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

Chapter 238 Daughter of the Snow Mountain (Please Subscribe!) (Please Vote!)

early morning.

Ding Heng opened his eyes and subconsciously looked down.

Bai Ma curled up against his chest, her brows relaxed, looking adorable.

Ding Heng lay quietly for a while, feeling the warm little body in his arms.

"Pema".

Ding Heng lowered his head and called out softly.

Bai Ma didn't move; her eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Bai Ma, get up."

Ding Heng called out again and gently patted her cheek.

Bai Ma opened her eyes groggily and stared blankly into Ding Heng's gaze.

She blinked, then blinked again.

"Brother, shh—keep your voice down."

Bai Ma pressed her finger to Ding Heng's lips, glancing guiltily toward the door: "My aunt came back last night, don't let her hear me in your room."

Ding Heng pinched her fingers and moved them away, both amused and exasperated: "What are you afraid of?"

"How could I not be afraid?"

Baima propped herself up, her hair hanging down in a mess: "In my aunt's eyes, I'm a good girl. If she knew I was sleeping in the same room with a man, she would nag me to death."

Ding Heng laughed out loud: "You? A goody-two-shoes?"

"What, doesn't it look like it?"

Baima puffed out her flat chest and said confidently, "When my mom first went to Rizhao City, I was a very good girl at home!"

Ding Heng didn't respond, but instead asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Bai Ma yawned, then snuggled back into the covers and into Ding Heng's arms, pressing her face against his chest.

"fine."

After a few seconds of silence, Baima cautiously probed again: "Brother—when we get back to Xingcheng, if I can't sleep, can I come to you?"

Ding Heng sighed with difficulty, "Isn't that inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Pema looked up from his arms, her big eyes blinking innocently.

"You're my older brother. It's normal for my younger sister to talk to me when she can't sleep, and for me to comfort her and put her to bed."

"Normal what's normal?"

Ding Heng gently tapped her forehead: "Your brother is very busy tonight."

Bai Ma winced in pain, then pouted, but quickly put on a smile again, hugged Ding Heng, and whispered sweet nothings.

"Brother, please say yes! I promise I won't disturb you while you're doing your business. If you're busy, I'll wait in the room until you're done, then come find me."

Ding Heng was so flustered by her shaking that he couldn't do anything about it and sighed.

"Well—we'll see."

"What do you mean?"

"It depends on whether your sisters-in-law agree or not."

Baima leaned closer, lowered her voice, and gave off a "I'm super well-behaved" vibe.

"Then let's hide from them and not let them find us. Just for a little while, okay?"

'

'

Ding Heng was speechless.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Baima suddenly wriggled up half an inch and lightly bit Ding Heng's shoulder.

The force was light, like a kitten grinding its teeth.

"Bad brother."

After saying that, he immediately jumped out of bed, barefoot on the floor, slipped on his slippers, and ran to the door.

He ran to the door, then turned back and made a face at Ding Heng.

"I'm leaving!"

The door opened slightly, and Baima peeked out halfway into the corridor. After confirming that no one was there, she slipped out.

What I feared most came to pass; I had only taken two steps when I immediately bumped into my aunt, Yixicuo.

Eyes facing each other.

Baima stood rooted to the spot, her face instantly showing signs of guilt.

"Pema?"

Yixi Cuo called out in Tibetan, looking towards the door behind her, and asked in surprise, "You—came out of that room?"

Baima's mind raced, and she forced a smile: "Aunt, I... I just went to deliver something. My brother forgot his charger, so I brought it to him."

"Is that so?"

Yixi Cuo didn't ask any more questions and continued walking forward, stopping when he passed by Baima.

"The hot water is ready, let your friend take a shower too."

"Okay, okay."

Baima responded and quickly slipped into her room, closing the door behind her.

She leaned against the door and let out a long breath.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

Yixi Cuo arrived at Ding Heng's door and gently knocked twice with one hand.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Ding Heng had already put on his coat and went over to open the door.

Yixi Cuo stood at the door and handed over the hot water in her hand.

She nodded to Ding Heng and said a sentence in Tibetan.

Ding Heng didn't understand, but he could guess that it meant "bringing you water" or something similar, so he quickly took it with both hands and bowed slightly.

Yixi Cuo waved his hand, turned around and went downstairs.

Ding Heng retreated to his room and closed the door.

He noticed that Yixicuo's gaze at him just now had a somewhat ambiguous meaning.

Like curiosity?

Ding Heng shook his head, placed the basin on the table, wrung out a hot towel, and applied it to his face.

The two returned to Gaitan County, and it was already broad daylight.

The county town has changed dramatically compared to the day before yesterday.

The ruins have been mostly cleared, and rows of blue disaster relief tents have been set up on both sides of the street. People are coming and going in the tent area, and the atmosphere is orderly.

-

The government's response was not slow.

The first batch of supplies has been distributed to the disaster victims. Cotton quilts, military coats, instant noodles, and bottled water are neatly stacked in the temporary warehouse.

Ding Heng and Bai Ma walked along the main street and saw several soldiers in the distance carrying things onto a truck. Their movements were swift and efficient.

Upon arriving at the main area, a simple long table is set up at the edge of the tent area.

Several people who looked like cadres were gathered around a table, holding folders and blueprints, and were having a heated discussion, while Qu Zhen stood to one side.

"Mom!"

Baima called out and ran over.

Qu Zhen turned her head and saw her daughter, but her expression didn't change much.

"You're here?"

"Um."

Baima stopped in front of her and took a couple of breaths.

Qu Zhen looked her up and down, muttered a few words about her daughter as usual, and then turned her gaze to Ding Heng.

"Xiao Ding."

"Aunt."

"Thank you for your hard work these past two days."

"Of course."

The two exchanged a glance, and everything was understood without a word.

Qu Zhen withdrew her gaze: "Let's go, let's have a meeting. After all, Hengbai Capital has donated a lot of things, we need to figure out where they will be used."

Bai Ma immediately said sensibly, "I'll go for a walk."

Ding Heng reached out first and gently pressed down on her shoulder.

"Take Baima with you."

Qu Zhen paused slightly, turning back to glance at her good-for-nothing daughter.

Ding Heng reminded her, "After all, Auntie, you said it yourself, it's Hengbai Capital, isn't it?"

Qu Zhen smiled wryly: "Fine, let's do it together."

Bai Ma was completely bewildered, not understanding what Ding Heng meant at all.

Before she could ask any questions, Ding Heng had already pulled her along and followed.

The meeting was held in the largest military tent in the tent area.

The long table was filled with people on both sides, including county officials, fire and military leaders, officials from the civil affairs bureau and the health center, as well as some faces that Ding Heng had never seen before.

Qu Zhen sat down in her seat, with Ding Heng and Bai Ma sitting on either side of her.

Baima looked left and right, her youthful appearance standing out conspicuously among the serious faces in the tent.

The meeting began.

First, the county leaders reported on the disaster situation.

"As of now, the earthquake has resulted in the following damage to the entire county: collapsed houses, severely damaged houses, and the remaining houses damaged to varying degrees. All residents in the disaster area have been relocated to safe areas, and all relief efforts are proceeding in an orderly manner."

Then each department reported on its progress.

The health center said that all the injured have been admitted to the hospital, and the seriously injured have been transferred to higher-level hospitals.

-

The Civil Affairs Bureau said that the reserves of supplies are sufficient and the subsequent supply is guaranteed.

The military commander said the rescue work has basically ended and the next step will be to move into the post-disaster reconstruction phase.

When it came time to discuss the reconstruction plan, the atmosphere became delicate.

"The biggest problem right now is the funding gap —"

The county official in charge of finances flipped through the documents and spoke in a heavy, official tone.

Everyone turned to look at Qu Zhen, who had always been their benefactor.

Qu Zhen picked up the disposable paper cup in front of her: "I'll cover the costs of the school, the health center, and the water and heating facilities in the herder settlements."

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

The finance official began to mutter: "The reconstruction of the central primary school, including supporting facilities, will cost approximately 12 million. The reinforcement and equipment procurement for the health center will cost about 6 million. The activity rooms and cultural centers in several villages, added up to a total of 3 to 4 million. And then there's the repair of roads, water supply, communications, and other infrastructure—"

He concluded by giving a number.

Qu Zhen did not immediately express her opinion after hearing this, and turned her gaze to Ding Heng.

Ding Heng immediately replied, "If needed, Hengbai Capital can cover half, especially for school construction, where additional funding may be provided."

All eyes turned to him at the same time.

"Mr. Ding, are you sure?"

"Sure."

Ding Heng spoke calmly, without any grand pronouncements or feigned modesty.

The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly relaxed a bit.

Several cadres showed obvious joy on their faces, but due to the occasion, they all restrained themselves from showing it.

"That's great, that's great. Mr. Ding, Qu Zhen—don't worry, the county will fully cooperate with the procedures to ensure that the funds are used for their intended purpose and that every penny is spent wisely."

The topic quickly shifted to the reconstruction plan for the health center, with several people in charge discussing it back and forth, occasionally interjecting with confirmations about fund allocation and project progress.

Pema sat in the corner, barely saying a word from beginning to end.

She neither understood nor was very interested in the content of the meeting, and she didn't even know why Ding Heng had asked her to come.

I could only listlessly count the mineral water bottles on the table, secretly swinging my short legs under the table, and trying my best to straighten my back so that I wouldn't look like I was daydreaming.

After the main meeting, there was a smaller meeting that lasted for another half hour, during which the matter was basically settled.

Several cadres stood up one by one, expressing their gratitude with a long string of polite words.

It was nothing more than "Thank you, General Manager Qu, for your support of our hometown," "Thank you, General Manager Ding, for your timely help," and "The county will definitely do its job well and live up to everyone's trust."

Qu Zhen responded to each one, her tone flat and her expression unchanging.

Ding Heng nodded occasionally, replying with a "Of course."

As everyone gradually dispersed, only Qu Zhen, Ding Heng, and Bai Ma remained in the tent.

"Bai Ma, why don't you go out for a stroll?"

Qu Zhen put down her notebook and said in a calm tone, "I want to say a few words to your brother."

Baima glanced at Quzhen, then at Dingheng, and nodded knowingly.

"oh."

She jumped off the chair and ran out of the tent.

"Let's go for a walk too."

Qu Zhen got up and lifted the curtain, and Ding Heng followed suit.

After walking for a while, Qu Zhen suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Ding."

"Um.

""

"Your girlfriends called me several times the night before last."

Ding Heng paused slightly.

"Did they cause you any trouble?"

"What's the trouble? They're worried about you. They're all more anxious and panicked than the last. Especially that Lin Man, she was practically crying as she spoke, but she insisted on pretending everything was fine and seriously discussing things with me."

Qu Zhen sighed, "They are all good girls."

Ding Heng remained silent.

The two walked up a gentle slope, where the view became more open.

The entire town of Gaitan can be seen at a glance, with ruins, tents, busy crowds, and distant snow-capped mountains.

Qu Zhen stopped, put her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker, and gazed into the distance.

"Xiao Ding."

"Um.

""

Do you know how I started out?

Ding Heng thought for a moment.

"I heard Baima mention it a little, you guide?"

"Yes, tour guide."

Qu Zhen said calmly, "Back then, tourism in Tibet was just starting to take off, and I was working as a local tour guide in Rizhao City. The tourism market was very chaotic at that time. Tour guides didn't have a fixed salary; they relied entirely on shopping commissions. The bosses would give the tour guides red envelopes to encourage them to persuade customers to buy more things. I had only been there for half a year, but I was already the one who earned the most among my colleagues—all money earned through dishonest means."

Ding Heng did not respond.

The wind blew across the hillside, ruffling the stray hairs at Qu Zhen's temples.

She looked away and continued walking forward.

Ding Heng followed in her footsteps.

After the two walked a few dozen meters, Qu Zhen spoke again.

"Do you know what Gaitan County and this pastoral area mean to me?"

"What?"

"burden."

Qu Zhen bluntly stated: "Don't be fooled by the names of cooperatives and industrial bases. They sound nice, but in reality, we're losing money every year. We need money to build roads, greenhouses, veterinarians, and fodder—and the output is so meager that we can't even recoup our costs."

Some people say I'm foolish, some think I'm putting on a show, some think I'm nostalgic—but none of those are true.

"What is that?"

"I want to get a good night's sleep."

She turned to look at Ding Heng: "The bigger the business gets, the more money I make, the heavier my conscience feels. That's why I've come to believe in those things more and more. Living Buddhas, dzi beads, feng shui, fortune telling—I'm willing to spend any amount of money as long as it makes me feel at ease."

Ding Heng asked softly, "Will it work?"

"have no idea."

Qu Zhen sighed softly, "But it still allows me to get a good night's sleep occasionally."

Ding Heng asked with concern, "Does Auntie usually sleep poorly?"

"You slept quite well when you were with your dad, but unfortunately you've been having trouble sleeping lately."

"How about I try to talk to my dad for you?"

"Forget it, you can't force things, besides—"

Qu Zhen suddenly seemed about to speak but then stopped.

After hesitating for a while, she chose to ask the question directly.

"Xiao Ding."

"Um.

""

"Last night—you slept with Baima?"

"Bai Ma had nightmares and couldn't sleep at night, so I stayed with her for a while."

"Insomnia?"

"right!"

Ding Heng met Qu Zhen's gaze without the slightest hint of evasion or guilt.

"Just like you, Auntie, she feels guilty too."

Qu Zhen seemed to be escaping, turning her gaze back to the distance.

"You and your dad are worlds apart."

"What do you mean?"

"You're better at sweet-talking than your dad, and you're also more heartless than him."

Ding Heng coughed lightly, offering no rebuttal.

Qu Zhen withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to its usual calm.

"Let's go back to Xingcheng with Baima as soon as possible. This isn't a good place. We've been here for a few days, so that's enough."

"good!"

Below the hillside, Pema was squatting at the edge of the tent area, holding her mobile phone, surrounded by a group of children chattering away.

Ding Heng walked over and took a look; Bai Ma's phone screen displayed the interface for PUBG.

"Left, left, left! Someone's there!"

"Aaaaaah, I'm falling over! I'm falling over! I'm falling over!"

"Hurry, climb! I'll pull you up!"

Bai Ma's fingers flew across the screen as she gave commands.

The children next to her were even more excited, clenching their fists as if they wanted to rush into the screen and kill for Baima.

"Sister, how did you die!"

"High-altitude signal card, it's not that I'm bad at it, it's just that there's really no way to get it, you know that!"

Baima shifted the blame without changing her expression, then started a new game and handed the phone to the child next to her.

The crowd immediately surged over and stopped surrounding Baima.

However, some children who didn't like games still gathered around to listen to Baima brag about skyscrapers, subways, and amusement parks.

"Sister, what's a subway?"

"It's like an underground train. It's incredibly fast; it zooms to the next station in no time."

"Can it seat a lot of people?"

"Yes! One carriage can hold several hundred people."

"Wow—I'm going to take the subway every day from now on!"

The children exclaimed in amazement, their eyes sparkling.

Pema then talked about her school.

"Sister, is your university big?"

"It's huge! It's really huge! It takes half an hour to walk from the east gate to the west gate."

"Then I'll go to your university?"

"No, no, no, please don't!"

Why?

"I----"

Baima was speechless, and for the first time, she suddenly regretted not getting into a good university.

As the sun gradually sets in the west, twilight creeps in from the foot of the distant snow-capped mountains.

A campfire has been lit in the open space in the center of the tent area.

The firelight flickered in the twilight, casting intermittent light and shadow on the faces of those around them.

Several elderly herders sat around the campfire, holding prayer wheels and chanting prayers.

Several young people were adding firewood to the campfire, sparks crackling and leaping upwards, scattering and extinguishing in the night sky.

People gradually emerged from their tents and gathered towards the campfire.

The man wore a dark Tibetan robe with a red silk sash around his waist. The woman wore brightly colored Tibetan clothing, her hair braided and coiled on top of her head, adorned with turquoise and coral jewelry.

The Guozhuang dance is about to begin.

Ding Heng stood on the periphery of the crowd, hands in his pockets, his eyes searching through the crowd.

He is looking for Baima.

During dinner, Baima said she would give him a surprise tonight, and almost two hours have passed since then.

"Brother!"

Upon hearing the shouts, Ding Heng turned his head, his breath catching in his throat.

The robe is a deep navy blue, made of thick woolen fabric, with fine gold velvet trim along the edges. The collar and cuffs are embroidered with intricate colorful patterns in red, green, yellow, and blue, with every stitch revealing the exquisite craftsmanship.

A wide, colorful bonnet was tied around his waist, its stripes transitioning from deep red to dark green, gleaming with a calm luster in the firelight.

Her long hair was braided into countless thin braids that hung down from the top of her head, with small silver ornaments at the ends that made a soft rustling sound as she moved.

The brim of the lambskin hat on his head was turned up, revealing the brocade lining underneath.

The firelight reflected on the girl's face, bathing her features in a warm orange glow.

Holy and bright.

Like a saint descending from a snow-capped mountain plateau.

She belongs to this land.

No matter how far she goes, no matter how much she dislikes the climate, food, culture, and so on of this land.

Deep in her bones, she will always be a daughter of this land.

Baima walked up to Ding Heng, stopped, and looked up, the firelight dancing in her pupils.

"Is it pretty?"

Like other girls, she had asked Ding Heng similar questions more than once.

But this time, Baima was extremely nervous!

Ding Heng took a deep breath and spoke sincerely.

"nice."

"real?"

"real."

Bai Ma's lips curved into a smile, but she forced it back down.

"This was specially made for me by a tailor when I was in sixth grade. Since today is such a rare opportunity, I thought I'd wear it out to show you."

Ding Heng was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Pema".

"Um?"

"Can you still wear the clothes you had custom-made when you were in sixth grade?"

Bai Ma's smile froze instantly.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

Ding Heng suppressed a laugh.

"I just think—you've maintained your figure really well; you haven't grown much over the years."

Bai Ma's eyes widened.

"you----!"

She raised her hand to punch him, but this time Ding Heng didn't dodge.

The fist landed on his chest, but it didn't hurt or itch.

"You wicked prince! You stinking prince! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

Baima punched and cursed as she did so, her little face turning bright red.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."

Ding Heng grabbed her wrist. Bai Ma struggled twice but couldn't break free. She snorted and turned her face away.

"I can't be bothered to argue with you."

The Guozhuang dance officially begins.

The herders held hands and formed a large circle, circling around the campfire.

The steps are simple, one in front and one behind, one to the left and one to the right, gradually accelerating with the rhythm of the drumbeats.

There was no complicated choreography, no deliberate performance.

Bai Ma shoved Ding Heng into the crowd.

"Come, come, brother, you come too."

"I won't."

"It's okay, just follow the rhythm."

Ding Heng imitated the others, but his movements were stiff.

Pema stood beside him, her figure light and graceful.

The hem of her Tibetan robe swayed gently with her steps, the colorful stripes of her robe swirling in the firelight, and the silver ornaments at the ends of her braids jingled.

The drumbeats grew increasingly dense.

Their pace quickened.

The two siblings held hands, their palms warm.