Jiangyou’s specialty is pork intestines, and Li Younan and his companions stopped at a small restaurant for lunch along the way.
It seems that this city’s na hasn’t changed since the Three Kingdoms period. It’s said that Li Bai was from Jiangyou, and there’s a town under Jiangyou called Qinglian Town, nad after Li Bai’s alias, "Qinglian Residence."
After lunch, they continued their journey. After passing Baima Tibetan Village in Pingwu County, the highway ended.
The navigation system prompted Li Younan to exit the highway and take the national road.
By now, it was afternoon, and the people in the car were no longer sleepy, becoming more lively.
Most of the ti, it was the two elders chattering away.
One worked at a bank, the other at a public institution, and they were gossiping about the county town’s rumors, like a certain deputy director was caught having an affair, or a small leader being taken by the discipline inspection commission for a talk, with rumors flying everywhere.
When two middle-aged won gossip, it’s as if they wish they had a handful of sunflower seeds in hand.
Li Younan found it amusing, knowing his mom always enjoyed listening to gossip, which was no different from other middle-aged won.
Compared to their excitent, Zhao Ruoxuan seed a bit bored.
It was probably her first ti in a car for so long, and she asked several tis along the way, "How much longer?"
At this point, she no longer trusted the others and was looking at the navigation on her phone, seeing that it would take another two or three hours to reach Jiuzhaigou, which left her feeling hopeless and she leaned against the window gazing at the scenery outside.
Regrettably, they hadn’t yet entered Aba, and the national road wasn’t in good condition, looking rather desolate along the way.
Then, from a certain angle, she saw Li Younan in the rearview mirror.
From that angle, she could just see his eyes.
Those eyes were gentle yet steady, glancing at the road then casually at the rear-view mirror, and in the next mont, caught sight of Zhao Ruoxuan in the rearview mirror.
Everyone knows that light paths are reversible.
Zhao Ruoxuan quickly pretended to look elsewhere.
At this point, the two moms turned to an everlastingly relevant topic — children and education.
Of course, this topic wasn’t initiated by Li Younan’s mom.
Li Younan’s mom knew her son was outstanding, especially in academics. In China, academic performance is always the focus when family discusses children.
However, she was even more restrained when chatting with others, avoiding the urge to talk about his academic achievents, as that would seem boastful, which isn’t good.
Instead, she proudly talked about things that seed trivial to others like playing basketball well, making dumplings, or having a good sense of style—skills that most parents find useless yet harmless. When others praised these, it didn’t harm anyone’s feelings.
But in front of her close friends, the situation was different. If Li Younan’s mom didn’t bring them up, Zhao Xiaofang would.
Zhao Xiaofang first praised Li Younan’s academic performance and then naturally shifted the topic to Zhao Ruoxuan.
This ti, in front of others, she carefully chose her words: "Ruoxuan, if there’s anything you don’t understand in your studies, ask your Brother Younan for help."
Zhao Ruoxuan sighed gently but didn’t say anything.
She hated talking about studies; if her grades were good, she wouldn’t have chosen to study art.
For so, learning arts and sports was out of genuine interest; for others, it was an excuse to escape academic studies. She belonged to the latter.
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Zhao Xiaofang started talking to Li Younan: "Younan, how do you study? Could you teach Ruoxuan a bit?"
Zhao Ruoxuan glanced at her mom, hesitated, and then kept silent.
She hadn’t conversed much with Li Younan on the journey, and now it seed the first conversation would be about receiving his guidance.
By now, the car had climbed Yellow Soil Ridge, approaching the Yellow Soil Ridge Tunnel, which was long and its exit wasn’t visible, estimated to be about seven or eight kiloters long.
Exiting the tunnel ant entering Jiuzhaigou’s county area.
Li Younan slightly slowed the car and said sowhat casually, "The college entrance exam was ages ago. Honestly, I’ve forgotten how exactly I studied back then—just listened to the teachers and completed the howork."
Li Younan spoke very plainly, and Zhao Ruoxuan felt slightly relieved, grateful he didn’t launch into a long lecture on study techniques.
Moreover, she could sense that Li Younan had no intentions of showing off through this topic at all.
She had encountered too many who enjoyed playing the role of a ntor, essentially just using teaching others as an excuse to flaunt themselves.
Brother Younan really was different.
Zhao Xiaofang couldn’t help but continue on, ntioning that if learning was so straightforward, perhaps it was due to not paying enough attention in class or not completing assignnts well.
Having been well-behaved the entire journey, Zhao Ruoxuan began revealing her true nature approaching Jiuzhaigou, cheekily responding to her mom.
She threw out a couple phrases, "So what? What can be done?"
Zhao Xiaofang was montarily baffled by these youthful internet slang terms, but quickly beca displeased. Those who get it know it’s quite provoking.
At this mont, Li Younan’s mom eased the tension by changing the topic.
Jiuzhaigou is quite an extraordinary place.
During geography class in school, the textbook stated China’s ethnic distribution mainly manifests as large mixed and small clustered forms, which find a direct illustration in Jiuzhaigou.
The county town’s local residents are predominantly Han people, and their accents differ notably from those in Sichuan, leaning more towards Gansu.
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