Crossing the Western Tianshan Mountains

His face was pressed against his chest, almost suffocating. He heard Ye Minglang say in a suppressed voice, "Hua Duo'er, give me some time. I'm afraid of hurting you..."

Gulinar seemed to sob and said, "I'm not afraid."

But Ye Minglang still didn't let her go. He didn't allow her to move freely, nor did he allow her little hands to move around. He held her tightly in his arms and held her like that for a long time.

Until the passion in Gulinar's heart was gradually transformed into warmth, and she felt so comfortable that she just wanted to fall asleep.

When both of them calmed down, Gulinar stood up with a red face and took out a big spoon like a magic trick. The two of them slowly ate the porridge from the pot.

While eating, Gulinar suddenly laughed, looked up at Ye Minglang's face seriously and said, "I love you even more, Minglang. I know you are protecting me and you love me too. I will give you time to deal with the matter between us. I will wait for you."

Ye Minglang originally thought that Gulinar would have some grudges in her heart because of what happened tonight, but he didn't expect her to be so understanding and firm. For a moment, his heart felt like it was hit by a ball of warm cotton. He just held Gulinar's hand and didn't know what to say.

On the second day, Ling Fengxi and Wu Yongjie arrived at the entrance of the tunnel of Section 14 early. They saw that Azati and the others had already gotten up. They had built a small bonfire and were drinking hot milk tea. They had also poked naan with a small stick and roasted it over the fire. The air was filled with the salty aroma of milk tea and the grainy smell of naan.

Wu Yongjie burst out laughing when he saw this. "Azati, you guys have turned your 21st century high-tech life into a primitive caveman lifestyle."

Azati didn't understand what he was saying, but thought he might be mocking him. He said angrily, "The mountain god roared again yesterday! If you guys mess around here, something bad will happen!"

At this time, the workers also arrived one after another. Li Jianguo and Lin Jinghui also gathered around. Azati continued, "The mountain god was angry last night! It was very loud!"

Azati's Chinese was limited, and he kept repeating the same sentence. After listening to it, Li Jianguo suddenly thought of something. He called a halt to the workers who were about to drill holes and release water as planned, and then said to Wu Yongjie, "Captain Wu, I think we need to continue testing."

Wu Yongjie's expression changed. "Xiao Li, what's going on? Are you guys done with the testing?"

Ling Fengxi also asked, "Did you find something wrong again?"

"Brother Azati said the noise was louder at night. I guess the water might be gushing more violently at night. I'm afraid there's more than one aquifer or water-bearing layer here. If it's an underground river, it would be quite troublesome. Now is the time when the snow on the mountain is melting, and it's not even May yet.

By July or August, when the snow melts completely, if this really is an underground river, I'm afraid we can only block one part, but not the rest. The current drilling and drainage methods will be endless, and it's really dangerous."

"Xiao Li, can you guys on the technical side get this done right the first time? Who can stand doing it piece by piece like this? What do you mean by this? Do you want to dig a new hole?"

"I--" Li Jianguo was extremely embarrassed. Wu Yongjie was usually very nice to them, the technicians, and even the workers. He was not arrogant and they laughed and joked all day long. It was rare for him to speak to them in such a harsh manner.

Ling Fengxi calmed down. He had previously been most afraid of halting construction, but he understood what Li Jianguo was saying. If they truly breached the underground river, and if the water flowed continuously, it wouldn't just damage the project, but also create a high risk of mudslides or floods.

Ling Fengxi spoke up, "I don't know much about engineering, but I understand that safety is paramount in engineering, and we must not cause damage to the surrounding area. If someone dies, the project can be stopped."

Wu Yongjie was actually waiting for him to say this, and immediately said, "Stop, stop, stop, continue testing today."

The workers then had another day off.

In the tent, Ling Fengxi and Wu Yongjie sighed to each other. As time went by, the progress of the project was already slow. If they started over again, it would mean that the project would not make any progress at all. Not only would Ling Fengxi be unable to explain to his superiors, but the strength of Wu Yongjie's engineering team would also be questioned.

On the other hand, Azati found that his statement was actually taken seriously, and he suddenly felt that these Han people were not the kind of people who would do anything reckless. Instead, he developed some good feelings towards them.

Ling Fengxi and Wu Yongjie rested in the tent for a short while before heading inside the cave entrance with Li Jianguo and his team that afternoon to survey. Li Jianguo led his team to the top of the mountain, expanding the survey area. They stopped after every few steps, fixed their exploration equipment, observed for a while, recorded the data, and then continued onward, recording again...

Li Jianguo and his team did not dare to stop for even a minute. After two or three hours, it was almost dark, but the technical staff led by Li Jianguo had no intention of stopping.

Compared to Ling Fengxi, Wu Yongjie was more relaxed. He chatted with Azati, and one of them said, "Brother Azati, does the mountain god marry a wife? I don't think you have the custom of offering women to the mountain god here, right?"

Azati probably understood what he said and said, "The mountain god is very kind, just like our Ata..."

Azati continued, "It doesn't harm us. If we harm it, it will resist... Of course, we won't harm it. We will resist together with our mountain god Ata..."

At this time, Gulinar also came. She had fair skin, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a moving gaze. She was young and passionate. When she came, the whole atmosphere changed. Azati's eyes lit up, and he even smiled. He took down the naan that had just been used to grill meat and broke off a piece for Gulinar.

Gulnar had already eaten, but she still took the naan, blew on it with her little mouth, and slowly began to nibble on it. She said in Kazakh, "Azati, it's because of you that I can continue to stay at the construction site. I am now their translator."

"Are you happy staying at the construction site? The cattle and sheep on the pasture are what really make us happy." said Azati.

Gulinar shook her head. "Wherever my beloved Baron is, that's my paradise. It doesn't matter whether there are cattle or sheep."

Azati suddenly snatched the uneaten naan from Gulinar's hand and said, "You are no longer fit to be a shepherd. If you like the Han people in the city, you are already a Han Chinese."

Gulinar was stunned for a moment, but then she laughed. "Azati, don't be so angry! It's the 21st century now. Once we break through the Western Tianshan Mountains, many Han Chinese girls will come to the mountain pastures to see your cattle and sheep. Then you might marry a Han Chinese girl."