Chapter 54 Duckweed

◎She said she had a short life, so he imbued everything entangled in her fate with profound meaning.

Lin Yujing tried to ignore the stares from behind and stepped directly into the station's conference room.

A year later, almost nothing has changed. The simple, white walls are covered with slogans promoting wildlife conservation, except that the volunteer wall now has many more signatures and photos.

The meeting table, made up of several old-fashioned desks, was where the staff of Gongga Jiebu's station prepared hot pot, kebabs, rice wine, dried beef and mutton, and butter tea for them.

The people of Tibet have an innate spirit, and singing and dancing to music to welcome guests from afar has become a traditional custom.

Gongga Jiebu carried a guitar with severely chipped paint and rusted strings.

But this did not prevent him from playing music full of the flavor of the grasslands.

Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue sat in the seats closest to Gongga Jiebu and were encouraged to sing "There is a blessing song on the grassland" with him.

After sitting down, Lin Yujing first picked up the rice wine in front of her and took a sip. She then introduced the wine to the new volunteers, saying, "Besides singing, brewing rice wine is also the station chief's specialty. Don't miss it!"

Chen Jingshu sat down next to her, first smiling as he took a sip, then secretly pinching her palm under the table and saying, "Your face is all red, drink less."

Rice wine has a low alcohol content and a sweet, grainy aroma.

Although Lin Yujing rarely drinks alcohol and tends to be reserved and slow to warm up, she couldn't help but unleash her youthful energy, which had been suppressed in her heart, in the face of such a lively scene.

She seemed slightly tipsy, looking at the wine in her glass with a grin, "I only drink this once a year."

-

After dinner, the singing inside the house stopped.

When everyone lifted the curtain and came out, it was already dark in the mountains.

"When we first arrived, I was wearing a windbreaker and trying to work up a sweat, but now that the sun has set, a gust of wind is making my calves ache." Everyone quickly went back to their rooms to put on warmer clothes before Gongga Jiebu led them on a short walk around the station.

The grassland at night, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, is like an obsidian.

In the hazy distance, only the ethereal snow-capped mountains could be seen.

Lin Yujing stood on a small hillside with her hands tucked in her pockets.

A dark, repressed, and desolate memory, unknown to others, welled up in her eyes.

That memory is neither too far away nor too close.

It was only three years ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

"Are you cold?" Suddenly, Chen Jingshu's voice came from behind her, pulling her back to reality.

Lin Yujing turned her head and rubbed her hands together. "A little."

“Everyone says they want to go back, let’s go.” Chen Jingshu said, while stuffing a hand warmer into her palm, “Holding it will make you feel better.”

The temperature here drops as the night goes on.

At this moment, the temperature had already dropped below zero. Lin Yujing, holding a hand warmer that could only emit a faint warmth, turned around and followed the others back to the station.

The volunteer team that came to Hoh Xil this time consisted of only two girls, Lin Yujing and Qi Woxue, so they were arranged to have separate rooms, while the other boys stayed in four-person rooms on the slope.

The heating at the station is limited, and turning on the air conditioner is too extravagant, so people basically only use electric blankets on their beds.

After washing up, Lin Yujing wanted to get into bed as soon as possible.

Just then, someone knocked on their bedroom door. Lin Yujing didn't open the door immediately, but asked first, "Who is it?"

"It's me." It was Chen Jingshu's voice. "I've come to bring you something."

Lin Yujing opened the door and saw Chen Jingshu wearing a thick down jacket, with damp wisps of hair still clinging to his forehead.

"Why are you here instead of sleeping?" She shrank back.

Chen Jingshu unzipped his down jacket a little and took out a hot water bottle filled with hot water. "I just wanted to bring you a hot water bottle because I was worried you'd be cold."

Lin Yujing rubbed her hands together again, but didn't take the hot water bottle. "We have an electric blanket here, so the bed is warm."

The hot water bottle had been tucked into Chen Jingshu's arms for a long time, and it had absorbed a faint scent of ebony and sandalwood from his body. "You guys actually have an electric blanket."

Lin Yujing gave a mischievous smile. "You don't know this is your first time here. It's a tradition at this station that it's only for girls."

"Okay! I'm relieved you won't get cold." As he spoke, Chen Jingshu reached out and patted her head. "Then remember to drink plenty of water."

"Go back to sleep, and please take good care of your heart," Lin Yujing said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingshu leaned against the wall, exuding a domineering and roguish air, "Only now do you remember to care about me? Ever since the bus came in, you've been like a different person. No matter what I say to you, you just ignore me."

Lin Yujing bit her lip, avoiding her gaze, and directly told her to go back to sleep, "It's so cold, you should go back to sleep. You have to get up early for training tomorrow."

Chen Jingshu crossed his arms and suddenly leaned down as she pushed him.

A warm, soft kiss landed on her cheek.

Lin Yujing frowned. "We agreed not to do anything intimate here."

"Just for a moment, otherwise I won't be able to sleep." After saying that, Chen Jingshu turned and left.

Lin Yujing stood there, staring blankly at Chen Jingshu's receding figure for a long time.

During the three years she joined the Hundred Schools Alliance, she did indeed come to Hoh Xil every year.

But even she herself didn't realize that as soon as she set foot on this land, which has always been known as a "forbidden zone for life," she would become uneasy.

"Here, take this." Unexpectedly, Chen Jingshu suddenly turned back, "It's for sleeping, put it under your pillow."

After he finished speaking, another gust of wind disappeared.

Lin Yujing didn't sleep well that night. She had a dream in the middle of the night, and it wasn't until the alarm rang that she was pulled out of the nightmare.

After she washed up, changed her clothes, and sat down in the conference room, her head was still a little dizzy.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Chen Jingshu arrived unnoticed and sat down next to her. "You don't look too good."

Lin Yujing shook her head. "It's probably altitude sickness. It'll be fine after a day of adjustment." She had the same thing last year; her head was throbbing on the first day.

The two exchanged only a few words before everyone gathered in the conference room.

Zhang Jiale sat down opposite Lin Yujing and stared at her face first. "Senior, are you feeling alright?"

Lin Yujing shook her head, "No, I just dreamt about climbing a mountain all night yesterday."

After a few jokes, no one mentioned it again.

Chen Jingshu then leaned closer to her and asked in a flirtatious tone, "Jingjing, I dreamt about you all night, and you went hiking alone."

Lin Yujing bit her lip, her face expressionless, and said, "So that's why you went to wash your underwear so early in the morning? You're acting like a high school student..."

"..." Chen Jingshu felt that his attempt to flirt had backfired, and he had instead been outmaneuvered by her.

But before he could take another picture of Lin Yujing, Gongga Jiebu came in carrying a stack of books.

Did everyone sleep well last night?

"It's too cold, but everything else is fine."

Gongga Jiebu smiled and handed out three booklets to everyone, saying, "This is how the temperature is on the grassland. You'll probably be sweating again by noon."

"These three manuals will be the main training content for the next two days. 'Detailed Volunteer Work' contains the work content that will be involved in the next two weeks, 'Wildlife Conservation Learning Materials' contains the content that volunteers need to know, and 'Introduction to the Conservation of Hoh Xil' is an introduction to the entire Hoh Xil Nature Reserve in Qinghai."

"Please read this on your own first, and ask me if you have any questions or anything you don't understand."

After Gongga Jiebu finished speaking, he looked at Chen Jingshu and said, "President Chen, the clerk from the Qinghai Hoh Xil Nature Reserve will be here soon. Let's go to the small meeting room next door to talk."

Lin Yujing initially thought Chen Jingshu was just following her, but now it seems he really does have work to do.

She puffed out her cheeks, her face flushed slightly.

As if on purpose, Chen Jingshu bent down and whispered in her ear before leaving, "I'll be right back."

Then the tight-knit memories made it even more embarrassing.

-

Inside the small meeting room, Gongga Jiebu was giving a report to Chen Jingshu and the secretary of the conservation bureau.

"The Tibetan antelope, as a typical animal representative of Qinghai Province, has extremely high scientific value. Its population constitutes an important part of the natural ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The national government attaches great importance to the protection of the Tibetan antelope, designating it as a Class I protected wild animal, strictly prohibiting hunting and all trade exports. In addition to the Qinghai Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, there are also several other nature reserves, such as the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang and the Qiangtang Mountains in Tibet, where professional protection and management agencies and law enforcement teams have been established to conduct regular patrols and monitor the Tibetan antelope population's activities in real time. At the same time, efforts are being made to combat illegal activities."

As Chen Jingshu flipped through the three manuals, he replied, "Thank you for your hard work."

“We Tibetans regard the Tibetan antelope as a deity, and protecting it is like protecting ourselves. Moreover, now there are volunteers carrying out volunteer activities and donating supplies every year, which is much better than the days when we had to fight alone.”

In Hoh Xil, the Tibetan antelope, whether it's wool, horns, or even skulls, are sold as works of art.

Therefore, as early as 1985, Tibetan antelopes were once brutally slaughtered by poachers.

It wasn't until 1993 that a patrol and protection team called the Wild Yak Team was formed by Tibetans from the surrounding areas and a Han Chinese team leader named Sonam Dargye, who volunteered to enter Hoh Xil to carry out anti-poaching operations.

That period of history was painful and bloody, and it was thanks to the first group of volunteers that we now have a nationally established wildlife protection station.

"June 5th is World Environment Day. We will be patrolling the Hoh Xil uninhabited area with our colleagues from the conservation bureau. We would like to express our special thanks to Mr. Chen for his donation, which has provided us with a lot of advanced equipment."

Chen Jingshu remained humble, saying, "Everyone's actions are for a common goal."

...

-

Almost two hours had passed since Chen Jingshu left. Qi Woxue leaned over and asked, "Do you know why President Chen came this time?"

"I don't know." Lin Yujing only knew that he was here for work, but in fact everyone here is here for work.

Therefore, she was unaware of Chen Jingshu's specific job duties, and was also afraid of involving confidential internal projects of Huaren, so she had no right to inquire.

“But I feel that it’s mostly for you,” Qi Woxue said confidently.

Lin Yujing forgot to even turn the pages of her book. "How could that be?"

“Anyone with eyes can see that he joined our Hundred Schools Alliance because of you. After that, he helped you get into an art exhibition abroad and opened an art museum.” Qi Woxue counted on her fingers as she spoke to her. “He knew he had a heart condition, but he still insisted on coming. Now even the secretary of the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve has come to see him in person.”

"Didn't you say that he loves doing many things behind your back? This must be part of his plan behind the scenes."

Lin Yujing chuckled dryly, "Are you a mind reader? He came here, of course, for Hua Ren."

Qi Woxue shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, if it's for you, it'll definitely be revealed later."

"..." Lin Yujing pursed her lips and remained silent.

"So you really don't plan to tell him about your past experiences with Hoh Xil?" That could be considered a bond truly etched into her life.

Yes, life and death.

"No, I won't. Telling him will only increase his worries, which isn't the outcome I want. Besides, the two of us..." Lin Yujing paused, then changed the subject, "Anyway, things are already very good as they are..."

-

In the small conference room next door, Chen Jingshu signed Lin Yujing's name on a receipt for a personal donation of ten million yuan to the Qinghai Hoh Xil Nature Reserve.

"President Chen, why is it signed with Comrade Xiao Lin's name?" Gongga Jiebu asked from the side.

Before Chen Jingshu arrived, they thought it was either Huaren Group or Chen Jingshu himself.

"Isn't it said that Tibetan antelopes are deities from the Celestial Tribe? I want to accumulate some blessings for this stubborn little girl through donations." She loves to say that her life is as precarious as duckweed.

These words struck him like a sharp knife.

She said she had a short life, so he imbued everything that was tied to her fate with profound meaning.

“Comrade Xiaolin is a girl with a hard life,” Gongga Jiebu couldn’t help but ponder.

"Did something unpleasant happen to her in Hoh Xil?" Chen Jingshu asked, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he had sensed something.

Gongga Jiebu nodded, "It was more than just unpleasant; Comrade Xiaolin almost died in the no-man's land."

Can you tell me?

"Can."

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 20:55:04 on October 15, 2023 and 17:19:40 on October 16, 2023!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of lemon;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!