House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 407: Reaching The Summit

Lan Zhoukai was a bit dazed at first, then he felt a little moved. He turned to look for his own daughter. The little chubby girl was also drinking water nearby. She was exhausted, but her eyes were still bright. After drinking some water, her little face turned red, just like a little apple.

“Xin’er, look how thoughtful and caring Xixi is! You didn’t even think to share your water with Dad!” Lan Zhoukai panted as he playfully scolded.

Xixi turned her head toward Lan Xin, holding up her little hand, unsure of what to do.

“Xixi, you drink it yourself. Uncle has his own.” Lan Zhoukai remembered Xixi. He nodded at her affectionately and gave a gentle smile.

“Then I’ll give you some too!” Lan Xin didn’t think sharing water was a big deal and didn’t mind. She walked over confidently and handed her water bottle to her father.

Her tone seemed to say: What’s the big deal? Here, take it!

Lan Zhoukai didn’t mind either. He was deeply moved and pretended to take a few sips, though he actually covered the bottle with his hand and didn’t drink at all. He smacked his dry lips and sighed, “The water my daughter shares tastes the best!”

Yang Yi, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing that Lan Zhoukai hadn’t collapsed yet, he felt reassured. He took off his hiking backpack and started pulling out snacks—the pastries Xixi had mentioned earlier, as well as fruits like washed cherries, strawberries, and sliced apples and star fruit.

There were a lot of people, and the children loved his cooking, so Yang Yi had prepared quite a bit. After taking everything out, his long hiking bag deflated noticeably and became much lighter, leaving only a few bottles of water and Xixi’s clothes inside!

As he called out, all the children from the middle kindergarten class, along with their parents, gathered around.

However, to Yang Yi’s surprise, the children weren’t very interested in the pastries they had been looking forward to. Instead, the fresh, bright red cherries and strawberries caught their attention and became the most popular choice.

Perhaps they were too tired, and the sweet pastries didn’t appeal to them.

The adults, however, helped finish the remaining pastries, while the fruits were mostly devoured by the children.

At first, Lan Xin hesitated a little. Facing the delicious treats, she licked her lips and looked at Yang Yi. “Uncle Yang, but I haven’t reached the top of the mountain yet!”

Xixi had already started eating, holding a cherry in her left hand and a starfruit in her right. But upon hearing Lan Xin’s words, she quickly put the starfruit back. However, the cherry that was already in her mouth remained, her cheeks bulging as she chewed and mumbled, “Right, we haven’t reached the top yet—we can’t eat!”

Yang Luoqi, who could no longer climb and was happily admiring a beautiful strawberry, became conflicted. She looked at the strawberry in her hand reluctantly and said sadly, “But… I want to eat it…”

Yang Yi looked amusedly at Lan Xin, who was practically drooling. He rubbed her little head, and said to the children, “Go ahead and eat, it’s okay. Uncle was just joking earlier. You’ve already done great by making it this far! After eating, let’s keep climbing and see if we can push ourselves a little more to reach the top!”

At this moment, Lan Xin happily reached for the snacks she wanted to eat, and Yang Luoqi’s face lit up with joy. As for Chen Shiyun, the little girl had already started eating, her head almost buried in the food, not paying attention to anything else.

Xixi spat the cherry pit into the trash bag her father was holding. She tilted her little head up, her face wrapped in her windbreaker, showing an eager expression. “Papa, Papa, I’m going to climb to the top! I’m the best!”

Yang Yi had already forgotten what he had told his daughter earlier. He just smiled, patted her head, and said gently, “That’s right, keep it up!”

……

After a long period of rest, both the adults and children regained some energy and continued their climb toward the peak.

Just like before, at first, everyone was chatting and laughing, but before long, the little energy they had regained during the break was gradually drained. Soon, the only sound left in the group was the sound of heavy breathing.

After walking several hundred meters along the mountain path—where it was no longer steps—some children couldn’t hold on anymore. Yang Luoqi was carried by Yang Guo, exhausted and dozing off on her father’s back. Chen Guoqiang even came over to tease the little girl.

Yang Yi picked up Lan Xin, who also couldn’t walk anymore, and even helped Lan Zhoukai carry his “professional mountaineering equipment.”

“Give me some water, I can’t go on!” Lan Zhoukai panted, taking the water from Yang Yi and drinking while complaining, “I’m old. It’s only been a few years since I last hike, and now I can’t do it anymore!”

“Alright, alright, don’t push yourself too hard, take it easy,” Yang Yi said with a wry smile. “If you really can’t go on, you and Xin’er can wait here for us. We’ll come back after reaching the top, and we can all go down together!”

“No way, how can I give up?” Lan Zhoukai waved his hand, panting heavily. He looked at Lan Xin and said, “Xin’er, today Dad will show you that Dad is still very strong!”

Xixi was also panting, exhausted, but the little girl seemed inspired by Uncle Lan’s spirit, her small face tense with determination.

“Dad…” Lan Xin didn’t know what to say. She was so tired she could only snuggle in Uncle Yang Yi’s arms, but seeing her father show such unprecedented strength, she pressed her lips together and watched intently.

In order to take care of Lan Zhoukai, Yang Yi’s group slowed down.

However, slowing down was better than stopping. Along the way, quite a few parents and children couldn’t continue climbing. Not everyone could be like Yang Yi, carrying a four or five-year-old, chubby child while climbing a peak. Yang Guo and Yang Luoqi had to stop regretfully, following Teacher Cai to join the group that had stopped.

Yang Yi held the little chubby girl Lan Xin in one arm and supported the big chubby Lan Zhoukai with the other. He was actually the one working the hardest. Chen Guoqiang couldn’t help him either because he was now carrying Chen Shiyun up the mountain. Chen Shiyun had good stamina but couldn’t hold on anymore.

The father and daughter who were quarreling earlier seemed to have made up now. Chen Shiyun tightly hugged her father’s neck, listening to his heavy breathing as she rested on his back. Her tired eyes showed a deep sense of attachment.

Perhaps they didn’t know how to express their feelings, but at this moment, they should be able to feel the deep love between father and daughter, right?

The weight of Lan Zhoukai grew heavier and heavier, but he was still gritting his teeth and persevering. Even Yang Yi was struggling, starting to pant heavily despite his physical fitness.

In order to relieve the fatigue, Yang Yi, while panting, said to Xixi, “Xixi, Papa will teach you a phrase today, okay?”

Xixi had no energy left to speak. She clutched her father’s pants leg, struggling to trek forward. She only raised her head to look at her father.

“Better late than never!” Yang Yi looked ahead, enunciating each word clearly. “It means that it’s better to arrive late than never to arrive at all!”

“This applies to everything, including climbing a mountain. Once you choose to do something, even if you’re slow, you must strive to complete it. Reaching the summit, no matter how long it takes… Because at the summit, we’ll always be able to see further and enjoy the beautiful views that others who didn’t make it can’t!”

“Let me give you another example. Remember the story Papa told you before—the turtle and the hare? Even though the little turtle moved slowly, it still completed the race. But what happened to the rabbit? It gave up halfway and lost!”

It was uncertain whether Xixi understood, but Yang Yi could take comfort in seeing the determined look in his daughter’s tired little face.

“Don’t… don’t talk about giving up!” Lan Zhoukai was also struggling to persist, but remarkably, he could still squeeze out a few words.

“That’s right! Keep going!” Yang Yi shouted, encouraging them. Seeing the summit within sight, he called out, “Just a little more! Look, we’re almost there!”

It was just a small peak of over 600 meters… Yet these guys made it seem as difficult as if they were climbing Mount Everest. If word got out, people would surely laugh!

But in the end, Yang Yi, who watched the two chubby figures, one big and one small, reach the top of the mountain, felt a strong sense of pride. In fact, it was truly something to be proud of. Not many families made it to the top, let alone children! The others on the observation deck were all regular adult citizens who came to exercise.

Yang Yi first settled Lan Zhoukai onto a nearby seat on the observation deck to rest, then he carried the little girl, who was too tired to even hold her father, to the edge of the observation deck. He pointed at the winding mountain path and the dense forest below.

“Xixi, look! These are the mountain paths you just conquered. Look over here, isn’t the view especially beautiful?” Yang Yi happily said to his daughter.

The little girl gazed at the beautiful mountaintop scenery, her tired eyes slightly dazed. At this moment, she was too exhausted to speak. Held in her father’s arms, she could only look at her achievements and the well-deserved view. Whatever emotions were stirring inside her, Yang Yi couldn’t tell.

After drinking some water and regaining a bit of energy, Xixi looked up at her father with big, hopeful eyes and weakly said, “Papa… am I… am I the best?”

Yang Yi was moved. He pressed his forehead against his daughter’s forehead and said softly: “Today, Papa had to take care of Xin’er and her dad, so I couldn’t help you much. But Papa really didn’t expect that you would climb up here all by yourself through your own efforts. Papa can tell you! You are the best!”

The little girl’s tired and somewhat lifeless face finally broke into a joyful smile.