Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 1309 The bread is so delicious!

The others didn't follow, because they all knew what Lao Zhao meant to them, especially in this kind of situation. It was better to give the four of them in the dormitory some space!

After returning to her hotel room, the Sichuan girl immediately took out her tablet and sat by the window.

"Are you ready?" Chuanmei asked the two of them.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo slapped him on the back of the head: "Hurry up, stop talking nonsense. It's not like we've never seen this before, why all the fuss!"

"Ahem, here I come, haha!" The Sichuan girl gave an awkward laugh and then dialed Lao Zhao's video call.

Soon, the video call was connected, and Lao Zhao, dressed in a black windbreaker, appeared in the frame.

Well, even through the camera lens, you could feel how travel-worn he looked. His skin was rough, and he looked tired, but his eyes were still shining.

Lin Mo: "Old Zhao, how's it going?"

Sichuan girl: "It's alright, isn't it?"

Director Wang: "Wow, Lao Zhao, that's awesome! How was the trip to Tibet?"

Faced with the three chattering questions, Old Zhao didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out a small oxygen cylinder with his other hand, put it to his mouth, took a deep breath, and then laughed, "I'm fine, everything's okay, it's just... a bit windy! Oh, and I'm experiencing some altitude sickness here!"

Listening to the whistling wind on the other end of the screen and glancing at Lao Zhao's current state, the three of them laughed. At least this guy looked to be in good shape.

"Now, only the final step remains!"

As he spoke, Old Zhao turned to the side, and the three of them saw a large rock not far behind him, covered with photos of all sizes.

Lin Mo: "Go ahead, Lao Zhao. The three of us aren't going, but we'll go with you!"

Sichuan girl: "Exactly, this is the last thing! Did you bring everything?"

Director Wang: "Slow down, no rush!"

Listening to the three people's words, Old Zhao reached into his pocket and took out two photos, one of a boy and one of a girl. The boy was a child who was a little over ten years old and was smiling brightly, while the girl was Xu Ying.

Throughout the journey, Lao Zhao often looked at Xu Ying's photo, carrying a heavy burden of his mother's expectations, which gave him unparalleled courage to get through one night after another.

"The Rebirth Stone, according to the locals, is the Tibetan people's personal message book for life and death. The elders here say that touching this stone will allow you to reconnect with your deceased relatives. As a result, many people travel thousands of miles to put photos of their loved ones on the stone!"

Touching the stones, tears streaming down my face, I felt that all the regrets and longing of my life could find an outlet here.

As Old Zhao spoke, he walked up to the stone, which was covered with photos. There were even tourists next to him who had come to say goodbye to their loved ones, just like him.

Because there were so many people, many photos fell to the ground. Old Zhao didn't touch the other photos, because each photo represented someone's longing.

He found a corner, took out the little boy's photo, carefully pasted it on the stone, and smiled, "Little Duan, I've come to see you on behalf of your mother. She asked me to tell you not to blame your mother, as she couldn't come because of her health. Your brother came in her place. She told you to eat well over there. She also said that she misses you very much and loves you very much. If you hear this, you can visit her occasionally! She also said that if you feel happy over there, you don't have to go back to see her!"

The wind howled all around, and the Rebirth Stone was like a silent old man, witnessing countless passionate stories and bearing the most painful longing and concern in the world!

The 52-kilometer pilgrimage route is so long that your legs will tremble after just one round, but pilgrims will prostrate themselves all the way to the end, their foreheads covered in dust, but their eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Walking around the mountain is like formatting your life. Many people complete the journey because of excessive longing, driven by sheer willpower. Some carry photos of seriously ill family members throughout the journey, while others circle the mountain several times so that their deceased loved ones can be happy in another world.

Belief is something that can't be explained or defined, but it's the thought that lives on. Every time the golden banner hanging at the Zhuomala Pass is blown by the wind, it's a prayer for loved ones.

Some people spend their entire lives searching for a way home, while others spend their entire lives searching for a direction, a direction that allows them to survive.

After a long silence, Lao Zhao took several close-up shots with his camera, and even took pictures of the other people on the Rebirth Stone.

Because Chuanmei had already told him that these videos would be edited and posted online through Li Shiya's account, he also hoped that others could see photos of their loved ones in this video, which would be a way of remembering them!

"Be happy, little one!" Old Zhao chuckled softly, then silently took out Xu Ying's photo and carefully pasted it next to the photo of the little boy named Du An.

His movements were slow but earnest. He didn't say a word the whole time, and neither did Lin Mo and the other two, because they all knew that Old Zhao was saying a silent goodbye to that girl.

This farewell, however, was much more relaxed. After all, the two had already said everything they needed to say in that dream. Touching the photo on the stone, Old Zhao remained silent for a long time. No one but himself knew what he was thinking. But when he turned to look at the camera again, a relieved smile appeared on his face: "It's alright!"

"Huh? That's it?" Chuanmei was a little disappointed, she thought Lao Zhao would say something more touching.

In response, Lin Mo slapped him on the back: "Get out of here, you're everywhere!"

Wang Chu asked with some concern, "Old Zhao, are you alright?"

"It's alright!" Old Zhao smiled and shook his head, continuing, "I've already said what I needed to say, and I've already said goodbye. Besides, the three of you are with me this time, so she'll be very happy to know!"

Hearing this, Lin Mo nodded and smiled, "That makes sense. By the way, where are you planning to go next? Do you have any plans?"

“Where to? We’ll stay here for a few days now, since we’ve come all this way. Then we’ll go to Sayram Lake. You guys said we’ve never been to Sayram Lake, so what’s the point of living? I can’t live like this. I have to go and see it, and also for her sake.”

"After all, I can die on the road to a distant place, but I can't live without ever having been to a distant place!" Old Zhao laughed.

Hearing this, Lin Mo and the other two laughed together. Going far away is good. What people fear most is having no goal. At least it's a good start, isn't it?

Although Lao Zhao had his phone, he led the three of them around the Rebirth Stone and carefully took pictures of all the stones on it.

"Alright, brothers, that's enough for now!" Old Zhao said with a smile.

Lin Mo nodded: "Okay, when you feel better, tell us brothers and come back to see our son, or we'll come find you!"

Old Zhao nodded and smiled, "No problem!"

After saying that, he took out a small bread roll from his pocket, tore open the yellow packaging, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it. Then, he glanced back at the photo on the Rebirth Stone one last time and smiled at them, saying, "I suddenly remembered a line from a TV series!"

Lin Mo: "What lines?"

Old Zhao: "Isn't it a bit too late for someone to say what they wanted to say when they're dead?"

After saying that, before the others could speak, he shouted to the three of them with a smile, "The bread is delicious!!"

Although Old Zhao was smiling, Lin Mo and the other two couldn't smile because they all knew the line: "There's a kind of regret called 'The bread is so delicious'."

The video call ended at some point. Old Zhao walked back in a daze. He had been holding on by sheer willpower, treating delivering the photos to the Rebirth Stone as his mission.

Now that the mission was successfully completed, he felt lost and had no goals. Back in his car, Old Zhao lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and stretched his hand out the window.

Just then, a butterfly flew over and landed on his hand. Old Zhao was startled and subconsciously asked, "Are you back, Xiao Xu?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a butterfly flew from his hand to the tip of his nose.

"If it were you, you'd flap your wings twice!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the butterfly seemed to understand and began to flap its wings.

"Xiao Xu, if it's you, then don't try to spread your wings!" Old Zhao pleaded, his voice trembling with tears.

That's right, it was a plea. Even though he knew it was impossible, he was still willing to confirm it again and again, though he had already called out "Xiao Xu" several times.

As if Xu Ying had truly returned, the butterfly slowly folded its wings and quietly landed on his nose, like kissing its lover.

At that moment, Old Zhao broke down in tears.

As the saying goes, with colorful sleeves, she diligently held up the jade cup, and in those days, she risked her flushed face to get drunk; the dance was low, like the moon in the heart of the willow-lined pavilion, and the song was intoxicating, like the wind beneath the peach blossom fan; since we parted, I recall our meeting, and how many times have my soul and dreams been with you.

Tonight, I'll light the silver lamp again, still fearing our meeting is but a dream.

(End of this chapter)