Chapter 1.4

7.

I completely surrendered to Duan Yi’s cooking skills.

Takeout food was no longer appealing.

Before every meal, I would exclaim how lucky I was, ah! Life has no regrets!

But proud at the dinner table and frustrated in front of the book.

My story has reached a bottleneck lately. I’ve been repeatedly deleting and revising, and I can’t even write a single word.

I thought of my dad’s circle of friends and decided to go out and look for inspiration.

Searching on the national map for a destination, I settled on a snow mountain in the west. I decided to go on a whim, since I am a freelancer and don’t have to worry about vacation time.

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Ebld Pwyd Zk nyxl bsxl qasx osaj, bl pyo vbl pwkvnypl dlyvzu rynjle kd vbl zkhkdt assx yde ypjle, “Gal usw tskdt psxloblal?”

“R’x tskdt sd y vakr, bkjkdt,” R ydpolale bkx lmnkvlezu, wdyczl vs nsdvykd xu fsu.

“Gzsdl?” bl ypjle.

“Zlp,” R alrzkle.

“Xb.”

Gqvla hlakqukdt vbl dlnlppyau kvlxp, R cltyd vs rzyd xu kvkdlayau yde oyp ycswv vs cssj xu vknjlv obld Pwyd Zk pweeldzu pldv xl y ElUbyv xlppytl:

#Fyqlvu kppwlp qsa clywvkqwz pkdtzl osxld vayhlzkdt yzsdl# zkdj?

Yl: →_→

Husband: #Be cautious when climbing mountains# link

Husband: #Traffic safety precautions# link

Husband: #Exposure of high-priced consumption in scenic areas# link?

Me: …so?

Husband: No other meaning, just worried about your safety.

Me: Okay, got it.

Husband: Going out is not the same as being at home. There are too many strangers, so pay attention to your surroundings and don’t keep looking down at your phone.

Me: I understand.

Husband: It’s better to have someone with you.

Me: That’s true.

Me: But I don’t want to go with a tour group. Should I disturb my parents’ alone time? (pondering)

Husband: …

Husband: Where is the destination you chose?

Me: Cangling Snow Mountain.

Husband: Oh.

Husband: I wanted to go there when I was in college, but I never got the chance.

Me: Oh.

Husband: I was too busy with work, and during holidays, it’s too crowded.

Me: Poor you.

Husband: But I still have a year’s worth of vacation days.

Husband: Do you like traveling a lot?

Me: Yes, I do.

Sighing as I looked at my phone screen.

Since he’s so insistent, I might as well bring him along.

The green train travels through the plateau, the sky is a deep blue, clearly separated from the patches of white clouds hanging above.

The land is barren, and the vegetation is sparse.

Looking down from the overpass, a group of black cows bury their heads in the yellow-green field to feed. Thick clouds descend on the light brown mountains, casting a dark green shade over their heads.

The river flows with a beautiful emerald green, and in the distance, the ice and snow gradually come into view.

Following the crowd, we got off the train and planned to check into a homestay at the foot of the mountain, as we were tired from the journey and planned to climb the mountain the next day.

Unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived, we were led by Duan Yi and wandered around aimlessly, almost becoming missing persons.

I wanted to be lazy and just search for the route online, but in the end… we still relied on me to find the destination before dark.

Recalling his past behavior, I asked seriously, “Duan Yi, are you directionally challenged?”

Duan Yi: “……”

He accepted it.

____________

I breathed heavily, and each breath I took produced a white mist. The wind was strong, and the air was almost freezing.

“Do you need me to take a photo for you?”

“No need.”

I don’t really like taking photos. What I need is not a lifeless scenery, but the feeling it brings me in that moment, a feeling that touches my soul.

“Photos capture the eyes, but what really shakes you is the heart.”

The clouds and mist were swirling around, the bare mountain ridges were as sharp as blades, and the deep gullies were strong and majestic, with even the white snow carrying a chill.

The magnificent and majestic mountain range undulated continuously, covered by the wind and frost of billions of years, and it still stood tall.

The rustling cold wind was beating against the ears, and beneath the feet was a fearsome giant beast valley.

Leaning on the railing and gazing out, an intense feeling surged through my heart.

“You jump, I jump!”

Beside me, a young couple laughed and brought the romance of the sea to the snowy mountains.

“If I die, don’t find someone else, okay? At least not right away.”

In such an environment, emotions easily become sensitive. The girl’s voice was laced with tears as she spoke, and the boy held her tightly and comforted her in a soft voice.

I suddenly became interested and turned to ask Duan Yi, “If you were Jack and saw Rose survive and marry and have children, what would you think?”

If Duan Yi had never been in a relationship, this question would have been difficult for him.

He scratched his head and looked into my eyes seriously. “I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you say before that there’s no such thing as truly feeling someone else’s pain? Hypothetical questions like this have no meaning to me. I’m not Jack, and I will never have his experiences. No matter how I think about it, it’s irrelevant to him and their story. Since it’s irrelevant, I have no right to comment.”

His hair was a bit messy on his forehead, tangled by the cold wind, covering his eyebrows and eyes.

“That’s true,” I said softly.

When I was a child, I was surprised by Rose’s ending. How could someone so vivid and colorful in life end up with someone else?

But looking back now, maybe I was focusing on the wrong thing from the beginning.

From beginning to end, what she wanted was freedom, not Jack. Jack was just a means to give her that freedom.

Jack has died, but the freedom Rose gained from him will last forever.

As I pondered, Duan Yi’s next sentence floated past my ear:

“I think I will love someone in my own way.”