The breeze carried the stifling heat, waves of warmth washing over his face like a brush swept back and forth.
Outside Shache Yecheng Airport, the crowd bustled. Their accents differed; some were locals, others from elsewhere, but they all wore similar attire:
Short skirts, shorts, light jackets, thin t-shirts, scarves…
Indeed… Xinjiang truly had many beautiful women.
He Li quickly put on his sunglasses. The reason for wearing them?
Nothing else, he was afraid of being beaten.
Behind him, Xiao Lan, dragging a suitcase, arrived late.
“Sigh…”
He Li sighed, “Xiao Lan, with your kind of inefficiency, it’s hard for me not to fire you.”
After setting down the suitcase, Xiao Lan squatted in front of He Li, sticking out its tongue, tilting its dog head, and blinking at He Li. I’m not a full-time nanny, nor a personal butler; I’m just a dog, my lord.
Suddenly, Xiao Lan lowered its head, its body tensing, emitting a low growl.
“Hmm? Are you going hunting?” He Li was taken aback, looking at Xiao Lan with some confusion.
Immediately after,
He Li also frowned and looked to his right.
Holy crap!!!
This was He Li’s inner monologue.
He saw a man dressed in camouflage and wearing heavy boots walking towards He Li. This wasn’t the main point. What truly shocked He Li was that this man was over two and a half meters tall. His camouflage uniform looked like a second skin, and every step he took was incredibly solid.
It was as if each step made him feel the ground firmly beneath his feet.
The man held a photograph in his hand, looking at He Li, then at the photo.
He Li took off his sunglasses, looked at the man, bent down to stroke Xiao Lan’s head to comfort it, and simultaneously took a photo from his pocket. The photo had a phone number written on it.
After comparison, he confirmed it. That large, round face, there was no mistaking it.
When He Li removed his sunglasses, the man finally finished his comparison, waved at He Li, and grinned.
Honestly, this was the first time He Li had to look up at someone. Susan was taller than him, but not by more than ten centimeters. As for this man, as he approached, He Li observed that he was at least seventy centimeters taller than him.
What did that mean? It was like He Li standing in front of elementary school students, and even then, those in the fourth grade or younger.
“Are you He Li?”
“Yes, that’s me. Hello, friend.” He Li nodded and greeted him warmly.
“Hello, my friend. My name is Kuer Taglais. Just call me Kuer.” Kuer extended his hand to He Li.
He Li also extended his hand.
The handshake felt like holding a child’s hand before they came of age.
What a damn enveloping grip, so firm.
“The car is over there. Let’s go.” Kuer enthusiastically picked up He Li’s suitcase. Yes, not dragged, but carried.
It was like O’Neal drinking mineral water.
He Li’s normally sized suitcase, in Kuer’s hand, immediately became a child’s version. No, it was missing a Winnie the Pooh pattern.
“Kuer, are you from Southern Xinjiang or Northern Xinjiang? If I remember correctly, this should be the Southwest Division, belonging to Southern Xinjiang.”
“Your knowledge is vast. Kashgar and Shache are beautiful cities in Southern Xinjiang, but I am of Tajik ethnicity.”
“Tajik… European?”
“Yes. I must say, your knowledge amazes me. Few people know about our ethnicity.”
Kuer laughed heartily, placing He Li’s suitcase onto a large off-road vehicle with a high chassis, then opened the rear door and let Xiao Lan in.
Xiao Lan looked at He Li. After receiving a nod of approval, it leaped into the back seat.
He Li opened the passenger door and sat in, saying, “Not at all. The Tajik people are very famous. The Eagles of the Pamir Plateau. You guard our southernmost border on the Pamir Plateau at an altitude of 4,000 meters. The Tajik people have lived there for generations; everyone is a border guard. I deeply admire you.”
When Kuer heard He Li call them the “Eagles of the Pamir Plateau,” he smiled proudly, then his expression turned shy.
“This is our mission and responsibility,” Kuer said, filled with pride and honor.
Then,
Kuer continued, “The Populus euphratica root stems you sent us have been finally identified in Jinhu Yang Park in Puzhe County and the Great Populus Forest of the Tarim River. Our mission location is Jinhu Yang Park.”
Jinhu Yang Park…
He Li murmured the name and asked, “How many Populus euphratica trees are there?”
Kuer, who was driving, glanced at He Li awkwardly.
He Li immediately understood and said, “I get it. You don’t need to say anything. That’s fine.”
That question was foolish enough. Asking someone in Xinjiang how many Populus euphratica trees there were was like asking how many grains of rice were in a rice bin back home.
Shache Yecheng Airport was only 20 kilometers from Zepu County and 24 kilometers from Jinhu Yang Park. The two decided to go to Zepu County first for a meal. After eating, they would head to Jinhu Yang Park.
“One large portion of clear stewed lamb, five spiced stewed pigeons, three pounds of beef tendons, one grilled fish, a portion of stuffed rice sausage and stuffed lung each, ten grilled buns, and two bowls of mixed pigeon noodles.”
He Li looked bewildered and asked, “Brother Kuer, these dishes you’ve ordered…”
Kuer looked at He Li, thinking he was being inhospitable, and then smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, Brother He Li. We have a mission this afternoon. After the mission location is confirmed this afternoon, we’ll go to my place tonight for a whole roasted lamb and yak meat.”
“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant.” He Li waved his hands repeatedly and asked, “If we order this much, we won’t be able to finish it, and it will be a waste.”
“How can we not finish it?” Kuer appeared surprised, then sighed regretfully, “It’s a shame we have a mission this afternoon, or we could have had some drinks.”
After speaking, Kuer smiled and shook his head, taking out a pack of “Xuelian Jingpin Hong” cigarettes from his pocket and offering one to He Li.
“Brother He Li, would you like a cigarette?”
“Sure.”
He Li took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, then took out a lighter. He first lit Kuer’s cigarette. Kuer politely declined a few times, then cupped his hands around the lighter with a smile to light it.
Honestly, when Kuer’s large hands shielded the flame, He Li could no longer see the lighter’s flame.
As they smoked, they also chatted.
“Kuer, your name is Kuer Taglais. Does it have any special meaning?”
The names of ethnic minorities usually carried special meanings, such as beloved, dear, morning flower, proud eagle, and so on.
Hearing He Li’s question, the Tajik man, who had been so hearty moments ago, suddenly became shy. After taking a puff of his cigarette, he said,
“Taglais, in Uyghur, means ‘Tianshan Snow Lotus’.”
He Li nodded, looking at the rugged man sitting opposite him, who was taller than He Li standing. Calling himself Tianshan Snow Lotus was quite reasonable.
After all… after all… after all, Tianshan Snow Lotuses grow on the snow line at an altitude of 4,000 meters…
…