Тhе mоuntаin had just seеn а snоwfаll thе night before, аnd thе weathеr was somеwhаt оvеrсаst, with patсhes of snow lingering in plaсеs. Truсks transроrting suррlies tо Тibеt wеrе lined uр along the Qinghаi-Тibet Нighway like mаtchboхes. Initiallу, it sееmеd thе snоw hаd causеd trаffic jаms аll thе waу from Wеst Grеat Bеаch tо the base сamp, but as thеу slоwly mоved forward, thеу disсovеrеd а truсk hаd оverturnеd. Тhe Siсhuan-Тibet, Yunnan-Тibet, аnd Qinghаi-Тibet rоutеs аrе the main supрly lines to Tibet, with thе Sichuan-Tibеt route hаving the mоst аcсidents, while the Qinghai-Tibet route is the most stable and least accident-prone—though "least" doesn’t mean none.
The vehicles turned off the highway onto a dirt road leading to the southern slope base camp, which was also the only way to the vast wilderness of Hoh Xil. The advantage of off-road vehicles came into play as they maneuvered around the heavily loaded trucks. Bayunye’s Wrangler charged ahead like a bright red flag at the front of the convoy, bold and domineering, much like her personality.
As the vehicles came to a stop one after another, Huzi dashed out, while the others disembarked slowly. On the desolate tundra stood a solitary pale blue sign that read, "Pearl Peak Mountaineering Base Camp, Elevation 5,050 meters," along with the "Mountaineering Regulations for Qinghai Province." This was the heartland of the Three Rivers Source, the Kunlun Mountains, and Hoh Xil, a core nature reserve teeming with small animals. Pikas scurried everywhere, completely unafraid of humans. A finger biscuit was enough to lure one, and it would leap onto you, nibbling the biscuit while hopping around and observing you. Looking back at the vast, undulating brown wilderness outside the camp, one could occasionally spot tall, sturdy Tibetan Wild Asses and naturally dopey Tibetan foxes.
Supplies were scarce in the camp, so food had to be brought in sufficient quantities. Except during the peak climbing months of July and August, tents also had to be self-provided. There used to be a row of simple prefabricated houses here, but they were destroyed by floods. Now, brightly colored tents served as temporary shelters for climbers. Stepping out of the tents, one could see Pearl Peak through the fluttering colorful prayer flags, making it easy to tell whether it was snowing or what the weather was like.
The higher altitude and thinner air caused some people to suffer from Altitude Reaction again. Some who had shown no symptoms at West Great Beach began experiencing severe headaches and vomiting within hours of arriving at the base camp. Those who had previously laughed at others were now lying weak and exhausted, forced to take altitude sickness medication and aspirin. Strangely, those who had already shown symptoms at West Great Beach felt less severe effects at the base camp. Aside from a loss of appetite, they remained relatively calm.
The cook at the base camp was also from the Sichuan school, and his skills were better than those at West Great Beach. After the meal, fruit was served as usual, and surprisingly, there was even watermelon.
Da Qiang was vomiting violently, while his friends munched on watermelon and teased him.
"Such a delicious feast, and you’ve ruined it."
"Don’t say that—he ate it and threw it up, so he got to taste it twice."
"Damn, don’t gross us out! I’m about to puke too!"
"What, you want to taste it again?"
"Dad, have some watermelon. It’s quite sweet," Jiang Aohang said from another table, still bustling around attentively. Bayunye sat with her back to them, recalling the line she had seen on his phone that morning. Hearing his earnest voice now sent a chill down her spine.
If he was determined to put Fu Yingtao in danger during the climb, others might inevitably be affected as well."Watermelons shouldn't be eaten after the Start of Autumn, and you'd better eat less of these off-season fruits too." Fu Yingtao remained aloof. Though his appetite was poor, he was in much better spirits than when they were at West Great Beach. Now, refusing the slices of watermelon Jiang Aohang offered, he rambled on, "In the past, there weren't so many off-season vegetables and fruits. Whatever the season, whatever grew in the fields—that was the natural order. But now? They force it so you can eat whatever you want all year round. In the end, young people's health doesn't improve; it gets worse. So many young people get cancer these days."
Bayunye froze mid-bite of her watermelon. She couldn't stomach the meal either, but she had already devoured five or six slices of watermelon.
"Then have an apple," said the low-profile Fu Xingyue, seemingly hinting for him to stop talking. From this alone, her emotional intelligence wasn't too low.
Fu Yingtao waved a dismissive hand. "Peel it first. The skin is covered in pesticides."
"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Jiang Aohang offered an ingratiating smile, borrowed a fruit knife, gripped the handle tightly, and strode toward Fu Yingtao with the blade pointed at him as if ready to stab someone at any moment. Bayunye shot him a wary glance, only to see him grab an apple and sit down elsewhere, obediently peeling it.
"Diao Zhuo, hand over your phone for inspection," Bayunye said, raising her voice.
Diao Zhuo looked up and met her gaze.
"What, too sudden? If I let you prepare, what's the point of checking?" She laughed, extending her hand.
The straight-laced man didn't understand her intention. Not only did he not take out his phone, but his remark, "The signal's bad, it's already shut off," made her seem unreasonable.
Bayunye placed her hand on his waist and pinched him hard. "If it's off, you can turn it back on. Is there something unspeakable on there?"
Diao Zhuo raised an eyebrow, stared at her for a long moment, and after understanding her meaning, obediently took out his phone.
"Women... they all love checking men's phones," Dongbo whispered to Da Qiang. "Even Master Ba is no exception."
As she turned on the phone, Bayunye pretended to be casual yet cutting. "Of course you have to check a man's phone more often, because you never know what 'surprises' it might bring. Sometimes, by chance, you meet his ex-girlfriend and hear her share their tangled past. Sometimes, in his buddies' jokes, you discover that when you weren't around, he actually bought group tickets for a private cinema couple's seat three times. And sometimes..."
The lock screen image that lit up after turning on the phone nearly made Bayunye choke on her own saliva, her voice cracking slightly. "Why are you using my photo as your lock screen?!"
Diao Zhuo's buddies burst into laughter. "Master Ba, now that's a real surprise."
"It's not you," Diao Zhuo flatly denied, his expression deadly serious, as if they were discussing an academic issue.
Bayunye gave him a suspicious look, then glanced at the screen again. Damn it, the car was hers, the clothes were hers. Even though it was a shot of her sitting on the car roof from behind, and the figure was small enough that others might not recognize it, how could she not recognize herself?
She felt a bit awkward, but noticing that Jiang Aohang and Fu Xingyue were drawn to her little drama, she decided to keep up the act. "Oh, you've been in contact with this person a lot lately. Judging by the name, it's a woman!"
"Dong Xinjiao, the only female among the first batch of geologists trained after the founding of the People's Republic."After the founding of the People's Republic... Bayunye tapped her fingers randomly on the screen, challenging him again, "This person named 'Mengjiandie' has sent you so many friend requests, and you actually ignored them all?"
"Meng Xiao Ai." Diao Zhuo's explanation was brief and to the point.
That girl still hasn't given up on him... Bayunye gritted her teeth and launched another attack, "Huh, last month you actually had a hotel payment record in Xi'an?!"
Diao Zhuo remained calm, "You seem to have forgotten where you were those few days."
"Master Ba, your questions showcase a spirit of stubborn foolishness," Hippo quietly reminded her.
"Damn it, I just can't find anything to pick on..." Bayunye rolled her eyes. She was a carefree person by nature and never snooped through men's phones. Never!
"You should trust each other," Fu Xingyue couldn't stand it anymore and softly reminded her.
Seeing that her antics had finally prompted Fu Xingyue to speak up, Bayunye breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Don't you check your husband's phone? What if he's hiding something from you..."
Jiang Aohang looked at Bayunye, his brow furrowed tightly, his shoulders appearing stiff as he waited for her to finish.
She pretended not to notice his gaze, "...like hiding private money?"
"He wouldn't do that," Fu Xingyue didn't elaborate further, but her eyes revealed immense trust in her husband.
Jiang Aohang pursed his lips, his shoulders seeming to relax a little.
"Or keeping in touch with ex-girlfriends?"
Jiang Aohang remained expressionless, while Fu Xingyue shook her head with a smile.
It seemed she really hadn't checked Jiang Aohang's chat records, which was why he could chat so openly with that person named Rui Rui.
"If a married couple is suspicious of each other, always trying to catch the other in the wrong, how can they live together?" Jiang Aohang put his arm around Fu Xingyue's shoulder, smiling as he looked at her, "Xingyue and I tell each other everything. If she's dissatisfied with something about me, I'll change it as long as she says so. If she does something wrong, I tell her directly. If she gets angry, then I'll take the blame. Everything can be communicated. Two people should speak clearly and not deliberately make the other guess."
The Tangshan sisters were deeply moved and began listing their own husbands' faults—hiding private money, listening too much to their mothers-in-law, pressuring them to have a second child for a son—once the topic started, it couldn't be stopped.
"He tells you everything..." Bayunye didn't join the Tangshan sisters' complaints, pretending to be skeptical, "...including things like first loves and ex-girlfriends?"
"He's told me about all of them," Fu Xingyue nodded seriously, then added after a moment, "But there's no contact now."
"Let the past stay in the past. If you keep dwelling on those things after marriage, it not only hurts the relationship but also shows immaturity," Jiang Aohang spoke with earnest concern, looking at Bayunye, "You're still young, and you two aren't married yet. It's good to understand each other more, but you should give men a little more trust. Constantly checking phones and going through messages might seem harmless at first, but over time, no man can stand it. It creates problems where there were none."
Then, he lowered his voice and added another reminder—"Extremes lead to opposites."
"Ahang, what you said isn't entirely right either," Fu Xingyue said softly, "Sometimes checking a phone doesn't mean distrust; it means you care more."
Diao Zhuo played along with Bayunye's act, remaining silent throughout."Then if you don't check my phone, does that mean you don't care about me?" He tapped his wife's nose, grabbed the phone on the table, and said, "Check it right now!"
"I don't have that habit, and... I'm quite confident too." She shook her head, looking very shy. "Also, you picked up my phone..."
"Oh?" Jiang Aohang was taken aback, looked down, and sighed with a smile.
The same phone? Diao Zhuo was startled, lost in thought.
Bayunye noticed they were using identical couple phones, feeling like she had hit a wall and worrying for Fu Xingyue. She pursed her lips and reached for more fruit, catching sight of Fu Yingtao watching the young couple with an extremely cold gaze, a faint trace of disdain and disgust in his expression.
The happiness of their children's marriages and families should be the long-cherished wish of many elders. It was unclear whether Fu Yingtao, after losing his spouse, couldn't bear to see his daughter and son-in-law being "affectionate" or simply looked down on Jiang Aohang. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, father-in-law and son-in-law—hah.
After dinner, classic old movies were shown in the camp tents: The Message and Brotherhood of Blades. Outside, the wind was strong, and the temperature plummeted. Inside the tents, coal was used for heating, making the air even drier. Suddenly, Fu Yingtao had a nosebleed, causing another small commotion. Bayunye seized the opportunity to scare him, saying it was best to give up on reaching the summit under such circumstances. The climbing coaches, unaware of the specifics, simply said that dry, cold air causing nasal discomfort was normal, and even if clotted blood appeared in the nasal cavity, there was no need to fear.
"I saw you brought vitamins, right? Take more vitamin C, squeeze some vitamin E and apply it inside your nostrils to moisturize them," the Tangshan Sisters kindly reminded.
"Vitamins shouldn't be taken randomly either," Da Qiang said, though he was feeling unwell due to altitude reaction. As soon as his doctor's professional habit kicked in, he immediately cautioned, "For example, Uncle Fu... oh no, Mr. Fu, applying vitamin E to the nose is fine, but avoid taking it orally."
Fu Yingtao, with his head tilted back and two cotton balls stuffed in his nose, couldn't help but ask upon hearing this, "Is vitamin E ineffective for altitude reaction?"
"I noticed you've been taking aspirin these past few days to relieve altitude reaction. Plus, you're a heavy smoker. Don't over-supplement with vitamin E unnecessarily—it's not good for your health."
Bayunye and Diao Zhuo exchanged a glance and simultaneously looked toward Jiang Aohang.
They saw Jiang Aohang standing there in a daze, tightly clutching a bottle of vitamin E. His backpack also contained several bottles of vitamin C, B-complex, grape seed capsules, and fish oil. "Uh... can my dad not take vitamin E? Isn't it said that vitamin E is antioxidant, and older people can supplement it appropriately?"
"Aspirin reduces blood clotting, and excessive vitamin E can easily cause severe bleeding. Also, I once read a foreign paper stating that smokers who take 50 milligrams of vitamin E daily increase their risk of cerebral hemorrhage by 50%."
Da Qiang's words shocked Fu Yingtao, who clutched his chest as if feeling extremely uncomfortable. After a while, he rushed outside and vomited everything from dinner.
Looking back at Jiang Aohang and Fu Xingyue, their faces were deathly pale.
OpenNovel