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

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, nodded to Ding Heng, and muttered a few 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... really only had a little bit of repair done?"

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. When fully charged, they can power the whole house for three days."

"Does your aunt usually live alone?"

“Well… my uncle passed away early, and my aunt was widowed early on. She doesn’t understand Chinese and is a devout Buddhist. My mother suggested that she move to Chengdu, but she absolutely refused, saying that she wanted to stay in her hometown. It just so happens that the house in her hometown needs 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 up. There are so many herders nearby. If you ask them to help clean up once, 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 was even more excited: "My mother had already integrated the herders from several nearby villages into a cooperative called the 'Qiangtang Plateau Pastoral Cooperative.' They graze their livestock and sell their livestock together. My mother has dedicated sales channels and processing plants. She doesn't have to worry about selling beef, mutton, dairy products, wool, yak wool, and more. The people below 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 mother mentioned it once before, 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 contributes to it.

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

The key is... responding to the policy!

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 sound

"You're still not convinced when I call you an incompetent fool?"

"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, "The big room on the second floor has a bathroom and hot water, but try not to shower for too long... It's not easy to get hot water here."

"know."

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.

"Boom, boom, boom."

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.

Chapter 235: Is the Prince a Living Buddha?

early morning.

Ding Heng was awakened by a rustling sound.

I opened my eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar Tibetan-style ceiling.

Turning her head again, Baima gripped the edge of the bed with both hands, rested her chin on the back of her hands, and stared intently at him with her big, round eyes.

Ding Heng raised his hand and flicked her forehead.

"Ouch!"

Baima covered her forehead and shrank back, muttering pitifully.

"You're bullying me first thing in the morning."

Why did you come into my room?

"Hmph...This is my house!"

"Does that mean if you stay at my house in the future, I can freely enter your room?"

"Whatever you want!"

"I……"