Because they had set off early, it was only a little past 7 a.m. when they reached the foot of Changkang Mountain.
This early, the mountain air was indeed refreshing, making the world around them feel clearer.
Since they hadn’t had time for breakfast earlier, Jiang Yanyi found a vegetarian breakfast shop and suggested everyone eat something before heading up the mountain.
While the others ate breakfast, Chi Xiaoxue took out her nutrient jelly from her small backpack, tore open a small corner, first sipped the flavored liquid on top, and then slowly ate the jelly with a small spoon.
As she ate her jelly, an elderly couple at the next table kept glancing her way, occasionally whispering to each other. They probably hadn’t seen a robot like her before and found her intriguing.
When they sneaked another look, Chi Xiaoxue immediately turned her head and glared at them with puffed cheeks.
The elderly couple suddenly looked awkward and didn’t glance her way again after that.
After breakfast, they set off toward the hiking trail entrance.
Chi Xiaoxue took the initiative to carry Teacher Zhang’s sword on her back. The sword was heavier than expected, but robots don’t feel fatigue even when carrying weight, so she walked ahead confidently.
Seeing her light, effortless steps, Teacher Zhang didn’t stop her.
Changkang Mountain wasn’t new to any of them. Teacher Zhang often stayed at the Changkang Temple on the mountain for periods of time.
Because of her, Jiang Yanyi had also visited this mountain several times. Even Xiao Bai had been carried up this mountain by the adults when she was just one and a half years old.
Familiar with the route, they began their ascent. Both Teacher Zhang and Jiang Yanyi exercised regularly and didn’t find the climb particularly strenuous.
Even Xiao Bai carried her own small water bottle, wearing cat-ear sunhat and sunglasses, silently trudging upward without a word.
They continued climbing until they reached the mountainside.
There was a rest pavilion at the mountainside. Since they had arrived early, it was still mostly empty. Teacher Zhang suggested taking a break there, and everyone gradually settled in.
“Zhibai, drink some water if you’re thirsty,” Jiang Yanyi called out to the child leaning against the railing and looking down.
“I’m not thirsty,” the child replied, turning back. “Daddy, take out my trekking poles.”
Jiang Yanyi took two children’s trekking poles from his black shoulder bag, adjusted their length, and handed them to her.
The elderly couple they had seen at the breakfast shop also caught up. The wife stood in front of a welcoming pine tree at the mountainside while the old man took pictures of her with his phone.
Chi Xiaoxue walked over to Teacher Zhang and pointed toward the welcoming pine. “Teacher Zhang, let me take a photo for you.”
“What’s there to take a photo of?” Teacher Zhang said dismissively, but her body unconsciously straightened, and she smoothed the hair at her temples.
“It looks really nice there.”
Chi Xiaoxue pulled a scarf from her small backpack—a large scarf in sunset hues that Teacher Zhang usually hung casually by the entryway at home. No one knew when Chi Xiaoxue had packed it.
After the couple finished taking photos, Teacher Zhang walked over to the welcoming pine. Following Chi Xiaoxue’s instructions, she stood with her feet in a small T-step, raised the scarf above her head, and let the sheer fabric flutter in the wind.
Chi Xiaoxue crouched down and took the photo from a low angle, looking upward.
Teacher Zhang was quite pleased with the scarf photo. Holding her phone at arm’s length, she squinted to admire it carefully.
Later, Chi Xiaoxue also taught her to pose by leaning against the tree trunk or pretending to smell the flowers on a branch.
At first, Teacher Zhang was a bit reserved and self-conscious, but she gradually got into it and even began striking various poses on her own. “Moji, does this look good?”
Chi Xiaoxue gave her a thumbs-up. “Your smile is beautiful, like spring.”
Jiang Yanyi didn’t understand what they were doing at first, but after watching from behind for a while, he started to get an idea.
Was Moji… trying to win Teacher Zhang over?
It was true that robots could simulate understanding, responses, and interactions to provide emotional support to humans.
But typically, such interactions are initiated by humans, with robots providing passive responses like listening and offering praise. Jiang Yanyi had never seen a robot take the initiative like Moji did.
He knew Moji wasn’t a normal robot—her emotional value far exceeded that of standard robots—but seeing her act so ingratiatingly still left him somewhat astonished.
At the same time, he felt a sense of poignancy. An unpopular, defective robot was trying, through her own efforts, to earn human affection in order to survive.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yanyi happened to look down and saw a cluster of small grass growing between two stone slabs on the ground. The blades were lush and green, radiating vitality.
Strangely, he sensed that same robust, wild-grass-like vitality in Moji.
Yet, Moji didn’t even possess life.
The final stretch of stairs near the mountaintop was quite steep. Jiang Yanyi carried Xiao Bai on his back as he climbed. Looking back and seeing the robot following behind, he reached out his hand.
“Moji, give me your hand. I’ll pull you up.”
He grasped the robot’s cool, temperature-less palm, tightened his arm, and tried to pull her up, only to nearly be dragged down the steps by her weight.
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Yanyi managed to pull her up, then discreetly rubbed his slightly sore arm. What a blunder, he thought. I forgot Moji’s actual weight is 74 kg.
After settling Teacher Zhang at Changkang Temple, they had a vegetarian lunch there.
While the others ate, Chi Xiaoxue didn’t join them in the dining hall. It was crowded with people, and she didn’t want to draw attention by eating her nutrient jelly there.
Instead, with her backpack on and hands tucked into her pockets, she wandered around the temple grounds.
Strolling and observing in an unfamiliar place gave her a sense of traveling.
Despite being in a sci-fi world, the temple’s architecture felt quite ancient and traditional. There were hardly any robots here; everything felt primitive, giving Chi Xiaoxue an illusion of returning to her original world.
At the easternmost part of the temple stood a massive boulder. Its top was flat, likely worn smooth from people frequently climbing it.
Chi Xiaoxue climbed onto the boulder, sat cross-legged facing east, and enjoyed the expansive view of the small houses dotting the mountainside below.
It was a pity that among all those houses, none were her home.
Just as she was admiring the scenery, she felt something tugging at her backpack from behind. Chi Xiaoxue turned around and suddenly found herself face-to-face with a furry monkey.
They stared at each other, but the little thief didn’t seem embarrassed at all. It simply snatched a nutrient jelly pouch from the outer pocket of her backpack.
As the monkey was about to make its escape with the loot, Chi Xiaoxue swiftly reached out, grabbed its long arm, yanked it back, and quickly reclaimed her jelly pouch, holding it tightly in her hand.
After retrieving her item, Chi Xiaoxue didn’t let the monkey off the hook. She chased after it, cursing for quite a while.
“You’d steal my last jelly pouch? No morals!”
The monkey scrambled up a tree. Chi Xiaoxue stood beneath it, yelling, “Come down if you dare! Fight me!”
“You cowardly stinky monkey! If you dare steal, dare to come down! Chicken monkey. You’re a disgrace to monkeys!”
Getting carried away, Chi Xiaoxue even kicked the tree trunk hard, startling the hiding monkey and making it climb even higher.
After finishing lunch and preparing to descend the mountain, Jiang Yanyi searched around the temple and found the robot standing there, cursing and grumbling.
“Moji, what are you doing? Who are you talking to?”
Chi Xiaoxue pointed toward the treetop. “A troublemaking monkey. Dared to steal my jelly pouch. Must have a death wish.”
Only then did Jiang Yanyi notice the monkey crouching in the tree.
Terrified, he quickly took several steps back, calling from a distance, “Moji, come over here! Monkeys can be aggressive. Don’t get so close to it!”
“Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll pluck every hair off your ears!”
Chi Xiaoxue spat out the fierce threat before reluctantly walking toward Jiang Yanyi.
“How did you end up arguing with a monkey?” Jiang Yanyi truly struggled to understand some of her inexplicable behaviors.
Chi Xiaoxue opened her palm to show the jelly pouch she was clutching. “Stole my jelly.”
“No manners.” She glared back at the monkey.
The little monkey stared at her awkwardly, scratched its head, and put something it had picked from its fur into its mouth.
And she’s being possessive over food? Jiang Yanyi found this even harder to comprehend.
“You can’t keep that jelly pouch after the monkey touched it. It might have germs.” Jiang Yanyi pointed to the side. “Throw it in that trash bin.”
Chi Xiaoxue immediately hid the jelly pouch behind her back. “Robots aren’t afraid of germs.”
“Still, that’s not acceptable. If you put the jelly back in your bag, everything inside will get contaminated, and you’ll bring the germs home.”
“I’ll eat it now. It’s the last one—can’t waste it.”
Jiang Yanyi grabbed her wrist, stopping her from tearing the package open. “Throw this one away. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“Buy two, get one free.” Chi Xiaoxue replied instantly.
Her mechanical brain certainly remembered these details clearly.
“Fine.” As he spoke, Jiang Yanyi guided her hand holding the jelly pouch over the trash bin.
Chi Xiaoxue reluctantly let go. The jelly pouch landed in the bin with a splat, followed by the sound of grinding as the waste processor crushed and sucked it away.
After washing her hands thoroughly under the faucet near the tree, Jiang Yanyi carefully inspected them to make sure she hadn’t been scratched by the monkey before leading her back.
They took the cable car down the mountain. Xiao Bai had fallen asleep, curled up against her father’s chest.
Chi Xiaoxue carried her own small backpack on her back, Xiao Bai’s water bottle slung over her left shoulder, and Jiang Yanyi’s black satchel on her right—looking like a walking coat rack.
Sitting in the cable car, watching the temple grow smaller and more distant, Chi Xiaoxue turned and asked, “Teacher Zhang isn’t coming back?”
“No, she’ll be staying here for a while.”
Jiang Yanyi draped his jacket over Xiao Bai, tucking the collar around her neck and leaving her chin and neck free.
Chi Xiaoxue asked again, “How long is ‘a while’?”
“Hard to say. Maybe half a month, maybe a month.”
“Is she here to practice sword fighting?”
Jiang Yanyi gently patted his daughter’s back and patiently answered her questions. “Something like that.”
“Your hands are quite nice.” Chi Xiaoxue said suddenly.
Her eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yanyi’s hands—so clean and slender, with pink, rounded nails, like the “manga hands” often described in novels.
Jiang Yanyi didn’t reply, merely thinking how erratic Chi Xiaoxue’s thought process was. The sudden shift in topic felt quite abrupt.
Then, Chi Xiaoxue abruptly reached her hand toward him. “Let me hold your hand.”
Jiang Yanyi: “?”