Chapter Thirty: Accompanying Mei on a Tour of the Jadeite Mountains

  Back in the dormitory, Zhang Huban was inevitably subjected to a round of intense interrogation. Although Hu Zhiming and others found that the military jeep parked at the entrance of the dormitory had not been clearly seen, fortunately, they did not see the license plate number. If they had, such a special license plate number would have been impossible for Zhang Huban to explain away as just an old friend from his hometown. Of course, it was also possible that Chen Jiaying and others were spared because of their male identities. If they had been female, they would have been questioned even if they had walked over, let alone driven a military jeep.

  In the following days, some strange things happened. Although these things are not worth mentioning compared to some international news, they were indeed a big deal for the people of Hangzhou. A well-known Japanese-funded enterprise in Xiaoshan was ordered to suspend production, which is the first time such a strange phenomenon has occurred in Hangzhou, as China is now everywhere enthusiastically promoting investment and attracting foreign capital, especially for internationally renowned enterprises like Xiaoshan. The Hangzhou government usually can't even keep up with the protection of these enterprises, so how could they do something so out of line? However, this incident allowed domestic enterprises that were jealous of the preferential treatment given to foreign-funded enterprises to vent their anger.

  In Tokyo, Japan, the head of the Japanese Soul Department, Nakata Kaede, was sweating profusely as he accepted a scolding from Prime Minister Koizumi. He repeatedly nodded his balding head, saying "Ah, ah". Perhaps exhausted from scolding, Koizumi rubbed his temples and waved his hand, deep in thought about how to negotiate with the Chinese government. Nakata Kaede was relieved and quickly bid farewell, returning to the Soul Department's headquarters where he vented his anger on a female ninja. This is what Japan is like, a lowly nation that acts like a dog towards its superiors and like a wolf towards its inferiors!

  In November, the early morning in Hangzhou already showed a hint of chill. Today was Saturday, and Zhang Huban rode his bicycle to Liu Xizhen's home very early. Liu Xizhen's house was located on Nanshan Road, an independent two-story villa not far from the bar.

  Liu Xizhen made an appointment with Zhang Huban to climb Bao Shi Shan yesterday evening, and Zhang Huban didn't dare not go. So early this morning, he rushed to Liu Xizhen's house.

  When Zhang Huban arrived at Liu Xijun's ancient and elegant independent villa, he found that Liu Xijun had already been waiting for him at the door with a hint of anxiety and expectation in her beautiful eyes, just like a little girl on her first date with her prince charming. However, compared to 100-year-old Zhang Huban, Liu Xijun was indeed just a little girl. But Zhang Huban, who had long entered the role of an ordinary person, didn't think that he was already an old man over 100 years old!

  Liu Xijun was wearing a very casual white Nike sportswear today, and her shoes were also white sports shoes. It was strange that Liu Feifei was not seen anywhere. With her all-white outfit, combined with her delicate and fair skin, as well as her youthful and beautiful image, Zhang Huban looked at Liu Xijun in a daze, just like he had seen the Snow White from fairy tales.

  Although Liu Xijun had experienced many storms and was now a mother of a girl, for some reason, she always felt like a little girl in front of Zhang Huban. Now that Zhang Huban was looking at her like this, as a strong woman, she actually showed a shy expression unique to small women, glared at Zhang Huban with a hint of embarrassment, and said: "What are you looking at? Haven't seen a beauty before?"

  Upon hearing the crisp cry, Zhang Huban woke up as if from a dream and slowly stopped the car in the yard. Then he asked strangely: "Where is our lovely little Feifei?"

  "Fei Fei has been staying at her piano teacher's house for the past two days to practice piano, so it was just the two of us hiking." As she spoke, Liu Xi Zhen seemed to remember something and glared angrily at Zhang Hu Pan, saying: "Is accompanying this old woman not interesting enough for you?"

  "What a huge injustice! Being able to travel with a beauty like Hui-jin noona to the Jewel Mountains, it's a blessing that my ancestors have accumulated over several generations. Noona, you're so old, I see many people looking at me with an expression that means 'old cow eating tender grass', please dress more maturely in the future, don't let others misunderstand me!" Zhang Hu-pan's exaggerated words and expressions made Ryu Hui-jin giggle uncontrollably, causing passersby to glance over, of course, their eyes wouldn't reveal the meaning of "old cow eating tender grass", but they would definitely mean "a flower stuck in cow dung". This made Zhang Hu-pan purse his lips in anger.

  The Gemstone Flowing Clouds is located on the north shore of West Lake, on top of the Gemstone Mountain. It was originally named Shijia Mountain and has also been known as Baoshu Mountain, Baosuo Mountain, Shifeng Mountain, Julishi Mountain, and Gutai Mountain. The mountain is home to many strange rocks, including Yiyun Rock, Tunxia Rock, Fengxiang Rock, Luoxing Rock, and Wu Yue Wang Qian's Shouxing Rock. The mountain body belongs to the igneous rock of the condensate and the flowing rock, and when the sunlight shines on it, its color is like jadeite nephrite, so it is called "Gemstone Mountain". Especially at dawn or dusk, the Baoshu Pagoda and the purple-brown rocks present a breathtaking view with a halo of light, hence the name "Gemstone Flowing Clouds".

  Baoshi Mountain is famous for its strange rocks. On the top of the mountain, next to Baoshu Tower, there is Lai Feng Pavilion, also known as "Baoshi Fengting", which is one of the "Eighteen Scenic Spots of Qiantang" in the Qing Dynasty. Next to the pavilion, there is a huge elliptical rock on the mountain cliff, about 2-3 meters long, which has been separated from the lower part of the cliff and is about to fall, commonly known as "Luo Xing Shi". King Qian Liu of Wuyue had named it "Shou Xing Shi", and nearby there is a platform called "Kan Song Tai" with the words "Tun Xia" engraved on it. According to legend, Qian Liu once admired the scenery of the pines and waves here, and under the sunlight, the rocks shone brightly, like colorful clouds gathering, hence the name "Tun Xia Shi". On the west side of Lai Feng Pavilion, there is a cave called Chuan Zheng Cave, and after passing through it, there is a stone gorge about 10 meters long and less than 1 meter wide. The two sides of the stone wall are as if cut by a knife, and legend has it that Qian Liu used his feet to open up this road, which is named "Chuai Kai Ling". The top of Baoshi Mountain is Lion Peak, with steep terrain and towering rocks, known as "Yi Feng Zhi Zhi". On the south slope of the mountain, there is a rock called "Qin Huang Xi Lian Shi", which tells that in 210 AD, Qin Shihuang toured the south and held a ceremony for Da Yu at Kuaiji County. When his boat sailed to this place, due to strong winds and high waves at the mouth of Qiantang River, he anchored under Baoshi Mountain and tied the boat to the rock.

  There is also Geling on Baoshi Mountain, with an elevation of 125 meters at its highest point. According to legend, Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty once refined elixirs here. The ridge has famous ancient sites such as Bopu Daoist Temple, Danlian Platform, Danlian Well and Chuyang Pavilion. Chuyang Pavilion is located at the highest point on Geling, a two-story stone pavilion that serves as an excellent spot to watch the sunrise. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was known as "Geling Morning Glow" and was considered one of the "Ten Scenes of Qiantang".

  On the Baochu Mountain, it is generally more convenient to climb from Baoshu Road or Geling. The main scenic spot of Baochu Mountain is Baoshu Pagoda, which is a six-sided seven-level solid brick pagoda, 45.3 meters high, initially built in the Kaibao period of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was built by Wu Yansheng, the maternal uncle of Qian Hongshu, King of Wuyue, to pray for his safe return to Beijing after being summoned to the capital. The current pagoda was rebuilt in 1933. The pagoda is slender and delicate, like a beautiful woman standing on the shore of West Lake, with the reputation of "Baoshu as a beauty". It is a prominent landmark on the outline of West Lake scenery.

  Zhang Huban and Liu Xizhen chose to climb Bao Shi Mountain from the North Hill Road entrance. Liu Xizhen naturally linked her arm with Zhang Huban, leaning lightly against him, and slowly walked along the West Lake towards Bao Shi Mountain. Although it was still early morning, there were not a few people strolling and exercising along the West Lake. Looking at Liu Xizhen's stunning beauty, clinging to the ordinary-looking Zhang Huban like a little bird, everyone cast envious glances at Zhang Huban, of course, including many jealous eyes that could kill him N times. As for the gazes cast upon himself, Zhang Huban felt extremely proud and happy, but with the beautiful woman by his side, he also felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, testing his endurance. The subtle fragrance that occasionally wafted into his nostrils was particularly sensitive and stimulating in the fresh morning air. Fortunately, they soon arrived at the entrance of Bao Shi Mountain Road on North Hill Road. When climbing the mountain, Liu Xizhen could no longer lean against Zhang Huban, so she let go of his hand, and the two climbed up together side by side. Although Liu Xizhen's excessive closeness made Zhang Huban feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, when Liu Xizhen wrapped her jade arm around him and left his side, Zhang Huban felt a pang of loss.

  Although the Gemstone Hill is close to Liu Xizhen's home, since returning to China, Liu Xizhen has been busy with the bar and taking care of her daughter, and has never had an interest in climbing Gemstone Hill. So, despite having returned to the country for five years and living by West Lake, Liu Xizhen has not climbed Gemstone Hill even once, which is indeed a great wonder.

  Ever since she met Zhang Huban, Zhang Huban's clear eyes, the familiarity of a neighbor boy, his decent behavior in the bar, especially her daughter's affection for him, made Liu Xijun inexplicably develop an indescribable good feeling towards him. Although they hadn't spent much time together, Liu Xijun felt incredibly grounded and happy with this man who was ten years younger than her. Since Zhang Huban appeared, Liu Xijun found herself slowly emerging from the unbearable shadows of her past in America.

  Hiking is actually a very enjoyable physical and mental activity, not only can you see the lush mountains, strange rocks and peaks, but also breathe in fresh air and exercise your body. Of course, nowadays Zhang Huabian found that hiking can also appreciate the beautiful posture of beauties and the charming laughter of beauties echoing in the valley.

  Very soon, Zhang Huban discovered that Liu Xijin, who usually looked very weak, was extremely agile. Along the way, Liu Xijin seemed like a bird released from its cage, with boundless energy, chirping and tweeting, constantly climbing up and down, in high spirits. Very quickly they climbed to a higher boulder on Treasure Mountain, where Zhang Huban promptly pulled out a disposable tablecloth he had prepared earlier and spread it on the rock. The two sat down, and Liu Xijin naturally leaned against Zhang Huban's arm, snuggling up close beside him. The spot they had unintentionally chosen was an ideal vantage point, from which they could see the red glow of dawn spreading over Treasure Mountain, with small rocks sparkling like jewels, looking infinitely resplendent and colorful. Looking around, to the south lay the rippling waters of Ping Lake; to the north stood the buildings of Ping Chou, tier upon tier; to the east were the bustling streets, full of vitality; while to the west rose the green peaks, layer upon layer, meeting the clear sky, with limitless scenery unfolding before their eyes.

  Looking at the beautiful scenery in front of her that she had been living with for years, but had never noticed or appreciated, Liu Xi Zhen suddenly felt that her life over the past few years was so terrible! Her beautiful eyes stole a glance at the man beside her and suddenly felt herself to be so weak, so hopeful to find a shoulder to lean on. "If I could always lean on Zhang Hu Pan's shoulder, sitting here like this, how great would that be!" The sudden thought made Liu Xi Zhen flustered and at a loss. Although Zhang Hu Pan made Liu Xi Zhen feel very close, she was after all a woman over thirty with a five-year-old daughter, while Zhang Hu Pan was just a college freshman; the two were like parallel lines that would never intersect. So, Liu Xi Zhen had always been unguarded in front of Zhang Hu Pan, thinking of him as her own little brother. Now, the sudden thought that emerged in her heart made her feel flustered and at a loss.

  Jang Hu-ban, who was sitting next to her, naturally felt Yoo Hye-jin's abnormality at this time. Jang Hu-ban asked in a low voice: "Sister Hye-jin, is there something wrong?"

  Upon hearing Zhang Hu's concerned inquiry, Liu Xi Zhen's heart became even more flustered, as if she felt like her thoughts had been seen through. She used her hand to tidy up her hair, which was blown into disarray by the wind, in an attempt to conceal her inner turmoil. She hastily replied: "No, nothing, I just saw something that reminded me of someone and thought of some past events."

  "Oh, really? If you don't mind, tell me about yourself!" Zhang Huban had always wanted to know more about the beautiful woman beside him, so he took the opportunity to ask.