The Road to Shu is Difficult

There has been a saying since ancient times that the road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven. The mountain road is winding and treacherous, and the section leading to the Tibetan area is even more dangerous. This was in 1985, the beginning of economic opening up and the end of the planned economy. The open ground without asphalt paving allowed cars to speed by, and there were no guardrails on the side of the road to prevent vehicles from falling off the road.

The azure sky and spotless white clouds may be a beautiful sight for future generations, but for drivers of today's sports cars, what matters more is when the clouds gather together and the landslides and mudslides caused by torrential rain.

Li Guorong awoke to a jolt, deftly lifting the black cloth over her head like a cat. Tree branches swayed in the shadows above her, and white clouds raced past. She took a deep breath of fresh air, adjusted her slightly numb body, and smiled. Beijing, here she was.

Suddenly the car stopped, Li Guorong's smile froze, and he grabbed the cloth with both hands and quickly covered it with a waterproof sheet.

Lin Shaocheng stopped the car, his eyes lowered, exuding a cold and stern aura. Li Xiangxi gave an awkward smile and said, "Brother, if you really like that woman, just marry her. Anyway, this time you've narrowly escaped death, it would be a good thing to get married before you die." Lin Shaocheng said, "My family won't agree."

Li Xiangxi sneered. He was usually sunny, and such an expression was rarely seen on his face. He said, "You care about them? When have they ever cared about you? Are you really afraid that your family won't agree, or is there some other reason? You know the answer in your heart."

As the sound faded into the distance, Li Guorong resurfaced. She took a deep breath, shook her meager water pouch, and touched her swollen belly. She jumped out of the car and went to the woods to relieve herself. Then, she sneaked to the driver's seat, where a foul smell of sweat mixed with the odor of grass made her gag. Inside, she opened a box containing dry rations and water. She put the flatbread in her pocket and refilled her water pouch.

Hearing voices in the distance, Li Guorong's hair stood on end. He rushed to the truck bed and lay down in the vegetable basket.

Li Xiangxi, holding steamed buns, mantou, and some pickled vegetables, opened one side of the car door. He frowned; the other side door wasn't closed tightly, and the food box lid was slightly ajar. Lifting it open, he found that the cornbread was less, and the water bladder was also much less water. Someone had touched their car. He pulled out a knife from his side and shouted, "Brother, come quick!"

Lin Shaocheng drew two swords from his waist, his eyes narrowed, exuding murderous intent. The two men stared at each other and tacitly divided their tasks. Lin Shaocheng checked the fuel tank, which had not been tampered with, and then checked the brake pads, which were fine.

Li Xiangxi checked that all four tires were fully inflated and not leaking. His eyes narrowed and he noticed a half-footprint on one of the tires. He was about to call for help when he realized the footprint was small. He smiled knowingly and, like a cheetah climbing onto the car, ripped off the tarpaulin.

Li Guorong raised his eyebrows, his mouth slightly open with a smile, looking embarrassed, and was just about to get up.

Li Xiangxi raised one eyebrow and looked at Li Guorong with a meaningful gaze.

Lin Shaocheng looked up and asked, "Westward, is there something going on?"

Li Xiangxi shook his head and said, "I guess some kid was greedy and stole the food." He then pulled the waterproof cloth over the food tightly.

Li Guorong sat blankly in the truck bed, wondering what Li Xiangxi meant. Why didn't she expose him, but instead helped her deceive his cousin?

Li Xiangxi's expression was no longer as gloomy as it had been when they set off from Mengshan. He resumed his usual cheerful, dog-like manner, talking non-stop about everything from family matters to international affairs, which annoyed Lin Shaocheng.

Li Guorong lay swaying in the back of the truck, trying to use her brain, which hadn't been used in a long time. This journey had been strange. Lin Shaocheng had suddenly broken up with her, Li Xiangxi wasn't answering her messages, and the truck was definitely heading west. This wasn't Beijing. If it were transporting medicinal herbs, it would be at least full, not just half full. She could lie comfortably in the truck.

The light outside was dwindling, and the car screeched to a halt on the side of the road once more. Fortunately, it was still August, and the weather wasn't too cold. Lin Shaocheng planned to stay in the car today, but Li Xiangxi raised an eyebrow and said, "I'll stay in the car today, brother. You go and rest." Lin Shaocheng looked Li Xiangxi up and down. Today, his cousin had changed his ways; his laziness had turned into a willingness to work hard. He said, "If you regret it, I won't switch with you."

Li Xiangxi chuckled and said, "I've been feeling cold these past few days, brother, could you buy me a few more blankets?"

Lin Shaocheng was deeply skeptical of this statement. Li Xiangxi had been sweating profusely during the day for the past few days, practically making him stink. He replied, "Don't be silly." A gentle breeze blew, and stars filled the sky. Li Xiangxi lightly tapped the back of the cart and asked, "Little sister-in-law, do you want to come out and stretch your legs?"

Li Guorong blushed, lifted the waterproof cloth, and stood up abruptly.

Li Xiangxi's expression changed. "Brother, why did you come out?"

Li Guorong quickly turned around, looking terrified, only to find no one there. She jumped out of the car, put her hands on her waist, and cursed, "You idiot, you dare to play me for a fool."

Li Xiangxi replied with a grin, "Just kidding."

Li Guorong stretched his limbs and asked, "Where are you all headed? Aren't you going to Beijing?"

The smile on Li Xiangxi's face disappeared, and his voice lost its youthful clarity. "My brother told you he was going to Beijing, so you came along?" Li Guorong nodded.

The last trace of a smile on Li Xiangxi's face disappeared, and now he looked like a brother to Lin Shaocheng. "Then I'll disappoint you. This road doesn't lead to Beijing. When we get to the next town, there's a train station. Please get off there. Whether you're going to Beijing or going home, I won't stop you."

These obviously sarcastic remarks infuriated Li Guorong, who muttered, "You little brat, do you think you're so great just because you're from Beijing? If I didn't have my eye on your cousin, I wouldn't go even if you begged me. Is your cousin afraid of me because he has a wife? Let me tell you, he's cheating on women and he'll go to jail."

Li Xiangxi had a smile on his face again, which made Li Guorong feel a chill run down his spine. Lin Shaocheng had always been emotionally stable when he was with her, so why did his cousin seem so neurotic?

Li Xiangxi asked in a low voice, as the wind blew past, stirring up fallen leaves, "My brother is going to Tibet, to the Tianshan Mountains. Do you dare to go?"

Li Xiangxi's eyes held a mixture of amusement, expectation, and disdain, as if she were the one making a scene in this breakup farce, and he was judging her from a superior position.

Anger surged within her. What was there that she wouldn't dare to do? In her previous life, she had married far away to the north and raised her children and husband alone. When her brother-in-law tried to abuse her, she was the one who took a knife to protect her.

“I’ll go then. I’ve never been to Tibet before. I want to see the Brahma Palace.”

Li Xiangxi laughed mockingly, "Big sister, that's the Potala Palace. You think you're on a tourist trip? These days, people rob people on this road, and those on the snow-capped mountains are just scams—people die from the cold and altitude sickness. The high price of cordyceps and snow lotus isn't just because of their scarcity, but also because of the countless bones buried there."

Li Guorong pursed her lips tightly, like an enraged tigress. She had already died once, and she remembered Lin Shaocheng's kindness to her. This time, when Lin Shaocheng went to Tianshan, she was determined to go. At worst, she would give him her life. The people of Mengshan valued loyalty the most. She gently pressed the two remaining moles on her chest, believing that her daughter would also support her.

She whispered, "I'm not afraid, you wait."

She turned and got into the car, pulled the covers over herself and went to sleep. She didn't want to see Li Xiangxi's arrogant face, which was nothing like her brother's. She couldn't understand the books in Lin Shaocheng's room, and she didn't know how to use the teacups and teaware. If she wanted to learn, Lin Shaocheng would teach her; if she didn't want to learn, he would praise her for being simple and natural.

On the other side, the entire Li family was deathly still. Li Guorong could not be found, and all sorts of rumors circulated in the village, such as suicide or abduction. The village chief told Li Guorong to get a letter of introduction to go north to find Lin Shaocheng, saying that Lin Shaocheng had abandoned her and she wanted an explanation.

But Li Guorong hadn't bought a ticket at the train station, so she couldn't possibly walk to Beijing.

Li Guoqiang's face was contorted in distress. He couldn't find his younger sister, and Liu Hong had sent him a message saying that her father had asked a matchmaker to introduce her to a potential partner. What was he going to do now?

Li Guojian said, "I think no news is the best news. Do you remember those two poachers? The smaller one was injured by the younger sister and almost died. The younger sister will be fine."

Gun! Wu Cuihua stood up, turned around and opened the box where her husband kept his gun. It was empty. At this moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. At least her younger sister was safer with a gun, but where had she gone?

Li Guoqiang also said, "Mom, now everyone in the village is saying that my younger sister ran off with some other man. The more this happens, the more we should pretend that nothing is wrong. I'm almost 25 years old now, and if I don't get married soon, it will be hard to find someone. There's a girl who has taken a liking to me. As long as they send a matchmaker to our door, it will be a done deal."

Wu Cuihua's face turned ashen. Now that her younger sister was missing, her older brother was only thinking about his own affairs. Li Guolan, who was standing next to her, also said, "Elder brother is getting old and can't afford to delay any longer. Our family can't just stop farming and doing nothing. Keep looking for your younger sister."

Li Guojian chimed in, "I think the little sister is doing just fine. She has money, a letter of introduction, and a gun. She's with her rich boyfriend, so she'll be a Beijing resident from now on."

Wu Cuihua could no longer control her three grown children as she had when they were children. She lowered her head and pondered, then said, "In a couple of days, Mom will find a matchmaker to propose marriage to the family you mentioned. These next few days, we'll mainly be looking for my younger sister."

All three of them felt hopeful. The younger sister was important, but it was even more important to live a good life. The younger sister probably thought so too.

We are about to cross the border of Mengshan. There are several checkpoints at the junction of Mengshan and Tianshan. The Mengshan checkpoint mainly checks whether the vehicles are compliant, whether the documents match the people, and whether there are any smuggled contraband items.

Li Xiangxi got out of the car, took out their identification documents and handed them to the inspector, while secretly slipping a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes into his hand.

The prosecutor didn't take the ticket, but pushed the Hongtashan cigarettes back into Li Xiangxi's arms. Lin Shaocheng frowned and got out of the driver's seat.

The inspector said, "Open the tarpaulin; it needs to be inspected."