Green, Green, Green Forest

Zhao Qing had always wanted to travel.

She was drawn to the kind of long journey that could slow her heartbeat, far more than ticking off tourist attractions on an itinerary.

But life kept piling new burdens on her, disrupting every impulse to set off.

At last, she picked up her backpack and went first to the familiar Longhu Mountain, only to discover that even amid the crowds, she still couldn't quiet her mind.

The scenery along the way was like pane after pane of glass, reflecting her rushed trips of the past: hurrying from place to place, taking photos, then heading home. The happiness had been as brief as a gust of wind.

It wasn't until she stood on the ridge of Wugong Mountain, with a sea of clouds surging beneath her and the wind clearing her breath, that things changed.

In that moment, she no longer wanted to look at a schedule or race against herself.

She simply walked, feeling even the weight on her back grow lighter.

Reader's guide:

1. Zhao Qing is the protagonist of this story and also a character in Seven Days. She's from Jiangxi and works in Shanghai.

2. I plan to write a collection of short stories featuring keywords like hiking and nature. Short stories are easier to handle than a long web novel, and the protagonists of each story will be characters from Seven Days.

3. I recommend reading the long-form novels by the same author, next door: Nature's Downfall and The Road at Dawn. Highly recommended.

Theme: Travel and nature