When traveling in later generations, those who were rich had many comfortable and luxurious means of transportation to choose from. However, traveling was not that convenient now.
With a wave of his hand, Shu Ran took the initiative to rent a tour bus, complete with a driver and an assistant. Counting the eight of them, there were still a lot of free seats. During the journey, if someone wanted to rest, they could sleep in the back row. If they wanted to chat, they could come to the front and chat with everyone.
The departure time was very early, making Chen Kai yawn as soon as he got in the car. Despite feeling tired, when he first saw the bright and charming but serious and cold Fang Jie resting on the seat, his whole body went into shock and his sleepiness flew straight to get reincarnated.
Chen Kai stared at his brother subconsciously… This, this, this… This was the person Chen Sen called to make up the numbers?!
Damn… If he sometimes felt like he was being fooled in the past, now… He was definitely being fooled!
If it was just to gather the number of people to play mahjong, wouldn’t it be enough to just bring an assistant?!
“What are you doing? You’re so rude and don’t know how to say hello when you see someone?” Chen Sen raised his palm and wanted to slap his brother again, but thinking about Fang Jie who was watching them, he had to save some face for Chen Kai… It was not good to portray his little brother as too much of a coward.
“Well, he’s right,” Chen Kai thought. Here goes nothing… “Good morning, Miss Fang. Nice to see you again!” Chen Kai corrected his attitude and said to Fang Jie with a slightly uneasy smile. He felt guilty because he didn’t take the initiative to contact her after meeting the day before yesterday… He was indeed a coward. Damn it, he even dared to think that if she didn’t contact him either, then the matter between them was truly over!
Yet again… Who would have thought that Chen Sen would keep on playing the matchmaker?!
“Morning.” Fang Jie showed him a formulaic smile.
“Hey!” Shu Ran’s voice came from below, also sounding sleepy: “What are you doing up there? Why is it blocked? Is that you, Brother Kai?”
“You saw a handsome back and directly asked if it was me?” Chen Kai came back to his senses, happy to see Shu Ran: “I thought I was the last to arrive, but I didn’t expect you two to come even later than me.”
“You got here two minutes earlier than me, what are you bragging about?” Shu Ran scolded him with a smile.
Xu Shen got in the car first and pulled his wife up. The two of them greeted Fang Jie together: “Hi, Miss Fang, I’m sorry, we’re late.”
“Good morning, you two!” Fang Jie’s smile was obviously much softer, and she even closed the magazine in her hand: “It doesn’t matter, I just arrived not long ago!”
“Then let’s sit..” Shu Ran looked at everyone and then pointed to the seats next to her, saying: “The seat opposite Miss Fang.”
“Okay.” Xu Shen sat inside and Shu Ran took the one next to the aisle.
As for Chen Kai, he sat very far behind, intending to remain invisible. However, soon enough, his sister-in-law Xue Yan gave him a box of things and said: “Kaizi, this is for preventing motion sickness. Take it and ask Miss Fang if she needs it.”
Chen Kai’s face changed slightly but he still lowered his eyes, looking at the box full of plums and muttering reluctantly: “No, sister-in-law, why do I have to go?!”
Chen Sen also looked at his younger brother and said slowly: “Your sister-in-law asked you to do something, do you still need a reason?”
“This…” Chen Kai just opened his mouth to refute, but his brother continued: “What’s the matter, you can’t even do such a trivial matter?”
If you think it’ so simple, why bother me?! Chen Kai swallowed his words angrily, reluctantly took the plum box, stood up, and went to the front of the bus to complete his “trivial” task.
Xue Yan shared the remaining plums with the others: “It has no core and is not too salty. Take a piece to stimulate the appetite.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Chen!” Liang Jia Yi reached out her hand.
“I’ll take one too.” Shu Ran had just finished his breakfast. He hadn’t been on a bus for such a long time and was now afraid he might get a severe case of carsickness. He opened the box, took one piece for himself, and fed another to Xu Shen: “It’s sour, sweet, salty, and tastes good when soaked in water.”
“Yeah.” Xu Shen looked at Shu Ran and then at the other side.
Shu Ran followed his gaze and saw Chen Kai holding his box of plums, handing it out to Fang Jie: “My sister-in-law asked me to give it to you.”
Fang Jie turned her face and looked at him, then reached out and took the box saying: “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Chen Kai, the complete coward, immediately fled back to the safety of the back row.
The big man was so shy, causing the two people who were secretly watching from the opposite side to hold their foreheads and cover their eyes. Was Chen Kai even okay?!
Normally, he was pretty normal, but look at him now! As soon as the situation was critical, he turned into a fool!
“Miss Fang, are you reading our new magazine?” Shu Ran chatted with Fang Jie as the bus drove on the road.
“Yes, I usually wear your brand’s clothes.” Fang Jie raised her head and smiled.
She was not a beauty at first sight but had an exceptionally good temperament.
“Really? I didn’t expect that…” Shu Ran was quite surprised. “Our clothes are fancy but heavy-duty. I thought you would prefer a smart and casual style.”
Fang Jie smiled: “That’s just for work. Outside, who doesn’t like beautiful clothes?”
“That’s true.” Who said strong women couldn’t wear fancy clothes?
“Yes.” Xue Yan said empathetically. “I’m used to wearing work clothes all the time. It’s not that I want to build a capable image, but if I’m not capable, I won’t be respected. Others will judge me based on my appearance and think I’m not good enough.”
The workplace environment truly forced women to become men. Otherwise, even her subordinates would think that if she came to work wearing a lace skirt as a manager, she must be soft-tempered and easy to fool.
“That’s so right.” Fang Jie, also a strong woman in the workplace, sighed and agreed with Xue Yan’s words.
“Yanzi, thank you for your hard work.” Hearing his wife’s words, Chen Sen couldn’t help but hug and kiss her forehead in distress. Over the years, Xue Yan made sure that neither their family nor business fell behind, giving him a lot of support.
“What are you talking about? It’s harder for you.” Xue Yan touched her husband’s temples and said: “Not even forty yet, but look how much gray hair you have.”
“He was young for long enough, fooling around since he was a child.” Chen Kai interrupted, and the good atmosphere was instantly disrupted by that ignorant guy.
There was silence in the bus and no one spoke.
Only then did Chen Kai realize that he had said the wrong thing. After all, honesty was also a sin!
“Speechless…” Shu Ran suppressed his laughter and complained softly. Xu Shen was also speechless. Although he was not Chen Kai, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed in his stead.
As for Jiang Fan and his wife, they held hands while looking at the scenery and whispering. It wasn’t that they didn’t care enough about Chen Kai’s life events, but it was mainly that caring was useless. Chen Kai had to work hard on his own.
An hour passed quickly. It felt like they had just gotten in the car not long before, and talking kept boredom away. Soon enough, the tour bus drove into the scenic spot and everyone got off the bus to stretch their legs. Those who needed to go to the restroom went, and the assistant queued up to buy tickets.
In the last few days of the summer vacation, there were tourists, but not too many. After everyone packed their belongings, they set off for the Great Wall. Everyone was very energetic, vowing not to be the first to give up.
“Wow, it’s spectacular!” Standing at the foot of the Great Wall and looking up, the group of people began to worry: “Can we really conquer it?!”
“That’s a good question.” Xu Shen estimated everyone’s strength: “It’s pretty good to finish this section, don’t think about the rest.”
That section of the Great Wall in the scenic area took about three hours to climb…
“I’m not very strong physically, I’ll tell you that first.” Shu Ran said while doing warm-up exercises.
“It’s okay, I’ll carry you if you can’t climb.” Xu Shen promised immediately.
Jiang Fan followed suit and also said to Liang Jia Yi: “If you can’t climb, I’ll carry you.”
“Okay.” Liang Jia Yi was dressed in rose-red sportswear and also doing warm-up exercises, trying not to need her husband to carry her on his back.
“I’ll carry you too.” Chen Sen hugged his wife and said.
“…” Chen Kai crossed his arms and involuntarily looked at Fang Jie who was also warming up.
Fang Jie noticed his gaze and said jokingly: “What, you want me to carry you?”
“How is that possible!” Chen Kai stared and immediately showed off his biceps: “Do I need you to carry me?”
“…”
“Everyone, remember not to drink water on the Great Wall. Just rinse your mouth when you’re thirsty.” Shu Ran reminded them and then took the lead and set off.
He and Jiang Fan both brought cameras and were responsible for taking photos of everyone along the way.
The climb ahead was very easy, but Chen Kai kept muttering: “This is too easy, it’s like walking on flat ground!”
“That only shows that you’re in good physical condition.” Shu Ran said. “Don’t show off your superiority… Be careful or I’ll take ugly photos of you!”
“Oh, your brother Kai doesn’t have any ugly photos, he looks so handsome no matter how you take them.” Chen Kai said.
“I’ll shoot your nostrils from bottom to top to see if you’re still handsome!” Shu Ran squatted down seriously.
“Get out!” Chen Kai ran away immediately.
“Don’t run.” Xu Shen reminded.
Chen Kai turned around and complained with aggrieved eyes: “Is it fair for two to bully one?!”
Xu Shen was stunned: “I’m not talking about you. I told Shu Ran not to run after you. Who will be responsible if he falls?” Even if he bumped into someone, he would still be very distressed.
Chen Kai: “…”
They were not just going at him two on one, they were also hurting him for being single!
“Oh.” Shu Ran smiled at Xu Shen and obeyed.
Everyone climbed relatively easily at the beginning, but after an hour, things started to get difficult.
Shu Ran came to Fang Jie, who was gradually losing her strength: “Miss Fang, are you okay? Why don’t you take a rest?”
“I usually don’t exercise too much…” Fang Jie gasped, holding her knees and smiling bitterly: “I thought my physical fitness was pretty good, but I didn’t expect it to be so bad.”
“It’s okay, just pay attention to exercise in the future.” Shu Ran smiled: “Just rest, let me take some photos for you?”
Chen Kai came over out of nowhere, pointing in a low voice: “I don’t think it’s a matter of poor physical fitness. It’s just that the walking method and breathing are not correct…”
“Hey, you had enough time to observe that?” Shu Ran said. “Then you can give Miss Fang some tips.”
Fang Jie also glanced at Chen Kai. Compared to herself who was blushing, panting, and sweating profusely, Chen Kai looked relaxed and at ease, indeed doing better than her.
“If it’s not too troublesome.” Fang Jie took the initiative to speak.
“You’re welcome.” Chen Kai coughed uncomfortably and took the lead in looking away as soon as their eyes crossed paths.
After Shu Ran took some photos, he gave the space to them and went to find Xu Shen.
“You’re so awesome. How did you bring the two of them together?” Xu Shen said with admiration.
“Brother Kai came over on his own.” Shu Ran said with a smile. “If you have a thief’s heart but no courage, why would you use the excuse of her being three years older as a cover?! Damn him!”
“Haha!” Xu Shen also felt that Chen Kai just liked her, but didn’t dare to pursue her: “Coward.”
“But don’t say it…” Shu Ran glanced at Xu Shen and said with emotion: “Everyone is like that when they meet someone they like. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself.”
“What’s wrong with me?!” Xu Shen secretly pinched Shu Ran’s waist from an angle that no one else could see, whispering: “I wasn’t that cowardly when I chased you. A street thug was not as good as me!”
When Shu Ran thought about it, it seemed to be true… On a deserted hillside under the moonlight, that bastard started planting strawberries behind his ears, making basketfuls of dirty talk.
Even thinking about it now made him blush.
“Then I can’t find any reason to defend Brother Kai.” Shu Ran sighed.
“No need to defend him.” Xu Shen mocked Chen Kai wantonly. “He’s just a coward.”
“Wait a minute…” Shu Ran remembered something, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong: “Brother Kai was a prodigal who lived a life of debauchery before, so he shouldn’t be so cowardly now, right?”
Could it be that he had a misunderstanding about Chen Kai’s debauchery?!
“It’s not difficult to explain.” Xu Shen and Shu Ran walked side by side. Looking at the camera in Shu Ran’s hands, he helped to take it and carry it himself: “It costs money to go out to drink wine, but people kept on pouring wine for him, taking the initiative to talk. He never needed to open his mouth for anything, so now that he’s on his own, how can it be compared?”
Shu Ran looked at Xu Shen, and Xu Shen looked back at him: “What’s wrong?”
“You mean, drinking “flower wine” was really just that?! Just drinking with people?! Nothing else?!” If so, then he was afraid he really, truly misunderstood Chen Kai!
“No.” Xu Shen said. “He might have hugged a waist and held a hand here and there. I don’t know if he kissed anyone or not, but he definitely didn’t take off his clothes.”
“Oh.” Shu Ran refreshed his impression of Chen Kai.
“However, he really dared to be presumptuous with a lot of girls, so he deserves it if he doesn’t get a good wife in the future.” Xu Shen was still more traditional, thinking that if one wanted to run a good family and husband and wife relationship, they must keep themselves clean.
“Yeah, it’s best not to.” Shu Ran also felt that it was better to take care of yourself.
As they talked, unknowingly, they were much ahead of the crowd, even managing to climb to the highest point of the entire section of the Great Wall. The scenery was very good when looking down, with the blue sky, white clouds, and high mountains when looking up.
“Hey~” Shu Ran waved to the friends behind him: “Come up quickly, you’re all acting like snails! Even a turtle won’t crawl as slowly as you!”
Everyone hated hearing that, so they all raised their heads and stared at him.
The second couple who came up was formed of the pragmatic Mr. and Mrs. Chen, who encouraged each other to concentrate on climbing. The third couple was Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, who were only slow because they were in love and wanted to take a lot of beautiful photos.
As for Chen Kai, he took Miss Fang to practice the correct method of climbing the Great Wall, looking a bit like a fitness instructor and his beautiful client at first glance.
“Okay, okay, let’s stop climbing now!” Shu Ran said. “This is the highest point. Let’s take a group photo!”
“That’s necessary!” However, all the big guys confusedly asked: “How do we position ourselves?”
“Four should stand in front and four in the back.” Shu Ran said.
When the ladies heard that, they all stood in front of their husbands.
“Miss Fang, can you stand next to me?” Shu Ran said, standing at the far edge, followed by Xu Shen. In that way, Fang Jie found herself standing in front of Chen Kai.
When the assistant said “One, two, three!” the men who had wives put their hands on their shoulders, smiling brightly.
Only Chen Kai had his hands behind his back, with a bright smile on his face. He was just taking advantage of the situation, mixing himself between all the couples. Fang Jie was also very generous, never holding back because she was an outsider. Everyone could see that she had a character that did great things.
Next, those pairs of Mandarin ducks all wanted to take “couple photos”. As a single person, Fang Jie volunteered to take the camera and help everyone take them. However, it was mainly to help Chen Sen and his wife.
As for Shu Ran and Jiang Fan, they shared the title of “soul photographer”, taking turns between themselves.
“Chen Kai, would you like me to take a photo for you?” After taking the photo, Fang Jie looked at Chen Kai who was standing alone, with no one talking to him for a long time.
Chen Kai, who was feeling quite lonely, had his eyes lit up slightly when he heard her, like a stray puppy who was suddenly greeted: “Ahem, okay!”
He immediately found a place to pose.
Seeing that, Shu Ran whispered to Xu Shen: “It seems like Miss Fang also feels sorry for Brother Kai.”
As expected, she was a big sister type of girl, someone who felt bad when she saw that the poor little kid around her was left out.
Due to various factors, no one really paid attention to Chen Kai. Anyway, that was the norm in their group. Generally speaking, Chen Kai was thick-skinned and blunt in emotions, never taking it personally.
However, completely unexpectedly, Fang Jie noticed that group dynamic.
“I’m sending a message to everyone to ignore Chen Kai these days.” Xu Shen said schemingly.
“I don’t think it’s necessary.” Shu Ran said. “Even if you don’t send it, no one will care about Brother Kai.”
“Really?” Xu Shen looked sideways, he really… Didn’t pay him any attention!
“Look, you don’t care about Brother Kai at all.” Shu Ran sighed. “He’s so miserable.”
“If you didn’t say it with a smile, I would have almost believed you felt sorry for him.” Xu Shen said, also smiling.
…………
By the time they reached the second half of the Great Wall, everyone began to struggle.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Xu Shen asked Shu Ran.
“I think I can hold on a little longer…” Shu Ran gasped, his cheeks flushed with sweat.
“Don’t force it. Your legs and stomach will hurt when you go home tonight.” Xu Shen bent down in front of him. “Come up, you’ve been a good man after climbing for so long. No one will laugh at you.”
“Actually, it’s really not necessary.” Shu Ran said but still leaned forward.
A qualified boyfriend should know how to give his partner a chance to express himself!
Xu Shen carried his wife on his back contentedly, walking slowly through the last section. They had made a good start and soon enough, the remaining gentlemen did not allow their wives to persist any longer, taking the chance to show off.
“Come up, I’ll carry you.” Chen Sen greeted his wife.
Xue Yan was a slender beauty. She was as light as a swallow, so she was not afraid that Chen Sen would have problems carrying her, happily lying on her man’s back.
“Baby, come on!” Back there, Jiang Fan also carried his wife on his back, turning back to glance at Chen Kai with a “learn from it, you fool!” look.
When Chen Kai saw that, he felt shy. How embarrassing was that?!
…But since everyone was doing it, it seemed a little unreasonable for him not to do it, right?!
After thinking about it, Chen Kai finally plucked up the courage and said to Fang Jie: “I’ll carry you too…”
As a big sister type of woman, Fang Jie actually had a soft spot for a shy little brother, not to mention that Chen Kai was quite well-behaved. “Okay.” She said with a generous smile. “Thank you.”
They might have shared a meal together last time, but in fact, they had limited understanding… Now that they were traveling together and participating in outdoor activities, Fang Jie seemed to have gotten to know Chen Kai all over again.
Unexpectedly, she found him surprisingly cute.
To compete for breath, Chen Kai carried Fang Jie on his back, gradually overtaking Jiang Fan and his wife. Another deep breath and he finally overtook his brother and sister-in-law. The only obstacle left ahead was Xu Shen, so he rushed to also overtake the one who was walking steadily, but quickly.
“…” Fang Jie stayed on Chen Kai’s back, witnessing his secretly competing behavior. She just wanted to laugh.
“Ahem, they’re too fast… We were too far behind to catch up.” Chen Kai excused himself.
“It doesn’t matter, it’s not a competition.” Fang Jie said.
“Hehe.” Chen Kai smiled.
After climbing for a full three hours, everyone returned to the bus. They were all very tired, but still felt a sense of accomplishment. Those who didn’t climb the Great Wall could not call themselves heroes. Today, they all proudly wore their hero medals.
The driver took everyone to a hotel for dinner. After dinner, they set off once again, arriving at the second-stop resort hotel before dark.
“I’m so tired, I really want a bed to sleep on right away!” Shu Ran shouted.
“Don’t sleep yet, we’re having hot pot tonight!” Chen Kai said.
“Then I’ll go to bed after eating…” The food in the restaurant at noon was not to his liking, so Shu Ran was not very full. When getting out of the car, Xu Shen helped and carried his wife down, because everyone’s calves began to hurt and they all trembled when walking.
“Haha, people can tell where we come from at a glance…” Jiang Fan said mockingly.
“I even used a bandage to bind my calf, but it still hurts.” Liang Jia Yi smiled bitterly.
“That’s because you don’t exercise normally. I feel no pain.” Chen Kai said. “This doesn’t even compare to my daily exercise volume.”
Everyone shut up and collectively ignored the man who was feeling high on his superiority.
“Exercise is beneficial…” Fang Jie broke the awkward silence and glanced at Xu Shen and Shu Ran at the same time. When they went out to play during the day, Fang Jie strongly felt the ambiguity between the two. It seemed that the other party had no intention of hiding it.
It turned out that everyone’s private guesses were true. The romantic and talented Writer Shu indeed had an unusual relationship with his young and handsome partner…
…But wasn’t Shu Ran married?!
Could it be that the ring he wore on his finger and the love letters to his partner that appeared in newspapers every now and then were just a cover-up?!
However, Fang Jie followed the group while rejecting that guess in her mind. Based on her current understanding of Shu Ran, she felt that he was not the kind of person who put on a show only to deceive the public.
After all, finding someone else to act as his partner and write the reply would greatly increase the risk of exposure, unless that person was very trustworthy, or simply Xu Shen himself…
“Hiss…!” Fang Jie was startled, and suddenly thought of the signatures of those replies. “Sincere”… Wasn’t that just “prudent”?!1 I had to forge so far in the previous chapters to find how Xu Shen signed those love letters… He used “sincere”, by breaking the “Shen” in his name which means “prudent”. “Prudent” is written as 谨慎 – Jǐnshèn-, with 谨 Jǐn- sincerely/solemnly and 慎 Shèn- cautious
Her whole body suddenly became enlightened. That was it!
Fang Jie secretly took a breath… Those two people were so blatant!
One dared to write and the other dared to reply!
“Miss Fang, what’s wrong?” Chen Kai noticed Fang Jie’s strange behavior and asked with concern.
“I’m okay.” Fang Jie looked away and said with a smile. “Don’t call me Miss Fang, just call me by my name.”
“That’s too rude…” Chen Kai said hesitantly.
“If you feel it’s rude, you can just call me sister.” Fang Jie looked at him.
“Ah…” Chen Kai blushed for a while. What could he do?! He still wanted to develop a relationship with Fang Jie! Wouldn’t he have no chance if he called her sister?!
After eating hot pot in the evening, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Chen Kai tossed and turned in bed but couldn’t sleep at all. He thought about it for a while and then thought about it again… Finally, after thinking for an unknown number of times, he mustered up the courage and sent a message to Fang Jie: “Well, Sister Jie, will your legs still hurt tomorrow?”
After waiting nervously for a moment, the other party replied: “…except for you, everyone else is in pain.”
Chen Kai touched his nose: “I know a set of pain relief techniques, how about I give you a massage? Otherwise, you’ll still suffer tomorrow.”
After a while, Fang Jie sent the reply: “Okay, I’ll bother you.”
That night, everyone in the other rooms went to bed early, except Chen Kai. Instead of staying in his own room like a good boy, he coquettishly went to Miss Fang’s room to show his courtesy.
With appropriate techniques, some muscle soreness could indeed be eliminated, but it only provided quick relief. The pain would still be there.
Xu Shen also massaged Shu Ran for half the night. However, despite his most sincere efforts, Shu Ran was still sore all over the next day. He guessed that others were the same, so he sent a message saying: “How about… We don’t go out in the morning? Let’s have something to eat and then play mahjong?”
That proposal… Was unanimously approved by everyone!
Everyone’s bodies were sore and it really wasn’t suitable to go out. However, it was quite suitable to sit down and play mahjong!
Two tables of mahjong spontaneously emerged in the living room of the same suite after someone specifically called the staff to move them over. Everyone had the tacit understanding to directly arrange the Chen family together.
“The rules of mahjong in the Mainland are different from those in Hong Kong.” Jiang Fan said. “I’ll teach Jia Yi first until she familiarizes herself with the rules.”
“Actually, is not that different…” Shu Ran and the others quickly made the difference clear with one sentence.
“I understand.” Liang Jia Yi soon nodded.
“Let’s talk about our rules first.” Shu Ran said. “You can’t let anyone go! If you want to fight, just fight with all your strength!” Otherwise, it would be meaningless.
“You said it yourself.” Xu Shen said. “I’ll go all out when the time comes, so don’t say I’m merciless.”
“It’s up to you!” Shu Ran said fearlessly.
The game hadn’t started yet, so it was unknown who would show mercy to whom…
At the next table, Fang Jie’s seat was facing them diagonally. With her good eyesight, she swore that she saw Shu Ran and Xu Shen squinting at each other. She didn’t mean to stare at them and it was completely accidental.
Chen Kai followed her gaze and glanced over there: “They’re like this, don’t be surprised.”
“Yes.” Xue Yan smoothed things over. “They are brothers who grew up together, close enough to share the same pair of trousers.”
“Oh.” Fang Jie smiled, knowing very well what was going on but not saying anything. With her current status, pretending to be deaf and dumb was the best choice. After all, there was no relationship based on interest between them, and she wouldn’t say anything outside anyway.
And also, the two of them never deliberately treated her as an outsider, so there must be another reason. Fang Jie was not stupid and had long guessed everyone intended to bring her and Chen Kai together.
If it succeeded, then she would become one of their own, so naturally, there would be nothing to hide from her.
It was just that things hadn’t been done yet so Fang Jie could only sigh. The two of them obviously loved each other so confidently, and at the same time, they made people feel a little bit envious.
Fang Jie, who was also in her thirties but had been single until now, understood more clearly how difficult it was to meet love at a young age, and how difficult it was to keep it.
“Kong.” Xu Shen reached out and picked up the card that his wife had just played, smiling at him: “I have your card, so you sit tight. If your next move also goes wrong, you’re finished.”
“…” Shu Ran looked ugly while staring nervously at Xu Shen’s hand that touched the cards. “Don’t, don’t do it, or I’ll bleed heavily!”
Xu Shen touched the card with regret on his face, looked at Shu Ran, and finally said: “Fine. It’s not the card I wanted anyway. I’m giving you an advantage.”
“Look at what you said!” Shu Ran glanced at him. “Do you have any grudge against me? Do you want to blast me so much?”
“Didn’t you say you won’t let it go?” Xu Shen answered. “If you also had the chance to blow me up, would you throw it all away?!”
Shu Ran imagined it for a moment and grinned happily: “I’m not stupid, why would I throw it away? Of course, I’ll collect all of your money!”
“Look, you don’t care about my wallet, so why should I care about yours?” Xu Shen said, and touched another card: “You’re crazy, give me back my money…”
“How much should we give?” Liang Jia Yi didn’t know how to count the cards and asked while holding a handful of bills.
“You gave less.” Xu Shen drew one card, pointed at Shu Ran, and said: “Let him pay more.”
“Ha!” Shu Ran also took out several cards with hatred: “I’ll come back with the next one, just wait for me!”
Xu Shen pinched the bill handed over by his wife and smiled: “Let go of it…”
“Scram!”
Their table degenerated into a fight and the atmosphere was very tense.
However, back on the Chen family side, everything was completely the opposite. The whole family deliberately gave Fang Jie cards. After all… Dragging her along on a trip by herself was just in hopes that she could have a good time…
It didn’t matter whether she played bad cards or not.
Of course, Fang Jie also knew about being fed cards, so she reciprocated the favor and fed everyone back. Therefore, they played at the table in an extremely harmonious and happy manner.
Unlike the table next door, where there were three quarrels in one game, and no one gave in to anyone.
Some of them even followed the mantra: “No one’s money comes from the strong wind!”
“…”
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Fang Jie wouldn’t have believed it… They were all sleeping on the same quilt, but still viciously fighting over who owned those few cents…
…For what?!
Of course, no one thought it was too much. If one didn’t have the desire to win, what was the point of playing mahjong?!
Shu Ran tried his best to win over every steel bun in Xu Shen’s pocket. Everything was good about playing mahjong, but there was one obvious drawback: It was easy to play all day long if one wasn’t careful.
Originally, they only planned to play for a whole morning, but after lunch, they went to the mahjong table again in a daze, and no one even mentioned going out.
Maybe it was a newly formed type of tacit understanding.
After a full day’s rest, the soreness and pain in their backs had all improved, and they were all in high spirits to go out the next morning.
“Leader Shu, what’s today’s itinerary?” Chen Kai asked.
Leader Shu walked backward and informed everyone: “We’ll visit scenic spots in the morning, hike to see waterfalls, fish, barbecue, and camp in the afternoon! Anyway, it is quite tiring because we have to climb a mountain road!”
“Mountain climbing again?!” The big guys yelled.
Shu Ran sighed: “What can we do? The beautiful scenery is all in the ravines!”
He also wanted to have a cable car or something to ride in, but those conditions weren’t in place yet!
Indeed, although the scenery in the scenic spot in the morning was beautiful, everyone always felt that it was a little less interesting and soulless… After all, those people who came out of the village still liked to have more fun going up the mountains and down the rivers!
Although it was said to be a climb, it was actually not steep. After walking slowly for more than an hour, they arrived at the beautiful and elegant waterfall… In fact, it never mattered whether it was elegant or not. They still had to camp there at night, even if the terrain was rough and the sound was noisy.
“You can tell at first glance that there are many fish in this water.” Chen Sen said.
“How can you tell?” Shu Ran asked.
“Look at the color of the water.” Xu Shen also understood.
“Stop talking nonsense and let your Brother Kai catch fish for you!” Chen Kai couldn’t remember how long it had been since he personally caught fish in the water. Holding a brand-new fishing tool, he was nostalgic and excited, unable to stop himself from looking back at Shu Ran and asking: “Do you still remember the night you first arrived at Brother Shen’s house?”
“Remember.” Shu Ran sighed. “Do you think I’ll ever forget it?”
Chen Kai smiled stupidly. Yes, indeed. It was his wedding night, how could he forget it?
“Your fishing skills were terrible back then.” Xu Shen complained.
“Fart!” Chen Kai said angrily. “That’s because you two were disturbing me, okay?! I caught a lot when you two were not around!”
The stinky Chen Kai turned around and called out to Fang Jie: “Come on, I’ll take you to catch fish! The palm-sized fish is best when grilled!”
“Is it really possible to catch fish in such a fast current?” Fang Jie asked.
“Yes.” Chen Kai nodded.
Fang Jie grew up in a good family and was a real, rich second generation. She had never experienced going up mountains and down rivers. When she saw Chen Kai looking at ease, full of happiness in the mountains, she once again found him especially cute.
“Okay, then I’ll help you carry the bucket.” Fang Jie also joined in relaxedly.
No matter what happened between her and Chen Kai in the end… The atmosphere of this group of people getting along made her feel very comfortable.
It was something more precious than wealth and power, and some people may never have it in their lifetime.
“Hey, okay, you’d better stand on the rocks and don’t go into the water!” Chen Kai warned her.
At the same time, others were digging stove holes by the river, pouring in the charcoal they brought, and boiling water for tea. The place was surrounded by cobblestones, far away from the woods and grass, and there was no open flame, so there were no conditions for an accidental fire.
After completing all the necessary preparations, everyone put down the folding chairs, lay down on them, and enjoyed nature.
“Brother Fan, what do you think this is?” Liang Jia Yi was wearing sandals and stepping into the sandy stream downstream. She suddenly caught a shell, which was quite big. “Can it be eaten?”
“You have to ask Brother Sen…” Jiang Fan didn’t grow up in the village, so he didn’t know for sure.
Taking it over, Chen Sen and his wife took one look at it and said in unison: “It’s a river clam, it’s edible.”
Since that thing grew in the stream, it meant that the water quality was very good. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have grown so big.
“When I was a kid, I used to dig river clams in the sand by the river and fry them to eat, but now I can’t even see them much…” Xue Yan said sadly.
Shu Ran thought to himself that the situation was still pretty good. In the future, there will be fewer and fewer mollusks along the river, and the water quality will be polluted. Even seeing such a clear stream would become a rare sight.
“Cherish the natural environment we have now…” Shu Ran took a handful of stream water and splashed it on his face, feeling very cool.
When Xu Shen heard him, he immediately raised his hand and touched Shu Ran’s hair, and then became thoughtful. According to Shu Ran, the natural environment will only get worse in the future, with poor water quality, poor air, and loud noise… It was even said that the food quality was no longer good either.
If that was the side effect of high-tech society, then Xu Shen’s mood was very contradictory. He was not looking forward to his life thirty years in the future.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely because of those problems. The bigger reason was that he simply didn’t want to grow old so quickly!
He would rather time pass a little slower, just a little slower… So that his young self and Shu Ran could share the same time a little longer.
The author has something to say:
Kaizi, the man who catches fish and feeds whoever he wants to be good to…
Thinking back on how hard he worked to catch fish, Brother Shen and Ran Ran felt very ashamed to have kissed in front of him, that night on the hillside.
T.N: Chen Kai is such a dumb husky 😂
![When the Sand Sculpture Protagonist Enters the World of Crematorium [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/photo_2023-12-20_21-58-42.jpg "When the Sand Sculpture Protagonist Enters the World of Crematorium [Quick Transmigration]")
