It was a usual morning. We planned to take a leisurely walk in Fuhuo Village, known as a land of idyllic beauty. However, the ending turned out to be fabulous.

    When we got to an intersection, Christine asked, “Which way?” Just then, a tour group arrived. We looked at each other, grinning. As they moved forward, we closely tagged along with them. We were a few meters away from the group, talking and laughing. The tour guide was just ahead, looking back from time to time. Finally, he could not resist the temptation and asked, “Are you members of Tianxing Outdoor?”

    “No,” Christine said. “You don’t need to wait for us. Please go ahead.”

    It was a quiet country lane. To the left, it was a green meadow. To the right, some crops, such as cabbages, sugarcane, ginger and so forth. A clear stream flowed gently, whispering its own melody. Birds were nowhere to been seen. Were they playing hide-and-seek, or looking for food somewhere?

    The road up the mountain was tough and steep. On a steep slope, a little boy moved down slowly with a string in his hand. His father, fearing for his son’s safety, stood nearby. An old lady with a walking stick in one hand and her granddaughter’s hand in the other walked serenely. While others walked along the mountain, several people rode up the mountain instead.

    We rested on the bank of a reservoir. While others were eating and drinking, we could only swallow our saliva. Hungry and thirsty, we could not help but say, “We ought to carry some food and water.” Hearing this, people beside us generously shared their food with us. How friendly they were!

    What lured us was the splendid golden leaves. Unfortunately, we missed the best time. However, this did not disappoint us. The leafless trees, winding roots, and a mirror-like lake were beautiful.

    On the way back, Christine played a piece of music.

    Then suddenly she said, “My heart is broken when I hear this song.”

    “Why?” I asked.

    “Because of the lyrics,” she said.

    “What’s the name of the song?” I asked.

    “A Bit Sad, A Bit Obsessed.” Saying this, she began to narrate her first love. She described every scene vividly, as if they were still in love. Listening to her story, I played the song, “If This Is Love.” Suddenly, I came up with a question — what makes you different from the past? We came to an agreement — love.

    We planned to be back home by noon, but we didn’t leave the mountain until just before dusk. We felt extremely happy when we got something hot to eat. Being happy seemed so easy.