Chapter 89: Big Hand Holding Small Hand, We Walk Together!

Tang Chong was awakened by Hua Ming's snoring. He pushed open the window and saw that the wind had stopped and the rain had ceased, with a cold moon hanging high in the sky.

He quietly slipped out to the rooftop of the small building, surveying the low and sparse residential areas and the endless hills not far away.

A peak stood out, graceful and elegant, like a fairy trailing a long, colorful ribbon. Tang Chong thought it might be the 'Jade Maiden Peak' they were supposed to climb after dawn.

After the rain, the autumn air was cool, the moon was bright, and the night was silent, with only the sounds of birds and insects.

"Empty mountains after new rain, the weather turns to autumn in the evening." Tang Chong suddenly remembered this beautiful line.

Thump thump

Footsteps approached.

Tang Chong was surprised. It was around four in the morning; who would come to the rooftop at this time?

He remained silent, standing quietly and waiting.

Qiu Yihan didn't expect anyone to be on the rooftop at this time. Seeing a dark figure, her first thought was of the mountain spirits and tree demons from her grandmother's stories, and she opened her mouth to shout.

Tang Chong dashed forward and, instead of hugging Qiu Yihan, covered her mouth.

"It's me," Tang Chong whispered.

Under the moonlight, Qiu Yihan's large eyes appeared even clearer, black as ink, white as snow, with long lashes fluttering like a meticulously trimmed and framed little fan. She was more surprised than confused.

"I know," she mumbled.

Tang Chong was worried that her scream would wake the others, so he rushed over to cover her mouth. When his hand touched her cheek, he felt an astonishing softness and elasticity.

The first time they met, he thought this girl was like a beautiful porcelain doll. Now, after touching her, he wondered what kind of doll could have such a good feel.

When she mumbled, her lips inevitably touched his palm, just like when Hua Ming's rabbit Xiao Gai licked the vegetable threads from his hand. It felt tingly and itchy, giving Tang Chong a slight electric sensation.

Although he was reluctant, he still released her mouth.

"I thought you were a monster," Qiu Yihan said, catching her breath. "Grandma said there are many wandering spirits in the mountains."

"Does such a thing exist?" Tang Chong laughed. "If you're afraid of monsters, why did you come up to the rooftop alone?"

"I didn't want to," Qiu Yihan's pretty face turned bitter, looking pitiful. She pulled up her sleeve and showed Tang Chong, saying, "Count how many bumps there are on my arm."

In the moonlight, Qiu Yihan's snow-white and smooth arm had many red patches. When others were bitten by mosquitoes, it was just a small red dot. Because her skin was too delicate, and she might have a slight allergy, the red dots spread into large patches.

"Your room doesn't have a mosquito net?" Tang Chong asked.

"No," Qiu Yihan said. "Grandma Wang offered to give us her mosquito net, but we refused. We've already disturbed her enough; we can't take her mosquito net. Mosquitoes don't just bite young people."

Hearing the girl's innocent and cute words, Tang Chong couldn't help but squint and smile, saying, "Aren't they all sleeping soundly?"

"What does 'sleeping soundly' mean? They wrapped themselves up like mummies with clothes and newspapers. I don't have any clothes to wrap myself in, and I don't want to use theirs, so I came out," Qiu Yihan defended herself, as if Tang Chong was implying she was too delicate and couldn't endure hardship.

"The wind is strong up here, so there are no mosquitoes," Tang Chong said with a smile. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Are you going to sleep?" Qiu Yihan asked. "If you're going to sleep, we'll sleep together. If you're not going to sleep, I won't either."

"Sleep together?" Tang Chong widened his eyes. "Isn't this developing too fast?"

Qiu Yihan realized the ambiguity in her words, her cheeks flushed, and she waved her hands in panic, saying, "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, if you go back to sleep, I don't dare to sit up here alone. If you don't go back to sleep, I'll stay here and talk with you. I didn't mean to sleep with you."

"Oh, I overthought it," Tang Chong said with a smile.

"Um, then I..." Qiu Yihan's face turned as red as a persimmon, not knowing what to say.

"Wait here for a moment," Tang Chong said. He went downstairs and brought a long bench, saying, "Let's sit here for a while. The sun should be coming up soon, and we can watch the sunrise."

"Great, great," Qiu Yihan got excited and happily said, "I really want to see a sunrise, but I always oversleep."

Black mountains, a crescent moon, a cold wind, a rooftop, a long bench, a young girl, and the alluring scent that wafted over as she got closer...

The two sat side by side, chatting. As they became more familiar, Qiu Yihan became particularly talkative, with most of the conversation coming from her while Tang Chong listened.

She told some small jokes or memories from her childhood, like when the toy frog lost its toy and she cried for three days, only for it to come back on its own, or when she secretly went ice skating with classmates and fell and skinned her knee, getting scolded by her grandmother. But Tang Chong listened very attentively.

Time passed minute by minute, and a pale, goose-yellow sun peeked out from the mountain's depression, showing half its shy face.

Tang Chong wanted to remind Qiu Yihan to look, but when he turned his head, he found her leaning on his shoulder, fast asleep.

At some point, she had fallen asleep.

Her long hair was scattered, her body curled up, her little mouth slightly pouting, and a trail of drool on her chin.

"Such a child," Tang Chong smiled.

After eating the porridge and flatbread made by Grandma Wang, Tang Chong led the group to start heading towards Jade Maiden Peak.

When they reached the stone bridge, they met Zhou Wei and his group again.

"Did you find a place to sleep last night?" Zhou Wei ran up to Liang Tao and asked.

"Of course," Liang Tao said proudly. "We not only found a place to stay but also had a local chicken hot pot. Tsk tsk, it was so fragrant."

"Really?" Zhou Wei said disbelievingly. "The locals keep their chickens for eggs. The price wouldn't be enough for them to sell."

"If I told you they didn't even want to take our money, would you believe me?" Liang Tao asked.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Zhou Wei sneered.

"It's true," Luo Huan added. "Their little grandson hadn't pooped for days. Tang Chong massaged his stomach, and he pooped. Then they killed a chicken and made us a hot pot. It was so delicious. I'm still drooling thinking about it."

Zhou Wei's face turned strange. He glanced at Tang Chong, thinking, this guy not only fights well, has great eloquence, and can even treat illnesses. Is he an omnipotent Ultraman?

Zhou Wei suggested they all go sightseeing together, and Tang Chong didn't refuse. Since Chen Xuebing from Zhou Wei's group was a local, he could find some unique attractions.

A deep and dark crevice, a cave filled with metal bells that rang melodiously when struck, the Golden Jade Orchid Valley, and a bamboo raft ride...

By the time they reached Jade Maiden Peak, it was past lunchtime. They had to eat cookies, instant noodles, and mineral water, and they were all exhausted.

The boys were a bit better off, with stronger physical conditions. And out of a sense of masculinity, they had to grit their teeth and persevere.

The girls, however, were in bad shape, groaning and complaining, unwilling to stand up from the rocks.

Why do boys like to travel with girls? For moments like this.

So, the boys with good stamina started to show off to the girls they had long admired but never had the chance to approach.

"Xiao Li, let me carry you. I still have plenty of strength."

"Xiao Hua, let me help you. You can't sit down. If you sit, you won't be able to get up. We need to reach the summit as soon as possible."

"Xiao Hong, I can't carry you, but my heart is with you. If you go up, I'll go with you. If you don't want to go up, I'll stay here with you and wait for them to come down."

Among the girls, Qiu Yihan was the weakest.

Her face was pale, her forehead covered in sweat. Her steps were unsteady, and she swayed as if she might fall at any moment.

"Yihan, let me help you," Zhou Wei ran over, looking concerned. "This will save some energy. Otherwise, you won't be able to make it to the summit."

"No, thank you," Qiu Yihan declined his offer.

Liang Tao couldn't let his rival take the lead, so he also ran forward, saying, "Qiu Yihan, why don't we just stay here? There's only a Taoist temple on the mountain, nothing much to see. We can wait for them to come back."

"I want to go up," Qiu Yihan said, looking at the figure walking at the front, gritting her teeth.

Hearing their voices, Tang Chong finally turned around.

Seeing Qiu Yihan's current state, he frowned.

This girl was almost out of energy. What was the point of continuing?

"Sit here and wait," Tang Chong said. "We'll be back soon."

"No, I want to go up," Qiu Yihan said stubbornly.

Tang Chong thought for a moment, then extended his hand, saying, "Come. Grab my clothes."

Qiu Yihan's face lit up with a smile brighter than the sun. She took two quick steps and grabbed Tang Chong's arm.

"You don't need to use much strength. I'll pull you along," Tang Chong said.

"Okay," Qiu Yihan nodded.

Her small hand, holding Tang Chong's arm, slowly slid down, down, until it reached his palm.

Big hand holding small hand, we walk together!

PS: During the holiday, Old Liu can only focus on writing. Please give some red tickets to comfort me.

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