Indeed, they were almost there. Within a few minutes, the vehicle entered the parking lot located at the foot of a mountain, with no one else around.
"We must climb the mountain before dark, then set up our tents and cook!" Mrs. Kiyono said seriously.
A sense of urgency that they needed to get back to camp before the blizzard struck or they would perish in the snow arose spontaneously.
"What happens after dark? Isn't there lighting?" Jiutiao Meijie asked.
"I'm just setting a goal," Mrs. Kiyono replied with a relaxed expression and a smile.
"I have no problem." Jiutiao Meijie smiled, looking towards Kiyono Lin.
Kiyono Lin couldn't be bothered with her, gazing up at the lush green mountains.
Mrs. Kiyono glanced at the two, blinked her still clear eyes, and in an innocent tone, said, "Climbing requires mutual help; we cannot abandon our teammates."
The two pretended not to hear.
On the other side, Mrs. Jiutiao and Dubian Che had already unloaded all the camping equipment from the car.
"Carry your own clothes and personal items," Mrs. Jiutiao said, "Mr. Dubian, I must ask you to take some of the heavier things." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel·fire.net
"No problem," Dubian Che nodded.
"You all know as well as I do what needs to be careful of, so let's not waste time. Now, mountaineering team, let's go!"
The five people entered the forest from the trailhead, officially stepping onto the mountain.
Mrs. Jiutiao took the lead, followed by Mrs. Kiyono, then Kiyono Lin, Jiutiao Meijie, and to prevent accidents, Dubian Che walked at the back.
"The mountain path is quite simple," Dubian Che observed, looking at the muddy trail formed by foot traffic.
"Why would we go to dangerous, pristine jungles? This is a commercial hiking site and travel destination," Mrs. Jiutiao at the front responded.
Yet soon after, as the five ventured deeper into the mixed forest, the "manmade" path turned into a "natural" path—while it was still apparent that people had traveled this way, it was more about finding suitable footholds rather than a well-trodden path.
By this point, Kiyono Lin was already gasping for breath.
Jiutiao Meijie, with steady steps, deliberately walked behind Kiyono Lin.
The mixed forest contained a stream, crystal clear.
Occasionally, they needed to step on the pebbles in the stream to proceed.
"Shall we take a break here, by the water?" Kiyono Lin suggested.
Jiutiao Meijie snickered mockingly.
"Lin," Mrs. Jiutiao did not stop walking, "if we keep resting, we won't reach the campsite before dark."
They had actually walked only a few minutes, but wasn't resting by the water and enjoying the scenery natural?—Kiyono Lin merely wished it so.
The stream babbled, crayfish darted under the rocks, shrimp with thin, long pincers, and translucent little fish appeared occasionally.
By the streamside, Dubian Che recognized the edible water celery amid the weeds.
"Meijie, do you want some water?" Listening to the sound of the water, Dubian Che then asked.
Jiutiao Meijie nodded; her foot was a bit sore.
Dubian Che took out a full water bottle from his stuffed backpack, opened the cap, and handed it to her after adding some medicine.
Without a glance, Jiutiao Meijie took it and sipped slowly.
Dubian Che walked ahead, overtaking her to reach Kiyono Lin.
"Here." Another bottle with medicine added.
Kiyono Lin tilted her slender, white neck and gulped it down.
Both ladies carried their own water while Dubian Che returned to Jiutiao Meijie's side.
Jiutiao Meijie handed him the bottle still mostly full, Dubian Che drank a small sip, then screwed the cap back on.
"The scenery is nice, isn't it? I picked it," Mrs. Kiyono said.
Giant trees on either side, with thick shade overhead, fragmented sunlight scattered on the ground, the rocks, the stream, and on them.
"Indeed, it is nice," Dubian Che took out his phone, snapping a photo of the surrounding area, then ran to the front, taking a picture of the four mountaineering beauties.
The two ladies squeezed their faces together, Kiyono Lin wiped off sweat, and Jiutiao Meijie gazed into the dense forest in the distance.
"Send it to me later," Mrs. Jiutiao instructed.
"That's exactly what I was planning," Dubian Che said, carrying the heaviest luggage, yet still running around.
Photos of the group, mother and daughter, friends, frenemies, an intimate shot with him and Jiutiao Meijie, and of course, the landscape.