It is said that money can make all the difference, and this is true; one minute Lao Mu swore that he was a dignified person, and the next minute he was counting money with his fingers wet with saliva while beaming.
"Thirty thousand yuan is not a penny. Let's make the calculation quickly and let's go." Zhou Xiaoshe rolled his eyes and said.
Lao Muti beamed with joy. After counting thirty thousand yuan for more than ten minutes, he patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, bosses. I don't dare to vouch for anything else, but when it comes to finding the ruins of the ancient Loulan country, the entire Lop Nur
There is no one in this town who knows the ropes better than me."
I nodded and said, "Do you have any clues about the Pisces Jade Pendant?"
Speaking of the Pisces Jade Pendant, there was obviously a hint of caution and respect in Lao Muti's eyes. He clasped his hands together and bowed to the sky, saying: "Legend has it that the Pisces Jade Pendant is a national treasure of the ancient Loulan country. It has been missing for thousands of years. How can I be an old man?"
You can find it easily."
Zhou Xiaoshe said angrily: "Grandma, you're such a bear, that's not what you said when you were counting the money just now."
"Hey, what a man says when counting money is just as unreliable as what a woman says when she promises in bed. Regarding the Pisces jade pendant, I can only do my best. You can't blame me if I can't find you..."
I glanced at Lao Muti, and I really wanted to drag this old man out to shoot targets. But not to mention, I am going to look for the ruins of the ancient Loulan country. I really have to rely on him for many things.
After resting for ten minutes, I glanced at the invisible tornado in the distance and said, "Everyone, pack up and get ready to go. Let's go a little further while it's still dark."
Everyone responded, but Niu Jianguo suddenly came over and whispered: "Shopkeeper, I have to tell you something. We have many water bags tied to Miss Bai Yu's camel..."
I couldn't help but feel nervous and said, "How much water do we have now?"
"There are five more bags, which can last up to five days."
I smiled bitterly, "Damn it, uncle, when I entered the desert this time, I deliberately prepared some extra water, but I didn't expect that I lost most of it not long after setting off."
I asked Niu Jianguo not to tell everyone about the water first, so as not to affect everyone's mentality.
At the same time, I called Lao Muti over and asked him how far away the nearest water replenishment point was.
Lao Muti thought for a moment and said: "There are no water sources near here. If you want to replenish water, you can only go to that place to try your luck."
I asked: "Where is it?"
Lao Muti looked into the distance, with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, and said: "That is the place of faith for countless Lop Nur people, the vanished fairy lake..."
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The meaning of Lop Nur is the fairy lake, but it has long disappeared. According to Lao Muti, the place closest to here and most likely to replenish water is Lop Nur, where he once lived. When he was a child, there was still water in Lop Nur.
, and his home was next to the water gathering point in Lop Nur. However, the water in Lop Nur later dried up very quickly. Within a few years, he moved his family to other places, and Lop Nur remained in his memory.
among.
Lao Muti seemed very excited to return to his former home this time.
But at the same time, there is also a problem that must be faced. Lop Nur was his childhood home. Almost half a century has passed, and the memory in his mind is incomplete. It is not easy to find the former Lop Nur.
I hesitated for a while, but finally followed Lao Muti's advice and found the place where he had lived. It was the closest place to us and the place with the best chance of replenishing drinking water.
Except for Niu Jianguo, no one else knows how long our drinking water can last.
I started to reduce my water intake that day, and Niu Jianguo secretly followed my example. Unless he was particularly thirsty, he would not take a sip of water easily.
Niu Jianguo and I's behavior was fine at first, but it didn't take long for others to notice something strange.
On the second day, Zhou Xiaoshe and Lao Muti directly asked us how much water we could use.
Niu Jianguo is a real person and cannot tell lies. He hesitated immediately and didn't know how to speak. In the end, I said it.
"Except for yesterday, our water can last for another four days. If you can be more frugal, you can still last for two more days." I said.
When Lao Muti heard this, his expression suddenly changed slightly and he said, "That means that our current water can be used for up to six days?"
I nodded and said, "How long will it take you to find Lop Nur?"
Lao Muti thought for a moment and said: "Six days are a bit short..."
"If it doesn't work, let's retreat back the way we came." Zhou Xiaoshe said from the side.
Lao Muti shook his head and said: "The tornado has wiped out all the traces of our journey. It is very difficult to go back the same way. If we go wrong, we will be completely lost."
"Then there is only one way we can go now?"
"Yes, we can only find the place where I used to live as soon as possible. That is the nearest water replenishment point to us." Lao Mu mentioned.
Now that things have happened, there is nothing to say. I can only follow Lao Muti's wishes, bite the bullet and keep moving forward.
If we can find a water source within six days, everything will be easy; but if we fail to find a water source, then we can only use other means.
I looked at the camels behind me. Their owners had told me before when they rented out that each camel has a small amount of water stored in its hump. If you really have to, you can give them a break and remove the water from the hump.
Come out to save people...
Without stopping for much, we continued on our way.
Because Bai Yu didn't have a camel, I asked for Lao Muti's yellow-haired camel so that Bai Yu and I could ride together.
Bai Yu is sitting in front of me. The sunshine during the day is very fierce. Bai Yu has already taken off her outer clothes. She is only wearing a bottom coat and a thin sun protection shirt. However, in this thin shirt, Bai Yu's uneven figure is a bit...
She was looming, and she was very close to me. Whenever the yellow-haired camel moved, her body and mine would inevitably come into contact.
When the hot desert wind blows, the white feather in front of me always has a faint fragrance, which gives me a relaxed and happy feeling every time...
After driving for several days, both man and camel became tired.
Nie Xiaobai, who had been chattering all the way, became extremely quiet. There was not much drinking water left, and no one wanted to open the water bag easily.
Driving under the scorching sun during the day is already a kind of pain, but as everyone knows, sleeping in the desert at night is another kind of torture.
The temperature is high during the day, and the desert is extremely hot, but at night, the temperature drops quickly, and those small animals that are usually invisible during the day come out to meet us one after another at night.
Ants, scorpions, and even venomous snakes thicker than fingers appeared in endlessly in the middle of the night. Women like Nie Xiaobai and Bai Yu could barely squeeze into the tent, but women like Zhou Xiaoshe, Niu Jianguo, and I could only
When I sleep outside, I am constantly harassed by various insects and beasts. I often stay awake for several hours at night. It is already dawn again. As soon as the sun rises from the east, the temperature rises suddenly, and it immediately becomes like steaming meat on a hot pot...
…
After walking for four days in a row, except for the two women, Bai Yu and Nie Xiaobai, who were wearing sun protection clothing, all the others were darkened. Even the gentle Nie Zifeng had an extra layer of bronze.
Not to mention Niu Jianguo, who has a dark complexion. If he doesn't open his mouth to speak at night, I can't even see where he is.
The water was getting less and less, and everyone's water bags were almost empty, leaving only the last bag of water tied to Niu Jianguo's camel.
Niu Jianguo's lips were already dry. He glanced at the water bag and said, "There's still one last bag left. Please keep holding on. When the time comes, I, Old Niu, will give you a good drink."
I nodded and agreed: "Lao Niu is right, the last bag of water is left, please bear with me a little longer."
I raised my head and glanced at Lao Muti who was leading the way. I have been moving forward under his leadership these past few days, but until now, I have not seen any sign of Lop Nur...
At this moment, Batur in front suddenly fell off the camel.
My heart skipped a beat. Batur was the youngest among the group, and his physical endurance was not as good as the others. He might have suffered from heatstroke.
I quickly took out my water bag and poured the only sip of water in it into Batur's mouth.
A few minutes later, Batur slowly woke up. Fortunately, the dehydration was not serious.
This is sometimes the case in the desert. Once you fall down, a sip of water can often save your life.
"Shopkeeper, I still have some water here for you."
Niu Jianguo took out his own water bag and handed it over. I shook my head and refused to accept it. After all, it was his own water. If he gave it to me, he would not have to drink it.
"I'm not thirsty yet." I glanced at everyone and found that their eyes were all looking at the camel Niu Jianguo was riding, especially the two female tomb robbers brought by Bai Yu.
Others were even more eager, and I couldn't help but smile bitterly. I only had the last bag of water left, but if we really divided it up, everyone would only be able to get a few mouthfuls...
Zhou Xiaoshe couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and asked Lao Mu: "How long will it take for us to find the water source? I'm going to die of thirst."
"I don't know either. Decades have passed and the previous roads have been covered with sand..." Lao Muti said helplessly.
When the others heard this, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed on their faces.
I exhaled and said, "Old Niu, please take out the last bag of water and share it."
"Now?" Niu Jianguo glanced at the bulging water bag on the camel, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and said: "Why don't you wait until tomorrow? It's almost dark now..."
I said calmly, "Okay, let's wait until tomorrow."
It soon became dark, and everyone gathered together after setting up a bonfire, eating the fish cakes Batur brought, which were so hard that they could barely be eaten.
Bai Yu sat next to me, with a bit of guilt on his face, and said, "If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have left everyone without water."
I comforted her and said, "I don't blame you, there are many things that we can't decide."
Bai Yu nodded. Although she didn't say anything more, her eyes were still a little disappointed. She always felt that she was dragging us down, and she was depressed along the way...
Before going to bed, I took a special look at Niu Jianguo and found that he didn't say anything all night, with his head hanging down. When he saw my eyes, he quickly lowered his head again.
I felt something strange in my heart, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I fell asleep quickly and slept surprisingly peacefully tonight.
But the next day, the thing I least expected to see happened.
Zhou Xiaoshe woke me up with a stern face and said that Niu Jianguo ran away with the last bag of water...