From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Just as I was on edge, a clear voice suddenly came from beside me: "What are you doing?"

I froze, instinctively raising the stone in my hand to block.

Upon closer inspection, I saw Su Qing standing right behind me, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

I remained frozen in place, still holding the stone in a defensive posture, making the scene particularly comical.

Su Qing glared at me and snapped, "What are you doing holding that rock? Trying to hit me?"

I snapped out of my daze, breathed a long sigh of relief, quickly threw away the stone in my hand, and asked anxiously and angrily:

"I called you several times just now, didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you." Su Qing said matter-of-factly.

I was utterly speechless. "You heard me, why didn't you reply? Do you know you scared me to death?"

She pouted and said matter-of-factly, "Who knows what you're up to? What if you secretly followed me and peeked?"

I'm completely exasperated by her thought process. My sincere concern just comes out twisted in her mouth.

Just as I was about to start scolding her, I suddenly heard a faint but clear sound.

Glug, splash.

It's the sound of gravel rolling!

There was no wind in the mountains at this moment, and the surroundings were deathly silent. The sound was abrupt and clear, and it was definitely not an illusion!

My mind went on high alert instantly. Without thinking, I grabbed Su Qing's wrist:

"Don't just stand there! Run, get back to the car!"

Su Qing was startled by my sudden tension, looking completely bewildered: "Huh? What's wrong? Why are you so jumpy!"

I didn't have time to explain to her. I grabbed her hand and ran as fast as I could towards the car.

The short distance of just a few dozen meters left me breathless and my lungs felt swollen.

Alpine people are already oxygen-deficient, and after strenuous running, a feeling of chest tightness and shortness of breath immediately comes over them.

The moment I rushed back to the car, I immediately opened the door and shoved her inside, only then did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Su Qing gasped for breath, her face full of confusion. "What are you doing? Why are you running around like that? You scared me to death!"

I stared at the thick fog outside the window and said, "Didn't you hear the sound of gravel rolling down?"

Su Qing shook her head blankly: "There's no sound at all. Don't scare yourself. Let's drive away quickly."

But I am absolutely certain that the strange noise I just heard was not a hallucination.

I looked at her and earnestly reminded her, "I'm not trying to scare you, but Tibetan macaques are frequently seen on this mountain road. There are many news reports online about tourists encountering danger. It's a remote and desolate place, so you have to be careful."

Su Qing paused for a moment upon hearing this, then raised an eyebrow at me, her tone slightly amused: "So you rushed down to find me just now because you were afraid I'd be carried off by a bear?"

I was both angry and amused: "I called you for ages and you didn't answer, and it was eerily quiet all around. How could I not panic? And you were peeking? I had no interest in that!"

Seeing that I was genuinely anxious, Su Qing stopped her banter and immediately softened her stance:

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. I was just joking. Can I apologize?"

I smiled helplessly and didn't argue with her anymore.

Just then, A-Qiu's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Lin Ye, got a reply, how are things? Can we set off now?"

I picked up the walkie-talkie and replied, "It's alright, let's head out and catch up with the group now."

"Received. It's foggy on the road, so slow down and be careful," A-Qiu reminded him.

I put down the walkie-talkie and turned to look at Su Qing beside me: "How's your stomach now? Still feeling unwell?"

Su Qing sighed deeply, looking frustrated, and said, "I really don't understand. I just ate some snacks, and it's caused me two days of trouble. It's outrageous."

I couldn't help but laugh and complain, "Miss, you call that a little? You didn't stop eating in the car yesterday, you were eating like crazy the whole way."

"I eat like this at home too, I've never done it like this before," she muttered, feeling wronged.

"Then you probably bought some stale snacks on the way, or you're suffering from altitude sickness and your stomach can't handle it," I analyzed.

"It can't be that bad, it's not like you had diarrhea that caused food poisoning."

I said seriously, "Diarrhea is a mild food poisoning and gastrointestinal irritation reaction. Besides diarrhea, do you have any other discomfort? Are you dizzy or nauseous?"

"No, I feel much better after I pooped."

I nodded and repeatedly instructed, "Don't be careless. The plateau is not like the plains. Health problems can develop very quickly. Tell me immediately if you feel even slightly unwell."

Su Qing rolled her eyes at me and teased with a smile, "You said I was long-winded, but you're the real Tang Monk, always nagging on and on."

Amidst the lighthearted banter, I maintained a steady speed and accelerated forward, soon catching up with the convoy ahead.

The convoy continued driving for more than half an hour when the scene before them suddenly changed.

The thick fog was completely shaken off, the clouds overhead dispersed, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear and cloudless.

The weather on the plateau is so extreme and unpredictable; it can change drastically every ten miles.

One second it might be thick fog and rain, and the next second it might be clear skies.

It's often said online that you can experience all four seasons on this road in a single day, and that's not an exaggeration.

However, after passing through the fog, the scenery became more and more beautiful, and the air became thinner and thinner.

Our destination is Litang, known as the "world's highest city".

Just upon entering Litang, a giant, trendy signboard spans the center of the road, eye-catching and imposing, making it a must-visit spot for all tourists.

A few cars were parked sparsely by the roadside, and many tourists were taking photos under the signboard.

However, we did not stay. Litang is at a high altitude, and staying there for a long time could easily trigger altitude sickness.

We hadn't planned to rest and resupply here; we were heading straight to the next attraction.

After passing through Litang County, the convoy continued its journey towards the Maoya Grassland.

This section of the road is in the best condition of the entire route, completely bidding farewell to the winding mountain roads. The road is straight and wide, stretching straight to the sky, and offering an extremely wide view.

With stable road conditions and good signal, Aqiu immediately launched his drone to take aerial photos of the magnificent grassland scenery.

Su Qing also set up her phone and restarted the live stream.

She is still full of energy and in excellent condition.

He enthusiastically introduced the scenery of the Maoya Grassland to the camera, and occasionally replied to the comments in the live stream.

She was full of energy and showed no signs of discomfort earlier.

The vastness of the Maoya Grassland completely overwhelmed my vision.

The boundless meadow stretches to the distant horizon, thick and soft, like a fluffy, dark green velvet carpet spread across the earth.

In the distance, the undulating mountain ridges have soft, gentle lines, and the snow-capped peaks are bathed in the warm sun, gleaming with a dazzling white light.

The low-hanging blue sky hugged the entire grassland, with large clumps of clouds drifting slowly. The huge shadows cast by the clouds on the grass moved slowly, like giant ships floating on the plains.

I reduced my speed to 60 km/h and rolled all the windows down.

The high-altitude winds carrying the scents of green grass and damp earth rushed into the carriage.

The air is clean and crisp; breathing it into your lungs is refreshing and clean.

Su Qing held up her phone and leaned out of the car window, taking pictures of the scenery along the way for a long time.

He then put away his equipment, looked intently at the live stream camera, and his clear voice rang out.

"Look everyone, this is the famous Maoya Grassland. The scenery is absolutely stunning. I almost thought I was looking at a computer wallpaper."

"It's just that we came at the wrong time of year. I heard that the grasslands are at their peak in the summer, with lush greenery everywhere you look. Anyone who comes here will be amazed."