On the day of his college graduation, Wu Chun returned to Shili Village as he had hoped.
During these four years, Wu Chun shuttled back and forth between school and Shili Village. He even followed the school’s organization to various rural areas to participate in various activities, gaining a lot of insights.
This time, when he came back, Wu Chun only brought two boxes with him, one containing his clothes, and the other containing the knowledge he had brought back.
Wu Chun documented all of his insights from these four years. During these four years, aside from attending classes at school, Wu Chun spent most of his time in the library. And whenever he had free time, he would run to Shili Mountain.
One reason was that he truly missed Xu Shi Yao, and secondly, he needed to come back to retrieve some things.
What is learned from paper always feels shallow in the end. At times, when Wu Chun encountered certain things, he would always ask Xu Shi Yao to conduct an “on-site investigation” for him.
TLN: The phrase “总是会拜托许时耀 ‘实地考察’ 一番” means that Wu Chun would often ask Xu Shi Yao to conduct an “on-site investigation” for him. In other words, whenever Wu Chun encountered something that he wanted to understand better or gain a deeper insight into, he would ask Xu Shi Yao to personally visit the location or situation and provide a firsthand assessment or observation. This indicates Wu Chun’s reliance on Xu Shi Yao’s expertise and his trust in Xu Shi Yao’s ability to provide valuable insights based on direct experience.
Over these years, on countless nights unbeknownst to anyone, there would be a fleeting figure, carrying a backpack, shuttling back and forth on Shili Mountain. Furthermore, there was a soul that, in the deep stillness of the night, would drift above Shili Village, gazing down on the entire village.
With Xu Shi Yao’s assistance, Wu Chun already had a general idea of what to do after returning to the village.
He had also become like Xu Shi Yao, having several dedicated notebooks. Aside from recording his own observations and learning, he also wrote down the development plans for Shili Village in the upcoming years.
In any case, this time when he returned, Wu Chun was thoroughly prepared.
On the day of his return to the village, it was the village chief who received him.
This village remained stationary in its original location for many years.
During those four years, the world developed extremely rapidly, yet when Wu Chun returned here, it felt as if he had gone back four years.
This place remained just as it was, to the point where not a single change could be seen.
…
“Did you go back to your grandfather’s house?” the village chief asked.
“Yes,” Wu Chun nodded.
His grandfather had also grown old.
It seemed that when people reached a certain age, they aged remarkably quickly.
Wu Chun remembered that four years ago, his grandfather’s posture was still fairly upright. Now, it had gradually stooped. While he used to effortlessly lift a bucket of water before, now it required some effort. The years had inevitably left irremovable traces on him.
“Are you planning to live with your grandfather?”
“Yes, he’s getting old, and I want to spend more time with him.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“There are many dirt roads in the village, not to mention their narrowness. When it rains, people get stuck in the mud, let alone vehicles. The road is crucial. We don’t even have a proper road, let alone talk about development,” Wu Chun stood up, addressing the village chief.
“But road construction requires a significant amount of funding,” the village chief reminded.
After thinking for a moment, Wu Chun asked, “Will the local government provide any financial subsidies?”
“A few years ago, I inquired about it. They mentioned they would allocate some funds, but the villagers also need to contribute a portion themselves. Although not a large amount, currently it’s not an easily accessible sum for the people in this village. Furthermore, they haven’t yet seen the benefits a road could bring them. Road construction is a challenging beginning.”
“But someone has to take the lead, right?” Wu Chun said with a smile.
“True,” the village chief looked at him with interest. “So, I’ll give you a year. Go ahead and take charge. If there’s anything you need help with that I can assist, feel free to let me know.”
“There’s actually something I need your help with right now,” Wu Chun said with a smile. “I need you to provide me with a piece of land…”
…
After leaving the village chief’s house, Wu Chun headed straight for Shili Mountain.
As Wu Chun drew closer to Shili Mountain, his heart rate quickened. Over the past six months since graduation, various matters had accumulated, resulting in Wu Chun having only seen Xu Shi Yao once during that time.
In moments of intense longing, Wu Chun would cradle the pinecone in his hands, curling up by the bedside, staying awake throughout the night.
Despite four years having passed, he still hadn’t learned how to cope with missing someone. They say long-distance relationships test people the most. Yet, for them, the “distance” wasn’t just geographical.
In these four years, Wu Chun might have let busyness fill his days. He hadn’t realized it until he managed to find time to return to Shili Mountain. He had rushed to catch a night bus, intending to surprise Xu Shi Yao. However, upon reaching Shili Mountain, he encountered an unexpected sight.
Xu Shi Yao was seated on a pine tree branch, surrounded by layers of tree bark. And right in front of him, there was one empty piece of bark. It seemed Xu Shi Yao was diligently trying to sketch his own image based on the content from the other pieces of bark.
The other person was too serious, to the point that even when Wu Chun stood by the pine tree, he hadn’t noticed.
The previous Xu Shi Yao used to have complete control over every sound on this mountain. However, at this moment, the other person’s mind was evidently occupied by something he deemed more important.
Wu Chun suppressed the urge to cry and softly called out, “Xu Shi Yao.”
In an instant, the tree bark surrounding Xu Shi Yao dispersed, and the white figure on the tree quickly appeared before him.
The other person first raised his head to glance at the night sky, furrowing his brows slightly, then asked, “Why did you come at this time?”
It sounded like a reprimand, but worry also seeped through his words.
“I came as soon as I had the time!”
Wu Chun said, stepping forward to embrace Xu Shi Yao. It had been a month since they last saw each other. With his face buried in Xu Shiyao’s embrace, he softly asked, “Do you miss me?”
Xu Shi Yao didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he waited for a while before letting out a faint sigh.
“I can’t be at ease when you do this.” Xu Shi Yao whispered, “I miss you, but I don’t want you to find me like this.”
“Why?”
Wu Chun raised his head, staring into Xu Shi Yao’s eyes as he asked.
“You come to find me during the time when you should be resting. So, when do you get to rest? Besides, how dangerous it is for you to travel in the middle of the night. Do you know what my first thought is when you appear before me?”
Wu Chun shook his head. “What is it?” he weakly asked.
The next moment, Wu Chun felt Xu Shi Yao gently place a kiss on his forehead, followed by a soft whisper, “I’m relieved, relieved that you came safely, relieved that nothing happened to you, Wu Chun. I’ve said it before, the longing between us has an endpoint, and what we need to do is to walk together towards that endpoint. Let’s not do this anymore, okay?”
In the end, Wu Chun nodded.
From that moment on, Wu Chun never appeared in the middle of the night again. Instead, he increased the frequency of seeking Xu Shi Yao’s help through the pinecone.
During the times when they couldn’t be together, there always had to be something to drive away the overwhelming longing.
At times, Wu Chun would think, if he were Xu Shi Yao, standing guard on this mountain, gazing at the descriptions of the person he loved etched on the tree bark, yet unable to catch a glimpse of them in recent times.
He couldn’t even see the other person’s appearance, having to imagine it based on the portrait.
In the face of this kind of longing, Wu Chun’s own yearning seemed hardly worth mentioning.
Thankfully, they had managed to endure these four years of separation.
Wu Chun stood at the base of Shili Mountain, close to where Xu Shi Yao was. The air felt so welcoming, like a cherished family member, wrapping around him with warmth.
With some time remaining until evening, Wu Chun took a deep breath and climbed up Shili Mountain.
Just like the pine tree he found solace in, this tree itself had remained unchanged over the four years.
Wu Chun pushed his glasses up slightly. The four years of university had inevitably led him to don a pair of glasses over his eyes. The youthful naivety had faded from Wu Chun’s face, and now he wore a simple shirt paired with casual pants, exuding a scholar-like demeanor.
At times, Wu Chun would stand before the mirror for hours on end.
For the first time, he wished time would slow down its pace on his face. He feared that if it went too fast, he wouldn’t recognize himself in the portrait Xu Shiyao had. What if one day he stood before Xu Shi Yao, and the other person couldn’t recognize him?
Fortunately, such a situation had yet to occur in these four years.
Whenever Wu Chun appeared before Xu Shi Yao, he would be called by his name without fail.
Upon his return, Wu Chun had taken the time to tidy himself up. During the latter half of the semester, it was no exaggeration to say that Wu Chun resembled a vagabond, with his hair growing long enough to cover his eyes.
When he became busy, he couldn’t spare a thought for his own appearance.
Wanting to meet Xu Shi Yao, Wu Chun still aimed to dress himself up to look younger, preferably resembling his appearance from four years ago during that summer when he first met Xu Shi Yao.
Perhaps in that appearance, Xu Shi Yao wouldn’t feel unfamiliar toward him.
When Wu Chun stood before the pine tree, there was still some nervousness in his heart, but the nervousness was only temporary after all.
Wu Chun walked around the tree a couple of times, and just like four years ago, he took off his shoes and climbed up.
Leaning against the trunk, Wu Chun blissfully closed his eyes.
“I’m finally back!” Wu Chun exclaimed excitedly.
This time, his return wasn’t temporary; it was permanent.
Wu Chun was eagerly looking forward to the evening’s arrival. For such a commemorative moment, he wanted to celebrate it properly with Xu Shi Yao.
It was a pity that Xu Shi Yao couldn’t taste the delicacies of the human world, making it unrealistic for them to share a meal together.
So, in the following time, Wu Chun began to contemplate what form of celebration to choose.
This thought consumed his entire afternoon.
When the wind picked up, Wu Chun looked into the distance and noticed the sun had already dipped behind the mountain. The pine tree he was next to swayed a bit. Anxiously, Wu Chun turned around and found himself falling into a refreshing embrace.
“You’re back, Wu Chun.”
Wu Chun nodded.
“Will you leave again this time?” Xu Shi Yao asked cautiously.
After a moment’s thought, Wu Chun playfully responded, “Wu Chun’s life journey has reached its final destination at Shili Mountain. Are you ready to welcome the latter half of my life?”
As he spoke, Wu Chun leaned against Xu Shi Yao, using his hands to pinch Xu Shi Yao’s cheeks.
Only hearing a faint smile from the other side, he grasped Wu Chun’s hand, squeezing it tightly in his palm, and then whispered softly into Wu Chun’s ear, “I was prepared for this since four years ago.”
