From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I looked in the direction he was pointing and was startled.

A large, thick, dark cloud loomed over the horizon, rapidly advancing towards us along the mountain ridge.

The dark, heavy clouds made one feel depressed.

"Damn it, the blizzard is coming earlier than the forecast from command."

Wang Ge's voice turned somber, his brows furrowed deeply.

"We must find a sheltered spot to camp before the snowstorm fully arrives; we can't stay exposed on this open snow slope any longer."

Upon hearing this, Yangyang trembled uncontrollably.

The wind was gradually picking up, and the fine snowflakes were being whipped up by the wind, pelting against the mask with a crackling sound.

The white snowflakes, like a white cloth that keeps tightening, blur the distant mountain ridges into a hazy gray shadow in the blink of an eye.

It's impossible to tell where the mountains end and the sky begins.

The safety ropes binding us tightened instantly, and Yangyang's body trembled uncontrollably as waves of violent coughing surged up.

She clutched her chest, bent over, her shoulders heaving as she gasped for air.

But the thin air on the plateau can never be filled, no matter how hard you try.

Wang quickly scanned the undulating snow slopes around him, then shouted at me in a low voice:

"We can't push forward any further! Look for a hollow in the pile of rocks on the left to hide in!"

I nodded to Brother Wang, and he took off his heavy backpack and handed it to me, gesturing for me to take it first.

"I'll carry the backpack, you take the sheep over there."

At that very moment, I truly experienced what despair meant.

I've been into the no-man's-land with Brother Wang before and encountered bad weather, but that despair was completely different from what I'm feeling now.

The cold in the no-man's-land is a dry cold; the world is vast, and at least you can see the road ahead.

The wind and snow here are damp, making it hard to breathe, and everything is a vast expanse of white.

It felt like the three of us were the only people left in the world, and even our escape route was blocked by snow.

I squatted down and carried Yangyang on my back.

Her entire weight pressed down on me, and through her soaked coat, I could clearly feel her body trembling uncontrollably.

With each step forward, the snow reached above the calves, and beneath the snow lay a slippery layer of ice, making it easy to slip if one wasn't careful.

The safety rope tied around her waist would tug suddenly every now and then, the force of which made my shoulders ache.

I knew she was trying her best to hold on, but the pain in her lungs was beyond her control. Every time she coughed, her body, which was leaning against my back, would tremble violently.

The dark clouds overhead had covered half the sky, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Even wrapped in a thick windbreaker, the chill seeped into my bones through the seams of my clothes.

We stumbled and staggered towards the piles of jagged rocks.

Large rocks were piled up haphazardly, their crevices filled with thick, year-round snow, making them look precarious.

Wang gripped his snow shovel tightly and forcefully dug away the snow that had accumulated in the cracks between the rocks.

"Here! Come here quickly!"

He brushed aside the thick snow to reveal a stone hollow protected by a giant rock canopy.

The place was tiny; we could barely squeeze in the three of us.

The protruding rocks overhead can block most of the snow falling vertically, but the sides are drafty, and strong winds can still get in.

The blizzard came down completely, with clumps of snow falling without restraint.

We didn't dare delay, and together we helped the sheep, who was about to lose his balance, into the stone cradle.

As soon as she let go, she slowly slid down the cold stone wall, her back pressed against the rock, her chest heaving violently.

Wang quickly took off his backpack, pulled out the windproof cloth he carried with him, and deftly fixed the four corners of the cloth to the protruding rocks, hastily setting up a makeshift windbreak.

The wind slammed against the canvas, making it flutter loudly, as if it would be torn to shreds by the wind at any moment.

Wang Ge squatted down, gently placing his fingertips on Yang Yang's carotid artery. He lingered there for a few seconds, his brows furrowing into a tight knot.

"Your heart rate is too fast. If this continues, the situation will only get worse."

He looked up at me and said urgently, "Lin Ye, you stay here and try to keep the fire going. I'll go out and find some firewood. Make sure to keep a close eye on her and don't let her body temperature drop any further."

Wang Ge turned to leave, and my heart tightened. I quickly reached out and grabbed him.

"Brother Wang, the snow is so heavy outside, don't go out, it's too dangerous!"

"The few dry branches we have won't last long. Once they're burned, none of the three of us will make it through the night. Don't worry, I know the way. Go quickly and come back quickly."

Wang Ge broke free from my hand, lowered his body, and plunged headfirst into the swirling snow.

I watched his figure disappear into the snow and mist, and my heart felt heavy.

I recalled our previous trip to Lhasa, to the uninhabited area, which he chose to abandon because of the bad weather.

But this time, he did not back down.

Even though the wind and snow outside were raging fiercely, he was still willing to take the gamble and go out to find firewood.

We brought a small bundle of spare dry branches when we set off in the morning, which wasn't much to begin with.

I dared not think any further and quickly dug out all the remaining firewood.

Then, pick up a few small stones to mark out a simple fire pit on the ground, break off dry branches, and stack them layer by layer.

I took out my highland lighter and lit the tinder.

The humidity here was too high, and the wind kept seeping in through the cracks. I tried several times and finally managed to keep the flame steady.

Only when the fire was lit did a faint warmth begin to spread.

I turned my head to look at Yangyang, who was leaning against the stone wall. She was in very poor condition, with her eyelids drooping as if she might close them at any moment.

I didn't know what to say to comfort her; any words seemed insignificant in this desperate situation.

I could only call her name softly every now and then to keep her from falling into a deep sleep.

I turned around, took out the stove from my backpack, and planned to go out and collect some snow to boil a kettle of hot water for her.

Just then, a violent gust of wind, carrying a blizzard, crashed down upon us.

A stone securing the windproof cloth was overturned by the wind, and a corner of the cloth broke free of its restraints and was swept away by the gale, with snowflakes pouring into the narrow stone cavity.

To make matters worse, the loosened rock rolled down the cliff and hit me squarely on the forehead.

When I first bumped into it, I didn't even feel any pain, just a tingling, buzzing sensation in my forehead.

I didn't care about anything else; I first reached out and pulled back the remaining windproof cloth, then found a heavier rock to weigh down the corners.

As I walked out of the rocky hollow carrying my water bottle and bent down to fill it with snow, a drop of red fell with a thud onto the pure white snow.

The bright red against the white snow was so dazzling it hurt the eyes.

Then, the second and third drops fell one after another.

My heart skipped a beat, and I raised my hand to touch my forehead.

When I took my hand off, it was covered in blood.

The belated pain finally exploded, a dull ache drilling into my brain.

But I had no time to stop and tend to my wounds. I quickly filled the water bottle with snow, turned around, and crawled back into the rocky hollow.

I placed the kettle on the fire and added the last few twigs to the hearth.

The firewood is almost gone.

The flames in the campfire flickered, but Wang Ge had not yet returned.

The throbbing pain in my forehead came in waves, and my vision would occasionally blur.

All sorts of the worst thoughts kept creeping into my head.

What if Wang gets lost outside?

What if he steps into a hidden snow pit, or gets trapped by falling rocks?

With such heavy snow, will he be able to find his way back all by himself?