Those naive and tender years were called lost

  The next morning, the students followed Mr. Wu to climb to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise. When they reached the top, coincidentally, a huge and fiery red sun rose from the east, dyeing half of the sky with crimson, the scene was magnificent and majestic.

  The students gazed at the starry sky, amazed and stunned. They stopped in their tracks, looked up, and marveled at the enchanting and mysterious beauty of nature. Tian Tian also took advantage of the opportunity to take several photos.

  At this moment, her face was lit up by the sunlight to a golden red color, she held Tian Cheng's hand and sat on a huge rock, with floating clouds under her feet. At that moment, she seemed to be in a fairyland, mysterious and unreal. Many years later, when she thought of the people, objects, paintings, and winds at that time, the warmth at that time, when she held the photo of her and Tian Cheng's back taken by someone unknown, she couldn't help but burst into tears, she was so happy at that time.

  "I'm going to take a nap." Tian Cheng said hesitantly to Tian Tian.

  "You come back early, don't run too far, we are going down the mountain soon."

  "I know," said Tian Cheng, and then he ran into the nearby woods.

  Tian Tian suddenly felt a sense of unease in her heart, she didn't know why, and her eyelids were also twitching violently. Helplessly looking at the small woods where Tian Cheng had gone, she could only lean against a tree and wait for him to come back. The students were skipping and jumping one by one down the mountain, humming happy little tunes, Wu Laoshi was walking last, she saw Tian Tian and stopped to ask, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

  "Xiao Cheng has something on, I'll wait for him."

  "Hurry up and keep up with the team, don't get lost, got it?"

  "Good." Tian Tian nodded slightly.

  An hour had passed, and still there was no sign of Tian Cheng. Tian Tian began to get anxious, pacing back and forth in the same spot, counting the leaves one by one. As they strayed further and further away, she could no longer see the students' long procession or hear their singing. She bit her lip, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and rushed into the woods where Tian Cheng had disappeared.

  The temperature in the mountains is always a bit lower than in the city, and although there was some thin sunlight, it wasn't enough to drive away the chill. Tian Tian wore a light purple short-sleeved shirt and gray sports pants, with goosebumps on her arms.

  The mountain forest is mostly composed of poplar and pine trees, as well as various unknown wild grasses. The air is filled with moisture, and the terrain is generally flat, but due to the high altitude, Tian Xiang took out a roll of twine from her bag, folded it into several sections, and walked for a while before making a mark. She trudged through the wild grass and dry leaves, completely unaware of what lay ahead on the road.

  All that was left in the bag was some uneaten mutton, and only half a bottle of water. And here, there were no houses at all. What if she couldn't find Tian Cheng? He was still so small, and he wouldn't know how to survive on his own in the wilderness.

  Also, are there any wild beasts in this mountain, has Tian Cheng encountered any danger... She had no way of knowing, and now she can only search slowly, her pace quickening a lot. As she walked, she called out Tian Cheng's name, startling the birds into flapping their wings and letting out a sharp cry as they flew straight up into the sky.

  "Tan Cheng!" she shouted, but all she got was her own faint echo trembling back from the mountains.

  At this moment, Tian Tian lost contact with her teacher. She looked at her watch and saw that it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. They must have boarded the bus and headed to school by now. Tian Tian sat on the grass, hugging her knees, and buried her head in her arms, thinking. But she had been left behind, and suddenly felt so lonely. She lifted her head, trying to keep it level with the sky, so that tears wouldn't burst out. In the thicket, birds were chirping loudly, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, shining on the ground like a big hand that could see everything. Everything was desolate and primitive, except for Tian Tian's faint sobbing sound...

  "Den-chō."

  "Dencho."

  "Den-chō."

  Where are you? Where on earth are you, why are you being so naughty, don't you know I'm looking for you? Have you abandoned me too? I've been strong since childhood, I thought I was strong enough, why do I still shed tears easily. I try to make myself excellent, whether in academic performance, physical fitness or life, I demand myself to be clear-headed and wise.

  I thought I was mature enough, mature enough not to act like a kid asking for toys from my parents, not to drool over the handsome older brother next door. Why do I feel that everything I've done is so laughable? I was originally so fragile, to the point where I didn't even have the ability to protect you well, couldn't handle unexpected emergencies, I'm so incompetent, incompetent...

  She thought and burst into tears, in a deserted mountain forest, tears flowed down, gathering on her chin. The strength and independence she had been holding up for so many years now seemed fragile. In this quiet place, she poured out all the bitter water in her heart.

  She was really tired, so tired that she couldn't breathe. She really wanted to use a sharp blade to cut her wrist and let out the gushing blood, ending her life once and for all. But she couldn't, she still had ties, Tian Cheng, and many people who were kind to her. All she could do was shoulder the heavy burden and keep moving forward.

  At this moment, she wished that Tian Cheng would suddenly jump out from behind a big tree and say, "Sister, it's just a prank, let's go back." And then she would scold him with a smile, and then take his hand to start the journey home. Not another conspiracy, revenge, or plotting to frame her and Tian Cheng...

  Tian Tian wiped away her tears, she still had to keep looking, and after crying, her heart felt better than before. She took a deep breath, stood up, patted the dirt off her clothes, and continued walking forward. No matter what, she had to find him.

  On the other side of the mountain foot, a long queue finally ended their two-day journey, they all walked to the car tiredly and prepared to sleep.

  Tian Heng looked around the bus and didn't find the person he was looking for. He turned his head to the flat-headed boy and said, "My sister isn't on it, didn't you say she came back early?"

  "Huh? Isn't she here? She told me she'd be back first, how can she not be here?" The boy looked puzzled.

  "Good grief!" Tian Cheng let out a low growl and turned to rush towards the mountain.

  The boy with a buzz cut chuckled and said to Teacher Wu, who happened to be passing by, "I've taken attendance, everyone's here, let's go."

  Teacher Wu nodded and a car full of people set off on their return journey, unaware that two people were missing. They had already slumped back in their seats, exhausted, with their eyes closed.

  The driver yawned and continued to hold the steering wheel, fumbling for the radio buttons, playing a familiar tune. The music instantly filled the entire car, the mountain wind blowing into the car, blowing up the children's soft hair, bumpy all the way to the city.