Our Secret

Journey to Northwest 2

"The roads ahead are getting rough, I think we should put on snow chains."

"Ah, professor! How experienced you are!" Let me do it, you must be tired. " Yunlan opened the door and said to Shen, "Its cold outside, stay in the car."

Shen ignored him and jumped down to help. Not only it was cold, but the wind was howling; the students were awake, the class captain came out to help with two others. Yunlan urged them to get back inside, "I don't need your help, get back inside. You'll catch a cold out here."

The two men quickly chained up the tires, and their fingers freeze very quickly as well. Yunlan looked afar, and saw the magnificent mountain range; the snowy mountain look as though they merged with the sky into one.

Shen pushed Yunlan inside the car.

"Ok, I can go back, but you have to wear this."

"I am ok!"
"Stop lying. Your lips trembled." Yunlan placed his jacket on Shen.
Shen tried to reject it with "I don't feel cold." But his body seemed like the warmth transferred to him.
"We'll reach the river village in one hour. Before reaching there, if you are freezing to death, the students will be upset. Especially the little girl. " He gave a flirtatious look and went inside the car, Shen followed him, Yunlan had been already in the driving seat. The students giggled, looking at the professor, especially the red-clothed female class captain. Shen let him drive as Yunlan got enough rest.

As they entered a glacial area, they stayed quiet and make sure not to honk without reason; beware of avalanches. The distant glaciers were getting closer, and from the top of the mountain a piercing glimmer shined out of nowhere, and quickly disappeared. The car moved slowly, and the chained tires dangerously trod through layers of snowfall. The endless cliff isn't faraway.

The glass windows were covered with mist, only the windshield that was cleaned by the wipers gave a clear view. And in the sheer whiteness nothing much can be seen other than the occasional rocks.

Finally, they reached the destination, a broken stone pillar written on it 'River Village' welcomed them. They took out the food and necessities and entered through the wooden gate; the village head came running and greeted them, lead them in the hall.

The students all giggle, something with reason, most of the time without logic. Cold weather normally numb people, but in their case it might dysfunction their brains. They helped the villagers preparing food, first they have amateur cooking skill, and totally unfamiliar with the weather and their style; so they are not much help.

In the middle of the village, in a black stone something were written in a familiar yet an uncommon letter. The style wasn't used today. "Rock, not yet old, but ravaged; water not yet cold, but frozen..."  Yunlan chanted the words loudly enough, though he certainly sure, he didn't know the alphabets, he can read it as if it was too familiar to forget...

"Body, not yet lived but dead; soul, not yet burnt but disappeared..." Yunlan heard Shen's voice; cold, calm, soothing. "You can read it!"

"Yeah, it's... it's kinda familiar. You also read it, don't you?" Yunlan didn't think much.

"Done my PhD on ancient manuscript. The language is almost four thousand years old." Shen was still surprised.

"May be seen in some magazine. What does it mean? it's too complicated."

They chatted about the ancient language a bit. The ridges wore a snowy clock, and lighted up the sky like a bacon. The sky darkened finally.

In the city, we have destruction after destruction; nowadays we live in destruction rather than a life, town, even small villages are affected by it. But here, in the snowy village near the mountain top, life remains untouched, natural and raw. Technology yet to ruin the raw beauty of nature. Here night comes with the promise of a disturb less sleep. According to the digital watch, it's past 8 p.m. The city's nightlife, yet to start; here, it's cold outside, the temperature continued dropping, the air is uncomfortably frigid and humid, all the village dwellers sound asleep. The area is unbelievably quite. Electricity isn't an option here, phone network isn't available;students scroll through the phone gallery and soon board on the already known pictures, they were going to sleep. . Yunlan and Shen laid on the same wooden platform, in their separate sleeping bags. Shen wasn't careful enough, he ended up in the upper level of a house with Zhao Yunlan. He tried reading a book with the help of the torch, soon realized the bright light might disturb the other's eyes in the small space. He set aside the book. The room filled with a spectacular shadow; the light was poor, came from the oil lamp on the ground floor, peek through the gap between the wooden slab and gave the loft a dramatic look. In the sensational shadow professor Shen felt Zhao Yunlan's intense gaze on him. The pervert rolled the cherry flavored lollipop from left to right, right to left in a way that seemed he doing some kind of mouth exercise. In the endless Shadow there isn't any particular color, scientifically you can't see even the actual black or white, everything is in a shade of gray; Shen saw the wet lips of Zhao, seductively red.