Golden Mountain under the Sun
After escaping death, I thought I was finally free, but to my surprise, the roar of a car engine sounded behind me again.
The sharp-eared Lu Min immediately became alert upon hearing the car. He pulled the bewildered Sang Qi aside and hid her in the tall grass that could conceal her body.
The grass was dense, with only a small gap through which they could see the highway. After they hid, they fell silent, carefully concealing themselves and keeping their eyes fixed on the highway.
The car engine noise grew louder and louder, and soon a black car drove up and stopped at the bend of the elevated highway.
Someone got out of the car and leaned down the slope to check the situation. They saw an SUV that had been hit and was almost totaled, stuck on the edge of the cliff, about to fall off, and there was no one inside.
A short while later, the group drove away, leaving a cloud of dust behind as their wheels rolled over them.
After Lu Min saw that the group of people had driven away and were sure they were far away, he dared to breathe heavily.
Seeing that Lu Min was seriously injured, Sang Qi couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright? I feel like you're not doing so well."
Lu Min pursed his lips, looking indifferent: "It's okay, let's go."
He emerged from the bushes, and Sang Qi, fearing he might not be able to hold on, quickly went to support him.
When Sang Qi's hand touched Lu Min's hand, Lu Min trembled slightly and looked at Sang Qi: "What are you doing?"
Sang Qi lowered his head: "I'll help you."
"Afraid I'll collapse?"
Sang Qi nodded honestly.
"I'm not that weak," Lu Min sneered.
"Whatever you say, let's leave here first." Sang Qi felt they had to get out of there. She had a feeling that something bad would happen if they stayed in this forest any longer.
Lu Min looked around at the desolate mountains and wilderness, unable to discern directions for a moment, and couldn't help but frown deeply.
Sang Qi guessed that Lu Min also didn't know the way, and said, "I believe in you, I'll follow you. We'll definitely get out of here."
Lu Min glanced at Sang Qi and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm here."
"Um."
Lu Min first looked up at the sky, which was dark and gloomy. It was approaching evening, and it was getting dark. A wind had picked up.
We must leave the forest before dark, or we will definitely freeze to death here overnight.
Thinking of this, Lu Min had already started walking straight towards the road, and Sang Qi hurriedly followed, keeping up with Lu Min's pace.
The two walked quickly and soon reached the end of the road.
The sky had darkened, and the wind was gradually picking up, carrying a biting chill.
The wind blew straight at her face, stinging her, and Sang Qi had to lower her head. Without a word, Lu Min took off his coat and gave it to Sang Qi, saying, "Hold my hand tightly, don't get lost."
"What are you going to do?" Sang Qi saw that Lu Min was wearing only a thin sweater underneath, so she immediately returned the coat to him.
Lu Min frowned: "Stop being so fussy and put it on for me."
Sang Qi was stunned by the shout and was speechless for a moment.
"Listen to me, put on your clothes," Lu Min's tone softened.
Sang Qi obediently put it on, then grabbed Lu Min's clothes with both hands.
Lu Min turned around and glanced at Sang Qi, a half-smile on his face, and took Sang Qi's hand in his palm: "I meant hold my hand tightly, not the clothes."
Sang Qi pursed her lips and remained silent.
Lu Min didn't waste any words, took Sang Qi's hand and walked forward.
At the end of the highway lies a remote mountain village, built against a low mountain range. The village is filled with Tibetan watchtowers, scattered throughout.
Beside the village lies an endless grassland with cattle and sheep pens along the edge, which must be the pasture where livestock are usually grazed.
Looking into the distance, one could see that all the houses in the village had their lights on. Lu Min, who had just arrived at the village entrance, smiled.
The village is mostly inhabited by Tibetan people. Their area is far from the Shangri-La scenic area and is located deep in the mountains, so there are no guesthouses, hotels, or restaurants. They are all genuine Tibetan herders.
Upon arriving in the village, just as dusk was falling, Lu Min and Sang Qi needed to find a place to rest and recuperate. With no other option, they had to stay overnight at a Tibetan family's home.
The Tibetan family where they stayed was a typical herding family. They were quite hospitable and treated Sang Qi and Lu Min to good food and drink. When they saw that they had some injuries, they immediately brought their medicine box to treat them.
This Tibetan family of three, except for the son who can speak Mandarin, the elderly parents cannot speak Mandarin, so Lu Min communicates with the son.
His son, Dondrup, was a Tibetan man. After serving Lu Minsangqi his meal and applying his medicine, he led them to the guest room to rest.
Dunzhu's house is not big, with limited rooms, including only one guest room. Fortunately, there is enough space in the room to make a makeshift bed on the floor, which is just enough for two people to stay together.
Since Sang Qi and Lu Min's clothes were dirty, they immediately got some Tibetan clothes for them to change into. Sang Qi washed himself, changed his clothes, and returned to his room.
In the room, Lu Min was applying medicine to himself.
Today, a series of attacks and falls occurred, leaving Lu Min with both new and old injuries.
Seeing that Lu Min was having some difficulty applying the medicine, Sang Qi offered to help.
Lu Min looked over and smiled, "Then I'll trouble you."
Sang Qi sat down, took out a new cotton swab, dipped it in disinfectant, and then disinfected the wound.
She was a bit too rough at first, and when the cotton swab soaked in disinfectant touched the wound, Lu Min grimaced in pain.
Sang Qi then realized, "Did I move too much?"
Lu Min sighed helplessly, "What do you think?"
"..."
Afterwards, when disinfecting and applying medicine, Sang Qi slowed down her movements as much as possible, so Lu Min was no longer in pain.
After applying the medicine, Lu Min lay flat on the floor with his hands behind his head. Hearing Sang Qi take off his shoes and get into bed, he glanced at her.
Sang Qi didn't look at Lu Min, but silently sat back on the edge of the bed and stared blankly.
I was supposed to return to Nanjing today, but I was attacked and nearly lost my life. After escaping, I fled in a sorry state and stayed at the home of a Tibetan family. It all happened so fast that I didn't have time to think.
"Get some rest. I'll figure out how to get you to the airport tomorrow," Lu Min suddenly said, his tone calm.
Sang Qi was stunned and looked at Lu Min: "You're still injured, let's rest for a few days before we talk."
Lu Min chuckled: "I just want to get you out of here as soon as possible, so you don't get chased down and almost lose your life. Staying in Yunnan is nothing but danger for you."
Sang Qi pursed his lips and sighed, "Given the current situation, even returning to Nanjing might not guarantee safety."
"In Nanjing, which is at least a big city, they shouldn't be so brazen. If you encounter them again in Nanjing, remember to call the police; they will protect you."
"I know."
"I'm not going to talk to you anymore. You should go to sleep. I'm going out for a smoke." With that, Lu Min got up and walked out.
Sang Qi watched Lu Min's retreating figure, sighed softly, and her thoughts suddenly became complicated.
Sang Qi had never quite figured out what kind of person Lu Min was. Sometimes he was such a jerk that she wanted to punch him, and other times he was so considerate that it touched her heart.
She couldn't explain it clearly.
...
A blizzard began in the early hours of the morning, and the wind howled sharply outside the window.
Sang Qi woke up in the middle of the night because he was cold.
She listened to the whistling wind and snow outside the window, knowing that a blizzard was raging. She couldn't help but sit up and look at Lu Min, who was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor.
The ground is so cold, won't he be cold?
Just as I was thinking about this, I saw Lu Min turn over and face Sang Qi.
Lu Min was in a half-asleep state. He slightly lifted his eyelids and saw Sang Qi staring at him. So he lazily asked, "What's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping at this hour?"
Sang Qi pointed to the floor: "Are you cold?"
"What do you think?" Lu Min pulled the blanket tighter. "Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep."
Sang Qi hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you're cold, come and sleep in the bed."
Lu Min smiled and said, "Then you'll sleep on the floor?"
Sang Qi was taken aback, then said coldly, "Can't we sleep in the same bed?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Min's eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly: "Oh, you dare to sleep in the same bed as me?"
"I know you're not that kind of person?"
"I'm not that kind of person?"
What do you think?
Lu Min smiled again and waved his hand: "Go to sleep."
“I’m serious,” Sang Qi said. “The bed is quite big. We can each sleep on one side without causing any problems.”
After saying that, Sang Qi took her pillow and blanket and went to sleep on the side, leaving a large empty space for Lu Min.
Lu Min narrowed his eyes: "You begged me."
"..."
Finally, Lu Min lay down on the bed, clutching his pillow and blanket.
The two lay flat on the same bed, facing the ceiling, and closed their eyes to sleep.
The blizzard continued the following morning.
I had planned to stay overnight and leave the next day, but the sudden blizzard ruined all my plans.
They couldn't leave; they had to stay at the Tibetan family's home and wait for the snow to stop and the wind to calm down before they could depart.
Fortunately, the Dunzhu family was hospitable and did not mind Sangqi and Lumin. On the contrary, they treated them to good food and drink.
It was snowing heavily and the weather was freezing. A fire was burning inside the house. Sang Qi and Lu Min huddled around the fire to keep warm. The blazing firelight shone on everyone's faces, making them appear dim and unclear.
Dunzhu was brewing butter tea on a stove, and the rich aroma filled the room.
Outside the window, a fierce wind and snowstorm raged, but inside, people were tending a fire and drinking steaming hot butter tea; everything seemed so peaceful and serene.
Dunzhu poured a bowl of the brewed butter tea for each person, saying as he poured, "This blizzard is expected to last for two days, so please settle down here for now."
"It's fine, staying here is great, and I can even share a bed with a beautiful woman," Lu Min said with a smile, glancing at Sang Qi as he spoke.
Sang Qi rolled her eyes speechlessly. Lu Min's unserious behavior really made her want to punch him.
"By the way, you're here for tourism, right?" Dunzhu suddenly asked.
"Yes, we got lost," Lu Min said.
“Actually, we have a snow-capped mountain here, with scenery that rivals any tourist attraction. We can go and take a look when the snow stops,” Dunzhu said with a simple smile.
Snow-capped mountains, white stupas, prayer flags, and temples can be seen everywhere in Tibet. There is a white stupa on the hillside behind Dunzhu's house, with several colorful prayer flags hanging from its spire, and the white stupa faces a snow-capped mountain.
Dunzhu said that the snow mountain is regarded as a sacred mountain by the people in their village, and every year they go to the mountain pass to fetch prayer flags and scatter wind horses to pray for blessings.
Dunzhu also said that when he was a child, he would always go to the hillside to graze his livestock, lie in the grass, and look at the majestic snow-capped mountains. It was incredibly pleasant. Moreover, he could watch the sunrise in the morning and witness the spectacular sight of the sun shining on the golden mountains.
This made Sang Qi realize that sometimes the true meaning of travel lies in the unknown cultural landscapes.
She said, "The snow has stopped, and I want to go see the snow-capped mountains."
…………
After the blizzard, the snow cleared and the warm winter sun shone on the snow-covered earth.
Stepping out of the house, Sang Qi was greeted by a world of glistening snow. She stepped onto the soft, fluffy snow, opened her arms, and felt the crisp, high-altitude air, the sunshine, and the wind.
Snowflakes occasionally drifted down from the treetops, landing on hair and between the eyebrows and eyes.
Suddenly, I felt a hand covering my head, its warm palm gently brushing against the snowflakes.
Sang Qiwei looked up; it was Lu Min.
The sunlight shone on him, casting a shadow on Sang Qi.
After brushing away the snowflakes, Lu Min smiled and said, "She really looks like a Tibetan girl."
Sang Qi pouted: "You look like a Tibetan man too."
They were all dressed in Tibetan clothes, looking no different from Tibetans.
"Didn't you say you wanted to see the snow-capped mountains?"
Sang Qi looked away: "You know the way?"
"I roughly know."
Dunzhu had told Lu Min the route, and Lu Min remembered it.
Sang Qi nodded, showing no concern, and followed Lu Min.
The hillside wasn't far, but the road was winding, and the snow-covered, muddy path made it difficult to walk.
Lu Min supported Sang Qi throughout the journey, and Sang Qi did not refuse.
The two helped each other to the top of the hillside, where the wide patch of grass had been flattened by the heavy snow.
Standing atop it, the towering snow-capped mountains seem almost within reach, and you can clearly see even the mountain's texture, the snow accumulation, and the shadows on its edges.
Sangqi had never seen a snow-capped mountain so close before, and it was a feeling that was hard to describe in words.
The sun had already risen, and the first rays of sunlight enveloped the snow-capped mountain peaks, turning the entire summit golden, as if the clouds swirling around the mountaintop had been coated in gold.
From a distance, it looks like the mountain in front of you isn't a snow-capped mountain, but a golden mountain.
The white pagoda stands quietly at the foot of the snow-capped mountain, its five-colored prayer flags fluttering in the sunlight and fierce wind. Sang Qi and Lu Min stand at the windy spot beneath the pagoda, their eyes fixed on the white snow and golden mountain.
"I originally went to Meili Snow Mountain to see the golden sunrise, but I ended up here by accident and saw a snow mountain with a golden sunrise that I don't know the name of."
Sang Qi's voice sounded somewhat faint in the wind.
"No matter what kind of mountain it is, at least we've seen it, so this interrupted journey was worthwhile."
Even without snow-capped mountains or the golden sunrise over them, this trip is still worthwhile.
“Lu Min…” Sang Qi suddenly called out to him.
He looked over without saying a word, his gaze as still as a snow-capped mountain facing the sun.
"I..." Her lips moved, but she hesitated to speak.
She wanted to say, "I used to have different feelings for you."
She ultimately couldn't bring herself to say such a simple sentence.
She wanted to give an explanation for this soon-to-end trip, but she was also afraid that speaking out would cause things to change.
After much deliberation, she chose to remain silent.
Perhaps, this is the best outcome for them.
In her long life, there was someone who entered her heart like a blizzard, or like melting snow rushing by. No matter how many miles of mountains and rivers have passed, she thinks she will never forget him.
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