Chapter 105: Let’s Go to the Mountains Instead

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Let’s Go to the Mountains Instead

"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom—"

Gu Nuan Nuan watched as most of the passengers on the last rural bus got off, but she still couldn’t see any familiar figures. Just as disappointment was setting in, she suddenly saw her grandpa disembarking, shouldering a bicycle. Her grandma and mom were right behind him. Overjoyed, Gu Nuan Nuan ran straight toward them. "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, why did you bring the bike back today? Wow, this bike is so new and shiny!"

Her voice was filled with pure surprise. She began running her hands all over the bike to show her delight, then felt the urge to laugh at herself for overdoing the childish act. ’Of course a brand-new bike is going to be new and shiny.’

But strangely, no one thought her behavior was odd. Zhang Dazhuang, Wen Xiu, and Zhang Minzhen all broke into wide grins at her happy display.

Gu Nuan Nuan felt a bit awkward. She suddenly realized that besides being happy, a child in her position should also show a little disappointment. So, she added in a slightly downcast tone, "Mom, since you brought the bike back already, does that mean we aren’t going to the city on Sunday anymore?"

"Shouldn’t you and your Eldest Uncle have gone back by now? Why are you still here?"

Zhang Minzhen and Gu Nuan Nuan’s voices rang out at the same time. After they both finished speaking, the two of them started laughing. Zhang Minzhen said, "Oh, you. Is going to the city all you can think about?"

Gu Nuan Nuan stuck out her tongue. ’To be honest, I don’t care about going to the city at all,’ she thought. ’Really.’

But of course, Zhang Minzhen couldn’t know what her daughter was really thinking. She assumed Nuannuan was very much looking forward to it, and her heart softened, unable to bear the thought of disappointing her. She stopped teasing her and nodded. "Even though we’ve brought the bike back, Mom already promised you. So, we can still make the trip on Sunday."

"Oh, then never mind. Let’s just go some other time. It’s so hot these days, I’d much rather go play in the mountains than go to the city." Hearing that her mom intended to keep her promise, Gu Nuan Nuan quickly shook her head. A mix of warmth and sorrow washed over her. ’Mom has always been a good mother. She was just completely ruined by that scumbag dad in my last life, which is why she changed so drastically. But even though she changed so much back then, her love for me, deep down in her bones, never wavered.’

"But haven’t you always wanted to go to the city? This trip is this trip; Mom can take you again in the future. Let me tell you, the city is huge! There are big public buses on the roads, and motorcycles in addition to bicycles. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting when you see it." Hearing her daughter refuse, Zhang Minzhen’s first thought was that she was being too sensible—so sensible it made her heart ache. Zhang Dazhuang, who had set the bicycle down, and Wen Xiu felt the exact same way. So did Zhang Wei Qiang, who had walked over at some point and was now holding the bike.

"Motorcycles?"

Gu Nuan Nuan was genuinely surprised. ’Motorcycles were already around back then?’

"That’s right. The motorcycles look a bit like bicycles, but they go really fast. They even sing, though the songs are a little noisy," Zhang Minzhen continued, trying to entice her.

"Really, it’s fine. Can we just go to the mountains instead? Please, Mom? You can come with me. We won’t go far. There must be tons of wild grapes on the mountain by now. How about we go pick some to bring back and eat?"

Gu Nuan Nuan blinked, laughing to herself. ’Singing motorcycles? To think that rock music was already becoming popular back then. I have absolutely no interest in making a special trip to the city just to see a bunch of trendy hipsters. Mom has no idea that since I’ve lived a whole other life, I’m so familiar with this little third-tier city that I could navigate it with my eyes closed. What’s so fun about braving the scorching sun just for some so-called ’tasty’ food? In contrast, I’m actually really excited about going into the mountains. After I grew up in my past life, my most frequent and fondest memories were of playing in the mountains with Grandpa and Mom during my childhood.’

"What’s so good about those wild grapes? They grow in a huge patch for nothing—they’re all sour and tiny. Nobody even bothers picking them to eat," Zhang Minzhen said dismissively.

"Pleeease, let’s go! We can pick them for Grandpa to make wine," Gu Nuan Nuan wheedled. She wasn’t in it for the grapes; she just thought it would be a fun activity.

"How much sugar would we waste trying to make wine with those?" Wen Xiu chimed in from the side, laughing as she vetoed the idea.

"If the kid wants to go play in the mountains, then let’s go. I’ll go with you all. Those grapes are too sour for good wine, but if you really like them, we can just pick a few and make a little to use as cooking wine. Going up the mountain is nice this time of year; it’s not hot at all, very cool. We can go a little farther out to the water hole and catch some fish and shrimp. There are plenty of wild fruits along that path, so we can check on the way. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find a big, early-ripened watermelon at that spot I discovered last year, one that the wild boars haven’t ruined. If we’re lucky, we might even catch a wild pheasant or something."

Having just made a trip to the city himself, Zhang Dazhuang actually felt that a trip to the mountains sounded much more interesting. The mountains were fun, offered tasty things to eat, and didn’t cost a dime. What was so great about the city? There were cars everywhere, and you had to be scared out of your wits just to cross the road. His agreement with Gu Nuan Nuan was clear in his tone.

"Wow! I knew you could catch wild pheasants in the mountains, but how did I never know there was a big water hole on our mountain for catching fish and shrimp?" Listening to her grandpa and picturing the scene, Gu Nuan Nuan felt an itch she couldn’t scratch; she wished she could fly up the mountain right that second with a net to scoop up fish and shrimp. She immediately trotted after her grandpa, peppering him with questions. "And what about the big watermelon? Grandpa, did you have to go really deep into the mountains for that? Are there a lot of wild boars farther in? Besides the little wild fruits I already know about, are there any other kinds of fruits in there?"

"Slow down, slow down. Ask your questions one at a time. How is Grandpa supposed to answer when you ask so many at once?" Zhang Dazhuang laughed.

"What’s so hard to answer about that?" Wen Xiu scoffed from the side, ruthlessly puncturing the beautiful scene Zhang Dazhuang had painted. "Nuannuan, don’t you listen to your grandpa’s nonsense. He makes it sound so wonderful, but what ’big water hole’? It’s barely a small pond. And the fish? None of them are even as big as your palm. You scoop one up, and it’s gone in one bite. Same with the shrimp—you’d be lucky to find one as thick as your finger. The biggest problem is that it’s a really long and difficult walk. It takes the better part of half a day just to get there. We listened to your grandpa and followed him there once. Nobody was willing to go a second time."

"The part about the watermelon is true, though. Your grandpa did bring one back last year, about this big," Wen Xiu laughed, gesturing with her hands. "But when we cut it open, the inside was almost completely white. I’m guessing even the wild boars wouldn’t have given it a second glance. As for the wild fruits he’s talking about, you don’t need to go up the mountain for those. There are plenty right at the base. So, in my opinion, if you want to play on the mountain, you can just stick to the nearby areas with your mom. There’s no need to follow your grandpa deep into the woods. What would you do if you ran into a wild boar?"

"Huh...?"

Gu Nuan Nuan’s jaw dropped. She looked from her grandma to her grandpa, then to her mom and eldest uncle. "You’ve all been there before?" ’That’s so unfair! How could they keep such an amazing place a secret from me? I never even heard of it in my entire last life.’