Jiang Cheng replied, "We've spent more time apart than together. From what you said earlier, your mother influenced you a lot."
After saying that, Jiang Cheng naturally turned and reached a hand toward Huang Yuqi.
The path between North-11 Tower and North-12 Tower was extremely steep.
One section felt almost vertical, with a slope reaching ninety degrees.
Climbing up this stretch had already felt risky; going down demanded even more caution.
Jiang Cheng descended a few steps first, then looked back, his eyes full of concern and gentleness.
Throughout the descent, he kept every one of Huang Yuqi's movements in sight.
When she nearly missed a step, Jiang Cheng quickly steadied her and asked with concern, "You okay?"
Huang Yuqi shook her head, cheeks flushed, and gave him a grateful look.
"Take it easy, go slowly."
Seeing Huang Yuqi place her hand in his, Jiang Cheng promptly moved it to the railings on either side.
She had assumed he meant to hold her hand all the way down and was about to warn him how dangerous that would be.
Instead, he set her hands on the railings, signaling her to grip them for safety.
The thoughtful gesture swept through her heart like a warm spring breeze, stirring subtle ripples inside her.
Watching Jiang Cheng's back, Huang Yuqi couldn't help but curve her lips in a faint smile.
She wondered why she was smiling like that.
She had always believed she would admire people whose personalities and goals matched her own.
Yet, among everyone she'd met so far, only Zheng Qiu had stayed, the rest merely passing strangers.
Some of them were male teachers, but most couldn't persevere for long.
Today, in her conversation with Jiang Cheng, she seemed to glimpse the openness and sincerity inside him.
Though on the surface they walked different roads, their destinations were the same.
That realization gave Huang Yuqi a strange feeling.
To someone afraid of heights, this descent might leave their legs trembling, but to her, used to mountain paths, the slope was nothing.
Still, she said nothing, feeling conflicted inside.
She didn't want to appear weak before Jiang Cheng, yet didn't want to reject his kindness right now.
Huang Yuqi took a deep breath and continued, "When I was little I thought life was really hard—no father, no mother; I had to solve every study problem myself. My grandma lived on subsistence allowances plus the little my mom sent each month, so I grew rebellious. My relationship with her wasn't good."
Her voice dropped, as though suppressing something.
Jiang Cheng glanced at her in surprise; he could sense the pain and conflict within her.
He asked, "So you only understood after you grew up?"
Huang Yuqi nodded slightly, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"You had a rebellious phase??"
Seeing his puzzlement, she grinned, showing two cute little fangs. "What, can't tell?"
Her appearance was so pure she looked the perfect obedient girl at first glance—nothing like the word rebel.
The two concepts simply didn't connect.
Jiang Cheng couldn't help laughing. "Sure can't. You look like the kind who buries her head in books all day."
Huang Yuqi went on, "When I was little, what I asked my mom most was: 'Why don't you come back to work in the capital?'"
"My grandma kept saying Mom went to teach in the countryside to enjoy the 'Three Supports and One Assistance' policy; after a few years she could come back and take the civil-service exam more easily. But Mom stayed for years—she forgot her original purpose, even forgot she had a daughter at home..."
"I was still small, she was never home, no one could control me. In my first year of middle school I stopped studying, skipped classes for internet cafés, wouldn't listen. When Mom found out, she hurriedly asked for leave and took me to where she worked."
Jiang Cheng asked curiously, "How did you feel when you got there?"
Huang Yuqi recalled, "Conditions were poor, but I remember there were more volunteer teachers than now, and more students—though the environment was even worse."
"I thought my life was already hard, until I saw their desks, their classroom, their meals; only then did I realize how blessed I was in the capital."
Jiang Cheng sighed, "Thank goodness your mom took you there. Action and environment really are the best education."
He felt Huang Yuqi's mom resembled his own mother's teaching methods.
Whenever the neighbor's naughty child got a beating, Li Yan would immediately open the door and let Jiang Cheng go out to watch the scene, indirectly warning him.
Huang Yuqi nodded. "From then on, I studied hard and never skipped class again. Actually, my rebellion came from deep insecurity."
"Mom was often away, and relatives kept telling me she must have another child outside, that's why she wouldn't come home."
"Though I didn't want to believe it, the facts were there—she rarely came back, even finding excuses to delay during winter and summer breaks."
Jiang Cheng sighed softly. "That's how teaching is, especially in volunteer posts—many things can extend the stay."
Huang Yuqi continued, "Yes, only after I went to her workplace did it dawn on me. I still remember the scene vividly; the impact is etched in my memory."
"When Mom returned to school, the kids from the mountains cheered as if their real mother had come home. Seeing that, I felt moved yet a little jealous."
"At first I was still unhappy, feeling my mom had been snatched away, but once I saw the learning environment and the family conditions of kids my age..."
"I finally realized Mom wasn't the irresponsible person gossip painted her to be; on the contrary, her sense of duty was so strong she had to sacrifice me to help more people."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "Nothing in this world can be perfect. Fortunately, you understood her; otherwise it would have become a tragic tale."
"Right. After staying half a month, I forgave her. I went back to the capital, and that experience made me grow up, because I wanted to be like Mom. She'd started out for material gain, but there she found what her heart truly wanted to do."
Jiang Cheng replied, "Few people find something they both want to do and can stick with. In another sense, your mom has lived freely her whole life."
His words pierced straight into Huang Yuqi's heart like a sharp sword.
"Exactly. Though she's been misunderstood all her life—even Grandma kept cursing her—she never tried to defend herself. As you said, she's free, her soul is strong; she's the person I admire."
Jiang Cheng never imagined he'd discuss such deep topics on the Great Wall with someone he'd only met a few times.
Most people nowadays live either under their parents' expectations or in constant comparison with relatives.
Jiang Cheng answered sincerely, "Anyone who can ignore those around them and stay true to themselves is truly strong inside."