On the evening of the sixth day after departing from Lhasa, having passed through six counties including Shigatse, Lhatse, Ngamring, Saga, Zhongba, and Burang, Gao Xiang and his companions finally arrived at Shiquanhe Town, the transportation hub of the Ngari Prefecture. A distant cluster of lights appeared before them—nowhere near as dense or bustling as the city lights they were accustomed to—but it was enough to make them cheer. Zuo Si'an was especially excited, her eyes sparkling brightly. Sun Ruodi teased her, "Calm down, calm down. Getting excited here consumes oxygen, and you won't have the strength to speak when you see your father later."
Zuo Si'an smiled sheepishly. Lao Zhang took the others to check into a hotel, while Gao Xiang and Zuo Si'an got off first at the government guesthouse. She couldn't wait and rushed inside, leaning against the wall, gasping for breath and unable to speak.
Gao Xiang followed her in, amused, and gestured for her to calm down. He asked the front desk clerk which room Zuo Xuejun was staying in. The clerk eyed them and said, "County Chief Zuo has already left for Coqên."
Gao Xiang asked, "When will he be back?"
The clerk shook her head. "I’m not sure about that."
Just then, a middle-aged man who was about to enter chimed in, "Old Zuo went to Coqên half a month ago to take up his post as county chief there. He won’t be back for a while."
Gao Xiang was startled and turned to look at Zuo Si'an. Her eyes were wide and fixed, and she had to lean on the table to keep standing. He quickly supported her. "Don’t worry, I’ll take you to Coqên."
The middle-aged man said, "You can’t walk fast or get excited here. Quickly, have her lie down on the sofa."
The clerk, being very kind, immediately brought hot tea for Zuo Si'an. The middle-aged man scolded Gao Xiang, "How could you bring a young girl to this place, let alone plan to take her to Coqên? That’s the county with the highest altitude and toughest conditions in the entire Ngari Prefecture. Even adults can’t handle it…"
Before he could finish, Zuo Si'an burst into tears with a loud "wah." But as if an invisible hand had immediately stifled her, her crying stopped abruptly. She began breathing rapidly in deep, gasping breaths, her face quickly turning pale, her lips purplish, and her hands and feet cramping. Alarmed, Gao Xiang picked her up and asked the clerk, "Where’s the nearest hospital around here?"
The middle-aged man stopped him, swiftly took a newspaper, rolled it into a cone shape, tore a small hole at the tip, and pressed the wide end tightly against Zuo Si'an’s face, instructing her not to be afraid and to breathe inside the makeshift mask.
Gao Xiang asked anxiously, "Will this be enough?"
"She has respiratory alkalosis," the middle-aged man explained to Gao Xiang. "It’s a type of altitude sickness. Simply put, she’s breathing too deeply and too fast, expelling all the carbon dioxide from her body. With this mask, she’ll inhale the carbon dioxide she exhaled, and she’ll be fine in a little while. You don’t look so good either—sit down and rest quickly."
Gao Xiang let out a long sigh and realized he was dizzy, his heart pounding violently as if it were about to leap out of his throat. His legs suddenly felt too weak to support him. He tried to put Zuo Si'an down but found he lacked the strength. Just then, Zuo Si'an shifted the makeshift mask slightly and said hoarsely, "You should sit down."He slumped onto the sofa with Zuo Si'an in his arms, nervously looking down at her. The oxygen mask covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of curved eyes staring vacantly at him. This seemingly simple measure had actually worked—her breathing gradually returned to a normal rhythm, and her body relaxed and grew still in his embrace.
He let out a sigh, his entire body instantly slackening. In the small front hall of the guesthouse, people came and went intermittently, while a Tibetan program they couldn’t understand played on the television in the corner. Gao Xiang sat motionless, struck by a sense of exhaustion and emptiness under the dual effects of disappointment and altitude sickness. His heartbeat felt heavy, his limbs uncoordinated, and his mind seemed incapable of issuing any effective commands for action. All thoughts drifted away, except for the little girl in his arms, who clutched his clothes and stared intently at him, reminding him that he must keep breathing and strive to recover. Instinctively, he held her tighter, and she nestled deeper into his embrace.
After a while, Zuo Si'an recovered first. She climbed out of Gao Xiang’s arms, stood before him, and looked at him with concern. "What’s wrong with you?"
His head throbbed with pain, but he forced a smile. "I’m fine."
Unconvinced, she hesitated for a moment before reaching out with her cold fingers to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. She then handed him the hot tea brought by the attendant. He had no desire to move and wasn’t thirsty, but afraid of worrying her, he mustered the strength to take a sip.
The middle-aged man looked at them curiously. "What brings you to see Secretary Zuo?"
"He’s my dad. I want to see him."
The man was taken aback. "My name is Zhou. I’m also here from inland as part of the Aid Tibet program. Your father and I shared a room before he left for Coqên. Little girl, why did you travel all the way here instead of attending school?"
Zuo Si'an offered no explanation, merely repeating, "Uncle Zhou, I want to see my dad. Is Coqên far from here? Is it really that harsh there?"
Old Zhou’s eyes suddenly reddened. "It’s always the daughters who remember their fathers. You’ve come such a long way—Coqên isn’t far now. Don’t worry, it’s just at a higher altitude. Everything else is manageable. Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can find you a ride there."
Gao Xiang said, "Thank you, but we drove here ourselves. No need to trouble you."
"Little girl, why don’t you sit here for a while?" Old Zhou said to Gao Xiang, "Come with me. I’ll give you a detailed traffic map."
Old Zhou led Gao Xiang to the back and suddenly asked him, "What’s your relationship with Old Zuo?"
"I’m a family friend. His wife asked me to bring his daughter here."
Old Zhou nodded. "There are some things I couldn’t say in front of the little girl. You see, those of us cadres who come here from inland, alone for the Aid Tibet program, with no other entertainment after work, naturally end up talking about our families and lives back home. But Old Zuo is different—he’s always been reserved and burdened with worries. In the three months we shared a room, he never brought up the topic and hardly ever called home. I thought he was all alone. I never imagined he had such a lovely and caring daughter. Did he know his daughter was coming?"
Gao Xiang could only shake his head."The organization originally arranged for Old Zuo to work at the regional administrative office, but he insisted on going to the most difficult place. I'm worried..." He was clearly experienced and tactful, trailing off mid-sentence. "Maybe you should call Old Zuo first, so he doesn't end up hurting the little girl's feelings."
"Now that we're here, no matter what her father says, I must take her to see him. He loves his daughter."
"As a father myself, how could anyone not love such a wonderful daughter? Ah." Old Zhou sighed and dropped the subject, unfolding a map to show him. "Since you'll be returning to Lhasa anyway before heading back inland, take this route—it passes through Coqên and the road is slightly better, though there's not much scenery along the way. Be very careful on the road. As for Coqên... well, you'd better be mentally prepared. The conditions there are truly harsh."
Gao Xiang came out to find Zuo Si'an sitting motionless on the sofa, curled into a small ball. Her eyes immediately fixed on him, filled with terror, like a child forgotten in an unfamiliar place, afraid that any movement might ruin her chance of being found.
He walked over and reached out his hand to her. "Let's go, we're heading back to where we're staying."
She stood up, hesitated for a moment, then carefully grasped his fingers. The two of them slowly made their way out.
The town of Shiquanhe was unusually desolate at night. The wind howled, carrying sand and dust that stung their faces, while discarded paper and empty plastic bags tumbled and rolled across the deserted streets. Not a single pedestrian was in sight. The scattered lights from the houses on either side stood silent and dormant in the darkness, creating an indescribably eerie atmosphere. She instinctively moved closer to him as they walked slowly along the empty street.
"How far is Coqên from here?"
"Not too far, about a day and a half's journey. I'll discuss it with Lao Zhang and the others when we get back. Don't worry, I'll take you there."
"But I heard Sister Ruodi say the itinerary was already planned, and there are many places she still wants to visit."
"She'll understand."
"But..."
"Don't overthink it. You came here to see your father, and I came to take you to him. I'll make sure you get there, Xiao An."
She fell silent, only tightening her grip on his hand as they continued walking slowly forward. The dim streetlights stretched their shadows longer and longer, until they gradually merged with the deep black of the night.
8
The travel companions were gathered in the room eating instant noodles when Gao Xiang announced his plan to take Zuo Si'an to Coqên the next day. Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Their original itinerary had Zuo Si'an reuniting with her father in Shiquanhe for two days while they visited Bangong Lake, just over a hundred kilometers from Shiquanhe Town. Then they would all return to Lhasa together via the scenically rich "Super Northern Route."
If they continued traveling together, it would mean changing their plans and taking the Small Northern Route back, passing through Coqên before returning to Lhasa. If they parted ways here, it would mean each driving separately back to Lhasa without being able to assist each other along the way. After experiencing the hardships of the journey there, everyone understood that regardless of which route they took, they needed to travel together—going alone would expose them to unimaginable dangers.
Amid the silence, Shi Wei was the first to speak. "Then let's take the Small Northern Route and take Xiao An to see her father."
Lao Zhang chimed in, "I agree. This route isn't bad either."Once they had both voiced their stance, Da Ming and Xiao Yun, despite their reluctance, couldn’t bring themselves to say anything more. Zuo Si’an sat to the side, keeping her head lowered and remaining silent. Lao Zhang noticed her tense posture and playfully remarked, “Man, we’ve been out on this trip for too long, and we’ve had enough adventures. It’s just as well to head back early, get to work, and earn some travel money so we can come again next time.”
Sun Ruo Di quickly added, “Yes, I need to go back and revise my thesis, and Gao Xiang has to return home to help take care of his little cousin.”
Gao Xiang was startled and immediately glanced at Zuo Si’an. She lifted her head, looking momentarily confused before her expression froze, her face suddenly turning deathly pale. He hurriedly changed the subject, “Lao Zhou told me that Coqên means ‘big lake’ in Tibetan. There’s a large saltwater lake called Zhari Namco in the county, not very well-known but quite beautiful. We should go check it out.”
The hotel they stayed in was basic, with only a time-limited bathroom located next to the boiler room on the first floor. Everyone was covered in dust and grime from the journey, so after finishing their noodles, they quickly gathered their clean clothes and rushed down to shower. The bathhouse was enclosed, and staying inside too long could easily lead to oxygen deprivation. Not daring to take any risks, they washed up as quickly as possible and emerged feeling refreshed and light, as if their altitude sickness had eased considerably.
Sun Ruo Di went into the boiler room to fetch hot water for laundry, and Gao Xiang stayed by her side. She suddenly sighed, “We were supposed to go to Baling Township to see Tibetan antelopes and wild donkeys, and visit the ruins of the Guge Kingdom in Zhada Dongga Township’s Piyang Village. Now we have to give all that up.”
“When we saw the sacred mountains and lakes, you were so excited you said you were completely satisfied and could die without regrets.”
“But this trip has been so difficult. Of course, I want to visit all the worthwhile places.” She continued listing the places they had planned to visit, “Bangong Co is so close, yet we can’t go. There’s also the Rutog rock paintings, the Qiangtang lake group in Nagqu, the mysteriously vanished ruins of the Zhangzhung culture, the Stone Age sites, the Alung Valley burial grounds… Sigh, we’re going to miss all of these. It’s such a shame to have come all this way and not see them.”
“Ruodi, don’t say things like that in front of Xiao An.”
“When did I say anything? Haven’t I been gracious enough? But that girl—I’m not being picky—she’s so self-centered and rude, acting as if everything everyone does for her is taken for granted. Not a single word of thanks, and her expressions are so strange. Just now, when I asked her to go take a shower, she sulked and refused. I really don’t know what kind of mood she’s in.”
OpenNovel