Chapter 58: Crossing the Zheduo Mountain
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
At the end of October, Zheduo Mountain became unpredictable. When they set off from Kangding, the sky was still clear. However, upon entering Zheduo Mountain, they immediately felt its enthusiasm as the temperature dropped. Zhou Chao and Lin Wu had no choice but to put on their cold-resistant clothing. During the day, the temperature wasn’t too low, and their physical condition was beyond ordinary.
Upon reaching the foot of Zheduo Mountain, gazing at the swirling clouds between the mountainsides and occasionally glimpsing a hint of blue sky, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.
“Hey, it’s snowing, boss,” Lin Wu, who was driving, exclaimed in surprise.
Zhou Chao opened his eyes and looked out the window. Indeed, snow had already begun to fall on Zhe Duo Mountain. They had just entered the winding mountain pass of Zhe Duo Mountain for less than ten minutes when the snow started. Moreover, it was likely that the snowfall on the mountain would be even heavier. This signaled that their mountain climbing journey wouldn’t be as simple as they thought.
“Stay safe and drive slowly,” Zhou Chao said as he looked out the window. Occasionally, a motorcycle would pass by.
“The scenery outside is quite nice. 1’11 take some photos when we reach the mountain pass.”
“Boss, the snow outside is getting heavier. The road ahead might become more difficult to navigate. Should we put on snow chains?”
“Don’t worry, the tires of this car are specially customized. Whether we put them on or not, it’ll be the same.”
As the snowfall outside grew heavier, creating a thin blanket along the edge of the road, they had already made their way halfway up the mountainside.
“Boss, a car slid off the road ahead. Should we go and take a look?”
Zhou Chao saw a white SUV parked on the side of the road. A young man was inspecting the car’s condition.
“Let’s go check it out. Maybe we can help,” Lin Wu heard Zhou Chao speak and parked the car behind the SUV that had the accident. Immediately, Zhou Chao and Lin Wu opened the car doors and got out.
“Brother, do you need help?” The young man who was currently inspecting the car’s condition turned around upon hearing voices behind him.
“Yes, could you help me tow the car out? It skidded and got stuck in a mud pit just now.” The young man’s face lit up with hope as he urgently sought help from Zhou Chao and Lin Wu.
Lin Wu turned around, took out a tow rope from the car, and secured it to both the white SUV and Karlmann King. Seeing this, the young man quickly got into his car and assisted Lin Wu in pushing the car out.
Zhou Chao stood on the sideline, observing the scene unfold as if they were guiding a young child. With a gentle pull, they effortlessly extracted the front of the car from the mud pit at the roadside.
Lin Wu pulled the white SUV onto the road and then stopped the car. He removed the tow rope, stored it away, and put it back in the car.
“Thank you, brother. You’ve been a great help,” the young man warmly thanked the two of them. He took out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Zhou Chao and Lin Wu. Zhou Chao politely declined the offered cigarette, saying he didn’t need it, but he allowed Lin Wu to accept his share.
“Do you still plan to continue up the mountain? You haven’t put on snow chains, and it’ll get tougher the higher you go,” Zhou Chao asked the young man, who was around his age.
“All, it looks like 1’11 have to return to Kangding first to buy a set of snow chains. We’ll set off tomorrow. Are you still planning to continue up?”
Zhou Chao tapped the car seat beside him and spoke, “Yes, we plan to keep moving uphill with the goal of reaching Xinduqiao or Litang today.”
At this moment, the young man finally took a serious look at their vehicle. His first impression was one of dominance – the black body, oversized wheels everything indicated that this car was extraordinary. Without much thought, the young man spoke up, “Then, 1 wish you a smooth journey. 1 won’t delay you any longer. It’s better to head up the mountain early while the snowfall is still light.”
The three of them exchanged a few simple words before returning to their respective cars. Zhou Chao and Lin Wu continued their mountain-climbing journey.
Midway, Zhou Chao also spotted several people with large backpacks, struggling against the wind and snow as they moved forward. He didn’t ask Lin Wu to stop the car because he knew that even if he did, these people wouldn’t get into the car. They had their own beliefs. Of course, if they needed help, Zhou Chao would definitely lend a hand.
“Be careful, boss,” Lin Wu’s exclamation pulled Zhou Chao out of his contemplation. Zhou Chao looked up and saw an off-road vehicle sliding towards them from the front. He could clearly see the middle-aged man’s panic on the opposite side in the driver’s seat.
“Brace it, prevent it from sliding us backwards. Make it come to a halt,” Zhou Chao swiftly devised a solution. Leveraging the weight of their own vehicle and its specially designed body, they could effectively compel the oncoming vehicle to halt.
Coincidentally, they were at the upper half of Zheduo Mountain. The winding mountain pass had not yet been traversed completely, and beyond the road was a sheer cliff. A slight misjudgment could cause the vehicle to slide off.
Lin Wu reacted quickly. He braced himself against the sliding vehicle that was approaching them. In an instant, both men in the car held their breaths.
“Clang!” The two cars collided, causing Zhou Chao’s car to move backward. Lin Wu firmly pressed the brake pedal, quickly using the weight of their own vehicle to force the opposite car to come to a stop. Zhou Chao quickly opened the car door and walked towards the other driver.
“Sir, are you okay?” The middle-aged man, now finally recovering from his previous panic, looked at Zhou Chao, who was calling out to him. He glanced at his wife and daughter next to him, both unharmed, before opening his car door and stepping out.
“Young man, thank you. If it weren’t for you, our family wouldn’t know what would have happened today. We’re so grateful to you,” the middle-aged man immediately shook Zhou Chao’s hand and expressed his gratitude.
“It’s nothing, sir. You should check the condition of your vehicle first.”
“Really, thank you so much. The road was so slippery when we came down. I couldn’t brake properly. Please check if your car is damaged. I’ll cover the repair costs.”
Examining the vehicular aftermath, Lin Wu located a handful of stones by the roadside. He assisted the middle-aged gentleman in stabilizing his vehicle, then repositioned their own car slightly. He observed that the middle-aged man’s vehicle bore a dent along its side, with the passenger-side door slightly askew. Beyond these issues, the damage was minimal. In contrast, Zhou Chao’s car remained unscathed, with not a trace of paint disrupted. The middle-aged man gazed at Zhou Chao in astonishment.
“Sir, we’ll be on our way now. You might want to contact a tow truck or the police. It’s not safe for you to continue descending the mountain.”
“Alright, thank you, young man.”
Zhou Chao and Lin Wu got back into their car. The middle-aged man wanted to exchange phone numbers for future gratitude, but Zhou Chao politely declined. They were all here to enjoy themselves, and if there was something they could do to help, they would certainly do it.
By the time the two of them reached the Zhedou Mountain viewpoint platform, it was already past three in the afternoon. However, the beauty of Zheduo Mountain remained undeniable. Standing on the observation platform, they could see colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind and the majestic Gongga Snow Mountain piercing the sky on the opposite side. Standing at this height, they experienced the feeling of “a panoramic view diminishes all other mountains”.
Gazing into the distance, everything was covered in glistening white snow, and the surrounding mountains were draped in silver, creating a scene that seemed to have been plucked from a fairyland. On the observation platform, there were even piles of prayer stones – tokens of the most sincere blessings offered to the pure white snow mountain. Zhou Chao took some photos and then set off with Lin Wu towards the next destination. After all, today’s journey had been full of challenges, and they both wished to find a place to rest..