Chapter 6 Chapter Six

Deng Chaolu did not meet Luoba on the grassland, which was a disappointment for her that day.She walked alone, and she lost her eyes on the original green grassland, the plump aquatic plants, cattle and sheep.Compared with the previous years, the grassland is completely different. The beauty of "the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep" has long been lost. Instead, large grasslands have disappeared, and the withered yellow in summer is particularly glaring.The cattle and sheep have moved to far away places, and there is no way to feed them here. The place that used to be called a pasture is now a bare beach.Deng Chaolu inspected the grassland with an expert's eyes, and couldn't help but judge the degree of soil erosion.She thought that at this rate, the Maozang grassland would disappear completely in less than ten years, and the downstream would not know what to do next.A wave of sadness welled up, and Deng Chaolu's footsteps became slow and heavy.Although she is not a pessimist, facing the sharp drop in groundwater levels, the premature disappearance of glaciers, and the deteriorating ecology, she cannot help worrying.Maybe this is an occupational disease. Since the day she went to college, she seems to have something more in her heart than other girls. Others can look at the degradation of the grassland indifferently, and at most sigh a few times when they see the raging sand and dust. No, she would immediately think of many things, even death.Yes, death, the river is dead, the land must die, but what about people?

A home that is about to disappear. Deng Chaolu wrote such a line in his diary pessimistically.Like a philosopher, she began to fall into fatalistic thinking and was tortured by this thinking.For a while, she was even obsessed with ancient Loulan and Lop Nur.She browsed through a lot of materials, and those materials and photos from the library and museum stimulated her and shocked her, making her more and more trapped in something and unable to get out.Mother Deng Jiaying was very anxious about this. She didn't want her to study this major for a while, and she didn't want her to take the postgraduate entrance examination.Mother's point of view is to make her simple, saying that the simpler a woman is, the happier she is, and her mother only wants her to be happy.But the mentor Qin Jizhou held her tight. Qin Jizhou was very happy when he saw her lost soul, and said that she should think like a philosopher. "What we are facing is not a river, nor is it the survival of a river basin, but the foundation of human beings' reproduction and survival, and where will human beings go." This is the original words of her tutor, which was spoken by her professor when she was a junior.After so many years, the river has not been protected because of the instructor's call, and mining is still intensifying, and the downstream sand lake is still increasing water consumption at a rate of 36% every year.All these waters must be supplied by this river, but the river definitely does not have this ability.Because the Qilian Glacier is retreating at an astonishingly fast speed, even the international glacier community is shocked.The snow line is getting farther and farther every year. In the past, as long as you went to the Maozang grassland, you could feel the snowy mountains. Even in the scorching summer, you could feel the white power from the sky.But now it is very difficult.Deng Chaolu was scorched by the scorching sun this time, and his body was covered with sweat, which was almost unimaginable in the grasslands before.Deng Chaolu often came to the grassland when she was a child. Her mother and Uncle Lu were frequent visitors in this area. She also lived with her mother on the grassland for several nights. In her memory, people on the grassland wear thick clothes in summer.Even in the years when she went to university to study for a master's degree, the grassland was not so hot.During the first two years when I first got acquainted with Naropa, every time I saw this young man in the Tibetan area, he was wearing a felt hat and wrapped in layers of clothes.Fat waist, long sleeves, and huge skirts, although they are Tibetan traditions, are definitely related to the climate here.Otherwise, he would not be able to walk, and Rehan would be like a ghost, stealing his spirit and hindering his quick steps.But now, before the end of spring, people here are in a hurry to shed their baggy Tibetan robes, because they can't stand the sun more than people further down.

They love the sun, but they don't like the sun losing its temper, and they don't like the sun scorching their homes. Terrible sun. Deng Chaolu strenuously walked on the prairie. There was no wind in the prairie that day, but now even the wind is rare, so she had to take out paper towels to wipe off her sweat frequently.Khan couldn't wipe it off. She remembered a sentence Naropa said: "After the river is possessed by demons, the grassland will lose its elves, and the breeze will detour and go to a holy place far away. The cuckoo flies away. , but the crow flew over." Deng Chaolu stopped and looked up into the distance.She couldn't see the distance that Naropa mentioned, the place that was not possessed by demons.

When it was dark, Deng Chaolu stopped in front of the white house. The white house was built around the seventies, or earlier.It wasn't white at the beginning. One day, a group of people came from the depths of the grassland and said they wanted to settle down and study the grassland, the river, and the watershed.They brought in red bricks and tiles, reinforced concrete, and mixed the cement and sand with clear river water to make a slurry, and then built the house under the snow line.At the beginning, it was called the Qilian Mountain Forest Ecological Station, specializing in the study of tree species, moss, animals and fungi on the mountain.Later, it was renamed Qilian Mountain Water Conservation Forest Research Institute, with a wider scope of research.Deng Chaolu has seen the surface meteorological station, forest and grassland meteorological observation field, microclimate automatic observation system, forest canopy interception and tree stem flow sample plot, as well as precipitation observation points, permafrost observation points, and runoff observation points set up at different altitude gradients. The observation field and some unnamed fixed monitoring plots.Science is born here.Regarding this white house, the young Naropa told her an interesting story. When the house was built, it was red, which symbolized the occupation of this mysterious mountain forest by science.But the eye-catching red color is so eye-catching, the Tibetans in the Maozang Grassland are not used to it, thinking that the eye-catching red color will disturb the mountain gods, tree gods, and river gods.Naropa's father, a man of unshakable integrity in the grassland, went to the research institute one day and told them that the gods didn't like this color and asked them to paint the walls with milk. The grassland likes white, which is a pure and clean color.The people in the courtyard didn't listen to what Naropa's father said at first, thinking that he was an ignorant person full of superstitions, and they explained a lot of truth to him.Unexpectedly, after that, Naropa's father would come every day, and would sing hymns to them instead of entering the hospital.Loba's father has an excellent voice, and if it is now, he is likely to become an excellent singer.Luoba's father seldom sings hymns, his voice is used to wake up the grassland.

Every day before dawn, when the stars are still sleeping, Naropa’s father wakes up. After drinking butter tea and putting on a Tibetan robe, he will come to the vast night sky, let go of his loud voice, and rush to the distant mountains. the river, the people in the distance shouted.Luoba's father can learn many kinds of sounds, such as musk deer, snow leopard, wild yak, and white-lipped deer, as long as there are in Qilian Mountains, he can learn them, including pheasants, insects and birds, and he can learn them very realistically.He used this voice to wake up the grassland, wake up those people who are still asleep, it's time to get up and look at the sun.People on the grasslands cannot miss the moment when the sun rises, so Loba's father has the nickname of "Mountain Caller", but he never admits that he is a mountain caller.He said he was talking about people's souls, and the souls cannot sleep for a long time, or they will get rusty, just like the sky cannot be covered by dark clouds for a long time, so that not only the sun, but also the moon cannot be seen.But he will never learn two voices, one is a wolf and the other is a crow.It was the sound of a person possessed by a ghost, the sound of evil, the sound of death.Naropa's father yelled like this all his life, and then he died, burning himself to death with fire.This is a pain in the ass.When Deng Chaolu heard the story of Luoba's father for the first time, she was so moved that she burst into tears.Naropa's father died alone, in despair.Because the horse musk deer, snow leopard, wild yak, and white-lipped deer on the grassland disappeared one by one, and the voices of these companions could no longer be heard. His throat failed and he could not make any sound.Later, he cut his throat with a knife, lit a bonfire with dead branches and wormwood, sat in it, and disappeared with the fire.Naropa inherited his father's behest, but he no longer called the mountain, the mountain can no longer wake up, Naropa used his legs instead of his father's voice, he ran the mountain, walked between the mountains and ravines, and walked up and down the river ...

Naropa's father sang in front of the red house for a month, and the people inside were finally awakened. They no longer underestimated this man in a Tibetan robe and knife and drank buttered tea. They began to respect him and follow his guidance. Next, pull the paint, and paint the house under the snow line, under the glacier, under the river, under the blue sky and under the blue sky. The white house has become a symbol of the grassland, a slightly ethereal dreamland standing at the limit.Tibetans call it an auspicious place, and Han people call it a white house. Qin Yu had worked here before.

Deng Chaolu originally wanted to avoid the white house, but from a certain day, everything about this white house changed in her heart.Those warm and sweet memories have all turned into bitter tears and hurts.Her love was planted here, germinated here, and grew secretly. When it was about to see the sun, it was covered by dark clouds and wiped out by heavy rain.Deng Chaolu swore not long ago that she would never come to this sad place again, and would never forget it in her heart.But as he walked, he still involuntarily came to the front of the white house.She stood outside, under the boundless twilight, stretched out her gaze, and looked inside unwillingly.The surroundings of the white house are very quiet, and the inside is also very quiet. The evening sprinkles its last light on the grassland and in this quiet courtyard.The heat wave left by the sun on the grassland is wrapped with the cold wind blowing from the Maya Snow Mountain, making the grassland blurred before nightfall, making it hard to see its true face.The mystery took advantage of the situation and seized Deng Chaolu's heart.She stood in the evening breeze, dazed for a while, thinking of some past events in her mind.Among those things was her fatal encounter with Qin Yu, how her girlish feelings were unknowingly opened up to a man, and her heart could no longer be at peace.Standing in front of the white house now, she seemed to see her former self, the woman who was stepping into the depths of love step by step.Later she sighed and said to herself that love died and was taken away by that woman named Wu Ruohan.Deng Chaolu, you are really useless, you can't even look down on your own love, what else can you do?Just as she was stamping her feet angrily, footsteps could be heard in the yard. When Deng Chaolu looked up, she saw Fan Qi, the old dean of the research institute, coming out.

The old dean was also Deng Chaolu's teacher. When Deng Chaolu was in college, Dean Fan was still at Northern University, and later transferred to this research institute. "Is it Xiaolu? Is it really Xiaolu?" Dean Fan saw her, walked over in a hurry, and made a series of surprised voices. When he saw that it was her, the expression on his face suddenly became vivid. "It's really you, Xiaolu, your mother just came here today, it's so late, why are you on the grassland at this hour?" "My mother has been here?" Deng Chaolu was surprised. She really didn't expect that her mother would come to the White House today. She looked around subconsciously, as if her mother's shadow was still there.

"Leave at four o'clock in the afternoon, come to get some data." Dean Fan said, took the bag in her hand, insisted on pulling her into the courtyard, and kept shouting into the courtyard: "What are you doing in the dormitory, hurry up!" Come and see, there are guests on the mountain." Before the words were finished, the doors of several rooms opened at the same time, and faces were poked out. Seeing that it was Deng Chaolu from the research institute, people in the room rushed out.The two girls held her hand tightly and affectionately called her Sister Lulu.There was a male graduate student who had just been assigned to stand behind the girl. He was very tall, almost a head taller than Deng Chaolu. The mountain birds kept singing."

It is very difficult to have guests on the mountain, and sometimes no one comes for half a year.It is also difficult for the staff in the institute to send their footsteps down the mountain. They jokingly call themselves monks. Once they form a relationship with this institute, life is really like practicing.As for those girls, when they first came here, they were full of surprises at the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees here, and they didn't feel that life was boring. After a long time, that kind of loneliness or solitude began to appear, so as long as there were guests, everyone seemed excited.Deng Chaolu walked into Dean Fan's office surrounded by crowds. Everyone hurriedly poured water for her, handed her towels, and asked her if she had eaten.As soon as they heard that she was still hungry, the two girls rushed to cook for her.The tall boy said that he had the apples that Deng Jiaying brought in the morning, and he was in a hurry to get them.Touched by their enthusiasm, Deng Chaolu looked at Dean Fan shyly, not knowing what to say.

The food on the mountain is simple. If her mother hadn't happened to be here, Deng Chaolu wouldn't be able to eat fresh vegetables. Fortunately, there are always endless wild mushrooms on the mountain, as well as strange mountain delicacies, absolutely green food.Deng Chaolu quickly filled his stomach, and everyone sat around and chatted.While chatting, the river was mentioned again, and the downstream Longshan and Shahu were mentioned.Dean Fan said that her mother, Deng Jiaying, came today to discuss with him about the management of the downstream.Deng Jiaying is currently the director of the Shiyang River Basin Management Office. This office is under the management of Gushui City, and its level is lower than that of the ecological management center where Miao Yulan and Qin Yu work. It is a provincial unit, but there are many specific things to do. .In Deng Chaolu's memory, her mother has never been idle in her life, always busy with work.After chatting for a while, Dean Fan suddenly asked: "What do you think about governance? You are Mr. Qin's most proud disciple and a rising star in this field. I'm afraid you will be responsible for this task." Deng Chaolu blushed a little, And then white.What she is most afraid of hearing now is the word governance. The governance of this river has been proposed for ten years. When Deng Chaolu was not a graduate student, her supervisor had already devoted her energy to this aspect. Now more than ten years have passed Every year around governance, many measures are always introduced, and a lot of money and manpower are invested in it. The mother's help is also inseparable from this.The management office, of course, revolves around the river, around the river basin.But what happened?Deng Chaolu didn't dare to be too discouraged, that's not the attitude of a scientific researcher, but she really didn't dare to be optimistic, because what she saw and heard, including what she detected, were all depressing facts. But this problem cannot be avoided, and it can be encountered everywhere.To put it in terms of fate, these people have been tied to this river, tied to this river basin, and cannot escape.But Deng Chaolu was afraid of being a martyr, and an ominous premonition told her that all her efforts were just to witness one thing, the demise of a river. Deng Chaolu lowered his head, the excitement slowly faded from his face, replaced by darkness.Dean Fan saw her embarrassment, and said with a sneer: "Our talented women have also learned to be silent, well, don't talk, everyone don't talk. You have been walking for a day, and you are tired, go to bed early." Lying in the guest room, Deng Chaolu couldn't fall asleep no matter what. At first she was a little drowsy because she was tired, but after lying down for a while, the drowsiness slipped away strangely.Instead, something else.The sticky thing spread over her heart and stuck to her skin, making her heart itch and her skin itch.The night was getting deeper and thicker, and the mountain wind was blowing from far away, making a lot of noises in the courtyard.The sound hit her heart, and it became another voice, another voice!Deng Chaolu turned over and looked out the window, it was very dark but very bright.She looked a little crazy, a little drunk.The past suddenly flooded in, covering her, bewitching her, and instigating her.Deng Chaolu couldn't help herself, she got dressed, got out of bed, and walked out of the guest room. The night quickly engulfed her, hugging her tightly, as if afraid that she would escape, stretched out a strong hand, and embraced her in. Deng Chaolu walked forward involuntarily, completely submerged into the night. Very skillfully, Deng Chaolu came to the hill to the north of the white house again.There is a big mani pile on the mountain bag, which is piled at the highest point of the mountain bag.It is the largest and highest mani pile on the Mao-Tibet Plateau.This mani pile has a history of at least 500 years. The prayer flags on it have been hung and hung again, and they have been floating on the highest point of the mountain and the highest point of the wind for generations.The wind takes away prayers and brings blessings.Under the hill is a vast pasture. Every five years, people on the plateau hold a grand gathering here. They race horses, shoot arrows, and wrestle. They spread joy on the grassland and pray for blessings. stay here.Back then, Deng Chaolu and the others held a bonfire party on this meadow. It was the most unique one in the four years of university, and it was a romantic and passionate summer social practice activity. It was that night that she noticed Qin Yu.Although I knew that he was the mentor's son and had some contact with him before, they were all polite and flat, and never stirred up ripples in my heart.But that night was different. When she and her classmates were dancing Guozhuang around the bonfire, Qin Yu stood outside the crowd, and the fire light reflected his face red, making him as bright as the bonfire.A classmate ran over, trying to pull him in.At that time, Qin Yu was assigned here less than a year after graduating from university, and Deng Chaolu also wanted to pull him in to have a carnival with them.Qin Yu refused at first, as if he was a bit cautious, and seemed to want to hide from their joy.Later, people from the courtyard continued to join in, dancing and singing with the students.At about nine o'clock in the night, Qin Yu finally couldn't hold back and came.He actually came straight to her, held her hand, and danced happily with her... Got drunk that night.For many nights later, Deng Chaolu remembered the episode of that night, the handsome and tough face under the firelight, the high nose bridge, the healthy complexion, the bright smile, and the cheerful voice when talking to her.Every detail moved her and made her greedy. She actually treasured everything without thinking, and took it out to chew whenever she had time. This is how love is born, from a bonfire party, from a simple handshake.From... It started to rain that night, near the end of the party, the rain was fine and tender, very poetic.The students all hid in the courtyard one after another, and some got into the pockets of another mountain bag not far away.Deng Chaolu didn't leave, and neither did he.He was with her, standing in the drizzle.That was the first time they had a serious chat, and they talked a lot.He imitated his father and called him Xiaolu. She was a little shy and didn't know what to call him for a while, but later, she called Brother Qin Yu, and he actually agreed. Brother Qin Yu—— The night was so thick that it couldn't melt away, hiding any secrets in it.Standing in front of the mani pile, Deng Chaolu couldn't help calling him over and over again in her heart.Only then did she realize that the reason why she didn't choose to go to Maozang City or stay overnight in Maozang County, but insisted on walking, was because she still wanted to see him! Deng Chaolu burst into tears.I thought I didn't care, but I could forget him, I could forget this mani pile, I could forget the grass beach where the bonfire was once lit in the night, I could forget the coat that was silently draped over her body in the drizzle, and when I saw her. That hazy look.But who knows... Deng Chaolu stood, thinking foolishly, suffering.At some point, lights suddenly lit up at the foot of the mountain, and when she saw them, the lights had already strung together into pieces.The light was flickering and flickering, drifting, moving, sometimes in this direction, sometimes in another direction, but it was clearly moving towards her.Deng Chaolu was startled, a cold sweat broke out all over his body, and the word "wild fire" suddenly came to mind.Just as she was about to turn around and run away, a voice suddenly came from behind her. "Don't be afraid, it's not a will-o'-the-wisp, it's a divine fire." "Shenhuo?" Deng Chaolu turned around and asked with a sigh of relief when she saw that Dean Fan was standing behind her. "Actually, it's not called Shenhuo, but they say that, so it can only be called Shenhuo." Dean Fan approached her, laughing, with a certain helplessness in his voice. Deng Chaolu was puzzled, her eyes were wide open in the dark night, trying to figure out what was going on with the lights down the mountain.Dean Fan coughed and started talking to her unhurriedly.After listening, Deng Chaolu was stunned. It turned out that it was a torch. Whenever late at night, men on the Mao-Tibet Plateau would light torches and move around on the grassland.They said that the river gods have lost their way, and the mountain gods have lost their way. They no longer protect their grassland cattle and sheep. They want to light torches to bring back the lost gods. Deng Chaolu heard the call from the grassland, rumbling, mysterious, strange, and urgent... "They are in a hurry, the grasslands are in a hurry, and the whole river basin is in a hurry, but they just can't find a good way." Dean Fan was infinitely sad, and then said, "Forgive them, forgive these helpless people, they just in such a foolish way."