Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System-Chapter 75 - 74: Camping on the Starry Mountain Summit
Li Younan handled the contract and sent it to jk Long. jk Long confirmed that there were no issues, and Li Younan asked him to send the signed contract directly to his home, letting his mom pick it up.
After finishing these tasks, he continued his journey.
For Li Younan, Anhui is a very interesting province.
This province has a low sense of presence; when Li Younan thought about it suddenly, he couldn’t think of any iconic things from this province.
It’s like when you think of Sichuan, you think of pandas; when you think of Hainan, you think of beaches; when you think of Zhejiang, you think of West Lake. However, when you first hear the word "Anhui," you can’t even remember what their TV station’s logo looks like.
Yet, when you mention Huang Mountain, those elementary school lessons immediately come to mind, like Flying Peak, Monkey Watching the Sea of Clouds, Bright Summit, Greeting Pine. The descriptive phrases and the photographs are vivid in memory.
However, when you combine Huang Mountain and Anhui together, you’re stunned: "Oh, so Huang Mountain is in Anhui?"
After setting off from Ningbo, Li Younan did not rush, but walked and stopped at a leisurely pace.
During this time, he installed a customized mattress. This mattress is foldable; when not in use, it can be placed in a drawer under the trunk, without taking up space at all.
When about to leave Zhejiang, Li Younan also bought a folding small table and two chairs, folding them up and placing them in the trunk. At this time, his trunk contained a cassette stove, a table and chairs, and also a canopy for sunshade and rain, but it didn’t take up much space.
Some snacks and daily necessities were all placed in drawers, not only saving space but also preventing them from moving around and making noises in the car.
With such a neat and orderly car space, Li Younan felt very satisfied.
After a relaxed three-day, two-night journey, he finally arrived in Anhui. Upon entering Anhui, Li Younan didn’t rush straight to Huang Mountain, instead focusing on a place called Huangjian Starry Camping Site.
Huangjian is a town nestled among the mountains and forests, not a popular influencer check-in spot, but surprisingly niche.
Before heading in, Li Younan bought some supplies, mainly ingredients.
With the steering wheel in his hand, the road coming from Zhejiang was fairly smooth. The afternoon light slanted in through the car window, scorching his arm a bit. The Land Cruiser steadily climbed up the last section of the mountain road leading to Huangjian Town.
The cement road was narrow with many curves; caution was needed when meeting cars.
Li Younan wasn’t very skilled, so every time he met cars, he drove very slowly.
The mountains outside the window grew increasingly deep, the trees denser, the dust swirling in the beams of light.
Turning off the air conditioning, he rolled down the windows, and the mountain wind immediately rushed in, carrying a hint of the scent of plants, and the unceasing chirping of cicadas, wave after wave.
Upon entering the town, the area was not large, the houses rising and falling along the mountain’s slope.
At around three or four in the afternoon, the sun was still bright, but the shadows of the mountains were slowly climbing up some corners of the houses.
Li Younan planned to stay overnight at the camping spot.
This time was just right to go up.
By the roadside, there were strings of dried bamboo shoots hanging under some house eaves, gently swaying in the wind.
A few old men sat on small bamboo chairs at the door, fanning themselves, watching as Li Younan’s car slowly passed by.
Li Younan found an empty space to park the car, turned off the engine, and the surrounding sounds became clearer once the engine noise stopped.
Far away, a few dog barks, nearby the cicadas in the trees, and the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.
Getting out of the car, Li Younan’s legs felt stiff, he stretched and took a deep breath of the cool air filled with the scent of mountains and trees.
He needed to ask for directions to the camping site.
He walked over to an old lady fanning herself and asked for directions. The lady was very enthusiastic, gesturing with her hand while using heavily accented Mandarin, pointing at a higher mountain: "Just that road, go straight up, you’ll see a flat area, that’s it. Very cool, but it seems like no one is there today."
Having no one else around wasn’t really a problem, rather it meant peace and quiet.
After thanking the lady, he restarted the car and continued climbing in the direction she pointed.
The road became narrower, with more gravel, but fortunately, the Land Cruiser handled such roads with ease.
After about ten minutes, he took a sharp turn and the view suddenly opened up.
A pretty large flat area in a mountain hollow with lush green grass, surrounded by higher and denser trees. It wasn’t tourist season, nor was it the weekend, so there were no other cars or people at the camping site at this time.
Li Younan parked his car in a corner with a wide view, opened the trunk, and took out the chairs, table, and canopy.
No need to rush, take your time, find a flat spot, spread out the canopy, insert the poles, and stake the ground.
The mountain wind blew, the sun warmed his back a bit, but once he stopped, the wind cooled him down.
Li Younan didn’t buy a tent; he prefers sleeping in the car as it feels safer and more comfortable.
The one downside is that the Land Cruiser, being a gasoline car, can’t have the air conditioning on all night. Especially in particularly cold or hot weather, the experience isn’t as good as with some hybrid cars.
But there are solutions, such as bringing a down sleeping bag in winter, and adding a couple of warmers to stay warm. In summer... the wilderness tends not to be too hot, and if necessary, you can bring a small fan and a battery to make do.
At the moment, Li Younan didn’t need them.
...
The breeze on the top of Huangjian Mountain was cool, gently blowing the corner of the canopy. Li Younan set the last folding chair beside the table, the cassette stove was securely placed on the stone stump, and the matching small pot was placed nearby.
In the plastic container were neatly arranged slices of cured meat bought nearby, fresh green vegetables, and tender tofu mixed with sauce, along with a large bottle of mineral water, just waiting to be boiled.
The sun sank a little more behind the mountain ridge, turning the light into a deeper shade of gold.
Time to light the fire and cook.
Li Younan squatted beside the cassette stove, turned the gas valve, and pressed the ignition switch.
"Click," the sound was crisp, but the stove head remained silent. He pressed again, "Click," a few more presses, "Click... click... click..." only this monotonous sound echoed on the empty mountaintop.
Li Younan picked it up and looked at the small ignition needle against the light.
Tsk, this was really troublesome now.
Since he doesn’t usually smoke, he rummaged through the car but couldn’t find a lighter, nor anything that could produce a spark.
Looking around, there was nothing.
The whole mountaintop had only him, and the pot waiting for fire.
Li Younan leaned back on the folding chair, which emitted a slight creak.
Looking at the cold gas nozzle on the stove head, then at the shiny cured meat and fresh vegetables in the container beside it, his stomach timely growled lightly.
The scenery was still beautiful.
But, the pot, was cold.
Li Younan sat still, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee, gazing at the pile of raw food and silent stove.
Tricky.
Just then, on the dirt road below the mountain, in the distance, there was a pink dot moving.
That color was striking in the mountain landscape.
It slowly climbed the road, sometimes hiding among the trees, then reappearing, getting closer and closer to this side.
Li Younan squinted and looked. It was a very small car, its color very bright. It moved slowly, struggling a bit on the climb, the engine sound barely audible.
The pink little car finally climbed to a wide spot in the view, and started heading this way.
