May Day, indeed, turned out to be a great day for weather. The sun was bright, and the azure sky had fluffy white clouds drifting across. The car window was open, the temperature outside was just right, and the intoxicating spring breeze greeted us head-on. Ten miles of spring breeze, ten miles of clouds. One glance at the scenery outside the car, and it seemed as if one’s whole being could float away. Xiao Wen and Chu Chengfeng were chatting. Gu Qiaoqiao and Ling Nan each tilted their heads, looking out the window. Leaving the concrete road, they drove along a wide Yellow Sand Road heading into the mountains. Gu Qiaoqiao remembered something and asked Chu Chengfeng, who was driving in front, "How much longer until we arrive?" "About an hour and a half," Chu Chengfeng replied loudly, then sighed, "Ah, if only Ah Ze could come back..." Since no one knew when Qin Yize would return, there was no way to wait. Opportunities for spring outings weren’t frequent, and soon it would be summer. By then, it wouldn’t be a spring outing, and it would lose the meaning of such an excursion. Gu Qiaoqiao wasn’t particularly bothered, guessing that he probably wasn’t very interested in spring outings. If he did return, he’d probably most prefer to be alone with her. "If Ah Ze is home in the fall, we could organize another trip," Gu Qiaoqiao said casually. Chu Chengfeng’s eyes lit up, "Then it’s settled, we’ll go out again in the fall." Gu Qiaoqiao smiled, "I said if, Chu Chengfeng!" Chu Chengfeng felt a bit disappointed but stole a glance at Xiao Wen, thinking whether by then he’d have a chance to be with Xiao Wen. He knew it was rare for him to take a liking to a girl. But these were just his private thoughts, not daring to show them, so he said lightly, "We’ll discuss it then." Gu Qiaoqiao gave a barely noticeable nod. The most update n0vels are published on novelFɪre.net She leaned back slightly, and inadvertently, when her eyes scanned outside, she was suddenly startled. Her eyes abruptly widened, staring intently at a big tree coming closer and closer. In almost the blink of an eye, that tree was before her, and then Gu Qiaoqiao’s heart started to pound. And in another blink, the tree was left behind by the Jeep. Gu Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but turn her head, looking backward. "Qiaoqiao, what are you looking at?" Xiao Wen asked curiously. "Uh..." Gu Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment, murmuring, "That tallest tree without any branches, is it dead?" Hearing Gu Qiaoqiao’s comment, Chu Chengfeng explained, "Sister-in-law, that tree is said to be over a hundred years old. About ten years ago, it was struck by lightning and never sprouted new buds again, but it didn’t rot either. Everyone calls it Lightning-struck wood, but all its branches have been broken off by people. They say lightning-struck wood wards off evil, so only this bare trunk remains..." Gu Qiaoqiao still heard Chu Chengfeng’s voice in her ears. The lightning-struck wood was no longer visible. She retracted her gaze. Squeezing her hands, she quietly took a deep breath and said, "So it’s called lightning-struck wood." Chu Chengfeng nodded, "Yeah, it’s a pity. By the time we knew about it, those bastards had taken all the branches, not leaving a single one, just like bandits." "They sure know their stuff. Once a tree is struck by lightning and becomes lightning-struck wood, it usually buds again in the spring of the coming year. But those that don’t sprout, especially those a century old, truly are said to ward off evil." Xiao Wen’s words always instilled a strange sense of trust.