Chapter 45: Prayer Flags
"Okay, off to Lhasa today, let's go!" Before dawn, Jiang Hong was up, energized, shifting into drive. Today's route was a challenge for him, including passing through the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass at an altitude of 5,190 meters.
As if sensing Jiang Hong's emotions, Lu Xiu became increasingly silent as they got closer to Lhasa.
"I can't believe I don't have altitude sickness," Jiang Hong happily said, "Seems like my body is still in good shape, adapting very well."
"Yeah," Lu Xiu said, "drive slowly uphill to avoid altitude sickness."
Jiang Hong said, "You don't have it either, but you’re used to flying in the sky."
Lu Xiu didn’t wear sunglasses, squinting against the glaring light as he looked out the car window.
At noon, they reached the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass. Lu Xiu got out of the car and stacked a pebble each with Jiang Hong. The area was bustling with tourists, but the prayer flags fluttering there remained unchanged. Regardless of the changes in the outside world, time here seemed to stand still.
"Have you been here before?" Jiang Hong asked while taking some photos.
"Yes," Lu Xiu replied, "I’ve tied prayer flags here."
Jiang Hong asked, "Which one?"
Lu Xiu showed him, and Jiang Hong asked, "It’s been so long, is it still there?"
"For many years," Lu Xiu said, "Nyenchen Tanglha Pass has never changed."
It was a white flag, now completely faded and yellowed after more than a hundred years. The scriptures had faded away, leaving only traces of rainwater and sand.
Jiang Hong: "Are prayer flags for making wishes? Uh, I don’t know much, is it disrespectful to ask this...?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, prayer flags, also called windhorse flags, are hung on mountains, beside lakes, any place with wind. Each time they flutter, it's like reciting a scripture once. They are indeed used for making wishes, but it's not necessary."
Jiang Hong looked up at the 160-year-old prayer flag with Lu Xiu.
"What wish did you make?" Jiang Hong asked, "Can I ask?"
Lu Xiu’s tone was calm, as if his thoughts were serene on this isolated mountaintop.
"What else can I wish for?" Lu Xiu asked casually. "My only wish has always been to find you."
Jiang Hong didn't continue, nor did he correct Lu Xiu by saying "It should be 'finding Yuan Shiyu'." They stood side by side, watching the prayer flag flutter, with only the whistling wind in their ears.
Eventually, Lu Xiu said, "A hundred and sixty years of searching has come to an end, and the prayer flag can be taken down now."
Jiang Hong asked, "Shall we take it down?"
Lu Xiu reached out, leaped a few steps, and Jiang Hong said, "Come here, let me hold you..."
Lu Xiu replied, "I'll hold you, and you can take it down."
Lu Xiu let Jiang Hong sit on his shoulders, as Jiang Hong worked to remove the century-old prayer flag, whose aged holes had fused with the rope.
"How did you tie it so high back then?" Jiang Hong struggled for a while but finally managed to untie it.
Lu Xiu took it, looked at it carefully, and then stored it properly.
Leaving Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, they headed towards Lhasa for the final leg of their journey.
"We..." Jiang Hong hesitated.
Lu Xiu: "?"
Jiang Hong: "Never mind, it's nothing."
Lu Xiu: "Speak up, what can't you say?"
In Lu Xiu's eyes, there was unexpectedly a hint of anticipation.
Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu and asked, "Shall we go to Yamdrok Lake?"
Lu Xiu didn't answer, and Jiang Hong said, "It's just a casual suggestion, not..."
"If you want to go, then go," Lu Xiu said.
Jiang Hong: "I don't particularly want to go either."
Lu Xiu: "Did you come to Tibet just because you wanted to visit Yamdrok Lake?"
The RV jolted suddenly, and Jiang Hong quickly denied it: "No, it's just that since we're here already..."
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said indifferently, "I want to visit it too."
However, the last half-day of their journey was anything but smooth. Ever since Lu Xiu took down that prayer flag, Jiang Hong started to suspect they were cursed by some mysterious force, or perhaps the gods had heard his prayer, determined to prevent him from ever reaching Lhasa in his lifetime.
First, the RV's electrical system failed, the distributor tripped, and then Lu Xiu tried to fix it, only to burn it out.
Next, they had a tire blowout while descending the mountain. Fortunately, Jiang Hong managed to control the vehicle. After changing the tire with a jack at the roadside, the car started making strange noises. Then, less than ten kilometers later, they had another blowout.
Jiang Hong was completely out of options now.
"Lao Sun," Jiang Hong said, "help me make a rescue call."
The response was that all the rescue vehicles had been dispatched for the day, and it was uncertain when they would return, as there had been a multi-vehicle accident on the national highway that needed to be dealt with first.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu: "Should I grab the car and fly over?"
Jiang Hong: "Maybe not."
Lu Xiu: "I'll try to keep it as steady as possible."
"No, no," Jiang Hong said, "let's wait for the rescue."
A dragon that large, flying in the sky, would be too easily photographed. Moreover, Lu Xiu's transformation back to his original form was time-limited; he couldn’t fly slowly. Even if he could manage to carry the RV steadily for hundreds of kilometers, by the time he landed, everything inside – the microwave, coffee maker, bed, water heater, and contents of the cabinets – would be in complete disarray. They might even be forced by the rental company to buy the damaged vehicle.
"Let's wait," Jiang Hong said, "with some luck, maybe we won't have to spend the night on the road."
Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong first waited in the car, but without air conditioning, it became stuffy. They then stepped out to wait by the roadside, and as dusk set in, the temperature dropped.
Jiang Hong could have asked passing cars for a lift to Lhasa for a rest. The drivers seemed friendly enough, but he didn't want to leave the car that had accompanied him for so long. Naturally, he also didn't want to ride on Lu Xiu to Lhasa, especially since they were so close now.
At nine in the evening, Jiang Hong made another call, but it was busy.
"It's so cold," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu: "Wrap the blanket around you and lean on me."
Curled up in Lu Xiu's arms, Jiang Hong covered his lower body with a blanket, holding a hot chocolate kindly offered by a passing motorist. He kept an eye on the passing vehicles, hoping for an RV so they could borrow a spare tire; the private cars' tires didn't match.
But as the night grew darker, this hope seemed increasingly faint.
Jiang Hong: "I shouldn't have made that wish."
Lu Xiu: "???"
Jiang Hong's eyelids were fighting a battle.
Lu Xiu: "What wish?"
Exhausted, Jiang Hong didn't answer and fell asleep. He slept fitfully, not knowing how long, until Lu Xiu suddenly touched his head and said, "Wake up, is it the rescue team?"
Startled awake, Jiang Hong saw the flashlight's beam and finally, the roadside rescue had arrived.
"Thank you so much—!" Jiang Hong was almost in tears.
"No problem, no problem," the rescuer waved his hand, quickly changed the tire, clearly used to such situations, and asked, "Will you follow us back, or will you drive yourself?"
Jiang Hong: "I'll drive there, we've come this far."
"Okay," the rescuer said, "then follow us. Here's a Red Bull for the road, be careful."
At half-past eleven, Jiang Hong followed the rescue team's vehicle through the darkness to Lhasa. As dawn began to break, they finally entered the city.
"Phew," Jiang Hong said, "we made it!"
"Congratulations," Lu Xiu said, "challenge completed successfully."
Jiang Hong smiled and leaned in to hug Lu Xiu. Passing by the Potala Palace, Jiang Hong felt an unreal sensation, having completed Route 318 for the first time in his life. Despite some bumps along the way, they had finally made it.
He stopped the car in front of the Potala Palace for a while, gazing out at it with Lu Xiu through the window.
"Humans are indeed remarkable," Lu Xiu murmured as if to himself.
"Hm?" Jiang Hong said, a bit embarrassed, "Actually, I'm just an amateur..."
Lu Xiu returned to the passenger seat and said, "No, this is my first time walking such a long distance on the ground. Xiang Cheng was right, human life is not long, but it's resilient. It seems like they can achieve anything, even defy fate without fear."
Majestic mountains have been carved into roads, countless humans shuttle between this vast land and sky. As the most intelligent beings, they are both insignificant and yet magnificent, seemingly capable of overcoming all obstacles and difficulties, displaying tremendous resilience in their brief lifespan of less than a century.
The two returned the car, took out their two suitcases, and Jiang Hong, unable to resist yawning, went with Lu Xiu to a hotel for a deep sleep. But as young men, their vitality was strong, and waking up felt as if nothing had happened.
The next morning, aside from a slight headache... Jiang Hong touched his forehead, feeling feverish.
"Am I experiencing altitude sickness?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu also touched Jiang Hong's forehead and said, "It's not too severe, just rest for a few days and avoid driving."
Jiang Hong said, "We were supposed to visit Yamdrok Lake today."
Lu Xiu: "Let's do it next time."
Jiang Hong insisted, "No, we agreed, and I don't want to delay."
Seeing that Jiang Hong's altitude sickness wasn't too severe and would lessen during the day, Lu Xiu didn't persist. So, Jiang Hong hailed a cab, and they headed to Yamdrok Lake together.
Throughout the journey to Yamdrok Lake, Lu Xiu was almost entirely silent.
"Returning to your birthplace," Jiang Hong said, "how does it feel?"
Lu Xiu didn't answer but suddenly asked in return, "What about your white pagoda?"
Jiang Hong sheepishly replied, "I forgot."
Lu Xiu showed a rare hint of a smile, and Jiang Hong always felt he was teasing him, perhaps thinking: See, you didn't really come to see the white pagoda.
The driver asked, "Young man, are you from here?"
"Sort of," Lu Xiu replied, "Haven't been back in many years."
Sitting in the backseat, Jiang Hong's head was still throbbing, but he perked up, leaning towards the window, and asked, "Is it the same as before?"
"It's changed a lot," Lu Xiu answered, "almost unrecognizable."
"Here we are," the driver announced, "this is it."
"We'll take a cab back on our own." Jiang Hong paid the fare and smiled, "Thank you."
Jiang Hong wanted to spend more time with Lu Xiu by the shore of Yamdrok Lake, so they had only arranged transportation for the outward journey. But the scenery here was different from what he had imagined and even from the dream he once had.
In the dream, the lake was flat and gem-like, but the real Yamdrok Lake was surrounded by rolling hills, resembling a basin. The disembarkation point was on a somewhat narrow side. In the deep winter season, a thin layer of ice formed near the shore of Yamdrok, with most of the area remaining unfrozen.
The plateau's sky was so close it felt like one could touch the heavens with an outstretched hand. Half of the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and sunlight shone through the gaps like golden pillars, casting holy rays on the lake's surface, turning it into a glittering tapestry of luminous runes written in gold dust.
The moment Lu Xiu got out of the car, he briskly walked towards Yamdrok Lake, and Jiang Hong, not daring to follow too closely, trailed behind at a slower pace.
Signs around the lake's edge read "Do Not Approach," and caution tape was strung up. During the off-season for tourism, the area was restricted, but Lu Xiu ignored these signs, crossing the caution tape to walk directly into Yamdrok Lake.
Someone at the guard post called out to Lu Xiu, who turned back and loudly replied in Tibetan.
The person no longer concerned himself with Lu Xiu and waved him through.
"What did he say?" Jiang Hong, a bit apprehensive about crossing into the "No Entry" area, said, "Maybe we shouldn't get too close, after all, it's a sacred lake."
Lu Xiu replied, "He said we can't enter now, but I told him Yamdrok is my birthplace, so he let us through. It's okay, come with me."
Lu Xiu reached the lakeside at the bottom of the slope, and he and Jiang Hong slowly walked along the lake's edge.
"Look at the lake surface," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu stopped and said, "It was here that I endured my heavenly tribulation."
Several Tibetans, holding prayer wheels, were performing full-body prostrations along the lake.
The sunlight on the lake's surface made Jiang Hong glimpse a glowing rune, but it quickly disappeared.
"Shall I take a photo for you?" Jiang Hong opened his camera and said, "Keep this photo for a very long time, keep it even after I'm gone..."
"Let's take one together," Lu Xiu suggested, "I want to have a photo with you here."
"Okay," Jiang Hong replied, asking two Tibetan men passing by to take a photo of them together.
The person who should have accompanied you home is Yuan Shiyu... Jiang Hong thought to himself while looking at the photo. But he said nothing. In the photo, Lu Xiu looked incredibly handsome, and he himself didn't look bad either. Behind them, the sun's light turned Yamdrok Lake into a golden sea.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said.
"Are we leaving already?" Jiang Hong checked the time, which was less than an hour.
"There's not much to reminisce about," Lu Xiu said, "A glance is enough, let it stay in our hearts."
The wind was getting stronger, and it began to snow lightly on the way up. The cars in the parking area had all left, and Jiang Hong went to ask at the guard post, but it was empty.
By 3:30 in the afternoon, the sky gradually darkened. In Tibet's winter, night falls early. The snow intensified, and Jiang Hong had to walk a kilometer to the bus station to catch a ride back to Lhasa.
"Why is it snowing so heavily?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu said, "A blizzard is coming. Shall I fly you back?"
Jiang Hong waved his hand and said, "There are too many people in Lhasa. Let's take the bus."
Suddenly, a blizzard enveloped everything, making it impossible to see the road ahead. Jiang Hong, nearly blown off his feet by the wind, had no choice but to let Lu Xiu lead the way, taking shelter behind him.
"There's a village nearby!" Lu Xiu shouted, "Shall we go there?"
"What?" Jiang Hong asked blankly, "Really?"
His down vest was covered in ice crystals. Without another word, Lu Xiu wrapped his arms around Jiang Hong's waist and took off into the air. Under a windproof barrier, Jiang Hong finally felt better. He clung to the black dragon's horn, seeing the earth blanketed in white below, as if they were traversing through dense fog, invisible to all.
This time, the flight was quick, taking less than a minute before the black dragon landed.
They arrived at the entrance of a Tibetan village. Lu Xiu used his arm to shield Jiang Hong's face, half-dragging, half-carrying him to a building.
"This village is still here," Lu Xiu remarked.
"Where is this?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man welcomed them in to shelter from the snow. After Lu Xiu spoke a few sentences in Tibetan, presumably explaining their situation, the man switched to Mandarin and said to Jiang Hong, "Welcome! Welcome! Once you're here, you're a friend! Come, sit down and have some tea!"
Lu Xiu also switched to Mandarin and said, "Thank you, I heard there was a village here."
This was the village chief's house. The Tibetan house looked small from the outside but was spacious and warm inside. The village chief invited them to warm up by the fire, saying, "There's a blizzard today. If you had watched the news, you probably wouldn't have come to Yamdrok Lake."
Lu Xiu replied, "My younger brother insisted on coming. We're leaving in a few days and were worried we'd miss it."
"No problem, no problem!" the middle-aged man said. "It's all fate. Here, have some sweet tea to warm up!"
In the wooden house's main hall, there was an electric heated table, with square stools arranged around it like a sunken floor bed. Several young men were gathered, watching TV and eating nuts. Seeing Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, they made room for them.
"Thank you." Jiang Hong finally revived, feeling much better after drinking some sweet milk tea.
The village chief came over with a hot water flask to refill their tea. Jiang Hong asked, "What place is this?"
"Our village has been here for over three hundred years," the village chief said. "But to find this place, you must have traveled a long way!"
Jiang Hong nodded and expressed his gratitude again. The young men looked at Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu with interest, occasionally chatting in Tibetan. It was a typical habit of Tibetan youth to openly assess people without any embarrassment.
"What are they saying?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu spoke a few words in Tibetan, chatting with them. One of the young men who spoke Mandarin pointed to another and said, "He says you're handsome, like his wife who ran away two years ago."
All three Tibetan youths burst into laughter, while the embarrassed man quickly explained. Lu Xiu translated for Jiang Hong: "He says seeing you felt very familiar, nothing more."
"Just a feeling of familiarity," the teased man said, apologizing repeatedly. He meant no harm by the joke and offered to pour tea and peel nuts for Jiang Hong as a way to make amends.
Jiang Hong could only rely on Lu Xiu's translations, but Lu Xiu seemed reluctant to translate everything. So, Jiang Hong just watched TV for a while. Although it was just past 5 PM, it was already pitch black outside, with a raging blizzard and howling winds causing the window frames to creak, like a disaster unfolding.
As the village chief's family started cooking, the young men got up to leave for their homes, exchanging Buddhist prayer gestures as a sign of departure and also towards Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong responded with the same gesture.
The young man who was teased earlier thought for a moment, came over, performed a simple courtesy towards Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, and said a few words with a smile.
Jiang Hong: “?”
Lu Xiu: “His name is Nu Chuchen Basang. He's asking our names and inviting us to his home as guests.”
Jiang Hong: “Can we? Isn’t that too hospitable?”
Lu Xiu: “Do you want to go? If so, just accept his invitation.”
The village chief said, “Chuchen's home is warmer than mine. You esteemed guests can stay there for the night. They are very welcoming to visitors.”
Jiang Hong, aware of the straightforward nature of Tibetans who don't beat around the bush, replied, “Okay, but we really don’t want to impose.”
After introducing themselves, Chuchen, learning that they were university students, gave them a thumbs up. He then led them out, parting the curtain and shielding them from the blizzard with his body.
“Your name is Jiang Hong!” Chuchen exclaimed, “Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu!”
“Yes—” Jiang Hong replied, careful not to speak too loudly to avoid the blizzard, saying, “Thank you so much for having us!”
Every household in the village had lights on, appearing like warm havens in the midst of the dark blizzard. Chuchen led them around the houses, choosing wind-sheltered paths, and after about ten minutes, they reached his house. Entering, he called out, likely letting his family know to prepare food, including the pronunciation of “Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong” in his announcement.
“Phew.” Jiang Hong felt like his head was about to be blown off. Standing in the hallway, it took him a while to recover. Chuchen quickly led them to warm up by the fire and asked them to remove their shoes.
Lu Xiu, without any hesitation, took a seat next to the stove. Chuchen gestured, “Please sit! Jiang Hong! Please sit!” inviting Jiang Hong to sit opposite. The room was brightly lit, with portraits of leaders on the walls, a luxurious cabinet with photo frames and many books.
Chuchen poured them butter tea and chatted non-stop, which Lu Xiu translated: “His younger brother is studying in Chengdu and hasn't returned home yet, so he finds us very familiar.”
“Which university?” Jiang Hong asked, “Minzu University, right?”
The conversation between Jiang Hong and Chuchen was entirely translated by Lu Xiu. Knowing Lu Xiu’s temperament of not liking to talk much, Jiang Hong just nodded and smiled. After a moment, Lu Xiu added, “Their family has a surname, ‘Nu’. They are descendants of a great noble lineage.”
Jiang Hong acknowledged with a sound, and Chuchen called over his mother and grandmother to introduce them. Jiang Hong quickly stood up. Chuchen's grandmother was ninety years old, and his mother was in her sixties. They insisted they sit and rest while they busied themselves with cooking to entertain their guests, making Jiang Hong feel quite uneasy about causing them so much trouble.
Lu Xiu added, “They also miss their younger son a lot, so seeing guests from the Central Plains makes them feel a sense of kinship.”
Jiang Hong nodded. Chuchen kept asking Lu Xiu about university life, and Lu Xiu answered him with simple words. In the blizzard, Jiang Hong's mobile signal was intermittent. After sending a message to his parents, he lost communication completely and had to set his phone aside.
The TV signal was also poor, so everyone just sat and chatted. Through Lu Xiu's translation, Jiang Hong learned that Chuchen's father had passed away, leaving his mother and grandmother. Chuchen had a Yi girlfriend two years ago and planned to marry her, but they eventually broke up.
Chuchen knew only a few words in Mandarin, like "come", "drink", and "please sit". At 7 PM, his mother served a lavish dinner with hand-grabbed lamb, zanba, yak meat, and mild highland barley wine.
Lu Xiu and Chuchen chatted while drinking. Lu Xiu had a good tolerance for alcohol and drank on behalf of Jiang Hong, who still felt dizzy from altitude sickness.
Chuchen's grandmother, with a kind smile, came over and touched Jiang Hong's forehead. He could only say "thank you, Tashi Delek".
After a while, Chuchen's mother and grandmother sat aside, sewing and chatting non-stop.
Chuchen burst into laughter after saying something to his grandmother.
Lu Xiu, busy with his drink, didn't catch their conversation and turned around, puzzled.
Then, Chuchen's grandmother came back to check on Jiang Hong, holding his hand and changing his butter tea to sweet tea, asking him something kindly.
“Ah?” Jiang Hong snapped back to reality, feeling the dryness and comfort of the old lady's hand holding his.
Hearing Chuchen's grandmother's words, Lu Xiu suddenly froze.
Chuchen kept talking and laughing, while Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu, clueless and expectant.
“What are they saying?” Jiang Hong asked, “Senior, what's wrong?”
Lu Xiu’s hand trembled, spilling nearly half of his bowl of wine, seemingly unaware.
Chuchen exclaimed “Hey”, meaning not to try escaping the drinking, and filled Lu Xiu’s bowl again.
“She’s asking you,” Lu Xiu said, “where you come from, where you were born, and what your origins are.”
“I’m from Chongqing,” Jiang Hong explained.
The old grandmother said something else, made a gesture, and touched Jiang Hong’s forehead again. Knowing it was a blessing from an elder, he leaned in.
Lu Xiu's voice was unusually calm but trembling.
"She also said... you... Jiang Hong, she said you resemble her grandfather when he was young."
“Oh,” Jiang Hong laughed, “So that's why Chuchen feels a sense of familiarity with me? Hmm...”
Suddenly, Jiang Hong fell silent too, locking eyes with Lu Xiu. The world went quiet, with only the sound of snow rustling outside the house.
Chapter 45: Prayer Flags
"Okay, off to Lhasa today, let's go!" Before dawn, Jiang Hong was up, energized, shifting into drive. Today's route was a challenge for him, including passing through the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass at an altitude of 5,190 meters.
As if sensing Jiang Hong's emotions, Lu Xiu became increasingly silent as they got closer to Lhasa.
"I can't believe I don't have altitude sickness," Jiang Hong happily said, "Seems like my body is still in good shape, adapting very well."
"Yeah," Lu Xiu said, "drive slowly uphill to avoid altitude sickness."
Jiang Hong said, "You don't have it either, but you’re used to flying in the sky."
Lu Xiu didn’t wear sunglasses, squinting against the glaring light as he looked out the car window.
At noon, they reached the Nyenchen Tanglha Pass. Lu Xiu got out of the car and stacked a pebble each with Jiang Hong. The area was bustling with tourists, but the prayer flags fluttering there remained unchanged. Regardless of the changes in the outside world, time here seemed to stand still.
"Have you been here before?" Jiang Hong asked while taking some photos.
"Yes," Lu Xiu replied, "I’ve tied prayer flags here."
Jiang Hong asked, "Which one?"
Lu Xiu showed him, and Jiang Hong asked, "It’s been so long, is it still there?"
"For many years," Lu Xiu said, "Nyenchen Tanglha Pass has never changed."
It was a white flag, now completely faded and yellowed after more than a hundred years. The scriptures had faded away, leaving only traces of rainwater and sand.
Jiang Hong: "Are prayer flags for making wishes? Uh, I don’t know much, is it disrespectful to ask this...?"
Lu Xiu replied, "No, prayer flags, also called windhorse flags, are hung on mountains, beside lakes, any place with wind. Each time they flutter, it's like reciting a scripture once. They are indeed used for making wishes, but it's not necessary."
Jiang Hong looked up at the 160-year-old prayer flag with Lu Xiu.
"What wish did you make?" Jiang Hong asked, "Can I ask?"
Lu Xiu’s tone was calm, as if his thoughts were serene on this isolated mountaintop.
"What else can I wish for?" Lu Xiu asked casually. "My only wish has always been to find you."
Jiang Hong didn't continue, nor did he correct Lu Xiu by saying "It should be 'finding Yuan Shiyu'." They stood side by side, watching the prayer flag flutter, with only the whistling wind in their ears.
Eventually, Lu Xiu said, "A hundred and sixty years of searching has come to an end, and the prayer flag can be taken down now."
Jiang Hong asked, "Shall we take it down?"
Lu Xiu reached out, leaped a few steps, and Jiang Hong said, "Come here, let me hold you..."
Lu Xiu replied, "I'll hold you, and you can take it down."
Lu Xiu let Jiang Hong sit on his shoulders, as Jiang Hong worked to remove the century-old prayer flag, whose aged holes had fused with the rope.
"How did you tie it so high back then?" Jiang Hong struggled for a while but finally managed to untie it.
Lu Xiu took it, looked at it carefully, and then stored it properly.
Leaving Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, they headed towards Lhasa for the final leg of their journey.
"We..." Jiang Hong hesitated.
Lu Xiu: "?"
Jiang Hong: "Never mind, it's nothing."
Lu Xiu: "Speak up, what can't you say?"
In Lu Xiu's eyes, there was unexpectedly a hint of anticipation.
Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu and asked, "Shall we go to Yamdrok Lake?"
Lu Xiu didn't answer, and Jiang Hong said, "It's just a casual suggestion, not..."
"If you want to go, then go," Lu Xiu said.
Jiang Hong: "I don't particularly want to go either."
Lu Xiu: "Did you come to Tibet just because you wanted to visit Yamdrok Lake?"
The RV jolted suddenly, and Jiang Hong quickly denied it: "No, it's just that since we're here already..."
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said indifferently, "I want to visit it too."
However, the last half-day of their journey was anything but smooth. Ever since Lu Xiu took down that prayer flag, Jiang Hong started to suspect they were cursed by some mysterious force, or perhaps the gods had heard his prayer, determined to prevent him from ever reaching Lhasa in his lifetime.
First, the RV's electrical system failed, the distributor tripped, and then Lu Xiu tried to fix it, only to burn it out.
Next, they had a tire blowout while descending the mountain. Fortunately, Jiang Hong managed to control the vehicle. After changing the tire with a jack at the roadside, the car started making strange noises. Then, less than ten kilometers later, they had another blowout.
Jiang Hong was completely out of options now.
"Lao Sun," Jiang Hong said, "help me make a rescue call."
The response was that all the rescue vehicles had been dispatched for the day, and it was uncertain when they would return, as there had been a multi-vehicle accident on the national highway that needed to be dealt with first.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Lu Xiu: "Should I grab the car and fly over?"
Jiang Hong: "Maybe not."
Lu Xiu: "I'll try to keep it as steady as possible."
"No, no," Jiang Hong said, "let's wait for the rescue."
A dragon that large, flying in the sky, would be too easily photographed. Moreover, Lu Xiu's transformation back to his original form was time-limited; he couldn’t fly slowly. Even if he could manage to carry the RV steadily for hundreds of kilometers, by the time he landed, everything inside – the microwave, coffee maker, bed, water heater, and contents of the cabinets – would be in complete disarray. They might even be forced by the rental company to buy the damaged vehicle.
"Let's wait," Jiang Hong said, "with some luck, maybe we won't have to spend the night on the road."
Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong first waited in the car, but without air conditioning, it became stuffy. They then stepped out to wait by the roadside, and as dusk set in, the temperature dropped.
Jiang Hong could have asked passing cars for a lift to Lhasa for a rest. The drivers seemed friendly enough, but he didn't want to leave the car that had accompanied him for so long. Naturally, he also didn't want to ride on Lu Xiu to Lhasa, especially since they were so close now.
At nine in the evening, Jiang Hong made another call, but it was busy.
"It's so cold," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu: "Wrap the blanket around you and lean on me."
Curled up in Lu Xiu's arms, Jiang Hong covered his lower body with a blanket, holding a hot chocolate kindly offered by a passing motorist. He kept an eye on the passing vehicles, hoping for an RV so they could borrow a spare tire; the private cars' tires didn't match.
But as the night grew darker, this hope seemed increasingly faint.
Jiang Hong: "I shouldn't have made that wish."
Lu Xiu: "???"
Jiang Hong's eyelids were fighting a battle.
Lu Xiu: "What wish?"
Exhausted, Jiang Hong didn't answer and fell asleep. He slept fitfully, not knowing how long, until Lu Xiu suddenly touched his head and said, "Wake up, is it the rescue team?"
Startled awake, Jiang Hong saw the flashlight's beam and finally, the roadside rescue had arrived.
"Thank you so much—!" Jiang Hong was almost in tears.
"No problem, no problem," the rescuer waved his hand, quickly changed the tire, clearly used to such situations, and asked, "Will you follow us back, or will you drive yourself?"
Jiang Hong: "I'll drive there, we've come this far."
"Okay," the rescuer said, "then follow us. Here's a Red Bull for the road, be careful."
At half-past eleven, Jiang Hong followed the rescue team's vehicle through the darkness to Lhasa. As dawn began to break, they finally entered the city.
"Phew," Jiang Hong said, "we made it!"
"Congratulations," Lu Xiu said, "challenge completed successfully."
Jiang Hong smiled and leaned in to hug Lu Xiu. Passing by the Potala Palace, Jiang Hong felt an unreal sensation, having completed Route 318 for the first time in his life. Despite some bumps along the way, they had finally made it.
He stopped the car in front of the Potala Palace for a while, gazing out at it with Lu Xiu through the window.
"Humans are indeed remarkable," Lu Xiu murmured as if to himself.
"Hm?" Jiang Hong said, a bit embarrassed, "Actually, I'm just an amateur..."
Lu Xiu returned to the passenger seat and said, "No, this is my first time walking such a long distance on the ground. Xiang Cheng was right, human life is not long, but it's resilient. It seems like they can achieve anything, even defy fate without fear."
Majestic mountains have been carved into roads, countless humans shuttle between this vast land and sky. As the most intelligent beings, they are both insignificant and yet magnificent, seemingly capable of overcoming all obstacles and difficulties, displaying tremendous resilience in their brief lifespan of less than a century.
The two returned the car, took out their two suitcases, and Jiang Hong, unable to resist yawning, went with Lu Xiu to a hotel for a deep sleep. But as young men, their vitality was strong, and waking up felt as if nothing had happened.
The next morning, aside from a slight headache... Jiang Hong touched his forehead, feeling feverish.
"Am I experiencing altitude sickness?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu also touched Jiang Hong's forehead and said, "It's not too severe, just rest for a few days and avoid driving."
Jiang Hong said, "We were supposed to visit Yamdrok Lake today."
Lu Xiu: "Let's do it next time."
Jiang Hong insisted, "No, we agreed, and I don't want to delay."
Seeing that Jiang Hong's altitude sickness wasn't too severe and would lessen during the day, Lu Xiu didn't persist. So, Jiang Hong hailed a cab, and they headed to Yamdrok Lake together.
Throughout the journey to Yamdrok Lake, Lu Xiu was almost entirely silent.
"Returning to your birthplace," Jiang Hong said, "how does it feel?"
Lu Xiu didn't answer but suddenly asked in return, "What about your white pagoda?"
Jiang Hong sheepishly replied, "I forgot."
Lu Xiu showed a rare hint of a smile, and Jiang Hong always felt he was teasing him, perhaps thinking: See, you didn't really come to see the white pagoda.
The driver asked, "Young man, are you from here?"
"Sort of," Lu Xiu replied, "Haven't been back in many years."
Sitting in the backseat, Jiang Hong's head was still throbbing, but he perked up, leaning towards the window, and asked, "Is it the same as before?"
"It's changed a lot," Lu Xiu answered, "almost unrecognizable."
"Here we are," the driver announced, "this is it."
"We'll take a cab back on our own." Jiang Hong paid the fare and smiled, "Thank you."
Jiang Hong wanted to spend more time with Lu Xiu by the shore of Yamdrok Lake, so they had only arranged transportation for the outward journey. But the scenery here was different from what he had imagined and even from the dream he once had.
In the dream, the lake was flat and gem-like, but the real Yamdrok Lake was surrounded by rolling hills, resembling a basin. The disembarkation point was on a somewhat narrow side. In the deep winter season, a thin layer of ice formed near the shore of Yamdrok, with most of the area remaining unfrozen.
The plateau's sky was so close it felt like one could touch the heavens with an outstretched hand. Half of the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and sunlight shone through the gaps like golden pillars, casting holy rays on the lake's surface, turning it into a glittering tapestry of luminous runes written in gold dust.
The moment Lu Xiu got out of the car, he briskly walked towards Yamdrok Lake, and Jiang Hong, not daring to follow too closely, trailed behind at a slower pace.
Signs around the lake's edge read "Do Not Approach," and caution tape was strung up. During the off-season for tourism, the area was restricted, but Lu Xiu ignored these signs, crossing the caution tape to walk directly into Yamdrok Lake.
Someone at the guard post called out to Lu Xiu, who turned back and loudly replied in Tibetan.
The person no longer concerned himself with Lu Xiu and waved him through.
"What did he say?" Jiang Hong, a bit apprehensive about crossing into the "No Entry" area, said, "Maybe we shouldn't get too close, after all, it's a sacred lake."
Lu Xiu replied, "He said we can't enter now, but I told him Yamdrok is my birthplace, so he let us through. It's okay, come with me."
Lu Xiu reached the lakeside at the bottom of the slope, and he and Jiang Hong slowly walked along the lake's edge.
"Look at the lake surface," Jiang Hong said.
Lu Xiu stopped and said, "It was here that I endured my heavenly tribulation."
Several Tibetans, holding prayer wheels, were performing full-body prostrations along the lake.
The sunlight on the lake's surface made Jiang Hong glimpse a glowing rune, but it quickly disappeared.
"Shall I take a photo for you?" Jiang Hong opened his camera and said, "Keep this photo for a very long time, keep it even after I'm gone..."
"Let's take one together," Lu Xiu suggested, "I want to have a photo with you here."
"Okay," Jiang Hong replied, asking two Tibetan men passing by to take a photo of them together.
The person who should have accompanied you home is Yuan Shiyu... Jiang Hong thought to himself while looking at the photo. But he said nothing. In the photo, Lu Xiu looked incredibly handsome, and he himself didn't look bad either. Behind them, the sun's light turned Yamdrok Lake into a golden sea.
"Let's go," Lu Xiu said.
"Are we leaving already?" Jiang Hong checked the time, which was less than an hour.
"There's not much to reminisce about," Lu Xiu said, "A glance is enough, let it stay in our hearts."
The wind was getting stronger, and it began to snow lightly on the way up. The cars in the parking area had all left, and Jiang Hong went to ask at the guard post, but it was empty.
By 3:30 in the afternoon, the sky gradually darkened. In Tibet's winter, night falls early. The snow intensified, and Jiang Hong had to walk a kilometer to the bus station to catch a ride back to Lhasa.
"Why is it snowing so heavily?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu said, "A blizzard is coming. Shall I fly you back?"
Jiang Hong waved his hand and said, "There are too many people in Lhasa. Let's take the bus."
Suddenly, a blizzard enveloped everything, making it impossible to see the road ahead. Jiang Hong, nearly blown off his feet by the wind, had no choice but to let Lu Xiu lead the way, taking shelter behind him.
"There's a village nearby!" Lu Xiu shouted, "Shall we go there?"
"What?" Jiang Hong asked blankly, "Really?"
His down vest was covered in ice crystals. Without another word, Lu Xiu wrapped his arms around Jiang Hong's waist and took off into the air. Under a windproof barrier, Jiang Hong finally felt better. He clung to the black dragon's horn, seeing the earth blanketed in white below, as if they were traversing through dense fog, invisible to all.
This time, the flight was quick, taking less than a minute before the black dragon landed.
They arrived at the entrance of a Tibetan village. Lu Xiu used his arm to shield Jiang Hong's face, half-dragging, half-carrying him to a building.
"This village is still here," Lu Xiu remarked.
"Where is this?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man welcomed them in to shelter from the snow. After Lu Xiu spoke a few sentences in Tibetan, presumably explaining their situation, the man switched to Mandarin and said to Jiang Hong, "Welcome! Welcome! Once you're here, you're a friend! Come, sit down and have some tea!"
Lu Xiu also switched to Mandarin and said, "Thank you, I heard there was a village here."
This was the village chief's house. The Tibetan house looked small from the outside but was spacious and warm inside. The village chief invited them to warm up by the fire, saying, "There's a blizzard today. If you had watched the news, you probably wouldn't have come to Yamdrok Lake."
Lu Xiu replied, "My younger brother insisted on coming. We're leaving in a few days and were worried we'd miss it."
"No problem, no problem!" the middle-aged man said. "It's all fate. Here, have some sweet tea to warm up!"
In the wooden house's main hall, there was an electric heated table, with square stools arranged around it like a sunken floor bed. Several young men were gathered, watching TV and eating nuts. Seeing Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, they made room for them.
"Thank you." Jiang Hong finally revived, feeling much better after drinking some sweet milk tea.
The village chief came over with a hot water flask to refill their tea. Jiang Hong asked, "What place is this?"
"Our village has been here for over three hundred years," the village chief said. "But to find this place, you must have traveled a long way!"
Jiang Hong nodded and expressed his gratitude again. The young men looked at Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu with interest, occasionally chatting in Tibetan. It was a typical habit of Tibetan youth to openly assess people without any embarrassment.
"What are they saying?" Jiang Hong asked.
Lu Xiu spoke a few words in Tibetan, chatting with them. One of the young men who spoke Mandarin pointed to another and said, "He says you're handsome, like his wife who ran away two years ago."
All three Tibetan youths burst into laughter, while the embarrassed man quickly explained. Lu Xiu translated for Jiang Hong: "He says seeing you felt very familiar, nothing more."
"Just a feeling of familiarity," the teased man said, apologizing repeatedly. He meant no harm by the joke and offered to pour tea and peel nuts for Jiang Hong as a way to make amends.
Jiang Hong could only rely on Lu Xiu's translations, but Lu Xiu seemed reluctant to translate everything. So, Jiang Hong just watched TV for a while. Although it was just past 5 PM, it was already pitch black outside, with a raging blizzard and howling winds causing the window frames to creak, like a disaster unfolding.
As the village chief's family started cooking, the young men got up to leave for their homes, exchanging Buddhist prayer gestures as a sign of departure and also towards Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong responded with the same gesture.
The young man who was teased earlier thought for a moment, came over, performed a simple courtesy towards Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, and said a few words with a smile.
Jiang Hong: “?”
Lu Xiu: “His name is Nu Chuchen Basang. He's asking our names and inviting us to his home as guests.”
Jiang Hong: “Can we? Isn’t that too hospitable?”
Lu Xiu: “Do you want to go? If so, just accept his invitation.”
The village chief said, “Chuchen's home is warmer than mine. You esteemed guests can stay there for the night. They are very welcoming to visitors.”
Jiang Hong, aware of the straightforward nature of Tibetans who don't beat around the bush, replied, “Okay, but we really don’t want to impose.”
After introducing themselves, Chuchen, learning that they were university students, gave them a thumbs up. He then led them out, parting the curtain and shielding them from the blizzard with his body.
“Your name is Jiang Hong!” Chuchen exclaimed, “Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu!”
“Yes—” Jiang Hong replied, careful not to speak too loudly to avoid the blizzard, saying, “Thank you so much for having us!”
Every household in the village had lights on, appearing like warm havens in the midst of the dark blizzard. Chuchen led them around the houses, choosing wind-sheltered paths, and after about ten minutes, they reached his house. Entering, he called out, likely letting his family know to prepare food, including the pronunciation of “Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong” in his announcement.
“Phew.” Jiang Hong felt like his head was about to be blown off. Standing in the hallway, it took him a while to recover. Chuchen quickly led them to warm up by the fire and asked them to remove their shoes.
Lu Xiu, without any hesitation, took a seat next to the stove. Chuchen gestured, “Please sit! Jiang Hong! Please sit!” inviting Jiang Hong to sit opposite. The room was brightly lit, with portraits of leaders on the walls, a luxurious cabinet with photo frames and many books.
Chuchen poured them butter tea and chatted non-stop, which Lu Xiu translated: “His younger brother is studying in Chengdu and hasn't returned home yet, so he finds us very familiar.”
“Which university?” Jiang Hong asked, “Minzu University, right?”
The conversation between Jiang Hong and Chuchen was entirely translated by Lu Xiu. Knowing Lu Xiu’s temperament of not liking to talk much, Jiang Hong just nodded and smiled. After a moment, Lu Xiu added, “Their family has a surname, ‘Nu’. They are descendants of a great noble lineage.”
Jiang Hong acknowledged with a sound, and Chuchen called over his mother and grandmother to introduce them. Jiang Hong quickly stood up. Chuchen's grandmother was ninety years old, and his mother was in her sixties. They insisted they sit and rest while they busied themselves with cooking to entertain their guests, making Jiang Hong feel quite uneasy about causing them so much trouble.
Lu Xiu added, “They also miss their younger son a lot, so seeing guests from the Central Plains makes them feel a sense of kinship.”
Jiang Hong nodded. Chuchen kept asking Lu Xiu about university life, and Lu Xiu answered him with simple words. In the blizzard, Jiang Hong's mobile signal was intermittent. After sending a message to his parents, he lost communication completely and had to set his phone aside.
The TV signal was also poor, so everyone just sat and chatted. Through Lu Xiu's translation, Jiang Hong learned that Chuchen's father had passed away, leaving his mother and grandmother. Chuchen had a Yi girlfriend two years ago and planned to marry her, but they eventually broke up.
Chuchen knew only a few words in Mandarin, like "come", "drink", and "please sit". At 7 PM, his mother served a lavish dinner with hand-grabbed lamb, zanba, yak meat, and mild highland barley wine.
Lu Xiu and Chuchen chatted while drinking. Lu Xiu had a good tolerance for alcohol and drank on behalf of Jiang Hong, who still felt dizzy from altitude sickness.
Chuchen's grandmother, with a kind smile, came over and touched Jiang Hong's forehead. He could only say "thank you, Tashi Delek".
After a while, Chuchen's mother and grandmother sat aside, sewing and chatting non-stop.
Chuchen burst into laughter after saying something to his grandmother.
Lu Xiu, busy with his drink, didn't catch their conversation and turned around, puzzled.
Then, Chuchen's grandmother came back to check on Jiang Hong, holding his hand and changing his butter tea to sweet tea, asking him something kindly.
“Ah?” Jiang Hong snapped back to reality, feeling the dryness and comfort of the old lady's hand holding his.
Hearing Chuchen's grandmother's words, Lu Xiu suddenly froze.
Chuchen kept talking and laughing, while Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu, clueless and expectant.
“What are they saying?” Jiang Hong asked, “Senior, what's wrong?”
Lu Xiu’s hand trembled, spilling nearly half of his bowl of wine, seemingly unaware.
Chuchen exclaimed “Hey”, meaning not to try escaping the drinking, and filled Lu Xiu’s bowl again.
“She’s asking you,” Lu Xiu said, “where you come from, where you were born, and what your origins are.”
“I’m from Chongqing,” Jiang Hong explained.
The old grandmother said something else, made a gesture, and touched Jiang Hong’s forehead again. Knowing it was a blessing from an elder, he leaned in.
Lu Xiu's voice was unusually calm but trembling.
"She also said... you... Jiang Hong, she said you resemble her grandfather when he was young."
“Oh,” Jiang Hong laughed, “So that's why Chuchen feels a sense of familiarity with me? Hmm...”
Suddenly, Jiang Hong fell silent too, locking eyes with Lu Xiu. The world went quiet, with only the sound of snow rustling outside the house.
