Chapter 2: Glacier (5)

They walked along the winding path covered with snow, and no one spoke anymore. The sky was still dark, and they could only see the road not far ahead. They stepped on the snow and made a crisp sound. In addition, there was only the tiny sound of tiny ice breaking from the branches, and the surroundings were so quiet. Han Bin firmly pressed against Li Yuanfang's back, a little trance like clouds and mist, as if he was about to enter a dream again. He didn't know at the time that the impression of this morning was so profound that until many years later, he could recall this scene extremely clearly, and once again truly felt the warmth, firmness and strength that would be unforgettable for him.

The sky became brighter and brighter, but a faint mist rose in front of me, and the white mist became thicker and thicker. The road that could be seen farther away was soon covered with heavy white veil, and the road ahead was still vast. Because the snow was deep under their feet, they struggled to walk, one foot deep and the other shallow. Although the weather was biting cold, after more than an hour, Li Yuanfang and Di Jinghui were already sweating profusely. The exhaled water vapor mixed into the fog vapor, and the eyes became increasingly blurred.

"Well, how long will it take to get to the Yellow River bank?" Di Jinghui finally couldn't help but ask, "Is it that far from the Yellow River bank? We didn't take the wrong path, right?" Li Yuanfang shook his head and said, "The sun is behind us, and the direction is definitely the right one. It's just that the snow is hard to walk. We have been walking for so long, but we haven't walked too far. It will take about two hours to get there." "Ah?!" Di Jinghui shouted, "It's still so far! Take a break, I'll take a break." He threw his luggage on the ground with a thud. Li Yuanfang also stopped and put Han Bin down, and said, "It's okay to take a break, but you and I are sweating all over. It's cold to rest." He opened his bag, took out a few frozen Hu cakes, and handed them to Di Jinghui and Han Bin: "Let's have breakfast."

Everyone was hungry, but the Hu cake was dry and hard, which was really hard to swallow. Di Jinghui frowned and bitten a few bites, threw the Hu cake in his hand, and complained, "How good is it to have breakfast at the station before walking, can this thing be eaten?! It's a living suffering." Li Yuanfang said coldly, "Walking forward, I'm afraid that even such things will not be eaten easily." Di Jinghui said, "How is it possible? Don't scare me, I don't want to have such delicacies anymore. I'm afraid there is no such crude food." Li Yuanfang said, "She looked at Han Bin without saying a word, and found that he was also exhausted, so he walked to a big pine tree on the side of the road, grabbed a handful of snow from the branches, and handed it to Han Bin: "Bin'er, have you eaten snow? Try it."

"Ah?!" Han Bin curiously took the snow ball and held it to his mouth. It was cool and had no special smell. He opened his mouth and took a big bite, and immediately shouted: "It's so cold, so cold! Brother, my stomach is frozen!" Li Yuanfang smiled and said softly: "I like the smell of snow. When I was a child, I rarely drink water in the northwest and only eat snow." Di Jinghui also grabbed a handful of snow on the branches and put it into his mouth. Sure enough, there was a fragrance of plants, and the crisp ice foam, which was very refreshing to chew. Di Jinghui ate two bites in a row before he said enthusiastically: "I have heard of some elegant people who specialize in accumulating snow water on pine branches and plum blossoms to cook tea. It is said that the smell is elegant and distant, and it can especially complement the fragrance of tea."

Li Yuanfang glanced at him and said, "The northwest is dry, and eating snow in winter is to quench thirst, not as elegant as you said." Di Jinghui smiled and nodded: "Li Yuanfang, did you live a very comfortable life in the northwest when you were a child. When did you tell me what you do at home? How did you raise such a strange person like you? How did you get together with my father later?" Li Yuanfang frowned and whispered: "There is nothing to say." He patted Han Bin's shoulder: "Are you full? If you are full, just continue on your way."

After walking for a long time, the fog finally slowly dissipated. Although the sky was still gloomy, it was already very bright around it, and the mountains in the distance were clearly visible. The black and yellow ridges were dotted with pieces of gray snow and frost, which seemed both solemn and desolate. The road in front of us was still full of ups and downs, and there was still no end to see.

Li Yuanfang stopped and asked Han Bin to wipe the sweat beads dripping from his forehead. He looked around and said to himself, "It should be almost here." Di Jinghui also wiped his sweat and said, "We have been walking for three hours, it's already noon." Li Yuanfang nodded: "Yes, that's why I have to set off so early. I have to walk on the Yellow River for more than two hours. If you don't hurry up, it's time to get dark before you reach the other side." He thought for a while and said, "I guess you can see the Yellow River by turning over the hillside in front. Bin'er, do you want to be the first to see?"

"I want it!" Han Bin shouted. Li Yuanfang reached behind his neck, grabbed Han Bin's arms and lifted it up. Han Bin took the opportunity to ride on Li Yuanfang's shoulder. Li Yuanfang shouted: "Bin'er, look carefully, and tell us when you see the Yellow River." "Okay!"

So Li Yuanfang and Di Jinghui accelerated their pace and climbed the hill in front of them. Han Bin opened his eyes wide and tried hard to search forward. Just as he climbed to the highest point of the hill, a winding "road" suddenly appeared among the mountains, suddenly separated the surrounding mountains like a knife and axe. The cloudy sky covered the entire mountain. The only thing in the dim and desolate world was this magnificent "road" shining with deep and strict silver light!

Han Bin was stunned for a moment, then shouted: "Brother! I saw it, I saw a big road! It's shining!" Li Yuanfang replied with a smile: "Little fool! What kind of shining road is the Yellow River!" "Ah?!" Han Bin stretched his neck forward desperately, and finally understood that the Yellow River was right in front of him, but at this moment, the Yellow River did not have the yellow waves mixed with mud and sand, nor the surging waves, but only the plain and wide ice surface quietly spread out under the sky.

As they walked down the hillside, they arrived at the shore in a short while. From a near distance, the ice surface was not as flat as the distance, but instead had undulating textures. The ice icicles on the shore were stacked with crisscrossed dogs and teeth, and the shape was very ferocious. The temperature here seemed to be lower than elsewhere, and there was no trace of people around them. There were only these three people on the entire shore within their eyes, as if they were abandoned by the whole world.

Di Jinghui looked around and smiled and said, "It's so quiet here. Why are we three crossing the river?" Li Yuanfang replied lightly, "Today is New Year's Eve." Di Jinghui was stunned: "Oh, I forgot. Tomorrow is Yuanzheng in the third year of Shengli. Yes, besides the exiles who were forced to be helpless, who would come to cross the river today? But it's good that during this festival, it's rare to be able to get close to this extraordinary glacial scenery." Li Yuanfang looked up at the sky and frowned and said, "The weather is not good, it seems that there will be wind and snow." He thought for a while, and then said, "Hurry up, I guess the wind and snow are not coming so quickly. We just need to cross the other side before the evening."
Chapter completed!