Аftеr а night's slеep, еvеrуоnе's bodies had sоmеwhat adаpted tо thе аltitudе, аnd аll symptоms of altitude reactiоn hаd lessеned. Fu Yingtао wаs nо eхсерtiоn; althоugh he didn't get the роrridge аnd side dishes he rеquested lаst night, he manаgеd tо kеер his brеakfast dоwn. Еven sо, hе сontinuеd to соmplain аbоut the fоod and envirоnment as usual, сlаiming his dеmands wеren't high while nitpiсking аt еverу dеtаil.
Вауunyе quiеtly sаid to Нippо, "I think this old mаn rеаlly rеsеmblеs а certain аnime charactеr."
"Who?" Hipрo loоked рuzzlеd.
"Guess."
"Оld Master? Master Bayi? Master Roshi?"
Bayunye deeply felt the generation gap was insurmountable—"The victim in most episodes of Detective Conan."
Hippo couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. Bayunye looked at his harmless smile and laughed too, though a hint of helplessness and hesitation flickered in her eyes.
After the knot-tying and equipment training session, Bayunye saw Diao Zhuo putting on his windbreaker while chatting with Lu Jianyi. Their gazes seemed fixed on Huzi, and Lu Jianyi even patted Huzi's head, introducing its past "glorious history" to Diao Zhuo. Bayunye thought that Diao Zhuo likely wanted to use Huzi to find Zhang Chenguang or the thermos.
No wonder he was her man—thinking along the same lines as her. Bayunye stared at Diao Zhuo's handsome profile, his tall and strong physique, and his black-and-yellow windbreaker, grinning foolishly.
Lu Jianyi went to prepare for the training exercise, and Diao Zhuo caught up with Bayunye, calling out to her from a distance. She turned around, her eyes blinking lightly with the movement, a smile curling at the corners of her lips. Her face was sharply defined, bright and beautiful. Diao Zhuo wasn't a literary type, but a phrase suddenly popped into his mind—clichéd as it was. As he walked, he said it aloud: "A single glance back, a hundred charms born."
Perhaps the wind was too strong, Bayunye couldn't quite hear clearly. She rubbed her ear, her tone carrying a hint of an unstandardized Northeastern accent, "What, what did you say?"
Diao Zhuo strode over, pinched her chin, and gave her lips a fierce kiss. "I said—my woman is fucking beautiful."
The crudest is the most elegant.
She was stunned by the sudden move, frozen for three seconds, only to hear him add, "Huzi can come up the mountain with us, but there's no scent for comparison right now."
Did the topic shift too quickly?
"I feel like I've heard Han Dasheng mention Zhang Chenguang's thermos before, but I didn't pay attention at the time," Bayunye said, calling Han Dasheng. He might have been driving and didn't answer.
"On the way to base camp, Han Dashen cut me off, mocked me for being effeminate. I gave him the middle finger, thinking if he dared to take it seriously, I'd fight him properly and stall Zhang Chenguang along the way. Who knew the clues we need now are all in his hands? Good thing we didn't fight," Bayunye sighed.
Diao Zhuo placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, suppressing a laugh as he said, "Master Ba is all-powerful, foreseeing everything."
"Cut it out, you're mocking me," Bayunye shot him a glare, then smiled again, pinching the zipper of his jacket with her thumb and forefinger. "I haven't seen you wear this jacket before."
Diao Zhuo said casually, "You've seen all my clothes?"
"You deliberately bought a windbreaker to match mine," Bayunye pointed out bluntly. "Even though you once said it looks like a food delivery rider's uniform."
"It's different."
Bayunye crossed her arms. "How is it different?""Here—" Diao Zhuo pointed to his upper arm. "An extra pocket."
Bayunye clenched her fist and raised it, looking as if she couldn't restrain herself from throwing a punch. Diao Zhuo opened his palm and wrapped it around her fist, completely enveloping it. Their interaction seemed like a fierce duel, yet there was a subtle warmth to it.
After a brief rest, everyone proceeded with the original plan to hike and train on the north slope Glacier, while also familiarizing themselves with the equipment. Bayunye kept checking her phone, worried she might miss any messages, as the signal would be poor once they headed to the south slope base camp in the afternoon.
Lu Jianyi was a highly experienced mountaineering coach. As they walked, he guided everyone through practical exercises like mountaineering steps, Ice Slope walking, breath control, and how to navigate key points. This segment was quite relaxed, with everyone chattering away in various regional dialects, sounding like a group comedy act. Cheerful laughter erupted frequently within the team. Huzi weaved back and forth among the crowd, occasionally rewarded with some dried meat. However, before eating, he would always glance at Lu Jianyi, waiting for approval before accepting. Someone unwrapped a Snickers bar, broke off half, and tried to give it to Huzi. Lu Jianyi didn’t notice at first, but Bayunye quickly intervened, "Hey, don’t give him that."
"Why not…"
Jiang Aohang happened to pass by, patted Huzi’s head, and chuckled, "Dogs can’t eat chocolate."
A few steps away, Fu Yingtao cleared his throat loudly, making a conspicuous sound. "Aohang, keep up! Don’t meddle in other people’s business!"
Jiang Aohang pursed his lips, seeming a bit flustered. Fu Yingtao shot him another dissatisfied look before striding ahead.
Bayunye was baffled, wondering why Fu Yingtao reacted so strongly, as if stung by a bee. She also noted that among everyone, he was the only one who disliked interacting with any animals—he never fed the pikas, and even the well-behaved Huzi didn’t catch his eye. She quietly said to the person holding the half Snickers bar, "He’s right. Chocolate could kill a dog."
"Take it easy. Don’t laugh too hard or breathe too heavily. Walk slowly, too. If you can’t go on, just say so—it’s not shameful. Know when to back down," Pulan reminded.
"Thump!" Someone ahead slipped and fell, and several people rushed to help. It turned out to be Fu Yingtao. The fall was sudden, and he was momentarily stunned. The lit cigarette in his hand dropped onto his pants, burning a hole in them.
Bayunye, distracted, didn’t go to help. In contrast, Jiang Aohang was extremely attentive, rushing over to check if any joints were sprained and asking if Fu Yingtao needed to take the medicine Bayunye had given him the day before. He acted like Fu Yingtao’s own son, making Fu Xingyue seem like his daughter-in-law by comparison.
"No need. Keep moving," Fu Yingtao waved a hand. Perhaps the embarrassing fall made him feel humiliated, so he deliberately acted nonchalant. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it, determined to create an air of transcendent elegance amidst the swirling smoke.
Fu Yingtao was a heavy smoker, like a moving chimney. Based on how quickly and frequently he lit cigarettes, he went through at least two packs a day. Bayunye thought that for his family, breathing in all that secondhand smoke every day, living a long life would be difficult.
"Ouch!" Another person fell—this time, it was Jiang Aohang. As he was helped up by the others, he casually remarked, "This path is really tough to walk on. One slip, and your butt pays the price."He stumbled and muttered, both easing Fu Yingtao's embarrassment from the fall and creating an impression for everyone that falling was only natural, as if no matter how badly anyone fell from then on, it would be a normal occurrence. Bayunye secretly marveled—this flattery was seamless and absolutely masterful.
The group clamored forward, and Bayunye followed along. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a rectangular object beside a sharp rock where Jiang Aohang had just fallen, nearly stepping on it but stopping just in time. Picking it up, she saw it was a phone. As she held it upright, the screen lit up, displaying a line of text:
Rui Rui: Don’t worry, encountering danger while climbing is no small matter.
Bayunye’s eyes widened, instinctively sensing that Jiang Aohang had accidentally dropped it while deliberately falling. She thought for a few seconds, quietly placed the phone back by the rock, and boldly nudged it with her toe, calling out, "Hey! There’s a phone here. Who dropped it?"
Just then, she saw Jiang Aohang, who was supporting his father-in-law, instinctively pat his pocket.
"Honey, you dropped your phone," Fu Xingyue quickly ran over. Bayunye’s heart leaped, as if witnessing a scene from a TV drama playing out in real life.
Fu Xingyue picked up the phone and, without even glancing at it, turned and handed it to Jiang Aohang, who rushed over in a panic. He took it with an apologetic smile. "Ha! I actually dropped my phone!" he said, swiftly slipping it into his pocket and pressing firmly on the Velcro a few times, his movements quick and seamless.
Bayunye stared at the couple’s retreating figures, frowning. She thought, Is this guy planning to pull off a "climbing accident"? Isn’t that just causing trouble for us!
After that, she deliberately lagged behind with Diao Zhuo. Diao Zhuo said, "The southern slope is gentle, and the time from the summit push to the descent isn’t long. The climbing guides are with us the whole way. Unless the weather suddenly changes, it’s hard to encounter danger."
"Man proposes, God disposes."
He broke into a sweat, kindly reminding her, "That idiom doesn’t work here."
"If the old man really encounters danger, can you, as part of the Rescue Team, just ignore it?" Bayunye retorted.
"I’d carry him down the mountain myself if I had to."
Diao Zhuo’s integrity left Bayunye both frustrated and admiring. She could only say, "So, I’m afraid they’ll pull some tricks, not only delaying our search for the thermos but also hindering your identification of the photo location. How about... we try reporting it to the police again?"
"Do you have any evidence?"
"I saw his message!—'Don’t worry, encountering danger while climbing is no small matter.'"
"That sentence sounds like ordinary advice. It only seems suspicious because we’re already assuming he has ulterior motives."
"True. If the police think we’re filing a false report, they might even arrest me..." Bayunye shrank her neck.
"I’ll have Da Qiang and the others try to keep Jiang Aohang and Old Fu separated during the summit push."
Bayunye nudged him with her elbow. "You should address him as—Leader Fu."
Diao Zhuo sighed helplessly and quickened his pace, thinking to himself, Jiang Aohang is so eager to harm his father-in-law, yet he’s so careless with his phone calls and messages, letting Hippo and Bayunye discover them one after another. Is he overly confident, or did he slip up despite his meticulous planning? Moreover, he wondered, Fu Xingyue is Jiang Aohang’s closest person. Could she really have no inkling of the schemes brewing in her husband’s mind?Near the end of the training session, Han Dasheng finally returned the call. Bayunye plugged in her earphones, sharing one with Diao Zhuo, and asked, "You mentioned Zhang Chenguang's thermos to me before. Do you still remember it now?"
Now that Han Dasheng had grown familiar with Bayunye, his words couldn't help but turn slick. "Every time you see me, you ask about Zhang Chenguang. Are you secretly in love with him or what?"
"He owes me money." Bayunye ended the topic with that one sentence.
Han Dasheng couldn't tell if it was true or not and thought for a long time before saying, "I just remember he carried that broken thermos the whole way. At base camp, I even reminded him not to bring such unnecessary stuff when summiting—bringing his 1.5-liter one would've been the real deal."
"Broken thermos?"
"Ah, didn't I tell you? It leaked. And it messed up the back seat of my car."
Diao Zhuo grew even more suspicious. Leaking meant it wasn't airtight, drastically reducing its insulation. Forget summiting a snowy mountain—it wasn't even worth bringing on a regular trip. Could there really be something unusual inside the thermos?
Bayunye prompted him for a while, but Han Dasheng couldn't recall any other details. She had to rack her brains, recalling everything from that time, when suddenly an inspiration struck. "Brother Dasheng, do you have hypoglycemia?"
"Heh, can't help it—my mom passed it down to me."
Bayunye remembered seeing Han Dasheng generously handing out small packets of cocoa powder to clients more than once, telling them it helped with altitude reaction. She couldn't help but ask, "When we reached base camp, I saw you distributing something to the clients. Could that have been cocoa powder too?"
"Of course. When we take independent travelers mountaineering, we're not like the base providing food and tents. How could we build a reputation without offering a little warmth? I don't know how others do it, but I usually give clients a few acetazolamide tablets and some cocoa powder—one lowers eye pressure and helps with altitude reaction, the other replenishes energy."
Bayunye brightened, her voice growing much louder. "What brand of cocoa?"
"Nestlé chocolate-flavored cocoa powder, the kind you can buy at any supermarket, the one in brown packaging."
Diao Zhuo gave a thumbs-up, silently praising Bayunye.
Bayunye asked Han Dasheng for the contact information of several clients who had climbed with them at the time and called them one by one. One client said that before setting off for the summit, Zhang Chenguang had brewed a lot of hot chocolate and filled thermoses of various sizes with it. The client had even given Zhang Chenguang his remaining packets and advised him to bring some plain hot water, but it seemed Zhang hadn't listened.
"A leaking thermos, filled with Nestlé hot chocolate." Bayunye hung up the phone, a delighted smile spreading across her face. "Let's take a gamble! The thermos in the lost item notice is Zhang Chenguang's—it's hard to avoid leaks during a climb. If we let Huzi sniff out the scent, we might actually find it."
This brand was well-loved by the masses, and the small shop near the base had it, though it was three times more expensive than elsewhere. By the time they bought it and returned, everyone had already packed their gear and luggage, ready to head toward the southern slope base camp.
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