Chapter 137: The Most Beautiful Road, A Bottle of Solitude

A sheep in the middle, leisurely chewing on a blade of grass, let out a "baa" at He Ku'er. The owner of the sheep warmly welcomed Lin Shenlu and his two companions. Lin Shenlu did not stand on ceremony; he ducked directly into the owner's tent and took a seat. Inside, the matriarch enthusiastically brought out a bucket of yogurt from the refrigerator, ladling a large bowl for Lin Shenlu, An Muxi, and He Ku'er each. With a practiced hand, she added two spoonfuls of sugar to every bowl.

Lin Shenlu took a big gulp. It tasted a hundred times better than any of the Qinghai yogurt sold in supermarkets. Beyond its freshness, the texture was incredibly rich and mellow. An Muxi drank with relish, her eyes filled with satisfaction as she asked the matriarch for another bowl.

"Uncle, this is so delicious! It's the best yogurt I've ever had," He Ku'er asked, blinking at Lin Shenlu. She was currently wearing An Muxi's white plaid skirt, which gave her a slightly more demure and steady appearance.

"Then take out your little notebook and write it down: the first stop on this route is Qinghai Lake, where you can mooch yogurt at the local herdsmen's homes!" Lin Shenlu said with a helpless smile.

"Oh, right, right, must remember that!"

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Shenlu held out his hand toward An Muxi. She paused, pursed her lips, and then placed her hand into his. Lin Shenlu was taken aback. Had she misunderstood? He had just been asking her for the bottle. Oh well, never mind.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the lakeside," Lin Shenlu said with a grin.

After paying the tent owner fifty yuan, Lin Shenlu and An Muxi finally climbed onto the large white horse, heading toward the lake to see the most beautiful parts of Qinghai Lake.

Gently crouching down, Lin Shenlu finally picked up the glass bottle, found the clearest spot in Qinghai Lake, and submerged it. He wanted to take a bottle of Qinghai Lake's water with him. *Glug, glug...* The sound from the bottle's mouth seemed to whisper of loneliness. Lin Shenlu pulled the bottle up, satisfied, and held it against the sky. It had to be said, the water of Qinghai Lake was truly crystal clear.

Of course, once poured into the bottle, the water lost that deep, profound blue. Yet, the slight blue tint appeared even more peculiar within the transparent glass. Lin Shenlu pulled a small pink notebook from his pocket, tore off a strip of blank paper, pasted it below the bottle's neck, and gently wrote three characters on it: Qinghai Lake.

After lingering for a while with the herdsmen, Lin Shenlu saw the afternoon sun tilting westward and prepared to leave the lake-worshiping area for the West Lake Road. If one had to choose the most aesthetically pleasing stretch of Qinghai Lake, Lin Shenlu believed it was the West Lake Road they were now traveling. It was far less crowded with cars and people, offering a much quieter atmosphere. Moreover, it was a place of absolute, pure natural beauty, providing the best vantage point of Qinghai Lake in its most pristine, original state.

For Lin Shenlu, driving along the West Lake Road was a wonderful experience. The soft light felt exceptionally warm on his skin as they traveled along the level road, with his car and He Ku'er's maintaining a steady, leisurely pace. From time to time, sunlight spilled from the clouds, stretching the shadow of Lin Shenlu's car across the roadside grasslands. The silhouette moved at a constant speed across the warm-hued meadow, like a scene from a flowing silent film.

"Lu'er, why does the color of Qinghai Lake look different now? It seems even prettier than before," An Muxi asked, looking at the lake outside the window in amazement.

"That's because the Qinghai Lake along the West Lake Road has the most beautiful colors—a hue like a gemstone, mixed with a touch of crimson. And Muxi, look over there, is that a hint of a rainbow on the horizon?"

An Muxi followed his gaze. Sure enough, a small patch of rainbow appeared in the sky. Everything was so poetic that it filled one's heart with joy.

"The sun is setting. Let's head back to set up the car tents; I'll treat you all to a barbecue tonight!" Lin Shenlu said in high spirits.

*“You pass through a town called ‘Mine’*
*Just as the snow on the roof turns to rain and falls*
*You are wearing transparent clothes*
*Singing to me alone*
*All of them songs I love...”*

The music in the cabin was comforting, the simple guitar plucking planting the scene firmly in one's heart, far away from the noisy city and into the vast, boundless grasslands. The singer's gentle voice guided the listener's emotions at a steady pace, drawing them into a world of warm meadows and rice paddies.

*“We go to the lakeside of the great grassland*
*Waiting for the migratory birds to return*
*Waiting until we are both grown up*
*And have a child*
*He will grow up and go away on his own*
*We will also go our separate ways*
*I will write you letters*
*You will not reply*
*Just let it be...”*

What a beautiful song, filled with the promise of the future. Listening, Lin Shenlu and An Muxi seemed to hear the sound of birds in flight and the rustling of the wind. The perfect fusion of melody and lyrics heightened the atmosphere of their surroundings. Behind the poetic lyrics lay the beauty of a love that could never be realized in this life—a distant longing that could never be erased by the passage of time. Singing of the afterlife within the song, a testament to a life truly lived.

Lin Shenlu's tour of the lake was coming to an end. With An Muxi and He Ku'er, the three arrived at the Jinyintan Grassland. In truth, this was already some distance from Qinghai Lake, but it was undoubtedly the best place to gaze at the night sky and set up camp. Before darkness fell, Lin Shenlu just wanted to drive to his heart's content. He didn't stop at Fusi City or Bird Island.

Actually, Lin Shenlu had quite wanted to explore Bird Island properly. Located in the northern part of Qinghai Lake, Bird Island is divided into Egg Island and Cormorant Island, though May is the prime time for birdwatching. It is a truly unique kingdom of birds, home to nearly a hundred thousand migratory birds of various species. Around April each year, over a dozen types of migratory birds—including bar-headed geese, brown-headed gulls, ruddy shelducks, and cormorants—arrive from southern China and Southeast Asia to breed. To witness Bird Island in person then is to see a spectacle: thousands of birds taking flight from the lake to the grasslands, some soaring in the blue sky, some frolicking in the turquoise waves, others resting leisurely on the beach. It is a magnificent, bustling sight, a true wonder of Qinghai Lake.

Alas, the timing was wrong; he would definitely come back for a deeper visit when he had the chance.

Before they reached the Jinyintan Grassland, Lin Shenlu received another voice call from He Ku'er.

"Hello?" Lin Shenlu asked.

"Uncle, pull over for a second," He Ku'er said, sounding rather urgent.

"This is Fairy Bay; we're almost there!" Lin Shenlu said, feeling a bit anxious.

"I can't wait, Uncle! When nature calls, it calls. Besides, now that I've reached Fairy Bay, shouldn't this fairy go take a leak?"