Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 293 Hu Xiaoyu: I'm Marrying You (6k views, please subscribe)

After arriving near Mount Siguniang, Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu's luck ran out.

The continuous cloudy and sleet weather for several days prevented them from seeing the beautiful "golden mountain under the sun" scenery, but Lü Yao and his companions were not in a hurry. They stayed at a guesthouse in the area and enjoyed the local culture and scenery.

On this plateau, there is no shortage of magnificent scenery everywhere.

The sky here is very blue, the clouds are very low, the mountains and rivers are vast, and herds of yaks roam freely.

These are things you don't usually see in urban areas. People who live in urban areas year-round will always feel a sense of wonder and longing when they see such scenes.

This is probably what they mean by "both cattle and horses yearn for the grasslands".

Although Lü Yao seized the opportunity to climb a large distance up the ranks this time, in a sense, he is still a beast of burden, only at a higher level, a rare and precious steed.

When exploring the area around the guesthouse, Hu Xiaoyu would always call out to Ayi, the Qiang girl who was originally the guesthouse owner.

Although Ayi is only sixteen years old, she has already stopped going to school.

In many developed regions and cities, going to school is a source of distress for many students. However, in many remote mountainous areas, going to school remains a relative luxury. Even though public schools have been established in these areas, many families in remote regions are now able to send their children to school.

However, they often only let their children attend junior high school or high school, and very few of them go to junior college, let alone a full-time undergraduate program.

There are many reasons why people don't go to school.

Some remote and underdeveloped areas are indeed poor. For many families in remote areas, completing compulsory education and then supporting three years of high school or vocational school is the limit they can afford.

However, in pastoral areas like Aba, many children don't go to school because their families need help, and their parents and elders don't want them to go far away because they are very busy.

As for making money, the locals in places like Aba and Tibet are actually not short of money.

A yak costs ten to twenty thousand.

Ayi's family herds nearly a hundred yaks.

That translates to over two million.

Even though there's a saying that "being rolling in money doesn't count," Ayi's family is certainly not short of money. The contract for the renovation of the guesthouse alone brings them an annual income of 100,000 yuan, not to mention that Ayi also has a regular job.

Ayi's family raises more than a dozen white yaks.

These yaks have a special sacredness in the Aba region, so Ayi often takes them to places with many tourists to take photos with them, and also rents out the yaks to tourists who come here to ride and take pictures.

Fifteen minutes costs fifty dollars.

Group photo number 20.

When the market is good, Ayi can earn more than a thousand yuan a day.

Even during the recent year-end period, Ayi can still earn more than 300 yuan a day.

Ayi has been doing this kind of work for three years.

In other words, Ayi started earning money for her family when she was thirteen years old, and she could earn at least 200,000 yuan a year.

Upon hearing this, Lü Yao fell silent.

An annual income of 200,000... When he went abroad to study, it took Lü Yao more than four years to reach this level, which meant he had already left 90% of his peers behind.

Here, a thirteen-year-old girl easily earned this level of income.

really.

People's fates are different.

In the current version of the game, the people in this area are clearly luckier than the Han people, who have the largest population. As short videos explode in popularity and communication infrastructure and smart devices become more widespread in these areas, their luck will be realized more quickly and in greater quantities.

In the future, a "Lucky Heaven Gu" owner may even be born here.

Despite the sighs, Lü Yao had long since learned to calmly view the vicissitudes of life.

Although Ayi has earned a lot of money for her family and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will never have to worry about making a living or money in her life, Ayi is still unhappy.

Because she longed for the outside world.

On the fourth night of their stay at the guesthouse, after several days of getting to know each other and after talking to Xiao Ayi about the outside world, Xiao Ayi and Lü Yao became increasingly close.

That evening, as usual, Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu were drinking hot tea and chatting in the warm room of the guesthouse.

Little Ayi took out the money she had earned that day, stacking it up from smallest to largest: "One hundred and fifty, one hundred and seventy... two hundred and two, two hundred and seventy, three hundred and seventy~"

He stacked the relatively new bills together, then sighed with satisfaction, saying, "I transferred a total of 270 yuan today, plus a 100 yuan tip from a lady. Although it's not as much as the past few days, it's still pretty good to have this much in this time."

Lu Yao poked at the firewood in the hearth and laughed, "It's pretty good. It's amazing that you can earn this much at your age."

Little Ayi tilted her head and looked at Lü Yao: "Brother Lü, you've said something similar so many times these past two days. Is it really that hard to make money outside?"

Lu Yao smiled and said, "I don't know about other places, but in my hometown, farmers who farm for a year can only sell their wheat for a little over one yuan per kilogram. Seven or eight mu of land can only sell for a little over ten thousand yuan. That's almost half a year's income, which is less than your monthly income."

Little Ayi asked in surprise, "Huh? It's so cheap?"

Lu Yao put the fire poker in his hand next to the fire pit, sat down next to Hu Xiaoyu and said with a smile, "Yeah, after all, the noodles and stuff you usually eat aren't expensive, are they?"

Little Ayi asked in bewilderment, "Then why don't you grow fruit in your hometown? Fruit is so expensive here."

Lü Yao smiled.

Fruits from bulk-producing provinces are actually quite cheap. When Lü Yao was studying abroad, the only place where most people could afford to eat fruit freely was Guizhou Province.

Lu Yao was lost in his memories and said, "What a coincidence! My family used to grow watermelons and cantaloupes. These can sell for up to five yuan a pound in the city, and even when they're cheap, they can still sell for around two yuan. But at the rural collection point in my hometown, most of them were sold for fifty cents."

Even the seedless watermelons grown in greenhouses, or the special yellow-fleshed watermelons, are only a little over two yuan at most.

Little Ayi opened her mouth wide in surprise.

She didn't seem to understand the logic behind these businesses; she just thought they were absurd.

Hu Xiaoyu looked at Lü Yao in surprise: "Your family used to make this?"

Lu Yao forced a smile: "That was a long time ago. I was talking about prices in recent years. I remember when I was a child, the cheapest watermelons my family grew were sold for a penny. Even a few years ago, near the end of the watermelon harvest season, many watermelon farmers would sell a thousand kilograms of watermelons for just over two hundred yuan."

Because it's the season, melon farmers need to pull up all the melon vines in the fields and plant other crops.

Hu Xiaoyu sighed, “The ‘Treatise on Food and Commodities’ in the Book of Han says that if the price of grain is too high, it will harm the people; if it is too low, it will harm the farmers. If the people are harmed, they will scatter; if the farmers are harmed, the country will be impoverished. This is a dilemma with no solution.”

The large rural population in China has prevented significant increases in farmland subsidies and rural social welfare benefits.

Lu Yao smiled when he heard Hu Xiaoyu say that.

He wasn't in charge, nor did he want to get involved in that circle, so he didn't want to discuss these things.

He changed the subject, saying, "That's not something I need to think about. What I need to think about is trying to avoid going back to the fields."

At this moment, Xiao Ayi came over with a gossipy look on her face, squatted not far from Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu, rested her chin on her hands and looked at Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu with longing eyes: "Brother Lü, Sister Hu, you both live in big cities."

Hu Xiaoyu smiled and said, "More or less."

Xiao Ayi asked the question she had asked many times in the past two days: "Are there really skyscrapers hundreds of meters tall in big cities outside?"

Hu Xiaoyu patiently replied, "Yes, there are also bridges several kilometers long and ships as tall as several stories."

Little Ayi's eyes sparkled, filled with longing for the outside world: "A big ship! It's several stories high! What does it look like?"

Lu Yao said, "When you turn eighteen, tell me and I'll arrange for someone to take you to see it."

Whenever this topic comes up, Xiao Ayi's face often shows a very complicated and disappointed expression: "I don't even know if I can get out of these mountains."

Lu Yao said, "You can do it, you definitely can."

Hu Xiaoyu stroked Xiao Ayi's head with a complex, gentle, and loving expression, and said with a smile, "Yes, your brother Lü is very capable. He will definitely be able to get you out of here."

Little Ayi looked at Lü Yao with bright, sparkling eyes: "Brother Lü, you're so amazing!"

Lu Yao smiled and said, "It's not particularly powerful, but it can fulfill a small wish of yours."

Xiao Ayi immediately got up and rushed out of the greenhouse. Then she carried her savings box, which she had accumulated over the years, out of her room. She took out the key, opened her savings box made of rivets and yak hide, took out a thick wad of banknotes, and stuffed it directly into Lü Yao's hands: "Then it's settled!"

Lu Yao stared blankly at the stacks of banknotes in his arms for a moment, then laughed and said, "I already promised you, what are you doing?"

Can I take your money?
If Xiao Ayi's parents find out, she'll definitely get a beating and a scolding.

As he spoke, Lü Yao returned all the money, but Xiao Ayi firmly shook her head and said, "Dad and Mom are asleep, they won't know. Besides, I can save up this money myself in a while, it's okay, I can't spend this money here anyway."

Looking at Xiao Ayi's determined eyes, Lü Yao understood that Xiao Ayi was using this method to ensure that what Lü Yao had promised her would be "guaranteed".

She lives at the foot of this sacred mountain and has never been seriously harmed by a swindler.

So much so that she dared to entrust so much money to someone she had only known for a few days.

Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Just accept it, otherwise our little Ayi will always be worried."

"Uh-huh!"

Little Ayi nodded vigorously, just like a little puppy.

For the first time, Lü Yao experienced the simplicity and warmth of the local people.

Having no other choice, Lü Yao put away the pile of money, and then suddenly had an idea and said, "Then we need to draw up a contract."

As he spoke, he went to his room to get paper and pen, and directly wrote out a contract with several clauses by hand, making two copies, and then signed them.

After handing Xiao Ayi her copy of the contract, Lü Yao laughed and said, "That's our secret now. If I fail to fulfill the terms of the contract after you come of age, you can use this contract to sue me."

Ayi faced the fire pit, looking at the contract in her hand. She read it word by word, a vibrant hope emanating from her.

After looking at it for a while, she even held up the handwritten contract in her hand. The warm light in the greenhouse shone through the paper, casting a hazy light behind it. The light, softened by the paper, fell on Xiao Ayi's face, making her look like a saint trapped at the foot of this sacred mountain.

At that moment, Lü Yao suddenly understood why so many seasoned outdoor enthusiasts used to flock here every year. Those veterans weren't short of money; they drove off-road vehicles worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan to this place, and lived a life similar to the locals—what's called simple living, but what's called a hard life, to put it bluntly.

Aside from the free seafood along the way and the need for a vacation, what these seasoned outdoor travelers are most interested in is probably the local culture.

At this moment, Xiao Ayi is enough to comfort people's hearts.

That's enough to make me miss it often after I leave.

Once these seasoned outdoor enthusiasts can no longer find a sense of salvation here, they will join Blue Sky Rescue.

Lu Yao reached out and ruffled Xiao Ayi's hair: "Hurry up and take your treasure chest back, then go to bed early. Otherwise, it won't be good if your parents find out."

Little Ayi picked up the treasure chest: "Okay!"

After Xiao Ayi left, Hu Xiaoyu watched her departing figure and sighed, "Actually, Xiao Ayi isn't short of money, and her family doesn't need her to earn money to support them, but even so, she still can't leave this place."

The sacred mountain is not only nearby, but also in the hearts of the people here.

The sacred mountain that weighed on people's hearts bound them, preventing them from going to the places they wanted to go.

Hu Xiaoyu doted on Xiao Ayi.

But deep in her own heart, didn't she also have a sacred mountain?

This is the point of resonance between her and Xiao Ayi, who share the same plight.

Putting aside his feelings, Hu Xiaoyu turned to Lü Yao and said, "I've checked the weather forecast. The weather will clear up tomorrow, and the afternoon will be a good time to observe the sunrise over the mountains."

Lu Yao stretched and yawned: "Great, we've been waiting for this."

Hu Xiaoyu smiled expectantly: "Let's get some rest early tonight, and set off tomorrow."

Lü Yao nodded: "Okay."

……

February 3, 2016, only five days left until the Spring Festival.

At this time, tourist attractions in various places are actually not crowded anymore, especially in Aba. In 2016, this place was still a relatively niche area, and many attractions had not been fully commercialized, and various facilities had not yet been installed.

The natural scenery has not yet been fenced off and charged for.

So at this point in time, when Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu drove their off-road supply vehicle along Panda Avenue to the Maobiliang viewing platform, there were hardly any people there. Even the locals who used to sell local specialties had stopped setting up their stalls because of the lack of tourists.

Lu Yao and Hu Xiaoyu parked their off-road supply vehicle in the free parking area on the viewing platform, then shouldered their bags, left the viewing platform, and stopped on a slope below the platform along the mountain road.

Then they set up camp here.

After finally finishing their work, even Lü Yao was panting heavily, and Hu Xiaoyu was so exhausted that she sat down on the ground without a care for her image.

Actually, the observation deck itself is a great place to see the view, but Hu Xiaoyu felt that the railing of the observation deck was a bit of an obstruction to the view, so she left the observation deck along the mountain path, wanting to find a completely open and unobstructed place.

It's fortunate that the roads near the observation deck are relatively flat, otherwise they might not have been able to get here.

It's clear that outdoor activities aren't for everyone, especially in high-altitude areas like this.

Lü Yao was responsible for the main work of setting up the camp.

After setting up the canopy, visiting the campsite, and setting out all the tea-making equipment they had brought, Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu were finally able to rest and enjoy the scenery.

From this vantage point, the entire panorama of Mount Siguniang unfolded before Lü Yao and Hu Xiaoyu.

Four mountain peaks stand in a row before you, with the highest peak, Yaomei Peak, shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, resembling a cold and aloof woman looking down upon the world from the sky.

Behind these four mountain peaks lies a clear, unblemished blue sky.

Although the spectacular sunrise over the snow-capped mountains hasn't yet occurred, the snow-capped peaks and azure sky are still breathtaking.

Even the rolling hills in front of the snow-capped mountains, covered with withered yellow grass, are exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

It was already quite late when Lü Yao and his group set off. By the time they overcame numerous obstacles and arrived here, and set up a makeshift campsite, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.

Around four o'clock, the originally bright and clear sunlight gradually weakened, and the originally azure sky began to darken, turning into a more saturated and richer blue.

As the sunlight gradually warmed, it began to cast golden rays, making the already withered yellow hillsides and grasslands even warmer yellow, and even faintly tinged with golden red.

Upon seeing this scene, Lü Yao couldn't help but take out his camera, wanting to capture it.

Hu Xiaoyu was brewing tea and preparing snacks nearby.

After 5 p.m., the golden glow from the setting sun became increasingly intense, and the four originally snow-white and pristine mountain peaks gradually turned golden-red. By almost 6 p.m., the originally snow-capped mountains had almost turned completely golden.

It was a color even more breathtaking than the color of gold.

Golden light streamed down the mountain ridges, creating a striking contrast with the snow-capped mountains below, which gradually darkened.

Nature's artistry was on full display at this moment.

Before coming here, Lü Yao had actually seen the spectacular sight of the sun illuminating the golden mountains online.

However, "what you learn online is never as good as what you get online." Seeing such natural wonders online and witnessing them in person are completely different experiences, especially at this time of evening, when every minute of Mount Siguniang seems to be changing.

The magnificent scenery can indeed inspire many thoughts that one would not normally have. If one is quick-witted, it is not impossible to have a sudden realization.

Those who come here from the city will most likely realize one thing—they were originally players in this world, not beasts of burden born to be ordered around.

Lu Yao shifted his gaze from the camera and stared at the spectacular scenery in the distance with his own eyes.

At this moment, no matter how expensive the equipment is, it cannot compare to the power of the eyes.

"It's so beautiful."

Lü Yao sighed.

Hu Xiaoyu also stepped out from under the canopy, stood in front of the camera lens, and opened her arms as if to embrace the magnificent scenery in the distance. She also said softly, "Yes, it's really beautiful."

A moment later, against the backdrop of the golden mountains bathed in sunlight, Hu Xiaoyu turned to look at Lü Yao and said, "Lü Yao, help me take out a wooden box from my bag."

Lü Yao nodded: "Okay."

He opened Hu Xiaoyu's bag and immediately saw a large lacquer box inside.

Holding the box, Lü Yao approached Hu Xiaoyu and handed it to her, saying, "Here you go."

But Hu Xiaoyu didn't take it. Instead, he put his hands behind his back, smiled, and looked at Lü Yao, saying, "You open it."

suddenly.

A strange realization dawned on Lü Yao's mind...

This box...

This square shape...

Could that be it?

"Boom boom boom!"

Lu Yao's heart suddenly started pounding, so violently that he felt like someone was drumming on his eardrums, and his rapidly rising blood pressure even made his vision a little blurry.

He could hardly believe it, but deep down he also felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Seeing Lü Yao in a daze, Hu Xiaoyu chuckled and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you stunned?"

Lu Yao snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and then opened the large lacquer box in his hand.

As the wooden box slowly opened, a golden ray of light came into view.

The shape of the circle and its golden luster confirmed Lü Yao's guess; it really was a ring.

Lu Yao suddenly felt a dryness in his throat.

He looked up, hoping to get an explanation from Hu Xiaoyu.

But Hu Xiaoyu didn't explain. Instead, she smiled and extended her left hand, which had been tucked behind her back, and said, "Alright, I'm willing."

Lü Yao: "..."

He wasn't speechless.

Rather, it was because his inner emotions and thoughts were too turbulent that they blocked his voice. In fact, at this moment, Lü Yao was more eager to say something than ever before.

But Hu Xiaoyu didn't give him a chance to speak, and just urged with a smile, "Put it on for me, I'm already willing, you can't refuse me, can you?"

Lu Yao looked at Hu Xiaoyu's hand, and then at the ring on his hand.

When a girl goes to such lengths for you, how could you possibly refuse? At this moment, you should let your impulses guide your actions.

So Lü Yao took out the ring from the large lacquered wooden box and slowly put it on Hu Xiaoyu's finger.

Once the ring was on Hu Xiaoyu's left ring finger, she raised it towards the direction of Mount Siguniang. The brilliant golden-red sunset fell on the ring, reflecting light even more dazzlingly than the golden light on Mount Siguniang.

Hu Xiaoyu withdrew his hand and said, "Although there was no matchmaker's words, no parental consent, and not even a proper wedding ceremony, here, the sacred mountain serves as a witness."

In Hu Xiaoyu's solemn and sacred voice, Lü Yao saw Hu Xiaoyu turn her head to look at him.

she says:

“Lü Yao”.

"I'm marrying you."

(End of this chapter)