Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue had taken ten days off, with Feng Qingxue preparing the daily necessities and food they would carry, while Lu Jiang borrowed a tent and some essential survival gear from the army.
According to Lu Jiang’s rank, he was provided with a vehicle by the army, but he seldom used it, this time being the exception.
So, the family of four drove there, with the destination being over a hundred kilometers away from the city district and quite a distance from their campsite as well; the road was rough, bumping the children into a ceaseless string of complaints, but they finally arrived in the afternoon.
The scenery was exceptionally beautiful with clear mountains and waters, the vegetation vibrant; wisps of warm air wafted about, foggy as though in a fairyland.
"This is Dezong hot spring, one of the four sacred springs of Tibet, with over a thousand years of history. The spring water has many miraculous healing properties. In ancient times, it served as an exclusive bathing place for nobility and lamas," Lu Jiang explained with a mastery of the local terrain and conditions as he stopped the car. "Nearby is a Tibetan residential area and a temple; I’ll take you guys around during the day."
Xibao and Fubao, used to the bugle and slogans of the military camp, as well as the training scenes and grazing fields, had never seen such sights. As soon as they got out of the car, they shouted joyfully and ran around.
"Water!" Fubao exclaimed, cupping his little face.
"Bath, bath!" Xibao was ready to strip off his clothes right there and then.
Feng Qingxue quickly grabbed them, "Wait for Dad to find us a suitable hot spring first."
She knew of the hot springs in Tibet but had never been there before and didn’t understand the situation well. It seemed, just as Lu Jiang mentioned, that the hot spring wasn’t far from where the Tibetans lived; there were traces of human activity.
Lu Jiang took out the tent and other items from the car and began to set up camp on the spot.
"Wife, you can take the kids and walk around, but don’t go far and stay within my sight," he said.
Checking the time, Feng Qingxue said, "Let’s roast some food for the kids first, and after they’ve eaten, then we can walk around. Xibao, Fubao, are you guys hungry?" The last question was directed at the children.
Upon hearing about food, Xibao felt his mouth water, "Mom, I want meat."
Fubao touched his little stomach, "Hungry, hungry, Mom, can we eat now?"
Feng Qingxue pretended to go to the car to fetch things but actually took the barbecue grill and charcoal out from her storage space. She asked Lu Jiang to set up the grill and light the charcoal, and she proceeded to bring out various items like skewered lamb, vegetables, potato slices, eggplant slices, chicken wings, sausages, and more, all prepared in secret at home, plentifully stocked.
The marinated lamb skewers and chicken wings were the first on the grill, and as the charcoal heat intensified, their aroma began to spread.
Xibao cheered and sat directly across from Feng Qingxue, on the other side of the grill, while Fubao snuggled next to Feng Qingxue and pointed at the potato slices, "Mama, slices!"
Sometimes, Feng Qingxue would use cow dung at home to roast meat or vegetables for them, so they were familiar with it.
Upon hearing this, Feng Qingxue immediately placed several skewers of potato slices and green vegetables on the grill.
Although lamb and chicken wings were roasted first, the vegetables cooked faster, and after being brushed with some sauce and cumin, they were cooled off before being slid onto plates for her son and daughter. Feng Qingxue was careful not to scald the children or let the metal skewers poke them, especially since Xibao was particularly impatient and disliked vegetables, fixating on the undercooked lamb skewers. Meanwhile, Fubao grabbed a slice of potato and took a small bite."
"Delicious!" His happy eyes narrowed into slits.