Chapter 48 Exclusive Release Chapter 48 "Elijas, you..."
Zhang Qingrang's proposed list of places to visit includes Caves 45, 254, 257, and 158.
When it was handed over to Gao Ran for review, Gao Ran glanced at it and frowned.
"Those foreigners wouldn't understand this at all. Just show them the beautiful Bodhisattva in Cave 57, and that'll be enough."
Zhang Qingrang adjusted his glasses, his face radiating academic purity: "Professor Gao, these caves have high artistic value and a complete sequence, spanning from the High Tang to the Northern Wei and then to the Middle Tang. They best embody the diversity and continuity of Dunhuang art, and also align with the consistent interests of international scholars."
As Gao Ran listened, his expression slowly changed from serious to a wry smile. Finally, he clicked his tongue and pointed at Zhang Qingrang: "You! I've never seen you so dedicated to your research. Fine, whatever you say."
He handed the signed form back to Zhang Qingrang, glaring at him: "It's all arranged! Yuan Ning will mainly be in charge of the explanation task, you'll assist him from the side, take good care of the technical equipment, and make sure nothing goes wrong. Also, be careful, the weather looks a bit unstable today."
Zhang Qingrang took the order; with this, those people were able to enter the cave.
"Teacher Gao, everyone says you're the best at managing people. Look at how you've managed to make Yuan Ning, an unrelated person, behave."
Gao Ran said righteously, "It is the duty of all young people to devote themselves to the construction of the Western Development Strategy! Let me tell you, you have to do a good job this time. They will definitely leave something behind after this trip."
Zhang Qingrang suppressed a laugh: "Understood! I guarantee I will complete the task of 'promoting donations'."
In addition to Yuan Ning and Zhang Qingrang, there was also Professor Wang, the chief guide assigned by the research institute and a senior researcher here.
Yuan Ning was responsible for translation, and Zhang Qingrang was responsible for supplementary explanations.
The delegation arrived at the entrance of the Mogao Caves by car. The wind in the Gobi Desert was already carrying a restless energy, the sky was a murky egg-yolk yellow, and the outline of the distant Singing Sand Dunes was blurred.
The director looked up at the sky, somewhat worried, but the itinerary was already set, so he could only repeatedly remind the staff to be careful and to finish as soon as possible.
Elias walked at the back, separated from him by the crowd. Yuan Ning glanced at him indifferently, turned on her cold-light flashlight, and followed Teacher Wang into the first cave.
The hustle and bustle of the outside world and the sandstorms were instantly shut out, replaced by a refreshing coolness and tranquility that penetrated to the bone, with the air filled with the unique scent of time.
The beam of the flashlight, like a spotlight on a stage, illuminated the seven colorful sculptures on the Buddhist altar in turn.
When the light fell on the face of the Bodhisattva statue on the south side, a low gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd. The voluptuousness and compassion of the Tang Dynasty, the splendor and fluidity of its attire, presented a breathtaking perfection in the dim light.
Cave 45 contains the best-preserved group of painted sculptures from the High Tang Dynasty, including one Buddha, two disciples, two bodhisattvas, and two heavenly kings. The main Buddha has a full and solemn face, and the lines of his robes are as smooth as water, reflecting the ultimate aesthetic order and religious majesty of the High Tang Dynasty.
Especially the Bodhisattva statue on the south side, hailed as the "Venus of the East," has an S-shaped figure, adorned with magnificent necklaces and drapery, yet her facial expression carries a subtle, human-like, compassionate smile. Her fingers are slender and delicate, as if they would warm to the touch.
In a perfectly executed ritual, why would a statue exude a tenderness that is almost "human"?
"Why would the craftsman give her that expression? Look at her fingers, don't you feel like she's about to move at any moment?"
“When we look at cultural relics, we can’t just look at the ‘techniques’; we also have to look at the ‘meaning’. Look closely at this Bodhisattva statue—the corners of her mouth, her eyebrows…”
Yuan Ning then provided a clear and calm English translation, accurately conveying Teacher Wang's words.
She turned slightly to the side, the flashlight beam grazing the Bodhisattva's lowered eyes and the barely perceptible smile. She was tilting her head back, gazing at the Bodhisattva, her profile appearing soft and focused in the afterglow of the flashlight.
Elias, who had been focused on the Bodhisattva statue, shifted slightly, passing through the dim light and the bustling crowd, and landed on her profile.
She seemed completely absorbed in her own thoughts and explanation, unaware of his gaze.
Elias looked at the Bodhisattva again, trying to see the "breath"—a trace of human warmth and understanding that the craftsman had secretly infused into the perfectly standardized form.
Upon entering Cave 254, the atmosphere abruptly changed. The rugged, profound, and tragically dramatic artistic style of the Northern Wei Dynasty immediately struck. The central pillar created a sense of solemnity, and the flashlight beam shone on the mural "Sacrificing Oneself to Feed a Tiger," a bloody yet sublime scene that made several foreign representatives instinctively hold their breath.
The story depicted in the mural is that Prince Sattva, in order to save a hungry tiger, stabbed himself in the neck and jumped off a cliff, feeding the tiger with his own flesh and blood.
The scene is divided into several parts, including the prince's resolute leap, the tragic scene of a hungry tiger devouring his food, the family's grief as they collect his bones, and finally, the prince's attainment of enlightenment.
"From a purely utilitarian perspective, this is the most irrational act. Life, the highest value, is exchanged for... the short life of a beast. Yet, for millennia, this story has been told not as a warning against folly, but as the pinnacle of compassion."
The wind outside the cave seemed to have picked up. Sand began to pelt against the cave's exterior, making a soft rustling sound.
The director jogged over, his face grave: "Teacher Wang, Engineer Zhang, the weather's not right; the sandstorm might start earlier than planned. Are we still going to inspect the rest of the caves?"
Teacher Wang and Zhang Qingrang looked at Yuan Ning, and then at the inspection team.
"Safety first, why don't we go back first?"
Zhang Qingrang adjusted his glasses and quickly glanced at his watch: "The wind isn't too strong yet. I suggest we go to Cave 257 immediately. It's the closest one to here. We won't have time to bring them here again tomorrow."
After a moment of contemplation, the director made up his mind: "No, we can't let the foreign guests take this risk. I'll contact China Bus Company to send them back now."
Zhang Qingrang explained the situation to the delegation in English and evacuated them one by one. Suddenly remembering something, he grabbed Yuan Ning and said, "We left the portable temperature and humidity monitor at the entrance of Cave 45. It contains unbacked-up data collected this morning. Go and get it. Once you're done, hurry out and get on the bus."
Yuan Ning knew the seriousness of the matter and nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."
She turned around and ran quickly towards Cave 45, against the direction of the orderly evacuation of the crowd.
The wind picked up, making it hard for her to open her eyes, and the sand pelted against the wall with a crackling sound. She instinctively lowered her head.
Just as she was about to run onto the boardwalk leading to the various caves, a figure broke away from the evacuating crowd and strode after her.
Yuan Ning felt her wrist being grasped by a warm and strong hand. She turned around in surprise and met a pair of icy blue eyes.
"Wynne, where are you going?"
Yuan Ning turned around and saw it was him.
“Elijas, what are you doing following us? You go back with them. I’m taking my things and heading back to the research institute. I’m not with you guys.”
"I'll go with you."
Time was of the essence. Yuan Ning didn't dwell on it and quickly repeated: "At the corner of the passageway behind Cave 45, I took something from the wooden box. I went back the way I came and took this walkway to the parking lot."
Elias released her wrist and stood beside her, leaning slightly forward to shield her from some of the strong side wind: "Okay."
Without another word, the two braved the increasingly violent wind and ran towards Cave 45. Dust had already spread, visibility was rapidly decreasing, and even the outline of the minibus in the distance was beginning to blur.
The sandstorm came suddenly; the weather, which had seemed calm just moments before, turned terrifying in the blink of an eye.
Visibility was less than five meters, the wind howled, and sand and stones pelted the cliff face and their bodies like bullets.
“No, Cave 45 is too far, we can’t walk there. Wynne, come back with me first.”
Yuan Ning shook her head: "No, the research institute only has one portable temperature and humidity monitor, and we can't lose that."
A gust of wind swept in, and Elias grabbed Yuan Ning, pressing her against the cliff face and protecting her tightly: "I can donate a hundred units to the research institute, a thousand units!"
Yuan Ning touched the key in her pocket. They were originally scheduled to visit Cave 158 today, so the key was in her pocket.
She avoided his gaze: "Cave 158 is nearby, let's go in and take shelter for a while."
The sandstorm has greatly reduced visibility, turning the sky and earth into a hazy yellow.
Yuan Ning ran towards Cave 158 based on her memory, but that area was densely packed with caves and crisscrossed by plank roads.
The door was heavy. She pushed it open a crack and squeezed in with Elias. Then, propelled by the gust of wind behind them, the door slammed shut, completely shutting out the roar and dim light from the outside world.
In an instant, absolute darkness and silence engulfed them like a tidal wave.
Only their heavy, panting breaths, still lingering from their frantic running and fear, sounded exceptionally loud in the deathly silence.
Elias immediately turned on the miniature high-powered flashlight he carried with him.
The beam of light, like a sharp sword, pierced the thick darkness. First, it illuminated the rough stone ground nearby and the two people's dusty shoes. The beam moved upward—
Then, they both held their breath.
The beam of the flashlight seemed to crash into an endless void. At the end of the beam, a colossal silhouette, so immense it sent shivers down one's spine, was vaguely outlined.
Yuan Ning had never been here before, so she was unaware of its grandeur.
"My God..."
A reclining Buddha lies quietly deep within the grotto. His face is faintly visible at the edge of the halo of light, serene, solemn, and imbued with a tranquility that transcends worldly joys and sorrows. Behind the Buddha lies the deep, dark ceiling and murals, as if another universe were at play.
This is Cave 158 – Nirvana Cave.
The flashlight beam couldn't illuminate its entirety; instead, it only accentuated its grandeur and mystery.
The howling wind from the outside world was reduced to a distant, muffled hum by the heavy stone gate.
Yuan Ning felt as if only her and Elias's heartbeats remained in the world.
"Where...is this?" she asked hoarsely.
Elias did not answer immediately. He slowly moved the beam of his flashlight, cautiously scanning the surroundings.
A beam of light swept across the Buddha's lowered eyelids, the flowing folds of his robes, and his enormous reclining posture, illuminating some blurred traces of murals beneath the altar—the remains of mourning saints, their expressions a mixture of grief and solemnity. The entire space was vast, high, and cold, like a massive stone coffin, or rather, a sacred tomb.
“Cave 158. Nirvana Cave.” He finally confirmed, “According to the information I had researched beforehand, this is a Nirvana statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, built during the mid-Tang Dynasty, and is 15.8 meters long.”
"I never expected you to have done so much research."
Elias's flashlight beam stopped near the Buddha's slightly closed eyes. The stone-carved eyelids, in the light and shadow, seemed to truly carry a trace of compassion, yet also seemed utterly empty.
“This is my habit.” He paused, then added, “Percival Capital needs to understand the cultural context when evaluating any project. Dunhuang, especially its core artistic expression.”
This answer is very "Elijas." He included this religious art sanctuary, which concerns life and death, eternity, and spiritual transcendence, in his capital assessment.
“Unfortunately,” Yuan Ning interjected in the darkness, her voice soft, “your information won’t tell you that standing here makes you feel that all your troubles and struggles are as insignificant as a speck of dust before the Buddha.”
The Buddha in Cave 158 remains asleep, indifferent to the emotional turmoil of the tiny humans beneath his feet.
But a certain change has already quietly taken place in absolute darkness and silence.
"Wynne, are you cold?"
Before Yuan Ning could answer, a rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other came from the darkness.
Yuan Ning felt a thick coat, still warm from his body, being gently draped over her shoulders, wrapping her up tightly.
“You…” Yuan Ning instinctively wanted to push him away.
Yuan Ning pulled her coat tighter around herself and suddenly felt very cold.
“Wynne,” Elias suddenly called her name.
"Um?"
"I don't know how to treat you anymore."
Am I... a complicated person?
"No, it's not your problem, it's my problem. I'm trying to understand you, adapt to you, and even... possess you in my own way, but this process itself is upending everything that governs my life."
After a long silence, Yuan Ning said, "Is this a confession, Elias?"
"Maybe." If a definite answer makes you uncomfortable.
The darkness beyond the pillar of light was thick, sealing the two people and the enormous reclining Buddha in silence.
Yuan Ning's fingers unconsciously curled up, crumpling the fabric of the coat draped over her shoulders.
Not knowing how much longer they would be trapped, Elias turned off his flashlight, and the world was plunged into complete darkness.
They sat down on the steps in front of the reclining Buddha, one at each end.
The wind howled outside the heavy door, only making the silence inside the cave seem even more profound.
Yuan Ning could feel the flow of his blood and Elias's steady and restrained breathing. Even in absolute darkness, he maintained a certain habitual order.
“Elijas, ever since that incident, I’ve been walking a tightrope. My life doesn’t allow me to make even the slightest mistake. Otherwise, I will… I will…” She suddenly felt a little lost.
"It seems... nothing much will happen. Like Mom said, at worst we can just go back to Nancheng. Seeing Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui living such lives after graduating with their doctorates isn't so bad."
The darkness amplified her voice, as well as the weariness and wavering within it that she had never shown to anyone before.
"I don't know if what I've been pursuing all this time is right or wrong. My ambitions are just too big."
Elias did not respond immediately. She could imagine him slightly turning his head in the darkness, his icy blue eyes perhaps piercing through the darkness, trying to see her expression.
"How could it be wrong? Wynne, what makes you willing to walk a tightrope and persevere?"
"Of course, it's because of fear. I'm afraid that once I get off the tightrope and choose the 'not bad' path, I'll never be able to go back."
She gave a bitter smile.
“Look at Zhang Qingrang and Li Xiaohui. Their happiness and satisfaction come from their pure love for their work and their deep connection with this land. That’s another solid value system. I envy them, but I know that’s not mine. I can’t go back to that simple, rooted satisfaction. I can only move forward and keep moving upward, even if my eyes lose their innocence and become greedy.”
She paused briefly, her voice softening.
“Elijas, but I don’t belong here. I’m going back to the Upper East Side.”
“Of course.” The gentleman’s voice was very refined and mellow.
His tone was as if he never felt she had done anything wrong; she had to be glamorous, successful, and stop at nothing to climb the ladder, and even if she hurt anyone in the process, it wasn't her fault.
"Elijas, will you always help me? When we go back, will you stand by my side?"
These words rolled down in the darkness, beneath the reclining Buddha; her desire was savage.
On the other side of the darkness, after a long silence, the gentleman chuckled softly. He had known all along that after telling her that "he was thinking of her," she would think that he had gained some leverage.
“Wynne,” his voice remained steady, “my greedy little girl. Do you think I’m not a capitalist just because the Buddha is watching?”
His rhetorical question contained no blame, only a clear-headedness bordering on compassion.
Yuan Ning's heart clenched.
"You say you miss me, doesn't that mean you care about me? If you care about me, shouldn't you help me get everything I want?"
She knew that getting something legitimate from Elias wouldn't be so easy.
“Even between my father and mother, the interests must be clearly defined. Wynne, I’ve already sided with you a lot. If the dress repair fails this time, the agreement we signed before will not be void.”
Yuan Ning felt a chill run down her spine. She wondered how much value the marriage Elias had almost promised her was.
"So this is your unbreakable order."
“No, it’s not unbreakable, Wynne. I’m just not that stupid. At least, I came to my senses quickly.”
Yuan Ning chuckled lightly, pretending to be relaxed: "Elijas, you're really hurting a girl's feelings by talking like that in front of the Buddha."
“Wynne, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you. But I’ve never believed in this.”
Yuan Ning slowly curled the corners of her lips into a smile; she was becoming increasingly lucid.
"Actually, I don't have any religious beliefs."
In the silence of Nirvana, two incredibly powerful souls are being treated seriously and seen through completely.
Perhaps among them are... conscious, silent loves.
Zhang Qingrang was severely scolded by Gao Ran. After the sandstorm stopped, he hurriedly led his men to find Yuan Ning.
Yuan Ning and Elias stayed in the cave for two hours until they heard someone calling them from outside.
“Yuan Ning—! Mr. Van der Berg—!”
A muffled but anxious cry pierced through the cracks in the thick stone door.
The two of them were startled at the same time, stood up and pounded on the door: "We're here!"
As soon as the door opened, Yuan Ning squinted, blinded by the light. Through the blur, she saw several figures standing against the light.
"My God! We finally found them!" Gao Ran was the first to step in, his eyes quickly sweeping over the two of them. Seeing that they were both unharmed, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but then his brows furrowed again. He pointed at Yuan Ning and said, "Why did you listen to Zhang Qingrang? You came just because he told you to!"
His tone was very stern. The sandstorms in the Gobi Desert are no joke; if something goes wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Zhang Qingrang followed behind Gao Ran, his glasses covered in a layer of sand, his face showing both guilt and lingering fear: "I really didn't think that much at the time, Yuan Ning, I'm sorry."
"Is data more important or people?!" Gao Ran shouted, then immediately suppressed his anger and looked at Elias, who had been standing silently beside Yuan Ning. He put on a slightly apologetic expression and said in broken English, "Mr. Van der Berg, I'm so sorry. It was our poor planning and inadequate security measures."
"It's not your fault, I just walked away on my own." He nodded slightly, then raised his hand and very naturally patted the dust off Yuan Ning's shoulder.
Gao Ran urged, "Go back first. If you don't go back soon, Director Wang is so worried he's about to report it to the city! If something happens to a foreigner here, that'll be terrible!"
The group walked back along the boardwalk.
Zhang Qingrang moved closer to Yuan Ning and whispered, "Yuan Ning, are you alright?"
Yuan Ning shook her head and instead asked him, "Did you get the monitoring device?"
Zhang Qingrang was stunned: "Got it, got it! What time is it and you're still thinking about this? I'm really impressed by you."
On his way back, Elias wanted to check on the dress repair, since it concerned him. If the repair wasn't done well, as the guarantor, he would have to pay a large sum in compensation, and his reputation with Olivia would also suffer.
Yuan Ning told Gao Ran about it, and Gao Ran then took him to the research institute in a car.
Unlike the minibuses used to receive foreign guests, this was a beat-up Chang'an.
Yuan Ning always regretted that she couldn't let Elias experience the car that Li Hang drove to pick her up at the airport on her first day.
Now Elias will also have to sit on the peony-shaped chair.
However, the foreign guests were arranged to sit in the front passenger seat by Gao Ran, while Yuan Ning and Gao Ran squeezed into the back seat, and Zhang Qingrang drove.
The engine whirred a few times before starting, and the car body shook violently.
Zhang Qingrang gripped the steering wheel, glanced at the foreign guest whose face was expressionless, and prepared to say something.
“Um… Mr. Van der Berg,” Zhang Qingrang’s English was quite good, “what do you do?”
Gao Ran glared at Zhang Qingrang from the back seat.
Outside the window was a dusty dirt road.
Elias replied, "Investment. Primarily focused on technology and emerging industries."
Ignoring Gao Ran's gaze, Zhang Qingrang continued to ask curiously, "Investment? Are you particularly knowledgeable about stocks? Has the Nasdaq been rising sharply lately? I have a classmate in the capital who earns 10,000 yuan a month, and he always talks about this."
This question made Yuan Ning, sitting in the back seat, want to facepalm.
Elias was silent for two seconds.
Just when Yuan Ning thought he was going to brush Zhang Qingrang off with some excuse, he said seriously, "The market is currently experiencing irrational exuberance. Valuations are severely out of sync with fundamentals. There are obvious signs of a bubble. I suggest you be cautious, classmate." He paused, then added, "If you're not considering short-term speculation, you could look at... telecommunications, energy, and consumer staples."
Zhang Qingrang said "Oh," seemingly understanding but not quite.
Yuan Ning frowned as she looked at Zhang Qingrang. It was truly remarkable that Elias was willing to say such things. For someone as meticulous as him, giving such investment advice was already considered seriously non-compliant.
I don't know if Zhang Qingrang listened to me or not.
Yuan Ning gripped the seat in front of her and leaned forward, asking with a smile, "Zhang Qingrang, how much savings do you have?"
Zhang Qingrang chuckled and said, "I won't tell you. Anyway, I've saved up quite a bit over the years, and I can't spend any of it in the Gobi Desert."
At this point, Yuan Ning suddenly remembered something and slapped her thigh.
"Oh dear, I still owe money to the convenience store near the research institute! I don't have any change, Zhang Qingrang, can you lend me some?"
Elias couldn't understand what the two were saying, but she saw Zhang Qingrang drive along, then suddenly reach into her pocket with one hand, take out ten yuan, and hand it to her.
"Keep the change, I'll treat you to instant noodles."
Elias's gaze lingered for a moment on the banknote and the two hands that were being handed over, a faint, inscrutable emotion flashing across his icy blue eyes.
The car continued to bump along the dirt road. Zhang Qingrang seemed to feel there was more to the conversation, so he cleared his throat and asked in English:
"Mr. Van der Berg, what exactly do you mean by 'essential consumer goods'? Like... food and drink?"
Elias turned his head and said calmly, "I'm sorry, I can't say any more."
Gao Ran, sitting in the back of the driver's seat, kicked Zhang Qingrang's seat hard twice.
Soon, they arrived at the research institute. When they passed the convenience store, Yuan Ning quickly ran down, found the owner, paid the outstanding amount, and apologized repeatedly.
When she jogged back to the car, she found that Elias had already gotten out and was standing in front of the drab, gray renovation center building.
He didn't go inside; he just looked up at a lit window on the second floor.
Zhang Qingrang turned off the engine, jumped out of the car, and followed Elias's gaze: "Oh, that's Li Xiaohui's lab. At this hour, they're probably out fighting for food."
"Stealing...food?"
Gao Ran pushed open the creaking wooden door and invited Elias in.
"Let me first give you an update on the current progress. You've come at the right time. After more than half a month, we've just completed the last round of experiments. The data is better than expected, and I estimate that it won't be long before Xiao Meng can go back with her dress."
Gao Ran skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point, leading Elias to the workbench.
The silk crepe dress unfolded under professional lighting, resembling a sleeping silver lake.
The once glaring red wine stains now present a uniform, very pale beige color, almost blending into the original ivory white background.
Only by looking closely can one discover extremely subtle color differences at specific angles.
"The biggest challenge now is the final color fixation and overall luster restoration. We need to ensure that the treated areas are aging in the same way as the rest of the fabric."
“I understand,” Elias finally said, his tone calm. “Please continue according to your plan. If additional equipment or materials are needed, please provide a list.”
Yuan Ning came up from downstairs and ran into Elias, who was leaving after his visit.
As soon as she saw him, she quickly pulled him outside: "Come on, I'll take you to try the braised pork with potatoes in the cafeteria."
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