Chapter 34
Li Chi'an even found a rusty barbecue grill in the corner of his cousin's kitchen. "You bought these things and just left them here so you wouldn't look at them again, right?"
"That was a so-called 'romantic instrument' that carried empty laughter." Xu Zhuwen made a small joke while telling Li Chian to discard it without hesitation.
The mountain of "past" is gradually dug away, and the exposed space becomes more and more open and unfamiliar.
In the afternoon, Gao Yinxi, who had made a special trip to come, joined the battle.
The three of them squeezed into the small old house, as if they were rebuilding a fortress.
"Let's buy new curtains." Gao Yinxi has a professional renovation team and is very knowledgeable about renovations. She looked at Xu Zhuwen's dark-colored curtains with disdain.
“This curtain is still usable.” Xu Zhuwen touched the curtain that the cleaner had taken down. “I bought it myself at the home improvement market when I first came to Xiangzhou City.”
"Sister, I think you should ask yourself what you're so attached to." Li Chi'an looked at Xu Zhuwen, seeing the psychological logic behind the other's reluctance to part with these old things. "Try to feel these things again, and see if you really still like them now."
Xu Zhuwen fell silent. She closed her eyes, stroking the fabric in her hand with her fingers. After a while, she said, "Let's get a new one."
“Just buy it online,” Li Chi’an said. “I bought my curtains from Pinduoduo. Do you want them? If so, I’ll send you the link.”
"Yes!" Xu Zhuwen really liked the interior design of Li Chian's home.
Li Chian took the phone and quickly sent the link to Xu Zhuwen. The latter had trouble choosing curtains again and was teased by Gao Yinxi. She quickly settled on a light-colored curtain.
Without curtains, sunlight streamed in through the windows, spreading bright, warm patches of light across the floor.
The green plants that Li Chian brought were carefully placed on Xu Zhuwen's windowsill.
"Let's move this one a bit," Gao Yinxi said, kicking Xu Zhuwen's sofa. "It makes the space feel cramped here."
“Okay,” Xu Zhuwen agreed quickly, “but I can’t move it.”
“Let’s do it together.” Gao Yinxi put on gloves and took the lead in moving things. She was incredibly strong and dragged a large section by herself.
Li Chian and Xu Zhuwen were stunned.
"I concede defeat."
"You think I trained as a special forces soldier for nothing?" Gao Yinxi raised an eyebrow. "I can endure a lot of hardship."
Li Chi'an smiled and said, "That's true."
Gao Yinxi looks incredibly expensive, but she's not pretentious at all.
Otherwise, you can't become friends with them.
"Come here, move the sofa over here, how about that?" Gao Yinxi carefully selected a spot for the sofa and asked Xu Zhuwen.
Xu Zhuwen had no objection to this.
The three of them slowly moved her old sofa.
"The sofa is placed here so that the sunlight can fall more directly on the places where people usually sit, like illuminating every corner and leaving no shadows." After the sofa was placed, Gao Yinxi was very satisfied. "Wenwen, you need to get more sun and take more vitamin D!"
“Indeed.” Xu Zhuwen smiled as she looked at the sun-drenched sofa. “I used to sit here often in the winter to drink coffee and read books, but I never thought of moving the sofa over. Now that I see it, it’s really nice.”
“That’s right,” Gao Yinxi said proudly. “You know how many sofas, soft furnishings, and other decorations in my hotel are all custom-made by me personally drawing the designs and having them custom-made by manufacturers. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Beautiful.” Li Chi’an praised the design of the Six Senses Hotel.
Xu Zhuwen reached out to hang an old decorative painting on the wall that she had just wiped clean with a rag.
The wall that my fingertips touched was not smooth.
She paused slightly, moved aside a corner of the frame, and saw a small, previously covered area revealed. There were no signs of the photo being hung there, only a few very tiny holes deeply embedded in the wall, arranged in an extremely small, almost indistinguishable inverted "U".
She stared at the barely perceptible mark, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the tiny indentation.
A cold, hard sensation instantly pierced through the membrane of all memories; it was the mark left long ago when she pressed a small diamond ring forcefully into the wall.
Xu Zhuwen recalled that day when Qian Song made his first solemn promise to give her the home of her dreams within three years.
The sunlight back then was just as bright as it is now.
The sunlight is still bright, shining on the empty hole and on her empty fingers.
The memory of that moment was sharp as a needle, silently piercing my heart.
Xu Zhuwen's fingertip lingered on the cold hole for a second before quickly withdrawing it, as if she had been burned.
She didn't look at that spot again, silently covering the mark that held the foolish token with a new decorative frame, making sure it fit completely and tightly, and pressing it firmly.
The wall was once again covered in pristine white.
The wall that once held the evidence of her small love was completely covered up, just like the life she had regained control of.
...
A few days later at LS Gongga Airport, the cold and pure air of the plateau suddenly rushed into my chest, bringing an almost sacred sense of clarity.
Xu Zhuwen was even so provoked that she coughed slightly.
Gao Yinxi was as excited as a little sparrow, hopping out with her suitcase, "I'm going to Barkhor Street to find some good stuff."
"Go if you want to." Li Chi'an's greatest strength is that she doesn't spoil people's fun, even though she has seen many netizens complaining about all sorts of bizarre things happening in Barkhor Street online.
Who has the photography equipment?
“It’s with me,” Li Chi’an answered Xu Zhuwen’s question.
"Let's rent a car," Gao Yinxi said, glancing at the surrounding signs.
"sure."
The three of them did not book a tour group; they had planned a self-driving tour.
"It's so cold." Li Chi'an hugged himself. "It's much colder than where we are. Wait a minute, I'll get a coat."
"Me too." Xu Zhuwen raised her hand. As soon as she stepped out of the cabin and smelled the dry, crisp air, she immediately felt different from when she was at home.
The three of them pushed their luggage at the airport, following the flow of people out, chatting about what they would do next.
Li Chi'an took out his phone and patted the shadows of his cousin and Gao Yinxi. "Did you both read the travel guide I made carefully?"
"I've seen it," Xu Zhuwen nodded.
“I think we should follow the main storyline and the walkthrough,” Gao Yinxi suggested. “As for other things, we can explore as we go; we might discover something different.”
Li Chian and Xu Zhuwen had no objections.
The three of them have already traveled together many times, so there's no chance of them losing friends after just one trip.
It's always the case that whoever makes the suggestion also makes the plan.
For this trip to XZ, Li Chi'an suggested that he make the plans and that if there were any disagreements along the way, they should listen to Li Chi'an.
The three of them took a taxi at the airport and arrived at the car rental point they had found online. Gao Yinxi took a liking to a blue SUV.
"This car is so soothing, let's rent it."
“I have a yellow jacket that I think matches perfectly,” Xu Zhuwen said, her eyes shining as she circled the blue SUV.
Li Chian said with a smile, "I have a lemon-yellow backpack."
"Then it's settled." Gao Yinxi waved her hand, beckoning the sales staff waiting nearby. "Handsome, we'll take this car."
The sales representative was a thin, dark-skinned young man with bright, smiling eyes. "Ajala, would you like to place your order through our mini-program?"
"Okay." A boy with a smile like a warm little sun is always likable, and Gao Yinxi readily placed the order under his guidance.
After all the formalities were completed, the boy suggested in broken Mandarin, "Do you need me to take a group photo for you? I look really good in photos."
"OK."
Gao Yinxi opened the car door and quickly struck a pose by the door!
Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian stood or squatted on either side of her.
Bright colors always produce great photos, and the three of them were very satisfied with their first group photo with Da Lan.
Then, with the boy's enthusiastic help, the group arranged their luggage in the trunk one by one.
"The journey begins!" Gao Yinxi shouted, raising her arm.
"I want to open up all my senses, go out and feel the wind, and look at the starry sky." Li Chi'an sat in the passenger seat and looked at Gao Yinxi. "You drive for a while, and then we'll take turns."
"good!"
On the road where the car is traveling.
Xu Zhuwen asked Li Chian, "Did you bring a pillow?"
"No, but I brought a massage device."
"Clever!" Gao Yinxi praised Li Chi'an's thoughtfulness, and said with pride, "I managed to get my brother's DJI 360. Hahahaha."
"That's beautiful!"
"That's beautiful!"
...
Li Chi'an arranged a hiking trip for this trip, with the destination being Zhagonggou.
They went to Nanyi Village, Nanyi Lhoba Ethnic Township, Milin City, a settlement of the Lhoba ethnic group.
Gao Yinxi was very interested in the large knife that a local villager carried. "Uncle, what is that knife for?"
Perhaps because the village has become a popular tourist attraction, the uncle spoke excellent Mandarin and enthusiastically explained to Gao Yinxi, "This is what we use to dance the Lhoba knife dance."
With the villagers' explanation, the three learned that the Lhoba Knife Dance, also known as "Barige," is a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage.
As he spoke, the uncle waved his hand, beckoning the villagers who were entertaining other tourists to join him. He then spontaneously performed a Lhoba knife dance on the grass, the dance moves were solemn and graceful.
Along the way, the three saw many intangible cultural heritage products, including bamboo bows and other Lhoba bamboo weaving with local characteristics.
The group was amazed.
Gao Yinxi was particularly interested in the jewelry worn by the local women. Kaka scanned the QR code and bought three turquoise necklaces, one for herself and the other two for Li Chian and Xu Zhuwen respectively.
Fortunately, they saw a rainbow in Nanyi Village when they were leaving.
Gao Yinxi used Gao Yanshu's DJI 360 camera to capture a rainbow spanning the mountains behind Nanyi Village, a scene as beautiful as a painting.
As they drove from Nanyi Village to other areas, Gao Yinxi suddenly shouted, "There are bears there! Are they the Tibetan bears that people talk about online?"
Li Chi'an was driving when he turned around and immediately stepped on the gas, speeding the car like an arrow off a bow on the highway.
Gao Yinxi was very dissatisfied, "Why are you driving so fast? Stop the car right now, I want to take a picture with the Tibetan macaque!"
Xu Zhuwen was speechless. "You're still taking pictures? Are you afraid it won't eat people fast enough?"
Gao Yinxi said, feeling wronged, "I know, but it's still a baby..."
"..." Xu Zhuwen.
"If I bite off half its head, you won't call it a baby anymore." Li Chi'an gripped the steering wheel coldly, extremely grateful that he was now in control of the big blue car!
...
Standing at the foot of the steps in front of the Potala Palace, I was surrounded by a bustling crowd.
Li Chi'an heard a girl shouting, "Everyone, get up!"
She tilted her head and saw a tour guide holding a flag.
"There are so many people." Xu Zhuwen, wearing sunglasses, was a little annoyed by the crowd.
“That’s a lot.” Li Chi’an massaged Xu Zhuwen’s shoulders. “Are you tired? Do you want some water? I’ll go buy some.”
Xu Zhuwen snuggled against Li Chi'an's shoulder, saying sweetly, "An'an, you're so good to me."
Gao Yinxi's eyes shifted slightly. "I want lemonade."
"I'll go look for it."
Li Chian turned and left, leaving Xu Zhuwen and Gao Yinxi to queue up in place.
Not long after, Li Chian saw a small shop on the west side of the Potala Palace, which sold bottled water and Tibetan sweet tea.
Li Chian glanced at the Tibetan sweet tea, wanting to try it.
But considering that there was still a long way to go, I decided to play it safe and bought three bottles of mineral water.
When Li Chi'an returned with three bottles of water, he saw a "yogurt shop" that sold specialty yak yogurt.
When I told Xu Zhuwen and Gao Yinxi about it, they both said, "We'll go eat after we finish watching it."
As they were almost at the safety exit, a little tourist noticed the water in their hands and kindly and innocently reminded them, "You have to finish the water in your hands; you're not allowed to bring it in."
Gao Yinxi was amused by the little boy dressed in Tibetan clothing. "Oh dear, I can't finish it, what should I do?"
“Then it should be thrown away,” a younger child next to the first child added earnestly.
Li Chian and Xu Zhuwen laughed along with them. Together with Gao Yinxi, they obediently followed the child's suggestion, opened the bottle caps, and drank the water in their hands in one gulp.
"Luckily you bought water." Gao Yinxi hugged the empty bottles that Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian had finished drinking. "If it were sweet tea, we really wouldn't be able to drink it down."
Gao Yinxi bought three small pieces of gold leaf in front of the Jokhang Temple.
In front of the temple, countless believers prostrated themselves in solemn poses, and the smooth, blackened stone floor, stained by the constant burning of butter lamps, reflected an incredibly deep and warm light.
She beckoned Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian to come closer, then handed them the gold foil and winked at them.
The two immediately understood and followed her, laboriously moving closer and closer to the wall of the main hall's front hall with the slowly flowing crowd.
That is a place that has been touched and caressed by millions of devout hands over countless years. The walls are no longer made of original wood and stone, but are covered with a thick patina that is incredibly warm and has an almost jade-like texture.
"Come, come! Let's soak up some of your elegance!" Gao Yinxi said in a low voice, her eyes sparkling with excited anticipation.
She was the first to jump up and deftly pressed her gold leaf onto a slightly concave, extremely smooth spot on a high surface.
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