Chapter 100 – Camping Trip (1)
Before the camping trip, Zhong Yuhuan had done some homework. She knew that there are many well-known camp grounds in England. Some were close to lakes, some have gardens, some were next to farmlands, and some were in mountains… most of them had became well visited locations.
What surprised her was that the location that the others had picked was not the well known Knight’s Camp, Hooks House Farm, or Middle Stone Farm… but somewhere located more remotely in the mountains.
The path there was a narrow mountain road.
As the caravan exited the freeway and entered into the mountainous path, Zhong Yuhuan woke up from the rattling of the car. Grabbing the jackets on her, she looked outside of the window and saw a thin layer of ice on the tree branches and a lake that was half frozen.
Winter in England was not as cold as it was back in Hai City. It rarely snowed here and even rare to have the low temperature it would require to freeze a lake.
The caravan stopped not too far from the lake, and everyone got out of their cars.
Maria pointed at a rope between two large trees and said in a low voice, “I was here last year. This was the hammock that I left here from last year.”
Someone couldn’t help but chuckle. “There’s no bed part anymore, now it’s just a rope between two trees.”
“We will just have to put a new one up tonight.”
Zhong Yuhuan, too, walked out of the car wrapped in the jackets.
Perhaps, because she just woke up from the nap, as soon as she walked out of the car, she couldn’t help but shiver from the cold. If she was still cold being wrapped in the jackets, then what about Huo Chengming and Li Jinyuan?
Zhong Yuhuan turned her head and looked at the two of them only to find the two young men standing straight up with no signs that they were cold at all.
“Aren’t you guys cold?” She couldn’t help but ask.
She hadn’t expected that they’d be here. Had she known, she would have dug out her winter coat and down jackets from the bottom of the suitcases.
“Not cold,” said Huo Chengming.
Li Jinyuan smiled and said as well, “Huanhuan still think of us as the fragile children once upon a time. We are not cold or hungry anymore. And we also don’t keep everything to ourselves anymore.”
Zhong Yuhuan smiled as she heard that, “Okay, good then.”
Huo Chengming, on the other hand, started taking off his sweater too for Zhong Yuhuan.
Zhong Yuhuan put her hand on his arm and stopped him, “There’s no need for that. I’ll warm up in a little bit.”
Huo Chengming’s arm froze, and he dared not move.
Li Jinyuan pretended that he hadn’t seen that. Smiling, he put one arm around Zhong Yuhuan’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “Walk next to me, Huanhuan. I’ll block the wind for you.”
Huo Chengming struggled free from Zhong Yuhuan’s hand and held her hand in his instead and said, without showing much emotion, “Yes, this way is better anyway.”
Having said that, the two of them flanked Zhong Yuhuan.
That’s how they have always been when they were attending school back in China – they’d flank her like two huge aspens on both sides of her, making her feel a sense of security. Thus, Zhong Yuhuan no longer felt that there’s anything wrong with their behavior. She walked obediently with them toward the lake.
She took a look at the lake first.
The sky was reflected on the lake, making it a clear blue color. The other half of the lake was frozen. The clear blue and the ice met halfway, making it indescribably pretty.
“It’s quite pretty here,” said Zhong Yuhuan.
“Heloise!” Maria called out behind her and said loudly, “Let me help you set up your tent!”
“Thank you, but we got it!” interrupted Huo Chengming.
Maria sighed and said, “Okay, then I will just chitchat with Heloise.” She snuggled up to Zhong Yuhuan as she sat down next to her.
Huo Chengming: “……”
Li Jinyuan: “……”