Entertainment from Divorce

As the car drove out of the community, the shadow of the sycamore tree in the rearview mirror gradually became blurred.

Chen Ziyu opened the car window, letting the wind carry the scent of locust flowers into the car, and the random playlist on his phone switched to "Road Song".

She caught a glimpse of Tan Yue's fingers tapping the steering wheel to the rhythm, and the diamond ring on his ring finger flashed in the sunlight.

After Luzhou, the plains gradually turn into hills.

Chen Ziyu counted the windmills passing by the window, and suddenly pointed to the distance and shouted: "Look! It's a golden rice field!"

Tan Yue turned the car into a path in the field, and the tires made a rustling sound as they rolled over the gravel.

The setting sun gilded the rice waves, and dragonflies flew among the ears of rice.

Chen Ziyu set up the tripod. In the camera, Tan Yue's shadow was stretched very long, and he was bending down to pick up a straw hat that had fallen on the ridge of the field.

"Let's take a photo?" He shook his phone. When Chen Ziyu trotted over, the hem of her skirt brought up a scent of rice flowers.

At the moment the selfie was frozen, the sky behind the two people was burning with clouds, like an overturned color palette.

As night fell, they ate hot dry noodles in the service area.

Chen Ziyu pushed the mung bean soup in the thermos over and said, "I should have brought a small pot so I could cook instant noodles."

Tan Yue scooped up a spoonful of soup and smiled at the sesame seeds on her nose: "Next time I change to a motorhome, I'll install a kitchen for you."

When crossing the bridge, the cargo ships on the river were lit up with twinkling lights.

Chen Ziyu turned on the car projector and projected "Roadside Picnic" onto the windshield.

The humid river breeze brought the sound of train whistles into the car windows. The mountain roads in the movie overlapped with the highway in front of us, creating a wonderful poetic feeling.

As we entered the mountainous area, the cell phone signal became intermittent.

Tan Yue slowed down the car, and the cliff beside the winding mountain road made Chen Ziyu hold the handrail tightly.

"Don't be afraid," he freed one hand to hold the back of her hand, "This road is much easier to travel than the Sichuan-Tibet Highway."

In the twilight, a few lights lit up in the distant valley.

The owner of the B&B sent the location, and the car turned into a small path shaded by bamboo forests, and the wheels made crisp sounds as they rolled over fallen leaves.

In front of the stilt house with white walls and black tiles, the proprietress was adding firewood to the stove, and the cured pig's trotters in the iron pot were bubbling.

"You city people love to take photos of the stars when you come here." The proprietress served the oil tea and pointed to the back mountain. "Walk 200 meters up the slope at night and you will find a flat area."

The midnight mountain breeze is filled with the fragrance of grass and trees.

Chen Ziyu set up the camera, Tan Yue set up a folding chair nearby, and the ginger tea in the thermos cup was steaming.

The Milky Way stretches across the sky, and occasionally a meteor falls into the valley with its tail.

Chen Ziyu stared at the viewfinder, her eyelashes casting a swaying shadow under her eyes: "Some people say that rather than taking pictures of the desert starry sky, they would rather take pictures of me taking pictures of the starry sky." The moment she pressed the shutter, Tan Yue's shadow quietly moved closer and overlapped with her shadow to form a circle.

The Grand Canyon is shrouded in mist in the morning light.

Chen Ziyu wrapped himself tightly in his windbreaker and listened to the tour guide explain the geological miracle formed by the cracks in the ground.

The pool reflects the cliffs, and moss weaves an emerald blanket on the rocks.

"Be careful where you step." Tan Yue reached out to support her. His fingertips touched the cold back of her hand, and he immediately put the heat pack on her palm.

After turning the corner, a waterfall falls from a height of a hundred meters, and a rainbow can be vaguely seen in the mist.

Chen Ziyu raised the camera and took a series of photos, but found that the viewfinder was filled with the profile of Tan Yue looking up at the waterfall.

When we moved to Luyuanping in the afternoon, the mountain road became steeper.

Tan Yue carried all the equipment and even found time to pick some wild strawberries. "Try it, it's sweeter than the ones in the supermarket." The palm he handed over was stained with grass juice, and the strawberries were still covered with morning dew.

In the evening, we climbed up the cliff road and the setting sun dyed the mountain into honey color.

Chen Ziyu turned on the drone, and the camera swept across the layers of terraced fields, and finally stopped on two people on the side of the road - Tan Yue was tidying up her hair that was messed up by the wind, and the mountains in the distance were like waves in the twilight.

When I returned to the B&B, the proprietress was hanging Tujia brocade to dry.

"Take you to the market tomorrow morning?" She shook out the indigo-colored Silhankapu. "There are freshly made glutinous rice cakes at the market."

At five o'clock in the morning, the market was already bustling.

Chen Ziyu was squatting in front of the bamboo weaving stall carrying a backpack, while Tan Yue bought a bunch of wild mushrooms at the stall next door.

The old lady in ethnic costume stuffed a handful of roasted corn into their hands and said in dialect: "Young couple, eat more, it will give you strength."

On the way back, the trunk was filled with bacon, tea and two handmade quilts.

Chen Ziyu hung the newly bought backpack on the rearview mirror, which was filled with freshly picked wax gourds.

As the car passed the Qingjiang Bridge, she suddenly said, "Let's go to Nanshan next time. I heard there are wild monkeys there."

Tan Yue smiled, the sunlight shining through the car window casting mottled shadows on his face: "Okay, but I have to develop the photos first."

Chen Ziyu dozed off leaning back in his chair.

Tan Yue turned down the music and watched her eyelashes cast a gentle arc under her eyes. He suddenly felt that more precious than the scenery of the destination was the time they spent together watching the mountains and rivers at dawn and dusk.

When the lights of the guesthouse disappeared in the rearview mirror, Chen Ziyu woke up and found that Tan Yue was driving with one hand, and with the other hand gently protecting her head which was tilted towards the car window.

"Tired?" he asked.

“No.” She sat up straight and looked at the road ahead. “I’m thinking about taking an oven with me on our next road trip. We can roast marshmallows on the top of the mountain.”

Tan Yue laughed out loud and tapped the steering wheel with his fingers: "Got it, I'll upgrade my equipment next time."

The car lights illuminate the tunnel ahead, and after a brief period of darkness, a new landscape appears.

Chen Ziyu turned on the camera and took a picture of the backpack swaying on the dashboard and the road ahead winding into the distance.

……

In Bachu in June, the morning mist has not yet dissipated.

Tan Yue stood on the deck of the Qingjiang cruise ship, watching the river surface dyed golden red by the morning glow.

Chen Ziyu ran out of the cabin holding a camera, her ponytail swaying with her steps, and the hem of her white sun-protection jacket was lifted up by the river breeze.

"Ayue, come and look!" She held the camera in front of Tan Yue, and the screen was frozen with the silhouette of the mountains in the distance. "The clouds and mist are swirling around the mountainside. Does it look like an ink painting?"

Tan Yue looked down at the itinerary on his phone: board the ship at 8:30 and arrive at the Dragon Scale Palace Pier at 10:00.

He reached out to take the camera and adjusted the parameters. The clouds in the lens suddenly surged up, covering half of the mountain.

"The weather forecast says there will be showers today." Before he finished speaking, there was a commotion at the stern.

Several tourists holding their cell phones were crowding towards the railing. Tan Yue pulled Chen Ziyu over quickly and saw a group of porpoises swimming across the river, their gray-black backs breaking through the waves and splashing tiny drops of water.

Chen Ziyu stood on tiptoe and took pictures non-stop; the sound of camera shutters mixed with the exclamations of tourists.

The captain leaned out of the cockpit and shouted in Mandarin with a Bachu accent: "Don't panic! This finless porpoise comes every day, more punctual than me going to work!"

Tan Yue and Chen Ziyu smiled at each other. This was the first time they had seen such a scene.

As the cruise ship continued to move forward, the stilt houses on the cliffs on both sides gradually became clear.

Tan Yue pointed to the ancient plank road on the rock wall in the distance and said, "I heard that it was built by the Ba people, hundreds of years ago."

Chen Ziyu leaned in front of the telescope and suddenly exclaimed, "Look! There is a girl in ethnic costume picking wild tea!"

Following the direction of her finger, Tan Yue saw a woman in red bending over to pick tea leaves in a tea field halfway up the mountain. The mountain breeze blew past, the tea trees rustled, and the woman in red appeared and disappeared in the green waves, like a flowing landscape.

At ten o'clock sharp, the cruise ship docked at the Dragon Scale Palace Pier.

Chen Ziyu took out his river trekking shoes from his suitcase and found that the lace of his right shoe was broken.

Tan Yue took out the spare shoelaces from his backpack: "I knew you would forget to bring them."

"You are so smart." Chen Ziyu snorted and squatted on the stone steps to tie his shoelaces.

The aroma of fried Guangjiao wafted from the stall by the dock. When she stood up, an old lady selling kudzu root powder on the roadside called her: "Sister, try a bowl of hot one? It's made with osmanthus honey!"

Tan Yue took out his wallet and Chen Ziyu had already handed him five dollars: "Two bowls! Double the amount of osmanthus honey!" The old lady smiled and scooped up the amber kudzu root powder, sprinkled it with golden osmanthus flowers, and a sweet fragrance floated in the white mist-like hot air.

"Be careful, it's hot." Tan Yue took the bowl and stirred it with a spoon to dissipate the heat.

Chen Ziyu couldn't wait to take a bite. It was so hot that he breathed out, and a sweet-scented osmanthus flower stuck to the corner of his mouth.

Tan Yue reached out to wipe it off for her, and his fingertips touched her slightly cold cheek, and they were both stunned for a moment.

There was a long queue at the entrance of the Dragon Scale Palace scenic area.

Chen Ziyu held up her phone to check travel guide: "The temperature in the cave is constant at 18 degrees, so don't wear too little later. Do you need to bring your own change of clothes for rafting?" She turned to look at Tan Yue, who had already taken out two sealed bags from his backpack, which contained dry T-shirts and towels.

"How many surprises do you have? You have such complete equipment, it seems you have made a lot of plans." Chen Ziyu snatched the bag and found that even a hair dryer was provided.

Tan Yue smiled and patted her on the head: "You caught a cold in the mountains in the northwest last time, I've learned my lesson."

As you enter the Dragon Scale Palace, a cool breeze hits you in the face.

The stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave glowed faintly blue under the light, and Chen Ziyu's camera shutter sounded again.

The tour guide held up a megaphone and explained: "This is a stone curtain that was formed over thousands of years. Does it look like a dragon's beard?"

Tan Yue followed the crowd forward and suddenly heard a scream behind him.

Looking back, I saw Chen Ziyu squatting in front of a stalagmite, with the camera pointed at the water droplets on the top of the stalagmite: "Look! The trajectory of the water droplets falling down is like a meteor!"

The road inside the cave is winding, and sometimes you need to bend down to pass through low stone arches, and sometimes you have to cross the gurgling underground river.

Chen Ziyu was attracted by a stalactite shaped like a lotus. He was leaning on the railing to take pictures when he suddenly heard the sound of dripping water above his head.

"Be careful!" Tan Yue stretched out his hand to cover her head, and cold water dripped onto the back of his hand.

When Chen Ziyu looked up, they were so close that he could clearly see the mist on each other's eyelashes.

She hurriedly took a half step back, but her back hit the stone pillar behind her.

"Are you okay?" Tan Yue held her steady, his fingers touching the cold sweat on her back.

The lights in the cave suddenly dimmed, the emergency lights turned on a dim green light, and sporadic screams were heard from the crowd.

"Don't panic, the lighting system is under maintenance." The tour guide's voice echoed in the darkness, "Everyone hold on to the handrails, it will only take three minutes."

Chen Ziyu subconsciously grabbed Tan Yue's wrist, his palms full of sweat.

In the darkness, she could hear her own pounding heart and the sound of flowing water in an underground river in the distance.

Three minutes seemed like a long time. When the main light came back on, she realized that she had been leaning on Tan Yue's shoulder.

After leaving the cave, a rain shower came as expected.

The dense rain cooled the sultry air, but the queue at the starting point of the rafting did not shorten.

Chen Ziyu wrapped in a raincoat and stamped his feet: "I should have changed clothes first."

"Let's store the bag first." Tan Yue stuffed the backpack into the locker and turned around to see Chen Ziyu putting a waterproof headband on her hair. Chen Ziyu wrapped in a raincoat stomped her feet: "I should have changed clothes first."

"Let's store the bag first." Tan Yue stuffed the backpack into the locker and turned around to see Chen Ziyu putting a waterproof headband on her hair.

Her profile was softly outlined by the rain curtain, and the ends of her hair were still stained with moisture from the cave.

When it was their turn, the rubber boat rushed down the slide into the underground river.

Chen Ziyu held on to the handrail tightly, and the cold water splashed into his neck.

There was a sharp turn at the first bend, the rubber boat hit the rock wall, and she fell into Tan Yue's arms.

"Hold on tight!" Tan Yue put one arm around her waist and held the oar with the other hand to adjust the direction.

The underground river is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, sometimes squeezing through the cracks in the rocks, and the boat rubs against the stalactites;

Sometimes I rushed into the open cave hall, with the stone curtain above my head hanging down to a height that I could reach with my hands.

Gradually, Chen Ziyu was no longer afraid and started splashing water with the oars.

When the rubber boat drifted over a drop, she screamed excitedly, and the splashing water mixed with rain soaked both of them.

"Look ahead!" Tan Yue suddenly pointed to the top of the cave.

In the beam of the searchlight, a group of bats flew out from the cracks in the rocks, their black wings leaving afterimages in the light.

Chen Ziyu raised his waterproof camera and took continuous photos. The group of bats in the lens looked like a dynamic ink painting.

By the time we finished rafting, the rain had stopped.

Chen Ziyu sat at the door of the locker room wrapped in a bath towel, watching Tan Yue buy hot ginger tea from the vending machine.

His hair was still dripping and his sweatpants were covered in mud, but he held two cups of ginger tea in his arms for fear of spilling them.

"Drink it quickly to drive away the cold." He handed over the ginger tea, but he sneezed himself.

Chen Ziyu took out a dry towel from the sealed bag and stood on tiptoe to wipe his hair: "I told you not to wear short sleeves."

On the way back to the city, Chen Ziyu dozed off leaning against the car window.

Tan Yue opened the photo album on her phone, which was full of photos she had taken:

The moment when the finless porpoise jumps out of the water, the water droplets in the cave, and the smiling face blurred by the splashes while drifting.

He chose a photo of her back - in the sun, Chen Ziyu was standing at the bow of the boat, her long hair was blown by the wind, and the Qingjiang River in the distance was like a blue ribbon.

"We're at the hotel." He gently woke her up.

Chen Ziyu opened his eyes dazedly and saw the neon lights outside the window: "I seemed to have a dream. I dreamed that we were chasing shooting stars in a cave."

Tan Yue said nothing and handed her the camera from his backpack.

On the screen, the water droplets on the top of the stalagmite in the cave really became a golden meteor under long exposure.

Chen Ziyu looked at the photo and suddenly her eyes turned red.

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" Tan Yue took out a tissue.

Chen Ziyu smiled, his eyes sparkling: "Next time, let's go take pictures of real shooting stars."

The street lights outside the window passed by, stretching the shadows of the two people very long.

Tan Yue looked at her eyes that were washed clear by the rain, and suddenly felt that some scenery was more worthy of collection than the blue waves of the Qingjiang River and the wonders of the karst caves.

Neon lights flicker outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel room.

Chen Ziyu was applying lipstick in front of the mirror, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Tan Yue sitting by the bed sorting out camera memory cards.

"Stop taking pictures. If you continue, the night market will be closed." She changed her sun hat into a beret, grabbed her messenger bag and walked to the door. (End of this chapter)