Chapter 73: "Sea of Death" Taklamakan Desert
There are no direct flights from Shanghai to Hotan, Xinjiang. After arriving in Xi'an, the plane transfers to Urumqi, where it stays for a few hours before flying to Hotan. The entire journey takes over 12 hours, from daylight to midnight.
It would be a lie to say that she wasn't tired. Qin Tian was more concerned about Tong Zhongyuan's mood than the hassle of the journey. Such a difficult opening just verified his evaluation of her. When the plane landed in Urumqi, they got off the plane again. She couldn't help but look at Tong Zhongyuan's face, worried that he was tired from the journey after recovering from a serious illness, and afraid that he would be annoyed and scold her because of the frequent transfers. But Tong Zhongyuan didn't. He didn't mention the previous conflict at all along the way. He helped her carry the luggage and cleared the cups and plates. He inadvertently turned up the ceiling light while she was writing her paper. When she was about to wake up from her dream, a blanket was covered on her. He returned to being the stable, humble and gentle noble man. Seeing her looking at him, he whispered, "Are you tired? Or do you want to eat something?"
Qin Tian turned his face away, his ears feeling a little hot again. He was so gentle, it was really fatal. She blushed countless times in front of Tong Zhongyuan on the way. Fortunately, she let her hair down in time to cover her ears and neck. It must be the aftereffects of that hug. It will be gone by tomorrow.
We landed at Hotan Airport at 1:00 AM, the ground temperature a mere 9 degrees Celsius. The airport is isolated in the suburbs, with the nearest hotel 10 kilometers away. When we exited the airport, it was pitch black, with only the starry sky visible, shimmering brightly.
There weren't even any taxis waiting in the waiting area at this hour, only a few black cars. Seeing them coming out, the driver got out and called out, "Want to get in? Going downtown."
Tong Zhongyuan looked around, walked forward and asked, "What's the price?"
"100, all prices are fixed," said the driver.
"Can it be cheaper?"
The driver looked him up and down. It was obvious that the man and woman were not poor, especially the man, who looked wealthy. He didn't expect that they would be in the mood to bargain in the middle of the night. Rich people are really stingy.
The driver waved his hand impatiently: "That's the price, take it or not." Then he looked behind them to see if there were other customers.
The driver of another car saw his opportunity and hurriedly shouted, "Handsome guy, I'll give you a discount, get in the car!"
Tong Zhongyuan pulled the luggage over and said to the first driver, "Sit down. Please open the trunk."
The driver of the next car was a bit confused. He clearly hadn't bargained down the price, so why was he still sitting there? He kept shouting, "Handsome guys and beautiful girls, my place is cheap."
Tong Zhongyuan and Qin Tian got into the back seat and gave the driver the hotel address. Without a word, the driver drove off. They both buckled up their seatbelts. Seeing this in the rearview mirror, the driver gave a soft, "Everyone in the back seat buckles up! People in big cities are just afraid of death." He lit a cigarette and began to smoke.
Qin Tian felt a little guilty. What she was going through now was exactly what she had originally expected to experience if she had flown here alone. Although an accident was a low probability event, a single woman taking an illegal taxi in the middle of the night was undoubtedly putting herself in danger.
Tong Zhongyuan was using the silent navigation system, seemingly free of distractions, his attention focused solely on the route.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance. Tong Zhongyuan collected his luggage and checked in. Qin Tian said goodnight to him and went into his room.
Tong Zhongyuan took off his coat and went to take a shower. After washing, he lay on his back on the bed.
A soft and warm body, peach-scented hair, and resonating heartbeats.
He finally came, beside her, like the earth around the sun. Fortunately, he came.
Most of the artifacts unearthed from the Niya ruins are housed in the Hotan Museum, a relatively new museum that has yet to establish formal ties with the Shanghai Museum.
Qin Tian and Tong Zhongyuan arrived early, so the crowds were slim. She was disappointed to find that most of the Niya artifacts on display were replicas, brand new. There were also several artifacts from Hotan, all replicas, marked with the originals' locations. Five out of ten were in the British Museum. The only valuable items were a few wooden boards inscribed with Kharosthi script and their deciphered text. She compared the inscriptions on the bronze coins, but couldn't make any sense.
She approached a staff member, showed her work ID, and asked if she could see the collection inside. The staff member looked at her ID with suspicion, was undecided, and asked someone else to come.
The visitor was the head of the exhibition department. They had heard of the Shanghai Museum's reputation, but they had no prior contact. Furthermore, Qin Tian's unannounced visit to the museum's collection was a bit informal. Seeing the two men's distinguished demeanor, he didn't want to offend them, so he politely explained that the director was away and his authority was insufficient. He needed to email the appointment in the Shanghai Museum's name for the director's approval.
Qin Tian was concerned about deciphering Kharosthi script and asked if there were any experts in the field he could talk to. The director was embarrassed and politely said that our museum was a new one, only two years old, and there were still many shortcomings.
Qin Tian felt disappointed. Although this was within his expectations, he still felt a little lost. As the two of them left the exhibition hall, the supervisor followed them out and asked, "Will you two go to the Niya Ruins?"
Qin Tian said yes and set off in the afternoon.
The supervisor nodded and said, "I can't help you with anything else. Since you're going to the ruins, I'll have a local colleague accompany you in."
Qin Tian was overjoyed. Entering the Niya Ruins required certain conditions; the two of them alone wouldn't be able to get in. She had originally considered reporting to the local public security bureau as Shanghai Museum investigators, but Tong Zhongyuan was a foreigner, and if he had to show his ID, she was afraid it would be a hassle.
Qin Tian hurriedly thanked him, finally the trip was not in vain.
Hotan is 400 kilometers from Niya, with complicated roads and a drive time of about six hours. Qin Tian's original plan was to charter a car to the Niya ruins after arriving in Hotan. Then, he would continue north to explore the ethnic minority civilizations of the Kazakh Autonomous Region, and then return to Urumqi. If this journey yielded no results, his last hope would be the Xinjiang Museum.
Now that Tong Zhongyuan was here, she didn't want to waste too much of his time. She planned to give up her trip to Kazakhstan and only go to Niya before returning to Urumqi.
She and Tong Zhongyuan discussed the itinerary, and Tong Zhongyuan preferred to drive. He had good reasons. The Niya Ruins are located in a desert, requiring those entering independently to use a four-wheel drive vehicle. Furthermore, given the terrain, a good car is very safe. Most importantly, he didn't feel comfortable leaving the steering wheel in someone else's hands. Qin Tian asked, "If you say so, can't I take turns driving with you?" He said, "You're different."
Before setting off, he'd packed a ton of supplies, everything he could think of, even the most unexpected. Masks, scarves, goggles, and most importantly, the portable toilet and fencing he'd bought from the off-road club. Qin Tian admitted he couldn't rule out the possibility of using them, but she sincerely prayed she wouldn't have to, or else she'd be too embarrassed to see him again.
Qin Tian and Tong Zhongyuan took turns driving, galloping across the unfamiliar Western Continent. The vast expanse of road, framed by poplar forests tinged with a hue of emerald green and golden yellow, stretched endlessly toward the end of the world.
They arrived in Niya before dark. Even the best hotel in town was in poor condition. There was little food nearby. Qin Tian could handle it; she'd stayed in worse. Lying in bed, she wondered if Tong Zhongyuan had ever endured such hardship.
The next morning she asked him if he slept well. He said very well. It was useless to ask, even if he couldn't bear it, he wouldn't say anything. Fortunately, after two days, the aftereffects of the hug gradually disappeared. She no longer blushed when she got close to him. Having said that, keeping distance is still the safest approach. Whether eating, walking, or driving, she consciously kept a distance from him. In fact, she didn't need to be so deliberate, she found that he did the same. Compared with the few days they spent together at her house last week, he also kept a distance. This sense of distance was different from before. In the past, he had an invisible sense of distance that kept people at a distance, but this time it was more like carefully maintaining a physical distance.
The local colleague assigned by the supervisor was called Azati, a cheerful and enthusiastic Uyghur man. Azati looked at their rental car and gave a thumbs-up.
It takes nearly 100 kilometers of desert road to get from Niya Town to the Niya Ruins.
Qin Tian moved to the back seat, giving the passenger seat to Azati. Along the way, he explained to them the vastness, warmth, and cruelty of the Taklamakan Desert.
The Taklamakan Desert is nicknamed the "Sea of Death." Swedish explorer Sven Hedin and his expedition team were nearly wiped out while exploring the desert, leaving only him and two assistants alive. From then on, he called the Taklamakan Desert the "Sea of Death."
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