Those naive and tender years Guilin landscape

  Tian Tian woke up again at night, she rubbed her eyes, stretched her waist, and then saw Zong Zhonglian still sleeping beside her. She took off the coat on her body and put it on Zong Zhonglian's body, with both hands supporting her cheeks, starting to stare blankly.

  Before long, Zong Zhong also woke up and saw the coat on his body. He felt warm in his heart and then returned the coat to Tian Tian.

  "Are you awake?" Tian Tian asked.

  "Uh," in a hoarse voice after waking up.

  "I'm hungry, landlord, I want to eat something, you said you'd take care of my food and lodging." Tian Tian blinked her eyes innocently.

  Zong Zhong buried his head in the table, showing his helplessness. Then he opened the zipper of his backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out braised eggs, ham, fruit, potato chips, beef jerky, bread, instant noodles... He lifted his head, ignoring Tian Tian's astonished gaze, and said, "I'll go soak the noodles, you fill up a bit first."

  Tian Tian stiffly nodded her head.

  The next scene is of the two people, each holding a plastic fork in their hand, making louder and louder "slurp" sounds as they eat noodles.

  The two boys were starving, and the smell of instant noodles was especially delicious. Zong Zhonglian put an egg into Tian Tian's bowl and also put one in his own bowl, eating with big mouthfuls. Tian Tian wasn't a lady to begin with, and she hadn't eaten much for several days, so her appetite suddenly surged, and she ate more voraciously than even Zong Zhonglian.

  Later, the two of them patted their round bellies contentedly and leaned back in their chairs, sighing at the beauty of life. Zong Zhong pulled out a bottle of xylitol from his side bag, and each took two pieces. The blueberry flavor filled their entire mouths. Tian Tian blew a comfortable bubble and said, "Don't you think we should do something entertaining?"

  "What?" Zhong Zong let out a snort and asked.

  Tian Tian pulled out a deck of cards from her bag and waved it in front of Zong Zhong, "Let's play poker."

  "How can two people fight?"

  Tian Tian Chong said to the uncle opposite, "Isn't there still one?"

  "Uncle," Tian Tian smiled softly, "can you play poker with us for a while?"

  "Great!" The uncle probably got bored sitting there too and readily agreed to join them.

  Three people played Fight the Landlord, Uncle and Tian Tian were both masters, while Zong Zhong Liang was not good at playing poker at first. Before long, his forehead was red from being hit, he angrily said, "I'm not playing anymore!" The next round, he continued to focus wholeheartedly on the battle.

  Before long, he mastered the trick and became more skilled. Finally, he was able to fight with ease and elegance. Then, Zong Zhonglian and his uncle joined forces to defeat Tian Tian, leaving him defeated and humiliated.

  Tian Tian wiped away a cold sweat, staring at Zong Zhong's smug face, snorted, how could she, who had been clever all her life, lose to this insignificant little man? She gritted her teeth and refused to give up. For a while, the three of them fought more and more fiercely, none of them willing to relax, but in the end, it was Uncle who was defeated.

  The old man furrowed his brow and sighed, saying, "Talents emerge in every generation! I didn't expect that Old Wang would actually lose to two kids who are still wet behind the ears. I admit defeat, I admit defeat."

  Zong Zhong smiled lightly and said elegantly, "The years Uncle has gone through are not something that can be compared to by the two of us."

  "Time is unforgiving, isn't it? In the blink of an eye, I'm already approaching fifty. Looking at you young folks now, I must say I'm a bit envious!"

  Tian Tian looked at Uncle's dark red skin due to frequent sun exposure and asked, "Does your family have children?"

  The uncle nodded, "There are three children, the youngest is also older than you, and they are all studying, it's a time when money is needed, so I went south to work, make a living, and support the children's education."

  "It must be tough," said Soichiro.

  "Yes, but even if it's hard work, we must let the children grasp more knowledge, can't be like me, an uncultured roughneck, wherever I go, people look down on me, and still have to do manual labor."

  The uncle's words were filled with a sense of helplessness, his eyes, which had weathered many storms, were etched with deep crow's feet, and his lips were reddened to the point of being slightly purple. The wrinkles on his forehead were also very noticeable. As Tian Tian looked at him, she suddenly felt that she was actually quite fortunate, at least she didn't have to worry about food or clothing. But Uncle had worked so hard for his family, at least he had a sense of purpose, and even if he was exhausted, there was still hope in his heart, right? She seemed to want this too.

  The sky darkened and brightened again, Tian Tian was another sleepless night, she gazed out the window, those distant lone lamps emitted a fluffy orange-red glow, occasionally when passing through a city, you could see the entire city's lights shining brightly, only to disappear after passing by.

  Night, still full, won't become as bright as daytime just because of the lights. Longing haunts every night, those silhouettes, those past events, also gently knock on her heart's door at night, slipping in like a wisp of smoke, and then, when she touches with hope, suddenly disappear. Who knows whose tears flow into the depths of her heart...

  The next afternoon, arrived at the station.

  Zong Zhonglian slung both his backpack and Tian Tian's backpack over his shoulder, refusing to return them no matter how much Tian Tian coaxed him. The young man seemed to have grown up overnight. He pulled on Tian Tian's sleeve, searching for a gap in the crowded throngs of people to push through.

  As they walked out of the station, the sky and earth suddenly became vast. Zong Zhong opened the lid of his drink and handed it to Tian Tian, then opened another bottle for himself and gulped it down, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed the last mouthful. After finishing, he said, "Tian Tian, don't sleep, you deserve a black eye."

  Tian Tian rolled her eyes and pretended to be silly, "Uh" for a moment, "At night... Ah! Didn't you see that the neon lights at night are particularly enchanting?"

  "Haven't you had enough of N City?" Zhong Zhong furrowed his brow.

  One sentence shut Tian Tian down, and she could only mutter, "Can't sleep."

  Zong Zhong suddenly knew why she was insomnia, he stopped and his tone became much softer, "In the future, if you can't sleep, drink a bag of milk, it helps with sleep, do you know?"

  Tian Tian nodded like a little chick pecking at rice, repeating over and over again, "I know, I know, they know..."

  Zong Zhong patted her head affectionately, pulled out a map from his backpack with many numbers marked on it, and placed his finger on "1", saying thoughtfully, "Let's go, the first stop, Liujiang."

  Liujiang River, belonging to the Pearl River system, originates from "the first peak of South China" - Ma'ershan Mountain in Yuecheng Ridge, Guilin. The famous Guilin landscape is just above the Liujiang River. When two people stand by the river, Tian Xiang looks around at the surrounding mountains and waters, her eyes can't take it all in. The beautiful scenery is so breathtakingly clear, with green hills and blue waters stretching as far as the eye can see.

  Ripples gently undulate, fishermen wearing straw hats, gliding with simple oars, skin dark and tanned, demonstrating the southern fish-rice village. The emerald-like clear water is surrounded by a circle of beautiful small hills, far and near, virtual and real, like a paradise on earth. Tian Tian closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the air was filled with warm and aquatic scents, so good!

  Zong Zhonglian stood three meters away from her and pressed the shutter, that beautiful woman was delighted, she loved mountains and rivers, she herself was like a carefree and elegant landscape. Later, they sat on the long bamboo raft, the surrounding scenery was swaying. At that time, the sunlight was just right, the water surface was sparkling, and the paddle stirred up a quiet lake, like a masterpiece treasured by a painter. She said, "Ah Zong, I love it."

  "Uh-huh, I knew it, so I brought you here."

  "Ah, Jian, if only, if only, a lifetime without worries, a lifetime living here, how wonderful it would be." Her voice was light and airy, like a tiny sprite with transparent wings flying into Zhong's ear.

  "Yes, it's good." If it were me and you, the two of us, it would be even better. However, he didn't say the second half out loud, instead saying "You will be happy, Tian Tian." He just hoped she was happy, without any selfishness, no matter who she was with, as long as she was happy that's all that mattered.

  At night, they went to a small restaurant and ordered several local specialties. The owner was a woman from Guilin with beautiful phoenix eyes, thin eyelids, flawless white skin, and a petite figure. She enthusiastically introduced them to the scenic spots and specialties of Guilin, speaking in a unique Guangxi accent that conveyed her deep love for her hometown. Tian Tian and Zong Zhong also asked many questions like curious babies, and the owner patiently answered each one.

  After dinner, the two found a family hotel, opened two rooms, put down their luggage, and went out to stroll around this strange city together. The buildings in Guilin are also somewhat classical, and the New Year's atmosphere still permeates the city. The two ate some local snacks on a bustling night market, such as tofu pudding and rice noodles, and then strolled along the road, buying some local specialties. "Hey, you really don't want to eat?" Tian Tian held up a bag of Guilin crispy sugar in front of Zong Zhong.

  "I'm not eating." Zhong said, putting his hands in his pockets.

  "Why? It's actually quite delicious."

  I don't like eating sweets.

  "It's not very sweet, try some," Tian Tian said, holding up the sugar.

  "I don't like eating things that aren't sweet," Zong Zhong said coolly.

  "...." Alright, freak! Tian Tian mouthed silently.

  Zong Zhong suddenly pulled Tian Tian towards himself and said to the adult male beside Tian Tian in a standard Mandarin tone, "Sir, mind your hands, they're in someone else's pocket."

  The man with a mole on his chin sneered, "Kid, my hand is in my own pocket, are you blind?" It was clear that these two were outsiders and not very old.

  "I'm afraid your pockets are empty, and your right hand can reach into the left pocket, a small trick." Zong Zhong said with narrowed eyes.

  "You little beast, are you tired of living?" the man said viciously, with a local accent, "Be careful or I'll stab you!"

  "It depends on whether you have the ability or not." Zhong Zhong unconsciously clenched his fists.

  "Ah Yan..." Tian Tian tugged on his sleeve.

  He naturally knew what she meant and gave her a firm look, saying "You get out of here."

  Digression

  Wenwen is about to enter V, I hope everyone can support Yingying more, Yingying will not disappoint everyone's hopes. (*^__^*)