booktalesy Chapter 36 Serving as a Tour Guide for His Teacher's Wife: The All-Powerful Wu Zhiyuan
Chapter 36 Serving as a Tour Guide for His Teacher's Wife: The All-Powerful Wu Zhiyuan
"Mm." Xu Yunxi did not refuse.
Liu Qingqing gently put her arm around Xu Yunxi's shoulder and gave a gentle smile to the camera.
In the photo, Liu Qingqing is all smiles, and although Xu Yunxi isn't smiling, she looks very relaxed.
The backdrop is a seamless blend of water and sky, with birds flitting about, creating a unique and charming scene.
Wu Zhiyuan forwarded the photo to Liu Qingqing.
"Great shot! Xiao Wu, you're really good at capturing candid moments." Liu Qingqing looked at the photo with great satisfaction.
Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It's because you have such good looks and temperament that you look good in photos no matter what."
Liu Qingqing laughed heartily: "Little Wu, you're quite the smooth talker."
Wu Zhiyuan smiled sheepishly: "I'm just telling the truth."
It seems that whether it's a young girl, a young woman, or an older woman, everyone loves to hear compliments.
However, Wu Zhiyuan wasn't deliberately flattering him; what he said was simply the truth.
At this moment, a flock of egrets gracefully took flight from the reeds, skimming across the mirror-like lake surface with elegant movements.
Xu Yunxi's gaze followed the flock of birds.
Wu Zhiyuan then introduced, "These are egrets, and this wetland is an important habitat for them. You can also see many cormorants and spot-billed ducks here."
Liu Qingqing asked with a smile, "Xiao Wu, you also know about birds?"
Wu Zhiyuan explained, "I used to work in the forestry department, which is responsible for the management of bird resources."
Xu Yunxi gazed in the direction the egrets had disappeared, as if talking to herself: "It's a pity I didn't bring my sketchbook. Besides, their movements are so difficult to capture."
Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "Indeed, it's very difficult to capture the fleeting spirit of birds in motion. I remember the Provincial Art Museum has a painting called 'A Flock of Eagles' by Li Kuchan, which perfectly captures the majestic momentum of birds soaring through the sky."
Xu Yunxi was somewhat surprised: "You've seen that painting too?"
Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "Last year when I went to the provincial capital, I happened to catch an exhibition of modern and contemporary flower and bird paintings, which left a deep impression on me."
Xu Yunxi stopped talking and looked at the scenery of the lake and mountains.
Wu Zhiyuan had heard Lang Wenping mention before that Xu Yunxi's academic performance wasn't very good, so she chose the art college entrance exam route because she loved painting.
Wu Zhiyuan murmured to himself, "The colors here are rich and varied. The reeds in the foreground are lush and green, the lake in the middle ground is a bluish-green, and the distant mountains are like dark eyebrows. There are foreground, middle ground, and background, creating a strong sense of space. It is indeed a very good subject for sketching."
Liu Qingqing was somewhat surprised: "Oh, Xiao Wu, you can also paint?"
Wu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head: "I don't understand. I've read a few books on art appreciation and photographic composition before, and I think that when observing scenery, looking at it from these angles can help me discover more different kinds of beauty."
The three lingered in the wetland corridor for a while before returning to the car and heading to the main scenic area of Qinglong Lake.
Liu Qingqing was in a good mood and began to hum a soft Huangmei Opera tune. Her voice was melodious and pleasant to listen to.
Wu Zhiyuan sincerely praised, "Teacher Liu, your rendition of the 'Female Imperial Son-in-Law' was truly beautiful."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing chuckled: "Little Wu, you know birds, you understand painting, and you even know Huangmei Opera?"
Wu Zhiyuan was a little embarrassed by Liu Qingqing's teasing, and smiled modestly: "Teacher Liu, you flatter me. How could I possibly know anything? I just picked it up from what I've seen and heard, and listened to the noise without really understanding anything."
My parents both love listening to Huangmei Opera. When I was little, our radio always played classic excerpts like "The Fairy Couple" and "The Female General." After listening to them so many times, I could even hum along a few lines.
"Oh? Really?" Liu Qingqing became interested and encouraged her, "Then how about you sing a part? The duet from 'The Fairy Couple,' do you know it?"
As a professional actress, she wasn't really trying to test Wu Zhiyuan; she just wanted to liven up the atmosphere in the car, especially to let Xu Yunxi feel relaxed.
Wu Zhiyuan cleared his throat and began to hum: "The birds in the trees are in pairs..."
A look of surprise flashed in Liu Qingqing's eyes; she hadn't expected Wu Zhiyuan to actually sing so well.
She couldn't help but clap her hands gently, a joyful smile spreading across her face.
Xu Yunxi was also drawn in by the sudden singing and listened intently.
Wu Zhiyuan sang a section, then stopped, smiling sheepishly, "I only know these few lines. I forgot the lyrics for the later chorus part. I'm sorry to have made Teacher Liu laugh at me."
"You sang very well!" Liu Qingqing praised sincerely. "The emotion was spot-on, the flavor was just right. I didn't know you had this talent. It seems your parents must be avid opera fans."
Amidst laughter and conversation, the car entered the main scenic area of Qinglong Lake.
Unlike the tranquility of the previous wetlands, the view here is suddenly open, with a vast expanse of blue lake in front of you, dotted with tour boats and several small islands on the lake.
"Teacher Liu, shall we take a cruise ship or a speedboat to the island?"
"Let's take a boat. It's safer and we can enjoy the lake view at a leisurely pace," Liu Qingqing suggested, preferring a more stable way to travel.
Xu Yunxi, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up: "Let's take a speedboat."
Liu Qingqing looked at Xu Yunxi with some surprise, then laughed and said, "Oh, our Yunxi wants something exciting today? Okay, let's do as Yunxi says, let's take a speedboat!"
The speedboat started, cutting through the waves and speeding across the vast lake.
In stark contrast to the smooth ride on a cruise ship, a speedboat delivers a strong sense of speed and impact.
Liu Qingqing was a little nervous at first and subconsciously grabbed the handrail in front of her, but she was quickly attracted by the feeling of riding the waves and excitedly watched the lake and mountains rushing past on both sides.
As they approached the destination island, the driver, perhaps wanting to give the tourists a more thrilling experience or perhaps wanting to show off his skills, suddenly shouted, "Hold on tight!"
Then, with a sudden turn of the rudder, the speedboat tilted at an extreme angle, almost tilting to its side. The hull skimmed the water's surface, drawing a sharp and graceful arc, splashing up huge sprays of water as it sped across the water.
This sudden and significant tilt was completely beyond Liu Qingqing and Xu Yunxi's expectations.
Extreme fear made them instinctively cry out, and almost at the same time, one on each side, they grabbed Wu Zhiyuan's arm tightly as he sat between them.
Wu Zhiyuan reassured him, "Don't worry, your technician is skilled; it's normal operation. We'll be there soon!"
Sure enough, after completing this thrilling maneuver, the speedboat quickly regained its balance and slowed down, then slowly made its way toward the dock.
With the crisis over, Liu Qingqing and Xu Yunxi let go, their faces still pale with shock.
Liu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh my god, that scared me to death! That driver was driving way too fast!"
Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Our master just wanted us to experience some excitement."
Upon arriving on the island, they found it lush with trees and beautiful scenery. The three of them strolled around the island at their leisure.
Near a viewing platform close to the water, a panicked cry suddenly rang out: "Help! Help my granddaughter! She's fallen into the lake!"
An old woman was seen slumped on the bank, pointing into the water, her face ashen with fear.
In the lake not far away, a little girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old was struggling desperately. She was obviously not good at swimming and had swallowed several mouthfuls of water. Her situation was critical.
There were still some tourists on the viewing platform. Some shouted, "Help! Someone has fallen into the water!" Some called the police, and some tried to find tools such as sticks. However, the water was quite high above the platform, and the girl was some distance from the shore.
But no one went into the water.
Seeing this, Wu Zhiyuan said to Liu Qingqing, "Teacher Liu, please take care of Yunxi and keep her away from the water. I'll go in and rescue her!"
Liu Qingqing asked worriedly, "Xiao Wu, are you going into the water?"
Wu Zhiyuan smiled calmly: "Teacher Liu, I can swim."
Liu Qingqing reminded him, "Xiao Wu, please be careful!"
Rescuing a drowning person is a skilled job.
It's not that knowing how to swim guarantees you can save someone.
Drowning victims have a strong will to survive. When they see a rescuer, they will instinctively cling to the rescuer as if grasping at a straw, which is extremely dangerous.
Wu Zhiyuan remained unusually calm.
He quickly took off his shoes, socks, trousers, and shirt, leaving him only in a pair of boxer shorts, revealing his well-defined six-pack abs.
He spotted the girl's position, chose a suitable entry point, and jumped into the lake with a standard entry posture.