After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, everyone dispersed, just one pair at a time, so no one would seem lonely and embarrassed.
Feng Yiping sat on a stone bench by the side of the path, looking at the green mountains and peach blossoms. It was very pleasing to the eye. The breeze blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, and in the distance came the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. It was so harmonious and peaceful that he momentarily felt at one with the world.
'Are you okay? Why did you drink so much just now?' Huang Jingping chased after him from behind with a cup of tea, "I just brewed it, drink it while it's hot to soothe your hangover.'
'I'm fine, this is nothing." Men, they all like to say such big words.
Feng Yiping took the tea and took a sip, looking at her concerned face. He was momentarily mischievous and gave her nose a little tap.
'You!' Huang Jingping seemed a little angry, glanced back and forth. In front, Wang Changning and Yu Lian had just turned the corner, and in the back, all that could be seen was the roof of the hotel. No one would be coming for a while, so she grabbed Feng Yiping's hand and slowly pressed it against her face.
She only glanced at Feng Yiping and then shyly lowered her head. The momentary charm left Feng Yiping speechless, and he quickly took a big gulp of water.
Where the hand touched, it felt very smooth and tender, but what he said was, 'It's hot!'
It was a little hot, and Huang Jingping's face was now even redder than the peach blossoms in this early spring.
Hearing Feng Yiping say this, Huang Jingping looked up again, giving him a look that seemed like anger and resentment. Oops, this time the killing power was even stronger. The natural charm of a young girl was something Feng Yiping could not resist.
He put his hands together in the shape of a heart, 'Don't look at me like that again, if you keep looking at me like that, my heart will jump out.'
'Puff,' Huang Jingping let out a laugh, and gave him another angry look. Feng Yiping felt that this might be what they call a flirtatious glance!
He sighed, 'I can see why Zhu Jinfei is so persistent in pestering you. It might be that you accidentally gave him a glance like that, and it took his soul away.'
Huang Jingping was happily snuggled against his chest, and when she heard what he said, she looked up at him and said, 'No way.'
After listening to what he said, she added, 'Don't mention those annoying people.'
The two of them just sat there, not saying a word, their affection growing silently.
From time to time, Huang Jingping would look up at Feng Yiping, and whenever he moved his head slightly, she would immediately bury her head in his chest like a frightened little rabbit.
Feng Yiping put his arm around her shoulders, feeling her soft body, smelling her unique fragrance, and playing with the tips of her hair with his fingertips, enjoying the moment.
However, no, he had just had a little wine, and if they sat like this any longer, he was afraid (consciously going to the wall for thinking of the wrong thing) that he would fall asleep. He patted Huang Jingping on the shoulder and said, 'Let's take a walk!'
Huang Jingping snuggled up to him like a kitten and whispered, 'No, let's sit a little longer!'
'Someone's coming!' Feng Yiping lied to her.
She immediately sat up, straightened her hair, looked back and forth, and when she saw no one, she patted him on the chest a few times, "You're teasing me again.'
'Let's walk!" Feng Yiping stood up. If he dared to say that he was about to fall asleep now, Huang Jingping would hate him to death.
The path had been carefully maintained, with no weeds spreading over it. Walking further up the path, below the summit, there was a flat area with a pavilion. It looked very old-fashioned, but the paint was still fresh. The two pairs of Wang Changning and Xiao Zhijie were each occupying a side, with their feet sticking out and looking at the scenery below.
However, this time, Huang Jingping would not let go of Feng Yiping's hand, and they walked up together, hand in hand, swinging back and forth. She smiled and asked them, 'Isn't the view nice!'
Zhang Qiuling looked at their hands, which were holding hands openly, and was a little happy for Huang Jingping. She glanced at Xiao Zhijie, as if to say, 'So, it worked, didn't it!'
'Where did you go just now? Why did it take you so long to come up?'
'What do you mean? We just sat down there for a while.' Feng Yiping walked up behind Wang Changning, pushed him forward, and then pulled him back. The gap was only the height of a floor, but Wang Changning was still startled.
Now the three girls were sitting over there chatting away, while the three of them sat here, looking at the small grey county town not far away.
'Hey, you guys,' Xiao Zhijie looked over at the girls and suddenly asked them in a mysterious whisper, "what is Tang Shaokang doing right now?'
This guy is really nosy, "Didn't he drink too much this afternoon? Of course he's sleeping?' Feng Yiping pretended not to know what he was asking.
'I know he's sleeping,' Xiao Zhijie said, sticking his head between them with a look that said, "I'm not going to argue with you, you know nothing," and then he asked, "I want to know, do you think he's sleeping alone, or not?'
'You can just go downstairs and knock on the door and find out," Wang Changning said.
'Why don't you go?' Xiao Zhijie wasn't taken in.
'How about we make a bet?' Wang Changning tried to trap him.
Xiao Zhijie was tempted, and looked back at Zhang Qiuling over there. She happened to be smiling and looking over this way, and immediately said, 'I'm not doing it!'
They ate late in the afternoon and late at night, and didn't eat until after 8 o'clock. However, this time, no one drank, and everyone focused on the food on the table. The food in the evening did not repeat the food in the afternoon. You have to say that the food fried at high temperatures in the professional stove is better than the taste of food fried in a small home stove.
After dinner, the manager opened a small KTV box for them. Because they were entertaining county leaders, the overall decoration of the private room was quite good, and the sound system was also quite good, although the TV screen was a bit small compared to later ones.
Zhang Qiuling was a real show-off, singing first a song about a country lane, then duetting with Huang Jingping on the now-popular 'Meet in 98', and then another song called 'Just Like Your Tenderness'. If Tang Shaokang hadn't interrupted, she would have probably kept singing.
Tang Shaokang sang a song called 'Too Soft at Heart', and then Zhang Qiuling handed the microphone to Huang Jingping. It seems that they both like Tsai Chin these days, and Huang Jingping sang one of her songs, 'Your Eyes'.
Wang Changning tapped Feng Yiping on the shoulder and said, 'I was singing for you.'
Xiao Zhijie also said, 'Exactly.'
It was past ten o'clock and the girls went to bed first, saying that they would have to get up early to watch the sunrise the next day. Once they had gone, the boys lost interest and after playing for less than ten minutes, they also went to their rooms.
That night, Feng Yiping listened to Xiao Zhijie in the bed opposite tossing and turning, and it was a bit funny. He was also nineteen years old!
Before six in the morning, Feng Yiping was sound asleep when Zhang Qiuling knocked on the door outside, 'Get up!'
Xiao Zhijie answered groggily, 'Got it,' switched on the bedside lamp, looked outside at the still dark sky, and exchanged a wry smile with Feng Yiping.
Shortly before 6:10, the group set off again towards the small pavilion at the top of the mountain. Feng Yiping, holding Huang Jingping's hand and with his camera around his neck, walked at the back, yawning one after the other as they walked.
Yawning is contagious. In no time, it reached Xiao Zhijie and Zhang Qiuling at the front. Watching Xiao Zhijie yawn loudly, Zhang Qiuling just said, 'Feng Yiping, can you stop yawning...,' but she yawned too before she could finish her sentence.
'Haha,' everyone laughed, startling the birds in the forest and driving away half of the sleepiness.
It was still a while before sunrise. The girls were sitting in front, chatting excitedly, while the four boys were leaning against the pillar, half asleep.
Slowly, the sky in the east was filled with a light, elegant haze. Then, as if suddenly, a red sun appeared over the distant mountains. 'It's so beautiful!' the girls exclaimed in front.
The four of them looked at each other from behind, and they all nodded in agreement, 'Beautiful, really beautiful!'
The next thing was the main event: taking photos of everyone, individual photos, and group photos of various combinations. They didn't go down for breakfast until almost eight o'clock.
After breakfast, Feng Yiping told everyone that he was going to take Huang Jingping to the county to buy some things. They went to the county department store, picked the most expensive ones, bought a can of tea, a case of wine, and two packs of high-end cigarettes, which added up to nearly a thousand yuan.
On the way up the mountain, Huang Jingping asked Feng Yiping to stop the car halfway. In a viewing pavilion, she snuggled up against his chest and sat there for almost an hour – she seemed to like this position very much. She chattered on about some of the things she had encountered recently. It was almost ten o'clock before the two of them returned to the hotel and gave the gifts they had bought to the manager.
Seeing them arrive with this big bag of things, the manager stood up from behind his desk. 'There's no need. It's not a big deal. It was just a phone call. You don't need these. You can take the things back.'
'Uncle, it's a small matter for you, but not for us. We should have thanked you yesterday afternoon, but Yiping was drunk and couldn't drive, so we delayed it until today. Please don't be offended,' Huang Jingping said.
'What are you talking about? I have been friends with Shao Kang's father for decades. You are Shao Kang's friends, which means you are like my own children. You really don't need to be so formal.'
'Then please accept this as a small token of our appreciation. We may need to trouble you in the future!' Feng Yiping put back the things the manager had pushed over to him.
Although Feng Yiping was not afraid of trouble, this phone call of his had saved Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping a lot of trouble, so they should express their gratitude.
Only by interacting with others can you gain their goodwill. The manager helped them make a phone call this time, and if Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping really treated themselves as juniors and just verbally thanked them, then there would probably be no future.
Then, when Feng Yiping gave Huang Jingping his wallet and asked him to settle the bill, the receptionist told her that the accommodation fee would be the lowest price for them and the meal expenses would be waived.
When they returned to the county seat after lunch, the manager even came over to see them off, and gave each of them a business card, saying, 'Come again if you have time!'
At the entrance to the teachers' college, Zhang Qiuling and Huang Jingping watched as Feng Yiping's car drove away. 'Did you tell him you wanted to go to the city?'
'No,'
'No? Why not?'
'If I tell him now, he definitely won't agree, so it's better not to tell him, and just go to the city to look for work.'
'You!' Zhang Qiuling looked at the resolute Huang Jingping and didn't know what to say.