Mountain beauty, burning cute sprout

An Huaixu frowned and glanced at Jiang Song.

Jiang Song smiled back amiably.

Shi Yun, oblivious, looked at the village chief with admiration.

Dan Ze was twisted by the ear and lectured by the village chief as soon as he got off the car, ordered not to be mischievous and run around.

Dan Ze pouted, clearly taking it all with a grain of salt.

Everyone was present. The village chief distributed tools and gloves, and Director Zhang announced the rules.

“The mountain road is divided into three paths, marked by red flags, led by me, the village chief, and Xiao Shi respectively.

Now, teachers, please come forward to draw your routes.”

Ultimately, Shi Yun led the senior class up the middle path.

The village chief and the intermediate class took the left path.

Director Zhang and the junior class took the right path.

“15:00, the task begins promptly. All teachers and students must gather at the foot of the mountain by 16:30.”

With Director Zhang’s command, the three teams neatly set off towards the mountain paths.

An Huaixu walked at the end of the junior class team, watching Shi Yun chatting with Qiao Yu until they disappeared into the woods.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a little panicked, desperately wanting to chase after them.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, ultimately holding back.

‘It’s okay, they’ll see each other again.’

Once in the mountains, birdsong enveloped them, and tree canopies provided shade.

A cool sensation permeated his bones, making him feel refreshed.

Jiang Song stretched, looked around, sunlight pierced through the shadows of countless trees, scattering fragments of light on the ground.

Green leaves rustled softly, and colorful flowers vied for beauty, swaying in the wind.

Of course, if one ignored the trash in the corners, it truly was an uncommonly beautiful sight.

Jiang Song asked strangely: “Where did all this trash come from?”

Director Zhang: “Blown by the wind, discarded by people, all sorts of things, it just gradually accumulated.”

Jiang Song listened while looking at the children.

The children were in groups, lively chasing butterflies, picking flowers, their joyful laughter pleasant to the ear.

“Look, my Shangfang Sword!”

Ning Jia Zheng picked up a strangely shaped branch from the roadside, excitedly holding it up to show off.

Li Zhi Qing was unconvinced, waving her willow whip: “What’s that? This is the most amazing one!”

Director Zhang told her to be careful not to hit anyone, then casually chatted with Jiang Song:

“In the past, the path here wasn’t so easy to walk. We used to tumble down, one on top of the other.

Now, the mountain path has been reinforced, and there are railings, it’s really much safer than before.”

Jiang Song noticed the railings were new, guessing they might have been installed recently.

Then again, since the production team dared to let the children film on the mountain, they must have made thorough preparations.

Director Zhang kneaded his knee, pointing to a fork in the path marked with a red flag on the left: “We’ll go this way.”

Jiang Song noticed Director Zhang’s small gesture, reached out to stop him, and feigned fatigue as he said to An Huaixu, who was not far away:

“Teacher An, let’s rest here for a bit. I haven’t climbed mountains in a long time, and I’m a bit tired.”

An Huaixu was walking and picking up trash with the children. Hearing this, he didn’t even lift his head, turning to use tongs to pick up a plastic water bottle and put it into a trash bag.

An Shuqi, wearing small gloves, stood on a rock, bouncing to reach for a fragment of a plastic bag hanging from a branch.

An Huaixu lifted him with one hand, helping him retrieve the fragment.

The local children clearly ran up the mountain often and were very familiar with the area, especially Lucky.

In no time, he had filled half a small bag and emptied it into An Huaixu’s large one.

An Huaixu ruffled his head, handed him a milk candy, and softly said: “Reward.”

Lucky happily took it, bounced off, and after fumbling around the mountainside for something, returned to An Huaixu.

An Huaixu: “What’s wrong?”

Lucky held out his hand, offering him two small red berries.

An Huaixu picked them up, examined them for a moment, then put them in his mouth. The taste was delightfully sweet and sour.

Under Lucky’s expectant gaze, he nodded: “Not bad.”

And just like that, by praising him, he got a little tail.

Lucky, usually restless, suddenly became quiet and trailed behind An Huaixu: “Teacher, if I’m good, can you really teach me how to ride a tricycle?”

An Huaixu bent down to pick something up, and as he straightened up to continue walking, he responded in passing: “Mm.”

Lucky trotted behind him: “When I grow up, can I become a person like you?”

An Huaixu: “You will be even better than me.”

“Teacher, is the big city especially magnificent?”

“It’s alright.”

“Can I live in a big house that doesn’t leak rain in the future?”

“Mm.”

“Then will my butt not freeze in winter?”

“No, it will be very warm.”

Lucky chattered on and on, his questions endless.

An Huaixu answered his many trivial questions, remaining patient, quick, yet sincere.

Until the child asked:

“Will I be wanted when I’m old?”

An Huaixu stopped, turned, and squatted in front of Lucky.

Lucky clutched his clothes, his innocent eyes brimming with tears.

“They,

Today’s events clearly had a profound impact on Lucky; he was trapped in a vortex of sadness, unable to pull himself out.

Which meant he was trying to save himself.

An Huaixu still remembered what Shi Yun had said.

He stroked Lucky’s head, his voice gentle but with a hint of stiffness.

“No, they love you very much. Just like your name, your arrival was a stroke of luck for them.”

“Then why did they all leave me…”

Lucky stubbornly clenched his fists, trying hard not to let his tears fall.

An Huaixu picked him up and walked to the railing: “Because you are their hope.”

As his voice fell, he felt warmth flowing onto his shoulder and neck.

An Huaixu raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently patted Lucky’s back.

Director Zhang and Jiang Song exchanged glances, sharing a knowing smile.

Jiang Song changed the subject: “The scenery in the mountains is so beautiful, why hasn’t anyone considered developing tourism?”

Director Zhang: “Our transportation is inconvenient. No one wants to hike this far to see an ordinary small mountain.”

Jiang Song understood with an “Oh.”

Director Zhang guessed that Jiang Song had suggested resting for his sake, and feeling a bit guilty, he proactively brought up:

“A long time ago, during a heavy rain, I accidentally fell while climbing the mountain, and this leg injury is a lingering issue from the surgery back then.

Actually, I shouldn’t have come on this task. I can feel that I don’t have many more chances to climb the mountain, so I just wanted to join in the fun with everyone this time, but I didn’t expect…”

Jiang Song didn’t want the topic to become too heavy, so he said cheerfully:

“Director Zhang, let’s keep going. I’ve been craving beautiful scenery for a long time! Hey, are these the only three paths up the mountain?”

Director Zhang spoke of past glories, his tone changing to one of heartiness: “Hmph, as long as we want to go, we can get up anywhere!”

“That amazing!”

“Of course!”

An Huaixu soothed Lucky, put him down, and fashioned a branch for him: “Here, the mighty Lucky Sword, go play.”

The little boy couldn’t resist the temptation, immediately broke into a smile through his tears, and ran off to challenge Ning Jia Zheng’s Shangfang Sword.

Jiang Song caught a stray plastic bag and stood beside An Huaixu, making conversation:

“I thought Lucky was really afraid of you, but it turns out the kid actually adores you.”

An Huaixu didn’t reply, turning to leave.

Jiang Song saw An Huaixu’s furrowed brows and chuckled, stepping closer: “Without Xiao Shi today, is Teacher An a little lonely?”

An Huaixu silently quickened his pace.

Jiang Song was in a good mood and felt like bickering with him.

Pretending to admire the scenery, he deliberately chased after him, and directly, off-camera, asked: “Do you dislike me because of Xiao Shi?”

An Huaixu wasn’t stupid; how could he not hear the amusement in Jiang Song’s tone, clearly setting a trap for him?

He neither affirmed nor denied, but instead retorted: “Who are you seeing through Shi Yun?”

Jiang Song’s smile froze for a moment. Just as he was about to explain, An Huaixu had already turned and walked away.

The children not far away seemed to have discovered something, and they all flocked to Lin Yun.

“This dead tree is actually sprouting!”

“How amazing!”

An Shuqi noticed An Huaixu and happily called him over to look.

An Huaixu found it troublesome and didn’t want to get involved.

He was about to leave, but then Shi Yun’s loving image of these children flashed before his eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, he changed his mind and walked over.

An Huaixu squatted beside An Shuqi and then discovered—on the visibly fire-scorched, half-buried rotten wood, a tenacious seedling had bravely pushed its head out.

An Huaixu froze for a moment, and not knowing what he thought of, suddenly smiled, and softly said: “A miracle.”

An Shuqi: “What does that mean?”

An Huaixu: “Rebirth from fire, this is life.”

Jiang Song, who appeared from nowhere, gently explained:

“You are like this seedling, inconspicuous but resilient, and one day you will reach the sky.

You are unique gifts from heaven to your parents, and your lives are the most precious gifts your parents gave you.

You must cherish them. Furthermore, not only humans, but plants, animals, and other beings also have life; we must respect and love all life.”

The children, with their innocent faces, looked up with him at the towering trees.

An Shuqi: “Do big trees breathe too?”

Jiang Song: “Yes, they do.”

Jiang Nian Yu: “Do big trees sleep too?”

An Huaixu: “Mm.”

Li Zhi Qing: “Then can I be friends with it?”

Jiang Song: “Of course you can.”

The children happily ran off.

Only An Huaixu remained, taking a deep look, and as if by some strange impulse, pulled out his phone to take a picture before stepping to catch up with the main group.

After walking for about another twenty minutes, turning a bend, they finally saw the red flag fluttering at their destination.

This was an open clearing on the mountainside with a wide view.

Seeing this, the children excitedly clung to the railing, gazing into the distance.

The sky was vast, mountains stretched endlessly, and clouds gathered in flocks like birds.

Jiang Song exhaled, lamenting: “This must be what it feels like to ‘view all mountains as small’.”

An Huaixu picked up trash nearby, while Jiang Song continued to help the children learn about nature.

“Everyone, looking at the trend of the leaves, can you…”

Just then, there was a sudden thud as something hit the ground, followed by a pained cry: “Ugh!”