Chapter 33
Cheng An was picking apples in the orchard with Tang Yao. Her long hair, styled like Tang Yao's, was braided and hung down her back and she wore a straw hat to shield her from the sun.
At first, her movements were a little clumsy, but gradually, with the guidance of Xiao Yue and Xiao Li, she became more skilled.
Her mood was completely different from before. She was much more relaxed and genuine smiles appeared more often.
Tang Yao tossed her a simply washed apple. Cheng An caught it with both hands and, imitating Tang Yao, took a big bite.
With a crunch, the crisp, juicy flesh made Cheng An's eyes squint with delight.
"Yao Yao, you're really amazing!" Cheng An exclaimed sincerely, munching on the apple.
"Xiao Yue basically takes care of these orchards for me. I only come occasionally to water and fertilize," Tang Yao said with a smile.
"After I retire from the entertainment industry, I'll come help you plant trees. No salary needed, just food, lodging, and fruit," Cheng An joked.
This made everyone laugh.
"By the way, how about going hiking tomorrow?" Tang Yao asked, peeking out from behind a fruit tree.
It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. She'd been wanting to go for a while.
"Hiking?" Cheng An wiped the sweat from his brow.
Tang Yao nodded: "There's a Celestial Mountain to the east of Wanhua Town. There's a goddess temple on it and the scenery was quite nice. Lots of people usually go hiking and burn incense there. Tomorrow isn't the weekend, so it should be quiet."
Cheng An's eyes softened: "Okay."
"Then I'll go prepare food to take to the mountain tomorrow," Xiao Li immediately chimed in.
"I'll go pack the water bottles and towels."
After saying this, Xiao Yue and the other two left the orchard to prepare.
"Where did you find these three employees? I've been wanting to ask since my first day at the guesthouse. Their execution is really strong and they do everything very well," Cheng An praised.
Tang Yao smiled. "They're not just employees, they're family."
The two continued picking fruit from the trees, chatting in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Only after several baskets were full did Xiao Yue trio reappear to carry them back to the guesthouse.
"We can make rice balls to take tomorrow and eat them cold."
The two walked back to the guesthouse from the orchard. Cheng An was still enthusiastically discussing with Tang Yao the food they would take for their hike the next day.
"Where are you going tomorrow?" They ran into the Lu brothers, Lu Bei and Lu Nan, on the way back.
"Yao Yao invited me to go hiking tomorrow," Cheng An said cheerfully.
"Hiking? Can I come along? I haven't exercised in a while," Lu Nan said.
Cheng An glanced at Tang Yao, who nodded, before replying, "Sure."
"I'll go too," Lu Bei said, his gaze falling on Tang Yao.
"Elder Sister, I want to go too," Xu Haocheng stepped forward, looking at Tang Yao expectantly.
"Then let's all go together," Tang Yao said with a wave of her hand, deciding immediately. "Xiao Li, make more bento boxes tomorrow."
"Okay, Yao Yao."Xiao Li responded from the kitchen.
“Since we’ve run into each other, let’s have lunch together,” Lu Nan suggested.
“Elder Brother Lu Nan, aren’t you busy? You’ve been so busy these past few days and haven’t left your room much,” Cheng An said.
“It’s alright, I can rest occasionally,” Lu Nan said with a smile, glancing down at the person beside him.
The five of them sat around a table. Xiao Li had prepared a lot of dishes, filling the table with a wonderful aroma.
“Yao Yao, this chicken is so delicious!” Cheng An’s eyes lit up.
Seeing this, Lu Nan, who was sitting next to her, used the serving chopsticks to put a few pieces of chicken in her bowl. “Eat more if you like.”
Cheng An was taken aback for a moment. Then she thanked him softly.
Watching from the side, Tang Yao frowned slightly. If Lu Nan was really engaged, this gesture was somewhat inappropriate.
Seeing Lu Nan’s action, Lu Bei looked at Tang Yao’s bowl. His fingers were itching to move.
Before she could even act, Xu Haocheng, who was sitting on Tang Yao's other side, beat him to it.
Xu Haocheng placed a meatball in Tang Yao's bowl. His face was full of flattery: "Elder Sis, eat this. It's delicious too."
Tang Yao glanced at him but didn't refuse, picking up the meatball and eating it.
Xu Haocheng immediately beamed.
The next second, he felt a cold gaze fixed on him. Looking up, he found no one was watching him. Xu Haocheng scratched his head in confusion and buried his head in his food again.
The next day, the group of five shouldered backpacks and headed towards Celestial Mountain.
They all changed into comfortable casual clothes and sneakers.
Xiao Yue went with them, while Xiao Ling and Xiao Li volunteered to stay at the guesthouse. In their minds, Tang Yao and the guesthouse were more important than anything else.
Tang Yao didn't insist, simply telling them not to rush into work and to rest more.
Tang Yao had visited this place with her parents before. Although many years had passed, she still knew the general direction.
The path was lined with blooming flowers and the sounds of birdsong, instantly lifting her spirits.
Celestial Mountain wasn't very high, so the road was relatively smooth. A few years ago, it was a dirt road and slippery after rain.
Since Wanhua Town gradually developed into a tourist town, the road up the mountain had been renovated, with railings added on both sides to prevent tourists from falling.
Many flowers, grasses, and tall trees were planted along the mountain path, continuing the style of Wanhua Town.
Tang Yao remembered coming to the mountain as a child. It was mostly wildflowers and weeds, which had its own unique charm.
Although the mountain path wasn't steep, it was quite long. After walking for a while, they rested in a pavilion.
Xiao Yue took a water bottle from her backpack, poured a cup of steaming water, and handed it to Tang Yao: "Yaoyao, have some water."
"Thank you." Tang Yao took it. The water was lukewarm, just the right temperature.
After Tang Yao drank the water, Xiao Yue put the cup away.
"Xiao Yue, aren't you tired?" Cheng An asked in surprise. Even in this situation, she was still thinking of serving Tang Yao—how dedicated was she?!
"I'm fine. Maybe it's because I exercise regularly. I'm in pretty good shape," Xiao Yue answered fluently.
Cheng An gave her a thumbs up. Having seen the surveillance footage online, she knew that Xiao Yue trio knew martial arts.
After resting for a while, the group continued uphill.
Suddenly, a short scream rang out.
Tang Yao turned around and saw that Cheng An had accidentally stepped on a rock and twisted her ankle.
Just as she was about to step forward, Lu Nan was faster than her, rushing to Cheng An like a gust of wind. Ignoring the dirty ground, he half-knelt down and placed Cheng An's foot on his lap.
Cheng An blushed deeply, trying to pull her foot back: "It's alright, Elder Brother Lu Nan, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Don't move yet. Let me take a look," Lu Nan said in a deep voice.
Tang Yao frowned even more and turned to look at Lu Bei beside her: "Say, isn't your elder brother already engaged? Why is he so concerned about another woman? Isn't that a bit of a jerk?"
"Who said he is engaged?" Lu Bei's surprise was genuine.
Tang Yao was also somewhat surprised, turning again to look at the two people not far away.
From an outsider's perspective, one looked worried, while the other suppressed her emotions.
So, these two were the kind of characters Tang Yao hated most in novels—the male and female leads who acted like they had no mouth and misunderstandings escalated until the happy ending?
She rolled her eyes. All her worry was for nothing.
Fortunately, Cheng An's foot injury wasn't serious. After a little movement of her ankle, it was fine.
The group continued on.
For the rest of the journey, Cheng An became somewhat silent. She subconsciously distanced herself from Lu Nan, sticking close to Tang Yao.
After finishing the bento box Xiao Li had prepared, they finally reached the mountaintop.
The view opened up, and the mountain breeze became even more refreshing.
The Goddess Temple was not far away. The faint scent of sandalwood could already be smelled.
An old woman was selling incense at the entrance. Her stall also had amulets for peace, marriage, and other auspicious items.
According to the old woman, there was an ancient tree in the Goddess Temple that had lived for hundreds of years. Many people would hang talisman for peace, marriage, and fertility on the tree, praying that their wishes would come true.
Tang Yao herself had already died once, so her mind was very peaceful. It went without saying she had no wishes and only bought a bundle of incense.
The others bought talismans to hang on the old tree.
The Temple of the Goddess was small, containing only one Buddha statue, yet the incense at the entrance was very strong.
The Buddha statue was a female one, with gentle eyes and brows, inspiring a sense of approachability.
This was the Goddess the elders spoke of. In legend, she was a gentle and benevolent deity.
Tang Yao remembered the old woman at the entrance's words: almost everyone who came here prayed for marriage or children.
Tang Yao didn't want to pray for marriage or children. She only hoped for a peaceful and fulfilling life.
Then, she placed the incense sticks in the incense burner, and that was it.
The others also closed their eyes devoutly, making wishes.
Afterward, Tang Yao and her group went around to the back courtyard of the Temple of the Goddess. There, indeed, was a tree with a very thick trunk. It would take three or four people to encircle it.
Many red talismans hung from its branches, fluttering in the wind. Like Tang Yao, Xiao Yue had no wishes to make, so she helped everyone hang the talismans on the tree branches using bamboo poles.
"I never imagined that people as capable as you would believe in making wishes," Tang Yao said to Lu Bei beside her.
"No one is omnipotent. Everyone has their own unfulfilled desires," Lu Bei said in a low voice.
Tang Yao turned to look at him with some surprise, only to find his expression very serious and his dark eyes deep, seemingly filled with many emotions.
On a rare occasion, Xu Haocheng also closed his eyes and made a wish. He had bought a peace talisman, probably hoping for peace and good health for himself and his family.
By the time they descended the mountain, it was already dusk.
The setting sun bathed the earth in a gentle orange hue.
Tang Yao and the others descended the mountain in the sunset's glow, returning to their guesthouse, where Xiao Li had already prepared dinner and was waiting for them.
The next day, Tang Yao woke up to find Xu Haocheng standing in the corner of the living room and on a phone call. His expression was grave, not responding to the conversation on the other end.
After hanging up, Xu Haocheng noticed Tang Yao behind him.
"What's wrong?" Tang Yao asked.
"Elder Sister, I have to go back to the capital." Xu Haocheng didn't give a specific reason, but Tang Yao guessed from his expression.
"Did the Xu Family ask you to go back?" Tang Yao inquired.
Xu Haocheng was silent for a moment before nodding. "The company is in trouble, and the Xu and Chen families have completely broken ties. I have to go back and check."
Tang Yao came down the stairs, poured herself a glass of milk, and then asked, "Do you want to inherit the Xu Family company?"
Xu Haocheng pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat opposite Tang Yao. "I used to think like this. I'm not very capable or smart. Dad said all the shares of the Xu Family company will be mine. If nothing unexpected happens, I can just coast along for decades."
“But since coming to this guesthouse, I’ve realized how terribly wrong I was. I thought money was everything and that with money you had friends and status. But thinking about it carefully, all the so-called friends I made were just fair-weather friends and all I enjoyed was false flattery. My first half of life was a joke.” Xu Haocheng looked out the window. “Now, whether the Xu Family company exists or not is irrelevant to me.”
Xu Haocheng knew Tang Yao didn’t care about the Xu Family’s wealth. She might be asking because she wanted to help him, but if she did, what difference would there be between him and Xu Anguo?
As he said this, Xu Haocheng seemed to have suddenly matured considerably.
Tang Yao rested her chin on her hand, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
“They are, after all, my parents. I can’t abandon them. Don’t worry, Elder Sister, I won’t let them bother you,” Xu Haocheng said.
“Come back whenever you want after you’ve dealt with things over there. This room is for you to clean up when you return.”
Xu Haocheng’s eyes welled up with tears and he nodded vigorously.
Tang Yao called a flower cart for Xu Haocheng and stuffed the pastries Xiao Li had made into his backpack.
"I'm leaving, Elder sis," Xu Haocheng said, waving to Tang Yao as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
Watching Xu Haocheng's figure recede into the distance, Tang Yao suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.
But this feeling was fleeting. After all, she had grown accustomed to living alone.
...
Having slept soundly all night, Cheng An felt more energetic than ever before.
Ever since winning the Best Actress award, she had been constantly on edge, sometimes to the point of seeing a psychologist.
But since arriving at the guesthouse, her mood had been consistently relaxed.
This had made her personality more cheerful and lively, as if she had returned to three years ago.
If it weren't for work, she would have loved to stay here forever.
After getting up, Cheng An helped Xiao Yue water the flowers in the yard. Although she was still clumsy at work, she found enjoyment in it.
At this time, Tang Yao returned from seeing Xu Haocheng off and joined in.
Glistening water droplets danced in the sunlight, mingling with cheerful laughter that filled the entire guesthouse.
...
Xu Haocheng didn't reach the Xu Family home until evening. Xu Anguo and Sun Yulan were both home, but their expressions were grim, as if they were still arguing.
Xu Haocheng's entrance interrupted them.
Sun Yulan hurried over and took Xu Haocheng's hand: "My dear son, you're finally home! Mom missed you so much!"
Xu Anguo nodded at him, without saying much.
Xu Haocheng looked around but didn't see Xu Wan anywhere.
"Where is Xu Wan?"