In the early morning, the sun rose slowly, gradually illuminating the earth. The quiet valley slowly awakened, and people in deep sleep were awakened by the crowing of roosters. A new day was about to begin.

Tianhua opened his eyes in bed, watching the sunlight inside the room, thinking, "Today is another beautiful day."

"Tianhua!" shouts came from outside the house. "We're heading out!" Tianhua responded, "Alright, I'll be right there!" He quickly dressed, washed his face, and ran towards the door.

The mountain village was surrounded by mountains on all sides, relying on the mountains for sustenance. The people in the mountain village could be self-sufficient. They had been living here for as long as anyone could remember. The adults never discussed when they settled here, and for the children born here, the village was their entire world.

Tianhua quickly ran to the nearby mountain, and as he approached his parents, a large tree suddenly flew towards him. Without panic, he casually reached out, grabbed the tree, and threw it in another direction without even looking.

Laughter came from the direction where the tree was thrown. "Tianhua, you're late again!" Tianhua didn't respond and ran to his parents, saying, "Dad, Mom, I'm here!"

At this moment, Tianhua's father, Tianlong, was chopping down large trees with a big axe. He was a sturdy man, and with a swing of his axe, a tree as thick as two people would fall. Tianhua's mother, Qinlan, was watching nearby. As soon as a tree fell, she would go up and use a small knife to cut off the branches, leaving a smooth trunk.

"Oh, go move all the trees we've prepared over there," Tianhua's father said upon hearing Tianhua's voice. Tianhua walked to a pile of already felled trees not far away.

This was something that had to be done every winter in the mountain village – cutting down trees and turning them into charcoal for heating during the winter. Winter here lasted for a while, and during this time, people who had worked hard throughout the year wouldn't engage in any labor. This period was their time to rest, so they had to prepare all the charcoal, food, and other items needed for winter when it arrived.

"Tianhua, let's have a competition to see who can move all the trees down the mountain first!" A boy of similar age to Tianhua shouted. Though he was not tall, he looked much sturdier than Tianhua. His name was Luo Xin, Tianhua's close friend who had grown up with him.

"Sure, who's afraid of whom!" Tianhua said, looking at Luo Xin.

"Wait, I want to join the competition too!" Suddenly, not far from them, another boy named Quinhu shouted.

Quinhu was about the same age as Tianhua but not as carefree as Luo Xin. He overheard them talking about the tree-moving competition while he was working on moving trees, so he decided to join for some fun.

"Hmph, you're all playing, and you didn't even invite me!" A quiet girl named Yilan said.

"Yilan, this is not just playing; it's a competition! And how can a little girl like you carry trees around?" Luo Xin retorted loudly.

"I don't care, I want to join!" Yilan said.

The three boys looked at each other, and then Tianhua said, "Then be our referee!"

"Okay, that's a good idea!" The other three, including Yilan, agreed.

After the roles were assigned, each of the three boys lifted a large tree and stood side by side on the mountain, looking down at the neatly arranged trees below. The three glanced at each other.

"Begin!" Yilan shouted loudly!

As soon as the word fell, the three rushed down the mountain. It was hard to imagine how two young men around the age of twenty could have such strength. A tree so large seemed weightless to them. Watching the three running down the mountain, the adults chopping trees on the mountain smiled.

These four were the oldest children in the mountain village, and they were close in age. From childhood to adulthood, they played together, and their days together were filled not only with joy but also with deepening friendships.

Soon, the sunset was about to fall, casting its glow on the hardworking people in the mountain and the three tireless competitors and a carefree, beautiful girl. Forgetting fatigue for the sake of life, the children forgot hardships for the sake of happiness.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The bell rang below the mountain, signaling that it was time to go home!

Hearing the bell, Tianhua and the others stopped in their tracks. Tianhua rarely wondered; every year, he heard the bell ring, but he never saw what the "bell" looked like. Even though he had searched the entire village when he was small, he never found it. When he asked his father once, "Dad, where does the bell sound come from?" his father just smiled and said, "You'll understand when you grow up." After a few years, when Tianhua felt he had grown up, he went to ask his father again, but the answer was still the same. With time passing, that answer accompanied Tianhua's growth until now.

"Yilan, go check who moved the most trees!" Luo Xin eagerly said upon hearing the bell.

Yilan walked to the places where the three had individually placed the trees, counting them one by one. Tianhua and the others stood beside her, watching anxiously, afraid she might make a mistake.

"Tianhua, we're heading home! You all should come back soon for dinner; don't keep your families waiting!" Tianlong shouted at the four kids, laughing loudly.

They responded and, after saying goodbye to Tianlong, continued to concentrate on counting the number of trees.

Seeing this scene, Tianlong couldn't help but shake his head and say, "These kids..."

Qinlan looked at them and couldn't help but smile, "Finding happiness in life is the most fortunate thing!"

Tianlong nodded, and the two walked away, heading back home.

"Done!" Yilan sighed.

"Who won?!" the three competitors asked eagerly.

"The number of trees moved by all four of you is equal!" Yilan looked at the three approaching her and said.

"Boring, boring, so boring!" Upon hearing this result, Luo Xin loudly complained. Then, as if he were very serious, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "How could it be a tie!"

Tianhua, Quinhu, and Yilan laughed when they saw Luo Xin's reaction.

"What are you laughing at?" Luo Xin asked puzzled.

"It was just a regular competition, and look at how excited you are!" Tianhua said.

"Anyway, the competition is meaningless without a clear winner! Let's continue tomorrow." Luo Xin looked at Tianhua and said.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow; I need to go home for dinner now!" Tianhua said and bid them farewell.

Behind him, Tianhua heard Luo Xin discussing with Quinhu and Yilan about continuing the competition tomorrow. Tianhua shook his head helplessly.

In the distance, he could see the smoke rising from his home. Tianhua wondered, "I wonder what delicious food Mom made today!"

He arrived home quickly, even before entering, he shouted, "Mom, Dad, I'm back!"

"Tianhua, quickly wash your face; dinner is ready!" Qinlan said softly inside the house.

After Tianhua washed his face and came back, Qinlan had already set the table. The three sat down and began to eat.

"How was the competition today?" Tianlong asked.

Tianhua explained the details of the competition results. When Tianlong heard about Luo Xin's reaction, he couldn't help but laugh, "Luo Xin is quite serious about these things!" The three of them laughed afterward.

The dinner ended amidst this laughter. After finishing the meal, Qinlan cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. At this moment, the bright moon was slowly rising in the sky. Looking at the slightly dim sky outside, Tianhua said, "I'll go outside for a bit."

The night in the mountain village was quiet. Tianhua came to the mountain where they were cutting down trees alone. Although many trees had already been felled, the area was still lush with trees. The village had rules about the quantity of trees to be cut down each year. Looking at the full moon in the sky and the shadows of branches below, Tianhua's thoughts drifted far away.

As winter approached, these children, Tianhua and his friends, were the happiest. The anticipation always filled them with excitement, and during the waiting, they had many things to do.

Winter in the mountain village was beautiful. When the entire village was covered with snow, it was a pure white landscape!

Winter was also the favorite season for the children. Every time winter arrived, covering the entire valley in snow, Tianhua would lead the children to run and play freely in the snow.

Now the entire valley was awaiting winter...

As Tianhua was lost in thought, he thought of the road leading out of the village. When he was very young, he overheard his parents talking, mentioning that there was a road in the village that led to the outside world. Those words were engraved in Tianhua's mind like a knife. However, he never asked his father about it because it was something he accidentally overheard. Even if he did ask, his father probably wouldn't reveal anything. Tianhua thought about it in his heart.

The outside world... What could the outside world be like? The outside world had an extreme allure for someone of Tianhua's age. He had imagined the appearance of the outside world countless times, but the images that came to mind were always vague. Sometimes he asked himself why he was thinking about the outside world when life here was good. Here, he had parents who loved him, childhood friends he grew up with, and many places that brought him joy. So why did he keep wondering about what the outside world was like?

Thinking and thinking, Tianhua couldn't help but feel a bit restless. He kicked the soil under his feet, walked around, and then sat down, staring intently at the bright moon in the sky.

"Tianhua!" A sweet voice interrupted Tianhua's contemplation.

Tianhua heard the voice and looked up to see Yilan staring at him.

"What are you thinking about? I called you several times, and you didn't respond!" Tianhua looked at this sweet girl, and the doubts and slight melancholy he had felt earlier dispersed with her sweet voice.

Tianhua smiled and said, "Nothing much, just feeling that winter is coming soon, and it reminded me of my childhood. We were so happy back then."

Yilan asked in confusion, "Before... are we not happy now?"

"It's so late, why are you still out?" Tianhua looked at her and then at the moon, saying.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk. I happened to see you. You seem to have something on your mind?" Yilan said with a hint of doubt.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just came out for a walk alone, and I ended up here without realizing it. I was lost in thought, remembering the competition we had this morning. I got a bit absorbed in it! So, when you called me, I didn't hear it." Tianhua explained with a smile.

"Yeah, now thinking about how Luo Xin looked, I can't help but laugh!" Yilan said, smiling.

Haha... They both laughed at the same time.

The moonlight was shining on them, and at this moment, the moon also seemed to want to join in the fun with their laughter.

"Yilan, look at the moon in the sky, so beautiful! So big, so round, immaculately white!" Tianhua said, looking at the moon.

"Yes!" Yilan said, looking at the moon.

"You are as beautiful as the moon!" Tianhua looked at Yilan and said.

"Really?" Yilan said softly, then lowered her head gently.

"I really want to be with you all the time!" Tianhua said softly to himself.

"What?" Yilan asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's getting late; let's go back!" Saying this, he took Yilan's hand and walked back.

Although Yilan knew that what Tianhua had just said wasn't the sentence she heard, she didn't ask him. She believed that Tianhua had his reasons for not saying it. The two of them walked back without saying a word, silently enjoying the tranquility of this moment...