He couldn't explain it for Zuo Si'an and felt somewhat displeased: "Children this age are probably all a little awkward."
"I've never seen any other child be as awkward as her."
"You know she's still a child, so be a bit more tolerant of her."
Sun Ruodi grew angry: "You're overly tolerant of her and far too harsh with me. I'm your girlfriend, I've already put on enough of a gracious front, but now even when I casually complain to you in private, I have to be criticized like this?"
"I'm not criticizing you, it's just..."
"Just that I can't criticize her, right? I really don't understand why you're so protective of her. You didn't even discuss it with me beforehand, just directly said you were going to Coqên."
"Ruodi, both Lao Zhang and Shi Wei love traveling more than you do. They put great effort into planning this itinerary, yet they gave up all those places you mentioned without hesitation and didn't voice any regrets. Besides, if it weren't for needing to bring Xiao An here..."
Sun Ruodi flew into a rage: "Are you reminding me to be grateful to Xiao An? That without her, you wouldn't have brought me here at all?"
Gao Xiang sighed, feeling that the lack of oxygen must be affecting his brain. He said in a conciliatory tone: "Don't get angry here, it consumes oxygen and your body won't be able to handle it."
But Sun Ruodi was already so furious her chest was heaving and her breathing became uneven. She stood up, opened her mouth, but was momentarily breathless and unable to speak. She could only fiercely shake the soap bubbles from her hands and storm off.
Gao Xiang was thoroughly vexed, his head throbbing faintly again. He felt like smoking but knew that smoking here would be torturing his lungs. Just entertaining the thought made him cough uncontrollably. Glumly, he squatted down intending to continue washing clothes when suddenly he heard a voice say: "Do you have a cold? Let me help you wash."
He looked up and saw Zuo Si'an walking from behind the boiler with a plastic basin containing freshly washed clothes.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"I came in first, so you can't say I was eavesdropping."
This childish reasoning made him don't know whether to laugh or cry. He stood up: "She was angry with me, it has nothing to do with you."
She curled her lip slightly, showing a hint of sarcastic expression: "I'm not stupid."
"Alright. You can't be angry with her for what she said to me privately."
"I know."
Gao Xiang was somewhat surprised and didn't want to discuss this further: "I'll wash my own clothes, you go take a shower quickly." She lowered her head without speaking. He had no choice but to patiently say: "This is probably the only place where you can shower before returning to Lhasa. You don't want to meet your father looking filthy, do you?"
She didn't respond.
"The hot water will stop soon. No wonder Ruodi said that about you - she kindly told you to take a shower, why did you have to be difficult and ignore her? Shouldn't girls care about cleanliness?"
She still didn't move or speak. He grew somewhat impatient: "Xiao An, I know you're unhappy, and I can't force you to pretend to be happy. But aside from me, no one else has any reason to bear your troubles. It's unfair to them."
She raised her head and looked at him, speaking softly: "I have... a scar on my stomach. It's very noticeable. I don't want them to see it in the bathroom."Gao Xiang froze, recalling the cesarean she had undergone just over four months ago, and found himself at a loss for words. The boiler room fell into utter silence, broken only by the monotonous, unsettling drip from a faucet. After a long pause, Zuo Si’an walked over, tightened the faucet, and spoke again: "I’m sorry for causing you to argue. I’m really not upset with anyone, nor do I intend to give anyone the cold shoulder. Sister Ruodi has been very kind to me throughout the journey. I’m not angry with her, and I hope she isn’t angry with me either."
Gao Xiang waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. She won’t stay angry for long."
"I just... don’t quite know what to say. Of course, I’m grateful to you... and to everyone. Everyone adjusted their plans for me and gave up a lot. A simple 'thank you' feels far from enough for all you’ve done."
Suddenly shedding her usual reserve and the unease typical of a child facing adults, she looked directly into his eyes, speaking with a sincerity and fluency that surprised him even more. Steam filled the boiler room, and though she stood only a few steps away, her figure seemed somewhat blurred. She hadn’t properly washed or combed her hair for days, her clothes were dusty, and her hair was tangled, yet her face, marked by Plateau red from intense ultraviolet exposure, appeared unusually calm, as if she had suddenly matured, embodying the traits of a young woman.
Gao Xiang felt an indescribable emotion. "Ruodi will understand. There’s no need to say more. The bathhouse will close in fifteen minutes. Shi Wei and the others have already gone up; it’s empty now. You should hurry and take a shower."
9_
The journey from Shiquanhe Town to Coqên passed through four places: Ge’gyai, Xungba, Gaize, and Dong Co, covering nearly 800 kilometers.
The first day went relatively smoothly. On both sides of the road, the yellow wilderness was dotted with small lakes resembling a painter’s palette, and occasionally, slender, winding streams flowed quietly by, only to suddenly give way to vast stretches of white, snow-like saline-alkali land. However, after being overwhelmed by so many breathtaking sights, the group felt somewhat fatigued on this route and lacked the enthusiasm to appreciate the scenery.
Zuo Si’an remained silent as usual, while Sun Ruodi, sulking, refused to speak and set aside the camera she usually kept in hand. Even the sporadic conversation between Lao Zhang and Gao Xiang failed to lift the dull atmosphere.
On the second day, the weather grew heavily overcast. As the altitude increased, everyone began experiencing varying degrees of difficulty breathing and severe headaches. Sun Ruodi and Xiao Yun were particularly affected and had to use the oxygen tanks they carried. Gao Xiang also felt his heartbeat becoming irregular and found it hard to breathe.
During a break when everyone got out to stretch, Zuo Si’an suddenly tugged at Gao Xiang’s sleeve and asked softly, "Are you okay?"
He shook his head.
"But you look very pale, and you seem to be drinking water constantly today."
He was indeed extremely thirsty and hadn’t expected her to notice. He glanced at her; her face was equally pale and weary, her lips slightly purple. "I’m fine. Don’t push yourself too hard either. If you feel unwell, tell me right away."By noon, they had entered Coqên County when suddenly hail began to fall. Crystalline pellets the size of fingertips densely pelted the car roof and windows, the sound striking fear into their hearts. The muddy road grew increasingly rugged and treacherous, the vehicle jolting violently as it inched forward at a crawl. However, after rounding a mountain pass, the car driven by Gao Xiang abruptly sank into a mud pit, its wheels spinning uselessly, leaving it completely immobilized.
The men from both vehicles got out and began stuffing stones beneath the wheels as best they could. The biting wind pierced to the bone, and the hail striking their heads throbbed with a dull pain. As Gao Xiang crouched by the wheel, shoving stones into place, he suddenly noticed a pair of slender, delicate hands placing rocks beside him. Startled, he turned to find Zuo Si'an—who had slipped out unnoticed—continuously hauling stones from the roadside.
"Get back in the car now. You’ll catch a cold."
Zuo Si'an shook her head and kept gathering stones, panting heavily. When exhausted, she would squat briefly to catch her breath before resuming. Shi Wei also came down to help, moving just as sluggishly.
Gao Xiang knew that moving stones at high altitude demanded far more effort than usual. Even as a young, robust man, he found it unbearable—his head ached, and each breath grew labored. How much more so for Zuo Si'an, just a child who had undergone a C-section four months prior and suffered a severe illness three months ago? Glancing at her frail figure when he could, his heart swelled with worry.
Once the stones were in place, they attached a steel cable. With Duo Ji driving the lead car and Lao Zhang at the wheel of the trapped one, at a shouted command, both vehicles started their engines simultaneously while the others pushed from behind. The engines roared, the steel cable pulled taut, yet the rear car remained stuck. Frustrated and weary, they had no choice but to gather more stones to stuff under the wheels.
Zuo Si'an stumbled over, clutching a rock, then slipped and fell into the muddy water. Gao Xiang reached out and pulled her up, noticing blood on her hand. "You are not to do this anymore," he snapped.
Ignoring him, she persisted. He picked her up, opened the car door, and firmly placed her inside. "Ruodi, clean and bandage her wound. Don’t let her get out again."
He slammed the door shut, feeling utterly drained. His heart raced wildly, his throat burned as if on fire, and a constant buzzing filled his ears. Looking at Duo Ji, Lao Zhang, Shi Wei, and Da Ming, he saw them all leaning against the cars, gasping for breath.
Lao Zhang waved weakly. "Let’s rest a bit. None of us can take much more."
They leaned against the vehicles to recover. By then, the hail had stopped, replaced by thick, swirling snowflakes drifting around and above them. Lao Zhang gazed anxiously at the gloomy, lead-gray sky. "If this snow keeps up, we’re in real trouble."
Suddenly, Duo Ji called out, "A car’s coming!"An off-road vehicle approached slowly, headlights on." The group waved frantically, and the vehicle stopped. Three men stepped out, all wearing felt hats and thick green military-style coats. One of them asked in Mandarin, "What’s wrong?"
Lao Zhang explained, "Our car’s stuck. Too much mud—we can’t pull it out."
The man crouched down to inspect the situation and said calmly, "Don’t worry. We brought shovels."He stood up and walked to the rear, signaling the driver to open the trunk. Just then, the door of the vehicle Gao Xiang was leaning against suddenly swung open. Zuo Si'an rushed out, while Sun Ruodi poked her head out and shouted, "Hey, kid, I told you not to get out of the car! Don’t go and cause trouble, okay!"
Gao Xiang was also somewhat annoyed. "Xiao An, get back in the car."
Zuo Si'an ignored them, splashing through the mud as she ran toward the man. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and called out hoarsely, "Dad."
The man seemed stunned into stillness, only turning around slowly after a long moment.
It was then that Gao Xiang recognized him—he was Zuo Si'an’s father, Zuo Xuejun. But his skin had become dark and rough, and like many others in the area, his face was slightly swollen from prolonged exposure to low oxygen levels. He looked nothing like the refined man he had been in Qinggang. Still in shock, he stared at his daughter as if unable to believe his eyes.
"Dad, it’s me, it’s Xiao An," Zuo Si'an pleaded, calling out to him. Finally, he seemed to snap out of his daze and slowly raised his arms to embrace her.
The scene moved everyone present. No one spoke; only the wind howled between them. After a long silence, Zuo Xuejun patted his daughter’s back. "Come on, get in the car and wait. Dad will help them pull the vehicle out first."
They had brought tools and clearly had ample experience dealing with such situations, which greatly improved their efficiency. An hour later, the car was finally freed from the mud. Zuo Si'an got into her father’s vehicle, which led the way as they set off again. Sun Ruodi held Gao Xiang’s hand and whispered, "You were right. We really should have brought Xiao An here."
Gao Xiang didn’t respond. On one hand, he was utterly exhausted, his head throbbing with pain, and his body felt as heavy as the SUV that had just been dragged from the mud. On the other hand, he didn’t think Zuo Xuejun would see it that way. After letting go of his daughter, Zuo Xuejun had clearly recognized him as well, casting him a cold glance without a trace of gratitude. He then methodically directed the towing process with calm precision, showing no outward joy at being reunited with his daughter.
Gao Xiang had never expected any gratitude, but Zuo Xuejun’s self-restrained demeanor left him with a strong sense of unease.
Chapter 7: 2013, Ngari
1_
The Ngari Gunsa Airport in Tibet is located southwest of Shiquanhe Town, the seat of the regional administrative office. Built in 2007, it is currently the third-highest-altitude airport in the world.
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