Why is the system taking my request to photograph a cosplayer seriously?

Chapter 235 Baima's Home

Ding Heng was busy until late at night afterward.

As the sun set, a few emergency lights illuminated the ruins.

Ding Heng sat alone by the roadside, his back damp with sweat, the night breeze making it sticky and uncomfortable.

"Brother."

Baima handed over chopsticks with her left hand and held a thermos in her right.

Lifting the lid, steam rises, and the aroma of beef broth is especially strong in the cold night air.

Ding Heng picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. It was quite salty, probably because he wanted to give the workers some salt.

"Where did it come from?"

"There are a few yaks that have been crushed to death. Why don't you all make soup and stew them? I'll bring some over to you."

Baima squatted down and asked, "Brother, what are you doing all alone? Everyone else is on the school playground. Aren't you going over there?"

Before the troops and firefighters arrived, Ding Heng had rescued quite a few people. Several of them had just come to Baima specifically to inquire about the situation and wanted to thank Ding Heng in person.

"No, I want some peace and quiet."

For Ding Heng, the strength he displayed today was excessive.

At the time, the situation was urgent and not many people paid attention; now, it's best to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.

Baima: "Brother, you are so strong."

"Is there?"

Ding Heng paused slightly while eating the meat.

Pema continued, "Like Dorje Chögyal."

"What the heck?"

"Vajrabhairava, the wrathful manifestation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, is infinitely powerful and mighty!"

"That's bullshit!"

Ding Heng shook his head helplessly.

Baima chuckled: "It's Grandpa Basang who's been talking about it everywhere."

"Basang?"

"That's the old man you saved for his grandson in the beginning, brother."

Ding Heng didn't say anything more. The old man's words might not be taken seriously by everyone, but Baima had also seen the scene of him exerting his strength.

After much hesitation, he decided to temporarily abandon the idea of ​​hypnotizing Baima and instead changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, your hometown is more developed than I imagined."

Ding Heng looked at the ruins in the distance, where the outlines of buildings were still faintly visible.

It is truly remarkable that a county town of 2.5 people can have such a modern town at an altitude of 4700 meters.

Baima sighed, "It's mainly because of the poverty alleviation policies! My mother also donated a lot of money to our hometown; she built the health center and primary and secondary schools in Qin County. It's just a pity—"

"What's a pity?"

"My mother wanted the villagers to live in better conditions, but the earthquake actually caused problems—"

"Thump."

Ding Heng raised his hand and tapped Bai Ma on the back of the head with considerable force.

He understood what Baima meant, and felt that if the old mud houses had remained, the casualties today might have been less.

Although earthquakes are frequent in the vicinity, most of them usually occur in uninhabited areas. Today is really unlucky. When the house was built five or six years ago, how could we have considered so many things?

"Ouch!"

Baima covered her head and looked up with a wronged expression.

"Did your brain get oxygen-deprived from being at high altitude?"

Ding Heng's expression was serious: "Keep one thing separate from the other. Why are you getting involved? Who can predict natural disasters or man-made calamities? If a house collapses, we can rebuild it. Stop being so dramatic!"

Baima covered her head and didn't dare to utter a sound.

"well----"

Ding Heng sighed and put down the thermos.

I don't know why, but this girl has been quite sentimental lately.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, his gaze sweeping over the ruins under the night sky.

The rescue efforts by firefighters and the military are still ongoing, and the cries of children can be heard intermittently from the makeshift tent area in the distance, though they are not very clear.

Ding Heng withdrew his gaze, then suddenly remembered something.

"Pema".

"Um?"

Where do you live?

Baima raised her head, her expression blank.

"My home?"

Baima stood up and pointed into the distance: "It's still quite a distance to get out of the county town. We'll cross that mountain, then another mountain, and then walk a bit further—"

"Alright, alright."

"

Ding Heng interrupted her gesture: "Isn't the county town your hometown?"

Baima withdrew his hand: "I grew up in a pastoral area. My father and mother were both herders. We lived in the pastoral area outside the county town from the beginning."

Later, my mother became wealthy and moved to Rizhao City, and then to Chengdu City—I rarely stayed in the county town. I went to school there for a few years when I was young, and occasionally came to buy some things, that was all.

Ding Heng was at a loss for words.

"Seeing you so sad, I thought your house had collapsed too."

"There's some affection involved—"

Baima sighed, "I went to elementary and middle school here, and made friends here. Although I've basically lost contact with them all, I still occasionally bump into a few familiar faces on the street. That feeling—you know what I mean?"

Ding Heng could roughly understand some of it.

He reached out and ruffled Baima's hair: "Alright, where are you staying tonight?"

Baima's eyes lit up: "Brother, would you like to stay at my house?"

"Your home?"

Ding Heng hesitated for a second: "Now? Is it convenient?"

"Um----"

"What's inconvenient about it?"

Pema patted the dust off her pants. "I'm going to find someone to borrow a car. Brother, wait for me."

Before Ding Heng could respond, Bai Ma turned and ran.

"————"

Before Ding Heng could call out to her, the little girl had already disappeared behind a group of tents.

About half an hour later, a slightly worn pickup truck drove from the direction of the county town and stopped in front of Ding Heng.

Baima leaned out of the driver's seat and grinned at him: "Get in!"

Ding Heng opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. He glanced at the aging car body and then at the blurred six-digit odometer reading.

Is it reliable?

"Don't worry, this car is very sturdy!"

Baima shifted gears and stepped on the gas, the wheels rolling over gravel as they drove out of the county town.

After leaving the county town, the road conditions worsened, and occasionally we would encounter vehicles traveling in the same direction and herders on horseback.

They all rushed to help after the earthquake and are now gradually heading back.

More than forty minutes later, the car headlights shone on an iron gate.

The iron gate was painted dark red, and the gateposts were made of bluestone, with a bronze lion perched on top of each post.

The metal lintel above the door is engraved with Tibetan script and the Chinese phrase "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things".

Ding Heng couldn't understand the Tibetan script, but the Chinese script was clearly the work of a master calligrapher, with powerful and vigorous strokes!

Baima honked the horn twice and shouted a sentence in Tibetan into the courtyard.

The iron gate opened automatically, its hinges creaking softly.

The pickup truck drove into the yard.

Ding Heng pushed open the door and got out of the car. He glanced at the car and was dumbfounded.

Directly opposite the courtyard gate is a three-story main building with exterior walls made of bluish-gray stone, the gaps of which are outlined with white lines, creating a clean and crisp look.

The windows are made of dark brown thermally broken aluminum, with intricate carvings inlaid in the window frames. The roof is a traditional Tibetan flat roof, with a prayer flag pole at each of the four corners, and the colorful prayer flags flutter in the night wind.

There is a slightly shorter annex on each side of the main building, with a symmetrical structure forming a "U" shape that encloses the courtyard. The courtyard has a hardened cement surface that extends to the horizon.

The light shone through the carved wooden windows of the main hall, casting a warm glow on the courtyard.

Ding Heng could even vaguely see a complete set of mahogany furniture placed against the wall in the main hall.

"This...is your home?"

Ding Heng turned to look at Bai Ma, his face filled with astonishment!

Bai Ma scratched her face, looking a little embarrassed: "Well—my family used to be quite dilapidated. Just a few mud-brick houses, and the courtyard wall was just a fence. Later, my mother made some money and felt that we should at least have a place to call home, so—she renovated it a bit."

"a little?"

Ding Heng's tone was subtle.

"Just—" Baima held up her thumb and forefinger, gesturing, "Just a little bit."

Ding Heng turned his gaze back to the three-story stone building.

The Tibetan Plateau is short of resources. To build a house like this, the building materials have to be transported from hundreds of kilometers away, and the cost is at least two or three times that of the inland areas.

Needless to say, the prices charged by construction teams that can stay in such places are far higher than those in inland areas.

Footsteps came from the direction of the main hall.

A woman in her forties walked briskly down the steps, wearing a simple sweatshirt, her hair braided and coiled on top of her head, secured with a large turquoise hairpin.

"Pema!"

The woman called out softly, uttering a string of Tibetan words, her expression one of extreme excitement.

Pema replied to her in Tibetan, speaking just as quickly.

After the two whispered back and forth for a long time, the woman finally turned her gaze to Ding Heng and carefully looked him up and down.

Ding Heng neither dodged nor made any attempt to impress, allowing the woman to scrutinize him.

Baima gave a few words of introduction in Tibetan, then withdrew his hand and pulled Ding Heng over.

"Brother, this is my aunt, Yixi Cuo."

Then they turned to the woman and spoke Tibetan.

"Aunt, this is Ding Heng."

Yixi Cuo smiled slightly, and Chong Dingheng nodded, muttering a few more words in Tibetan.

Baima translated: "She said—thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course."

Ding Heng nodded politely.

Yixi Cuo turned and walked inside, and Baima pulled Ding Heng along to follow.

Stepping into the main hall, a warm feeling washes over you.

The interior decoration is quite modern, but there are still many Tibetan styles.

In particular, against the wall on the right is a huge cabinet, painted deep red, with gold and silver embellishments on the cabinet doors, and painted with the Eight Auspicious Symbols.

Several bronze statues were displayed on the counter. Apart from the Buddha, which was relatively easy to recognize, there was also a guardian deity that Ding Heng did not recognize, with a ferocious face.

Ding Heng looked around and continued teasingly, "Your house—did you really only have it slightly repaired?"

Pema playfully stuck out her tongue and introduced, "This house was designed by a Tibetan designer that my mother hired. The main building has three floors, plus two annexes, and the layout is still Tibetan. But it has underfloor heating, constant temperature water storage, and an independent power supply system. The solar panels are in the backyard, and the batteries are on the basement level. A full charge is enough for the whole house for three days."

"Does your aunt usually live alone?"

"Well—my uncle passed away early, and my aunt was widowed at a young age. She doesn't speak Chinese and is a devout Buddhist. My mother suggested that she move to Chengdu, but she absolutely refused, saying she wanted to stay in her hometown, since the house there also needed someone to look after it."

The plateau region experiences strong winds year-round, with winter temperatures dropping to minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius. The ultraviolet radiation is extremely strong, and there are many wild animals. The air is incredibly dry, yet the groundwater is damp, leaving the floors constantly wet.

No matter how well a house is built, it will deteriorate very quickly once no one lives there.

Solar panels and batteries, in particular, are prone to freezing, cracking, and wire breakage.

In addition, deep well pumps, insulated water towers, water pipes, etc., will crack or burst when they freeze solid in winter, immediately paralyzing the entire water supply system.

Ding Heng then asked, "Can your aunt manage living in such a big house all by herself?"

"Brother, are you stupid?"

Baima mocked, "Auntie can hire someone to clean. There are so many herders around. If you ask them to help clean, you can earn several thousand yuan in pocket money."

Ding Heng rubbed his temples, gave a wry smile, and admitted that he hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.

Are there many herders in the area?

"There are many!"

Baima's enthusiasm grew even higher: "My mother had already integrated the herders from several nearby villages into a cooperative called the Qiangtang Plateau Pastoral Cooperative." They graze livestock and sell their livestock collectively. My mother has dedicated sales channels and processing plants, so beef, mutton, dairy products, wool, and yak wool—there's no worry about sales. The people working there just need to do their jobs well and receive their dividends on time."

"It's quite a large scale, isn't it?"

Total Assets —

Baima tilted his head in thought: "My mom mentioned it last time, the total assets of the entire Qiangtang Plateau Pastoral Cooperative are about four or five small goals?"

Ding Heng did some mental calculations and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Four or five small goals may sound daunting, but they mostly represent the assets of herders.

For Quzhen now, the entire Qiangtang Plateau Pastoral Cooperative is not a particularly valuable asset, and the dividends she receives each year are probably less than the amount she invests.

Moreover, highland animal husbandry is definitely a high-risk industry.

The key is the response strategy!

Ding Heng turned and stared at Bai Ma.

Pema asked awkwardly, "W-what are you doing?"

Ding Heng sighed deliberately, "I was thinking, how come Auntie is so capable, but her daughter is such a good-for-nothing?!"

Bai Ma's smug smile vanished instantly, and she raised her hand to punch him.

"You stinking brother, what do you mean by this?!"

"Literal meaning."

Ding Heng turned his head to dodge, but Bai Ma persisted, raining blows on him with her little fists, which didn't hurt him at all.

Suddenly, Baima slipped and fell forward.

Ding Heng reached out and pulled her down onto the sofa, then grabbed her wrist and pinned her firmly beneath him.

Bai Ma was completely unable to break free and was about to continue resisting when Ding Heng's slap landed decisively on her buttocks.

"Snapped!"

A crisp voice rang out, "You're still not convinced when I call you a good-for-nothing?"

"Ugh—let go!"

"Don't loosen it!"

"I----"

Bai Ma's voice rose half an octave, and then she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs.

Yixi Cuo came downstairs, carrying two bowls of butter tea, steaming hot.

Bai Ma quickly struggled out from under Ding Heng, sat up properly, her face flushed.

Yixi Cuo seemed not to see it, and after putting down the butter tea, he said a few words in Tibetan in a gentle tone.

Baima responded repeatedly, her tone obedient.

Yixi Cuo nodded, turned and went upstairs, her footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Bai Ma breathed a sigh of relief, turned around to face Ding Heng, and her expression returned to its previous liveliness, but her cute little face was still flushed pink.

"Your aunt said the room is ready and you can go upstairs to rest."

"Please thank her for me."

"oh----"

Baima responded and then added, "There's a bathroom and hot water in the big room on the second floor, but try not to shower for too long—it's not easy to get hot water here."

"Know.

9

Ding Heng patted her head, turned around, went upstairs, and entered the room.

After a quick wash and changing into a clean T-shirt, I was just about to lie down when there was a knock on the door.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Ding Heng got up and opened the door.

Baima stood outside the door, her face clean, her skin fair and supple.

"What's wrong now?"

"Goodnight, brother. Also—"

Bai Ma stood on tiptoe and gave Ding Heng a crisp kiss on the cheek.

"I'm not an idiot!"

After she finished speaking, she turned and ran, her footsteps quickening until she disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Ding Heng stood frozen at the doorway, reached out to touch the cheek where he had been kissed, shook his head, and gently closed the door.