Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

Chapter 234: 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 replenish the salt for the workers.

"Where did it come from?"

“There are a few yaks that have been crushed to death. Let’s make soup and stew them. I’ll bring some over to you.”

Baima squatted down and asked, "Brother, why are you 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, we should try 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's the matter?"

"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 has also donated a lot of money to our hometown. She donated to build 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 have better housing, but the earthquake actually made things worse…”

"Boom."

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 mud-brick houses were still the same as before, the casualties today might actually be less.

Although earthquakes are frequent in the area, most of them usually occur in uninhabited areas. Today is really unlucky. When the house was built five or six years ago, no one would have thought of so many things.

"Ouch!"

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

"Is your brain suffering from altitude sickness?"

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.

"Ugh……"

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".

"Ok?"

Where do you live?

Baima raised her head, her expression blank.

"My home?"

Baima stood up and pointed into the distance: "There's still a distance to go before we leave 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?"

"Um……"

Baima withdrew his hand: "I grew up in the pastoral area. My father and mother were both herders. We initially lived in the pastoral area outside the county town. Later, my mother became wealthy and moved to Rizhao City, and then to Chengdu... I rarely stayed in the county town. I went to school for a few years when I was a child, and occasionally came to buy some things, that's all."

Ding Heng was at a loss for words.

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

"There's some emotion involved..."

Baima sighed, "I went to elementary and middle school here, and made friends here. Although I've basically lost contact with them all now, I can 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?"

Bai Ma's eyes lit up: "Brother, do you want to stay at my house?"

"your home?"

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

"What's inconvenient about it?"

Baima patted the dust off her pants. "I'll go find someone to borrow a car. Brother, wait for me."

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

"Eh..."

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 beam above the lintel 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 delicate 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.

On either side of the main building is a slightly shorter annex, symmetrically structured in a "U" shape that encloses the courtyard. The courtyard is paved with cement and 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 live in pretty bad conditions. There were 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.”