After the divorce, he went on a motorcycle trip, and his ex-wife and daughter were filled with regre

After finishing the meal.

Jiang Ye put away the complicated thoughts about the past in his mind and went to the front desk to pay the bill.

The two stepped out of the restaurant. The afternoon sun shone brightly, its gentle rays carrying the freshness and warmth unique to the mountains. After a satisfying meal, a lazy yet pleasant feeling washed over them, making every cell in their bodies feel comfortable.

"Where to this afternoon?" Xia Yu stretched, her beautiful curves displayed in the sunlight.

"Let's take a motorcycle ride around the area."

Jiang Ye pointed to the BMW motorcycle parked in the inn's courtyard, "The scenery around here is nice. Let's drive along the lakeside road, enjoy the breeze, and digest our food."

Xia Yu nodded and readily agreed.

The two had just stepped into the yard and were about to get their helmets when they encountered Yu Changfeng.

"Hey, you two, finished eating?" Yu Changfeng greeted them with a smile. "Where are you planning to go for a stroll this afternoon?"

"Just wander around, go for a bike ride around the area." Jiang Ye walked over and handed Yu Changfeng a cigarette.

Yu Changfeng took the cigarette, lit it, took a puff, exhaled a puff of smoke, and then, as if remembering something, pointed towards the direction of the mountain behind the inn and said:

"Just riding along the lake is boring. If you really want to see something different, I recommend a place."

There is a temple about 20 miles from here.

Yu Changfeng's eyes held a hint of mystery and awe. "It's called Gedang Temple."

"Gedang Temple?" Jiang Ye and Xia Yu exchanged a glance; neither of them had ever heard of this name.

"Yes, Gedang Temple."

Yu Changfeng nodded, his tone becoming somewhat serious. "Don't let the unassuming name fool you; this is a grand monastery hidden deep in the mountains. In terms of scale and heritage, it's comparable to Labrang Monastery, ranking among the top in the entire Tibetan region and the surrounding area. That place hasn't been commercially developed; most of the visitors are genuine ascetics and devout pilgrims. It's definitely worth a visit."

Hearing Yu Changfeng's high praise, Jiang Ye and Xia Yu immediately became interested.

"Okay, let's go there this afternoon." Jiang Ye readily agreed.

Yu Changfeng suddenly lowered his voice and gave a special instruction.

"But we need to be careful."

"The road to Gedang Monastery is difficult to travel, with a wide river in between. When you get to the river by bicycle, be sure not to miss the ferry."

"A ferry boat?"

Xia Yu blinked curiously. "These days, there are still ferry boats? Haven't they built a bridge?"

"Not fixed."

Yu Changfeng shook his head. "That place is too remote, and the geological structure is too complex, making it too expensive to build a bridge. So we've always relied on ferries to cross the river. If you miss that ferry, you'll have to go around two whole mountains and walk dozens of kilometers on a roundabout route to get to Gedang Temple."

"Remember, it's under that big old locust tree by the river bend. Don't go the wrong way."

. . . . .

I said goodbye to Yu Changfeng.

The two set off.

Jiang Ye straddled the heavy motorcycle, turned the key, and the engine let out a deep and wild roar.

Xia Yu put on her helmet, skillfully climbed onto the back seat, and stretched out her hands to tightly wrap around Jiang Ye's strong waist.

"Hold on tight!"

Jiang Ye shouted and released the clutch. The motorcycle, like a wild horse, sped off along the dirt road in front of the inn into the depths of the mountains.

The wind whistled in my ears.

The scenery on both sides of the road rushed past.

What started as inns and farmland gradually transformed into dense primeval forests and steep cliffs.

The road conditions deteriorated, turning from paved asphalt into a bumpy gravel road.

The motorcycle bumped along, and Xia Yu could only press her body even closer to Jiang Ye's back, feeling the warmth and strength emanating from his body.

Following Yu Changfeng's directions, the two wandered around in the mountains for almost half an hour.

Because there were too many forks in the road, Jiang Ye had to stop several times and ask the local villagers who were herding sheep by the roadside for directions.

at last.

After crossing a small hill, a wide and emerald green river stretched out in front of them.

The river water is crystal clear and flows gently, reflecting the green mountains and blue sky and white clouds on both banks, making it as beautiful as a tranquil oil painting.

At the bend in the river, under an old locust tree that is as thick as several people could hug.

They finally found the ferry.

Jiang Ye parked his motorcycle on the open ground by the shore, took off his helmet, and walked over with Xia Yu.

Upon closer inspection, both of them were somewhat surprised.

This was not the kind of motorized metal ferry they had imagined.

It was a wooden oar boat!

The boat, made entirely of wood, looks quite old, with the planks covered in marks of time and water stains. A long wooden oar rests at both the bow and stern.

This is actually an ancient ferry that is rowed back and forth entirely by manpower!

At that moment, a young man was sitting at the bow of the boat.

He looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a faded blue coarse cloth jacket, his skin tanned dark and shiny by the high-altitude ultraviolet rays.

His features were deep-set, and his eyes were as clear as the unpolluted river in front of him.

Seeing Jiang Ye and Xia Yu approaching, the young man immediately stood up, revealing a simple, even somewhat shy smile.

"Are you going to cross the river to Gedang Monastery?" the young man asked in heavily accented Mandarin.

"Yes, to Gedang Monastery."

Jiang Ye nodded, pointed to the wooden boat, and asked, "Brother, is this boat going?"

"Come on, come on! Hurry up and get on!"

The young man greeted them warmly and quickly picked up a clean rag to carefully wipe the wooden seats in the cabin.

Jiang Ye helped Xia Yu carefully step onto the somewhat swaying wooden boat.

After the two were settled in the cabin.

The young man untied the rope, picked up the long wooden oar, and pushed off hard against the rocks on the shore.

The wooden boat slowly left the shore and sailed onto the wide river.

"Hey bro, how much does it cost to cross the river?"

As Jiang Ye spoke, he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

He saw that the young man was working hard rowing, and Yu Changfeng had also said that if they didn't row, they would have to take a detour of dozens of kilometers.

This is practically a monopoly business. Jiang Ye is prepared to give him fifty or one hundred yuan as a reward for his hard work.

He took out a red 100-yuan bill and handed it over.

Ready to pay.

However, the other party waved his hands repeatedly and even took a step back.

The young man's face turned red with anxiety. The other party refused to accept the money, his tone very firm, "It's free, brother, please take it! It's free!"

"Free?"

Jiang Ye froze, his hand holding the money hanging in mid-air. "How can this be? You make a living by physical labor, rowing such a big boat across the river, how can you not charge me?"

Xia Yu was also very surprised.

In this materialistic society where everything is about economic benefits, how can anyone be willing to do such a thankless and free job in this desolate wilderness?

"It's really free."

The young man, rowing the wooden oar, explained with a simple smile, "This river is too wide and the water is too deep. Many of the pilgrims going to Gedang Temple are elderly women and men. If they don't take a boat, they have to cross those two mountains and travel dozens of kilometers, which is so pitiful."

"I'm young and have plenty of strength, rowing a boat is nothing."