Chapter 1
The door cannot block the noisy voices from the Hui People's Street, nor the smoky aroma of various barbecues
Ye Liuxi smiled and said: "You may have already noticed, and I won't beat around the bush. My purpose is not to watch shadow puppetry... I am looking for someone. I heard you have a nephew named Changdong?"
Ding Zhou said: "Then come with me."
This street is called Huimin Street, also known as the "Famous Food Culture District", the "Representative of Xi'an Style", and a "Must-Visit Attraction in Xi'an"
Indeed
Ding Zhou walked to the door, hung out the sign that read "Rest," and then bolted the door
Xi'an
Ye Liuxi was just about to say something when Ding Zhou pulled down the lamp cord
Why does Changdong insist on traveling for an additional two hours? Is it truly based on reasonable travel arrangements and considerations for the safety of camping?
He lived with Dingzhou, taciturn and often sat for long periods beneath the stage, repeatedly watching Dingzhou perform shadow puppetry, fixating on those lifeless shadow figures, and listening to the long, melodious singing, moved to tears.
Ye Liuxi believes there is no contradiction: "He must have valued his abilities; having made a mistake does not necessarily mean he has also lost his capabilities."
Ding Zhou did not introduce himself; his name is printed on the playbill and tickets, so she could not possibly be unaware of it
Ding Zhou spoke modestly: "I am far from it. You can check in the background; those singing styles and drum rhythms are all pre-recorded. A true master of shadow puppetry can 'dance with a hundred thousand soldiers with both hands,' skillfully managing a dozen or so characters in chaotic battle while singing, drumming, reciting, and striking. That is truly impressive... By the way, how should I address you?"
The audience primarily consists of parents accompanied by their children, most of whom are unable to sit still, squirming on the benches and asking in a flurry, "When will the animated film be shown?"
Apart from Chang Dong, all eighteen individuals perished. Moreover, due to the excessive mobility of the sand dunes, it is possible that the bodies and the campsite were displaced several miles overnight, rendering the search for the remains completely fruitless
Is Chang Dong dead
Beneath the sign hangs a shadow puppet woman, with enchanting brows and eyes, a slender waist, and a long, dark braid trailing behind her head, a charmingly beautiful advertisement.
... ...
Tourists who are interested or tired from wandering will casually pick up a cup of sour plum soup at the alley entrance, purchase a ten-yuan ticket, and watch a ten-minute shadow puppet show.
Ye Liuxi opened the canvas bag and took out a rolled-up magazine, placing it on the table: "If you are referring to the matter of 'Black Camellia', then I am aware of it"
Two years ago, an outdoor group called "Camellia" planned to traverse the four major uninhabited areas in the country, with the first stop being the Lop Nur. They made a grand announcement, conducted news interviews, and posted updates online throughout the journey, with Chang Dong as their guide
Ding Zhou, coughing, dragged his leg down from the edge of the stage, pretending to move the table and stools. As he passed by the woman, he smiled politely at her and asked, "Are you here for a visit?"
The woman looked at the darkening curtain: "So many shadow puppets, yet only one person is pulling the strings, truly impressive"
They know it is nonsense themselves. Now there are machines specifically for carving shadow puppets, with one machine operating in a production line that can produce several hundred shadow puppets in a day. Very few people are willing to carve them by hand, piece by piece—however, when it comes to deceiving tourists, they all say the same thing
She is here again, having come for three consecutive days, each time at seven o'clock
I suppose so
Amidst the chaos, he will persist in performing the entire play, adhering to the old singing style of Qin opera.
The woman sat still, with a canvas bag hanging from the protruding corner of the chair back. One hand was twisting and rubbing a theater ticket, and on her wrist was a tattoo resembling a coiled snake. At first glance, it looked like she was wearing a bracelet.
Like someone who repairs motorcycles, but certainly not.
Dingzhou can foresee what will happen next: after the performance begins, the children will feel bored, realizing that shadow puppetry is far removed from animated films. They will complain that the singing is obscure and difficult to understand, insisting on going out to play. The adults will scold them, and the children will cry and shout.
The surname is Ye, and the given name is Liu Xi
As the door opened, a musty odor rushed out, and it was too dark inside to see anything, except for a small glass that emitted a pale white light
Netizens angrily discovered that the additional person was Chang Dong's girlfriend, Kong Yang. Chang Dong insisted on reaching E Tuo Sha Po Zi because that area of sand dunes had many desert rose stones exposed on the surface. Chang Dong wanted to propose to Kong Yang there
Do you know that Changdong had an incident two years ago? It was reported in the news, and he was criticized by netizens as if he were a dog
The shadow puppeteer is an old man named Ding Zhou, in his sixties, with graying hair and poor leg mobility, which prevents him from engaging much with the outside world. He spends long hours sitting behind a white curtain, polished to a bright sheen with fish oil, manipulating two or three shadow puppets in time with the drumbeats, performing lively stories from a bygone era.
When Dingzhou woke up early and saw a patch of dark red enveloping the walkway in the morning light, he was puzzled for a moment, wondering: What is this thing?
Ye Liuxi said: "I have heard that he is an expert in the Gobi Desert, having once crossed the Lop Nur alone on a bicycle. Some call him 'the Sand Fang.' For ordinary people, reaching that place is merely a matter of fate, but he is a tusk that can pierce through the desert"
Ding Zhou's hand trembled slightly
Moreover, during several intervals of the performance, he glanced down from the edge of the curtain: that woman was not watching the play seriously
I see you have come a few times, do you understand? It's all the old singing style, which many young people do not like
Coriander, go die: Listening to Chang Dong is indeed correct, he is truly an expert. In my heart, he is just like Zhao Ziyun, the king of the desert!
Most of the audience grumbled "not good" as they walked towards the exit, while a few remained behind, selecting shadow puppets from the wall, preparing to take a few back as souvenirs from their travels
What is behind the curtain? ... Besides the stage lights and the phonograph playing the aria, isn't it ...? ... Him?
On this evening, the shadow play commenced promptly at 7:00 PM, and by 6:50 PM, the audience was already seated in full.
Her smile was ambiguous, and her gaze seemed to penetrate that layer of curtain
Sometimes it is "The Peddler and the Young Lady", and sometimes it is "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King"
Ding Zhou said: "Eighteen people have died because of him, and the whole world is cursing him. Not only are they cursing him, but they are also cursing Kong Yang as a shameless woman. Chang Dong sold all his possessions and, after compensating the families of the deceased, came to find me."
The poster is an experienced outdoor enthusiast who, with good intentions to warn future adventurers, has summarized the major outdoor disasters of the past few years, including "Missing during the Motuo Trek," "Death River of Shat", "Disappearance in the Kanas Snowfield," and also "Desert Black Camellia"
The shadow puppet theater is not large, with only about 10 square meters outside the stage, where three rows of tables and chairs are arranged. Colorful shadow puppets of various kinds hang on the wall. If visitors are interested, they can pay 50 yuan to take away 3 of them
He pointed to the shadow puppets hanging on the wall: "Not just two? They are all made of cowhide, the leather is translucent, crafted with a pushing knife technique, entirely handmade. The more complex ones require over 3,000 cuts, and it takes two to three days to produce one. They are truly fine goods"
I am a Saudi prince: Some travelers, in fact, have the brains of a donkey; they have only been to the beach and think they can traverse the desert. Of course, they should listen to Chang Dong. He has crossed the Lop Nur, you know, and even Yu Chunsun was unable to make it out.
Ding Zhou asked Ye Liu Xi: "Do you know 'Black Camellia'? Do you still want to invite Chang Dong?"
Dingzhou's gaze fell upon the cover of the magazine
Many outdoor enthusiasts responded, overwhelmingly supporting Changdong.
Dingzhou understood: "Are you preparing to enter the desert? Do you want to find Changdong as a guide?"
Most of the audience has left, and the light casts upon the shadow puppets hanging on the wall, in shades of peach pink, willow green, and apricot yellow. The finely carved long brows and eyes, closely packed together, are enchanting and alluring.
He hunched his body, coughing all the way, and brought Ye Liuxi into the backstage.
Under the dim yellow light, she could see clearly that the small piece of glass was actually a glass frame, bordered in black, containing a black and white photograph. The image depicted a young man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with striking features and a gaze filled with despair
The curtain falls, and the lights come on
An ancient city wall encloses the central area of Xi'an, with the Bell and Drum Tower at its heart. Behind the Drum Tower extends a street that, regardless of peak or off-peak seasons, and irrespective of sunny or rainy days, is always a gathering place for exquisite food and a hub for tourists.
... ...
Thinking about it is quite dull, but most of the time in life, it is inherently unexciting
The back area was crowded and cramped; in addition to playing games, several small rooms were created using partitions. Ding Zhou stopped at the entrance of the smallest room at the end and took out a key to unlock the door
In front of the photo, there is an incense burner with a shallow layer of ash in the bowl, along with two small porcelain bowls, one filled with rice and the other piled high with individually packaged candies and biscuits
The scornful voices overwhelmed everything, more rampant than a sandstorm, instantly engulfing Changdong
Dingzhou's heart skipped a beat
He looked towards Ye Liuxi, his voice even more aged than before: "Are you looking for Changdong for something?"
That night, no one anticipated the sudden onset of a rare sandstorm, as the sand dunes advanced onto the flat ground, leading the camp to face a catastrophic disaster
The matter is not yet over. Two days later, a person claiming to be in the know posted a revelation, dropping a bombshell.
One midnight three months later, Chang Dong cut his wrist in his room, blood flowed throughout the house, seeping through the door cracks and into the corridor behind the stage.
At two minutes to seven, a young woman entered.
The official Weibo avatar of the camellia has since turned black, with no further updates.
Dingzhou lifted the curtain slightly to look down
Dingzhou felt a bit anxious
The shadow play is something that, for the audience's first visit, is merely a novelty; for the second visit, it may spark some interest; by the third visit, it begins to feel somewhat like a routine. At exactly 7 o'clock, the theater is filled with the same performance of "The Merchant and the Young Woman," a straightforward flirtation play that is not particularly worth watching repeatedly
This is an outdoor magazine, and the cover features a screenshot of a trending post from the internet. Dingzhou has seen that post, which has been prominently featured and pinned on the largest outdoor website in the country for the past two years
As popularity surges, every inch of land becomes precious, and various types of shops are striving to squeeze into the narrowest spaces, like a pointed tip. When the street is insufficient, they extend into the narrow alleys, simply putting up a sign on the street that reads something like "15 meters inward, accommodation"
When she came for the first time, Ding Zhou noticed: she was very beautiful, with shoulder-length fluffy hair, carrying a half-worn black canvas bag on one shoulder, wearing a checkered shirt, ripped jeans, and lace-up rubber-soled shoes, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and traces of engine oil on her arms and pants
Approximately one-third of the distance from the end of the street, there is an alley. At the entrance of the alley, there is a vendor selling sour plum soup, and on the high-hanging sign, it reads "Shadow Puppet Show, Scheduled Performances"
Falling in Love with a Bear Who Doesn't Come Home: Chang Dong is a "sand fox"; he is experienced, so of course, one should listen to him. Those without experience should refrain from talking nonsense.
Once a life is lost, outdoor news will ferment in the direction of social hotspots, and the number of people paying attention will grow exponentially
During the journey to the tea mountain in the Lop Nur region, there were seventeen people in the team, excluding the guide. However, there were eighteen who encountered difficulties. Since Chang Dong is still alive, who is the additional person?
On the night of the incident, we had just entered the desert, barely touching the edge of the Lop Nur. The official Weibo account of "Shancha" posted an instant message, indicating that there was a dispute between the team leader and Chang Dong regarding the campsite for the night. The team leader wanted to camp on the spot, but Chang Dong insisted on pushing for another two hours to set up camp near the E'tou Shapozi.