After some banter, they officially got to know each other.
Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing learned about the work content during their casual chat. The project had many requirements when it was put out for bidding. Now the workload is divided into two parts, half for the people led by Zhou Qu and half for the people led by Pan Yicheng. The former is mainly responsible for the actual construction, while the latter is mainly responsible for expert advice.
The group is now going to visit the aboriginals. The locals claim to have mountain god beliefs and even have primitive sacrificial sites. Zhou Qu hopes that Pan Yicheng and others will go there to investigate and see if the local relics have any value and whether they need to be compromised by the railway construction.
Zhou Qu stayed at the workstation to handle other matters. Batu arrived at the workstation in advance. He was more familiar with the surrounding environment and was assigned by Zhou Qu to be a guide to the expert advisory group, and he also brought a few workstation staff.
Outside the workstation, the sky was bleak and there was not a single green spot to be seen. The mountains in the distance were brown and looked sparsely covered with vegetation, even like the Gobi Desert.
Batu led the team out, saying with great anticipation: "That's what I said, but I still hope it's worthless. I really don't want to change it. The terrain here is complicated to begin with, and if we take all these things into consideration, then the work will be impossible."
Batu looked at the problem from an engineering perspective and certainly didn't want to face nitpicking demands.
Tan Muxing was in charge of taking photos. He used the camera to record the surrounding environment so that he could organize and study it later.
Chu Qianli looked at the shape of the mountain, thought for a moment, and said, "The mountain controls the population and the water controls the wealth. It should be an ordinary altar. I guess the scale will not be too large."
There are too many famous mountains and rivers in the country. Generally, precious culture is nurtured in places with beautiful mountains and rivers, while it is difficult for places with harsh environments to leave anything behind.
"We have to go there and see it in person. The work must be done properly," said Pan Yicheng.
After the photo session with Mu Xing was over, he still remembered that Batu was a minority and asked, "Brother Batu, do you know about their belief in mountain gods?"
Batu: "I don't know. To be honest, before the project started, I, as a local, had never been here."
Chu Qianli: "Fake local?"
"Our province is so big that my home is even closer to the capital than here." Batu sighed, "My classmate from Hebei envied me for going back to my hometown, saying that he had to go to the capital every day. I thought to myself, brother, don't you look at the map? Our province borders eight provinces. Are you jealous of me for going back to my hometown to work?!"
"Working in the north of our province, and then working in the west of our province, that means you've almost crossed half of our country!"
“…”
Chu Qianli and others now deeply understood why Batu had no idea about the local beliefs. Although they were both ethnic minorities from the same province, they were indeed too far away from each other and were not even close to each other.
This place is not suitable for local people, and it may not even be suitable for living.
The environment along the way was dangerous, but herds of cattle gradually came into view on the low hills. Although they were not as strong as the cattle and sheep near the base, there were obvious signs of human habitation.
The simple and minimalist buildings here are like the last residences on the Gobi Desert. Food is hung out to dry at the door, and there are decorative strips, but they have long been eroded by wind and frost.
Pan Yicheng staggered up, panting with exhaustion, and said, "It's really pristine."
Chu Qianli commented: "Low emotional intelligence is called a poor living environment, and high emotional intelligence is called an original ecology."
Tan Muxing looked at the buildings in front of him, looked around, and asked, "Is this a village?"
"It's a very small village." Batu said, "I estimate there are less than a hundred people, maybe not even as big as some small districts."
The villagers obviously knew each other. When they saw Batu and the others were wary, they did not take the initiative to say hello. They stood at the entrance of the village, hesitating and mumbling to themselves.
Chu Qianli: "What are they talking about? Can you translate it for me?"
Batu: "These despicable outsiders are here again."
Tan Muxing: "Brother Batu, don't you understand Mongolian?"
"Yeah, I don't understand what they made up. I don't even know if they are speaking Mongolian."
“…”
Fortunately, other people in the workstation were able to communicate with the villagers, and some of them also knew Chinese, so communication was finally established.
However, the two sides had a quarrel not long ago, and the villagers suspected that they were here to cause trouble, so they were reluctant to let the group into the village.
Batu asked his colleagues for help and explained, "Tell them that people with faith cannot practice. We have called an expert here, and we will talk about faith today."
Colleagues at the workstation communicated with the villagers, but unfortunately the effect was not significant and they were still blocked outside the village.
"Alas, it's like this again..." Batu shook his head helplessly. He looked around and thankfully said, "Fortunately, the leader didn't come with us today."
Batu whispered something in his colleague's ear, which drew a look of surprise from the other party, who also looked at Chu Qianli in surprise.
The colleagues at the workstation hesitated for a moment and honestly passed the message to the villagers.
The villagers were stunned after hearing this. They looked at each other and finally sent someone back to the village to report. Soon after, Pan Yicheng and others were allowed to pass.
Pan Yicheng: "What does this mean?"
Batu: "I said that our colleague was worshipped as a shaman by people from other villages, and I came here on purpose."
Chu Qianli was shocked: "But I'm not a shaman!"
Batu laughed and said, "It's okay. We didn't say you were that person. It was the misunderstanding of other aborigines. We were just relaying it..."
Tan Muxing thought of Zhou Qu's frightened expression at the welcoming party and worried, "Will we be scolded if we do this?"
Chu Qianli: "Then we can only ask Professor Pan to explain it using folklore knowledge."
Pan Yicheng was shocked to hear her speak so confidently: "Teachers always blame students, but students can blame teachers?"
Regardless, Batu's approach was quite effective and he was able to meet the villagers smoothly.
Pan Yicheng could only turn a blind eye to this and planned not to tell Zhou Qu the details, thinking less trouble is better.
When the group walked into the village, they found that the living conditions were rather primitive and the entire village did not occupy a large area.
Tan Muxing recalled Yinlong Village. He was now sure that Chu Qianli was not lying. Yinlong Village was definitely an advanced and civilized village. Compared with this place, it was definitely rich. There were all kinds of products on Yinlong Mountain, but here it was barren everywhere, and even the cattle and sheep in the mountains looked hungry.
"It's really not easy. I'm relying on you this time. This is the first time I've reached the depths of their village. The previous two times I entered the village, I could only go there." Batu looked at Chu Qianli and stretched out his hand to point the location to everyone.
The workstation wanted to inspect the local mountain god altar and was brought by the villagers to the village manager.
Inside the house, at the center of the large table sat an old lady with wrinkles all over her face and a small hat decorated with ribbons, feathers, and various intricate patterns.
As soon as Chu Qianli entered the room, she was stared at by the old lady and the villagers. She subconsciously shrank back towards Tan Muxing.
There were many people in the house, and the two sides negotiated many times. The old lady spoke in a minority language, and Chu Qianli and others could not understand, so they could only stand aside and wait.
My colleague explained: "They said that not everyone in the village can go to the altar. If you want to go there today, you must first perform the ceremony and see if the day is suitable."
Chu Qianli suddenly realized: "Oh, I understand. It's about choosing an auspicious day. Let them do it."
"Then let's go out and stay away for a while?" Pan Yicheng said, "Wait until they finish the ceremony, and then call us in?"
Colleague: "They also say that only true warriors can go. There is a wrestling session before the ceremony, which is said to be a reserved event."
Batu's expression changed slightly: "...No way?"
Chu Qianli: "What is wok?"
Batu: "It is a traditional sports activity and a national intangible cultural heritage."
Pan Yicheng patiently answered: "It is written as bo ke, which means wrestling. It is said that it would happen before offering sacrifices to Aobao."
At this moment, a strong man stood up among the villagers. He patted his arms, stretched his muscles, and waved to Batu and others, inviting them.
Chu Qianli said in panic: "Don't you ethnic minorities not wrestle? Didn't you just break the stereotype? "
Batu said numbly: "I didn't say I won't fight."
Chu Qianli: “?” You’re telling me that a white horse is not a horse?
People were forced to move outdoors, onto flat dirt ground that could barely serve as a wrestling venue.
The villagers have already sent their representatives and are now staring at the people at the workstation, waiting for the contestants to come out and challenge.
The burly man on the field was jumping back and forth, as if he was doing warm-up exercises, sizing up everyone with a fierce look in his eyes.
Chu Qianli and the others unanimously nominated Batu to take up the challenge. They confidently said, "This is your own ethnic project, so you must be sent up. Didn't you all go to college by riding horses, shooting arrows and wrestling?"
"Oh my god, I don't know if he went to college or not, but I, who went to college, definitely can't beat him..." Batu said in frustration, "I hope you guys treat me as a Northeasterner now!"
"People from the Northeast are also very strong in fighting."
“It’s still a stereotype!”
Batu's facial features are quite unique and he looks like he is from another world. However, he was knocked down not long after he came on the field. His appearance was totally inconsistent with his combat power.
The rules of the game were extremely simple: whoever touched the ground with his knees or above would lose. Batu fell to the ground as soon as he was pulled, looking like a piece of paper.
The villagers gathered around the field to watch the game. When they saw that the big man won easily, they immediately burst into cheers. It was truly a festival of celebration and entertainment!
Batu shook off the dirt on his body, but he was not injured. He complained, "I will never brag about riding a horse to go to college again..."
He was afraid that one day someone would really ask him to perform a horse riding show.
As an old man, Pan Yicheng certainly couldn't take part in the show, but now he was just watching the show. He said leisurely, "When you go back, you must explain clearly to Lao Zhou that our expert advisory team didn't slack off today. The reason we couldn't do the altar research is entirely your fault that you didn't win the fight!"
Batu: “???” Can you throw away this pot?
The young guys at the workstation came up to take on the challenge one after another, but none of them could defeat the experienced man. After all, they were all engineers, and some were even pure clerical workers, so it would be a miracle if they could beat the other party.
The crowd watched the race excitedly and even made a noise when a racer fell. The atmosphere was quite lively!
The people at the workstation were unsure whether they had to win to go to the altar, but after they took turns, only the expert advisory group was left. Chu Qianli and Pan Yicheng were naturally not in a position to take the stage, so only Tan Muxing remained silent.
Batu patted Tan Muxing on the shoulder and said helplessly: "Alright, you just come here to represent your group. If you can do it, then it's fine. If not, forget it. We'll think of other ways. Anyway, this one fight won't make a difference."
Tan Muxing quickly waved her hand to decline, saying in panic, "But I don't like violence..."
Tan Muxing witnessed the two sides pushing and pulling each other, and he really found it a little hard to accept. Just now, he frowned and felt that it was similar to a fighting event.
Batu: "What violence? What violence? You cannot insult the traditional sports of our ethnic minorities!"
Tan Muxing: “…” But before you went on stage you said you hoped to be considered a Northeasterner?
Tan Muxing couldn't refuse, so he had to go on stage and felt deeply embarrassed in front of everyone.
When everyone saw the new competitor coming on stage, they immediately burst into cheers, making the atmosphere lively again.
The people at the workstation were also infected by the atmosphere of the competition. They temporarily put the altar behind their minds and cheered for Tan Muxing.
Chu Qianli said happily: "Come on, Xingxing! Xingxing will win!"
Pan Yicheng smiled and said, "It's fun to experience folk activities occasionally."
Tan Muxing bowed politely to his opponent, and after the two sides shook hands, the game officially began.
The burly man is obviously experienced. He is good at throwing, pulling, and swinging. He always defeats his opponents quickly. This time, he took the lead in attacking and threw towards Tan Muxing!
Tan Muxing was a little confused when he first came on the court. He was pushed by the big man, but he subconsciously blocked it and made the big man take two steps back!
Everyone present was shocked by the scene.
Batu was startled: "Huh? He didn't fall? That guy is very strong. Is this the first time he failed?"
Chu Qianli shouted excitedly: "Stars, stars!"
The big man was also stunned. After his failed attack, he became cautious and did not rashly launch another attack. Instead, he jumped back and forth towards Tan Muxing, looking for an opportunity to attack.
Chu Qianli asked blankly: "What is this?"
Pan Yicheng: "Eagle Step? Their wrestling techniques seem to imitate animals."
Chu Qianli made the decision: "Then Xingxing will imitate the bear steps!"
It was not known whether Tan Muxing on the field heard Chu Qianli's decision. He was a little out of shape and his eyes were wandering throughout the whole process. It was mainly because he was wrestling with so many people staring at him that even his movements seemed slow and he basically just stood there motionless.
If Tan Muxing does not take the initiative to attack, the Han will have to get through.
The big man came forward with great force!
Tan Muxing stepped in slowly and held the big man's arm.
The big man struggled hard, trying to overthrow the opponent!
Tan Muxing turned around lightly and slowly let the big man fall to the ground.
He had been very careful and gentle with the opponent, but the big man was unable to break away for a long time, until exclamations broke out on the field, announcing the final result of the game!
When Chu Qianli found out that her deskmate had won, she cheered from the bottom of her heart: "Xingxing won! Xingxing won!"
Batu watched the entire match with a subtle look on his face. He commented: "I have to say, if he hadn't knocked me over before, I would have thought that guy had no strength."
Batu always felt that Tan Muxing had a strange kind of peace-loving temperament. He managed to turn the passionate wrestling into an atmosphere of a fight between two babies. He wished he could switch to a children's program with just one click. It was completely the style of a childcare teacher.
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