Chapter 36.2
The Bottle Water Forest was near the pond that Lu Yao and Yu Le had visited. It was a popular spot for many visitors staying in town recently due to its serene environment and water activities.
Daiwa Mountain had dense vegetation, and the forest was lush and green. A fire in such an area was no small matter, especially with the mountain winds; the damage could be catastrophic.
Everyone in the courtyard felt a heavy weight in their hearts. The argument stopped abruptly as they anxiously awaited Uncle An’s next words.
“A group of tourists just came back from there. They wouldn’t say what happened, each one of them with a mournful face. I suspect it was either a barbecue or discarded cigarette butts that caused it. Anyway, they’re definitely involved.”
Lu Yao said, “We’ll deal with the responsibility later. The important thing now is to put out the fire. What’s the current situation? Have the firefighters been notified?”
Uncle An replied, “Yes, it’s been reported. Both the police and the firefighters are on their way. The wind isn’t strong now, so the fire is spreading slowly. Old Liu is planning to bring his water pump over to start pumping water from the pond to control the blaze and see if it can save some of the forest.”
“Tell Uncle Liu not to go. It’s too dangerous.” Lu Yao patted Long Fei’s head, signaling him to let go. “I’ll go and check it out. You stay in touch with the firefighters.”
The fire was sudden and unexpected, and everyone in the town was drawn out, gathering at the mountain entrance and staring anxiously toward the smoke rising from the forest. Each face was filled with worry.
Some townspeople even started arguing with the young people who had left Bottle Water Forest last. After others gathered and understood the situation, they couldn’t help but join in, angrily accusing them. Unable to withstand the collective fury, the young people left in a huff, leaving behind a few harsh words before retreating to the inn.
Yu Le, worried about Lu Yao going into the mountain, stood on tiptoe for a long time until he finally spotted people returning. However, just as he was about to relax, he saw Lu Yao and the arriving firefighters turn back toward the direction of the fire.
“……”
There really never seems to be a quiet moment!
Fortunately, the mountain winds were manageable and didn’t fan the flames further. The fire was put out before it could spread uncontrollably, and after more than three hours of effort, everyone was safe and unharmed.
The smoke rising from the forest looked like a giant dragon, fiercely shooting up into the sky.
“Alright, alright.” Wen Yuan, tired from craning his neck, wiped the sweat from his forehead and reassured Yu Le, “It looks like the fire has been extinguished. Everything’s okay now.”
Yu Le asked, “But why haven’t they returned yet?”
Wen Yuan replied, “It’s not something that can be wrapped up immediately. They need to investigate the source of the fire and check for any remaining embers, to prevent it from reigniting with the wind.”
After some time, Lu Yao finally returned with the firefighters.
Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the fire had been caused by people having a barbecue in the forest, leaving the fire unattended which then spread.
They informed the police, and the young people who had argued at the mountain entrance were promptly taken away.
Standing among the firefighters, Lu Yao heard an excited young firefighter say, “Brother Lu, I didn’t expect you to remember me!”
“Wow!” Long Fei’s eyes lit up. “Brother Lu, you’re amazing! You even know firefighters!”
Before Lu Yao could speak, the young firefighter eagerly continued, “Yes, during outdoor training a few years ago, we happened to meet Brother Lu’s team and trained together.”
“Brother Lu is really impressive. His performance in every training task was top-notch! And he even saved my life! If it weren’t for him, I’d probably have fallen off a cliff and been smashed to bits.”
“Team? What team?” Long Fei quickly asked, “Was Brother Lu a firefighter before?”
“No, actually.” The firefighter said, “Brother Lu is from a special operations unit. Their training intensity is much higher than ours.”
The young man’s quick talk made it impossible for Lu Yao to stop him, and he inadvertently revealed everything.
Long Fei was ecstatic, repeatedly exclaiming “Wow” in admiration, clearly awed. Lu Yao, keeping a composed demeanor, glanced at Yu Le, who was avoiding eye contact and seemed troubled, though he tried not to show it.
Before leaving, the young firefighter gave Lu Yao a tight hug, and Long Fei seized the opportunity to hug his idol before running home to brag to his mother.
When Lu Yao turned back after seeing them off, he noticed that a certain small kitten had disappeared without a trace.
Had it been discovered?
Lu Yao furrowed his brow, returned to his room, took off his clothes that smelled of smoke, took a cold shower to cool off, and started to focus on listing the possible reactions Yu Le might have and how he could respond to them.
Click.
A crisp sound interrupted his thoughts as the window near the corridor was opened.
Lu Yao looked back but saw no one. Only a small green dinosaur figurine slowly emerged from the window, with a red tongue, white teeth, a long tail, and an exceptionally cute appearance.
Lu Yao was momentarily stunned and raised an eyebrow. “Where did this little dinosaur come from?”
The small dinosaur wobbled its head, and Yu Le’s voice followed, “It’s from next door.”
Lu Yao had imagined many possibilities but hadn’t expected this. His furrowed brow relaxed, and his eyes softened with a smile. He leaned against the window, looking at Yu Le with a relaxed expression. “What brings you here?”
The hidden fingers bent, and the small dinosaur obediently lowered its head. “I came to apologize to the soldier. I shouldn’t have said those things before. I’m sorry (0﹏0)”
Lu Yao asked, “What things did you say?”
The small dinosaur replied, “Just that night, I drank a bit too much…”
The small dinosaur bashfully leaned on the windowsill, its tail held high.
Lu Yao knew it was about the night before Cheng Xiwu’s engagement, and he hadn’t taken it to heart. He was just surprised by Yu Le’s lack of awareness on some matters and felt a bit mischievous in his good mood.
He deliberately asked, “Do I need to accept it?”
The small dinosaur straightened up immediately, its head popping out, with its chin resting on its arm. The unspoken words were written in its eyes, What nonsense are you talking about?
Lu Yao chuckled softly and walked to the window, pushing it open wider. “Get up first.”
The window was too low, and Yu Le was uncomfortable squatting. As he started to rise, Lu Yao reached out and lifted him into the room in a way that resembled carrying a child.
Yu Le was startled and buried his head, afraid of bumping it, thinking Lu Yao might have misspoken; it should have been “come in first” instead of “get up first.”
“Your arm strength is impressive.” Yu Le was placed on a nearby cabinet and, admiringly, punched Lu Yao’s arm lightly. “How did you train? Teach me next time?”
The cabinet was the perfect height for him to be at eye level with Lu Yao. As Lu Yao naturally placed his hands on either side of the cabinet, Yu Le’s gaze shifted from meeting Lu Yao’s eyes directly to a slight downward angle.
“One hundred pull-ups every day, carrying a hundred kilograms while running ten kilometers, three hours of close combat training, plus two hours of extreme rock climbing.”
Lu Yao listed each training task in detail and then asked, “Not difficult, do you want to learn?”
The closeness made Lu Yao’s face seem even more striking. No matter how long you looked, it always felt like a sudden visual impact.
“……” Yu Le’s ears turned red, and he pretended to be calm while fiddling with his little dinosaur. He stubbornly said, “It sounds okay, but I might be busy for a while, so we’ll talk about it later.”
Lu Yao chuckled, a short, low sound that seemed to drill directly into Yu Le’s ear, making Yu Le’s hand unsteady, nearly causing the little dinosaur to fall.
Lu Yao caught it.
The dinosaur figurine was so small and intriguing that Lu Yao, who had never seen such a thing before, examined it with interest.
“Did you make this?” he asked Yu Le.
Yu Le quickly rubbed his ears and nodded. The distance between them seemed to shrink, and he felt as though he had descended from the top of a mountain to the plains, no longer short of breath.
“That’s mine. It might not fit you well.” Yu Le pulled out another one from his large pocket. “This one is for you.”
Lu Yao returned the small dinosaur and took the new one Yu Le offered. It was a small, blue-faced monster with horns on its head.
The little monster looked somewhat familiar. After a few more glances, Lu Yao recognized it as the Mountain God.
“Like this.” Yu Le showed him how to play. “Place the face against your fingertip. If you’re worried about it falling off, you can use the string on the tail to wrap around the base of your finger.”
Lu Yao followed his demonstration, putting the little monster on his right index finger, bending it playfully, and making the little monster salute him.
“Fun, right?” Yu Le said with a hint of pride, bumping the little dinosaur and the little monster’s heads together. “When I was in undergraduate school, my classmates loved playing like this.”
Lu Yao turned the little monster around, giving the little dinosaur a kiss.
The small dinosaur, with its tail raised, seemed stunned. The young man’s face behind the dinosaur grew warmer, with hints of steam rising.
“Mm.” He smiled, evaluating, “Cute.”
