They laid there like that for a while, and it made Kou Chen feel like they were doing side planks.
“Get out, we’re going to eat,” Huo Ran said. “It’s gonna get busy soon.”
“Will they run out of food?” Kou Chen said.
“No,” Huo Ran said. “A lot of people are going to see two men crawl out of a tiny tent.”
“Fuck,” Kou Chen thought about it, and concluded that it was a problem, so he quickly got up and backed out of the tent.
Huo Ran also got out and looked around: “Good thing we got here first, there’s a tree, so nobody will come too close.”
“Is this what you always do? During peak season?” Kou Chen asked.
“No,” Huo Ran zipped up the tent and tossed Kou Chen his bag. “I don’t usually stay at a campsite when it’s busy, too crowded.”
“You’ll stay outside?” Kou Chen asked.
“It’s not like we’re sleeping indoors here either,” Huo Ran headed towards the supply station. “I just want to relax when I go out, if I have to be around so many people I might as well just go picnicking with my friends. I’ll only come here when I’m bringing rookies.”
“I’m not gonna be a rookie for long, as long as I have you, the experienced…” Kou Chen trailed off.
Huo Ran looked at him.
“As long as I have you, the…” Kou Chen tried again.
Huo Ran looked at him.
“The experienced camper!” Kou Chen said. “Is that better? As long as you’re willing to bring me, I’ll be a lot better than most people.”
“That’s true,” Huo Ran smiled. “You’re a lot better than most people right now even, I was just worried you don’t like this stuff.”
“I didn’t before, I thought it was boring and tiring,” Kou Chen said. “But after coming out with you twice, it’s still pretty fun, even if it is tiring.”
“What if you were going with someone else?” Huo Ran asked.
“That’s crazy, of course not. Whether I’ll have fun or not depends on who I”m with,” Kou Chen said. “If I’m here with… my dad, I have to rent ten tents. We’ll stay on opposite sides with eight people between us.”
Huo Ran burst out laughing: “Even with how nice he is to you now?”
“Still,” Kou Chen rubbed his nose. “We’ve been at odds for over ten years, if it could be fixed in just a few months I wouldn’t’ve needed to run away from home then.”
“Poor thing.” Huo Ran put an arm around him and patted.
The food at the campsite was pretty decent. They had instant noodles and various dishes to order. It wasn’t busy yet, so the two of them walked around and Kou Chen decided to order something in the end.
“I’m starving, I’ll have to eat a bunch of instant noodles to feel full.” Kou Chen rubbed his stomach. “I might as well order something filling.”
“You’re still thinking about the cost?” Huo Ran was a little surprised. “Shocking.”
“I thought you were paying?” Kou Chen said.
“…Oh,” Huo Ran nodded. He grabbed the menu and found a table to sit at.
“Do they have waiters?” Kou Chen looked around.
“Nope,” Huo Ran circled some stuff on the menu. “Circle the stuff you want, go up to pay, and then wait for your food.”
“Let me see,” Kou Chen grabbed the menu.
Watching Kou Chen circle a bunch of stuff, Huo Ran knew he really was hungry.
When they got the food, they actually finished everything, so he was also pretty hungry. He didn’t realize that.
There were also a couple of interesting spots to see around the campsite. Since it wasn’t dark yet, Huo Ran took Kou Chen to see the nearby waterfall. It wasn’t too far, and you didn’t need to climb up anything with your hands and feet, so it was suitable for a nice walk after dinner.
Some people would park their cars at the campsite and head into the mountains for a short hiking trip.
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.
Leb Ejc gjgfis vbfr atja. Po tf’r ylxlcu atfc tf kjcar ab ois atgbeut atf gbjvr jcv jvwlgf atf rmfcfgs, bmmjrlbcjiis rabqqlcu ab ajxf rbwf qtbabr. Lf jirb tjv j XbUgb, yea la vbfrc’a rff wemt erf cbk. Llr vjv ilxfv ab yglcu la ktfc atfs ub bea abufatfg ab ajxf qtbabr bo tlw.
He stopped going out with his dad as much after middle school, and thinking about it now made him feel a little guilty. Since he started going out alone, his dad had noticeably gone out less, only once in a while with his really close friends.
“Bring your dad next time, doesn’t he work out a lot?” Huo Ran said as they walked. “I’ll bring my dad, and we can go on a harder trail. There’s a couple I don’t want to bring someone by myself, but I can if my dad’s there.”
“Hm?” Kou Chen paused. “My dad? Why?”
“Dunno, I just feel like he wants to come out with us,” Huo Ran said. “I always went with my dad in the past.”
“Didn’t he go alone before you were born? He’s so experienced, it’s not like you guys grew up together,” Kou Chen said.
Huo Ran clicked his tongue: “But I’m here right now!”
Kou Chen didn’t say anything. A moment later, he also clicked his tongue, “Maybe. Shuaishuai always ran after me when he was little, and then he suddenly became independent for a while. If we ran into another dog outside he wouldn’t even look back at me, it made me really sad.”
Huo Ran opened his mouth but couldn’t find anything to say to that. Even though Kou Chen just lumped him in with a dog, it was still the same idea. At least he understood.
The waterfall was about an hour away from the campsite. There were multiple layers, so it was very loud, and you could hear it from far away.
But the current wasn’t actually very big…
“Damn!” Kou Chen started running excitedly when he heard the sound, and he cursed once he actually saw it, “That’s tiny!”
Huo Ran started laughing: “I did say it was a small waterfall?”
“Is it even a metre wide?!” Kou Chen pointed.
“Of course it is, maybe two or three metres,” Huo Ran said. “It’s just pretty tall.”
Kou Chen looked up: “True, it is tall, can we climb…”
Before he could finish, there was a gust of wind that blew a spray of water over onto them, and Kou Chen yelled out: “Damn! That’s nice!”
The nearby people also looked up and spread their arms out to shout.
“You have to circle around a long way,” Huo Ran wiped his face. “And we don’t have the right shoes or gear to climb.”
“Oh,” Kou Chen nodded. “Then we can go there next time with my dad and your dad.”
“We’re not gonna come here with my dad,” Huo Ran laughed. “My dad wouldn’t go this trail if you paid him.”
“Okay, okay, okay, you guys are very impressive,” Kou Chen said. “Then I’ll climb to the peak next time.”
“No problem.” Huo Ran snapped his fingers.
“I can take you to your peak tonight,” Kou Chen added quietly in his ear.
Huo Ran paused and turned towards him: “You make it sound like I can’t.”
“That’s set then.” Kou Chen pointed at him, and then he threw his bag to the side, kicked off his shoes and socks, and went for the pond. “The water’s so clear, I wanna try standing in it…”
The edge of the pond was sloped, all moss-covered stone and silt. Kou Chen was obviously inexperienced, he had to test himself in a place like this and headed over barefoot.
“It’s slippery!” Huo Ran yelled, throwing his own bag down and rushing over to grab him.
“Where?” Kou Chen turned around to look at him as he stepped carefully.
And then he stepped on a patch of moss.
Huo Ran didn’t have time to say anything, but he still inwardly screamed, “Don’t admire the scenery while walking, and don’t walk while admiring the scenery! Didn’t I tell you that?!”
He flung his arm out towards Kou Chen, not caring where he grabbed. If someone as scared of water as Kou Chen fell into the pond, he’d probably scream so loud the waterfall would start flowing backwards.
But right when he reached out, Kou Chen’s face disappeared from sight.
…Huo Ran thinks gravity might have something against Kou Chen. He can’t even remember how many times this exact scenario has happened before.
When Huo Ran looked down, he saw Kou Chen on his butt, sliding down towards the pond through all the rocks and silt.
Before he could even thrash around, he was in the pond and the water was up to his chest.
Everyone around them started laughing.
Of course, if Kou Chen wasn’t the one that fell in, if he wasn’t the guy flailing about in the water, Huo Ran would also burst out laughing.
But only he knew that Kou Chen was afraid of water.
He didn’t even stop to think about another potential option before jumping in the water with his shoes still on.
He grabbed Kou Chen’s arm.
The pond was shallow, very shallow.
The part right under the waterfall probably wasn’t even two metres high, and it was only because Kou Chen was laying down that only his head was above water.
Even if you sat in it, it wouldn’t even reach your waist.
But because of the shock, Huo Ran realized that Kou Chen’s arm was stiff when he grabbed it.
“Relax, stand up, Kou Chen.” Huo Ran tugged him and put a hand on his back. “Or sit up, the water’s only up to your calves.”
Kou Chen took a deep breath and looked at him, “My calves?”
“Yup,” Huo Ran raised his own leg and stepped in the water. “See, get up, it’s fine. Everyone’s looking at you…”
Kou Chen grit his teeth and sat up quickly, before shooting up to stand.
Indeed, those words would work on someone with shame.
“Come on, let’s get up,” Huo Ran grabbed his hand. “Step where I’m stepping, don’t slip.”
“Mhm,” Kou Chen followed him back up to the path step by step.
“Are you okay?” A lady asked, “I thought the water was deep, that scared me.”
“It’s fine, the water was really shallow, so he hit the ground a bit too hard,” Huo Ran smiled.
“Better put your shoes on,” The lady was very experienced. “Your cycling shoes aren’t even suitable, much less bare feet. You need hiking boots.”
“Thank you.” Huo Ran thanked the lady and dragged Kou Chen, who looked perfectly calm but was actually still a little shaken, to the other side of the path and behind a big rock with a map carved into it.
Kou Chen leaned against the rock and motioned that he was fine.
Hu Ran went back for his shoes and bag before handing him a pack of tissues. “Put your shoes on first.”
Kou Chen took the tissues and exhaled: “Holy– shit—”
His voice trembled slightly.
Huo Ran straightened up and hugged his head, patting his back and shoulders gently. “It’s okay, the water was so shallow, even my mom’s foot baths are deeper…”
“Shut up,” Kou Chen’s voice returned to normal. “Are you fucking trying to comfort me or insult me?”
“I’m comforting you,” Huo Ran said.
“Then stop,” Kou Chen sighed and lifted his arm to hug his waist. “Only because I’ll feel bad, if you were anyone else I’d smack you.”
Huo Ran laughed.
Kou Chen sighed again and let him go. He wiped his feet dry, put on his socks, and paused again. He looked Huo Ran up and down: “Did you also slip? Why is your head wet?”
“How would I know the water was so shallow? Only your head was above it,” Huo Ran said quietly. “I thought it dipped, that it only looked shallow… But you were lying down!”
“I hit my head.” Kou Chen frowned and rubbed the back of his head. “That must be why.”
“Mhm,” Huo Ran rubbed his head as well, feeling a bump. “Shit, it’s swollen!”
“But it doesn’t hurt,” Kou Chen sighed. “Maybe it was just fear.”
“I thought you were gonna struggle and cry for help,” Huo Ran said.
“Yeah right, I was frozen with fear.” Kou Chen thought about it, “But after that… I think it wasn’t… very scary anymore.”
Fighting evil with evil?” Huo Ran asked.
“Who knows? In any case, I don’t wanna try that again.” Kou Chen kicked his shoes towards him. “You can wear mine, they’re dry.”
“You’re gonna go without?” Huo Ran looked at him.
“Mhm,” Kou Chen nodded.
“Forget it,” Huo Ran gave his shoes back. “I don’t care, you need to be careful. Didn’t I tell you not to look around when you’re walking? That you need to be aware of what you’re stepping on? Didn’t I tell you our shoes aren’t suited for hiking?”
“Mhm,” Kou Chen clicked his tongue.
“Do you understand?” Huo Ran said.
“I was wrong, Uncle Huo!” Kou Chen said. “Stop lecturing me now!”
“Put your shoes on, let’s go back,” Huo Ran said.
Kou Chen was behaving well, he was a lot calmer than when he saw a piece of mulch and had seawater lick his toes at the very least. He even went back to the waterfall to take some pictures after putting his shoes on.
“The waterfall is small,” Kou Chen said. “But seeing the water come from so high up, it’s pretty nice.”
“Mhm,” Huo Ran nodded, also taking some pictures. “Are you gonna post them?”
“Post them at the same time,” Kou Chen smirked. “Piss them off.”
“Wanna take a selfie with the waterfall too?” Huo Ran laughed.
“Enough of that.” Kou Chen glanced at himself, dripping from head to toe, and glared at him.
It was already completely dark when they got back to the campsite. Huo Ran hooked a lantern to his bag to light the way, and Kou Chen immediately grabbed it to put on his own. “Give this to me, it’s different from the one last time?”
“This one’s bigger,” Huo Ran said.
“It’s mine now,” Kou Chen said.
“It’s yours, it’s yours,” Huo Ran said. “What else do you want?”
“You,” Kou Chen replied without pause.
“Look at yourself!” Huo Ran looked at him disdainfully, “And you’re still thinking about that?”
“What? It’s not like water got in my head, would it be washed away or what?” Kou Chen raised an eyebrow.
There were a lot more people at the campsite now, with the flatter areas all full of tents. There were also a few around their tent, but they chose a spot off to the side so it was still a comfortable distance away.
With that distance, nobody around them noticed the two people who just came back from a walk were dripping wet.
“We don’t have a change of clothes, do we?” Kou Chen whispered.
“Nope,” Huo Ran crawled into the tent. “Strip and get in the sleeping bag, we can leave our clothes out and they’ll be dry in the morning.”
“Okay,” Kou Chen said happily, squeezing in behind him.
“What’s the rush?” Huo Ran glared. “I can’t even move like this!”
“What do you think?” Kou Chen got on top of him. “Hurry up, take your clothes off!”
“There’s people around!” Huo Ran hissed at him.
“I’m not gonna do anything,” Kou Chen hissed back. “I’m just stretching an arm! I need to recover! I almost drowned today!”
“Turn your damn lantern off!” Huo Ran sighed, “Are you trying to put on a shadow puppet play?!”
they’re really my happy pill!!
Thanks for the chapter!
KouKou: Shadow puppet play? No, I think it’s po…
RanRan: * bong *
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
They’re so cute💕💕
Thank you for the chapter ♥️✨
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the chapter!!
Thanks for the chapter!