Entrust the rest of my life to her
The camping site was located at the Qiuyuan Mountain Scenic Park, on the border between Anjiang City and Lin City, almost a three-hour drive away. Nine of them, including a group of friends and three bodyguards—one woman and two men—hired for help, spread across three cars. Chen Zhi and Tang Mo continued to ride with Xia Zhijin, joking that being third wheels, they’d only shine a light on one pair, out of sheer decency.
After exiting the highway, it wasn’t long before they entered Dajiang Town, which sits within the bounds of Qiuyuan Mountain.
Dajiang Town lies in the westernmost part of the province. Its prominent low hills and rolling terrain are not suited for farming, landing it on the province’s poverty list for many years. Only in recent years, with increased support from the government and collaborations with developers to boost tourism, has the area slowly begun to turn a corner.
Thus, along the way, Lin Xian and friends—city kids through and through—witnessed a curious blend of the modern and the ancient they’d never seen before.
The newly built roads they drove on were wide and straight, stretching seemingly endless like a scene out of a movie. Yet, flanking these roads were continuous gentle hills and patches of farmland tucked among greenery. Dotting these fields were run-down, low-rise earthen and stone buildings, clearly in disrepair from years of neglect.
Lin Xian rolled down the window and gazed out curiously, asking Xiao Wanqing with a hint of bewilderment, “Auntie Xiao, are people really still living in those houses? How can they live like that?” She noticed clothes hanging out to dry in front of some small houses, signs of life that seemed to surprise her.
Xiao Wanqing glanced out the window to the side, smiling gently and replied softly, “Yeah, some people still live there. But there are far fewer now. When I passed by here a few years ago, this road wasn’t even built. Many houses like these were demolished when they built the road.”
Seeing Lin Xian’s astonished expression, Xiao Wanqing’s eyes faintly carried a sigh as she expressed with a touch of emotion, “Xianxian, just because we live comfortably, we shouldn’t forget that many people in the world are going through lives we can hardly imagine.”
Lin Xian had always been sheltered, her view of the high life was broad, but when it came to the life and experience near the bottom, she was clearly lacking. She had seen poverty on TV but could hardly conceptualize what real poverty was like. She wasn’t too concerned about money, and always felt that having more or less didn’t matter that much, as long as she was happy. But the reality of having less, the world of poverty, was far too remote for her to truly envision and empathize with.
After hearing Xiao Wanqing’s words, Lin Xian felt a bit disheartened and embarrassed.
“Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?”
“It’s okay. In the future, we can just get out more and take a look around. It’s good for us, for our writing, too,” Xiao Wanqing consoled Lin Xian gently after seeing her seem a bit troubled. When Xiao Wanqing included herself with the use of “us,” linking herself with Lin Xian, Lin Xian didn’t notice the nuance in her words, but she felt a slight happiness in her heart.
Picking up on Xiao Wanqing’s words, Lin Xian replied, “So, it’s like gathering material, right?”
“Right,” Xiao Wanqing deftly changed the subject. “Xianxian, don’t judge this place by its current economic condition, which might be a bit behind the average, but you know, historically, this place was once famous for its affluence. Quite a few historical figures originated from here…”
Just as Xiao Wanqing finished her mini history lesson about local celebrities—a token of how knowledgeable and well-versed she seemed—Lin Xian was still marveling that she knew so much about everything, Xia Zhijin’s car, which had been following smoothly behind them, suddenly began to overtake them.
As they passed by side by side, all windows of the trailing car were rolled down. Shi Man, Chen Zhi, and Tang Mo all stared intently at them. Then, in the next second, before Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian could even process what was happening, they all began to sing loudly in unison, “The vast horizon is my love, foothills of the endless green mountains where the flowers are just beginning to bloom… Come on, sing along…” Their car sped ahead, taking the song with it.
Then, the singing continued, even louder than before, and from each window, a hand reached out, flashing a ‘V’ sign towards the back.
At first, Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian were stunned by their singing, but the next second, they both burst into laughter, unable to control themselves.
“Ah, are they dumb or what…” Lin Xian said with a laugh-scolding tone. “Thank goodness there are no other cars on the road, otherwise, I swear I would pretend I don’t know them.”
Despite her words, the very next second she skillfully flicked through her backpack, pulled out a hardcover sketchbook and a black marker, and wrote the word “Silly” in big letters. Then, she held it out the window for those in the car ahead to see.
Quickly, the people in front front blew up a large balloon and released it out the window, each balloon painted with a “thumbs up” sign as a playful retort.
Lin Xian turned her head jokingly to complain to Xiao Wanqing, “Auntie Xiao, they’re ganging up on us because we’re fewer in number.”
No sooner had she spoken than she heard Xiao Wanqing switch the car’s music from the soothing tracks that had been playing to 《The Legend of Phoenix》, even turned up the volume a bit.
Xiao Wanqing glanced at the continuous green mountains and trees outside the window, turned her face with a shallow smile, and said to the bewildered Lin Xian, “Actually, this place is quite fitting for this song, isn’t it?” After speaking, she increased the speed a bit, casually cruising past Xia Zhijin’s car. When she heard Lin Xian belt out a line from the music, “What kind of rhythm is the most swaying,” the smile at the corner of her mouth deepened.
Seeing Lin Xian and the others’s childish antics was like seeing herself and her friends in their younger years. In the past, she would have felt envy and a sense of loss when she saw such youthful vitality. But today, she felt only lightness and exuberance.
Following Lin Xian, Xiao Wanqing felt like she was slowly rediscovering a part of her past self. It was as if she was gradually seeing the vibrant colors that life was filled with again.
As their car entered Baiye Village, where Qianyuan Mountain was located, they had just reached what seemed to be the center of the village and hadn’t yet seen the actual entrance to Qianyuan Mountain when their GPS astonishingly notified them that they had arrived at their destination.
All three cars gradually came to a stop, and the occupants looked at one another in confusion as they faced the fork in the concrete road ahead.
Xiao Wanqing suggested that they should park the cars to the side and get out to ask around; no one disagreed.
Perhaps because it was still a distance away, the village didn’t look anything like a tourist site should. With low-set tile and brick houses, and what seemed to be a little shop, a few elders appeared to be idly chatting.
Unfazed by the unfamiliar, Lin Xian approached with a smile and briskly ran forward to ask for directions. But the warm approach was met with a splash of cold water: they were talking past each other. The elderly folks didn’t speak Mandarin, but seemed to be speaking a local dialect.
Just as Lin Xian was about to look for a younger person who might speak Mandarin, Xiao Wanqing caught up to her with ease a few steps behind. She gently grasped Lin Xian’s hand as she turned to leave, and with a friendly gaze and a slight bow, she spoke to the previously addressed seated elder in the language that Lin Xian couldn’t comprehend.
Total bewilderment was on their faces.
After a few sentences, Xiao Wanqing straightened up and turned to instruct the group of young girls behind her: “Take the left path and loop around, then you’ll reach another fork. Take the right, and you’re there. The GPS always seems to get wonky around here.”
Xia Zhijin was the first to voice everyone’s surprise with an obviously astonished tone, “Auntie X…” She was always tongue-tied, not as quick on the uptake as Tang Mo and the others, struggling to casually address her as ‘sister’.
“Just call me auntie, it’s fine,” Xiao Wanqing said with understanding ease.
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“Auntie Xiao, you can speak the local dialect here too? Aren’t you a local from Anjiang City?”
Walking towards the car, Xiao Wanqing explained without making a big deal out of it, “I only know a little. My college roommate was from around here, and I picked up a few phrases on a whim. I’ve almost forgotten it all by now.”
“That’s possible?!” Chen Zhi exclaimed in admiration. For them, natives who could only understand but not speak the Anjiang dialect, Xiao Wanqing truly made them feel embarrassed.
Back in the car, Lin Xian’s eyes shone brightly. Seizing the moment while helping Xiao Wanqing fasten her seatbelt, she couldn’t help but plant a kiss on Xiao Wanqing’s red lips, infatuated, and sighed, “Xiao Xiaowan, how many more of your enchanting secrets do I not yet know?”
In the bright daylight, with the car windows down, Lin Xian’s sudden kiss made Xiao Wanqing blush, her cheeks turning a rosy red. She was about to shy away from Lin Xian when Xia Zhijin’s car pulled up beside them. Chen Zhi poked her head out, looking defeated, and complained, “Lin Xian, can you please be considerate of our feelings as single dogs? Ah, how lonely, how…”
She hadn’t finished when Tang Mo brutally interrupted her, “Please remove the ‘us.’ You’re the only single dog here.”
In a flash, everyone burst into laughter.
Feeling downcast and resigned, Chen Zhi raised her right hand, forcefully popping her fingers, and in a coy voice said, “Dear, you’re also amazing…”
????
Shi Man was the first to recover, bursting into laughter while chiding her, “Chen Zhi, that’s enough from you; we don’t want to know about your nightly escapades!”
Lin Xian, who was still rather naĂŻve, took a bit longer to catch the implied meaning behind Chen Zhi and Shi Man’s words. She immediately became anxious and shot Xiao Wanqing a glance, worried whether Xiao Wanqing would mind such jokes or think they were too frivolous.
Fortunately, Xiao Wanqing’s expression remained gentle and pleased. Seeing Lin Xian looking at her, she started the car and said with a smile, “Your friends are all really adorable.”
Lin Xian breathed a sigh of relief on the inside.
Seeing her friends being so uninhibited and freely joking in her presence meant that they truly accepted her; they didn’t treat her as some untouchable elder.
Xiao Wanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As their car approached the vicinity of Qianyuan Mountain, everyone marveled at the range of restaurants before them, feeling the true essence of a tourist area. Since it was already lunchtime, they chose a nearby restaurant for a simple meal before purchasing tickets to enter the scenic spot.
Shi Man had brought along three strong bodyguards, who proved quite helpful. They took the park’s shuttle to transport the group’s unused equipment and backpacks directly to the camping area they had reserved, while Lin Xian and the others made their way lightly on foot up the mountain, enjoying the scenery as they went.
This was everyone’s first trip to Qianyuan Mountain, and they were inevitably curious about each sightseeing spot. It was then that they came to understand Xiao Wanqing’s breadth of knowledge surpassed what they had imagined.
Although it was also her first visit, Xiao Wanqing effortlessly clarified Chen Zhi and the others’ questions and curiosities, eventually acting as a quasi-tour guide. The same rock or cave, under Xiao Wanqing’s classical references and brief explanations, immediately felt different. Unintentionally, everyone gathered around Xiao Wanqing, constantly asking her questions, almost squeezing Lin Xian out of the circle.
As Lin Xian watched Xiao Wanqing stroll by her side with a patient and gentle demeanor, moving with graceful ease that drew admiring glances, she was suddenly reminded of last year when she had stood lecturing on stage, captivating the finance students with her elegant charm.
It really gave one an acute sense of crisis. Just how should she act to truly and securely embrace Xiao Wanqing with peace of mind?
By evening, their group managed to reach the designated camping area before sunset. The campsite had been carefully selected by Xia Zhijin, situated within a luxurious hotel’s domain at the mountain peak, specially modified to be a level and secure camping spot. It was arguably the safest and highest point accessible for camping with an excellent view, conveniently close to the hotel for water and washing up.
At sunset, the sky seemed like a canvas that a masterful painter had deftly adorned with strokes of enchanting orange-red. As time sketched onwards, the colors spread in layers, captivating the soul.
Lin Xian and Xiao Wanqing, Shi Man with Xia Zhijin, stood shoulder to shoulder, heads together, whispering sweet nothings. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed single dog, Chen Zhi, muttered complaints about being single amidst such romance, even as she captured the sunset’s afterglow with her camera—stealthily snapping enchanting silhouettes of her friends against the evening sky, planning to get the photos developed as a gift for them upon their return.
Leaning on Xiao Wanqing’s shoulder, fingers intertwined, Lin Xian wore a mischievous smile, playfully teasing her, “Xiao Xiaowan, happy birthday. I haven’t forgotten, you know. This trip, the sunset today, and the sunrise tomorrow—they’re my birthday presents to you. I look forward to spending every dawn and dusk with you, day in and day out.” Lin Xian thought Xiao Wanqing might be a tad disappointed with a birthday gift that included friends on the trip.
But to her surprise, Xiao Wanqing took her seriously and, far from disappointed, gazed earnestly at her and responded, “I really like it, thank you.” She truly enjoyed it, even leaning in to peck Lin Xian’s cheek with a tender kiss for the first time in front of others, her eyes curving into smiles.
Lin Xian’s heart melted instantly. She wrapped her arms around Xiao Wanqing’s slender shoulders and kissed her smooth shoulder, thinking affectionately, Silly Wanwan, so easily contented. You should have higher expectations of me, honestly.
The tents were rented from the hotel, and there was a service to set them up for an extra fee, but they declined. Xia Zhijin suggested a competition: pair up to see who could pitch a tent fastest, and the last pair done would be on breakfast duty for the next morning.
With that challenge thrown down, everyone was abuzz with excitement and eager to win, even Xiao Wanqing, who caught a bit of the competitive bug. She was good at most things, but outdoor activities, not so much. She knew the theory but when it came to hands-on skills, there was a gap.
But she and Lin Xian weren’t the worst at pitching tents; that honor went to Chen Zhi and Tang Mo. Those two were clueless, poking around the tent, no coordination at all, just couldn’t get it to stand up.
On the other hand, Xia Zhijin and Shi Man were like a well-oiled machine, not at all looking like newbies.
Tang Mo, fishing for info, asked Shi Man, “Have you guys camped out a lot before?”
Busy with setting up, Shi Man blurted out, “Nope, first time. But we’ve tried spicing things up before…” She trailed off, having intended to say they’d practiced pitching a tent indoors.
Before she could finish, a quick-on-the-uptake Xia Zhijin clamped her hand over Shi Man’s mouth. The usually cool and proper Xia Zhijin showed a rare flash of shyness and panic, leaving everyone momentarily stunned, followed by sly looks of realization.
Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but let a teasing smile dance around her lips, seeing the youths’ antics. Young people really are…
As if struck by a thought, she unconsciously glanced at Lin Xian, who happened to be covertly observing her. Their eyes met, and both felt as if scorched by the other’s gaze, a sudden warmth flaring in their hearts. Embarrassed, they both bowed their heads, pretending to be busy.
Eventually, Xia Zhijin and Shi Man were the first to finish their tent, and they kindly helped Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian with theirs that had just started to take shape. Meanwhile, Chen Zhi and Tang Mo resignedly handed over their no-progress tent to the sturdy, suit-clad uncles.
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Night had fully descended, and after enjoying the barbecue, Xiao Wanqing and the young girls lay side by side on the grass, gazing up at the sky that seemed close enough to touch, somewhat entranced.
How many years had it been since she’d seen so many bright stars?
Seeing the nostalgic look in Xiao Wanqing’s eyes, Lin Xian’s heart tightened a bit, her mind drifting to the accordion gift she had once failed to give, feeling a tinge of fear. She turned her head to gaze at Xiao Wanqing’s gentle and enchanting profile, and after a moment of hesitation, bit her lip and softly asked, “Xiao Xiaowan, has it been a long time since you last stargazed like this?”
Xiao Wanqing turned to look at the girl whose sharpness seemed softened by the night, closing her eyes for a brief moment before softly replying, “Yeah, it’s been a long time.” As if making up her mind to share something personal, she began to reminisce for Lin Xian, “The last time I lay down to watch the stars like this was during the first National Day holiday after entering university when I traveled to the grasslands with my parents.” A hint of sadness tinged with fondness crept into her voice as she chuckled, “Back then, I joked about wanting to pluck the stars from the sky. My dad teased me about it, but then, when I went home for the November holiday, I found that he had replaced my bedroom’s ceiling light with hanging star lights.”
In the many years following her parents’ passing, recalling this memory was like a knife to Xiao Wanqing’s heart. Over time, she no longer had the courage or strength to remember anything about her parents.
It was her own lack of insight, not knowing how to cherish what she had.
In this lifetime, she might meet many people, but probably, she would never again meet someone who would want to pluck the stars for her in such a silent and devoted manner.
Lin Xian’s anxiety eased a bit knowing it wasn’t Yan Jia, but it soon returned as she listened to the tone Xiao Wanqing used when talking about her parents, feeling a dense, aching pain in her heart.
Lin Xian couldn’t literally hear the voice deep within Xiao Wanqing’s heart, but as if they were soulmates, she instinctively drew closer, whispering into her ear with tender softness, “Xiao Xiaowan, I’d like to pluck the stars from the sky for you.”
In that moment, Xiao Wanqing’s heart thundered loudly.
While Xiao Wanqing was still savoring that heart-fluttering moment, the warm breath left her cheek. Lin Xian sat up, suppressing a smile, and said, “Drank too much water. I’ll pop over to the hotel to use the restroom.”
“Should I come with you?”
“No need.” Conveniently, three bodyguards got up as if they were headed to the hotel too. “I’ll be fine with them.”
Xiao Wanqing watched Lin Xian’s retreating figure, feeling a sense of loss she thought she shouldn’t have. It was as if Lin Xian didn’t care about the flirtatious words she had just uttered, leaving Xiao Wanqing feeling embarrassed and unreasonably disappointed.
A lot of time passed, and they hadn’t returned, making Xiao Wanqing belatedly apprehensive.
As she sat up, anxious and about to call Lin Xian, a little girl about five or six years old in a pink dress, holding a bright red rose, ran up to her. The girl said in a childish voice, “Sister, a pretty sister asked me to give this to you. She said, ‘Happy Birthday.’” Before Xiao Wanqing could react and ask more, the little girl had run off.
Stunned, Xiao Wanqing held the rose stem and followed the petals down to see a piece of paper wrapped around the stem. She unwrapped the paper, and there, in Lin Xian’s familiar handwriting, it read, “Walk fifty steps towards the hotel.”
Grasping the rose, Xiao Wanqing’s heartbeat accelerated as she stood. She looked at Shi Man and the others, who’d been watching her since the little girl delivered the rose, telling them she’d be away for a bit. They, being perceptive and eager, encouraged her, “Don’t keep Xianxian waiting too long.”
Xiao Wanqing suddenly realized why Lin Xian had made an excuse to leave with the bodyguards; a tiny smile played on her lips as she nodded.
She followed the instructions on the paper, heading towards the hotel. Guided by the sporadic lights from other campers, by the forty-fifth step, she saw a small heart made of red rose petals scattered on the grass ahead, with an open gift box at its center.
Xiao Wanqing’s heartbeat thrummed even quicker. No longer counting her steps, she paced forward and crouched before the gift box.
Inside the box, meticulously drawn with crayons at its bottom, was a charming little house, with the words “one house” written elegantly in black beneath it. The box was filled with a stick figure of a house made from six lipstick tubes. Next to it lay a small card.
Holding the box, Xiao Wanqing’s eyes brimmed with emotion. The card informed her to turn a corner and continue for 30 steps. She did as instructed.
Once again, she didn’t need to complete her steps before she saw another gift on the grass. At the bottom of this box was a tender drawing of one woman embracing another from behind. Below it, in black lettering, read “two people”. Atop the box, two clay figurine cuddled close, and a bracelet lay curled into a heart shape over the words “two people”.
The light in Xiao Wanqing’s eyes deepened. Following the card’s direction, she turned another corner and seemed to be heading out of the hotel area.
This time, the box was significantly larger.
Xiao Wanqing squatted down to see the contents of the gift. In a moment, she felt an impulse to laugh and a surge of contentment.
This was her first time receiving such a gift.
Inside the box was a Le Creuset enamel pot. She and Lin Xian had once casually flipped through a magazine in the study and stumbled upon it. She lingered on that page a little longer, and Lin Xian took notice, asking her what was up. Back then, she didn’t say much.
But meticulous Lin Xian still took note of it.
Written on the cardboard in black letters was “three meals.” Unconsciously, she lifted the pot’s lid, and to her surprise, there nestled a delicate little cake.
Her instructions continued, but this time, she wasn’t asked to walk far, just twenty steps more.
In the hazy night, Xiao Wanqing could hardly see the scene just a few steps away, but thankfully, she was paying serious attention to where she was stepping.
She walked head down, step by step, and only when she was nearly done with the count did she realize—there was no box on the ground this time. That’s when she remembered to look up.
It seemed as if the lights burst into brightness the moment she raised her head. Balloons with long strings written upon swayed gently in the night breeze. On the balloons, someone had drawn stars with a black marker and written ‘Happy Birthday.’
Xiao Wanqing could clearly see that before her was a viewing platform at the very edge of the hotel area, crafted atop an outstretched rock. There sat Lin Xian, with a guitar in her arms, the sprawling starry sky at her back, giving Xiao Wanqing a soft smile with arched eyebrows.
The girl’s eyes twinkled, seemingly outshining even the stars behind her.
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Stepping gradually up the stairs, Xiao Wanqing drew the unwavering gaze of the girl. As soon as Xiao Wanqing halted, the girl closed her eyes momentarily and started strumming her guitar, launching into a love song with a voice usually clear but now husky and enticing: “What do you say, asking for you even when I know you’re not there…”
“I don’t want to let you be alone, bobbing alone in the sea of people, I don’t want you to walk through the storms by yourself, I don’t want to let you be alone, drifting in the crowd…” Singing gently, she then stood up with her guitar, stepping down until she stood right in front of Xiao Wanqing on the last step.
She didn’t finish the entire song, and intentionally, she changed the last line of the chorus: “I long to be with you till the end of time…”
Setting the guitar aside, her eyes were tranquil as water, locking sights with the shimmering pools of Xiao Wanqing’s.
It felt like, she could hear the beating of hearts, loud and near. Uncertain if it was her own, or Xiao Wanqing’s.
With slender, delicate hands extended, she hovered before Xiao Wanqing’s face and asked, in a soft yet earnest tone, “Xiao Xiaowan, happy birthday. Can I be the one to accompany you through the seasons of the rest of your life?”
Just the two of us in a home, through everyday meals and the turn of seasons, for all the years to come, together with you.
Xiao Wanqing gazed past Lin Xian to the endless starry sky and the deep night. She looked deep into the girl’s fervent, dazzling eyes and saw the stars Lin Xian had plucked for her from the depths of her heart. For a fleeting moment, she felt as if the world narrowed down to just the gentle night breeze, the sprawling stars above, and the heartbeats of just the two of them.
She was just her, and Lin Xian was simply Lin Xian. Age didn’t matter, status was irrelevant, just two souls, drawn to each other.
She slowly placed her hand in Lin Xian’s palm…
At least in this moment, she truly wanted to entrust her life to her.
The author has something to say:
Xia Zhijin: Xianxian, what gift did you get for Auntie Xiao?
Lin Xian with a proud face: I gave her a pot…