Chapter 45 Camp

I was dumbfounded. I just saw this place mentioned in Chen Wen-Jin’s notebook, but now it turned out that they wanted to go there too? I wasn’t quite sure how to react at first. They probably hadn’t read Chen Wen-Jin’s notebook, so how exactly did they know about this place?

“What’s wrong?” The Caucasian man asked me, seeing the strange look on my face. “You suddenly turned pale.”

“It’s nothing. The fear from earlier just finally caught up to me.” I immediately played it off, pretending like I was still trying to come to terms with what happened earlier. As he started to walk off, I followed him and asked, “What kind of place is Tamu-Tuo? What are you guys going to do there?”

“Tamu-Tuo? It’s a long story.” The Caucasian man looked at A Ning walking up front and whispered to me, “I’ll tell you later. Let’s see what those two guys brought back first.”

Judging by the meaningful look he was giving me, it seemed that A Ning didn’t want him to talk about these things. Receiving the message loud and clear, I immediately stopped asking.

Those who had heard the news rushed to tell the others in the camp. The noise woke up those who were sleeping, so we had to carefully make our way through the moving sleeping bags as we followed A Ning and the others.

The camp was very large. We bypassed the Land Rovers parked off to the side and saw another grouping of tents behind them. The largest dome tent was four or five meters in diameter, and must have been set up by the local people judging by the sign written in Tibetan that seemed to contain a list of rental prices. A Ning led us inside, where it was very warm. I saw a charcoal stove with a small chimney burning off to one side and a thick, colorful rug covering the ground. Later, I learned that the rug was called a “pulu”⁽¹⁾ and it was now very expensive. There was also a lot of old Tibetan wooden furniture, and some bales of fabric that hadn’t been woven into anything yet.

The atmosphere in the tent was very comfortable. A Ning sat down on the carpet as a Tibetan man who seemed to be the owner of the tent came in and poured us all a cup of butter tea. I also sat down and looked around at everyone.

The one thing that annoyed me the most was Poker-Face, who sat across from me and didn’t even look in my direction. All he did was lean back against a pile of felts and close his eyes, as if he were resting. Not everyone who had been in the van came into the tent, but some people I didn’t know followed us in, which made me quite uncomfortable. Out of all these people, the only ones I knew were Wu Laosi⁽²⁾ and the Caucasian; the others were unfamiliar faces.

After everyone sat down, A Ning placed the thing the sunglasses guy had brought out of the haunted building onto the low table in front of us.

It was a flat mahogany box. After opening it, we saw a blue-and-white porcelain plate inside, the left side of which was missing a palm-sized piece.

There must have been a hidden space under the coffin where this porcelain plate had originally been placed. But what was so important about it? Why would Poker-Face steal it? I couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

But just as I was about to crane my neck to get a better look at it, two people suddenly walked into the tent—a gray-haired old Tibetan woman and a middle-aged Tibetan woman. The old woman was as thin and wizened as Chen Pi Ah Si and looked to be in her seventies, but she was quite energetic and had sharp eyes. The middle-aged woman looked like your typical Tibetan.

As soon as the two of them entered the tent, the whole atmosphere suddenly changed. Everyone, with the exception of Poker-Face and the sunglasses guy, immediately sat up straighter and turned to look at them, especially the old woman. Two people even bowed respectfully to her, as if this old Tibetan woman had a high position here.

The old woman returned the bow and looked at us, especially me. Maybe it was because I was unfamiliar, but she returned her gaze to me a few more times before she sat down. A Ning picked up the porcelain plate and respectfully handed it to her while saying, “Grandma, please take a look. Have you ever seen this before?”

As soon as she finished speaking, someone translated it into Tibetan. The old woman listened and then took the porcelain plate and looked at it. After staring at it for a while, she started nodding her head and saying something in Tibetan. The translator began relaying her words back to us, and then several people started talking.

Although the conversation was sporadic, the translator seemed to be struggling a bit—not only was he not very proficient in Tibetan, but his Chinese wasn’t very good either. I tried hard to listen, but I couldn’t understand it at all. Eventually, I turned to Wu Laosi next to me and asked softly, “Who is this old woman?”

He didn’t answer me, but the sunglasses guy on my other side whispered to me, “Her name is Dingzhu-Zhuoma. She was Chen Wen-Jin’s guide back then.”

“Ah.” When I heard this name, things suddenly became a lot clearer. I was also surprised by the vast power A Ning’s company seemed to have. Not only did they know about Tamu-Tuo, but they also knew about this guide and were able to find her. Did that mean A Ning knew everything Chen Wen-Jin had gone through?

I knew from Chen Wen-Jin’s notebook that they set off from Dunhuang and entered the hinterland of the Qaidam Basin. She had also mentioned that they hired a Tibetan woman as a guide. I couldn’t help but touch the notebook in my pocket as I wondered what was going on. Did someone else read this notebook?

But I remembered that Chen Wen-Jin had written that the female guide didn’t take them deep into the basin. After crossing the northern part and entering the Qarhan region⁽³⁾, the female guide couldn’t find the way. In fact, there was no road to find. They eventually separated from the guide at a mountain pass and headed deeper into the basin by themselves. The final part of their journey took three weeks, but the Qaidam Basin covered an area of more than 240,000 square kilometers, so no one could say where they ended up.

It seemed that this old woman wouldn’t be of much help if A Ning and the others wanted to go to Tamu-Tuo. The most she could do was take them to the place where she and Chen Wen-Jin’s team parted ways.

As I was lost in my thoughts, the conversation between A Ning and Dingzhu-Zhuoma finally wrapped up. After exchanging goodbyes, the middle-aged woman helped the old lady out of the tent. A few of those present who also didn’t understand what was said started asking A Ning about it. A Ning, unable to hide her smile, said excitedly, “We were right! She said that this was the plate Chen Wen-Jin showed her back then. She also said that with this plate, she could lead us to the mountain pass where she and Chen Wen-Jin separated at that time.”

Several people broke into excited chatter, and the sunglasses guy asked, “When do we leave?”

A Ning stood up and said, “Today at noon. Everyone is going.”

The others also stood up and were about to exit the tent when the sunglasses guy asked, “What about him?” and pointed at me.

A Ning and the others turned to look at me, as if they had forgotten that I was there. A few of them looked at each other in bewilderment, but I just stared at A Ning, wondering what she would say.

To my surprise, she didn’t seem to care too much. After thinking about it for a moment, she pointed to Poker-Face and said, “Since he brought him along, he can take care of him.” Then she led the others out, leaving me, Poker-Face, and the sunglasses guy alone in the tent.

Sunglasses guy chuckled dryly, leaned against the pile of felts, lit a cigarette, and then looked at Poker-Face and said, “I told you that you were asking for trouble. You shouldn’t have let him in the van. Now what are you going to do?”

Poker-Face raised his head, glanced at me with indifferent eyes, and seemed to give an exasperated sigh before saying to me, “Go back. This has nothing to do with you. And don’t return to that sanatorium—the thing inside is too dangerous.”

I looked at him, suddenly feeling upset.

To be honest, I didn’t want to go with them to that shitty place anyways. I didn’t even know why A Ning and the others were so eager to go. I just wanted to know what Poker-Face did in the Heavenly Palace, and what was up with that horrible scene I saw.

So, I replied, “I’ll go back if you want. But you have to answer a few of my questions first.”

Poker-Face continued to look at me with those indifferent eyes before shaking his head and saying, “My affairs aren’t something you’d ever understand. Besides, I’m also looking for answers.” After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the tent without looking back.

I was so angry that I was shaking and almost vomited blood. I stared at his retreating back and suddenly wanted to rush up and strangle him.

The sunglasses guy sighed, patted me on the shoulder, and said, “There’s a bus here. It takes three hours to reach the city. Safe travels.”

Then he also walked out of the tent, leaving me standing there all alone. Everything around me suddenly became cold and desolate.

At this moment, I felt very embarrassed. It was like I had been looked down upon and tossed aside, an experience that left me feeling very uncomfortable. Just now, A Ning, Poker-Face, and that sunglasses guy were acting like they thought I was a dispensable person. This hurt more than any insults or hatred they could have thrown my way.

But the sunglasses guy had a point.

Thinking about it, A Ning’s team was about to set off, but then I ended up tagging along when they rescued me from the haunted building. It had been the result of an emergency, so they weren’t prepared to accommodate me at all. They also had no obligation to explain anything to me, so it made perfect sense that I go back by myself.

But I didn’t want to. Seeing all those people bustling around outside the tent and the preparations well underway, I suddenly felt my blood start pumping. What would I even do when I went back home? I wondered. Chen Wen-Jin, who sent me the videotapes, was at least one step ahead of me. She had been hiding for twenty years despite Uncle Three’s attempts to find her, so how exactly was I supposed to find her? Would I have to be like Uncle Three and look for her for another thirty years in order to solve this puzzle? No way.

What happened in the sanatorium was confusing, but there weren’t any clues except for Chen Wen-Jin’s notebook, which kept mentioning this “Tamu-Tuo” place. And now, the group of people outside were about to head there while I was going to buy a bus ticket and go home.

The only clue to this whole thing was in the notebook currently resting in my pocket, and it contained a hint that once you got to Tamu-Tuo, you would learn something.

What should I do, go back to Golmud? But what can I do there? Absolutely nothing.

“Take the initiative when doing things.”

My grandpa’s words suddenly rang in my ears, and I touched the notebook in my pocket again, thinking about my experience in Golmud. The only reason I had found such a good clue this time was because I had been quick and decisive.

Ok, I’ve made up my mind, I said to myself. Don’t be so arrogant, you damned Poker-Face. If you can go there, then I, Wu Xie, can go too! I’m coming with you this time! I stood up, walked over to where A Ning was sorting out her equipment, and asked her, “Do you have any extra equipment?”

A Ning was counting how much hardtack she had, but when she heard my sudden question, she looked at me in surprise, “Extra equipment? What are you planning on doing?”

I shrugged, not knowing how to explain, “I want to go with you guys. I want to go to Tamu-Tuo too!”

“Come with us? Yeah, right.” A Ning smiled and turned away from me, but I continued to look at her. “I can help you guys,” I said to her. “Remember what happened in the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds?”

A Ning raised her head, her expression changing. Then she looked me in the eye and smiled at me, “Are you serious?”

Seeing me nod, she pointed to the vehicle full of equipment sitting off to one side and said, “Take whatever you need. We leave at noon and won’t wait for you if you’re not ready.”

<Chapter 44><Table of Contents><Chapter 46>

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TN Notes:

(1) Pulu is Tibetans’ traditional woolen fabric and the main material for making robes, boots, hats, and other items for Tibetans in farming areas, and in cities and towns. It’s thick, durable, warm, windproof, and waterproof. More info here.

(2) Wu Laosi is the Chinese man from Heavenly Palace who translated the 2 snake-eyebrow copper fish Wu Xie had. He appears in Chapter 38.

(3) The Qarhan Playa or Salt Plain (also misleadingly described as Qarhan Lake or Chaerhan Lake) is a playa in the Golmud and Dulan counties of Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, China. Formerly a single unitary lake, it is now an expansive salt flat divided into four greater sections which contain a number of smaller salt lakes.