Su Ding walked directly to the car and said to the driver through the window, "Drive forward. I'll use this chance to place the stone underneath."
The driver, who was already sweating profusely, understood as soon as he heard Su Ding's words.
By wedging the stone underneath, when the car failed to climb forward and began to reverse, it could press down on the stone, lifting the car body and allowing it to surge out of the pit.
"Alright, Miss Su, I'll count to one and two, then we'll surge forward," the driver said.
"Okay."
Su Ding then moved to the rear of the car. She looked at the stuck tire and, as the driver shouted, quickly and skillfully placed the stone underneath.
With another surge, the car successfully leaped out of the pit.
Zhao Qin and the others in the distance were stunned, but they quickly understood what had happened.
Huang Guifang couldn't help but say, "Aqin, your daughter-in-law is quite capable."
Zhang Lan also chimed in, "She doesn't talk much but gets things done. She's reliable."
At this moment, they had forgotten the description of Su Ding that Zhao Qin had given. Their eyes were only on the woman in front of them who could handle critical situations.
Zhao Qin, hearing their praise, felt a pleasant warmth.
However, she quickly put on a casual air and said, "Ah, she comes from a humble background. If she couldn't handle something like this, how could she be my daughter-in-law, Zhao Qin?"
Huang Guifang and Zhang Lan exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh.
Soon, everyone returned to the car, all of them covered in sweat. But the one who felt the most heat was Su Ding.
Su Ding's fair face was flushed from the sun.
Tiny beads of sweat dotted her face, and her breathing was slightly labored. She was currently lowering her head, wiping herself with a wet wipe.
"Dingding, you've truly worked hard," Zhang Lan said with a smile. "Xiao Xiao's health is weak, and she couldn't help you. Please don't mind."
Xiao Xiao, hearing this, snorted internally but smiled and said, "Dingding, I was feeling a bit heatstroke just now, so I apologize. But to be honest, you're amazing. I've never experienced anything like this before. It's a good thing you were here and knew what to do. You must encounter this often."
Su Ding, as if not catching the veiled jab in Xiao Xiao's words, simply replied calmly, "It was just a small effort. If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't talk much. We still have a long way to go."
These plain words directly rebuffed Xiao Xiao's passive-aggressive remark.
Xiao Xiao's smile stiffened. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Lan shot her a displeased glare, and she fell silent.
"Alright, alright, let's rest for a bit. We still have to go up the mountain later," Huang Guimei said, intervening to smooth things over.
Zhao Qin, on the other hand, had many thoughts running through her mind. She kept glancing at Su Ding in front of her. She couldn't understand why she used to dislike Su Ding so much, but now she found the girl's spirit quite spirited.
Seeing her usual sharp retorts directed at Zhang Lan's daughter-in-law was simply satisfying.
After another hour of driving, the car finally arrived at the parking lot of Qingfeng Mountain.
Qingfeng Temple was located halfway up Qingfeng Mountain.
From the parking lot, people had to walk up a mountain path to reach the temple.
"So tiring. I really should exercise more," Zhang Lan said with a smile.
"Yes, we're not that old yet, and climbing this mountain is already this difficult. This won't do," Huang Guimei also chatted with a smile, though she was also looking after her own daughter-in-law, Yueyue.
"Let's join some senior fitness clubs later and learn from them."
Zhao Qin also walked up the mountain, smiling.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Su Ding stride past her, her steps steady and strong, quickly widening the distance between them.
And then there was Xiao Xiao, still dawdling behind, complaining about the long distance as she walked.
What a disparity.
At this moment, Zhao Qin felt a surge of satisfaction towards Su Ding once again. It was truly a case of "you never know the difference until you compare."
Gradually, Zhang Lan and Huang Guimei also fell behind Zhao Qin.
"Aqin, I told you to leave your bag in the car, but you didn't believe me. Now you're tired, aren't you?" Huang Guimei said with a smile.
Zhao Qin also regretted it. If she had known the climb would be so tiring, she would have left her favorite little bag in the car.
She trudged upwards, panting.
"Don't talk about it, I'm exhausted," Zhao Qin leaned against a tree by the roadside and stopped.
"We can't go on either. We'll wait for you."
Zhang Lan and Huang Guimei also stopped by a tree further up. Xiao Xiao had caught up at some point and stood beside them.
Zhao Qin looked at them, her expression slightly dazed.
Well, only she was left.
But she was truly exhausted. It turned out she had the worst stamina.
Just then, Su Ding, who had long since disappeared ahead, slowly came back down, holding a bottle of iced drink.
She came to Zhao Qin and stood still.
"Can't walk anymore?" Su Ding stood diagonally above Zhao Qin, who was seated.
At this moment, Zhao Qin looked at Su Ding, whose figure seemed exceptionally tall, and felt an illusion that she was shorter than her.
Being competitive, how could she allow such a thing to happen?
Zhao Qin suddenly stood up, but as she took a step, a tingling sensation spread through her leg...