From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

She ignored my complaints, reached out and switched the playlist to a high-energy rap song.

The energetic drumbeats filled the entire carriage, and she said with satisfaction, "This is the kind of music young people should listen to. Your old songs only make people sleepy."

I shook my head helplessly and said, "The word 'superficial' was tailor-made for you... Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you anymore. We're not from the same world."

"I'd rather be dead than live in the same world as you!"

I raised an eyebrow and joked, "We're in the same car now, doesn't that mean we're from the same world? Are you some kind of alien?"

"I can't explain it to you, you penniless loser." Su Qing glared at me fiercely.

I returned her gaze and said, "Then you're someone without any spiritual pursuits..."

Before I could finish speaking, Su Qing shouted urgently, "Stop, stop the car!"

"What is it now?" I turned to look at her.

At this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed, her hands were pressed tightly against her lower abdomen, and her face was full of unbearable pain.

"You're not having diarrhea again, are you?"

Su Qing nodded anxiously, urging me to stop the car as soon as possible: "Don't delay, I can't hold it in any longer."

The change came unexpectedly. One second she was arguing and playing around with me, and the next second she was tormented by abdominal pain.

I didn't dare delay, as there was a water station for vehicles with public toilets right ahead on the roadside.

I drove the car to the water station and stopped. Su Qing opened the car door and rushed towards the makeshift toilet shed.

I lit a cigarette and sat in the car to wait, while simultaneously turning on the walkie-talkie to inform Brother Wang and his group of the reason for our temporary stop.

Soon, Luo Peng's puzzled voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Brother Lin, something's wrong with Su Qing. She's had diarrhea on and off for two days now. Is she alright?"

I also had a slight doubt in my mind. An ordinary stomach upset should have healed long ago, so it was indeed abnormal that it kept recurring.

But I didn't think too much about it for the time being, and quietly smoked my cigarette, waiting for Su Qing to come back.

She squatted for quite a while this time, and I was worried about her, so I took out my phone and sent her a message to ask how she was feeling.

She simply replied, "Don't rush me."

I had no choice but to wait patiently in the car for several more minutes before I finally saw her emerge from the makeshift shed.

I laughed as soon as I looked up.

Both of her nostrils were stuffed with tissues, and she looked like she was being overwhelmed by the strong smell inside.

After she opened the car door and got into the passenger seat, I quickly turned to look at her, my voice tinged with worry:

"How did you get like this? Are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright, let's drive away quickly, it stinks terribly."

As she spoke, she raised her arm and brought it close to her collar to smell her own scent.

His brows furrowed instantly, and his face was filled with disgust.

I gripped the steering wheel, turning to look at her with a puzzled expression: "Really? You need to use the restroom again?"

"What are you thinking? I'm going to change my clothes. These clothes smell bad, and I can't stand it."

I muttered helplessly, "You're such a busybody."

Despite complaining, he still parked the car in a safe area on the side of the road.

Her handbag was placed on the back seat. Su Qing unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned over, reached in and grabbed the bag, then rummaged through it to find a casual jacket.

The next second, she decisively took off her windbreaker right in front of me.

She was only wearing a thin, close-fitting thermal underwear, and her curvaceous figure was completely exposed.

My heart skipped a beat, and I dared not look any longer. I quickly turned my head to look out the window and shifted my gaze elsewhere.

Only after I heard the rustling sounds of someone changing clothes stop did I start the car again and continue on my way.

Su Qing lowered her head and sniffed her sleeve again, finally showing a relieved expression on her face.

Then she started talking non-stop.

She excitedly complained to me, "You didn't see what it was like inside! My God, it was indescribable! If my stomach hadn't been hurting so badly, I would never have gone in!"

Although I didn't see the inside of the toilet with my own eyes, just looking at her exaggerated expression, I could already picture the scene in my mind.

I couldn't help but chuckle and said, "All outhouses are like this, it's nothing unusual, it's normal."

After hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but roll her eyes at me: "Anyway, I couldn't stand it. After I went in, I kept pinching my nose and didn't dare to open my eyes."

After the initial jokes, my expression gradually turned serious, and I asked, "So, what's wrong with your diarrhea? It's been going on since yesterday afternoon, and there's been no improvement at all?"

Su Qing pouted helplessly, her tone full of grievance: "I don't know why myself. I hardly ate anything today, but my stomach still hurts."

"Does your stomach still hurt?" I asked.

"I only experience cramping when I'm about to go to the toilet; otherwise, I don't feel any pain at all."

I remained silent for a moment, a vague unease rising in my heart.

After a while, I said to her, "When we get to Batang County, we must go to the hospital to get some medicine. I feel that your condition is probably not that simple."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing panicked.

A pair of fearful eyes looked at me and said, "Don't try to scare me. I just accidentally ate something that upset my stomach."

"You'll know exactly what the problem is after you go to the hospital for a checkup."

After I said that, the lively look on Su Qing's face instantly disappeared.

He immediately fell silent, and his mood visibly dropped.

Before long, we finally caught up with Wang Ge and his convoy.

It was clear that everyone deliberately slowed down, waiting for us to rejoin the group.

After catching up with the main group, the convoy sped up again and headed towards Batang County.

As evening approached, the town of Batang, nestled deep in the river valley, finally came into view.

It is very similar to Yajiang, with the entire county town built along the mountains and rivers and through the valley, but it is larger in scale, with wider streets and more densely packed houses.

Wang Ge stopped his car at the entrance of the county town and waited for a moment until all three cars had gathered before slowly driving our group into the town.

The streets are lined with distinctive Tibetan-style buildings, exuding a strong exotic atmosphere.

Only after crossing this point will we truly be considered to have entered the Tibetan region.

The road ahead will only become more treacherous and difficult.

Wang Ge was absolutely right. If we can't even get through the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, then it would be wise to abandon the plan to cross the no-man's-land as soon as possible.

For us novices with no outdoor survival experience, this Sichuan-Tibet Highway was a trial route to adjust our bodies and hone our teamwork.