Chapter 2 Chapter Fourteen Sherpa Village

Fukamachi breathed in the crisp morning air and climbed the gentle slope. The air was thin and cold as a blade. Compared with the air in Kathmandu, which is full of waste gas and the body odor of humans and animals, the air here is pure and transparent. Looking down at the milk river flowing on the right hand side. The river originates from the glaciers of the towering Khumbu Mountains. The altitude is 2,620 meters. Compared with Kathmandu, the air is much thinner. A heavy hiking backpack hangs on both shoulders. There are still trees with red leaves on the left and right hillsides, but the temperature is winter.

November eleventh. Seven thirty in the morning. Starting from Pakudin, it took half an hour. The pace finally returned to yesterday's rhythm. The yak and the porter were ahead, so we set off about half an hour earlier. I left Kathmandu yesterday, that is, November 10th. Fly to Lukla. Lukla Village can be said to be the mountaineering entrance of Mount Everest, with an altitude of 2,900 meters.From there walked a few hours and reached Pakudin within yesterday. Walk for more than two hours from Lukla to Pakudin, descending about 300 meters above sea level. First descend to the bottom of the valley, cross the suspension bridge built on the rapids of the Milk River, and camp there.

A porter and a yak were hired in Lukla. I got up at six o'clock this morning, and prepared breakfast to satisfy my hunger before dawn. Milk tea with a lot of sugar, an apple, bread, cheese, and a boiled egg. During the last expedition, the Sherpas would prepare breakfast for themselves when moving collectively. In the morning, they bring tea with plenty of milk and a washbasin filled with hot water to the tent.When I wash my hands and face with hot water and drink tea, breakfast is ready. This time I have to do everything by myself. Come alone. Fukamachi is so determined. He wore heavy hiking boots and stepped on the dead leaves and stones that had fallen to the ground.

White frost fell on fallen and dead leaves, and puddles were covered with thin ice. The sun was shining brightly on the top of the mountain ahead, but it hadn't reached the bottom of the valley where Fukamachi was walking. Looking up, the sky is so blue. White clouds flow. slowly— Although I wanted to take my time, the rhythm of stepping out gradually accelerated naturally.It seemed that it was the enthusiasm in Fukamachi's heart that made his pace quicken.It was probably anger rather than enthusiasm. Indescribably intense anger. It was that anger that drove Fukamachi. When challenging Mount Everest, this road has been traversed twice.

At that time, Qu Cheng was full of energy. Standing on the top of Mount Everest in the name of the team - this is a dream and a hope. On the way back, Fukamachi, with heavy feet and a heavy heart, walked down the mountain dejectedly along this route. Because Jinggang and Chuandao were killed due to slipping accidents. Two black spots that have slid down the slope one after another: Jinggang and Chuandao.The two dots were thrown in mid-air— Fukamachi filmed the scene. Oh shit! Even walking in such fresh air, my mind is still filled with complicated and heavy thoughts. Thousands of thoughts flashed through my mind.

Originally, I didn't plan to come here, but planned to go back to Japan with Ryoko Kishi. Why did you decide to return home? That's because the mood is sluggish. When he knew that Hanyu already had a woman he called his wife, and he had a child with that woman, the tension in his heart disappeared. "Sorry. Should have told you earlier..." At that time, Hanyu said this to Ryoko. The woman's name is Torma. Said to be the daughter of Angarin. Thirty-two years old—— She has two children with Hanyu. Fukamachi and Ryoko saw the child in Toma's arms in Patan, the second child born half a year ago.The first child was born three years ago.

It happened to coincide with the time when Hanyu stopped making active contact. Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere at the scene was not right, Doma held another child's hand and disappeared outside the house. Hanyu said: The reason why I came to Nepal was to try to climb Mount Everest alone in winter without oxygen. Hanyu told Angarin honestly about the plan. Naturally, in the form of a diner, he lived in An Jialin's home in Pampoche, Khumbu region, and began to join the foreign team climbing Mount Everest as a Sherpa. Hanyu has physical strength and climbing skills. He entered Mount Everest with various teams and climbed to a height of more than 8,000 meters several times.

On such days, Hanyu and Angarin's daughter seemed to be married naturally. Hanyu did not elaborate on this. Even if I tell Ryoko those details, the uncooked rice has already been cooked. Ryoko had to listen to those things, it would only be more painful. The tea made by Angarin was placed in front of the two of them, and Naradar Rachandra, Fukamachi, and Angarin walked out of the house together. About thirty minutes later, Ryoko came outside. "It's over." Ryoko said to Fukamachi. She greeted Angeline politely, saying: "Let's go." She urged Naradar Rachandra and Fukamachi to walk slowly in the direction of the car.

A dog that had been sleeping by the alley suddenly got up and took a look at Fukamachi. A child with his butt protruding from his ripped pants ran to the opposite side. The voice of a woman scolding a child came from the next house. It was probably cooking something on the stove, and the smoke came out of the window along with the smell of food. Fukamachi and the other three walked in this scene in silence. Hanyu's child is one of the children here. From the perspective of Japan, it is a very barren life. He seldom takes a bath, and the canvas shoes worn by the child are tattered, with more than half of the toes exposed.The shirt and trousers he was wearing were also frayed, revealing his skin everywhere.

Hanyu's child is also one of those children. Hanyu is also a man, and he has desires for women's bodies.It would be strange not to.It is a natural result to comfort each other with the women around you. Do you have naturalization——? Fukamachi wanted to ask Hanyu this question just now, but he didn't ask. If there is no love, only desire, and Hanyu and Doma have sex, and they have a child—— Furthermore, how does Hanyu plan to arrange for Torma and the child?Take them back to Japan?Or, what about staying in Nepal by yourself? Prior to this, there were countless Nepalese and Japanese marriages, and almost without exception, the couple's nationality became Japanese.Considering economic factors, it is a natural phenomenon.

What is Hanyu going to do? Fukamachi wanted to ask him about it, but gave up. Fukamachi felt ashamed of herself for asking that question. No matter how Hanyu answered, it probably wouldn't solve any problems. Hanyu introduced a woman to Ryoko, saying that she was his wife and that she even had children.That's enough. That was the way Hanyu chose to live. Hanyu will probably carry out his choice. Doing that is really like Hanyu's style. The man who had spent the night holding Ryoko Kishi's hand the night before was about to turn 50. That was probably Hanyu's insistence. This question cannot be discussed by outsiders. The car starts. Ryoko sat on the left side of Fukamachi. Ryoko's right shoulder touched Fukamachi's left. Not a word. After a while, Fukamachi realized that Ryoko was trembling when she touched her right shoulder. Ryoko quietly whimpered from between her teeth in a low voice.Even though he kept trying to endure, sobbing kept coming from between his teeth. Fukamachi still remembered the trembling at that time. At that time, Fukamachi wanted to hug Ryoko tightly. Fukamachi couldn't think of words to comfort her, but instead, he wanted to put his hands on her shoulders and put his arms around her shoulders. That was my honest desire. However, Fukamachi couldn't do that. Fukamachi gritted her teeth, enduring a certain emotion welling up in her heart. After Ryoko returned to the hotel, she hardly mentioned anything about Hanyu. She chatted with Fukamachi about irrelevant things, went shopping around famous product stores during the day, and had dinner together at night. Ryoko also didn't say what she and Hanyu talked about in the last thirty minutes. She is ready to go home.Three days later, Fukamachi and Ryoko were at the Kathmandu airport. On the car heading to the airport, Fukamachi became silent. After arriving at the airport, Fukamachi hardly spoke. Fukamachi didn't know what kept him silent.Is there anything that haunts me?No, he actually knew it, he just wanted to pretend to turn a blind eye. When it's time to check in - "Can I ask you something?" Ryoko asked Fukamachi. "What's up?" Fukamachi asked back. "Can you go back?" Ryoko asked. "My business is over. But Fukamachi-san's business is not over yet—?" Ryoko's words hit Fukamachi on the forehead. "If you go back, won't you regret it?" Hearing these words, Fukamachi realized clearly. He hasn't settled any of his affairs in Nepal. Why did I come here? Where did Hanyu get Mallory's camera?What happened to the negatives that were supposed to be in it? I came here to investigate this matter. What exactly is Hanyu planning to do in Nepal - now I know for sure. Climbing the southwest face of Mount Everest alone without oxygen in winter—— However, that is an idiot's dream. Is Hanyu trying to make that dream come true somehow?Moreover, Hanyu wants to put it into practice this winter. Knowing this, as a photographer related to mountaineering magazines, can I let go of this opportunity that has no next time? No. I have been far away from the identity of the media such as magazines. This is a big event left in the history of the Himalayas.Are you going to resolutely give up the luck of being able to witness it on the spot? Hey-- I want to escape. Want to escape again. Flee in an easy direction. Want to do easy things. However, that's not really easy stuff. If he went back now, Fukamachi thought, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life. is this okay? Of course not. Must go. I want to see Hanyu again. As a photographer, witness on the spot the historical event that Hanyu wants to do next. In my life so far, nothing has gone smoothly. You can't be a top mountaineer, and you can't be a top photographer.Even interacting with women is rough. If I go back now, I will have nothing. I will be nobody. "Sorry." Fukamachi bowed his head to Ryoko and apologized. "I want to stay." Great. Ryoko smiled slightly. "Are you going to see Hanyu-san again?" "Hmm. I think so." "Then, can I ask you something?" "What's up?" When Fukamachi asked, Ryoko put her hands around the back of her neck and took off the turquoise necklace. "this." She put the necklace in the palm of her right hand and handed it to Fukamachi. "What is this for?" "Please return it to Mr. Hanyu. It must be very valuable. Because Angarin saw this turquoise and seemed to know who I am. Angarin remembered it, which means that it may have been worn by his relatives thing." "is this okay?" "Ok." "I see--" Fukamachi took the necklace from Ryoko. then-- So Ryoko went back by plane. Fukamachi checked into the hotel again. Call someone in Miyagawa, Japan. "I saw Hanyu." Fukamachi said to Miyagawa. Let alone the complicated things. Tell Miyagawa briefly. "Joji Hanyu wants to do something earth-shattering this winter!" "What's up?" "Climbing the southwest face of Mount Everest alone without oxygen in winter." Fukamachi fully anticipated Miyagawa's reaction and said. "what!" "Hanyu wants to conquer the southwest face of Mount Everest alone without oxygen in winter!" "What did you say!" Miyagawa turned up the volume. Of course, Miyagawa also understood the meaning of this sentence. "No way?" He denied it. While denying it himself, he asked in a rough voice: "Is that really the case?" "That's right." Fukamachi said. "Can you wire me the money—?" "How many?" "1500000." "why?" "I don't know where I can climb, but I plan to bring my camera and follow Hanyu as closely as possible." "Ok……" "Light tents, food, negatives. Depending on the situation, maybe porters and Sherpas." No expense was spared. Although it is probably impossible to climb 8,000 meters with Hanyu, Fukamachi wants to set out fully armed, from crampons, ice sticks to underwear and other equipment. And you have to buy food. "How do you get into Mount Everest—?" Miyagawa asked Fukamachi. "Enter the mountain with a trekking pass. Others just take one step at a time." "One and a half million." "Take it as a reward for success. I will write you an IOU first. If it fails, I will pay for it. If it goes well, pay me that amount." It doesn't matter if you don't get paid. In short, what I need now is money. It doesn't matter if no one wants to buy it.Because this is your own problem. "Fine. I'll send you the money anyway. Use it as you please." Miyagawa said. A staff member of a travel agency I know wants to bring tourists to Nepal, and Miyagawa will exchange 1.5 million in U.S. dollars and send it to that person. Fukamachi exchanged 1.5 million yen in dollars from that person in Kathmandu. Fukamachi received US dollars and bought all the necessary items from "Ganesha" and Tami's mountaineering supplies store. Sleeping bags, underwear, tents, winter clothing, crampons, climbing ropes—— In addition, in addition to the headlamps I already have, I bought everything from universal pots, socks, food, and even emergency food reserves in Kathmandu. Shenmachi went to Journey to the West to buy a ticket from Kathmandu to Lukla, and prepared three oxygen cylinders. After everything is ready, depart from Kathmandu. Set off alone. And now— Walk alone. A turquoise necklace hangs around her neck. Walking step by step at the bottom of the dark valley, crawling towards Nanqi Market. Fukamachi thought, probably in time. I had left more than half a month later than Hanyu. Has Hanyu arrived at the base camp, where did he start?Will one's own behavior draw the end in vain? no such thing-- Fukamachi dismissed his thoughts. Because Hanyu said that he would climb to the summit alone in winter. As far as records go, there are rules for being recognized as having summited in winter. Of course, there is no legal provision, it is an unwritten rule in the mountaineering industry.Although it is an unwritten rule, it is quite strict. In other words, to be officially recognized for summiting Everest in winter, that mountaineering must have occurred after December.The climbing behavior mentioned here refers to climbing from the base camp. The height of the base camp is about 5,300 meters above sea level.Climbers are not allowed to climb that height until December.If you climb up from the base camp before December, that is, in mid-November, you will not be recognized as climbing to the summit in winter, and it will be regarded as a mountaineering act at the junction of autumn and winter. The line is base camp. As long as you don't climb up from base camp, you can do any prep there. This is the reason why Fukamachi thinks that Hanyu probably hasn't started climbing yet. So, what is he doing—? Probably doing highland training. He must have been climbing the nearby 6,000-meter peaks and 7,000-meter peaks for altitude acclimation training, so as not to exhaust his energy. If you want to go where Hanyu wants to go, you have to get used to the altitude in advance. Symptoms of altitude sickness will probably appear from the area around Nanqi Market, which is above 3,000 meters.It was the same last time. This time in Kiso Koma, Japan, I got used to the altitude of 3,000 meters. However, symptoms of shortness of breath and mild headaches have developed.Maybe this time the physical condition is worse than last time. The slope gradually becomes steeper. It should have reached the same height as yesterday's Lukla. As the altitude increased, uneasiness also emerged from Fukamachi's heart. To what extent can your body adapt to the height? When climbing the Himalayas, one must face altitude sickness. A disease caused by oxygen becoming scarce. Generally speaking, once the height of Mt. Fuji exceeds 3,000 meters, the amount of oxygen is at most only about two-thirds of that on the flat ground.At 5,000 meters, it's about half.At more than 8,000 meters, at places like the summit of Mount Everest, only one-third of the flat land remains. Once it rises and the oxygen level gradually decreases, what symptoms will the human body produce? Fatigue comes first.Feel tired right away.Then came the headache.Head throbbing, nauseated.Vomit from time to time.Loss of appetite, the body refuses to accept food.Therefore, more and more tired, physically weak. In the next stage, the symptoms are more severe. Fundus hemorrhages can occur and the eye becomes blind. Pulmonary edema-that is, blisters and fluid accumulation in the lung cavity, and every time you breathe, you will hear the sound of snoring.At this point, if you don't descend to a place with higher oxygen concentration sooner, you will die. The brain can produce the same symptoms. Cerebral edema -- Begin to see hallucinations, hear auditory hallucinations, and cannot distinguish reality from hallucinations. Last time, Fukamachi himself was in a state of being unable to think normally, and threw the lens that had just been replaced after taking a photo into the bottom of the valley. He finished a roll of negatives, changed lenses, and threw away the lenses that had been removed from the camera body.It's over.This lens is no longer needed.If you don't have a camera, you don't have to do this kind of hard work-- Fukamachi thought so much, he didn't even want to hold that lens for a second. Being in an environment where the oxygen concentration is less than half of the flat ground, just focusing and pressing the shutter makes me breathless.Hold your breath briefly when you press the shutter.As long as the momentary breath-holding state lasts for just two seconds, I will be out of breath after pressing the shutter. After pressing the shutter, let out a purring sound to breathe. The pain is so painful that there are stars in my eyes. For two or three minutes before returning to normal breathing, it was just repeated rapid breathing in pain. The same goes for sleeping in a tent. When you are awake, you take in more oxygen because you consciously speed up your breathing. Hemoglobin in the blood carries oxygen and manages to maintain health.But as soon as you fall asleep, your breathing rate will return to its original state.As a result, the amount of oxygen that heme can take in is limited, and people feel pain and wake up frequently in the middle of the night. Because of the pain, I flicked my hands on my face, cried out, opened my eyes, and breathed disorderly repeatedly. It felt like I was in a nightmare, being choked to sleep. Everyone is in the dark tent, enduring the anxiety and pain. If you accidentally complain, you will be removed from the top attack team. endure.Mountaineering requires a strong will. The altitude at which you experience symptoms of altitude sickness varies from person to person.Even if it is the same person, it will be affected by the physical condition at that time, resulting in different altitudes for the occurrence of altitude sickness. People with physical strength are not necessarily prone to altitude sickness. At the height of the mountains in Japan, there are often cases where people who claim to be energetic and active cannot even reach the base camp that is slightly over 5,000 meters and turn back. At places exceeding 4,000 meters, there are not a few people who died suddenly due to altitude sickness. The person who was alive and kicking before yesterday couldn't get up in the tent the next morning, and he didn't respond to calls.I wondered what was wrong with him, and looked into the tent, only to find that he had turned into a cold corpse in the sleeping bag-this kind of thing happened all day long. Therefore, in order not to suffer from altitude sickness, you need to work hard. The height raised in one day must be within 500 meters. And you have to climb up to 700 or 800 meters first, stay at that height for a while, and finally descend to the point where you only ascend 500 meters, and camp there. Then do the same thing again, go up and down repeatedly, let your body get used to the height gradually.This practice is the basic rule of climbing the Himalayas. From above 7,000 meters, oxygen is used. Carrying an oxygen cylinder, wearing a mask, and breathing concentrated oxygen. Still, the effects vary. The physical strength necessary to carry a heavy oxygen cylinder and the effect of the concentrated oxygen in the oxygen cylinder to make breathing easier will cancel out, so some people think that the result is the same. In order to maintain strength, oxygen is only used at night when sleeping, or it is used to treat people with altitude sickness-and there are teams doing this. Not sure which is the correct way to do it. No matter how smoothly you adapt to altitude, you can't move as freely as you do on flat ground. Once you exceed 8,000 meters, every time you take a step, you have to pant for nearly a minute, and then take the next step, repeating this action endlessly. The upper limit of altitude that humans can adapt to varies from person to person, but it is generally considered to be over 6,000 meters. In other words, even if you adapt to the altitude smoothly, once you exceed that altitude, you will gradually lose your energy if you just sleep without doing anything. If you stay at an altitude of more than 6,000 meters for a long time, a large number of brain cells will gradually die. For living things, climbing the Himalayas is equivalent to being at the limit all day long. jet stream. The air is forty degrees below zero. If the wind blows, the body temperature will drop further. snow. avalanche. There are few places on earth that are so harsh. Fukamachi thought, can his body and mind endure these things? Climbing while thinking. No matter what, I have to see Hanyu again. Meet Hanyu, and follow him as hard as he can to take pictures. That is what I insist on now. unforgivable. Fukamachi had that idea. What can't be forgiven? Who can't forgive? do not know. He didn't even know that the person he couldn't forgive was Hanyu or himself. However, Fukamachi felt that she couldn't forgive. How can you lose? An indescribable anger. high temperature. Fukamachi's actions are driven by the passion in his body. Finally came to the place where the sun shines. Finally climbed up the ridge. Fukamachi looked up. On the opposite side of the slope to the right, distant white rock peaks glistened in the sun. Familiar white mountain cones. The only place in the world. The summit of Everest appears there. A heart-wrenching, sad strong emotion hit Fukamachi. Nanqi Market—— The altitude is 3,440 meters. The confluence of two V-shaped valleys formed by the Milk River in the east and the Hutekexi River in the west is the Nanqi Market.Nanqi Market is the economic center of the Khumbu area located in the Everest Mountains. It is located at the foothills of the holy mountain Kumbila Mountain. It is a famous Sherpa village. The population is about one hundred households.Stone-built white-walled houses are densely clustered on the horseshoe-shaped mountainside like a courtyard. When it comes to Sherpas, most people only know about them as job titles such as porters, but this refers to the Sherpas living in the Solo Khumbu area of ​​Nepal, which means the ethnic name of "Oriental people".They are mountain peoples of Tibetan origin. They are adapted to heights because they live in highlands. In the early 1900s, the United Kingdom attempted to conquer the giant peaks of the Himalayas and sent expeditions several times. At that time, the focus was on physical fitness and cardiopulmonary fitness to adapt to high altitudes, and Sherpa was hired as a guide or assistant. family. The British actively taught the Sherpas English and mountaineering skills, and provided mountaineering supplies.That became a tradition, and later expeditions to the Himalayas in various countries began to employ Sherpas.It can be said that without the Sherpa people, it is impossible to climb the giant peaks of the Himalayas. The establishment process of the mountain guide named Sherpa is partly the same as the formation process of the Gurkha regiment.Because both Sherpa and Gurkha are Nepalese, but both are professional groups that live for foreigners. Because Nanqi Market is close to the border of Nepal and Tibet, it was originally a village as a distribution base, but at the beginning, Nanqi Market was just a village of the Sherpa people.As the number of mountaineering teams and trekkers who came to climb Mount Everest increased, it gradually became the economic center of the Khumbu region. Although it can't be called a main avenue, there are several famous product shops on both sides of the street. Tibetan rugs. Colorful knitting. folk art. These items are lined up all the way from the store to the street, a dazzling array. Many foreign trekkers come and go there and visit the store.Most of them are whites from Europe and the United States, and Japanese probably account for 10%. Fukamachi walked among the crowd. The next step is to climb up the agricultural road that surrounds Nanqi Market.Fukamachi intends to go to Dawa Tsangpo's house, which is located on the mountainside near the agricultural road. Dawa Zangbu lived in the same era as An Jialin, and he is also a legendary figure of the Sherpa tribe. He has stood on the summit of Mount Everest three times.One of them was to take the traditional route to the summit in winter. In addition, including Cho Oyu, Manaslu, and Dhaulagiri, a total of four 8,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas stood on the top. Fukamachi intends to meet Dawa Tsangpo and ask him about the whereabouts of Anjalin and Bisalu sap. Where are they now—? It has been four days since I arrived at Nanqi Market. Near the center of the village there is a spring, which turns into a trickle and flows down into the Hutkexi River. Fukamachi pitched a tent in a field near the spring. During this period, it was not yet time to sow wheat, and it was too early to plant potatoes, so the fields were empty.As long as you tell the owner of the field and pay some money as a gift, you can freely pitch tents in the field. For the past four days, Fukamachi has been walking around energetically. From the day he arrived, he repeatedly went to climb the nearby hills, and then descended to Nanqi the same day. This is to prepare the body for moving from here to higher altitudes. In order to fully adapt to the height here. Because if you do that in advance, even if you have an accident due to altitude sickness above Nanqi, there will always be a way to treat it when you go down the mountain.Sangboche, directly above, has an airfield capable of taking off and landing Cessna light aircraft, as well as radio equipment capable of communicating with Kathmandu.When you really can't go on, you can call a Cessna light aircraft or helicopter by radio and go down the mountain to Kathmandu in one breath. Although I was out of breath, but fortunately, I got used to the altitude smoothly. Although I have a slight headache, I am in better condition than when I came this spring.The body remembers this height and seems to adapt faster than last time. We got used to this height in Kiso-koma in Japan. feel good. Fukamachi could feel the pitch-black energy sleeping at the bottom of his body like a beast.Sooner or later, if you go up further and squeeze out the last bit of energy, you will use that dormant energy. When I think of the height that I have to face next, I feel uneasy, but now the excitement seems to be more than uneasy.It stifles restlessness, seems to stir up some kind of passion within him. There is another reason to stay in Nanqi for a long time. To find out where Angarin and Bisalu sap are in the gaps of acclimatization. All kinds of information in the Khumbu area will be gathered in Nanqi Market.Fukamachi believes that if he asks around in Nanqi Market, where are the tiger Angalin and the Japanese Bisalu sap—these two people, he will definitely be able to find out the result. However, so far no matter who I ask, I get only vague responses. I know that Angarin lived in Nanqi Bazaar eight years ago. However, An Jialin is not in Nanqi now. He sold the house he lived in eight years ago, and he didn't know where he went, and his whereabouts were unknown-even if someone answered occasionally, it was just this kind of response. Eight years ago, Angarin's wife died. The people who inquired in Fukamachi said: It was probably that incident that made Angarin think of selling the house. So, where did An Jialin go after selling the house? No one answered this question. It's really strange. This is a small village. Almost everyone in Nanci knew each other.They know each other who lives in which family and how many children have been born in which family. Angarin used to live in the environment of that kind of customs and customs. There was no way he could just leave without telling anyone where he was going.Even if he didn't tell anyone, over time, news of where he lived would come out anyway.Those who are as famous as Angalin will definitely become the topic of people's gossip. Today, Angalin goes in and out of "Ganesha", a shop run by the Sherpa people in Kathmandu.As long as you ask a few strong Sherpas in Nanqi, you should be able to get some information. Fukamachi thought so. But there is no information. Weird. Everyone is ignorant but strange. Fukamachi even felt that it might be someone—such as Angarin himself or Hanyu Joji who sealed the mouths of everyone. If the other party is Japanese, you can try to infer whether you are lying or not from the changes in speech and attitude.However, once the other party is a foreigner with a different language, the subtle sense of language in the speech cannot be heard.What's more, the conversation is mainly in English, which is a foreign language for Fukamachi, and even for Nepalese, so it becomes more difficult to see through the deliberate lies of the other party. If it is a daily conversation, Fukamachi can barely converse in Nepali, but in this way, he will focus on understanding what the other party wants to say, and cannot test the meaning behind the words. But even so, Fukamachi also knew that something was wrong when the subjects of the questioning all answered the same answer. In the end, Shenmachi decided to visit Dawa Tsangpo, a legendary figure who was once as famous as Angarin and survived the Sherpa tribe. Dawa Tsangpo's home is located on a hillside, and he can almost see the Nanqi Market from a height. Not far away is the temple of Nanchi. Dawa Zangbu's house is built on the east side of the temple. The outer walls stacked with red bricks and tiles are painted white, and the roof is added on top. It is an ordinary house in Nanqi.In front of the house is a courtyard with benches made of old wood that look like benches.Seemingly weathered, the chair has grained wood that looks more like bone drained of all energy than wood. An old man sat on that chair, looking down at Nanqi's village. daytime-- Although there is sunlight, the skin can still feel a strong cold when the wind blows. Three chickens lingered at the old man's feet, pecking at the ground. Perhaps sensing Fukamachi stepping into the courtyard, the old man turned his face to Fukamachi. Fukamachi nodded to the old man and asked in English: "My surname is Fumachi, may I ask if this is Mr. Dawa Zangbo's residence?" "yes." The old man answered briefly in English. "Are you Japanese?" "yes." Fukamachi nodded and walked towards the old man. "Is there a problem?" asked the old man. "I want to see Mr. Dawa Tsangpo..." When Fukamachi said that, the old man smiled in surprise. "Oh, there is actually a Japanese who remembers the name of a person like the old man, and even made a special trip to see me..." "You are?" "I am Dawa Tsangpo." The old man nodded and looked directly at Fukamachi. Fukamachi stopped diagonally in front of the old man and stood still. The old man - Dawa Zangbu has a wooden crutch on the left side of his waist. "What's your business?" Dawa Tsangpo asked. He should have reached the age of seventy or so, but according to the Japanese sense, he looked over eighty years old. "If you know where Mr. Angarin lives now, I would like you to tell me." Fukamachi spoke bluntly. "Oh--" Dawa Tsangpo narrowed his eyes, stared at Fukamachi and said: "I heard that there are Japanese people investigating An Jialin's affairs everywhere recently, so it's you." "I think that's probably right." "Why do you want to inquire about Angarin's whereabouts?" Dawa Tsangpo asked Fukamachi why. "After listening to the reason, can you tell me?" "What's the meaning?" "Before this, I inquired about Angarin everywhere, but no one was willing to tell me. I thought, maybe everyone is hiding that matter." "You mean, everyone knows where An Jialin is but doesn't tell you?" "yes." When Fukamachi answered, Dawa Tsangpo smiled.Dawa Tsangpo just turned his face to the scenery of Nanqi with a smile on his face. "how is it?" Dawa Tsangpo asked while looking at the scenery. "You mean?" "As far as you are a foreigner, what do you think of Nan Qi?" Fukamachi couldn't figure out the real intention of Dawa Zangpo's question, so he answered hesitantly: "Here is a very poor village. At first glance, it looks very lively, but it is very poor. Not only this village is like this. The whole of Nepal is very poor. However, compared to other villages, Nanqi should be slightly better Well, but then again, appearances are not accurate." Dawa Tsangpo turned his gaze to the mountains. "look--" Following Dawa Tsangpo's line of sight, Fukamachi turned to the surrounding mountains. "Barely any trees, right?" "um, yes." Fukamachi nodded. As Dawa Tsangpo said, there are no trees on the surrounding mountains, and on the tea-brown mountain land, there are only short grasses barely growing here and there. Although it is in winter, it is still relatively small. "When I was a kid, there were trees. There were more trees. There were forests. But now, as you can see, it's a loess." Fukamachi listened silently to Dawa Tsangpo. "I have cut down trees myself. Most of them are used as fuel for our lives. Some are used as fuel for foreign mountaineering teams and trekkers. Mr. Fukomachi, do you know how much luggage is needed for a mountaineering team to enter Mount Everest and manpower?" "Know." Fukamachi nodded. Because not long ago, he had just experienced that. The process of packing in Japan and checking the luggage when moving collectively is so long that it becomes impatient. The total weight is about thirty tons. The porters who carried the luggage totaled nearly 2,000 people.Because not all luggage is transported by air. Porters spend half a month to a month to carry their luggage here from the suburbs of Kathmandu, or on the back of yaks. During the process, the porter wanted to eat. Players have to eat too. When preparing meals, the fuel used is firewood—that is, trees. Immediately after foreigners began to enter the Himalayas in large numbers, the trees dropped sharply from the mountains along the climbing routes.Even the living fuel of local residents is threatened by the massive felling of trees by foreigners. "Recently, even the locals have difficulty using trees as fuel. Having said that, cow dung alone is not enough. So what to do? You have to use gas or oil. However, gas and oil cost money. Nepal There is no money to buy fuel from foreign countries. In order to get that money, tourists have to be attracted to this country. Tourism in this country depends on the Himalayas and forests, which is this piece of nature. The more tourists come, the nature There is less landscape...No one can stop this vicious cycle. Except for firewood, once you think about many problems in Nepal, you will end up with the result that everything is caused by the poverty of this country." Dawa Tsangpo paused for a moment, and looked at the scenery of Nanqi again. Intellectually, Fukamachi also understood what Dawa Tsangpo said. Today, foreign hikers can no longer use wood as fuel because of regulations.It is stipulated that natural gas and petroleum fuels must be used. “我并不是在责备外籍健行者或登山队。他们留给这个国家许多外汇，我也蒙受他们的恩惠。我享有一定程度的荣誉，现在能像这样在这里安稳地生活，也是托他们的福——” 达瓦·奘布转而将视线对着背后的山坡。 “你看那里。” 深町望向那里。 山坡上有一块被绿意包围的四方形斜坡。 春天来的时候没有注意到，但那里似乎种着针叶树的树苗。 “日本人协助我们，像那样种了树。但是如你所见，那只是一小部分。还必须种更多的树，但我们许多国人，无论是在经济上或精神上，都没有余力为了三、四十年后的事种树。每天光是为了三餐温饱，就已经疲于奔命。” 达瓦·奘布说到这里时，深町感觉后背有人的动静，回头一看，眼前站着一名老妇人，手里用铝托盘端着两杯酥油茶。托盘角落堆着五、六颗看似水煮的小马铃薯。 “Namaste．” 老妇人满脸皱纹的脸上又多了笑纹，将托盘放在长椅上，又走进了屋内。 “我内人。” 达瓦·奘布说道。 “现在，我和内人相依为命。” "Where's the child?" “我有两个儿子，但他们不在南奇。他们去了加德满都，在那里工作。他们在英国人经营的旅行社上班，做口译和向导。两人都已经结婚生子了——” “他们不会回来这里吗？” “这里有工作的时候会顺便回家露个脸，但是很少回来。不光是我们家如此。许多南奇的年轻人都去了都市。一旦少了年轻人，就没有办法像从前一样放牧牛，移动到各座山去。许多人当外国人的向导或开名产店，从事观光相关的行业——” 达瓦·奘布握着拐杖把身子往右移，接着将手指搭上托盘挪动，在椅子上腾出能再坐一个人的空间。 深町看见他拉托盘的手指，吓了一跳。 达瓦·奘布用左手食指做那个动作，但那根手指从指尖到第二关节的部分不见了。仔细一看，左手手指中只有拇指完好，从小指到中指完全从根部消失了。 “要不要来这里坐呢？” 达瓦·奘布问道。 "it is good." 深町点点头，在达瓦·奘布的左边坐下。 达瓦·奘布似乎察觉到深町的视线，举起左手说： “这是因为冻伤。” 达瓦·奘布微笑道： “左手手指是在一九七二年，爬道拉吉利峰时失去的。包含双手双脚在内，我只有八根完好的指头。” "—" “跟随登山队的雪巴人——特别是从前的雪巴人，很少人所有指头都完整无缺。因为从前不像现在有好装备。” 达瓦·奘布以双手捧着茶杯拿起来，啜饮一、两口酥油茶。 他仿佛对那双少了手指的手引以为傲，并不试图遮掩截肢的手指。 骨头粗大的粗糙手指。 深町也拿起茶杯，啜饮酥油茶。 往旁边一看，达瓦·奘布放下茶杯，拿起马铃薯，手脚利落地剥皮。 扳了一小块放入口中。 深町也拿起马铃薯，没有剥皮直接咬。 马铃薯肉是黄色的，口感像栗子般松软绵密。 上头撒了磨碎的岩盐，岩盐被牙齿咬碎，和马铃薯融合出美味。 tasty. 深町再度心想：在这个超过海拔三千公尺、土壤贫瘠的环境下，竟然能种出这种小归小但如此美味的农作物。或者，正因为是在这种环境，才能种出这种味道浓郁的马铃薯呢？ “这种马铃薯原本不是尼泊尔的产物。是从别的国家进口的……” 达瓦·奘布忽然说道。 "Oh, yes." 深町也点点头。 马铃薯原本产于南美。 它先传至欧洲，再从欧洲传进了尼泊尔。 There was another silence. 沉默中，达瓦·奘布将目光对着南奇的风景。 街头的喧嚣随着冰凉的微风，从下面传上来。 达瓦·奘布好像在倾听那个声音。 “你有办法在这个国家生活吗？” 这个问题突如其来。 “在这个国家生活？” 深町迟疑了。 这个问题究竟是什么意思呢？ “你有办法和这个国家的女人结婚生子，住在这个国家吗？” 达瓦·奘布仍然眺望着南奇。 风吹动着达瓦·奘布的白发发梢。 于是，深町突然间懂了。 这个国家的贫穷、达瓦·奘布离乡背井去都市的儿子们，以及马铃薯…… 这些事情忽然在深町心中有了意义。 不知是刻意去理解，或者是在无意中明白，总之，深町明白了这位老雪巴人——达瓦·奘布在这之前说的话的意思。 这位老雪巴人在说羽生丈二的事。 “难不成，那是在说Bisalu sap的事吗？” 深町问道。 然而，达瓦·奘布没有回答那个问题。 “你有办法吗？” 他又问了深町一次。 深町把正要说出口的话吞回去，陷入沉默，然后开口。 “我没办法。” “你没办法？” "yes." “即使有了心爱的女人也没办法？” “是的。如果有了那种女人，我大概会想带她一起回日本吧。” “如果那个女人拒绝的话呢？” “我不晓得——” 深町的脑筋一团乱。 “换作这个南奇的话怎么样呢？你有办法和雪巴族的女人结婚，一辈子住在这个南奇吗？” “我还没有面临那种事情……可是，但是，我大概没办法吧……” 深町并不讨厌尼泊尔这个国家、喜拉玛雅山这块土地、南奇市集这个村落。 算是相当喜欢。 然而，那种心情是基于外国人，基于旅经这里的过客的立场。实际是否能够变成这个国家的人，在这里结婚，在这里生活，在这块土地入土，那就又另当别论了。 “我想，我恐怕没办法……” 深町老实说。 Ah. 达瓦·奘布微笑道： “你是个老实人。 “我也老实回答你吧。我和安伽林是朋友。我知道他离开南奇去了哪里，也知道他那么做的理由。另外，我也知道你刚才说的Bisalu sap这个日本人的事。可是，至于我要不要告诉你我知道的那些事，又是另一个问题。” "What do you mean by that?" “关于这个问题，有个实在一言难尽的部分。” “那该不会是在冬天无氧单独登顶圣母峰西南壁的事吧——？” 深町一说，达瓦·奘布露出了略为惊讶的表情。 “噢，你已经知道那件事啦——？” “我听Bisalu sap本人亲口说了。” “原来如此。可是，这件事——也就是他们接下来要尝试世上最伟大的登顶，在实现之前不想被人知道，事情并没有这么简单。” “那么，究竟是怎么一回事……？” “在我回答之前，能不能请你告诉我，你为什么想知道安伽林和Bisalu sap的事呢？” "it is good." 深町下定了决心。 “这件事说来话长，您有耐性听吗——？” “但说无妨。反正我时间多的是。如果你不嫌弃的话，能不能到我家里告诉我呢——？” 达瓦·奘布说完，拿起拐杖站了起来。 深町在达瓦·奘布的家二楼，和他面对面。 达瓦·奘布背对窗户，坐在靠窗的床上。 深町隔着小茶几坐在小木椅上，从他的位子看得见达瓦·奘布后背的窗户。 深町的左边——对达瓦·奘布而言是右边，有个灶，烧着柴火。灶边堆着木柴，几乎都是歪七扭八的灌木枯根。 干牛粪也堆在地上的水桶里。 灶上放着水壶，从那里传来水滚的声音。 闻着那个味道时，深町发现达瓦·奘布的目光注视着自己的脖子一带。 "That is?" 达瓦·奘布问深町。 "this one?" 深町一用右手手指抵着它，达瓦·奘布便说： “那是安伽林的妻子曾经戴过的。” 一间朴素的房间。 深町背后的一整面墙摆了柜子，放着无数大大小小的铜斧、铜锅，以及餐具类的物品。 阴暗的房内，铜制的锅子和餐具受到来自窗外的光线映照，发出偏红的黯淡光芒。那些锅子和斧头上，刻着类似中国所说的雷文、西藏独特的花纹。 还有放主食糌粑的容器。 除此之外，还放着塑胶罐、塑胶桶、油灯及油灯罩。日常生活中的琐碎杂物也放在柜子里。 火焰和烟的气味也浓浓地溶入了房间的空气中。 但是味道并不令人讨厌。 "yes." 深町点点头。 “我不晓得你是怎么得到它的，但既然你有那个，我就得注意听你说了。请说。” "it is good." 深町点点头。 “您知道马洛里的事吧？” 深町问达瓦·奘布。 “我当然知道在Sagarmatha下落不明的英国登山家的事。” “您也知道Bisalu sap手上有马洛里曾经拥有的相机吧？” "Ok, I know." 深町听到达瓦·奘布的回应，兀自点头道： “其实，我是今年春天来自日本，企图登顶圣母峰的登山队成员。” “那支有两个人因意外而丧命的队伍吗？” "yes." 深町以上排前齿轻咬下唇。 “回程途中，我在加德满都发现了马洛里的相机。” Well, that's right. 回想起来，当时展开了这趟漫长的旅程——深町心想。 当时，遇见那台相机，自己卷入某件事，遇见羽生丈二，于是现在和这位老雪巴人面对面。 为了这件事，自己至今花了多少时间和精力，移动了多远的距离呢？ “地点是'Sagarmatha'这家店……” 深町依序娓娓道出。 像是要亲自确认似地，仔细诉说至今发生的事。 也说了马洛里的相机的价值、它被人从饭店偷走，羽生出现把它拿回来，以及马尼库玛的事、纳拉达尔·拉占德拉的事。 也说了在日本调查羽生的事。 虽然没有提到自己和加代子的事，但也说了羽生在大乔拉斯峰的事，以及长谷常雄的事。 深町告诉老雪巴人，自己再度来到尼泊尔的来龙去脉，以及岸凉子的事。 达瓦·奘布能像英国人一样以英语对话，懂的日语也比深町会说的尼泊尔语多。 基于工作性质，达瓦·奘布拥有许多接触外国登山队的经历。 深町也说了岸凉子在加德满都被绑架，和羽生一起救出她的事。 以及岸凉子独自一人回日本的事。 也说了自己在飞机即将从加德满都机场起飞之前，下定决心留下来的事。 花了一个多小时，才从头到尾说完一遍。 达瓦·奘布的妻子也坐在稍远的椅子上，静静地听着深町说。 交代完毕，深町说： “这就是我现在能说的所有事情……” 达瓦·奘布不时简短发问，或在难以理解的地方插嘴，但在深町说话的过程中，他几乎不说自己的意见，只是侧耳倾听。 深町一说完闭口，达瓦·奘布便嘟哝道： “原来你说想拍Bisalu sap的照片，是这么回事啊……” “是的，但不光是如此。” "What do you mean by that?" “我对Bisalu sap——羽生丈二这个男人本身感兴趣。就算没办法拍照，我也想看看那个男人怎么独自一个人爬冬天的西南壁。我也想知道他发现马洛里的相机的经过。除了拍照之外，也是为了我自己——” 深町低着头如此说道，然后抬起头来，看着达瓦·奘布又说： “——为了我自己，我想和羽生丈二见面，见证他想做的事。” “为了你自己吗——？” 达瓦·奘布嘟哝。 "yes." “可是，他说不定会拒绝。” “他大概会拒绝吧。” “即使如此，你也要那么做吗？” "yes." "—" “我并不打算阻碍他想做的事。我也不想帮他忙，或者被他帮忙。不过，我想在自己的体力和技术容许的范围内，跟着羽生，亲眼见证他要做的事。” 深町直截了当地说。 "I see." 达瓦·奘布点点头。 “你已经知道许多事了。也和Bisalu sap见了好几次面。好吧。我就说出我能告诉你的事吧。反正你去基地营，应该就会见到Bisalu sap。可是——” "But?" “关于我接下来要说的事，特别是关于在冬天登顶Sagarmatha，我希望你别告诉别人。” “那当然。可是为什么呢？” “因为Bisalu sap和安伽林接下来想做的事，违反尼泊尔的法律。” "—" “如你所知，在尼泊尔，从今年起，每人收取一万美金作为登顶Sagarmatha的费用。不是针对是否能够登顶这个结果，而是对登顶人数设限制，然后事先对预定登顶的人数征收费用。即使登顶失败，那笔钱也不会退还——”