Thinking of me now

At 8:40 in the morning, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby.

Although many people said that staying overnight in Litang easily caused altitude sickness, none of Su Yang and his group experienced any symptoms.

They were quite lucky, though of course, this also had a lot to do with their own physical fitness.

After checking out at the front desk, the fourteen of them went to the street outside the hotel to grab a quick breakfast before setting off for the Maoya Prairie.

The Maoya Prairie is located in the western part of Litang, over seventy kilometers away from the county seat, and not far from the Batang county seat either.

Everyone planned to go horseback riding there later, and then head to Batang in the afternoon to stay for a night, have a good rest, and take a shower.

Heading further west from Batang and crossing the Jinsha River would completely bring them into the Tibetan region.

Tomorrow, they planned to speed up their progress and drive straight from Batang to Bomi. They originally wanted to push all the way to Nyingchi, but Su Yang checked and found that it was nearly 900 kilometers from Batang to Nyingchi.

For such a distance, let alone the winding national highways in high-altitude areas, even driving on a normal expressway would take a long time.

He himself didn't mind, but Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo definitely wouldn't be able to drive for that long.

At 9:10 in the morning, the four cars headed west. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful and spectacular scenery along the way. Two or three hours later, they suddenly emerged from the surrounding mountains into a wide, open area.

The four cars drove along a flat and straight road, which was considered the smoothest and easiest road they had driven on recently.

At this moment, on both sides of the road were endless grasslands, in the distance were continuous snow-capped mountains, and overhead were large stretches of low-hanging clouds.

This was the Maoya Prairie, one of the six most beautiful grasslands in Huaguo.

The Maoya Prairie covers a total area of 251 square kilometers. How big is that? It is roughly the size of a football field.

The altitude here was still very high, averaging between 3,800 and 4,500 meters, making it an alpine meadow.

They came at the perfect time, because the best months to visit and explore here are July, August, and September.

The four cars moved forward along the flat road. The vast grasslands slowly unfolded on both sides. On the prairie were colorful flowers and the winding Wuliang River.

Grasslands, snow-capped mountains, rivers, and many cycling and road-tripping tourists along the way—such beautiful scenery was truly moving.

[Ding, detected that the host is in a good mood and thoroughly enjoying the current scenery. Rewarded 2 million.]

They rolled down the car windows, and the refreshing, gentle breeze blew into the cars, lifting the girls' flowing hair. Su Yang could occasionally smell bursts of fragrance.

He didn't know whether it was the perfume on the girls or the floral scent carried by the wind from outside.

"Wow, it's so beautiful! How are there so many flowers on this prairie?" Meng Qianyu shouted, leaning against the car window.

"Yeah, it really is stunning. Look, there are snow-capped mountains over there, and a river here. No wonder so many people want to take a road trip to western Sichuan. You can see all kinds of different scenery no matter where you go," Su Qingci chimed in with admiration.

The three girls in the back seat, smiling brightly, took out their phones to record this beautiful moment.

Soon, the four cars arrived at the destination set on the navigation. At the destination, there were many colorful tents of various sizes.

Many vehicles were parked on one side of the tents, all belonging to tourists on road trips.

When traveling from Litang to Batang, the Maoya Prairie is a must-pass location, so there were many tourists stopping by along the way.

Su Yang and the others drove their cars to a spacious spot and parked. At this time, there were people everywhere around them. Some were taking photos, some were chatting, and others were buying snacks and drinks in front of some herdsmen's tents.

After parking the cars, everyone got out one after another.

Their purpose for coming here was very clear: horseback riding.

Before coming, Meng Wenzhou had somehow managed to contact a local herdsman in advance.

He took out his phone, called the person, spoke a few words, and then hung up.

Liu Bo asked, "How is it?"

"He's coming over to find us right away."

"OK. Man, it's been a long time since I rode a horse, I kind of miss it. Later, I'm getting a horse all to myself. With such a massive prairie, I have to enjoy a good gallop."

"Sure, just don't get thrown off the horse and break your legs," Meng Wenzhou said with a laugh.

"How is that possible? My skills are excellent."

"Stop bragging. We'll see once you get on the horse."

"If you don't believe me, just wait. I'll show you guys my masterful riding skills in a minute."

As they chatted, a middle-aged man wearing traditional Tibetan clothing soon walked out from the tent area.

He wasn't tall, about 1.6 meters, with dark skin, but he looked like a very simple, honest, and kind-hearted person.

After confirming his identity, Meng Wenzhou waved and shouted, "Uncle Dorje, we're over here!"

The man named Dorje trotted over with a smile.

"Tashi Delek! You must be the handsome Meng Wenzhou, right?"

"That's me."

"Haha, handsome indeed. Are these your friends?"

"Yes."

Uncle Dorje looked at Su Yang and the others, smiled, and said again, "Tashi Delek!"

"Tashi Delek, Tashi Delek," the group replied politely.

"What a group of handsome guys and beautiful girls! Haha, come, come, please follow me."

"Alright." Everyone followed Uncle Dorje toward the prairie. After passing through the roadside tent area and walking a few more minutes into the distance, they arrived at a few larger tents.

Uncle Dorje pointed to a relatively large white yurt to the right front and said, "This is my home."

Everyone looked in that direction, and Liu Bo asked, "Uncle Dorje, do you usually live here?"

"For now, yes, haha."

Hearing this, everyone understood that Uncle Dorje belonged to a nomadic tribe, constantly migrating according to changes in seasons and climate.

With a hearty laugh, Uncle Dorje led the group to the front of his yurt. He reached out and opened a red iron door, behind which hung a large curtain.

After lifting the curtain, they entered the interior of the yurt.

The entire interior space was about thirty square meters. The central area was a simple reception space laid with carpets.

On it sat a vintage-looking iron stove. A silver pipe extended upward from the side of the stove, leading outside the yurt.

Around the stove were many old pieces of furniture, as well as some tools and household items.

Everyone followed him into the room, and Uncle Dorje immediately invited them to sit down.

"Handsome guys and beautiful girls, my place is a bit simple and messy, I'm sorry about that. Please make yourselves comfortable and have a seat. I'll pour everyone a cup of butter tea first, and then I'll take you all horseback riding."

"Sounds good." Su Yang and the others didn't mind at all and went over to sit on the carpet.

However, fourteen people were quite a lot after all, so it felt a bit crowded once they sat down.

Uncle Dorje quickly poured butter tea for everyone. Afterward, he briefly explained about his horses, as well as some riding techniques, procedures, and fees.

For the fourteen of them, it only cost 1,300 yuan in total. Each person could ride for an hour, and this fee even included a meal.

Calculated this way, it came to less than a hundred yuan per person, which was quite a good deal.

Everyone nodded as they listened. Soon, Uncle Dorje led the group out of the yurt and headed deeper into the grassland.

Seven or eight minutes later, they finally spotted a small herd of horses in the distance, roughly twenty or thirty of them.

There were already seven or eight tourists learning to ride. A herdsman stayed by each horse's side, ready to react quickly in case anyone had an accident.

As they approached the herd, Uncle Dorje smiled and said, "Handsome lads and pretty ladies, these are the horses I raise. Do you want me to pick for you, or would you prefer to choose your own?"

Liu Bo stepped forward with a beaming smile. "Uncle, please pick for us. And could you find me a fast one?"

"A fast one? Haha, all my horses are fast runners. Young man, you know how to ride, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Oh, alright then. I'll pick for you. But do you want one horse each, or two people sharing one?"

Pan Ning looked at Su Yang. "Take me with you. I don't know how to ride."

Su Yang nodded with a smile. "Sure."

Even though he didn't know how to ride either, he had a feeling that he would master it within just a few minutes of getting in the saddle.

Meng Qianyu had originally wanted Su Yang to take her as well, but with Pan Ning around, it wasn't appropriate for her to ask. She had no choice but to turn to Meng Wenzhou. "Brother, take me with you."

"Oh, so now you remember me?"

...