Chapter 107: Chapter 105 Mischievous
Meili Snow Mountain, pristine and holy, is one of the four sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism and remains unclimbed to this day.
Rumors claim that due to religious protection, the local government officially bans climbing Meili Snow Mountain—whether that’s true remains unknown. However, it’s certain that there have been attempts to conquer it. Unfortunately, none were successful due to its challenging nature, and all climbing teams have returned defeated.
Regardless, this mountain holds an extraordinary place in the hearts of the Tibetan people.
It is not advisable for extraordinary individuals to follow the example of Mr. Li and Mr. Huai.
"This..."
Li held her phone, scrolling through the photos, her eyes twitching slightly.
She looked up briefly and saw, out of the corner of her eye, Huai Xu standing in front of her, full of expectation. After thinking for a moment, she said, "The photos look really good, but could you go up again and record a video for me? I want you to capture everything around—up, down, left, right. I want a full video..."
Zhou Li relayed, "He’s agreed to it."
After the phone disappeared, Zhou Li added, "Have you ever seen the videos in your mother’s friends’ circle?"
Brother Nan turned her head to look at him.
All Zhou Li could do was shake his head. "I’ve tried many tricks already. Don’t get your hopes up."
Brother Nan sighed.
Once Huai Xu came down, she watched the video for a while, then pocketed her phone and beamed, "Thanks a lot, Huai Xu! When we get to Lijiang tonight, I’ll treat you to Fragrant Hills spareribs!"
Zhou Li continued to relay messages.
「 」
After returning to the hotel and packing up, they slung their bags over their shoulders and meandered back along the road.
Deqin County, nestled in a valley, isn’t far from Feilai Temple and is visible directly from there. However, because the road winds along the mountain, it takes about two to three hours to walk there.
They were in no hurry.
Brother Nan simply walked backward, gazing up at the snow mountain while occasionally pulling out her phone to take a couple of photos, sometimes including Zhou Li in the frame.
Whenever there was a risk, Zhou Li would warn her.
"The clouds are suddenly gathering."
Brother Nan noticed that the sky, which had been crystal clear before, was no longer so; the mountain was half obscured. She blinked. "Looks like the weather’s returning to what it was supposed to be today?"
Zhou Li had no idea.
Brother Nan popped a lollipop into her mouth and started hopping and skipping along seriously. "We’ll get a bus to Lijiang once we reach the town. If everything goes as planned, we should arrive there in time for dinner. Then we can have dinner and stroll around the ancient city. We can take the train to Chunming after ten and should arrive there by about nine tomorrow morning... See? It even solves our accommodation for the night. Killing two birds with one stone, right?"
"Right."
"Taking the train is fun too! We’ll buy lots of snacks and enjoy the night view—delightful!"
"Yes."
"How’s my plan?"
"Really good!"
Suddenly, Zhou Li saw Huai Xu stop in his tracks and turn to look up toward the mountain on the left.
He turned to look as well and saw a vague figure standing on the mountain peak, seemingly watching them through the mist. Then he saw Huai Xu raise his hand and wave in that direction.
"What’s up?"
"That person from yesterday."
"I see."
Zhou Li turned back and also bowed slightly in a gesture of thanks.
It seemed like the figure responded with the same gesture.
「 」
Upon reaching the town, Brother Nan saw a hot and sour fish rice restaurant and almost couldn’t bring herself to move. Ultimately, the exorbitant prices deterred them, and they successfully caught a minivan to Lijiang, arriving there by four in the afternoon.
Thank heavens—it was just a cloudy day in Lijiang.
After dropping off their bags, they went to Fragrant Hills Market for a meal of spareribs, outlasting several groups of diners as they tried to kill time.
By the time they were finished, it wasn’t even seven yet.
They then visited the ancient city and climbed Lion Mountain to view the night scenery.
They brushed off a Mage who was keen on taking pictures of pretty girls and declined many invitations from bars. Brother Nan and Zhou Li somehow even managed to add a new Alipay friend. Finally, they made it until 9:30 PM.
A rather dull day.
But on reflection, it was quite interesting—after all, it was different from any day in the past several years.
The train CLACKETY-CLACKED as it started to move.
Brother Nan had booked the tickets; she had secured adjacent lower and middle bunks. However, for some reason, Zhou Li ended up with the lower bunk.
It wasn’t a big deal.
Brother Nan threw her bag on the lower bunk and sat down, rummaging for her charger, as her phone was out of power.
Zhou Li also conscientiously placed his bag on the middle bunk.
"Do you need to charge your phone?"
"I still have over fifty percent left."
"You really are... Are you sure you’re not an old person?" Brother Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. "How do you manage not to use your phone for a whole day?"
"I used it, just not much."
"Give me your power bank," Brother Nan said, noticing the power outlet they faced was already in use.
"Huai Xu played games all night and drained his battery; he didn’t charge it," Zhou Li tilted his head to look up, spotting a pair of legs dangling above him which stopped swinging as soon as he spoke.
"Ah..."
Brother Nan was about to look for another charging port when she heard a voice nearby, "Are you in a hurry to charge?"
Turning, she saw a tall boy approaching, wiping his hands with a tissue.
"My phone died."
"Then unplug mine. Once you’re done, you can plug it back in for me. I have another phone," the boy said, pointing at the middle bunk across from him and smiling. "I’m sleeping there."
"Great! Thanks, bro!"
Without any pretense, Brother Nan immediately plugged in her phone.
The boy sat down on the opposite lower bunk and asked, "Are you guys together? Where are you headed?"
"Chunming," Zhou Li replied.
"Oh, me too."
"That’s quite a coincidence," Brother Nan returned and sat down. "I wanted to book a soft berth; they’re quite unique. Unfortunately, they were all taken."
"The soft berth is nice. I wanted one too, but it’s too expensive for just one person," the boy smiled at Brother Nan. "Are you two traveling for National Day too?"
"Yes."
And then they started chatting.
The boy was very sociable. Coincidentally, he was also a student at Caiyun University, one grade above Zhou Li and Brother Nan. Zhou Li and Brother Nan were traveling from Chunming to Deqin. He, on the other hand, had gone straight to Deqin due to the good weather, climbed Yubeng, and then traveled back towards Lijiang, enjoying the sights along the way.
Brother Nan also really wanted to hike Yubeng.
Zhou Li turned to look out the window; the train had left the urban area, and the lights outside began to appear sparsely, with occasional specks of brightness.
There was a moon that night.
An auntie was on the opposite lower bunk, and an uncle was on the upper bunk. Train attendants hurried by while transport police checked for safety hazards. The jumbled sounds of people filled his ears, but the most distinct was the chattering Old Monster above him:
"Zhou Li, why aren’t you talking? Aren’t you afraid Li Daimao will be snatched away?"
"What’s there to see outside?"
"This guy is quite handsome—not as much as you, but he’s more sociable than you..."
"..."
BLAH BLAH BLAH.
Zhou Li simply pulled out a bag of pickled chicken feet and started eating. Sure enough, the creature above quickly quieted down. He glanced upwards; Huai Xu was peering down, staring at him intently with wide eyes.
Later, at Brother Nan’s invitation, they played two rounds of ’Fight the Landlords.’
Neither Brother Nan nor Zhou Li were really in the mood to play. Brother Nan felt there wasn’t much fun without betting money, while Zhou Li, having hardly played cards growing up, only knew the rules of ’Fight the Landlords.’
In the first round, Brother Nan drew three bombs.
In the second round, four bombs.
The boy, while doubting life, also felt the game had lost its fun.
Afterwards, Zhou Li brushed his teeth and went to sleep. Brother Nan’s phone had charged a bit, so she unplugged it to play games while snacking.
The boy was somewhat puzzled. He initially thought Brother Nan and Zhou Li were a couple, but after spending some time with them, he felt there were contradictions. After thinking it over, he softly asked, "Have you guys just gotten together recently?"
"No, who said we’re a couple?"
"Aren’t you?"
"No, we’re just close. He’s my Little Brother."
"No wonder. I felt you two weren’t as intimate as couples," the boy smiled shyly. "I thought you were a couple; talking to you for so long made me a bit nervous. I was afraid your boyfriend would get jealous."
"Oh, I see... Want some snacks?"
"Thank you."
"All the snacks are on the bed. Feel free to grab more when you’re done; no need to be shy. I’m going to wash up."
"Okay."
The train lights had turned off at some point, and the white moonlight poured in from outside, illuminating the small table.
Zhou Li had long fallen asleep, lying on his side, one hand inadvertently hanging from the bed, gently swaying with the motion of the train. Brother Nan was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, playing games with headphones on.
The boy in the middle bunk was conflicted. It was rare to see such a beautiful girl as Brother Nan; honestly, he was smitten. Yet, he was unsure of her and Zhou Li’s relationship status...
He rehearsed it in his mind several times. Finally gathering his courage, he turned over to ask Brother Nan for her contact. However, he only saw that she had placed her phone on her thigh, the screen displaying a ’Defeat’ message. Wearing a curious and mischievous expression, she lifted her arm and began to toy with Zhou Li’s dangling fingers.
Fiddling, bit by bit.
She looked fascinated, seemingly amused.
Sensing the boy’s gaze, she turned her head and gave him a coy smile, her eyes squinting.
She continued toying with Zhou Li’s fingers.
The boy silently withdrew his gaze.