Orange Storm chapter 28

Older Brother

At the beginning, a few people were still enthusiastic, chatting while climbing the mountain, discussing things about school. The recent gossip included someone from the neighboring class being caught in an early romance, others breaking up, quiz scores, and National Day assignments…

“The physics practice papers are too difficult. I did only half of one last night, and I’m starting to doubt if I’ve ever read a book,” Chen Yao complained to Jiang Xinxin with a troubled expression.

“How about I come over tomorrow, and we can do it together?” Jiang Xinxin, with a slightly flushed face from the climb, suggested. “But I haven’t finished it either. Probably only Tan Zhuo in our class has completed it; he’s exceptionally fast with homework.”

Chen Yao pursed her lips without saying anything. Xu Hang, who was ahead, overheard and immediately turned around, grumbling discontentedly, “Why mention him?”

Actually, Xu Hang had always found Tan Zhuo a bit neurotic, but he had never clashed with him before. The only time he was mocked, even though Fang Xing intervened and resolved the situation, Xu Hang still felt a bit uncomfortable thinking about it.

“Alright, we’re all classmates,” Jiang Xinxin habitually mediated. “Although Tan Zhuo’s personality may be challenging, he’s really smart.”

“Is he smarter than my desk mate?” Xu Hang draped his arm over Fang Xing’s shoulder. “My desk partner is the real academic overlord. Who was the top of the grade last time?”

Jiang Xinxin, perhaps trying to maintain a friendly atmosphere among classmates, continued, “Tan Zhuo’s family situation is not great. It seems like no one attended the parent-teacher meetings for him…”

A boy next to them casually interrupted, “I think Tan Zhuo only has his grandma and dad at home. I used to live in the same alley as him in elementary school.”

He scratched his head, recalled for a moment, and continued, “Anyway, I’ve never seen his mom. His dad seems pretty strict.”

Jiang Xinxin, sensing that discussing someone’s family background behind their back might not be appropriate, waved her hand and said, “Well, if you don’t like him, just avoid him. Don’t cause conflicts, it’s the last year after all.”

Xu Hang snorted, “I can’t be bothered with him,” then turned to Fang Xing and said, “Right, desk mate?”

Fang Xing thought for a moment and replied, “If he doesn’t provoke me.”

After all, Tan Zhuo currently disliked him, and he didn’t know what might happen in the future. Would it escalate to the point where he had to take action? After all, that guy seemed a bit mentally unstable.

Xu Hang looked at Fang Xing in shock, “Damn, desk mate, you’re quite something.”

Fang Xing had answered truthfully, but Xu Hang’s reaction made him feel like sighing. He could only ask, “How much farther do we have to go?”

“About forty more minutes,” Xu Hang replied.

It was said that there was a beautiful temple at the mountaintop, small and not well-known, but with excellent scenery. Generally, people climbing the mountain would visit and pray there. Xu Hang was determined to reach the summit, preparing to engage in some traditional superstitions for the next exam and future college entrance exams.

At this point, they had just reached halfway up the mountain. Chen Yao and Jiang Xinxin were visibly tired. When they rested at a pavilion halfway up the mountain, Chen Yao, while massaging her calves, shook her head with a troubled expression, “I can’t go on. My feet hurt a bit. You guys go ahead, I’ll wait here for you.”

She was wearing thin-soled canvas shoes, not suitable for mountain climbing. Jiang Xinxin sat beside her, looking towards Fang Xing and the others.

“How about you go up; I’ll stay here with Yao Yao and wait for you to come back down,” Jiang Xinxin suggested.

Fang Xing looked at them and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Xinxin smiled. “There are still quite a few people around.”

Indeed, there were many people resting in the pavilion, of all ages. It seemed safe, so Xu Hang didn’t insist, saying, “Just call us if you need anything.”

Seeing Jiang Xinxin nod, the group of boys continued their ascent.

After walking for a considerable amount of time, the number of people on the path decreased. Perhaps because the upper path was steeper, several people gave up. Initially, they were quite enthusiastic, chatting about sports, games, and other topics, but as they got tired, the frequency of their conversation decreased.

Once it quieted down, the changes in the surrounding environment became apparent. At some point, the morning sun disappeared, and the entire mountain became overcast. The mountain breeze felt cool. Fang Xing glanced up and saw thick clouds, and a dark gray area was spreading from not far away.

He furrowed his brows, took out his phone to check the weather, and said, “It might rain.”

“No way,” Xu Hang said in disbelief. “When I checked the weather yesterday, it said today would be fine.”

“Let’s hope so,” Fang Xing sighed internally. “It’s troublesome if it rains in the mountains.”

However, as if anticipating their fears, after walking for less than ten minutes, Fang Xing felt a coolness on his forehead as raindrops started to fall.

The next second, accompanied by distant thunder, raindrops the size of soybeans poured down.

This sudden rainstorm caught everyone off guard, with people climbing in both directions – some ascending, some descending – trying to find a nearby shelter.

The rain was fierce, and everyone’s clothes were instantly soaked. Without umbrellas, Xu Hang seemed a bit stunned, both hands protecting his head as he shouted, “What do we do?”

There was a pavilion quite a distance away, but now they were neither here nor there. Xu Hang shouted loudly, “Let’s go up to the pavilion. It’s probably not far.”

“Don’t go up,” Fang Xing shook his head. “Let’s go down.”

“That’s quite far—”

“We don’t know how long this rain will last. Going up is too dangerous,” Fang Xing said.

Although sudden thunderstorms generally didn’t last too long, maybe an hour or two, this rain was too heavy. Fang Xing worried that if they continued going up, there might be risks like landslides. It was better to take the chance now, while the rain hadn’t been falling for too long, to descend the mountain.

Fang Xing wasn’t talkative, but when he made decisions, he was convincing. The group immediately followed him downhill.

There were also many people on the way down, and because of the rain, the path was a bit slippery. No one dared to walk too fast, causing a bit of congestion. Xu Hang, soaked from head to toe, became a bit impatient, constantly looking ahead. After confirming that the thunder and lightning had subsided, Fang Xing patted him and said, “Call Jiang Xinxin.”

Only then did Xu Hang realize, immediately taking out his phone to make a call. It took a while for Jiang Xinxin to answer. She said the park staff were organizing them to descend, and they were almost at the foot of the mountain.

Xu Hang was completely soaked, his phone slippery in his hand. He shouted into the phone, “Okay, you guys go down first, take a taxi and leave. Don’t wait for us!”

They didn’t know when they could come down, and without guessing, they knew that Jiang Xinxin and the others were also drenched. It wouldn’t be right to let the two girls wait for them with wet clothes.

While Xu Hang was still on the phone, Fang Xing’s phone rang.

He took out his phone and glanced at it. It was Jiang Zhijin calling. Before his brain could fully process it, his hand had already swiped to answer, bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

Amidst the heavy rain noise, Jiang Zhijin’s voice sounded somewhat unclear from the other side.

“Still on the mountain?”

“Yeah,” Fang Xing answered. “It’s a bit congested.”

Jiang Zhijin said, “Be careful. I’m coming to find you.”

“Now?” Fang Xing was momentarily stunned. “Are you coming by car?”

“What else?” Jiang Zhijin seemed to chuckle. “Find a place to shelter from the rain. Don’t stand under a tree. I’ll be there soon.”

“…Understood. I have that basic knowledge,” Fang Xing said somewhat speechlessly, adding, “Drive slowly.”

The rain was too heavy; visibility might be a challenge even for driving.

“I know.” Jiang Zhijin replied without saying more and directly hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, the parents of several people had also called, asking if they were still on the mountain and if they needed a pick-up. Xu Hang shouted into the phone, “Of course, let Uncle Zhang come pick me up. Otherwise, your son might get stranded in the rain on the mountain.”

A few people, amidst the crowd and heavy rain, continued walking downhill. At first, Xu Hang tried to shield himself with his hands, but eventually, he gave up—it was pouring too heavily, and there was no chance.

Almost everyone was soaked through, and the guy who had discussed Tan Zhuo with them earlier couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn, this is just too unlucky.”

The guy next to him laughed, “The weather forecast is cursed.”

Despite the situation, the four of them had a good attitude. Among the complaining tourists, they stood out. After a while, they finally saw a pavilion, nearly occupied by people.

“Shall we go in?” Xu Hang sighed. “Or should we continue downhill? We’re already soaked anyway.”

During this time, Jiang Xinxin called, saying that she and Chen Yao had already left the park and asked if they should wait for them. The group of boys unanimously refused, telling them to go home first.

The four of them continued walking down, and Xu Hang lamented, “What a mess—”

Fang Xing remained silent, thinking about where Jiang Zhijin could be.

If he left home, it would probably take about forty minutes. Even if he drove fast, it would still take at least half an hour. But when he had called, the voice sounded a bit distant, as if using a Bluetooth headset; he should already be on his way.

Did he leave home as soon as it started raining?

Probably.

Thinking this, Fang Xing exhaled lightly.

Throughout the way down, there were staff evacuating and maintaining order in the scenic area. As they approached the foot of the mountain, Fang Xing’s phone rang again. Without hesitation, he answered the call.

“Hello.”

“You can’t enter the mountain anymore,” Jiang Zhijin said. “I’m waiting for you at the entrance.”

For some reason, Fang Xing felt a bit flustered. He subconsciously looked up at the distance and the crowd ahead, quickly calculating how much time he needed to reach the entrance.

“Probably another ten minutes.”

“Got it, I’ll wait for you,” Jiang Zhijin replied.

After hanging up the phone, there were still many people ahead and behind.

Fang Xing didn’t notice it before, but now he suddenly felt that the people in front were moving too slowly. It felt like they were moving at a turtle’s pace, making him almost want to shout at them to hurry up.

But in crowded places during rainy weather, for safety reasons, they had to move slowly. After about fifteen minutes, the four of them finally reached the entrance of the mountain.

Fang Xing immediately saw Jiang Zhijin.

He was now at the entrance, holding a black folding umbrella and carrying two neatly folded, unused ones, appearing to be new umbrellas prepared for them.

Since the car could only be parked in the parking lot, Jiang Zhijin had walked over. His pants were now soaked more than halfway, and water could be wrung out of them.

Fang Xing immediately walked towards him. Xu Hang and the others, not understanding the situation, quickly followed. When they arrived, Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin and found himself at a loss for words. Subconsciously, he said, “You—actually waiting for me at the parking lot would have been enough.”

“Then let you guys get rained on?” Jiang Zhijin looked at him as if he were an idiot, handing the two umbrellas to Xu Hang and the others.

It was only then that Fang Xing remembered to introduce them, raising his head and gesturing towards Xu Hang and the others.

“These are my classmates, and this is—”

He paused for a few seconds, weighing the matter of whether he should be beaten by Jiang Zhijin. After looking at Jiang Zhijin, he continued.

“My older brother, ge.”

Then he saw Jiang Zhijin’s lips curling up, a very obvious smile.

Damn.

Soaked through by heavy rain, feeling a chill all over his body, Fang Xing’s ears were inexplicably warm.