Separation

Lin Shaocheng pulled out a stack of grain coupons from his pocket, but Lin Shaocheng pressed his hand down, saying there was no need. Their goods this time were already registered with a Chinese medicine factory in Beijing, and this trip to Tibet to collect cordyceps and snow lotus was also because there were urgent patients who needed to be nurtured, so they had given them the necessary permits.

Li Xiangxi desperately tried to signal to his cousin with his eyes. Lin Shaocheng didn't understand, but he still reached out to stop the prosecutor.

The tarpaulin was pulled open with a swipe, and Li Guorong jumped out of the carriage like a cat. Lin Shaocheng was filled with surprise and disbelief.

Several inspectors drew their weapons and surrounded them. Li Guorong was shoved next to Lin Shaocheng. She grabbed Lin Shaocheng's ear and cursed, "You heartless bastard, how come being your wife is so miserable? I can't even sit in the driver's seat."

Li Xiangxi chimed in from the side, "Sister-in-law, you throw up as soon as you sit in the driver's seat, what can you do about it?"

Lin Shaocheng realized what was happening and quickly said, "My wife, it's all my fault."

Li Xiangxi quickly opened a pack of cigarettes and handed it to each prosecutor, saying, "My sister-in-law is sleeping in the car and forgot about this. Please make an exception."

Li Guorong quickly took out his letter of introduction from his pocket. Several inspectors, holding cigarettes, saw that they were a couple and didn't look closely before letting them pass.

Li Guorong sat back down in the truck bed, a shadow falling over her head. She looked up and saw Lin Shaocheng.

The two remained silent for a moment, then Lin Shaocheng asked, "Weren't you afraid to come all this way by yourself?"

Li Guorong cursed, "Who told you to leave without explaining yourself? Why did you break up with me? Do you have a terminal illness?"

Lin Shaocheng said, "There will be a train in the next county. Take the train home."

Li Guorong grabbed Lin Shaocheng's collar. Lin Shaocheng's face was ashen, and he dared not look her in the eye. All of this indicated that he had something he couldn't say, but he just wouldn't say it. Li Guorong wished she could crawl into his heart right now and see what he was thinking. "Tell me why you broke up with me?"

Lin Shaocheng felt as if his ears had been deafened. He turned his head and said, "You are a good girl and deserve a good husband who will protect you wholeheartedly. I can't do that."

Li Guorong didn't meet a husband like this in her past life, and she didn't know if she would meet one in this life, but she wanted to hold onto the man in front of her now. "You just want to go to Tianshan, right? Is money that important? More important than your life? Snow lotus and cordyceps, we can get enough by getting more medicinal herbs in Chongchuan. If you like money so much, we can go to the south to buy goods and then resell them in more remote places in the north. That's better than this kind of dangerous money."

Lin Shaocheng shook his head, sighed deeply, and covered his face with his well-defined knuckles. "It's not about money, it's about my family."

Li Guorong couldn't understand it either. This trip to Tianshan was bound to be fraught with danger. Even if his family was desperately in need of medicine, he couldn't risk his life for another. "What could be more important than your life?"

A glint of light flickered in Lin Shaocheng's eyes as he asked softly, "In your eyes, is my life important? Am I important too?"

Li Guorong nodded without hesitation, “You are very important to me. I don’t want you to go to Tianshan. It’s too dangerous there. If you insist on going, then I will go too.”

Lin Shaocheng shook his head. He was the only one allowed to go to Tianshan this time. "You need a permit to go to Tianshan. A letter of introduction won't get you in. I have a reason why I have to go."

Li Guorong felt his eyes stinging. No reason, nothing was more important than Lin Shaocheng's safety. "I disagree. Your cousin isn't going. Are you going alone? Isn't that even more dangerous?"

Lin Shaocheng gently wrapped his arm around Li Guorong. The scent of grass and ocean was still there. Her tears couldn't help but fall, wetting Lin Shaocheng's shirt.

Lin Shaocheng felt a warmth in his chest. It was the first time someone had valued him so much, and he felt very happy.

The car stopped at a farmhouse courtyard by the roadside. Li Xiangxi whistled, and Li Guorong quickly wiped away her tears. She didn't want this unpredictable person to laugh at her.

Lin Shaocheng gave his cousin a cold look, and Li Xiangxi had no choice but to put away his teasing expression. The three of them sat by the door, a cool spot where they could see the car. Lin Shaocheng took the initiative to order the food today, something Li Xiangxi usually did, but Li Xiangxi didn't know what Li Guorong liked to eat.

Li Guorong turned around, not wanting to look at Li Xiangxi. Li Xiangxi clicked his tongue twice and whispered, "Want to know why my brother went to Tianshan?"

Li Guorong then turned around and stole a glance at Lin Shaocheng. Just then, Lin Shaocheng turned his head, and the two smiled at each other. The sweet atmosphere made Li Xiangxi roll his eyes. Li Guorong asked in a low voice, "Why? I told your brother not to go yesterday, but he didn't agree."

Li Xiangxi began his performance: "The cabbages in the field are yellow. My cousin has no talent for traditional Chinese medicine, while his younger brother is a genius in the field. Everyone praises the younger brother and belittles him. He can only risk his life to trade medicinal herbs to gain a certain status in the family. This time, my great-uncle is treating a person of status and needs wild Tian Shan snow lotus at an altitude of 5,000 meters and cordyceps of the highest quality for this person's health. So he sent my cousin to fetch them. It's just a pity that my cousin first went to the countryside to serve the rural areas, and later, after finally returning home, he was sent out to buy medicinal herbs every day. Now, he's even willing to risk his life to curry favor with people."

There were four dishes on the table. Two were spicy, which she liked, and two were Li Xiangxi's favorites. None of them belonged to Lin Shaocheng. Lin Shaocheng had said that he didn't care much about food. The group ate in silence and then prepared to set off again.

Li Guorong said, "Wait a moment, I need to buy something."

Lin Shaocheng and Li Xiangxi sat in the driver's seat, taking turns driving. Li Xiangxi drove in the morning, and Lin Shaocheng drove in the afternoon.

There was a knock on the driver's side door. Lin Shaocheng opened the door, and Li Guorong's eyes were bright and sparkling, filled with heartache. He had seen this kind of heartache when his mother cared for his younger brother, but he had never experienced it himself. He lowered his eyelashes, and there were several large, round brown sugar potstickers.

Li Guorong raised his hand and said, "I saw you didn't eat much, so I bought a few brown sugar potstickers for you to eat when you're hungry."

Lin Shaocheng stretched out his hand, the brown sugar potsticker in his palm, hot and burning, just like the feeling Li Guorong gave him. He didn't want to let go, but thinking of his mother's words, he lowered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

"Get in the car." His voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

The mountains stretch endlessly, and even in summer, the peaks of the distant mountains are covered with snow. Cars rarely travel on straight roads; there is a bend almost every 50 meters. Most cars on the road travel in pairs to prevent being robbed. The road is not wide, and when there is an oncoming car, the car close to the mountain wall is almost lying on the mountainside, where you can touch the yellow-green wild grass.

The deafening roar of the water made Li Guorong's eardrums ache. The surging river below sounded like a stampede of ten thousand horses, shaking the entire world. In the distance, there were guards on the fortress, and through the dark holes, one could see what appeared to be gun barrels pointed at them.

A line of trucks stood on the east side of the bridge, with drivers holding various permits and licenses, waiting to enter.

The three of them got off the bus. The higher altitude and lower oxygen levels made Li Guorong feel dizzy. She leaned against Lin Shaocheng, clutching his clothes tightly with one hand, and asked again the question she had asked countless times on the way, "Can we not go?"

Li Xiangxi said, "Why don't we just stay here and buy it from anyone who can get their hands on it at a high price? Why are you being so honest?"

Li Guorong's eyes were full of concern and care for Lin Shaocheng. His heart wavered again and again. The dust of the journey had made the girl's face less delicate and fair than in Chongchuan. Her lips were a little chapped, but they looked as tough as green bamboo.

Lin Shaocheng shook his head. The officially recognized collection certificate in his hand left him no way out. He would consider it as repaying his family for their years of nurturing him. If he could come back alive, he wanted to live a different life. "If I can come back alive, then let's be together."

Li Guorong's tears splashed dirt down her face as she cried out, "If you dare not come back, I'll go to Beijing and turn your house upside down!"

"Beep~~~~~"

A long horn from a truck signaled Lin Shaocheng to get on. The truck was reinforced with welded iron frames and a reinforced undercarriage to withstand landslides and uneven ground. Lin Shaocheng was going to change vehicles here to form a 5-person convoy to enter the Tianshan Mountains. Three of the vehicles were for purchasing beef and mutton, and only two were for purchasing medicinal herbs.

Li Xiangxi drove the same truck he had brought back to Beijing. As soon as Lin Shaocheng opened the driver's seat with his right hand, a slightly thin but strong arm wrapped around him. Li Guorong's face was pressed against his back, and he said in an almost inaudible voice, "Take it."

A cold, metallic object hung from his waistband. He held it with his left hand, pretending nothing was wrong, and got into the car. Li Guorong stood there, waving and calling out, "I'll wait for you!"

The convoy stepped forward onto the cracked wooden planks, crossed the rolling river, and headed towards an unknown future.

Li Xiangxi pulled Li Guorong aside and said, "Get in the car, I'll take you home."

Li Guorong broke free and said, "I'll wait here."

Li Xiangxi cursed, "Why are you staying here? Your letter of introduction is for going to Beijing. Here you are a vagrant and will be locked up."

It's not like the future. Now, as long as you have an ID card and money, you can travel. You need a letter of introduction and a place to receive guests. If you stay in the city for more than three days, the landlord needs to issue a temporary residence permit for the guest.

She shook her head and shouted, "Are we just going to leave your brother here? If he really doesn't come back, there won't even be anyone to take him home." Tears streamed down Li Guorong's face. In this life, apart from her father's departure once again, she had never felt so powerless. At this time, the Tibet travel permit was not something that ordinary people could obtain, let alone a woman from the countryside like her. The checkpoints were even more stringent, so only Lin Shaocheng could risk it.

"Even if I become a vagrant, I will stay here."

Li Xiangxi remained silent. At home, because his parents were lazy and made him beg from relatives every day, everyone bullied him. Only his cousin Shaocheng treated him equally, teaching him to read and write and helping him support himself. He couldn't do worse than this woman. "Okay, let's wait together."