CH 14

Editor: Zoey0001

Ning You had various vague ideas regarding Li Mu. 

Perhaps his career didn’t go well and his business failed, so he wanted to retreat to the mountain.

Or maybe he was emotionally frustrated and his family wrenched apart, so he wanted to escape from the world.

But none of these speculations can stand up to scrutiny, because Li Mu uses La Marzocco’s coffee machine and drives a Ford Raptor worth hundreds of thousands, no matter how he looks at it, he doesn’t appear like a loser.

One vague speculation gradually became concrete. When Ning You ruled out all the impossible, there was only one possibility left——Li Mu’s family was well-off, and the reason why he came to be a forest ranger was purely because he was happy like this. 

Ning You originally did not expect Li Mu to answer personal questions, but Li Mu replied unprecedentedly: “For environmental protection, do you believe it?”

Judging from the tone of his words he didn’t seem to be joking, and there is no problem with the logic of his answer. However, the question at the end of the sentence puzzled Ning You.

“Why wouldn’t I believe it?” Ning You asked strangely.

“Because it’s ridiculous.” Li Mu looked straight ahead at the road, “Environmental protection is just a slogan in the eyes of most people.”

Ning You pondered slowly and understood the meaning behind Li Mu’s words.

When a person does one thing, the purpose of it often has the universal value of social identity. When a person’s motivation is “for mission” or “for glory”, it looks ridiculous, because society does not recognize these two values.

Li Mu said environmental protection is just a slogan, just like shallow missions and glory. Most people don’t take environmental protection to heart in their daily lives, let alone moving to remote border areas in order to guard a forest for the sake of environmental protection.

“I don’t find it ridiculous.” Ning You looked at Li Mu seriously and said, “I think you’re absolutely amazing.” 

Li Mu didn’t answer.

Ning You continued: “Our family donates to the Environmental Protection Foundation every year.”

As soon as the words fell, Li Mu laughed, Ning You taken aback, asked, “What’s so funny?”

“That’s why I said that environmental protection is just a slogan in the eyes of most people.” Li Mu faintly glanced at Ning You, “As long as mankind still has to develop, it is impossible to live in harmony with nature.” 

Ning You heard the subtext in Li Mu’s words – donating money does not equate being friendly to the environment.

Reluctantly he argued: “Of course human beings can live in harmony with nature. ”

“Then let me ask you——” Li Mu said.

Hearing these words, Ning You subconsciously tensed his back, because the last time they discussed civilization, Li Mu also began with the same line, so he was speechless when asked. 

“How can humans develop without exploiting natural resources?” Li Mu asked.

“Qf mjc vfnfibq ab j ilwlafv fzafca. “Rlcu Tbe rjlv.

“Ktf ilwla lr j pbxf. Gbfr la cba qbiieaf atf fcnlgbcwfca klatlc atf ilwla?”

“Pa kbc’a qbiieaf atja yjvis……” 

“Vb atf qgfwlrf bo fcnlgbcwfcaji qgbafmalbc lr ab cba tlcvfg wjcxlcv’r bkc vfnfibqwfca.” Ol Ze rajafv, “Cr ibcu jr atf lcafgfrar jgf lcnbinfv, ktb klii mjgf jybea fcnlgbcwfcaji qgbafmalbc.”

Ning You found that he really couldn’t beat Li Mu.

This person is really too transparent. Whether it is social norms or human development, he can always point to the nature of things with a straight shot, and Ning You can’t refute it.

“So you’re an environmentalist.” Ning You concluded. 

“No.” Li Mu said, “I will drive as usual when I need to drive, and I won’t stop you from using supermarket plastic bags. Like I said, the premise of environmental protection is not to conflict with human self-interest, so I do it on the premise of not making it too inconvenient for me.”

“……I understand.” Ning You looked at Li Mu thoughtfully, “You are physically doing something to contribute to environmental protection, but if environmental protection and your needs conflict, you will still put your own needs first.”

In short, an atypical environmentalist, not bound by dogmatism, and who does what he wants.

“That’s right.” Li Mu glanced at Ning You in surprise, he didn’t expect Ning You to understand so quickly. 

“But why?” Ning You added, “You must have an opportunity to do this.”

Li Mu didn’t want to talk deeply, but somehow he reached this point. Speaking of which, he’d never met anyone he could share his insights with in all the time he’d been away from home, so unexpectedly he confessed to Ning You, “Because my family business is very unfriendly to the environment.”

“Ah?” This answer exceeded Ning You’s expectation, “Then you haven’t considered making some changes?”

“How can I change it?” Li Mu said, “It’s not like I’m in charge of the company.” 

This is something that Ning You knows very well, he also has to listen to his parents’ arrangements in the company. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but ask Li Mu: “What does your family business do ah?”

This time Li Mu did not answer again.

Ning You knew that Li Mu didn’t like to talk about his personal affairs, so he did not continue to pry, but his understanding of Li Mu has deepened a bit – this person is not only transparent, but also very spontaneous, not used to seeing what his family business is doing, so he ran out on his own, doing his environmental protection business as he wished.

He has to say, it’s really a little bit cool. 

When he returned to the mountain, Li Mu did not go out again. He took out a long-handled axe from the place where the farm tools were placed, and chopped up firewood in the corner of the courtyard.

At first, Ning You thought it strange since an induction cooker and electric water heater were used in the cabin, and therefore there was no need to use firewood. After secretly observing for a while, he saw Li Mu comparing the length of the wood, and then he realized that it was used to build a shower room.

Obviously, working is a good way to vent your emotions. Ning You felt very calm watching Li Mu chop wood with an axe.

It didn’t take long before Li Mu took off his plaid shirt, leaving only a white vest on his upper body. 

Every time he swung the axe, the muscles on his back would be affected. His strong arms bulged and relaxed every time he cut hard.

Fine sweat trickled along his neck and heavy gasps escaped from his lips.

Ning You pretended to come to the kitchen to wash the cups, and poked out half of his head to peek at Li Mu. The picture in front of him coincides with his initial guess – there is a dirty and sexy lumberjack here.

No, no, no. 

Ning You quickly waved away this unrealistic imagination in his mind.

Li Mu is just plain dirty, how can he be linked to sexy?

After chopping the wood, Li Mu returned to the cabin and took his towel.

Ning You looked at the shiny cup in his hand and suddenly felt that it was not clean enough, so he came to the kitchen again and looked out of the window intentionally or unintentionally. 

However, the expected picture did not appear. Li Mu didn’t take a shower, but he simply cleaned himself with a towel.

An inexplicable disappointment rushed into his heart. Ning You took advantage of Li Mu’s entering the house and returned to the living room at the right time.

Dinner is still a simple home-cooked meal, Li Mu cooks and Ning You washes the dishes.

The temperature in Xinjiang dropped very quickly at night. Ning You took the clothes drying outside the house into the house and put them on a small bench to dry next to the heater. Except for the trousers, which are still a little wet, underwear and short sleeves are almost dry. 

Li Mu lazily leaning on the couch in the living room, while holding a book of “Postpartum Care For Cows”.

He didn’t reject the addition of another breathing creature in his home, because Ning You was very quiet and wouldn’t talk to him without anything to say, just lying on the side engrossed in his writing and drawing.

It’s just that…

Those two calves dangled one after the other is really easy to distract people. 

After a long time, Li Mu put down the book in his hand, looked at Ning You and asked, “What are you drawing?”

“A circuit diagram of your house.” Ning You lifted his head and looked at Li Mu, “I can help you optimise it.”

“Is that so.” Li Mu casually glanced at Ning You’s manuscript and didn’t take it too seriously.

“By the way.” Ning You added, “Can I have a glass of milk before I go to bed later?” 

Drinking milk before going to bed can help him fall asleep. Ning You remembers that morning when Li Mu took back a large bottle of processed fresh milk from elementary school.

“Are you a kid? “Li Mu looked at the book in his hand and casually ridiculed, “Go heat it up by yourself.”

After he finished speaking, he paused and added: “Don’t heat it directly in a pot, pour it in a cup and heat it through water.”

Before going to bed, Ning You drank a cup of mellow and rich hot milk. 

Xinjiang’s milk is really delicious, with a strong richness, and it brings full pleasure when drunk. It is better than any milk Ning You has ever tasted in other countries.

Finally washing a cup seriously, Ning You put on his dry underwear, turned off the light in the room at the entrance, and then trotted into the bed.

He wrapped the quilt on the left and right sides, and said to Li Mu in the dark: “Good night, Li Mu.”

The cabin was completely quiet, and after a while, Li Mu’s response came: “Good night.” 

Ning You soon fell asleep, not tossing and turning as he did last night. But after some time, he was awakened from his sleep by a sharp pain.

He clutched his stomach and shrank into a ball, with an ominous feeling in his heart. After gritting his teeth and persisting for a while, he really couldn’t bear it anymore. He got up from the bed and shook Li Mu’s arm vigorously.

“Li Mu, please wake up”

On the bed, Li Mu was sleeping soundly. He half-awake opened his eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, “What’s wrong?” 

“My stomach hurts.” Ning You said, “It should be the milk.”

Ning You has a slight lactose intolerance. His symptoms are amazing. If he drinks milk every day, his stomach will be fine, but if he doesn’t drink it every once in a while, he will most likely have diarrhoea when he drinks it again.

This time he only didn’t drink it only one day apart. After thinking about it, it should be that the fresh milk is very high in nutrients, which caused his stomach to be uncomfortable.

“Go outside and solve it.” Li Mu thought it was something urgent, and closed his eyes again as he said, “I don’t know anything.” 

“No!” Ning You shook Li Mu’s arm desperately, “Will you take me to the bathroom at the foot of the mountain?”

No one likes to be disturbed while sleeping. Li Mu frowned and propped up his upper body, and said to Ning You: “In essence, there is no difference between human faeces and animal faeces. By the next morning, your shit will be covered with fallen leaves, and you won’t remember where you went-”

“Shut the hell up!!!”

What shit is not shit, Ning You is going to get mad. 

Li Mu was taken aback by the roar, but he woke up a lot. He didn’t expect that the white swan would be fierce when he got angry, just like a big white goose with explosive combat effectiveness.

But after Ning You yelled, his tone softened again, and he said with a crying voice: “Li Mu, I beg you, take me to the foot of the mountain, okay? If you want me to relieve myself in the wild, you might as well let me die. ”

Li Mu simply felt outrageous, as for the fact that he was desperate for a bubble of shit?

Five minutes later, a pickup truck sped through the woods in the dark night, and the two lights were particularly standing out under the starry sky. 

Li Mu was really a little depressed. This was the most inexplicable time he used his precious gasoline —— sending the little fairy to the village to take a shit in the middle of the night.