WOOY Chapter 13

The delay at Yumen Pass meant that by the time they reached Yardang Ghost City, it was already afternoon.

There were even more tourists there, but cars were not allowed inside. Visitors had to buy tickets and take the scenic area shuttle bus. Many off-road vehicles, obviously prepared for adventures, were stopped at the parking lot.

Chang Dong went to the ticket counter to handle the formalities. Fei Tang wandered around the parking lot, taking selfies and debating whether to post them on social media. If he used a beauty filter, it looked too fake; without it, it was too rough. Just as he was pondering, a few drivers passed by, cursing under their breath.

“Even if private vehicles could enter the scenic spot, they would be prohibited from leaving the marked roads. Going from Ghost City to Lop Nur is even more impossible. It’s a regulation. If you want to enter, you have to go to the Forest Resource Management Bureau to get a permit.”

“Come on, what does the Forest Bureau have to do with desert matters? There’s really no other way? Did I come all this way for nothing?”

“I heard some cars managed to sneak in before dawn, while the staff weren’t on duty, driving into Yardang under cover of darkness. But I’m telling you, if you get caught, you’re done for…”

Fei Tang sprinted back and found Ye Liuxi, eagerly repeating the news with added exaggeration. His face was flushed with excitement, “Sister Yexi, we’re in trouble now. We can’t get in.”

Ye Liuxi wasn’t worried. With Chang Dong’s experience leading tours, if he hadn’t considered these factors, he wouldn’t be leading at all.

She was puzzled by Fei Tang, “Why do I get the feeling that you enjoy seeing your own people in trouble?”

Fei Tang got excited when Chang Dong was about to get hit and when the convoy encountered problems, as if these issues didn’t affect him at all.

As they were speaking, Chang Dong returned and called out to the two, “Let’s go. It’s all set.”

Fei Tang couldn’t believe it, “We’re driving in? And then from Ghost City to Lop Nur?”

“Yes.”

“Awesome!” Fei Tang was excited again, pointing to the group of off-road drivers not far away, “They can’t get in, Dong ge, do we have connections?”

Chang Dong said, “We have a permit, but strictly speaking, except for approved scientific expeditions, no unit or individual is allowed to enter Lop Nur…”

Fei Tang held his breath—

“If you really want to go, you need to apply through the Protection Area Management Bureau in Ürümqi. I’ve already gone through the procedures: Let’s drive.”

Chang Dong’s way of handling things was indeed reassuring, and Ye Liuxi felt like she had made a good choice.

 

——

 

The scenic road was well-built. From their elevated position in the vehicle, one could overlook the black asphalt winding through the majestic yellow Yardang formations.

The shuttle buses stopped at designated spots, releasing groups of tourists who chattered away while taking photos. Fei Tang, who had never been here before, wanted to stop at Hero’s Gate and take a photo with the Sphinx, but Chang Dong seemed uninterested, speeding past each site without slowing down.

Fei Tang gave up hope, but then Chang Dong unexpectedly stopped the car near ‘Peacock Spreading Its Tail’. He didn’t get off the road, just leaned against the car and looked from a distance for a while, then got back on the road.

Fei Tang was a bit unhappy and fiddled with the car’s radio to complain to Ye Liuxi.

After the buzzing sound of the radio, Ye Liuxi’s lazy voice came through, “Speak.”

Fatty Tang said, “Sister Yexi, isn’t Dong Ge acting like a dictator? He doesn’t let us have fun, stops when he wants, but doesn’t listen to anyone’s opinion! The convoy follows the lead car; if he goes, I have to go; if he stops, I have to stop…”

He suddenly remembered the Black Camellia incident, where Chang Dong insisted on camping at the Goosehead Sand Dune, “He’s a repeat offender!”

Ye Liuxi said, “Be a bit more understanding. Even I can see that he’s taking the same route as last time. He’s probably reminiscing, maybe having a few drinks, crying a bit, howling a couple of times. He might even be crying in the car right now, and you’re here fussing over trivial matters.”

Fei Tang wanted to say something, but Chang Dong’s calm voice came through the radio, “Ye Liuxi, I heard you.”

Damn, Chang Dong had tuned the radio to connect all three cars! Fei Tang instantly fell silent.

Ye Liuxi’s voice came through, “There’s nothing I don’t dare to say. I’m not afraid of you hearing it.”

Then, the radio fell silent.

The next time there was a sound, they had already left the road and ventured deep into the Sanlongsha dune. Chang Dong said, “You two, I’m getting out to reminisce for a moment.”

 

——

The sky was getting dark, and the wind was strong. Compared to the gravel road they had driven over earlier, this area had more loose sand, giving it a desert-like feel. As Fei Tang opened the car door, he could see sand grains swiftly drifting by his feet, so he quickly closed the door again.

Ye Liuxi got out to get some fresh air. The ground under her feet was soft. The sand lifted from the ground, swirling close to it like a fast-moving snake. She took a couple of slow steps, and the sand whipped against her knees and calves, making them itch and hurt.

Chang Dong saw this from a distance and shouted, “Quick steps on flowing sand, slow steps on water—haven’t you heard that before?”

Was this a signal to… speed up?

Liuxi took two quick steps, and sure enough, it didn’t hurt as much. It was quite novel; her legs faced resistance, like wading through waves. She couldn’t stop, though—if she did, her legs would become targets. She planned to make a small loop and return to the car, but when she passed near Chang Dong, he tossed his coat over: “Wrap it around your legs.”

It seemed he had something to say. Liuxi took the coat and wrapped it around her legs. It felt much warmer, and the sand hitting it didn’t hurt. The soft sound of the sand hitting the fabric was like rain, and she quite enjoyed listening to it.

She glanced at Chang Dong’s legs. He hadn’t wrapped them, and was just standing there—maybe men’s skin was thicker.

Ye Liuxi asked him, “What are you thinking about here?”

Stopping at “Peacock Spreading Its Tail” she understood, considering Kong Yang’s surname was Kong¹*peacock in chinese is kongque and the woman is named Kong. But what joy could there be in this sand-blasting wind gap?

Chang Dong asked her, “Have you read Journey to the West?”

He pointed ahead, “This is the Quicksand River.”²it gets mentioned in the book 

Ye Liuxi said, “A ruin? The water dried up?”

Chang Dong shook his head, “We’ve already reached the eastern edge of Lop Nur. We’re about to cross a hundred-mile stretch of quicksand. When the wind is strong, the yellow sand rolls like rushing water. When Wu Cheng’en wrote Journey to the West, he described the Quicksand River as a torrential river—he had never been here. If he had, he would know that the Quicksand river is truly a river of flowing sand.”

The senior monk Faxian of the Jin Dynasty passed through here and recorded, “From Dunhuang to the Quicksand River, it takes seventeen days… Above, there are no flying birds; below, there are no walking beasts… Only the dried bones of the dead mark the way.” Chang Dong believed that those dried bones belonged to those who couldn’t cross the river and perished.

He reminded Ye Liuxi, “Later, reduce the pressure in the front tires and deflate the rear tires. Shift gears as you start. If you feel the car becoming heavy, it means there’s a risk of getting stuck. Immediately downshift, ease off the gas, then press it again. Got it? I’m worried your car won’t make it across the river.”

Ye Liuxi thought for a moment, “Can we switch cars for this section?”

——

In order to drive Ye Liuxi’s car out of the quicksand belt, Chang Dong really sweated his palms. This was not quite in line with his plan: in his plan, her car was a burden, the sooner it broke down, the better. With two off-road vehicles left, it would be easier to manage.

But now, if her car got stuck in the sand river, it would be his reputation at stake.

After getting out of the quicksand belt, they switched back to their cars. Without receiving a word of thanks, Ye Liuxi sincerely said, “Your car is really easy to drive.”

Yes, my car is easy to drive, and then it ended up being driven by you.

 

The next hour or so of the journey was relatively smooth. The chaotic tracks on the Gobi Desert all pointed in one direction—the Qikou Pass gold mining area.

There were a few large mines here, with dozens of trucks rumbling back and forth transporting ore. Scattered around were a few private mines with crude conditions; large tents flapping in the wind marked their locations. Under the tents, large pots were set up for cooking, with smoke billowing and filling the air. Passing by several, they all seemed to be cooking the same lamb and carrot stew.

Chang Dong led them to the entrance of a place, where a cardboard sign with red paint stated: “Tourist Reception”.

He got out of the car and knocked on Ye Liuxi’s car window, “You will stay here tonight.”

“Us? What about you?”

“I’m going to Goosehead Sand Dune.”

Oh, understood.

“How do we find you?”

“I have a satellite phone with me. If anything comes up, just call.”

“If the phone doesn’t work, which direction can we find you?”

Chang Dong pointed in a direction, “If it’s not windy, you can recognize my tire tracks. My car has all-terrain large tires, and the tread pattern is distinctive.”

Ye Liuxi made a “please yourself” gesture.

——

The “Tourist Reception” here was as straightforward as its sign.

The food was steamed buns and mutton soup. The mutton soup was too gamey, with dirty foam floating on the surface, and Ye Liuxi couldn’t eat it. She unpacked a bag of pickled vegetables and went back to her usual diet.

The ‘accommodation’ was a dry riverbed, where you could set up your own tent. It cost five yuan to pitch a tent and five yuan to park the car.

Virtually profit without investment.

But they actually had business. When Ye Liuxi drove over, there were already four or five small tents set up by the riverbed, with a flag that read something like “Travel Club.” People coming in and out were all wearing outdoor jackets, each person was exceptionally excited.

Ye Liuxi judged that most of them were probably beginners; only beginners would find everything novel.

Indeed, the group was full of energy. After nightfall, they built a bonfire in the center of the camp, with a small speaker providing music, and they shouted their hearts out with hoarse voices—

“I want to fly higher… dance like the wind… break free from the embrace…”

Ye Liuxi initially planned to go to bed early, but the noise kept her awake. She frowned, preparing to go out and cause a commotion. However, she saw through the window that Fei Tang was among the crowd, smiling sweetly, surrounded by young women.

The seeds of love were indeed resilient; no matter how tough the conditions, they still want to sprout. Thinking about this, Ye Liuxi decided to let it go.

After enduring until the song session finally ended, the leader stirred things up again, “Come on, everyone gather in the middle. Let’s go over the next route. Tomorrow, we’ll pass through the Camel Conservation Center, the Ziliujing district in Zigong City, and pay respects to Peng Gong…”

 

Someone interrupted, “Isn’t Goosehead Sand Dune marked on the route? Aren’t we going there?”

Ye Liuxi pricked up her ears.

“The route is old. We don’t go there anymore…”

Someone else chimed in, “Don’t you know about the Black Camellia accident? Eighteen people died there, it’s so unlucky!”

The one speaking was Fei Tang, ever diligent in tarnishing Chang Dong’s reputation.

The leader explained, “After the Black Camellia incident, Goosehead Sand Dune has been abandoned.”

Hearing the words “Black Camellia,” a few people reacted belatedly:

— “Isn’t that the place where there was a huge sandstorm?”

— “How terrifying! I heard it’s the place with the most desert exploration deaths in recent years. Is it particularly dangerous there?”

— “That leader was so irresponsible! Isn’t this harming people? Did he want to commit suicide and take others with him?”

The leader said, “It’s not particularly dangerous. Do you know why it’s called Goosehead Sand Dune? Very few people know the origin—because there’s a very prominent dune there shaped like a goose’s head, even with a goose’s bump. Do you know what that implies?”

The group made wild guesses, with someone even answering, “It shows the uncanny craftsmanship of nature.”

Ye Liuxi scoffed: If a sand dune in the desert can maintain a shape for a long time, it could only mean that…

A sudden flash of insight crossed her mind.

The leader explained to the team, “It shows that it’s one of the few safe windbreak areas in the desert. Actually, that leader wasn’t at fault for taking people there to camp. He just had bad luck, encountering that big of a sandstorm. The reason this incident became so big was because of Camellia’s Weibo post…”

“The whole team disagreed with going to Goosehead Sand Dune, indicating that the disaster could have been avoided. But the leader insisted, otherwise those people wouldn’t have died…”

As they were talking, the sound of a car engine suddenly roared, exhaust fumes mixed with dust sprayed all over them, and then a car sped away.

Fei Tang was the first to jump up and shout, “Who was that! Have some decency… Hey, Sister Yexi, where are you going?”

 

TLs note: Update schedule from now on will be 1 chapter per week, maybe on Saturday/Sunday. I will post extra chapters for any ko-fi donations. I apologize in advance for the slow updates, I will just be really busy till May 😫 Thank you for reading!

 

• 1
  *peacock in chinese is kongque and the woman is named Kong
• 2
  it gets mentioned in the book