Rain on Jinjiu Trail: A Sino-Korean Friendship and Mountain Delights in Mossy Stone Paths

The rain arrived this morning riding the mist. Standing in the free parking lot of Zhuanshui Pier, I watched the blue-tiled, white-walled tourist station blur behind the rain curtain, suddenly understanding why netizens call this place "Jiaxing's Hidden Valley" – the Jinjiu Trail in the rain resembles an ink-wash screen unveiled by heaven and earth. As my rain boots stepped onto the slate at the entrance, sinking into the damp humus soil, pine needles and ferns seemed to exhale moist sighs. This 5.21-kilometer loop trail now greeted visitors with three distinct faces: the front section featured neat stone steps polished shiny by rain, mirroring the path Mr. Kim Koo trod in 1932; the middle section transformed into soft earthen paths brimming with wilderness charm, where raindrops released faint earthy sweetness; the rear section connected to the wild dirt path from Yong'an Pavilion to Immortal's Gaze, its golden carpet of fallen leaves glowing more vividly in the rain. The crisp sound of rain boots on stone, accompanied by bamboo whispers, transported me back to that turbulent era. In 1932, when Mr. Kim Koo was pursued by Japanese forces for orchestrating the "Hongkou Park Bombing," he secretly took refuge in Zaiqing Villa by South-North Lake along this very trail with help from Jiaxing patriot Chu Fucheng. Touching the bamboo nodes along the path now felt like touching time's rings – did mountain villagers once chop wood here, passing fresh bamboo shoots and independent sparks of resistance to exiled patriots through this trail? As the rain intensified, I took shelter in a roadside pavilion. Bronze bells at the eaves trembled in the wind, harmonizing with raindrops on bamboo leaves into a natural symphony. Through the rain, South-North Lake rippled in layers, its egrets resembling ink strokes suddenly flashing past rain-polished orange groves. Though autumn's Jinjiu Trail typically overflows with citrus fragrance, the sight of raindrops trembling on orange leaves surpassed even golden fruit-laden branches in liveliness. Continuing onward, my boots sank into muddy paths yet discovered unique pleasures. Passing Ancient Bayberry Ridge, the rain-glistened Loquat Ripens Café emitted warm light through its glass walls – I almost imagined Mr. Kim Koo resting there, a cup of rough tea comforting his storm-weary soul. Further up, the Immortal's Gaze boulder appeared more mysterious in the rain, its human-faced silhouette silently recounting legends of "immortals watching clouds." When the rain ceased, I returned along lakeside grass. Raindrops glittered on blades like earth-scattered pearls. In the distance, the Loquat Ripens Café's glass house shone in post-rain sunlight, composing a masterpiece with lake egrets and mountain bamboo shadows. Back at Zhuanshui Pier, though my clothes were damp, my heart overflowed with Jinjiu Trail's rainy gifts – echoes of history, wilderness joys, and a rain-soaked chapter of Sino-Korean friendship.