Chapter 59: The Winding Road of the Heart Separated by Mountains

  Three days later, early in the morning, Beijiao, Lao Ding Shan Forest Park.

  The two figures climbing up the stone steps got closer and closer. When Dan Yong, who was walking in front, stopped and turned around, he stretched out his hand. Li Xuan Ying, who was behind him, smiled slightly, quickened her pace, grabbed Dan Yong's hand, and climbed up two more steps, breathing slightly heavily.

  Early in the morning, I received a call from my senior sister, wanting to come to the famous Lao Ding Shan Forest Park to experience the charm of this natural oxygen bar. Shanyu was naturally overjoyed and skipped class immediately, anyway, graduation is near and there's nothing much to do. We took a low-carbon electric car with Zuo Xiying all the way to the foot of the mountain. At this moment, looking back, the city and streets have become miniature models, the sky is high and the earth is vast, making one feel an irresistible urge to let out a hearty sigh.

  "Sit down for a while, Shifu, is there no mountain where you are?" Dan Yong asked, handing over a bottle of water.

  "Nonsense, we have both mountains and sea there." Zuo Xiying smiled and caught up with him, and the two sat down on a wooden rest chair.

  Twisting the bottle cap, he took a sip of water and let out a long sigh. It was early in the morning, with the sun just rising from the foot of the mountain to its waist. The natural oxygen bar's air was exceptionally fresh. The resting chair was surrounded by thick pine trees, and further up the mountain, the dense forest looked like a canopy. The beautiful scenery was breathtaking. Li Xueying handed the camera to Shan Yong with great interest, saying: "Take a picture of the full view behind the mountain."

  "Uh-huh."

  Shan Yong continued, put down the water, retreated a few steps, came at an upward angle, clicked a photo, and when he took another one, he was stunned.

  In the camera, the smiling Shijie made a beckoning gesture, sweet and cute, those slender hands, that smile, that posture, all seemed to be basking in the sunlight like flowers, blooming in front of the camera, for an instant, Shan Yong's heart skipped a beat, his hand trembled.

  "What's wrong?" Zuo Xiying asked in surprise.

  Dan Yong shifted his gaze from the lens and looked at Zuo Xiying with a serious and contemplative expression, saying: "The posture is slightly off."

  "Then I'll stand here?" Zuo Xiying looked around and found a spot with good lighting, leaning against an old pine tree.

  "No, no, too serious." Shanyong shook his head.

  Then Zuo Xiying changed her sideways pose, with a somewhat majestic and heroic air, but didn't expect Shanyou to take another photo, still shaking his head in dissatisfaction. At this time, Shanyou rushed over, saying very seriously that it felt off by a bit, what was off about it? It was still too old-fashioned and pretentious.

  Zuo Xiying was taken aback for a moment, thought for a moment, and then came up with a lady-like smile. However, Dan Yong's face turned sour, and he said discontentedly: "No, no, you always smile like this, it doesn't look joyful at all, as if it's forced."

  "So what do you say?" Zuo Xiying's smile disappeared, and she looked a bit angry, tapping her foot.

  "Or, how about a glance and a smile, sweetly smiling." Dan Yong struck a pose, pretending to be a rhinoceros looking at its mother, then turned around and adopted a leaning-on-one's-cheek-and-gazing posture: "Or, how about this, autumn waters overflowing, rippling waves... how's that?"

  Zuo Xiying was taken aback, feeling that Shan Yong had come up with another one of his silly ideas to tease her. She furrowed her brow, still not reacting, when Shan Yong held up the camera and pointed at the long chair, half-reclining in a pose: "How about this? Let's do a 'Drunk Concubine' or 'Spring Sleep' look, it's so sexy... see how I'm doing?"

  Zuo Xiying was taken aback, and Shan Yong had already made a move to lie down. The action was really not elegant, which made Zuo Xiying's face turn red with embarrassment in an instant, and she burst out laughing, lifting her leg to kick Shan Yong, it turned out that this guy was taking advantage of the situation to flirt.

  But unexpectedly, at this moment, Dan Yong laughed and raised his hand, with a "click" sound, he jumped up and excitedly put the screen in front of Li Xiyin's eyes. This time it was really serious, not only serious but also very pleased to say: "Look, finally caught a rare shot... Rarely see you laugh so heartily, haha. Congratulations!?"

  Zuo Xiying was taken aback again, holding the camera, and suddenly her eyes widened. The scene she captured was herself laughing heartily, with her body leaning forward, head thrown back, mouth wide open, and an uncontrollable smile on her face. It almost made her unrecognizable to herself. In an instant, Zuo Xiying quickly picked up the camera, seemingly displeased, saying: "How ugly."

  "How can this be ugly? It's so beautiful, so natural." Shuang Yong said, and then reached for the camera, intentionally saying: "If you don't like it, I'll delete it."

  "No way, the photo is of me, if it's going to be deleted, I'll delete it myself." Zuo Xiying hid her hands behind her back and turned around, not giving Shuang Yong a chance. She had just thought that Shuang Yong was teasing her, but she didn't expect him to take a photo in this way. That photo... Zuo Xiying couldn't help but take another look, and indeed it looked very natural. Just as she was secretly pleased, Shuang Yong's head quietly approached her left shoulder. Zuo Xiying's face pulled back, pretending to be unhappy, and turned around to look at him. Suddenly, Shuang Yong, who had just leaned in, quickly withdrew his head.

  "You're teasing me again? Smiling foolishly like that? And with such a sparkling gaze?" Zuo Xiying seemed to be getting angry, displeased.

  "What's so funny? Don't be angry, or else let's take another one, according to your requirements." Dan Yong persuaded.

  "No... you've ruined the mood for going out and having fun." Zuo Xiying looked quite annoyed.

  "Alright? This... got messed up, forget it."

  "It's no use, everyone has seen it already, what's the point of deleting it?"

  "How come you're also so difficult to talk to now? What's it going to take?"

  "Uh, I should take a photo of you too, with your most handsome expression."

  Zuo Xiying finally showed her true self, smiling with pursed lips, finding an excuse to leave a good impression. Shan Yong's eyes lit up, and he chuckled: "Do you still need to pretend? You're already the most handsome."

  "It's not handsome until others say it is." Zuo Xiying smiled, holding up the camera, and an idea popped into her mind: "If you want to pose according to my requirements, just like what you said earlier, 'Guifei Drunken' and 'Haitang Spring Sleep'. Quick, lie down like you did just now..."

  Shan Yong let out an "ah" and was startled, unwillingly, Xi Ying threatened: "Are you going to pretend or not? It's already a concession that I didn't ask you to pretend to be a little dog."

  "This... I'm posing, don't laugh." Shan Yong glanced around and saw no one nearby, even the occasional passerby was far away. He leaned in and struck a half-reclining pose. Li Xiangying suddenly burst out laughing, her face contorting wildly as she scolded him: "This is not 'Sea Peach Spring Sleep', it's just a sloppy nap! Haha... no way, not cool enough, give me some smile."

  "Hey, hey, hey...... Come on, you're not going to make me take a nude photo, are you?" Shan Yong said with a bitter face. Zuo Xiying was laughing so hard she was bent over, having already forgotten about the photo shoot. At this moment, Shan Yong was lying on the chaise longue with his legs raised, propping up his face and gazing at himself with a charming expression. The sight was ridiculously comical. After a while, Zuo Xiying pointed at Shan Yong's tongue-out, making-a-face pose and said: "This is your true self, hold still, don't move."

  He said, with a click of the camera shutter, Shuang Yong jumped up and sat down, Zuo Xiying was holding the camera, laughing so hard she couldn't contain herself, sat down beside him, held it up in front of Shuang Yong's face, Shuang Yong took one look, seriously nodded: "Mmm, not bad, handsome enough. Just a bit too seductive."

  Zuo Xiying smiled and said a sentence, her small fist patted Yuan Yong's shoulder, and the two of them looked at each other and laughed with their heads thrown back.

  This time, the goodbye was more natural and casual than the first meeting. The two of them had grown closer while teasing each other. As they were about to leave, the phone in Bao's bag rang. Zuo He Ying reached into her bag, pulled out the phone, and as she did, another item from the bag rolled out. Shuang Yong quickly picked it up just as it was about to roll down the stairs. Zuo He Ying was excitedly talking on the phone: "Sister, I'm playing at the Forest Park...I'll be back this afternoon. Did Dad go out? Yesterday he went to check out the location of the cultural center and came back a bit tired...Oh, okay, I'll call you when I get back."

  Just as she was about to finish speaking, Zuo Xiying inadvertently glanced at Shan Yong and suddenly felt a pang in her heart. The smile on her face disappeared, and she slowly put down her phone. The small object that she had accidentally pulled out earlier was now being held by Shan Yong - a small medicine bottle. Shan Yong seemed to have seen it... no, he must have already seen it, and at this moment, he was staring at her with an incredulous gaze, as if he had done something wrong. This made Zuo Xiying feel a sense of embarrassment, as if someone had discovered her secret. The smiles on both of their faces disappeared, and after a long while, Shan Yong finally spoke up in a soft voice:

  "Ruiliming Mianping tablets, Shijie... This is an antidepressant, and it's specifically for mental depression. Are you taking this?"

  Shock, astonishment and confusion were all written on Shan Yong's face. Perhaps he had never thought that his mentor, who seemed to be above worldly affairs, was actually a patient with spiritual depression.

  However, many things are against one's wishes. The poor liar, Zuo Xiying, nodded gloomily, as if she had become a different person...

  ……………………

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  Dun... Dun... Dun...

  Gently knocking on the door, Li Xierong had just put down her phone and dismissed the secretary who was following her.

  At this time, if there was no trip, it should be the time for Father to taste tea and chat. Every time at this time, it is always Xiaomei who serves him. But I don't know why he ran to the Forest Park today. He pushed the door open and entered, his left hand still playing with a purple sand pot. Seeing his eldest daughter enter, he just smiled and didn't say much. Zuo Xiurong didn't mind, since her father retired, his obsession with food had far surpassed the philosophy he studied all his life. His daughter couldn't help but laugh and ask: "Dad, why are you staring at an empty pot?"

  Zuo Nanxia smiled and held up the purple sand teapot, speaking slowly and deliberately:

  "An empty pot? Ha ha, all things in the world have a spirit, and there are pots with their own boundaries. In each pot, there is a breath of air supporting it. The top-grade ones have a quiet and serene air, like the fragrance of orchids in a secluded valley, refreshing and pleasant to people; the middle-grade ones have an ordinary air, although they may be clever and versatile, but lack individuality; the lower-grade ones are just turbid air, mediocre and contemptible..."

  "What realm does the pot in your hand belong to?" The daughter asked, and for her father's hobby, she was just being polite.

  "It's just a mediocre wine." Zuo Nan put down the jug, as if hinting at something.

  "Dad, I see that even you have a calm and peaceful air about you... Come on, let me help you, try some of the Tieguanyin tea you brought."

  Zuo Xirong smiled and poured the water, from a young age she had seen her father boil water to make tea, this one way also received some infection, throwing tea, putting on the kettle, arranging cups, doing it with ease, when the water boiled, looking around the room only to see her father alone, seemingly concerned, casually asking: "Dad, where's little sister?"

  "I don't know... it seems like he left early this morning." Zuonan said, sniffing the Tieguanyin tea he had brought with him, looking very intoxicated.

  "Did he leave?" Zuo Xiurong asked with a seemingly surprised expression, looking at her father with a mysterious smile, and smiled: "Was he invited away by Shan Yong?"

  Zuo Nan nodded slightly, smiling but not speaking. This confirmation should have dispelled the doubts in her mind, but instead it left her somewhat uncertain. Before long, this uncertainty turned into an inexplicable smile, a silly, awkward grin.

  From seeing a young couple having fun in Yincheng Town, I wasn't too surprised about what happened next. However, it was a bit strange that the father, who had always been strict with his family teachings, actually let it happen. Li Xirong looked at her father in surprise as he played with a ceramic cup. When her father caught sight of her, he smiled and said: "Xirong, you're also a company boss now, busy with many things, so don't always come to bother this idle person, it's delaying your work."

  "It's okay, Dad, it's still far from harvest time, and there are people busy below, I'm just a idle boss with plenty of time... Ah, right, Dad." Zuo Xi Rong held the newly opened water, washing cups, glanced at her father's face, and carefully asked: "Do you... intend to bring these two together? Do you need my help?"

  "Is this something that others can help with?" Hehe. Zuo Nanxia lowered his head, stretched his neck and sniffed the tea aroma coming from his head, smiling as he said: "Her stepmother's passing had a huge impact on her, after returning to Fujian she kept reminiscing about Lucheng with me, every day watching videos of Lucheng and telling me many times about eating snacks at Chenghuang Temple... Ah, I haven't seen her so happy in a long time."

  Even Zuo Xiuhong felt this, and smiled in agreement: "That's a good thing, little sister has been resting at home for several years, can't always be like this, after all, a girl should get married when she grows up, otherwise I'll check the other party's family background?"

  "No need to ask, there's no family background."

  Zuo Nanxia shook his head, put down the cup of tea that had just been poured, and slowly sipped it, telling his eldest daughter a few words about what he had encountered. Upon hearing that it was a student from Rongma Village's Nongjiale University, a second-rate university, and then again that it was actually a third-rate student from the same university, and that the unpleasant encounter last time was because of him, Zuo Xiangruo almost spat out the tea she had just sipped.

  Zuo Lao's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at his father, unable to fathom what was going on in his mind. Although it could be said that given his sister's situation, they could abandon their family's reputation to a certain extent, the difference couldn't be too great. But this situation seemed to belong to the category of huge differences, yet his father appeared to be quite pleased about it.

  "Dad, you mean...?" Zuo Xi Rong was uncertain, looking at her father's carefree appearance, very puzzled. Can't just sacrifice his daughter because of a shared interest? Zuo Nan Xia smiled and said: "Let things develop naturally, a forced melon won't be sweet, and a forced hemp can't become a thread."

  "Otherwise, why don't you come to my company for training? I'll help you cultivate your skills. You can't be too unpolished, after all. Don't let people say that as an older sister, I'm mistreating my younger sister and marrying her off to some mountain village." Zuo Xiurong said, hinting at a topic that neither of the father-daughter pair was willing to bring up.

  "This, however, made Zuo Nan pause for a moment, then shook his head very cautiously, looking at his daughter in confusion, and said very cautiously: "Absolutely not, things that are done on purpose often deviate from their original intention. As for Xi Ying's future, even if I close my eyes, you're not allowed to interfere, she's not someone who compromises, and you don't need to find her someone who compromises either, otherwise, it will ruin her."

  No more words were exchanged, and the sharp expression on Zuo Nan's face was shrouded in a layer of worry. His daughter didn't ask any further questions; every family has its own unspeakable troubles, and it seemed that this old man was one of the Zuo family's deepest concerns...