Раst sеvеn in thе evening, thе timе whеn dinnеr shоuld have beеn sеrved, yеt no onе rеасhеd fоr their chоpsticks. Everyonе huddlеd inside thе tents, рutting оn thе thiсk fleесе jасkets thеy had brought uр tо ward оff the cold. Тhe laсk of oхуgеn lеft thеm fееling exhаustеd yеt unаblе to slеeр, thеir bodies wеаk and listlеss. Some suspеcted theу wеrе running a high fеver, though it was mеrеlу psусhоlоgiсаl.
Fu Xingуuе wraрpеd herself in hеr sleерing bаg but still shiverеd frоm thе сold. Her bоdy felt as if she had а low-grade fеver—her limbs wеak, оnlу wanting tо lie down and fall into a deep, heavy sleep. Tossing and turning, she found it impossible to drift off. Bayunye’s words from earlier in the car kept circling in her mind. She wasn’t a fool; she could tell that every sentence was urging her to abandon all her plans.
Abandon them? She covered her eyes with her hand, recalling what Fu Yingtao had said to her before: it was time to have a child, move back in with him, and after he retired, she should quit her job to focus on taking care of his daily needs and overseeing their child’s studies. And then, the same old line that never changed: "You have to remember, your education and this job are all thanks to me. Without me, you wouldn’t be where you are today, so just listen to me obediently."
Over the years, she had seen through all the power dynamics and vested interests at her workplace. Fu Yingtao, as a representative of the old guard, would lose his influence once he retired. His clique, as they aged, would inevitably be replaced by the rising core forces. Even though he assured her that after she resigned, he would do his best to support Jiang Aohang and secure her future, such words might fool a naive young girl, but her?
He was simply afraid that once she gained the ability to stand on her own and achieve financial independence, he would lose control over her. He had pushed her into university for his own reputation, and into the state-owned enterprise where he worked to use her as bait for a controllable son-in-law, all while trapping her in this city.
Without any biological children of his own, he felt particularly insecure. Only by crushing others’ independence could he obtain a "dutiful daughter." From the moment she was adopted, her life had been firmly gripped in his hands. If she didn’t cut off those hands, she would eventually be strangled.
After being pressured to resign, she had seen a psychologist and was diagnosed with mild obsessive tendencies. The root of her compulsions was Fu Yingtao’s constant emphasis on the "debt of gratitude" for raising her.
Bayunye had urged her to stop, telling her how precious life was. Yes, life was precious, freedom was precious—she wanted both the fish and the bear’s paw.
"Wife, are you feeling unwell?" Jiang Aohang asked her again.
"Can you sleep?"
"Can’t sleep. Just a few more hours to go—hang in there." He reached out and patted her body, but quickly withdrew his hand because of the cold.
Fu Xingyue thought, right, just a few more hours. Hang in there.
Bayunye drank a cup of glucose water, and her altitude reaction eased somewhat. Without eating anything, she grew drowsy around eight o’clock. Seeing Diao Zhuo enter with his sleeping bag, she opened her eyes again. Diao Zhuo lay down beside her, his voice low and gentle. "Once you come down from the mountain, you’ll have to lead the team to Delingha right away. Can you handle it?"
She, ever resilient, snorted faintly. "Since I’m here, there’s nothing I can’t handle." With that, she propped herself up, her mind still preoccupied. "You said you had a way to find out the year the photo was taken. What is it?""I noticed the river's course is slightly different from the one in the photo, suspecting that due to an earthquake or some other reason, the riverbed has changed somewhat. Also, there's a very small glacier monitoring station in the photo, easily overlooked if you're not paying close attention. The establishment and removal of glacier monitoring stations are also important markers for determining time. I think the local records of Golmud City might contain some information."
"No wonder you kept looking back as we walked—I thought you were looking at me," she shamelessly teased.
He scoffed, snorting, "Are you that good-looking?"
"Aren't I that good-looking?" she retorted.
"You are," he stated firmly.
"So?"
"I really wasn't looking at you," the straight-as-an-arrow man admitted truthfully.
"Who cares..." Bayunye lay back down, closing her eyes as if asleep. The two lay side by side, and after a long while, they heard her say, "Diao Zhuo, come closer."
Diao Zhuo pulled her sleeping bag nearer until they were touching. Unable to sleep for the moment, they chatted idly, mostly Bayunye asking questions and him answering.
"This damn place is so cold. Do you want a smoke?"
"Yes."
"Then smoke."
"You told me to smoke less."
"Wow, you actually listen to me?"
"Can't ignore the boss's orders."
"Call me 'Chief.'"
"Chief."
"Yes!" The soldier chuckled.
The quiet didn't last long—"Why is it that every time we meet, we end up going days without a shower? It was the same in Qiangtang, the same in the desert, and now this time—why did I leave my cozy inn in Chengdu to come sleep in a tent... I should've waited for you to come down from the mountain before going to find you."
"No need for the Chief to trouble herself. I'll drop by Delingha to find you."
Bayunye suppressed the urge to pounce on him a thousand times over. "Whoever takes the initiative, we're together now, and a few days without a shower is worth it."
"If you say it's worth it, then it's worth it."
She lay on her side, eyes closed, muttering as if talking in her sleep. "Many years from now, when you're dragging your family around, a kid in each hand, I wonder if you'll remember that there was once a Master Ba who turned your world upside down for a little while. What will I be doing then? Probably still driving, occasionally thinking of you, as reliable as my comrades. But if you join my tours, there'll still be no discount."
Diao Zhuo patiently listened to the end, gritting his teeth as he delivered a fierce retort. "Even with a kid in each hand, they'll be my kids with you."
"That's terrifying..." Bayunye covered her face and turned away.
The wind continued to rage outside, like a pack of wild beasts galloping back and forth. Bayunye didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke again, there was the glow of flashlights outside. She turned over, her feet icy cold. This was never a good place to sleep, but the short nap had eased her altitude reaction, leaving her free of discomfort.
Checking her watch, it was exactly 2:30 a.m.—time to get up for the summit push. She put on her down jacket and outer shell, while outside, Lu Jianyi's shouts echoed as one orange tent after another lit up. Some people hadn't slept at all, eagerly awaiting this moment; others were half-asleep, groggily forcing themselves to rise.
"Those who can eat something, try to have a bite! We depart at three sharp!" Lu Jianyi called out loudly.The wind grew even more ferocious, impossible to predict where it would strike next. The sky was as dark as thick ink; without headlamps and flashlights, one would be completely unable to discern direction. Everyone knew they should eat something, but any solid food was impossible to swallow. Some managed a few pieces of chocolate, others only a few sips of hot glucose water. This was a summit push driven entirely by willpower.
Fu Yingtao once again refused the chocolate Jiang Aohang offered him. He took out the medicine Bayunye had given him earlier, held his thermos, drank a few sips of hot water to swallow it down, and prepared for the final push. His face was etched with excitement and pride, showing no trace of weariness from hunger or staying up all night. In contrast, Fu Xingyue’s face was pale, her teeth gritted as she forced herself onward. Every breath she took seemed insufficient to meet her need for oxygen. When lining up, she found four people between herself and Fu Yingtao, with Bayunye and Diao Zhuo positioned before and after her respectively. She steadied herself, telling herself that at this final juncture, she must hold on.
Bayunye once again let Huzi sniff the scent of hot chocolate. It gave two confirming barks, wagging its tail and pacing back and forth. It had identified everyone who had come into contact with the instant hot chocolate drink, including the married couple. Seeing this, Diao Zhuo called Hippo over and had him insert himself between Fu Yingtao and Jiang Aohang, preventing any chance of contact between the two.
One by one, everyone put on their ice claws, and the summit push began.
It had snowed heavily over the past two days, making the upward path much easier to traverse than in summer. Clouds, driven by the strong wind, rushed toward everyone, creating a misty haze. Those wearing goggles soon found them fogged up with condensation. With headlamps on, everyone followed the person in front, slowly and steadily moving forward. Lu Jianyì remarked that perhaps even the final two hundred meters wouldn’t require ascenders—the ice claws alone might ensure reaching the summit.
Pearl Peak truly lived up to its reputation as an entry-level snow mountain, with gentle slopes. The path to the summit was even more gradual than some mountains over five thousand meters. Da Qiang, who had completely overcome his altitude reaction, happily said this was easier than their climb up Mount Bahar.
“When will we reach the top?” shouted the Tangshan Sisters.
“Seven or eight o’clock! I’ll take a group photo for you all under the rising sun!” Pulan encouraged everyone.
Huzi searched everywhere for thermoses carrying the scent of Nestlé chocolate. Bayunye kept glancing at it, always hoping to hear its bark. Fu Xingyue coughed intermittently. Lu Jianyì came over to ask her several times, but she insisted she was fine. Diao Zhuo felt something was off and stayed close to her.
After nearly two hours of walking, the altitude had risen to over 5,800 meters. Ahead appeared a relatively steep slope. Lu Jianyì said, “Everyone, take a rest. That area is quite steep—it’s a ridge! But it’s okay! The snow has made the path much wider!”
Bayunye pulled down her face mask and rubbed her nose, red from the cold. The wind slapped her face like someone fiercely striking a door with a fan. Using her headlamp, she searched for Huzi. Its two eyes glowed green in the darkness. Its thick fur was enough to withstand temperatures even lower than this, and it looked like a big, furry ball as it lowered its head to search. Just as she was about to continue walking, she heard a “thud”—something heavy fell into the snow. She whipped around to look. Lying on the ground seemed to be Fu Xingyue.Everyone gathered around Fu Xingyue, with over a dozen headlamps illuminating her surroundings brightly. She lay curled on her side like a boiled shrimp, her face mask pulled down, coughing and gasping for breath, her complexion growing even paler. Da Qiang helped her up, noticing her lips had turned purple. When he pried her mouth open under the light, he saw it was filled with white foam.
"Epilepsy?"
"Doesn't seem like it..."
"Could it be Hypoglycemia from not eating?"
"Quick, get the glucose!"
"How is she?" Diao Zhuo asked.
Da Qiang examined her for a moment. "...It might be pulmonary edema. She bit her own lips, so she must have been feeling unwell earlier but kept pushing through." Diao Zhuo frowned and said to Lu Jianyì, "The altitude here is too high. Arrange for her immediate descent!"
High-altitude pulmonary edema is a common condition for people above 3,000 meters. Without timely treatment, it can be fatal. During high-altitude climbs, mountaineers often have to descend for medical care due to sudden pulmonary or cerebral edema. A few years ago, a female hiker tragically died after neglecting early symptoms and failing to descend for timely treatment. High-altitude pulmonary edema has many triggers, with high altitude being the direct cause. Additionally, factors like exhaustion, hunger, emotional stress, cardiovascular or lung diseases, and respiratory illnesses such as colds can also induce it.
"How could this happen so suddenly..." Bayunye exchanged a glance with Hippo. "Why her?"
Hippo shook his head in confusion, craning his neck to look.
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