Chapter 56

After the sky had completely brightened, the Buick van passed the toll booth of the national park. The altitude steadily increased along the mountain road, reaching 3,900 meters by the last mountain pass. The frost from last night lay on the vegetation and loose rock fragments, creating the illusion of freshly fallen snow.

Shang Mingbao became much quieter, and Xiang Feiran thought she was upset because of the earlier incident. He silently held her hand for a long time, and when he saw a signpost, he finally found something to talk about.

“After we pass this mountain pass, there won’t be any cell signal. You’ll only get a signal in the village. Do you want to call Sophie?”

Shang Mingbao turned her face, and her pale complexion had taken on a bluish tint, as if she were enduring some pain.

Xiang Feiran immediately called for the car to stop while rolling down the window and asked, “Do you feel like throwing up?”

Shang Mingbao nodded continuously, tears welling up in her eyes from trying to hold it in.

Xiang Feiran made a quick decision: “I’ll help you out of the car to take a walk.”

He bent over across her seat and pushed the car door open. The cold wind swept up from the cliff and chilled Shang Mingbao to the bone. As soon as her toes touched the ground, she could no longer hold it in. She pushed Xiang Feiran away and collapsed by the roadside drainage ditch, vomiting intensely.

She hadn’t even digested her breakfast, but even after her stomach was empty, her intestines kept contracting uncontrollably, forcing her to vomit up stomach acid and bile.

Even in the wilderness of the mountains, the stench was overwhelming, blown by the wind into everyone’s noses. Even Shang Mingbao couldn’t stand it. In the corner of her eye, she saw Xiang Feiran’s shoes.

He had been there the whole time?

Shang Mingbao felt more devastated by this than by her nausea, but she didn’t have the strength to push him away or ask him to leave. She could only crouch on the ground, silently shuffling herself to a clean spot.

Xiang Feiran: “…”

Although taking a picture at this moment would be inhumane, he still quietly took out his phone and snapped a shot.

After crouching in the new spot for several more minutes, Shang Mingbao finally felt her stomach settle down. Xiang Feiran handed her an opened bottle of mineral water and ordered, “Rinse your mouth.”

Shang Mingbao took it and seriously rinsed twice.

Xiang Feiran handed her two wet wipes: “Wipe up.”

Shang Mingbao wiped her face vigorously until her pale lips were rubbed back to a slight hint of color. She then looked up, teary-eyed, and asked for help, “I feel so awful, Brother Feiran.”

Xiang Feiran’s heart melted at her words. He crouched down and sighed, “Why didn’t you tell me you get carsick? At the very least, we could’ve bought some medicine.”

Shang Mingbao slowly shook her head: “I don’t usually get carsick.”

Xiang Feiran reached out to feel her forehead and then slipped his hand into her collar. His fingers were cold, making Shang Mingbao flinch.

“Don’t move.”

Shang Mingbao stayed still, patiently waiting until he said, “No fever.”

“Where else does it hurt?” Xiang Feiran asked, “Does your stomach hurt? Are you congested? Take a deep breath for me.”

Shang Mingbao answered each question and finally took a deep breath. Her breathing was short, and her breath was quicker than usual. She said listlessly, “My head hurts so much, like bees are fighting inside.”

Though she’d never seen bees fight.

Xiang Feiran rested his hands on his knees and concluded, “It’s altitude sickness.”

He had asked Shang Mingbao if she had experience in high-altitude areas, and she had said yes, claiming she adapted well. He had trusted her, but now he realized he had been too careless.

Shang Mingbao guiltily said, “My temples started hurting last night.”

Xiang Feiran let out a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He shouldn’t have let her take such a long bath.

“Brother Feiran…” Shang Mingbao swallowed, “Am I causing you trouble?”

When she first tentatively asked if she could join him on the mountain trip, the answer was a flat no. But she had come up with many excuses, like how she had plenty of free time during the break, how much she would miss him, how she wanted to get closer to nature, and she had pouted and pleaded until Xiang Feiran reluctantly agreed. Throughout the journey, she had tried hard not to be a burden, not being picky and never mentioning if she felt unwell.

Her gaze was tinged with apprehension, causing Xiang Feiran to pause.

“No.” He firmly denied her guilt, “You’re not causing me any trouble; I was the one who was too careless.”

He stood up, returned to the car, and retrieved a bottle of glucose solution from his backpack, opening it. “Drink this first.”

Whatever he said, Shang Mingbao did. She took a sip without hesitation, only to grimace at the sweetness: “It’s so sweet…”

Xiang Feiran lightly tapped the back of her head: “Be good.”

Shang Mingbao could only close her eyes, grit her teeth, and drink it all in one go.

Xiang Feiran took the wet wipes and the plastic glucose tube from her and said, “After we pass this mountain pass, the altitude will decrease. The village is at 2,200 meters, so you’ll be fine.”

Shang Mingbao nodded.

“But from now on, if you feel uncomfortable at all, you must tell me, understood?”

Shang Mingbao nodded again.

Xiang Feiran, helpless, patted her cool, soft cheek: “Say something.”

“I won’t die, right?”

Xiang Feiran chuckled like a sigh, then gently pressed two fingers to her lips: “No.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

“If I die, you’ll have to come here every year to visit my grave.” She suddenly said.

As soon as she said this, she saw Xiang Feiran’s expression change suddenly. Before she could react, he pulled her forcefully into his arms.

“Shang Mingbao,” Xiang Feiran’s tone was strangely cold and stern, “I’ve told you before, don’t joke about that word.”

Shang Mingbao was stunned for a moment, forcing a smile to suppress her awkwardness as she self-deprecatingly said, “Sorry, it’s a habit from the past.”

She had been so desperate to live and so afraid of dying that she would make light-hearted jokes with fate, saying discouraging things out of spite, fearing that fate might see through her true thoughts and take advantage of her.

Xiang Feiran firmly pressed Shang Mingbao’s face into his neck. “There’s an emergency oxygen tank in Tashi’s car. If I feel like you’re not doing well, I’ll give you oxygen. Trust me, I’ll take you back the same way you came.”

Shang Mingbao responded with a soft “hmm,” relaxing in his arms.

Xiang Feiran gently squeezed her palm. “Alright, stop being nervous from now on. Relax.”

Shang Mingbao chuckled softly in his ear. “You’re the one who’s nervous. I was just joking, and you’re being so serious.”

And your breath is so cold, making it seem like you’re the one suffering from altitude sickness.

Xiang Feiran said nothing more, leading her back to the car and ordering her to sit quietly without moving. Then, he took out a trash bag and collected the wet wipes, plastic tubes, and water bottles. Finally, he pulled out a pack of Marlboros. “I’m going to smoke. Call me if you need anything.”

Tashi was also smoking at the edge of the cliff, the prayer flags fluttering in the hazy sky. Xiang Feiran walked over to Tashi, bent down, and placed a stone on a Mani pile. He was so casual and nonchalant that Shang Mingbao, watching through the windshield, guessed that he must often visit the Tibetan region.

Tashi, huddled against the wind, noticed that Xiang Feiran’s cigarette was unlit and offered, “Mr. Xiang, use my lighter.”

He shielded the flame with one hand and held out the lighter with the other, lighting Xiang Feiran’s cigarette. Xiang Feiran, who was much taller than Tashi, who stood about 1.7 meters tall, leaned down and turned his face slightly to let Tashi light the cigarette. After taking a puff to light it, he patted Tashi’s chapped hand.

It was a very chivalrous gesture, and combined with his calm demeanor and cold appearance, it somehow didn’t feel out of place. Tashi suddenly realized that Xiang Feiran wasn’t clueless about these things; he was just indifferent.

For someone uninterested in social etiquette, a little friendliness could easily make the other person feel honored.

Tashi indeed became more talkative and asked with concern, “How is your wife?”

Xiang Feiran removed the cigarette from his mouth and stared at him expressionlessly for a moment.

Tashi, who was well-versed in dealing with all kinds of people, could see that Xiang Feiran wasn’t really angry or warning him, but he couldn’t figure out why Xiang Feiran was putting on such a serious face when he wasn’t actually upset.

Tashi grinned mischievously, knowingly saying, “You don’t let me use the words ‘girlfriend’ or ‘wife,’ so I’ll just call her your wife, or as we say here, ‘Ajia.’”

‘Ajia’ is the term used by their branch of the Tibetan people to refer to a wife.

Xiang Feiran pointed his cigarette at Tashi as if giving a warning.

But Tashi, feeling unusually bold today, pushed his luck further, exclaiming, “Hey, Mr. Xiang, don’t be so strict! You like her, and she likes you. If that’s not a wife, what is it? By the time I was your age, my child was already two years old!”

“I’m 25,” Xiang Feiran corrected him.

“Oh! Then your child would be four by now!”

“…”

Despite the jokes, Tashi took Xiang Feiran’s instructions seriously. While there was still a signal, he made a call, asking his family to prepare hot water and soup, and instructed his wife to pick out some refreshing fruit from the village’s only grocery store.

For the rest of the journey, Tashi drove slowly and steadily.

Xiang Feiran lowered the car window slightly to let in some fresh air, then carefully covered Shang Mingbao’s head with a hat to keep her warm.

Shang Mingbao, half-asleep in his arms, felt that the road was endless. The sun kept getting covered by clouds and then reappearing from behind the mountains. She wasn’t sure how many times she had dozed off, but each time she woke up, she smelled Xiang Feiran’s scent and felt safe enough to fall back asleep.

Tashi occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror, noticing that Xiang Feiran hadn’t moved a muscle the entire time.

When they reached the village, it was already noon.

This was a Tibetan village nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded by peaks. They had only had running water, electricity, and internet for a few years. Fruit trees at the village entrance were budding, their leaves bright and new, and the gray cement road ran parallel to a stream, stretching deep into the village.

As the car was still moving, Shang Mingbao was awakened by the sound of the rushing water and asked, “Is it raining heavily?”

But sunlight filled the car, making the beige leather seats hot.

Shang Mingbao was confused, unsure of what day it was.

“It’s not raining; it’s the stream,” Tashi said with a smile in the rearview mirror. “See, your complexion is much better now. The oxygen here is abundant, it’s like a natural oxygen bar!”

Shang Mingbao glanced at her smartwatch and saw that the altitude had indeed dropped to just over two thousand meters. The sharp ringing in her ears was gone, though the back of her head and neck still ached.

Tashi’s house was at the far end of the village, and as they descended the cement road, they saw a group of children playing cards in the middle of the road. Tashi didn’t honk the horn but instead stuck his head out of the window, slapped the car door, and shouted in Tibetan, “Hey! Time to go home for lunch!”

When he sat back in the car, he explained, “The one in the red clothes is my youngest daughter.”

Shang Mingbao asked, “How old is she?”

“Eight.”

Older than Shang Mingbao had expected. She looked at Xiang Feiran, “I thought she was five.”

Xiang Feiran glanced at her, his tone cool, “Not surprising, given that you mistook a 21-year-old college student for a 45-year-old middle-aged man.”

He suddenly brought up an old incident, making Shang Mingbao’s pale face flush slightly. “That’s because Suining misled me first.”

Xiang Feiran squinted his eyes: “So, when you saw me for the first time, you didn’t feel there was any misunderstanding?”

Shang Mingbao’s voice grew quieter: “I just thought… this uncle… has maintained himself really well… I was wrong! I was wrong, I was wrong…”

The business car finally came to a stop by the roadside. Xiang Feiran opened the car door with one hand. The sunlight flickered as he bent down, looked back before getting out, and left a remark: “I’ll settle the score with you when you’re better.”

Xiang Bo was a man of his word. Shang Mingbao was all too aware of this.

Tashi’s wife, Wangmu, greeted them at the door. The little girl who had just been playing cards with her friends had already dashed back to her mother’s side and was being held in front of her to welcome the guests together.

Wangmu had prepared fruits, hot tea, and hot soup. The soup was made from yak bones, and compared to the soups Shang Mingbao was familiar with, it was a bit greasy and slightly salty, but she still drank two steaming bowls and thought it was better than any Michelin three-star dish.

“We couldn’t get fresh fruits,” Wangmu apologized, “the store owner had a leg problem yesterday, so he didn’t go out to stock up.”

After speaking, she instructed her daughter, Renyang, to bring over the fruit plate, which contained small green and red fruits.

“These are apples, homegrown, pure and natural,” Wangmu said. “You can’t find such clean fruits in the city.”

Actually, Shang Mingbao had eaten so-called pure and natural, pollution-free foods all her life. There were specific suppliers who catered to the global rich, meeting their demand for green and organic foods. These wealthy people paid millions in service fees each month in exchange for the dream of eternal youth.

Shang Mingbao was very selective, unsure of how to start. These apples were different from the ones she was used to—they were small, rough-skinned, and had black marks of unknown origin that made them look dirty.

Renyang picked one for her and handed it over: “An ugly apple.”

Shang Mingbao quickly waved her hands: “It’s not ugly, not ugly at all.”

“It’s called an ugly apple.”

“…”

Oh.

“It’s washed, go ahead and eat it, it’s very sweet,” Wangmu warmly recommended.

Shang Mingbao took it, picked another one, and skipped over to find Xiang Feiran.

Xiang Feiran was confirming tomorrow’s route and equipment with Tashi. The two were standing in the courtyard of the house, with sunlight filtering down from the rooftop and rows of windows, illuminating the half of Xiang Feiran’s face that peeked out between his black hair and collar, making it nearly translucent.

Fieldwork with an investigative purpose wouldn’t be too intense, usually covering three to five kilometers a day. The more meticulous tasks were the collection of samples along the way and recording the phenology of the vegetation. Tashi also provided some valuable information—somewhere on a high-altitude riverbank wetland, there seemed to be blooming gentians.

Shang Mingbao listened quietly beside them for a while. When Tashi finished, he paused and, together with Xiang Feiran, turned his face towards her.

Xiang Feiran observed her expression and gently asked, “Feeling better?”

Shang Mingbao nodded earnestly and showed him the ugly apple in her palm: “I brought you one.”

Before handing it over, she rubbed the fruit on the sleeve of her beautiful Merino wool sweater.

Wiping fruit with one’s sleeve—an action that Wen Youyi would never allow—but Shang Mingbao did it now, feeling an inexplicable glee, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

With a crisp crunch, Xiang Feiran bit into the fruit, only to see white worms wriggling in the flesh, plunging him into silence.

Shang Mingbao, suspecting nothing, asked, “Is it sweet?” as she also took a big bite—

Worms.

Three worms.

Three writhing worms.

Three white worms, which were about to jump up and curve themselves in anger after their nest was disturbed by a human.

Shang Mingbao’s scream pierced through the roof as the apple was thrown ten meters away in a parabolic arc, landing with a thud on Tashi’s family’s water tank.

For the next three days, with no signal, Shang Mingbao sent notifications to all the important people.

Sophie was the first to call, expressing concern and asking if she was eating well, if she was comfortable, and if she had brought her usual medications with her. Shang Mingbao responded with a series of “mm-hmm,” making Sophie realize that her opinions were growing less relevant. Before hanging up, Sophie sternly reminded her, “Make sure to book two rooms!”

Shang Mingbao cheerfully replied, “Oh,” then guiltily touched her nose. In a few months, she would be of legal marriage age, but she couldn’t remind Sophie of that, or Sophie might write to the legislative committee to complain about the marriage law.

It was late night in New York.

Liao Yunuo, a nocturnal creature, was in his prime, holding a bottle of alcohol and video-calling Shang Mingbao.

On his end, the lights were dim, a scene of utter debauchery, making Shang Mingbao’s side seem even more quiet and simple.

Looking at the exposed concrete ceiling above Shang Mingbao’s head, Liao Yunuo asked in surprise, “Baby, are you under a bridge?”

“No, I’m in a herder’s home,” Shang Mingbao replied, looking up at the second-floor ceiling. Now that Liao Yunuo mentioned it, it did seem a bit unsafe.

“A herder?” Liao Yunuo asked, “Like, the kind who rides horses and herds livestock?”

“What else?”

Liao Yunuo took a swig from the bottle: “Show me.”

Shang Mingbao then walked out, switched the camera, and showed Liao Yunuo Tashi’s house, courtyard, stream, waterwheel, as well as the horses and mules tied up in the yard.

Liao Yunuo’s expression froze: “What are those black things on the road?”

“Horse manure.”

“What?”

“Horse manure,” Shang Mingbao repeated seriously.

Liao Yunuo’s face went blank, seemingly losing his appetite. After a long pause, he squeezed out, “Shang Mingbao, are you crazy? I asked you to go skiing, you didn’t go. I asked you to stay in New York, you didn’t stay. Instead, you ran off to the wilderness to eat wormy apples, smell horse manure, and live in a dangerous building?”

“Cheese, don’t say that,” Shang Mingbao thought for a moment, “This isn’t a dangerous building. Tashi and the villagers built it brick by brick during their free time in winter. Even your racehorses need to eat, drink, and poop.”

Liao Yunuo was choked up and stubbornly said, “It’s still not the same.”

“What nonsense. My million-dollar racehorse is a high-quality thoroughbred. How can it be compared to the mixed-breed horses in the village with their dull coats and rough fur, constantly swarming with flies and mosquitoes? My horse was raised by Lister!”

“How is it different?” Shang Mingbao retorted. “Did your horse race out gold?”

“Alright, alright, so now you’re a philosopher,” Liao Yunuo said, nodding. “If you like such a poor and remote place so much, then you should stay there.”

Suddenly, there was an argument, and Shang Mingbao, annoyed, wanted to hang up. She heard a “tch” sound, and the camera shook, as if someone had taken it, and then Wu Baiyan’s face appeared.

“What’s the argument about?” Wu Baiyan asked lazily. “Liao Yunuo drank too much. Don’t argue with her.”

Shang Mingbao’s expression softened, and she greeted him, “You’re here again.”

Wu Baiyan smiled, “What? Can’t I be here?”

Shang Mingbao didn’t want to engage in such a pointless conversation and tried to hang up, but Wu Baiyan said, “I’m interested in what Liao Yunuo isn’t. Can you show me? I didn’t see it just now.”

Shang Mingbao’s camera was very hasty:

“Look, apple tree.”

“Yard.”

“Horse.”

“Water wheel.”

“Public toilet.”

Wu Baiyan: “……”

He furrowed his brow, “Shang Mingbao, I’m starting to see you in a new light.”

Shang Mingbao wasn’t easily overcome either.

After hanging up, she was forced by Xiang Feiran to take a nap. As she slept, she felt itchy all over, whether it was psychological or not.

She and Xiang Feiran slept in separate rooms, and when she called him, her voice was tinged with crying. Less than a minute later, Xiang Feiran knocked on her door.

“Open the door.”

Shang Mingbao didn’t know how to use the lock, even though Wangmu had taught her twice: turn the key first, then turn the deadbolt, and lift it up.

After fumbling for a long time, she became so upset that she cried. When she finally got it open, her whole face was flushed, and she threw herself into Xiang Feiran’s arms. “There are bugs.”

“Where?” Xiang Feiran pushed her inside, looking around, thinking it might be moths. Tashi’s house was built along the river, and the lights at night easily attracted all sorts of moths. It was understandable that Shang Mingbao might be scared.

But Shang Mingbao pulled up her sleeve. “On me, on me there are bugs.”

Her delicate arms had several red marks from her scratching.

“It itches. There are bugs in the bedding,” Shang Mingbao said, pulling down the collar of her pAjiamas to look inside, thinking she could see small bugs crawling.

Xiang Feiran grabbed her hands. “Stop scratching.”

“Don’t you believe me?” Shang Mingbao was sweating.

In fact, Tashi and Wangmu were the most reputable guides in the village. Although the conditions were limited, all the bed linens were washed diligently, hanging on the drying line in the courtyard. Accusing them of having fleas in their beds was truly hurtful.

Xiang Feiran still held her hands. “I’ll swap rooms with you. You can sleep in my room.”

“Is yours bug-free?”

“I guarantee it is,” Xiang Feiran said gently, “I’ve already checked. Didn’t I?”

Shang Mingbao nodded, half-convinced.

“If you’re still not at ease, I can help you open the sleeping bag so you can sleep in it, avoiding their sheets and blankets.”

“That might not be good,” Shang Mingbao hesitated. “If they see, won’t they be upset?”

Xiang Feiran pressed his palm against her face. “They won’t. I can explain. Your comfort is the most important.”

Torn between her feelings, Shang Mingbao made a firm decision. “I’ll try to overcome it…”

Xiang Feiran smiled, holding her close, patting her back, calling her “darling.”

Shang Mingbao moved to his room and lay in his recently used bed. Since it had been validated as clean by him, she felt unconditionally reassured, and the seeming bugs seemed to have completely vanished.

After Xiang Feiran closed the door, he ran into Wangmu coming upstairs to hang new bed linens.

Wangmu was about to speak but fell silent when Xiang Feiran made a shushing gesture. After hanging the sheets and coming downstairs, Wangmu politely and nervously asked, “Professor Xiang, is she adapting well?”

She always remembered Xiang Feiran as “Professor,” feeling “Professor Xiang” was awkward and “Teacher Xiang” didn’t fully reflect his prestige, so she persistently called him Professor. Despite being corrected multiple times, Wangmu didn’t change her way of addressing him.

Xiang Feiran nodded. “She’s adapting well. Thank you.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Wangmu said awkwardly. “You can tell she’s from the big city, with such a refined demeanor! I was really worried she wouldn’t sleep well and wouldn’t have the energy to go up the mountain tomorrow.”

Xiang Feiran smiled. “No, she’s just a bit sensitive to her sleeping environment.”

The person sensitive to her sleeping environment slept very well on his bed, even feeling she hadn’t slept enough when awakened by the phone.

Xiang Feiran spoke sternly on the phone, with the sound of the stream in the background. “No more sleeping. Go downstairs and take a walk, or you’ll have insomnia tonight.”

Shang Mingbao, wearing yoga pants and Xiang Feiran’s black windbreaker lining, went downstairs, looking disheveled.

The courtyard was quiet, the sun shining on the mountain ridge, painting the area with a yellow glow.

Renyang reported slowly, saying that Mum was cooking, Dad had taken Professor Xiang up the mountain, and they had left very early, already gone for two and a half hours.

“He’s still not a professor,” Shang Mingbao squatted down.

“Oh,” Renyang replied, looking at her with timid eyes. “Baima.”

“Where?”

She thought there might be a white horse.

“Baima means fairy.”

Shang Mingbao scratched her head. “I’m fine.”

“Are you Professor Xiang’s Ajia?” Renyang asked.

Shang Mingbao became angry upon hearing the name. Last time, there was also a version of Ajia in the PDF. When she arrived at school, Ajia had specifically come to mock her. Shang Mingbao had confronted her on the spot: “Sorry, I’m not like you, a person living in a PDF, so I don’t care. Good luck, PDF girl.”

“My name is Mingbao, as I just told you,” she corrected in standard Mandarin.

“Ajia, wife, and mother are all Ajia for Dad.”

“……”

Renyang twisted her hands. “You’re Professor Xiang’s Ajia. I heard Dad and Mom talking about it.”

“……” Shang Mingbao pressed her lips together and quietly asked, “Do you think we look alike?”

Renyang nodded vigorously.

“Professor Xiang had a celebrity girlfriend before. That celebrity was prettier than you.”

Shang Mingbao, now angry, asked, “Who was it?”

“I don’t remember…” Renyang shrank her neck. “Professor Xiang looked at her less than he looks at you.”

Shang Mingbao was momentarily stunned, her anger turning into softness as she rested her face on her arms. “Really?”

“Really, I’ve observed,” Renyang said seriously. “He only looks at her when he talks. You’re different. He looks at you even when you’re not speaking.”

Shang Mingbao’s anger melted into a gentle warmth.

“How do you write Ajia?”

Renyang found a sharp stone and scribbled a line of Tibetan script on the ground.

“……”

When Xiang Feiran returned and saw the line on the ground, he asked, “What’s written here?”

Renyang, who was slower with words than Shang Mingbao, quickly said, “Baima, meaning fairy.”

Renyang was silenced by Shang Mingbao’s hand.

When Wangmu came to call for dinner, Shang Mingbao used Xiang Feiran’s phone to look up the Tibetan script for Ajia using a translation engine, copied it, and pasted it into her WeChat notes.

Xiang Feiran, drinking water, watched her small actions.

“From now on, this will be my note for you in your phone,” Shang Mingbao said. “Don’t change it.”

Xiang Feiran smiled. “How will I find you then?”

“Just pin me to the top,” Shang Mingbao said matter-of-factly. “Always pin me to the top, so you won’t lose me.”

Xiang Feiran was momentarily taken aback, his gaze lingering on her with a profound feeling in the twilight. He then put down his cup, took the phone from her hand, and personally pinned her to the top.

That line of Tibetan script remained as “Baima” in his heart.

Until that year, during a collection trip in Nepal, a Tibetan lama, intrigued, said, “It’s the first time I’ve seen someone use Ajia as a note. You and your wife must be very loving.”

That was the first time he saw the young professor’s expression change dramatically during the long journey.

Her profile picture was now a group photo with someone else.