Chapter 368 Going up the Mountain (2/4)

Chapter 368 Going up the mountain (24)

The winter sunshine always makes people feel extra clean.

It's not as hot as summer, but the same dazzling light shines on the cheeks, leaving only a faint warmth.

Qiong's originally fair face looked even whiter and tender in the sunlight, reflecting a faint fluorescent light.

The big red scarf around her neck seemed to make her cheeks appear smaller.

She grabbed Tsukasa Aoki's hand, almost half of it hanging on his arm, like a chirping bird, with a sweet voice: "Why do Tsukasa want to go to the shrine?"

"Well, pray for blessings." Aokiji smiled and raised his head. Everything on the country road was a bit novel to him.

Moreover, it all gave him a strange feeling of déjà vu.

He didn't know where this feeling came from, but whenever he saw the paths on the street, the scattered houses, and the withered trees, he always felt as if he was in some movie scene. There was something he had seen before. But it was indeed a novelty experienced for the first time.

"What does Si want to pray for?" Qiong asked, seeing Si Aoki looking thoughtfully at the scene on the street, but saying nothing for a long time.

"Ah, I hope your health will get better soon, and I hope the people around me can be happy." Aokiji looked at her with a smile.

"Really? Then I will pray to make Si Neng happy." Qiong said with a smile: "I heard that generally, praying for yourself will have no effect, but if you sincerely pray for others, God will hear it. .”

"God?" Aokiji smiled hoarsely: "I hope so."

The two of them walked along the road in front of their house. The road to the shrine had to pass through deep forests and climb up the ridge. Aokiji had a hard time walking because of his muscle strain yesterday, not to mention Qiong who was already weak.

The two of them walked for half an hour, and Qiong was already so tired that he was covered in sweat.

But she remained stubbornly silent, holding Aoki Si's hand and walking. If Aoki Si hadn't been a little surprised as to why she hadn't spoken for a long time, he almost didn't realize that she was already so tired.

"Take a rest!" Aokiji and Qiong had already walked out of the village at this time. The deep path winded endlessly in the forest leading to the distance. Everything in the forest was very quiet, as if they had left the world and gone into seclusion. The leisurely feeling like a mountain forest made Aokiji feel open-minded, and all his worries temporarily disappeared.

Qiong gasped and nodded, his legs were weak and he sat on a stone chosen by Aoki Si.

Aokiji adjusted her scarf, rubbed Qiong's cheeks that were a little cold due to the cold wind, and then sat next to her: "Why didn't you say you were tired, idiot."

"I" Qiong's small face was half covered by the scarf. She pulled the scarf with a somewhat depressed expression: "It's nothing."

She had only been walking with Si for half an hour. She pursed her lips and lowered her head.

Aokiji put his hand on her forehead again: "Take a rest and don't force yourself. I'm too tired today so I won't go up."

"No, I'm fine!" Qiong shook his head hurriedly.

Seeing this, Aokiji didn't say much, he just straightened his legs, looked up at the blue sky, and breathed in the fresh air leisurely.

Qiong sat for a while and then stood up: "Shall we continue walking?"

Aokiji looked at her with concern: "Is it really okay?"

"Yeah!" She nodded heavily, and the two ponytails she tied before going out were swung behind her head, looking very cute.

Aokiji also stood up: "OK, it shouldn't be far away."

Along the way, Aokiji took the initiative to hold Qiong's hand, exerting a slight force and bearing part of her weight, making her walk easier.

But even so, Qiong was still covered in sweat and out of breath not long after walking.

Aokiji looked at the time on his phone and it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. He thought about it and suddenly stopped: "Hey, Qiong."

"Ah?" Qiong tried to calm his breathing.

Aokiji stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and suggested: "Let's play a game?"

"Suddenly. What game are you playing?" Qiong was a little confused.

"Rock, paper, scissors, if I lose, I will carry you up. If Qiong loses, he will pull me from the front. The time is five minutes." Aokiji's words made Qiong feel a bit bitter: "But... okay."

Qiong stretched out her hand nervously. To be honest, it was a little troublesome for her to walk by herself now. If she pulled Aoki Si after losing, she might really make a fool of herself.

She really didn't want Aokiji to feel like a burden.

However, it was rare that Si made a suggestion, and she couldn't bear to refute it.

So, she stretched out her hand: "Rock, scissors, paper!"

She held up two fingers.

And Aokiji stretched out his entire palm.

"I won!" Qiong smiled happily.

Aokiji looked frustrated: "Ah, I originally thought of stones."

"Hehe." Qiong smiled and stretched out his hand: "You can't cheat."

Aokiji turned around and squatted down: "Just five minutes! We will compete again in five minutes!"

Thinking that he would be able to calm down a little in five minutes, Qiong nodded and agreed, trotting and jumping onto Aoki Si's back.

"OK! Let's go!" Aokiji stood up with her firmly on his back.

Qiong's body is very light, like a feather.

She hugged Aokiji's neck tightly, rested her little head on his shoulder, and stared blankly at his side face from behind.

Aokiji didn't look tired at all, striding along the mountain road with Qiong on his back as fast as he could.

After only walking for about a minute or two, Qiong said in a low voice with some regret: "We're almost there, five minutes."

"It's only been two minutes. I won't be lazy, and you can't be lazy for a while either." Aokiji rejected her with a smile.

When Qiong heard this, she hugged his neck tighter: "Yeah."

After a while, let’s lose to Si on purpose, and punch slower.

Sure enough, Aokiji put her down after about five minutes. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her with a smile again: "Rock, scissors, paper!"

Qiong deliberately slowed down the speed of her attack, but strangely, Aokiji still put her hands in front of her at the same time.

"Ah, I lost again." Aokiji looked a little distressed: "I originally wanted to cheat a little bit."

It turns out that Si also wanted to punch slowly.

"Fouls don't count. Let's do it again." Qiong smiled and prepared to try again, but Aokiji shook his head: "No, I am willing to admit defeat. I am not a person who cannot afford to lose."

As he spoke, he squatted down again.

Five minutes later, Aokiji lost the game again.

"Eh?" Qiong looked at her hands in disbelief. She clearly saw that Aoki was using fists, so she planned to use scissors instead, but she didn't expect that the cloth in her hand had just turned into scissors. Si suddenly opened his fist, just in time, and lost again.

Aoki Si grimaced and squatted down again.

Qiong climbed onto his back thoughtfully.

After walking a few steps, Qiong put her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear: "Did Si do it on purpose?"

"What? Guessing? How can one lose on purpose? It all depends on luck." Aokiji denied it repeatedly.

Qiong just buried her head on his back.

After a long time, he finally said one sentence: "Have I become a dragster again?"

Aokiji stopped.

Qiong jumped off his back, her eyes slightly red: "Don't lie to me."

"Uh." When Aokiji saw her drooping look, he felt a little at a loss. He hurriedly knelt down, looked at her and said, "I'm just afraid that you are too tired."

"Sure enough, Si lost to me on purpose." Qiong lowered his head, put his hands behind his back, and bit his lower lip gently.

"Well, Qiong is as light as cotton, and it's not tiring to carry." As soon as Aokiji finished speaking, Qiong slowly stretched out his hand and put it on his forehead.

The cold hands wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

"big liar."

Qiong wrinkled his nose, held back his tears, and smiled: "Let's go together, I've really had enough rest, and being carried is not that comfortable."

Aokiji was slightly startled when he heard this. He was ready to coax her, but at this time he had to say quickly: "Ah, okay!"

He stood up, stretched out his hand, and took her little hand again.

"I just looked at the notice board and it was only a few hundred meters away." Aokiji encouraged: "Let's work hard and rest when we get to the shrine."

Qiong nodded quietly and walked side by side with him.

After a while, her small voice was particularly clear on the quiet road: "Sure enough."

"ah?"

"I am still"

"What?"

"I think Si is the best."

"Uh, yeah, really?"

"Si, Sai Gao!"

"It's a bit exaggerated."

"I like Si the most."

"I made a promise not to say these things casually."

"Hehe, but... I still like it."

"There's really nothing I can do about you."

The conversation between the two gradually faded away, and finally disappeared into the woods.