thirsty, just drink whatever you want."

Liu Zihao lay down comfortably and basked in the sun.

Li Yue tested the water temperature; it was a bit hot. She took a small sip and then put it back.

She lay down too, and squinted her eyes.

After relaxing in the sun for a while, she felt a little uneasy again.

Unlike Liu Zihao, she couldn't be single-minded; her attention would unconsciously return to Liu Zihao.

She realized she had forgotten to bring snacks and dried fruit this time, and Liu Zihao was now just drinking tea.

She remembered that her father liked to eat peanut brittle, cashews, and the like when he drank tea.

She assumed that men would eat these things when drinking tea, and she became a little uneasy.

At that moment, she saw the homeowner tidying up the yard.

"Uncle! Do you have any fruit or snacks here?" she asked, turning her head.

"I don't have these here, but there are small shops on the street. I can help you buy whatever you need."

Liu Zihao interjected, "No need to trouble yourself. You can go out and buy it this afternoon if you want to eat it."

Liu Zihao is a person who doesn't like trouble, and he knows that Li Yue doesn't like snacks, so he's probably thinking of her.

Li Yue took Liu Zihao's politeness as an excuse, but she persisted and asked, "Uncle, what kind of fruit trees do you have at home that we can pick?"

Li Yue knew that many guesthouses here had contracted land to grow fruit trees and provide fruit picking for tourists, which was a form of extra income.

"I don't have any fruit trees at home, but there's an old walnut tree in my backyard. Feel free to eat as many as you like, it's free."

After the old man finished speaking, he pointed towards the backyard.

"Do you like to eat walnuts?" Li Yue turned her head and asked.

"The walnuts are great! Especially the ones that are freshly picked from the tree, so tender and delicious."

Liu Zihao loves fresh, tender walnuts, but he's a little worried that if he doesn't want them anymore, Li Yue will keep asking him what else he wants to eat.

"Then you wait here, I'll be back at the top of the hour."

With something to do, Li Yue perked up and stood up to walk towards the backyard.

"Okay!" Liu Zihao didn't stand on ceremony and continued to sip his tea while basking in the sun.

Lying on the recliner, my body felt warm and cozy, and I was too lazy to move.

......

Li Yue stood under the walnut tree; the homeowner had already followed her there.

"Here's a walnut-crushing stick. You can crush as many walnuts as you want, young lady. I'll get you a walnut cracker."

Li Yue swung her pole, and with two swings, she knocked down a large area.

Li Yue felt she had eaten enough, so she squatted down and started picking up walnuts.

There's a winnowing basket in the backyard, apparently used specifically for holding walnuts.

Li Yue held a winnowing basket, pinched a walnut, and with a "crack," the walnut was crushed to pieces.

I was careless! I used too much force! The kernel is completely shattered and looks terrible; it's not presentable.

Li Yue picked up another walnut, holding it in her hand as she studied the pressure, and then it made a "snap" sound.

Li Yue shook her head; it was still broken and incomplete.

She wasn't satisfied, so after throwing it away, she picked up a walnut.

With a "thud," this time it was perfect; the walnut was split evenly in two.

Li Yue carefully broke off the half of the walnut shell bit by bit, finally getting two complete halves.

Looking at the result, Li Yue smiled with satisfaction.

......

"Girl, I've brought you the clips."

The homeowner looked at Li Yue, who was squatting on the ground, and handed her the nutcracker.

"Hmm!" Li Yue took the walnut cracker and casually put it into the winnowing basket.

The homeowner was stunned. When he came over just now, he suddenly saw that Li Yue's winnowing basket was already filled with a small pile of peeled walnuts.

Just as he was wondering what the girl was using to peel it, he saw Li Yue pinch the walnut and gently crack it in two.

What's even more frightening is that even a cracked walnut still has a very hard shell.

He saw the little girl pinch the shell with her fingers and peel it open like an eggshell.

If he hadn't known beforehand that his walnuts were hard-shelled, he might have mistaken them for paper-shelled walnuts upon seeing this.

The problem is, if you're already doing this much when you're shelling walnuts, what do you need a nutcracker for?

"Uncle! Could I borrow one of your clean bowls?"

Li Yue felt that it was a bit unhygienic to put the shelled walnuts in a winnowing basket, and since the uncle was right next to her, she casually made a request.

"Yes! Yes!" the uncle replied and walked back, his expression strange, thinking to himself: This little girl is definitely a martial arts master.

Although the uncle had spent his entire life in the countryside, he had still watched martial arts movies.

After Li Yue finished peeling the walnuts, she felt that was enough.

She rinsed it under the tap, and then asked the landlord for a small plate.

Then, carrying the winnowing basket, they scurried back to their seats.

The homeowner watched Li Yue leave, wondering why she would take the nutcracker back with her after she had finished peeling the walnuts.

He never imagined that although Li Yue didn't need the nutcracker, it was a very important tool.

Li Yue knew she was strong, and she didn't intend to deceive Liu Zihao.

She was simply afraid that if Li Zihao found out too early, he would be scared away again.

They are currently just friends, and their relationship isn't very strong.

When the two of them have developed a deeper relationship, they won't be scared away by this when they find out.

Li Yue placed the nutcracker and a large bowl of walnut kernels on the small table, then set out a small dish. She picked up a walnut kernel and began peeling off the last layer of skin.

After peeling the first slice and placing it in the bowl, she made a very mechanical gesture to Liu Zihao, and then continued peeling.

Liu Zihao didn't mince words. He picked up a slice; the tender texture was quite pleasant. He gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Mmm! Delicious, very good. Did you peel them all yourself?"

Huh? Li Yue was taken aback. They'd found out? "How did you know?"

"This is too easy," Liu Zihao pointed to her fingers. "Look, your fingers are all yellow. The water inside the walnut shell will make your skin turn yellow very quickly if it gets on it. I can tell from your hands that you've touched these walnut shells a lot."

"Oh, I see. I thought we'd been discovered," Li Yue said calmly. "It won't matter. It'll disappear soon."

"Yes! That's right, it looked bad for a while back then, by the way..."

Liu Zihao reminded him, "You've been busy all day and haven't even had a sip of water. This tea has gone cold; it's perfect for you."

Only after Liu Zihao reminded her did Li Yue realize that she was indeed a little thirsty.

She picked up her teacup and took a big gulp. Mmm! She was really thirsty.

Liu Zihao found it quite amusing to watch Li Yue drink water.

Although Li Yue is a bit dull, she is often very genuine.

He actually has a bit of a crush on Li Yue, otherwise he wouldn't have gone so far to play on the weekend.

Liu Zihao is not a womanizer at heart. He doesn't want to be the kind of person who tries every means to seduce all the beautiful women in the world because he despises that kind of person.

The reason why I haven't been able to establish a relationship with any of the girls is...

One reason is that they haven't known each other long enough to get to know each other very well. He's still undecided about which girl is right for him.

Secondly, he is still uncertain about his future choices, and he is troubled by the matter of the elderly Luo Xinlian.

Now that Chen Hongjun isn't here, everyone is without a leader.

Zheng Jinxin and Zhao Changling, carefree as ever, are already preparing to start dating.

Who will take care of the elderly in the future? How will they be cared for? Will there be enough money to provide care? These are all difficult questions.

Those two are unreliable; he wouldn't dare be unreliable again.

Stealing a half-day of leisure from a busy life, that's Liu Zihao's current state.

Seeing Liu Zihao's blissful expression, Li Yue, who had been busy all day, smiled with satisfaction.

During lunch, the two listened to the landlord describe the scenery around the area.

In fact, many tours nowadays focus primarily on tasting local cuisine.

Most tourists come to Tianxingyan to try the local home-style dishes and pick fruits and vegetables.

As for other things to do, the river here is crystal clear, and many parents bring their children to play in the water.

As for the scenic areas in the mountains, they are basically not planned by humans; they are all small paths trodden out by mountain people in the past.

It can only be considered a natural landscape now, which is what people often call a wild scenic area.

In the Jiangnan region, there are many mountainous areas and many such outdoor scenic spots. Most people who come here just wander around and enjoy the scenery.

Wilderness areas pose potential dangers, and locals do not recommend going there, so the landlord suggested that the two of them take a walk along the riverbank.

Firstly, the river water is quite good, and secondly, it hasn't rained for the past two days, making it a rare opportunity to go down into the river.

If it rains, there is a risk of flash floods, and no one would advise against it.

Since they had agreed beforehand that they might go swimming, they chose to take a stroll along the riverbank instead.

Once I got off the riverbank, I realized that the gap between my imagination and reality was huge.

There were indeed people swimming in the river, but they were all children.

It's more like playing in the water than swimming.

There are some small, shallow pools of water at the bends in the river, perfect for parents to play with their children.

A group of children, mostly boys, were playing in the puddle. They weren't wearing swimsuits, but rather close-fitting clothes.

Two little girls, however, were brought into the water by their parents, wearing swimsuits.

This place is clearly not suitable for adults to go into the water, not to mention there are no places to change clothes nearby.

Li Yue has always been averse to swimming with exposed limbs, and she rarely even goes to swimming pools.

When she came this time, she had only heard that Liu Zihao had been practicing swimming recently, and she just mentioned it casually.

Li Yue, who couldn't swim, was even happier. She took off her shoes and started walking and playing in the stream.

The water was very clear, and it felt great to wash my toes with it.

They started walking upstream along the river.

As Li Yue played, her childlike spirit was awakened, and she began to turn over the large rocks in the stream.

Usually, small fish or river crabs hide under these large rocks.

Seeing this, Liu Zihao quickly took off his shoes and got down to help, because the rock was too big.

Just as Li Yue was about to exert her strength, she realized what was happening when she saw Liu Zihao coming down.

Oh dear! I almost revealed my true strength again! Li Yue secretly felt relieved.

She happily cooperated with Liu Zihao, who "thoughtfully" came to help.

As Liu Zihao moved, she slowly exerted her strength, and finally, the two of them "laboriously" flipped the big rock over.

Many fish were hiding under the big rock. Having lost their hiding place, the fish darted around in panic.

There was even a river crab that hurriedly ran into the deep water, only to be flipped over by the current halfway there and swirling around in the water.

When Li Yue was a child, she used to play in the river and catch river crabs. Every time she found a river crab, she would stretch out two fingers and pinch it.

Liu Zihao played with her this time, and she had a lot of fun, so she let the censored crab go.

That afternoon, the two of them went upstream, working together to turn over many large rocks in the water.

I saw most of the creatures in the stream: river crabs, river shrimp, and even more various kinds of small fish.

Many of the little fish were beautiful and colorful. Liu Zihao had never seen most of them before, and he had a lot of fun.

On the first day, the two of them basically spent the whole afternoon playing in the river.

After dinner, we chatted under the moonlight and breathed in the oxygen, and the day passed by.

The next day, the two originally planned to go hiking, but plans changed.

Early in the morning, it started to drizzle in the mountains. In this kind of weather, we could only stay indoors.

Li Yue wasn't disappointed at all; she spent the whole day in the living room drinking tea with Liu Zihao.

She even opened and brewed each of the three types of tea she brought, so that Liu Zihao could taste which one he liked.

Of the three types of tea, Liu Zihao prefers Taiping Houkui, as he likes its flavor better.

Li Yue simply told him to take the box of tea back to his dorm to drink.

Listening to the rain and sipping tea, Li Yue felt a sense of warmth and tranquility, like a woman by the fireside, adding fragrance to the night.

She even hoped that the rain would last until tomorrow, so that Luo Bingjie's gathering would be ruined.

The weather is strange; if you don't want it to rain, it will rain anyway, and it won't stop.

You want it to keep running all day, but it always stops around 2 or 3 pm.

At this time of day, there's not much time to do anything you want.

When Liu Zihao suggested that they go back earlier, Li Yue had no reason to object.

She reluctantly packed her things and got into the car with Liu Zihao.

Liu Zihao originally wanted to pay the landlord, but the landlord followed him the whole time and didn't mention the rent at all.

Liu Zihao understood that Li Yue had probably already paid the money.

He was too embarrassed to suggest splitting the bill with Li Yue.

Because none of the teas that Li Yue brought looked cheap.

The tea I gave him to take home and drink was a half-pound container.

Just looking at the packaging, it probably costs over a thousand yuan.

Once in the car, Liu Zihao casually asked, "Are you treating this time?"

Li Yue hummed in agreement and slowly drove the car out of the yard.

Liu Zihao felt a little guilty for eating, taking, and playing for free, so he thought about it.

"Next time we go out, I'll treat you. You're not allowed to pay first."

"Great!" Li Yue perked up when she heard there would be a next time. "How do you plan to treat me?"

Liu Zihao scratched his head. "I don't know what you like. How about you choose one yourself?"

Li Yue didn't rush to start the car; she thought about it for a moment.

"How about you find a place like this to play in next time, hmm!" She pouted, "It would be best if you could play for a longer time, two days isn't enough."

Liu Zihao squinted as he recalled one of his immature plans.

"Believe it or not, there really might be such a place. You could spend a lifetime here, let alone two days."

When Liu Zihao said "a lifetime," he was just using it as a metaphor for how long he could play around.

However, what was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Li Yue's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself: Is this a promise?

Her mood immediately improved, and she even remembered how pitiful Luo Bingjie looked that day, and she felt that she had bullied Luo Bingjie a bit.

Liu Zihao was just accompanying her to the party; getting to know more people would also benefit Liu Zihao's future development.

Besides, going there won't make Liu Zihao lose anything.

She was quite familiar with Luo Bingjie, her opponent.

They are proud people like her and wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics.

Thinking of this, she quickly started the car.

Send Liu Zihao back as soon as possible, so Luo Bingjie doesn't get impatient.

Of course, most importantly, she shouldn't let Liu Zihao think she's petty.

The car sped smoothly along the mountain road, its joy mirroring Li Yue's current mood.