Chapter Thirty-Two: An Excursion

Today was the day for the first part of the exam. Just as Zhou Xiaoqi was about to enter the testing room, she received a message from Cui Hao: “If you pass smoothly today, as a reward, I’ll take you out this weekend.”

Zhou Xiaoqi, who had been a bit nervous, instantly felt her spirits soar at his words.

There were a hundred questions in the first part of the exam, with ninety points required to pass—one point per question, which meant she could only afford to get ten wrong at most. The week before the exam, Zhou Xiaoqi had spent all her spare time practicing questions. The test lasted an hour, but Zhou Xiaoqi finished all one hundred questions in just seven minutes. It wasn’t a perfect score, but she got ninety-three points. For her, as long as she passed, the exact score didn’t matter.

After the exam, Zhou Xiaoqi called Cui Hao: “Uncle, I passed! Remember your promise to take me out this weekend.”

This result was exactly what Cui Hao had expected. He knew that as long as Zhou Xiaoqi set her mind to something, she would accomplish it. “Alright, I won’t forget. Make sure to pack your things in advance. I’ll pick you up Friday night.”

Zhou Xiaoqi was filled with anticipation for the weekend trip and waited expectantly for Friday to arrive.

It had been several days since she last saw Cui Hao. She knew he’d been busy lately, so she hadn’t been pestering him. Now that she was in university, Zhou Xiaoqi was just as busy herself. She understood that being in love didn’t mean changing herself for someone else, or becoming worse; it meant striving to become even better.

When she saw Cui Hao, Zhou Xiaoqi went up to him and hugged him, letting her actions show how much she had missed him.

“Alright, if you keep holding on like this, we’ll miss our eight o’clock flight,” Cui Hao said, reluctantly breaking the embrace, though he had missed her just as much.

By the time they arrived at their destination, it was nearly eleven o’clock. This time, Cui Hao had brought Zhou Xiaoqi to Guizhou, a place with many tourist attractions. He had already booked the hotel in advance so Zhou Xiaoqi could rest early; tomorrow, he planned to take her somewhere special.

Later, this place would become Zhou Xiaoqi’s first cherished memory.

When Cui Hao took her to the scenic spot, Zhou Xiaoqi was stunned by the seemingly endless path before her. Cui Hao had brought her to the place where the borders of three provinces meet—Chicken’s Crow at Three Provinces—a remote spot, but still popular with visitors. The steps there were narrow and steep, so one had to be extra careful not to slip and fall.

Just as the books described, Chicken’s Crow at Three Provinces was where Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan were separated only by a river. On her side, there were more than 3,400 steps up and down—1,700 each way. Zhou Xiaoqi, who was not used to exercise, quickly grew exhausted.

“Uncle, I can’t go on, my legs are so sore,” she panted, slumping down on a step and looking up at Cui Hao.

Cui Hao crouched down. “Come on, I’ll carry you down. It’s beautiful below; I want you to see it. But you really need to work on your stamina. We’ve barely started and you’re already tired?” Unlike Zhou Xiaoqi, Cui Hao was completely unfazed, as if this was nothing to him.

Cui Hao carried her all the way to the bottom. The scenery really was stunning. Zhou Xiaoqi’s spirits revived and she ran off to play. Cui Hao took out his phone and secretly snapped a few photos, locking them away. He didn’t know that these would be the last memories Zhou Xiaoqi would leave him.

“Uncle, won’t you come and play too?” Zhou Xiaoqi called out, her voice bright with laughter.

Cui Hao shook his head. “As long as you’re having fun, I’m happy. I’ll stay here and watch you.” He had brought her here simply to help her relax after the recent stress.

But playing alone quickly grew dull, and soon Zhou Xiaoqi lost interest. Cui Hao patted her head. “What’s wrong? Tired already?”

“You won’t play with me. It’s no fun by myself,” Zhou Xiaoqi replied, lazily draping herself over his back.

“Then shall I carry you back?” Cui Hao knew she was tired. They’d only arrived the previous night, and since it was more than a three-hour drive from the city, they’d set out at seven that morning. It was no wonder Zhou Xiaoqi was feeling drained.

On their way back up, Zhou Xiaoqi noticed several girls, exhausted, crawling up the steps because they simply had no strength left to walk. An old man nearby chuckled and said, “Young lady, your boyfriend is really something. Look at all these people—so tired they’re crawling, but your boyfriend is carrying you up and down. He’s the best boyfriend anyone could ask for.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoqi blushed and replied shyly, “Thank you.”