After walking hand-in-hand, their pace slowed, but their spirits lifted.
It took an hour for them to arrive, dusty and travel-worn, beneath that banyan tree which, because of its human-like posture, seemed imbued with spiritual energy.
Precisely because of this spark of spirituality, it was as if an immortal resided in the tree. Spending a little more time under it, a person would be blessed with good fortune.
Yun Huizhi knew Chu Ruoyou didn’t believe in this, but since they were already here, believing a little made it more fun.
They waited for a while until the crowd thinned somewhat. Picking a corner with fewer people, they asked a passerby to help take a photo with the banyan tree.
The passerby handed the camera back to Yun Huizhi. She looked at it and found the photo was excellent; women always did things more satisfactorily.
Sweetly, she said, “Thank you, Older Sister!”
Returning to Chu Ruoyou’s side, she showed her the photo. “Look, it turned out really well.”
Chu Ruoyou had once told her she liked trees.
Wood and leaf were two words that sounded fresh and clean just hearing them.
Standing in the tree’s shade, listening to the leaves rustle in the mountain wind, a person became part of the tree, breathing with it.
But now, looking at the photo, Chu Ruoyou only slightly nodded, without much emotion.
She said, “That girl just now was chatting with her friend about CET-4 scores. I think she must still be in school.”
Yun Huizhi hadn’t paid attention to their conversation. She nodded. “Oh, so she’s a college student then.”
“So,”
Chu Ruoyou paused, then said flatly, “you took advantage of her.”
Yun Huizhi hadn’t expected that after beating around the bush, this was what she wanted to say. She laughed and shamelessly said, “I’m a student too.”
To this, Chu Ruoyou reacted seriously. “Then you lied to me. You haven’t graduated yet?”
Her current sternness was unlike her usual calm, expressionless face. She frowned, showing a hint of displeasure.
Yun Huizhi often joked with her, but this was the first time she’d seen her angry.
The reason could wait; first, she had to correct her attitude. “I did graduate. I didn’t lie to you. ‘I’m a student’ is just a meme.”
The thing she’d lied about was something else, so explaining this wasn’t difficult.
Chu Ruoyou didn’t dwell on it excessively. Her unhappiness came suddenly and left just as quickly.
“Let’s go.”
Following behind her at a leisurely pace, Yun Huizhi could sense that something was on her mind.
Before taking the photo, they’d been holding hands, talking and laughing. Though Chu Ruoyou looked a bit tired, her mood was better than usual.
Why had she suddenly become low?
Although Chu Ruoyou occasionally bullied people, she wasn’t unreasonable. There had to be a reason.
Yun Huizhi replayed their conversation just now in her mind. Apart from the discussion about “lying,” there was her calling the female passerby “Older Sister.”
Actually, it was pointless to argue over age. Going out, girls all called each other “Older Sister” or “Miss.”
From this, Yun Huizhi had an absurdly narcissistic thought. She guessed Chu Ruoyou’s displeasure was related to this – that she didn’t like her calling someone else “Older Sister.”
But why dislike it?
Was it a domineering possessiveness as the client?
During the business period, she wasn’t a completely free person, only allowed to call her alone “Older Sister”?
That was quite overbearing. Yet the more Yun Huizhi thought about it, the more it seemed to fit Chu Ruoyou’s displayed personality.
She didn’t point it out. Or rather, she didn’t dare treat the conjecture in her heart as fact; that would be too self-absorbed.
To her, whatever Chu Ruoyou was thinking wasn’t important. Even if she was just in a bad mood and wanted to vent, it didn’t matter.
Yun Huizhi wouldn’t get angry at all. Not because she was fawning, but because she strenuously avoided letting people and things outside her conscious control affect her mood. There was no point.
How others thought, what they did, whether they disliked her – these weren’t things she could decide. Why should she be moved by them?
But not being affected didn’t mean she should be indifferent. She was still very willing to coax Chu Ruoyou a bit, even if just for her own comfort during the hike.
She obediently reflected, “I’ve thought it over. From now on, I need to be careful. When I’m out, I shouldn’t casually take advantage of others or randomly call people ‘Older Sister.’ I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“Suit yourself,” Chu Ruoyou said.
“I can’t just ‘suit myself.’ I’m a bit dumb. I only know after you tell me.”
Yun Huizhi curved her eyes into a smile towards her. “Don’t worry. Whatever you say, I’ll listen. I love listening to you talk the most.”
Chu Ruoyou thought of a descriptor: puppy-dog eyes.
Slightly downturned at the corners, when looking at someone, whether sincere or not, the gaze seemed earnest and focused, the pupils clear like water, pure and innocent.
She asked, “Really?”
“Absolutely real.” Yun Huizhi raised a fist as if taking an oath, probably having another bout of her chuunibyou.
Chu Ruoyou said, “Then shut up.”
It took Yun Huizhi a moment to realize she meant for her to obediently close her mouth. Alright, seems like the mood really isn’t good right now.
“Okay.”
They didn’t go back the way they came, choosing another sightseeing path for the return trip. It was much quieter along the way. Each took their own photos, not disturbing the other.
At a mountain stream where water surged, they saw a rainbow, like a bridge conspicuously spanning the wilderness.
Seeing a rainbow in the mountains wasn’t difficult. Yun Huizhi was unfazed, but knowing Chu Ruoyou liked it very much, she silently kept her company watching it for a long time.
She even stepped back a few paces, framing Chu Ruoyou’s back and the rainbow in the same picture.
Midway, they rested at a resting area and visited the restroom separately.
After drying her hands, Yun Huizhi returned and sat down. Catching the eye of Chu Ruoyou, who hadn’t wanted to look at her, she made a series of gestures.
Chu Ruoyou watched her movements but didn’t quite understand, only extracting two pieces of information: “go” and “lick.”
She didn’t want to guess, nor did she want to watch Yun Huizhi stick out her little pink tongue in a rather indecent gesture.
“Speak.”
As if a silencing charm had been lifted, Yun Huizhi let out her voice instantly. “I said, when we get down the mountain, I want to buy ice cream.”
She’d been thinking about it since morning. Seemed she really loved it.
Having seen the rainbow, Chu Ruoyou was in a good mood. Her tone was quite pleasant. “I’m not eating any. You go stand in line. I’ll wait for you.”
“Older Sister is so nice.”
After Yun Huizhi said this, she noticed Chu Ruoyou’s expression cool slightly. She smiled coquettishly. “I can’t be sure of other people’s ages, afraid of making a mistake. I won’t call anyone that anymore. But you’re older than me, that I can be sure of. I’ll only call you ‘Older Sister,’ okay?”
She looked at her ingratiatingly, her tone intimate, as if acting cute.
Chu Ruoyou softened, yet still said, “I think you don’t need to go around calling people ‘Older Sister’ or ‘Little Sister.’ No need to be overly familiar with strangers.”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Chu,” Yun Huizhi immediately became distant.
But her smile was too beautiful. One doesn’t hit a smiling face. Chu Ruoyou had no choice but to look at her a few more times and return the smile.
At the same time, she felt puzzled inside.
She wasn’t used to Yun Huizhi calling her “Older Sister.” Although there was an age gap, she didn’t mind them calling each other by name. There was no need for Yun Huizhi to act obedient.
Yun Huizhi also didn’t seem too fond of calling her “Older Sister.” The occasional times she did were mostly in jest.
But when Yun Huizhi used that sweet voice to call a stranger, she suddenly felt unwilling, felt irritated.
She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her.
But she couldn’t help thinking, her attitude earlier hadn’t been good, and Yun Huizhi didn’t hold it against her. Was it really good temperament, or was she just forced to tolerate her?
Her overthinking quickly dissipated like smoke, because Yun Huizhi linked arms with her, her face full of happiness. “Let’s go. We’ll rest more back at the inn. I’m going to massage your legs, or they’ll ache tomorrow. Free of charge.”
