Chapter 1 If You Come, I Will Wait for You 1
At dusk in mid-July, the afterglow of the setting sun shines through the dense leaves and falls on the balcony built with wooden boards. If you smell it carefully, you can smell the scent of warm evening sunshine mixed with the fragrance of mahogany, which is very pleasant.
On the tatami in the corner of the balcony, the black-haired boy's eyes sparkled. He asked the girl sitting beside him with her knees hugged: "Do you know what a dream is?"
The girl was slightly startled and shook her head in confusion.
"Xiao Ai, are you going to apply fertilizer again?" Sister Hua pulled open the curtain at the door of the inn and looked at the girl who was coming back not far away wearing straw sandals and carrying a small bucket and a shovel, and a smile broke out on her face.
"Yeah." The girl responded with a faint smile and put the bucket and shovel back to their original place.
Sister Hua is the receptionist of Qingluo Inn. She is slightly plump and has a deep dimple on her face when she smiles. The girl is the young owner of Qingluo Inn. She is seventeen years old and her name is Tang Ai. Her parents run the two hotels with the most visitors in Tianwu Mountain, so the Qingluo Inn, which is relatively remote, was left to Tang Ai.
Mom and Dad like those two hotels very much because they can make a lot of money. But Tang Ai likes Qingluo Inn the most. It is quiet here, with birds singing and flowers blooming, and the warm sunset in the evening. The tourists who stay here are also very friendly. They like to drink some tea downstairs and never make a big noise. Qingluo Inn is full of green radishes planted by Tang Ai. This is Tang Ai's little home.
"How many guests are there today?" Tang Ai came to the front desk and asked Sister Hua after washing her hands.
Sister Hua tapped the keyboard a few times and said to the computer screen, "10 rooms have been booked today, and the original guests will check out tonight."
"That's good." Tang Ai smiled faintly after hearing this, and then climbed up the stairs to the highest attic of the inn.
She doesn't like being around crowds, so she lives in a place where no one can disturb her.
Tang Ai took out a kettle to water the green ivy on the attic balcony when she suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the hill behind.
This inn was built against a mountain, and sometimes some squirrels and monkeys would come here to steal things. Tang Ai thought it was another small animal, so she prepared to use a bamboo pole to drive them away.
However, it was not the small animals that made the noise.
Tang Ai held the thin bamboo pole in her hand and looked at the mountain in confusion. Just when she didn't find anything and was about to leave, she heard faint voices coming from the mountain. Tang Ai was startled and saw that the dense thorn vines on the back mountain were broken, and two dark shadows screamed and fell from above, hitting her balcony heavily, breaking two or three pots of green ivy.
Hearing the loud noise, Sister Hua hurried out of the inn, looked up at the roof and shouted, "Xiao Ai, what's wrong? What happened?"
"No...it's okay..." Tang Ai took two steps back in fear and answered nervously, "I accidentally knocked over the green radish pot when I was watering it."
"Do you need my help?"
Tang Ai stared blankly at the two figures lying on the ground, not daring to make a sound, and shook her head: "It's okay, I'll handle it myself."
Seeing that Nengzhen was not seriously injured, Sister Hua went back to the front desk and continued playing the TV series that had just been paused.
The two teenagers who fell from the mountain to the pavilion were embarrassed, looking at the mess on the ground, and then looked at Tang Ai with red faces.
Tang Ai glanced at them hastily and asked, "How did you fall from there?"
She seldom comes into contact with boys, so she is a little timid.
"We just wanted to take a shortcut, but the result was..." The boy in red sportswear scratched his messy black hair, looked at the flower pot that was broken because of him and his companions, and said, "Well... we, how about we compensate you?"
Tang Ai lowered her head slightly, bit her lip and said, "No need, you guys should leave quickly, or you will be scolded to death by Sister Hua in a while."
Seeing this, the other chestnut-haired boy hurriedly grabbed the red-clothed boy's arm and was about to leave first, but when his palm touched his arm, he cried out in pain.
Upon seeing this, Tang Ai quickly made a gesture to silence him.
But it was too late. Sister Hua was very sensitive to the shouting, she frowned vigilantly, then left the front desk and climbed up the stairs.
When Tang Ai heard the noise, she hurried to the stairs. When she saw Sister Hua coming up, she said stiffly, "Sister Hua, I...I want to tell you something."
"Who was that person upstairs just now?" Sister Hua stood at the stairs, looking towards the balcony curiously.
The two fearless teenagers poked their heads out from the corner, staring at this side in confusion. Sister Hua's eyes immediately caught them, and then she said sternly: "You two! Come here!"
The boys stuck out their tongues and walked over obediently like children who had done something wrong, not daring to say a word.
Sister Hua was just about to scold the two children who trespassed into the inn, but suddenly she discovered the tiny scars on their exposed skin.
I guess it was caused by the messy thorns on the back mountain.
Sister Hua rolled her eyes at them and said unhappily, "Why are you so young?" Then she said to Tang Ai, "Xiao Ai, keep an eye on them!"
"Oh... okay." Tang Ai nodded.
Sister Hua warned the two troublesome creatures with her eyes, then turned around and went downstairs again.
The chestnut-haired boy was full of imagination and said, "Could it be that we have encountered some witch in the forest and she wants to detain us here?"
Before the black-haired boy could answer, Tang Ai suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. She tilted her head and said, "Sister Hua is not a witch in the forest. She went to get medicine for you. You have so many injuries on your body, you should treat them."
"Phew—that's good." The chestnut-haired boy patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
The black-haired boy blinked his left eyebrow vigorously. There was a dull pain there, perhaps it was scratched by the thorns. He touched the painful spot and said apologetically to Tang Ai, "I'm sorry, I broke your green ivy. I also troubled the sister just now to get medicine and take care of us."
Tang Ai avoided his gaze and said softly, "It's okay."
His eyes were as black as ink, and the gentle way he spoke made Tang Ai's face flushed, and she didn't dare to look at him for any longer.
Tang Ai turned around and led them to the corner of the balcony, where there were clean tatami mats and two small pear-shaped tables. Tang Ai would make tea or draw pictures here when she had nothing to do.
The two boys sat down and talked to each other cautiously. The black-haired boy with clear eyes was called Xi Chen, and the chestnut-haired boy who was accompanying him was called Shen Ruoyun. They were both candidates for this year's college entrance examination. They took advantage of the summer vacation to travel together. Because it was getting dark, they had not yet gone down the mountain to find a place to stay, so they wanted to take a shortcut.
But they didn't expect that this shortcut would not only leave them injured, but also damage the green ivy that Tang loved to grow.
"It's okay with the green ivy, they have strong vitality." Tang Ai said softly.
"Why is it okay? Should it be okay just because they have strong vitality?" Sister Hua came up with a tray with iodine and cotton swabs on it.
She looked at the two ignorant kids with disdain, put the tray heavily on the pear blossom table, and said seriously: "If you break someone's things, you have to pay compensation, do you understand?"
"I know, I know. We can afford to compensate for three pots of green ivy." Shen Ruoyun clasped his hands together, shrugged his shoulders and said to Sister Hua.
Sister Hua felt like she was being laughed at by a nouveau riche, and she immediately became unhappy. She pointed at Xi Chen and said to Tang Ai, "You apply the medicine on him, and I'll treat this kid."
Then, Shen Ruoyun was dragged by Sister Hua and forced to use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to poke the scratches on his face. Shen Ruoyun screamed in pain and begged the beauty to spare his life.
Tang Ai looked at the two of them and laughed. When she turned around, she saw Xi Chen's face, which was enlarged. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she said nervously, "You...you just bear with it for a while."
"Okay." Xi Chen's voice was very clean, and the clarity was wrapped in a slightly attractive magnetism. In order to apply medicine to him, Tang Ai was very close to him. The subtle feeling and Xi Chen's warm breath made Tang Ai's face flushed.
After Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun had their wounds treated, they decided to stay overnight at Qingluo Inn.
Because they said that they would have to find a hotel when they got down the mountain anyway, so they might as well rest here. It would also be much more convenient if they wanted to go somewhere else tomorrow.
Sister Hua booked a room for them, and then they came over and helped Tang Ai clean up the mess.
While taking care of the tangled green ivy vines, Shen Ruoyun asked Tang Ai, "Hey, little girl, you are the young master of the Green ivy Inn. You must have lived here for a long time. So you must be very familiar with Tianwu Mountain, right?"
"Yeah." Tang Ai replied silently.
"Then you can be our tour guide tomorrow!" Shen Ruoyun rushed over excitedly. He and Xi Chen were both a little bit directionally challenged, so they had rolled down the mountain in a panic today.
Tang Ai didn't know how to refuse anyone's request. As long as it wasn't too difficult, she would nod and agree. So she said, "Okay, I don't have anything to do during the holidays anyway."
"That's great!" Shen Ruoyun clapped his hands happily, and the scissors in his hand fell to the ground. The scissors hit his toes heavily in his flip-flops. He hugged his feet in pain and blew air on the painful spot.
Xi Chen on the side smiled and shook his head, then continued to tidy up the green ivy.
He raised his eyes slightly, and the scenery around Qingluo Inn was in full view. The environment here was quiet, surrounded by green trees, and there was a small flower garden opposite the inn. Sister Hua said that the flowers there were all planted by Tang Ai.
Xi Chen turned his head to look at Tang Ai. She lowered her eyes and fiddled with the green plants in the attic. The setting sun shone through the gaps between the leaves and fell on her eyelashes, casting a layer of mottled light.
Tianwu Mountain is a summer resort in a southern city. If you climb to the highest point of Tianwu Mountain in the early morning during summer, you can see the beautiful sea of clouds.
At about three in the morning, Tang Ai, Xi Chen, and Shen Ruoyun climbed to the top of the mountain together. Because Shen Ruoyun said the night before that if you come to Tianwu Mountain and don't see the sea of clouds, it's like a wasted trip, so the three of them agreed to see the sea of clouds first, and then go down the mountain from the top to the northern tourist route of Tianwu Mountain.
"Come, be careful." Xi Chen gentlemanly helped Tang Ai to the edge of the summit and sat within the safety line.
There were already quite a few people gathered at the top, most of whom had stayed overnight on the mountain the night before.
Shen Ruoyun stood beside Xi Chen and Tang Ai, opened his arms and enjoyed the fresh air, and said with emotion: "Do you know? Men and women who can watch the sunrise together at Tianwu Mountain can eventually grow old together."
"Ah, I haven't heard of it in such a long time in the mountains." Tang Ai naively believed it and said in disbelief, covering her mouth lightly.
Xi Chen calmly explained: "Don't believe him, he is lying to you."
"Hahaha." Shen Ruoyun smiled with a triumphant smile and said, "Tang Ai, you believe this kind of old story?"
Tang Ai reacted, her face turned red, and she turned her head away and ignored Shen Ruoyun.
Xi Chen came to Tang Ai's rescue: "Just watch your sunrise and don't bully others."
"Yes, yes, I won't disturb you, Young Master Xi." Shen Ruoyun nodded like pounding rice.
The blush on Tang Ai's face deepened.
It was just that the white sea of clouds in the mountains was gradually dyed red by the morning sun, and also reflected on the red cheeks of each of them, so they did not notice anything unusual about Tang Ai.
"So beautiful." Shen Ruoyun couldn't help but sigh.
The sea of clouds in Tianwu Mountain surges like waves. The sunlight breaks through the clouds, illuminating the sea of clouds with an orange glow. It is truly like a fairyland.
Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun had never seen such a beautiful scene, and they all stood up to take photos. Tang Ai sat quietly in the crowd, looking at the enthusiastic people around her, with a faint smile on her face.
Tianwu Mountain is her birthplace. She loves Tianwu Mountain, so she also loves those who love Tianwu Mountain like her.
After a long time, the sun gradually became brighter and the sea of clouds dissipated. Tang Ai stood up and said to them, "Let's go down the mountain. It will become hot here soon."
"Okay." Xi Chen nodded at her, then dragged the reluctant Shen Ruoyun away.
That day, Tang Ai took them to complete the northern route.
The next day, Tang Ai led them to complete the southern route.
They climbed mountains together to see the sea of clouds and took photos with wild macaques. They passed by the ancient thatched cottage together and wrote postcards to send to each other. They swam in the lake together and drank sweet spring water under the waterfall.
They traveled to every corner of Tianwu Mountain and left precious photos everywhere.
On the third day, Tang Ai took them to turn the soil, water, and prune the flowers around the inn, and carefully explained to them what issues they should pay attention to when caring for these flowers.
On the fourth day, Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun were leaving.
In the small attic of Qingluo Inn, Sister Hua prepared a meal for the little ones who were sitting together for free.
Xi Chen looked at the photos in the camera and said to Tang Ai, "After I go back, I will select some photos, print them out, and send them to you."
Tang Ai bit her chopsticks silently and nodded.
She didn't hold out much hope, because many people had come to Qingluo Inn, and many of her peers had communicated and contacted with Tang Ai, but after they left the mountain, they never contacted Tang Ai again.
While she was in a daze, Xi Chen suddenly pushed his phone in front of Tang Ai and asked, "Do you use QQ or WeChat? Let's add a friend."
Tang Ai was stunned for a moment. Seeing the mobile phone in front of her, she hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and entered her mobile phone number in Xi Chen’s WeChat “Add Friend”.
"I want one too. I want to add you as a friend, too." Shen Ruoyun took out his phone and handed it to Tang Ai, saying, "I'm so handsome, how can I let Xiao Ai forget me?"
"Ah, no, no..." Tang Ai raised her hands, looking at a loss.
