Chapter 1 The Disappearance

In the late 1980s, relations between China and the United States began to thaw, and cooperation between the two countries, both privately and officially, gradually increased. My father and my second uncle, as young key members of a geological research institute in China, were invited to participate in a multinational scientific expedition funded by Americans.

The destination of the expedition team was somewhere in the Himalayas, at the border between China's Tibet and Nepal and Bhutan. The terrain there was complex and the environment harsh. In those years, domestic political scrutiny was very strict. Firstly, there was concern that the scientific expedition organized by the United States had political motives, and secondly, there was fear that the generous compensation provided by the United States would attract China's outstanding scientific talents and technical backbones to immigrate. Therefore, considerations regarding cooperation were particularly cautious.

However, this scientific expedition had undeniable practical significance. Scientific research on the Himalayas was extremely expensive, requiring a large amount of manpower and material resources, far beyond the scope of ordinary scientific projects.

At that time, domestic resources and funding were tight, and scientific research on geology, ecology, and other aspects of the border areas urgently needed to be carried out. A large number of rich natural resources could not be effectively surveyed and utilized, leaving people anxious and helpless. But this time, the Americans were generously funding the project, and the scientific research resources would be shared by participating countries, which was hard to resist.

Therefore, after careful consideration and screening by the higher authorities, five scientists, including my father and second uncle, were finally selected from various research institutes to participate in this scientific expedition.

That year, I was just five years old, and my second uncle didn't have any children yet.

I remember when my father left, the willow leaves had just sprouted new branches, the flowers in the small courtyard were in full bloom, and the fish in the pond were jumping happily. It was the best time of year. Before leaving, my father specifically told my mother that the scientific expedition would last for three months, so she didn't need to worry. Moreover, this expedition team was a twenty-person team mainly composed of scientists from various countries, with very sufficient logistical support. The United States had also spent a lot of money hiring three fully armed retired special forces soldiers from a security company to escort the expedition team, which could basically cope with various emergencies.

My father said that they would be back by autumn at the latest, and told me to study hard and spend more time with my mother. At that time, I was still young, crying and refusing to let my father leave. Only after my father promised to bring me back local toys did I let go of my father's clothes that I was holding tightly.

But once my father left, he never came back.

For the first two months of the expedition, everything went smoothly. During this time, my father would send a letter to my mother every two weeks to report his safety. However, in the month when they were supposed to return, my father only sent back a letter at the beginning of the month. The tone of the letter changed from the usual expression of longing, the handwriting was much more潦草 (liao cao, messy), and it was hastily written. There were also many stains on the paper. The main content was that the expedition team had made new discoveries and was discussing with various countries whether to continue. However, if they continued, supplies might not be replenished in time, and there would be certain dangers.

My father didn't describe too many details in his letter, but after my mother saw the letter, she couldn't help but cry. In my memory, this was the first time my mother had cried since my father left home. She cried very sadly. She couldn't change the reality, so she could only worry and shed tears.

From then on, we never received another letter from my father, nor did we have any news of him. My mother went to my father's work unit many times to inquire about the situation, but she was dismissed by the unit leader with the words "We are contacting them and don't know the specific situation."

Winter arrived, and that winter was much colder than usual. The expedition team, which had originally planned to complete its mission and return in the autumn, did not return until the following spring, and there was no news at all, as if they had evaporated from the world. However, rumors were flying everywhere. One moment, someone said that the expedition team had encountered an avalanche and had been wiped out. The next day, it turned into the expedition team encountering a local army rebellion, clashing with the rebels, and no one survived. My mother was increasingly worn down by these so-called rumors.

In the spring of the second year after the expedition team set off, people from my father's work unit came to our door in two black cars. At first, my mother thought that my father had returned, but when she saw that my father was not among the people who got out of the car, the leader of my father's work unit was at the head. He looked serious, with slightly frosted temples, as if he hadn't rested well for several days, and his lips were pale. He held my mother's hands in both of his, whispered a few words, and my mother burst into tears and fainted on the spot.

Later I learned that the expedition team encountered extremely bad weather during the expedition, and all members went missing. In the end, the unit awarded my father and second uncle honorary medals and a large amount of compensation. Apart from a few clothes and photos of my father, nothing was left at home.

In the years after the expedition team went missing, China contacted neighboring countries to organize joint search and rescue teams to carry out search and rescue work. According to the staff at the supply station at the time, the last time the expedition team resupplied before losing contact, the amount of supplies was very sufficient. If they were frugal in their daily lives, the expedition team could rely on these supplies to survive for a year and a half. But the most worrying thing was the weather and temperature. Water could be replenished, and food could be guaranteed, but even strong athletes couldn't withstand long-term low temperatures and low-oxygen environments, let alone these scientists.

After several years of fruitless search and rescue, not even lost or discarded supplies and garbage were found, let alone the remains of the expedition team. After the expedition team went missing, a heavy snow fell on the mountain, covering up the expedition team's traces. Everything was as new as if no one had ever been there. The search and rescue team was unable to continue to go deeper due to insufficient supplies. After several unsuccessful searches, they completely abandoned the search and rescue work.

Later, my second uncle's wife heard the news of my second uncle's death, returned to her hometown, and remarried not long after. But my mother was not so free and easy. Because of excessive longing, coupled with several trips for my father's affairs, she suffered a sudden illness and died.

My father left me before I understood anything, and my mother left with my father when I needed family care.

Such tragic childhood memories have always made my life lack a sufficient sense of security.

In order not to fall into the painful state of missing them, after my mother's death, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to my studies. When I graduated from high school, I was admitted to Tianjing University with the second-best score in the city. During college, I buried myself in my studies, working even harder to get scholarships. I actively participated in any competition with bonuses. By the time I was about to graduate, I had saved up 20,000 yuan. In the year 2000, becoming a 10,000-yuan household was a very difficult thing. Many ordinary families couldn't save 10,000 yuan even if they worked for a year without eating, drinking, or spending.