"Mor... morning exercise?" Jiang Churan's mind didn't process it for a moment.
Mainly because Jiang Cheng sat up and stretched his back, looking like he really was about to exercise.
Subconsciously, she didn't think in that direction.
"Going for a run? That... that's fine... Oh right, didn't that property manager say last time that the air in Zizhu Park is especially good in the morning, with lots of greenery, and it's very suitable for morning exercise? Should we try going there? I haven't been yet."
Looking at the innocent expectation in Jiang Churan's eyes, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.
His fingertips brushed her cheek, which was slightly flushed from just waking up.
"No need for all that trouble."
His gaze drifted meaningfully toward the bright scenery outside the window.
"Doing... exercise against the morning light by the window is the same. The view... might be even better."
"By the window..." Jiang Churan first looked blankly toward the sun-drenched floor-to-ceiling window, following his gaze.
Immediately, the images and realizations from last night crashed into her mind!
"Ah!" She let out a short cry, her entire face instantly turning bright red, even her neck flushing pink.
"You... don't! Aren't you tired?"
Tired? That didn't exist.
Brother Cheng is super fierce, okay?
A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng began to lie in Jiang Churan's arms.
He was still muttering: "This is the legendary lactose intolerance. What should I do, Churan? I'm a bit dizzy."
Jiang Churan let out a muffled groan.
"Oh, give it a rest. You're dizzy but still so strong? Quickly, let go of my leg..."
"Ah, why let go? Weren't you going to show me your modern dance skills? Speaking of which, I'm a bit curious what's hidden in the middle of a split?"
"Ah, don't look! I hate you!!"
Over an hour later, Jiang Churan didn't dare stay in the apartment any longer. Even though Jiang Cheng told her to rest for a day and not go to dance practice, the Girl wouldn't agree.
She used to think dance practice was quite tiring, but now it seemed that practicing dance was a bit easier than keeping Jiang Cheng company.
After Jiang Churan left, Jiang Cheng didn't stay at Renji Mountain Villa either.
More than two hours later, Jiang Cheng followed his grandfather in a car to an inconspicuous fork in the road.
After getting out of the red flag car, Jiang Cheng wanted to support him, but his grandfather waved his hand to indicate it wasn't necessary.
Then he reached out to straighten the dark gray Zhongshan suit he was wearing.
"Master, this road... let the Young Master support you." Chen Ping looked at the slippery mountain path with some hesitation.
"What, afraid this old man will fall?" His grandfather smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deep as the ravines of time, and waved his hand again. "Back then, I walked paths a hundred times harder than this. Let's go, Jiang Cheng."
Seeing his grandfather's solemn expression, Jiang Cheng didn't try to persuade him, just followed quietly half a step behind.
After all, he possessed the Danger Perception Skill, so there was no need to worry about any accidents.
The mountain path wound upward, the air crisp and mixed with the unique scent of soil, decaying leaves, and pine needles.
After walking for about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up to a gentle slope backed by green mountains and facing a wide valley.
There were no orderly tombstones on the slope, only a dozen or so inconspicuous bluish-gray stone mounds slightly raised from the ground.
In front of each "stone mound" stood a natural stone that hadn't been finely polished, with simple names and dates of birth and death written in vigorous strokes.
This wasn't a public cemetery, nor was it any numbered memorial site.
After passing several stone markers, his grandfather stopped in front of one stone mound.
The stone was carved with: "Li Dashan, 1921-1995".
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng looked at his grandfather; clearly, the owner of this grave was the person his grandfather came to see today.
After staring for a moment, his grandfather took a cloth bag from the attendant following behind.
Squatting on the ground to spread out the cloth bag, he took out two small wine cups, a bottle of Erguotou, and a small bag of peanuts.
After setting them out, he waved his hand at Chen Ping and the others.
Seeing Chen Ping lead the people to stand scattered to the side, his grandfather then slowly filled two cups of wine, pouring one lightly in front of the stone and picking up the other himself, though he didn't drink it immediately.
His voice sounded a bit airy in the mountain wind: "Old Li, I've come to see you again. The kids at home are all doing well. That eldest grandson of yours was promoted to deputy regimental commander last year; he didn't let you down."
After saying that, his grandfather took a sip of the wine.
The burning liquid went down his throat, seemingly stirring up some of his fiery memories.
He frowned for a moment as he drank, then beckoned Jiang Cheng forward.
"Jiang Cheng, come here. Bow to your Grandpa Li. In the 90s on the border front, he braved artillery fire to carry your wounded Eldest Uncle out of a shell crater on his back, though in the end, both he and your Eldest Uncle..."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng roughly understood what had happened.
Even though the person didn't survive after being rescued, how many people would risk their lives to save others in the face of life and death?
Jiang Cheng instantly became solemn and bowed deeply three times to the simple stone mound.
Resting under this quiet slope were the true backbones who had lived through the eras of war and construction.
After paying his respects, he took Jiang Cheng to bow at each tombstone one by one.
It took over half an hour to finish paying respects to each one.
Looking at the rows of tombstones, his grandfather let out a sigh.
Then he led Jiang Cheng to the edge of the slope, overlooking the vibrant valley below.
In the distance, the highway was like a ribbon; further away, the silhouette of a modern city loomed indistinctly in the mist.
"At home the other day, we paid respects to family; that's bloodline," his grandfather said slowly, his gaze distant. "The ones I brought you to see today are the backbone of the nation, the inheritance of spirit."
After saying that, he turned his head to look at his grandson, who was much taller than him, his eyes sharp and deep:
"Jiang Cheng, do you know what we faced in the nineties, during our hardest times?"
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and answered based on historical knowledge: "It was the Western blockade, the pain of industrial transformation, and being controlled by others in many key fields."