ebookland Chapter 315 - 136: The Deceased
Chapter 315 - 136: The Deceased
"She brought me quite a few gifts, never dolls or dresses, but instead a peculiarly shaped stone, a bottle of exotic sand, or a rusted ancient coin... She would pin me down on the stone bench in the courtyard and force me to listen to her stories."
Li Younan, surprisingly, found himself admiring the aunt Zhu Qingyue spoke of, realizing that Zhu Qingyue seemed somewhat too reserved in comparison.
Zhu Qingyue spoke with great enthusiasm, his tone growing more and more proud.
"Later on, she became obsessed with mountaineering."
At this moment, Zhu Qingyue’s tone changed, becoming somewhat somber.
"She climbed higher and higher, from the Four Sisters Mountain to Muztag Ata, and the family’s concerns grew heavier. Trying to persuade her was futile."
"Last autumn, she packed her hiking bag, saying she was going to Gongga Mountain."
"Gongga, King of the Sichuan Mountains."
"I only found out how treacherous that mountain was after Googling it."
"She left and never came back. The news that returned was that she was missing."
"Blizzard, route for retreat, lost contact. The search and rescue teams looked for a long time, finding nothing. No remains, no belongings, like she was gently swallowed by that white sacred mountain, erasing all traces."
"Everyone came to terms with it."
"The funeral had no body, only a tomb with her clothes."
At this point, Zhu Qingyue’s tone remained calm.
But Li Younan let out a slight sigh.
"Later, life somehow seemed to slowly return to its original track."
"But... I can’t imagine her lying in a cold crevice of snow, or being sealed in eternal ice."
"That shouldn’t be her end."
"She should be found, brought back, or at least... properly bid farewell."
Li Younan, after a long silence, finally spoke, his tone somewhat heavy, "Are you... planning to go to Gongga Mountain to search?"
Zhu Qingyue said seriously, "I know what you want to say... I’m not going mountain climbing, I’m not capable of that, nor am I going to take risks. I’m just going to find her."
Li Younan was momentarily speechless.
"I also know the hope is slim, such a big mountain, looking for one person is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s very likely I won’t find anything, just staring at the snowy mountains for a while."
"But that’s not important."
"I must make the trip. I need to go where she can see me, to tell her I’ve come to take her home."
"If I can’t bring her back, I’ll just see the last scenery she saw."
Zhu Qingyue paused for a moment, then smiled, "Thank you for listening to me."
Li Younan let out a slight sigh, "Have you finished talking? Then I... should say a few words."
"Honestly, after hearing your story, it’s quite poignant. Your aunt is indeed an admirable woman, and I can empathize with your sadness, but there are a few questions..."
Zhu Qingyue uttered an "um."
Li Younan continued to ask, "The first question, do you know about Gongga Mountain?"
Zhu Qingyue blurted out, "King of the Sichuan Mountains, I’ve researched quite a bit."
Li Younan calmly said, "Not that kind of knowledge. What I mean is, if you were going to Gongga Mountain, how would you go? Which peak did your aunt climb? Gongga Mountain is so vast, from your description, it’s unlikely your aunt climbed the main peak..."
"Historically, fewer than thirty people have reached the main peak, while over seven thousand people have climbed Mount Everest. You can see the difference. It’s improbable your aunt would challenge the main peak at the start, so which peak did she climb? If you’re going, which route will you take?"
Suddenly Zhu Qingyue was stunned, and after a moment, said gloomily, "I need to verify this."
Li Younan let out a slight sigh, it was as he imagined. Although Zhu Qingyue told a soul-stirring story, depicting a touching aunt, worthy of being called an artistic young man... However, the gap between artistic expression and practical reality is quite lengthy.
Li Younan asked again, "The second question, do you have any plans once you’re there?"
Zhu Qingyue hesitated for a moment, then candidly said, "I plan to take it step by step, first go to Kangding and then talk..."
Li Younan was momentarily at a loss for words, saying, "So that means you have no plan at all."
Li Younan slightly organized his thoughts, saying, "First, you should check your aunt’s belongings, such as her diary or message records, to see if you can confirm which peak she went to."
"Then... since there was a search and rescue team that went into the mountain, there must have been people accompanying her, you must find them and learn the detailed information from them, preferably find the first group of rescuers to get detailed information, so you’re not searching blindly like a headless fly."
Zhu Qingyue was stunned for a long time before reacting, "You’re... you’re right."
Li Younan nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Gongga Mountain poses an extreme challenge, I don’t recommend a novice like you to go directly. But you can still attempt to find the people who were in your aunt’s team and understand the situation."
"If you’re lucky, it might be a place that’s not hard to reach... If indeed there’s such a place, next you’ll need to find a reliable and suitable guide."
"Actually, it’s best to directly look for a mountaineering club, pay them to take you there, but such clubs probably won’t take a complete novice like you along, which can be troublesome, so you’ll likely have to find a local guide... But locals..."
Li Younan suddenly fell silent.