Upon hearing the word "mother," Zhuang Rui's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked Jiacuo to act as his translator.
Upon hearing Gyatso's words, the man named Dawa showed a hint of displeasure, but still began to communicate with Gyatso.
“Xiao Zhuang, Dawa said that we Tibetans have lived with Tibetan mastiffs since we were young, and we can tell the sex of a Tibetan mastiff at a glance just by its size…”
Seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui's question, Jiacuo concluded by saying, "Don't even mention them, I can tell the difference between male and female Tibetan Mastiffs..."
"Ha ha……"
Zhuang Rui laughed loudly upon hearing this, bent down and hugged the white lion's neck, saying, "Old buddy, we're going up the snow mountain tomorrow, then you won't have to be a bachelor anymore..."
The white lion seemed to understand Zhuang Rui's words, its eyes showing a gentle look. It rubbed its big head against Zhuang Rui's cheek and growled happily.
The white lion's roar caused all the Tibetan mastiffs in the village to howl in unison, and the quiet village suddenly became bustling with excitement.
Chapter 740 Snow Mountain (1)
The Tibetans were stunned by the man and the Tibetan mastiff's oblivious behavior. They had always believed that only herders living in Tibet could form the most genuine friendship with Tibetan mastiffs.
The tacit understanding between Zhuang Rui and the white lion has clearly overturned their understanding. However, Tibetans are the people who like to get along with Tibetan mastiffs the most. The village chief, who was so old that he could hardly walk, walked shakily to Zhuang Rui and bowed deeply.
"Oh, old man, I can't accept that..."
Zhuang Rui quickly moved aside, feeling truly unworthy of such an elderly person bowing to him.
“Xiao Zhuang, please accept this bow from the old man. He said your white lion is a messenger of God, and the deep bond between you and the white lion makes you friends with all Tibetans…”
Seeing Zhuang Rui step aside, the old man quickly spoke a few words to Jiacuo, who then translated the words into Chinese for Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui firmly declined, saying with a smile, "No, no, how can you give a gift to a friend? Just let him have a few more drinks tonight..."
"Yamu (meaning good in Tibetan) Yamu..."
After hearing Gyatso's translation, the old man gave Zhuang Rui a thumbs up, then turned around and started speaking loudly to the villagers, though Zhuang Rui still couldn't understand a word.
However, the crowd that had been gathered together immediately dispersed after hearing the village chief's words, shouting excitedly.
"Brother Gyatso, what are they saying?"
Zhuang Rui looked at Gyatso beside him with a somewhat blank expression.
Gyatso said with a smile, "The village chief said that the most distinguished guests have arrived in the village. They are going to slaughter a sheep and welcome us with the most solemn ceremony. Uh, to be precise, they are going to welcome you..."
Zhuang Rui paused for a moment upon hearing this, then turned to look at the sparse flock of sheep on the hillside. He whispered to Jiacuo, "Brother Jiacuo, keep an eye on them. Keep a count of how many sheep they slaughtered. I'll leave them some money when we leave..."
Zhuang Rui knew that for the herders, every sheep was their most precious possession, and they would not kill them easily. They would only kill one or two sheep during festivals or when worshipping their ancestors.
This small mountain village, surrounded by mountains, cannot graze on a large scale due to geographical limitations, making these sheep even more precious. The villagers rely on these sheep to exchange for their annual oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
"Xiao Zhuang, we Tibetans don't charge our guests. If you do that, the host will be angry..."
Gyatso shook his head. He was also a Tibetan. How could a host possibly charge a guest for entertaining them?
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly upon hearing this: "Brother Jiacuo, why don't you just leave some behind when you leave? We'll have eaten and drunk our fill, but the village will lose a lot of income..."
"By the way, Brother Gyatso, I just mentioned wanting to sponsor the children's schooling. Did the village chief agree?"
Zhuang Rui was still a little confused. When Suo Nan told the village chief that he wanted to sponsor the children's schooling, the village chief didn't react this strongly. He just showed affection to Bai Shi and won the respect of the villagers. This was really hard to understand.
"He agreed, and he asked Brother Suonan to thank you..."
Gyatso seemed to sense Zhuang Rui's question and continued, "Gifts between friends represent our friendship, but it's not something that money can buy their respect..."
Zhuang Rui nodded, seemingly understanding, though not quite. These simple Tibetan people clearly had their own standards for judging things. ...
As night fell, the entire small mountain village came alive with activity. The villagers, who had previously been dressed in dirty clothes, changed into beautiful Tibetan robes of various colors, tied white hadas around their necks, and carried scriptures and various delicacies on their backs. They then began their procession through the village.
Leading the procession were two village girls dressed as "Lhamo" (i.e., fairies), while the young lamas Basang and Zhuang Rui were invited to mount horses, a privilege reserved for the most distinguished guests.
Other ordinary villagers walk, and although the village is built along the mountain with rugged terrain, their steps are still vigorous and light.
Behind them, some carried incense burners, while others carried bundles of "Tibetan mulberry" on their backs. People shook colorful arrows in their hands (used to attract good fortune and pray for blessings), and everyone was as happy as if it were New Year's Day.
In the very center of the procession, several Tibetans respectfully carried a large Buddha statue. Someone had specially covered it with a cloth to prevent direct sunlight from shining on it. The statue was surrounded by Tibetans, with flags fluttering and smoke rising from burning Tibetan incense sticks, creating a scene that was both solemn and lively.
Although the procession only numbered a little over a hundred, including the children playing and the members of the mountaineering team, the atmosphere was still very lively. In the end, the group carried torches made of Tibetan mulberry leaves, circled the mountain god temple in the village, and then returned to the threshing ground.
Meanwhile, all the preparations for the bonfire party were complete. More than a dozen cleaned whole sheep were strung on iron bars and hung on the rack above the bonfire, while several Tibetan women were busy working nearby.
The old village chief held the large bowls of barley wine in his hands and toasted each of them, starting with Zhuang Rui. The Tibetan girls, who were good at singing and dancing, dressed in beautiful costumes, sang and danced in the field.
The firelight cast its glow on everyone's faces, all beaming with joy. Jars of barley wine were brought out one after another. In this atmosphere, words were unnecessary; raising large bowls and drinking heartily was the best form of communication.
When Zhuang Rui woke up from his drunken stupor the next day, all he could recall about the night before seemed to be "barley wine and roasted mutton." He didn't even know how he got back to the cabin and fell asleep.
"Waaah... Waaah!" Zhuang Rui had just sat up and hadn't even had a chance to look around the room where he had slept the night before when he heard the white lion whimpering under the bed. If he hadn't been completely naked except for a pair of shorts, the white lion probably would have already pulled him off the bed by his shorts.
"What's wrong, White Lion?"
Although he had a habit of running with Bai Shi every morning at home, Zhuang Rui was too lazy to move on the plateau. Although he was not worried about altitude sickness, running at an altitude of four or five thousand meters was a bit too extraordinary.
The white lion couldn't open its mouth to tell Zhuang Rui anything, so it could only nudge Zhuang Rui with its big head, urging him to get up quickly.
"Are you thinking of finding a wife?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered this incident. He had never regarded the white lion as an animal. Zhuang Rui believed that the white lion had definitely understood what he had said yesterday.
Sure enough, after Zhuang Rui said those words, the white lion nodded dramatically, its bright eyes staring blankly at Zhuang Rui.
"You little rascal, can't you be a little more subtle..."
Zhuang Rui laughed and scolded, picked up the clothes from the bedside and put them on. When he got up, he found that Peng Fei was also sleeping in the room, but he couldn't hold his liquor as well as Zhuang Rui. He was drooling and snoring.
"Ah, so comfortable." Zhuang Rui stretched as he walked out of the wooden house with the white lion. Living in this beautiful place, which was like a landscape painting, although there were no modern appliances, it had a unique rural charm.
"Good morning, Brother Suonan," Zhuang Rui greeted Suonan as he came out of another wooden house.
"Hehe, it's getting late, it's already noon..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Suo Nan couldn't help but laugh. Yesterday, Zhuang Rui was the most popular person in the village and drank the most alcohol, while they, who were originally Tibetan guests, didn't drink much. It was Suo Nan who had to carry Zhuang Rui back yesterday.
"Oh no, I was planning to go up the mountain..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch and realized it was already past 1 p.m. No wonder Bai Shi was in such a hurry.
"You can just wander around at the foot of the mountain. I told you to use this as an excuse to climb the mountain, not that I actually want you to climb it. You don't even have this much equipment. How are you going to get up the mountain?"
Suo Nan had just made up an excuse; he hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to actually want to climb the snow mountain.
"Hey, Brother Suo Nan, I can't refuse, can I? Can you ask White Lion if he'll agree?"
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly upon hearing this.
"Oh, I see, so your Tibetan Mastiff is in heat..."
Suo Nan laughed, but without professional mountaineering equipment, climbing this 5800-meter-high snow-capped mountain was almost a death sentence. After frowning and thinking for a moment, Suo Nan said, "Let's go check out that mountaineering team, or you can go up the mountain with them..."
When climbing mountains in high-altitude areas, physical fitness and endurance are paramount. Everyone has witnessed Zhuang Rui's extraordinary physique. As long as one is careful when climbing, there shouldn't be any major problems.
When they arrived at the mountaineering team's accommodation, they discovered that apart from the sick Wen Qiuqian and her twin sister Wen Qiuyu who were taking care of her, the rest of the team had already gone hiking that morning.
The mountaineering team members were just supporting characters yesterday and didn't drink too much. In addition, Wen Qiuqian's illness had already delayed them for two days, so they started climbing Chawaduojizhiga Mountain early in the morning under the guidance of a local guide.
"Xiaowen, how about I borrow your mountaineering gear?"
When Zhuang Rui saw the trekking poles, gloves, and climbing ropes in the room, his eyes lit up. He already had a pair of hiking boots with crimps, and with these items, Zhuang Rui felt that climbing this snow mountain wouldn't be a big problem.
"You can borrow anything, but Brother Zhuang, it's dangerous to climb mountains alone..."
Wen Qiuyu nodded and offered Zhuang Rui a word of advice.
Although Zhuang Rui and his group are currently at an altitude of only a little over a thousand meters from the summit, it will likely take at least a day to reach that height. Wild animals and natural phenomena such as avalanches on the snow-capped mountains could endanger the lives of the climbers.
"Xiao Zhuang, wait a moment, I'll go call Jiacuo and have him accompany you up the mountain..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui was determined, Suonan realized he couldn't dissuade him, so he turned back to find Jiacuo, because he knew that Jiacuo had worked as a mountain guide for a period of time.
Chapter 741 Snow Mountain (2)
As expected, Gyatso was very experienced. After hearing that Zhuang Rui wanted to go up the mountain and trying to dissuade him a few times without success, he immediately started making preparations.
More than half an hour later, Zhuang Rui stared blankly at the two hiking backpacks on the ground, which were almost waist-high. Was this a mountain climbing trip or a camping trip?
Gyatso not only brought enough dried meat and other food for five people for three days, but also two tents and two sleeping bags, as well as chocolate, a machete for clearing the way, a small shovel for setting up the tents, a pot for cooking, a small oxygen cylinder, UV-protective sunglasses, and binoculars, among other items.
What Zhuang Rui found most unacceptable was that Jiacuo had actually put two women's hiking hats into his bag as well.
Apart from the two sets of thermal underwear, everything else in the room where Wen Qiuqian and her sister lived had probably been taken away by Jiacuo.
"Brother Gyatso, do we really need to carry so much stuff?"
Zhuang Rui tried lifting the hiking backpack on the ground. Fortunately, the hiking equipment nowadays is made of special lightweight alloy materials. Although it looks quite intimidating, it is not very heavy. Zhuang Rui did not feel much burden carrying this little bit of stuff.
"I've never climbed this mountain before, but I've heard it's not easy. Let's take more things; it's always better to be prepared..."
Gyatso's expression was somewhat solemn. For things like mountaineering, thorough preparation is essential. He once witnessed a mountaineer fall to his death on the spot while climbing Mount Everest.
Moreover, nature is unpredictable, and unexpected scenes often occur on the mountain. Even though it is only July or August, stories of snow falling in June are common on Daxue Mountain.
Mountaineering is considered an extreme sport because while it challenges the limits of the human body and unleashes human potential, it often comes with the risk of death and disability.
"Brother Zhuang, I'll go with you too..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was carrying a huge hiking backpack and preparing to go up the mountain with Jiacuo, Peng Fei suddenly appeared. He had been looking for Zhuang Rui for a long time after waking up.
"No, you should rest. This mountain isn't very high. I can stay up here for one night and come down tomorrow. Besides, there are only two sets of mountaineering equipment, so you don't need to go..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand. Peng Fei was injured, and although he had treated him with his spiritual energy, his body was still relatively weak. Zhuang Rui didn't want him to take any risks.
Seeing that Peng Fei still wanted to speak, Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Don't say anything. I can go in and out of the Savage Mountain, so why would I be afraid of this snow mountain?"
"Alright, Brother Zhuang, then you'd better be careful..."
Hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei was somewhat amused and exasperated. However, he knew that there were relatively few ferocious beasts on the snow-capped mountains, and they generally wouldn't attack humans unprovoked, unlike the treacherous rainforests. Given Zhuang Rui's physical condition, climbing this mountain should be relatively easy for him. ...
"Xiao Zhuang, wait a minute, don't go up the mountain so fast, you need to manage your energy wisely..."
Following behind Zhuang Rui, Jiacuo felt that he really had aged. He was only three or four years older than Zhuang Rui, but judging from his performance just now, he looked like a man in his fifties or sixties.
After more than three hours, the two had arrived at an altitude of 4,900 meters from the foot of the snow-capped mountain. During these three hours, Zhuang Rui did not rest once. He looked as relaxed as the white lion running ahead of him, showing no signs of fatigue.