Zhao Qingxi watched Yun Chi and Hua Yan from a distance, basking contentedly like satiated wildcats in the mountains after they finished eating roasted pheasant. Hua Yan, pulling Yun Chi's arm, lay on a rock with her eyes closed, evidently at ease and comfortable.
Yun Chi let her use his arm as a pillow and lay beside her on the rock, his face alight with a smile, equally leisurely and content.
The sunlight shone on them, bright and dazzling, searing the eyes.
As Zhao Qingxi continued to watch them, a sudden sourness filled her eyes. She averted her gaze and looked off into the distance, over a succession of forests and mountains.
From childhood, she had never left the Capital City. Her furthest journey was to Banbi Mountain's Qingshui Temple, invited by Yan Yuxue to admire the sweet osmanthus. She hadn't expected to encounter Yun Chi and Hua Yan here, also here to enjoy the flowers.
