Chapter 25
Zhao Yanzi was completely at ease. She was jumping and
leaping, leading everyone else. Today, she was wearing a short skirt that was
sewed together with cotton and denim fabrics, displaying her silky, slender
calves. Out of her low cut and vest-like sleeveless s.h.i.+rt came two plump arms
and a good portion of skin. It was a little alluring. For a girl her age, or
for Hao Ren who was relatively conservative, her choice of outfit seemed rather
bold.
On the other hand, the Roman sandals on her feet craftily balanced
out her s.e.xiness with the liveliness of youth. Along with her springing and
bouncing, the slippers were flopping like two fluttering b.u.t.terflies.
It was nice to have a mother who was a designer. With such
casual mix and match of an outfit, not only did Zhao Yanzi not look awkward,
she actually looked like a pretty little catalog model.
In comparison, Hao Ren couldn't be more unfas.h.i.+onable. He
was wearing a s.h.i.+rt that hadn't been washed in three days, a pair of wrinkly
jeans, and a pair of dirty running shoes.
The only thing about him that could attract any attention
was the little pink backpack on his back. However, that was also Zhao Yanzi's
item. Speaking of that, it was indeed strange enough for a guy like him to be
wearing a pink backpack.
As Zhao Yanzi rushed ahead, Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu were
walking side by side with Hao Ren. While Zhao Guang's outfit was business
casual, Zhao Hongyu went for a young athletic feel; it was almost impossible to
tell that she was already the mother of a middle-schooler.
They continued climbing up the flights of stone stairs and
finally arrived at the ticket office for the tourist attraction.
Zhao Yanzi was already standing right next to the window of
the ticket office, impatiently waiting for her parents to go purchase tickets.
Her inability to hold herself back reminded Hao Ren of the times when he went
sightseeing with his parents in his childhood.
Zhao Guang walked over calmly and bought four admissions
tickets at once. Hao Ren felt a little uncomfortable that his ticket was paid
for. But at a time like this, he did not want to put up a hypocritical fight
over anything unnecessary.
Through the mountain gates, they continued moving up along
the stairs.
The sight was undeniably magnificent. Their surrounding was
saturated with greenness; as a result, even the air was giving off a hint of
coolness. The reappearing stream was meandering downwards along the trail,
generating a pleasantly clear and melodious sound by their feet.
With her mouth wide open, Zhao Yanzi started taking in
exaggeratedly deep breaths of fresh air. Hao Ren couldn't help but smile at her
innocent and childish behavior.
It was incredibly relaxing and satisfying for them to be one
with nature again after having spent a long time living in the city.
Hand-in-hand, Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang were taking their
time to admire and appreciate the scenery around them. Since Hao Ren did not
want to walk beside Zhao Yanzi, he strolled behind them. Similarly, Zhao Yanzi
did not want to be stuck with Hao Ren either. Thus, she was like an excited
small animal, sprinting and exploring ahead.
"Zi, slow down!" Zhao Hongyu cautioned,
Zhao Hongyu let out a chuckle. She turned around and waved
at Hao Ren before walking ahead to join Zhao Yanzi. "This cave was created due
to the impact of the underground water. Streams in the mountain have formed
secret paths inside the mountain. When they run into fragile and worn-out
rocks, they would burst through. What we have seen on our way here are
tributaries; the real water streams are all contained on the inside of the
mountain…"
"How come there is no water in it then?" Zhao Yanzi asked
curiously.
"That is because the size and impact of the water streams
also depend on the season. When the water stream is affluent, the water will
seep through. Of course, it could also be that the stream had been diverted. In
other words, this was formerly an exit that had become blocked off from the inside
due to a small-scale landslide," Zhao Hongyu explained patiently.
While nodding her head, Zhao Yanzi's eyes lit up as if she
had just discovered a new continent. She pointed ahead, "Look, there is some
writing over there!"
"'Earthly Paradise', this was supposedly inscribed by the
famous poet Du Fu of the Tang dynasty. There used to be a Daoist temple here
called 'Celestial Cloud Temple'..." Zhao Hongyu patiently elaborated as she
walked.
Blinking her big eyes, Zhao Yanzi was able to keep calm and
followed her mother closely, observing and listening.
Hao Ren was in awe. He was surprised that Zhao Hongyu was so
knowledgeable. Not only was she successful in architectural designs, but she
was also very eloquent when it came to astronomy-geology, culture, and
humanity.
As a result, they advanced quickly as Zhao Hongyu
interpreted along the way. Moreover, she was often able to branch off from one
point to pa.s.s on more information to Zhao Yanzi. Her voice was gentle and
pleasant; even Hao Ren was enchanted and had learned a lot from listening to
her.
After walking for about two hours, they reached the halfway
point and decided to go eat at a small restaurant on the mountain.
Their tables were planted outside and underneath an awning.
While they were devouring the vegetables and rice, they were also able to
appreciate the magnificent views of GreenStone Mountain.
Hao Ren had been trapped in school for far too long. Today's
opportunity to travel with the Zhao Family had his eyes and mind refreshed by
the green mountain and clear streams; he became cheerful as well.
"There is a Daoist temple on top of this mountain called
'Heavenly Oneness Temple'. It was said that Daoist Master Zhang had once
cultivated here. The biggest palace in this Daoist temple is called the
'Founder's Palace'. All of its s.h.i.+ngles were covered with rolled gold. They
have a pine tree that is two thousand years old as well. Moreover, there is a
monument that was inscribed by Daoist Master Zhang himself…"
As he was eating, Zhao Guang suddenly became enthusiastic
and pointed out to Zhao Yanzi.
"That is fun!" Zhao Yanzi looked to her father in
antic.i.p.ation, "Let's go check it out after we finish eating!"
"It takes three hours to get up there. Since there are no
cable cars here, your mom and I will pa.s.s on this one. We plan to walk up a
little more, but then we will take our time to go back down and get some rest
at the hotel," Zhao Guang replied.
"Awww…" Zhao Yanzi was obviously disappointed.
"Or you can ask Hao Ren to go with you?" Zhao Hongyu
suggested.
"Who needs his company!" Gritting her teeth, Zhao Yanzi
declared, "I will go by myself!"
"No way. We would be worried if you went up there yourself!"
Zhao Hongyu denied Zhao Yanzi's proposition resolutely.
Knowing that she could not defy her parents, Zhao Yanzi
sulkily lowered her head in silence.
After their meal, they continued the climb. After walking
for about half an hour and having checked out "Elder Lord Cave" that
had immense history, Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu were ready to leave.
As much as Zhao Yanzi wanted to continue upwards and to
explore the Daoist temple on top of the mountain, she could only follow her
parents' order now that they have decided to call it a day.
Seeing that Zhao Yanzi was upset and was pouting her lips,
Zhao Hongyu said, "How about... we make an exception and let you continue your
tour here on the mountain?"
Zhao Yanzi's eyes lit up instantaneously, and a bright smile
started blooming across her face.
"But there is one condition; Ren has to stay with you.
Otherwise, we will be worried," Zhao Hongyu added.
Biting her lip, Zhao Yanzi struggled for a few seconds but
finally concurred, "Fine, I want to see what's up there!"
A shade of joy appeared on Zhao Hongyu's face as she turned
to Hao Ren. "Ren, please stay with Zi. Come back down as soon as you reach the
top of the mountain. Give us a call if you need anything. At your pace, four
hours should be enough for you to go up and get back down to here. It takes
approximately two more hours to get down to the foot of the mountain so that it
would be six hours in total. We'll expect you to be back in the hotel by seven
o'clock."
Actually, Hao Ren did not want to go back to the hotel so
early, either; it was a rare chance for him to be able to be immersed in
nature. Therefore, he nodded at Zhao Hongyu a.s.suredly and said, "Yes, auntie. I
will try my best to look after Zi."
Zhao Guang gave Hao Ren a light encouraging nod before
turning around and leaving with Zhao Hongyu.
Hao Ren knew very well that Zhao Yanzi's parents were trying
to create opportunities for him and Zhao Yanzi to get to know each other
through spending time alone. However, he did not want to overthink it as all he
wanted now was to visit the legendary Daoist temple.
Likewise, Zhao Yanzi was thinking the same thing. Now that
her parents had walked far away, she started shouting at Hao Ren, "Come on,
hurry up! Don't be a slowpoke and hold me back!"
After briefly rolling his eyes at her, Hao Ren looked up at
the endless trail and took a step forward.