Chapter 131: The Scenery of My Hometown
After touring the temple structures on the mountain waist, the only thing left to visit at Wuzu Temple was the mountain-top walkway.
“There’s an old ancestral hall up there. After we finish climbing the mountain path, we can descend from the other side and go back,” Mei Fang explained.
“Oh… Do we still have to walk?”
Du Zihan was breathing heavily, “I can’t walk anymore. You guys go ahead.”
“Du Zihan, you need to exercise more. Otherwise, girls won’t like you like this.”
“Why do I need girls to like me…”
Du Zihan argued while standing up with a determined look, ready to join everyone.
“Ah, that’s too stubborn…”
Yue Xinyi felt a pang of sympathy for Du Zihan as he stood up under Peng Xue’s encouragement.
Lin You Xi had been in poor spirits all day, and Guo Yun often chatted with her.
“Class monitor, are you still able to walk? If you’re really tired, just rest here. I can stay with you.”
Lin You Xi shook her head, “It’s fine, I feel much better now.”
Guo Yun felt a wave of bitterness. Why was it so hard to find a good reason not to climb?
Climbing was indeed exhausting for someone who was overweight. Guo Yun and Du Zihan were left far behind before they had even climbed many steps. Guo Yun didn’t want to be a burden, so she tried her best to climb a few more steps.
“It’s okay, take your time!”
Xia Yuan came down the stairs to encourage Guo Yun, “Everyone will wait for you. Just go at your own pace.”
“Mmm…”
With Xia Yuan’s encouragement, Guo Yun regained some strength and managed to catch up.
The mountain-top walkway was winding. Everyone chatted and laughed as they climbed.
Peng Xue and Yue Xinyi were the most boisterous, always bickering over trivial matters. Usually, Peng Xue would provoke Yue Xinyi first, then circle around the duo of Yuan Xi.
Xia Yuan basically walked hand-in-hand with Lin You Xi, but occasionally she would approach Mei Fang, pointing out the scenery together and saying mischievous things. At these times, Zhang Ming nearby would tactfully step away.
Guo Yun and Du Zihan were in the third group, but due to their exhaustion, they gradually fell behind. Guo Yun caught up with Mei Fang’s group.
“Phew… We finally made it to the top!” Peng Xue stretched out her arms.
“Ah, is this the top already?”
Yue Xinyi wiped the sweat off her forehead, “I feel like we’re still halfway up…”
“You haven’t had enough yet? If you haven’t, run down and climb again!”
“I don’t want to! If you want to climb, you do it yourself.”
As Peng Xue and Yue Xinyi were arguing, they noticed Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin You Xi looking at the distant view from the platform, and both fell silent.
“Peng Xue, who do you think Mei Fang will choose?”
“Choose who? I can’t tell.”
Peng Xue shook her head, “But they’re such good friends, it feels cruel to talk about choosing.”
“They can’t choose no one, that would be weird.”
“What’s so weird about it… Choosing a third party to avoid hurting anyone isn’t impossible, right?”
“Are you saying you think you have a chance?”
Peng Xue chuckled, “Although I’d love to tease you, I don’t want to upset Yuan Yuan too much.”
She suddenly smiled gently, “Moreover, based on my understanding of Mei Fang, he won’t look at any other girl except those two.”
“That’s true.” Yue Xinyi nodded, “After all, they’ve known each other for almost ten years…”
Guo Yun listened to their conversation and couldn’t help but glance at Mei Fang’s tall figure.
Like her, a chubby girl with self-awareness, never had any inappropriate thoughts about Mei Fang.
However, Mei Fang was a special existence to her. He strengthened her determination to pursue her dream of painting.
If she could become a companion by Mei Fang’s side, it would surely be a beautiful thing.
But first, there were still many areas where she needed improvement…
Guo Yun clenched her sweaty, plump hands, and made a firm resolution she had never made before.
The scenery at the top of Wuzu Temple wasn’t particularly unique.
Straight ahead was a panoramic view of the temples with pavilions and terraces, and the tourists below looked like ants; to the west was a golden rapeseed field with a rural atmosphere, and to the east were rugged mountains stretching endlessly.
From the northwest corner, you could see the Yangtze River dividing the town into two parts.
Half of the buildings were low, and the other half were also low—
Baimei County didn’t have any iconic landmarks.
“I’m going to miss this place.”
Xia Yuan held Mei Fang’s arm and said, “Afang, you probably won’t come back here except during the New Year, right?”
“Probably.”
“Pancake beef noodles from Pan’s shop, small potatoes, grilled food at Cultural Square, and fried ice cream at Huangshang’s entrance—those will be hard to find, right?”
“You can eat them during the New Year, but the fried ice cream is seasonal… Only available in summer.”
“We can come back in summer.”
Lin You Xi tugged at Mei Fang’s sleeve, “Don’t say it like you won’t come back often. Baizhou City is so close, you can come whenever you want.”
“That’s right, I want to see Xiao Ya more often to keep our relationship strong.”
Lin You Xi nodded, “I agree. Xiao Ya needs more supervision than I do.”
“Mmm… That’s fine.”
Mei Fang smiled slightly and gazed at his hometown in the distance, muttering a song unconsciously.
“On the banks of the Yangtze River, here the future elites thrive…”
“To build the country, cultivate virtue, the rise of China is our responsibility…”
…
Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi stared at Mei Fang with strange looks, “This song sounds familiar. Is it the school anthem of our Experimental High School? I haven’t heard us having a school anthem.”
“It’s the school anthem of Baimei No. 1 High School,” Mei Fang smiled.
Lin You Xi looked surprised, “How did you learn that school’s anthem?”
“I hear it sometimes when passing by Baimei No. 1 High School, and I gradually learned it.”
“Afang is always great in unexpected places.”
Xia Yuan patted Mei Fang’s shoulder, then continued to enjoy the sunset scenery with Lin You Xi.
This is Baimei County, the hometown where Mei Fang has lived for two lifetimes.
It wasn’t a bustling place, nor was it particularly simple or hospitable. The locals weren’t particularly courteous, and there were still pickpockets on the buses. Buying clothes with acquaintances often meant being overcharged, and vegetables were always short-weighted. Money dropped on the ground was never found again.
But living twice gave him a deeper affection for his hometown.
In this choice, he experienced a significant turning point.
He gave up attending Baimei No. 1 High School, which meant severing most of his ties with Zhang Ming and other acquaintances from his past life.
There was a sense of reluctance and uncertainty about the future, even though he was now a millionaire businessman.
People naturally strive for greater heights, and nostalgia isn’t considered a positive trait.
But for Mei Fang, nostalgia was deeply ingrained in his character.
This was also why he valued the bond formed over time so highly.
Just as Du Zihan stumbled onto the mountaintop, Mei Fang turned around and looked at his childhood friends, whom he had met due to his past or present life’s connections.
“I guess everyone knows I’m making games now, right?”
“Ah, you’re making games? Developing games? I didn’t know.”
Mei Fang rolled his eyes at Zhang Ming, “Now you know, shut up and listen.”
“Okay.”
“My point is… I’m treating game development as my lifelong career. Yuan Yuan and You Xi already know this.”
Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi nodded silently in support.
“The purpose of telling everyone is if you’re interested in this field, I’d like to invite you all to develop games with me.”
“This way, even if we go to different places,天涯海角, we can still have common topics and maintain contact.”
…
Mei Fang expressed his feelings rather sentimentally. Due to the sudden surprise, everyone was momentarily speechless, but Xia Yuan led the applause.
“I’ll join! I’ll stay by Afang’s side and help him realize his dreams.”
“I’m the same.”
Lin You Xi patted Mei Fang’s arm and joined the applause.
Then everyone started clapping one after another.
“Let’s make games together. The last one we made was quite interesting,” Yue Xinyi nodded, “I’ll help write stuff when I have free time!”
“Besides making games, you can consider helping You Xi with other tasks.”
“Huh? What kind of tasks?”
“You Xi will tell you later.”
Peng Xue thought for a moment, “I don’t know what I can do with game development… But it sounds interesting. Can I just put my name on it without doing anything? I still want to do music like Yuan Yuan.”
“That’s fine, Yuan Yuan is already doing that.”
Xia Yuan nodded, “We might form a popular band in the future, right?”
“Oh oh! That sounds great! I want to join!”
Peng Xue was immediately attracted by Xia Yuan’s idea.
“I’ve been invited to help before… Anyway, I can help with drawing anytime.”
Guo Yun nodded vigorously, “As long as you don’t mind my work, I’ll definitely help.”
“Thanks! I’ll pay you later.”
“Huh? I don’t want money… Drawing is fun enough.”
“Then we’ll stay in touch.”
Mei Fang smiled at Guo Yun.
Zhang Ming and the confused Du Zihan were more impacted. Zhang Ming spoke first, “This is the first time I’ve heard you’re making games… What type?”
“Any type. If you’re interested, I’ll send you my current plan.”
Mei Fang thought for a moment, “But the science experimental class has heavy study pressure. I won’t force you.”
“Take a look, it’s fine. I find game development interesting. The stuff those planners make is terrible, the numbers are just garbage. Maybe mine are better.”
“You got me angry with that comment.”
Mei Fang patted Zhang Ming’s shoulder, “I’ll see what level of planning you can come up with.”
“…”
Du Zihan was very interested in what Mei Fang said, hesitating whether to speak.
“Um… Can I join too?”
“Ah.”
Mei Fang saw Du Zihan suddenly pause, nearly forgetting him. They had only met by chance, so he responded vaguely, “Sure, if you’re interested. But you need to pass the high school entrance exam first…”
“Uh-huh, not bragging, I play a lot of games, many and advanced!”
Du Zihan became excited as he took out his phone to show his scores.
“This is the most popular game ‘Early Bird’ right now. I’m the top player among our friends. Look at my score, aren’t I invincible?”
Du Zihan gradually regained his former arrogant demeanor.
When Xia Yuan saw the game screen on Du Zihan’s phone, she exclaimed in surprise:
“Hey, this game… Isn’t this the one you and You Xi made years ago? It’s so popular now!”
“Wow! I’ve played this game too…”
Peng Xue took the phone, incredulous, “You made this? You must have made a fortune, right?”
“It’s a free game, we didn’t earn much.”
Yue Xinyi nodded immediately, “Good! The game we made recently should sell for twenty dollars each! No, make it a hundred!”
Zhang Ming was furious, “Yue Xinyi! You’re obsessed with money. You’re the type who thinks about exploiting players for money, right?”
“Hey… There’s nothing wrong with making money!”
Whether it’s the scenery of one’s hometown or the people there, everything is constantly changing. No one waits for you in one place.
But if you can meet like-minded friends while striving forward, even if they don’t have outstanding talents or abilities, it’s still a joy to struggle together with trustworthy companions.
Although I delayed again, this chapter is 4000 words, which is a pleasant surprise!
The junior high school part ends here. The next part will begin with the high school story.
