Forced into a romantic relationship

[One more chapter will be released later]

When Gu Zheng and Wang Lengqiu stepped out of the tent, the sky was turning from deep blue to a clear, fish-belly white.

A faint, warm light appeared on the eastern horizon, as if someone had lightly sketched a few strokes on the sky with a paintbrush dipped in water, hazy yet restrained.

"It's not as spectacular as I imagined..."

Gu Zheng yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she walked towards the fire, glancing up at the pale sky as she gave this assessment.

Wang Lengqiu's gaze fell on Han Zhou, and she asked softly, "Are you feeling better?"

"Full of energy," Han Zhou replied with a smile.

"Full of energy?" The girl tilted her head and repeated the word.

Although he didn't understand, Han Zhou nodded and explained earnestly, "It means you're cured."

"That's good."

Wang Lengqiu's expression softened. She didn't inquire about what happened after Guzheng entered the tent last night, but quietly walked to the fire.

By the fire, Zhong Ling was turning over the leftover meat skewers from last night, the grease dripping and sparking tiny sparks.

Before the morning light had fully spread, the three girls stood at the edge of the firelight, their silhouettes outlined with exceptional clarity, even more dazzling than the rising sun.

But such sights can be seen at any time, while the sunrise on the mountaintop is not always possible. So Han Zhou turned his gaze away and sat with them around the fire, quietly waiting for the sunrise to arrive.

This process wasn't very long.

The sun did not make a grand entrance as expected, but instead first peeked out through a gap in the clouds with an extremely thin golden edge, so faint that it was almost an illusion.

Then, the light gradually widened, edging the surrounding clouds with a fluffy golden edge, and the colors of the entire sky became richer, from pale orange to light pink, and then to a subtle hue between purple and red.

Finally, a blurry red outline peeked out from behind the clouds, not dazzling, even gentle, as if afraid of disturbing the silence of the mountaintop.

The sunlight, filtered through the thin atmosphere, lost its usual sharpness, leaving only a lukewarm, hazy glow that fell on everyone's faces.

Although she said it wasn't spectacular enough, Guzheng had already raised her phone early on, trying to capture the most beautiful moment of the sunrise.

Zhong Ling then turned on the video recording mode, clearly wanting to share this scenery with her sister who was far away in Lincheng.

Wang Lengqiu was the calmest. Perhaps for her, this scene was far less beautiful than the sight of pigeons flying in the sunset. But when she saw Han Zhou sitting beside her with a smile on his face, the scene before her seemed to come alive again.

After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone, switched to the front camera, and naturally captured the scene.

To be honest, perhaps because of the low altitude, Han Zhou felt that the sunrise in front of him was not as breathtaking as the one he had seen on the snow-capped mountain that day.

But even the mundane has its own kind of beauty.

Just like now, there's no need to be dazzled. Simply watch the light and shadow gradually climb onto your cheeks in this perfect morning light, listen to the wind slowly dispel the chill, and see the firelight and sunrise reflected in the eyes of the girl beside you. That sense of peace and warmth is itself a magnificent and comforting feeling.

In the blink of an eye, the red sun broke free from its last obscuration.

The sunlight finally broke through the horizon and bathed the entire mountain range.

The distant bushes, rocks, and withered grass were all tinged with a faint golden-red hue, and even the dust in the air became clearly visible, floating slowly in the beams of light.

Under these circumstances, the four of them ate breakfast, washed up with hot water, packed up their tents and sleeping bags, and headed down the mountain in the rising sun.

During the remaining time, the four of them fulfilled all the wishes on their to-do list.

Boating, fishing, picking vegetables, herding ducks, and picnicking.

It's worth mentioning that the picnic was Chen Doudou's idea. She had been regretting not being able to have a barbecue on the mountain, and she begged Han Zhou several times before finally getting to enjoy this long-awaited picnic. Time passed slowly, and the day to return to school was fast approaching.

It was noon when they left. Han Zhou let Gu Zheng and the others go to town first, while he stayed behind alone to help Grandpa Wang finish the day's farm work.

A cold wind suddenly rose, and he walked into the yard. From afar, he saw Grandpa Wang sitting on a low stool in front of the door, holding an old, unlit pipe in his hand, with his lazy, big yellow dog lying beside him.

Seeing the big yellow dog beside him raise its head, Grandpa Wang seemed to realize something, and he also looked up. He immediately saw Han Zhou walking over, and a kind smile appeared on his face.

"Are you done with work?"

"I should be considered done with my work."

Han Zhou put down his backpack and said with a smile, "There's some leftover food I made at noon in the refrigerator. You can just heat it up and eat. You can get some rest today."

As he spoke, Grandpa Wang had already hunched over and gotten up, bringing out a low stool from inside the house and placing it under the eaves, gesturing for him to sit down and rest.

"Thanks for your hard work."

“What’s so hard about this? It can’t compare to how well you’ve taken care of us these past few days.”

Han Zhou didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to the old man, shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the undulating mountain ridges in the distance.

Grandpa Wang smiled and shook his head, but didn't say anything. He simply picked up the old pipe that was placed aside and slowly stuffed tobacco into it.

Han Zhou asked curiously, "Grandpa Wang, are you planning to take a couple of puffs yourself?"

Having spent the past few days with him, he had never seen Grandpa Wang touch a pipe, and assumed the old man never used one. But the pipe in front of him looked quite old, clearly having been with Grandpa Wang for a long time—which meant he wasn't someone who didn't smoke, but had simply given up a long time ago.

"I didn't smoke before because I was healthy, but now there's no need for that."

Han Zhou was taken aback.

What does that mean? Does it mean that health won't be important anymore?
He was about to say something when he saw Grandpa Wang look up at him, still wearing a kind smile on his face.

"Han Zhou, thank you for your hard work."

"Didn't I tell you, this isn't hard work..."

Grandpa Wang shook his head and said gently, "The hardship I'm talking about is the hardship of entrusting Youyou to you in the future."

As he spoke, he pulled out a lighter from his pocket, put the pipe in his mouth, lit it, and exhaled a long smoke ring.

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment, his expression becoming complicated: "...You knew everything?"

"Although I am old and don't know much about the things between you young people, I can still tell whether my granddaughter is happy or not."

Grandpa Wang held his pipe, gazing at the distant sky, and chuckled, "Youyou has been very happy these past few days. I can't think of any other reason besides that she met the person in the photo."

"But don't you find it strange? That's a group photo from nine years ago..."

"Of course it would seem strange."

Grandpa Wang shook his head and chuckled, "But since Youyou really waited for the person she was waiting for, then it means we're the ones who are strange, isn't it?"

In a sense, Grandpa Wang's ability to accept things and Wang Lengqiu's ability to accept things are about the same.

I won't say more.

Grandpa Wang exhaled another smoke ring, his smile fading slightly. "Youyou is a stubborn child. Once she's decided on you, it will only be you. So, I'm entrusting Youyou to you from now on." (End of Chapter)