FQ chapter 10

On the other end, Fan Qing hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly. It took a moment before he replied.

Fan Qing: [Aren’t you going to ask where we’re going first?]

Luan Ye: [Anywhere’s fine.]

Fan Qing stared at the message, a bit speechless.

In tourist spots like this, Luan Ye must be every tour guide’s favorite client—where to go, what to eat, how much time or money it took—none of it seemed to matter to him.

Over the past few days, Fan Qing had taken others to several places, but since the rain made things harder and the views weren’t great, he hadn’t contacted Luan Ye. But even though Luan Ye had just paid for a whole month, he hadn’t messaged even once to ask.

Today, with clear skies, Fan Qing finally asked if he wanted to go out—and Luan Ye agreed right away.

After a moment’s silence, Fan Qing typed out a long message with all the details.

Fan Qing: [Going to Gan hai ranch, morning to evening. Joining us is a family of three. I’ll pick you up at 8 a.m. There’s a restaurant at the ranch, meals are self-arranged. Not much hiking, but it rained recently, so better wear hiking boots. It’s cold—bring a jacket.]

Luan Ye read it twice. This kid who always looked so serious and unapproachable was surprisingly thoughtful when it came down to it.

It felt a bit rude to just reply with “Okay” after all that.

Luan Ye thought for a bit and wrote: [Do you give this much detail to every guest?]

After a while, Fan Qing replied: [Not every guest books me for a month.]

Luan Ye laughed for quite a while and replied with an [OK.]

He set the phone down and lowered his gaze. The bracelet on his wrist swayed slightly as he rotated his wrist, and he tugged on it casually.

That day on the snow mountain, after showering, he’d forgotten to put the bracelet back on, and didn’t remember in the morning either.

Had Fan Qing noticed something? They had been a little close when taking the photo.

Or maybe it was just a standard reminder—after all, lots of people lose things while traveling.

Oh well. Whatever. Luan Ye finished his tea and didn’t think about it anymore.

…..

The place they were going was relatively close—less than two hours by car from Xuehu Village—but the entire road was mountainous. The other three tourists were a family of three, and they’d brought their own afternoon tea and all sorts of food—it felt more like a picnic.

Though “hai” (sea) was in the name, in Yunnan it usually referred to a large lake. The lake was clear and still, with mountains and forests on the other side, and lush green meadows on their side. There were many tents run by local herders, and even food trucks selling coffee and grilled sausages.

It had only stopped raining two days ago, so the grass was still damp. The car stopped at the foot of the mountain, and everyone dispersed to take photos after unloading. Luan Ye went to buy a coffee first.

The weather was still a bit overcast, with clouds hanging low in the sky. Standing there and looking around, beyond the tourists snapping pictures, there were scattered horses and sheep grazing leisurely on the meadows, unbothered by people. Locals had even prepared boxes of sliced carrots for feeding the sheep.

He brought his camera but was too lazy to take it out. The light was bad, the weather dull, and the crowd made it hard to frame anything properly.

But if he didn’t take photos—what was the point of coming here?

Luan Ye, doing meaningless things is just wasting time.

Meaning. Meaning. Meaning.

Luan Ye took a sip of coffee. The food truck was by the lake, while their tent was on the other side. He glanced over and saw Fan Qing standing next to the tent, talking to an older man holding a horse.

From this distance, he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He just saw them chatting for over a minute, and then the old man patted Fan Qing on the shoulder with a smile and walked off.

After finishing his coffee, Luan Ye threw the cup into the trash next to the truck and bought a pomegranate soda.

When he returned to the tent, he placed the soda in front of Fan Qing and sat across from him.

“It’s pretty expensive here. You didn’t have to get me anything,” Fan Qing said, glancing at the drink. “I don’t drink this.”

“Then throw it away,” Luan Ye said, tone unreadable. “I don’t drink it either.”

“…Thanks.” Fan Qing picked up the cup and took a sip.

Luan Ye didn’t respond. From the tent, they could see tourists riding horses, being led by locals in loops along the lakeside, taking pictures.

Luan Ye asked, “How much does it cost to ride the horses?”

“Not sure.” Fan Qing glanced at him. “If you want to ride, I can ask.”

“I thought you were the one who wanted to ride.”

Luan Ye turned to look at him. “If not, what were you talking to that guy about for so long? Surprised he didn’t hit you.”

“…No.” Fan Qing thought Luan Ye’s thinking was sometimes strange. “That guy knows me, a neighbor.”

“Hmm?” Luan Ye was surprised.

“My house is just behind that mountain.” Fan Qing pointed to the mountain across the lake.

“There’s a village behind it. From here, it’s about an hour’s walk through the mountain. That guy’s from the same village—he saw me and came to chat.”

Luan Ye looked at him. “I thought you were from Xuehu Village.”

“I just rent a place there—from Li Ge, the café owner.”

“It’s convenient—about halfway between home and the city. Plus more tourists.” Fan Qing said. “I only go home when there’s nothing else going on.”

Luan Ye looked at him for a moment. “So why didn’t you go home today?”

“Because of you.” Fan Qing sighed. “I brought you guys here today. Wouldn’t be right if I disappeared midway.”

Luan Ye smiled. “It’s fine. That family—”

He glanced outside. “Between taking pictures and feeding sheep, they’ll be busy for three or four hours. They won’t come looking for you.”

“And you?” Fan Qing asked.

“Why would I look for you?” Luan Ye said.

Fan Qing looked at him, the meaning clear—aren’t you looking for me right now?

Luan Ye didn’t reply, frowning at him.

Fan Qing took another sip of soda. “Not going home. No one’s there these days.”

Seeing Luan Ye watching him, Fan Qing added, “My aunt and her family all work in Kunming. They brought my grandma there for a check-up. No one else is home.”

Luan Ye nodded. “Oh.”

Fan Qing didn’t mention his parents.

Luan Ye was sharp enough not to ask.

“If you want to explore the mountain for a bit—” after a while, Fan Qing spoke again.

“After lunch, I can take you for a walk.”

The other three had quickly immersed themselves in the tourist experience—pictures, feeding sheep, riding horses. But Luan Ye just sat in the tent talking to him. He must’ve been bored.

Actually, Fan Qing didn’t really get what Luan Ye came here to do. If it was for tourism, he didn’t seem interested in any of the sights. But if you invited him, he would come along naturally.

Sure enough, Luan Ye asked, “Hiking?”

“Not that serious,” Fan Qing said. “Just paths the villagers usually take.”

“Is the mountain fun?”

“It’s alright,” Fan Qing thought. “It rained a few days ago—there might be some mushrooms growing now.”

Sounded interesting.

“Don’t you see little people after eating those?” Luan Ye asked.

“Don’t listen to nonsense online.” Fan Qing was a bit helpless. “The chance of seeing the King of Hell is higher than seeing little people.”

After saying this, he suddenly remembered what Luan Ye said that night, and looked up to check his expression.

Luan Ye looked calm, just smiled a little, then stood and stretched.

“Alright. Let’s go take a look.”

Most tourists brought pastries and picnics. There were small food stalls near the ranch selling cold noodles and fried rice—likely run by locals forming a little supply chain around the site. You could also rent a grill from the ranch to barbecue in the tent, but Luan Ye had no appetite.

He and Fan Qing had some fried rice, rested for a bit, then Fan Qing borrowed a small bamboo basket—originally used for feeding carrots to sheep—from his neighbor.

The two began walking into the mountain.

The path was indeed easier than last time. At least there was a worn trail, naturally formed by frequent footsteps. Some steeper spots even had stone steps.

Fan Qing didn’t take him too far, just along a few side trails. Along the way, Luan Ye really did see several kinds of mushrooms. But after Fan Qing identified them, most turned out to be inedible.

“These are too close to the path—any good ones would’ve been picked already,” Fan Qing said. “If we want edible ones, we’ll have to go deeper.”

“Then let’s go in,” Luan Ye looked at him. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, you—”

Fan Qing was about to say stick close to me and be careful, but when he turned to look at Luan Ye, he paused mid-sentence.

“Where’s your jacket?”

Luan Ye was only wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt. He hadn’t even noticed when they entered the mountain.

He froze, thinking for a few seconds: “I left it in the tent when we were eating.”

“…”

Fan Qing sounded a bit exasperated. “It gets pretty cold in the mountains after rain. You’re underdressed.”

“Oh.” Luan Ye nodded after hearing that. “Then forget it.”

The forest was very quiet. There was no one else around, just the occasional chirp of birds. Luan Ye took two steps downhill, his tone calm.

“Are we going back?”

Back to sit around in the tent again?

Fan Qing didn’t move, furrowed his brow slightly and looked at him for a while.

Then he raised his hand, took off his own jacket, and handed it to Luan Ye.

“It’s clean. I washed it yesterday,” he said. “Put it on, then I’ll take you in.”