Chapter 7: The Ghost Building
Or don't do it. Or don't grind. The next day. I decided on a trip to Golmud.
I've never been there. I asked my friend at the travel agency for directions. The friend told me. Because there are no direct flights to Golmud. So I had to fly to Shuangliu in Chengdu first. Then make a transfer. The ticket let him get it. Even a hotel can be done. I'll let him take care of it for me. Because you can't just walk here. I booked my flight two days later.
This time it's not to go to the thief fight. Just take a stroll around the city of Golmud. And it won't be very long. So just brought a few close-fitting clothes and some cash. In total, only one backpack is still flat.
The fat man returned to běijīng on the same day. I didn't talk to him about it. Since it was decided that no one would say. Then fat people are no exception.
In these two days. I said hello to Wang Meng. Let him take care of things in the shop. The family gave a vague explanation. I sorted out some of the relationships again. Two days later. I got on the plane.
Sleep all the way. After arriving in Chengdu Shuangliu, I have slept very comfortably. Fly to Golmud for a few hours. Just thinking about things on the plane. It was past eight o'clock in the evening that day. I arrived in Golmud City, which is known as the "Highland Inn".
It's a legendary city. Golmud means "the dense square of the river" in Tibetan. Although all the way to the Gobi. But you can also imagine what the city looked like when it was named. What I read on the plane is that it says. This city was the "father of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway" General Mu Shengzhong set up the tents of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway road builders here. Prick out of a city. The city is only more than fifty years old. The early years were very prosperous. Right now. The position was gradually replaced by Lhasa. The whole city is in a rather awkward position.
After getting off the plane. I was very humiliated and had altitude sickness. At the exit of the airport, he was directly dizzy for two or three seconds. That feeling was not like the exhausting coma when I was in Qinling before. It's a sense that the world is far away from you. All at once all the scenery turned black from the edges. Then I got down. Fortunately, I woke up immediately after two or three seconds. By this time I was already lying on it. Even more humiliating. When I was buying medicine. Only then did I know that I was now on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. I am not familiar with the Chinese theory. I didn't even know that Golmud was on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau! The drug seller thought I was on the wrong plane.
At the Tibetan tea stall on the side of the road, I drank a bowl of Tibetan tea for five cents and ate the medicine. I went to the hotel that my friend had arranged for me and settled in. I don't care about headaches and brain fever. And set off non-stop. Got straight into the taxi. Take out the address of it. Just let the driver take me over.
However the driver looked at the address afterwards. Immediately shook his head and said that the side was a very small alley. The car won't get in. The area is full of old houses. The roads are narrow. He can take me to the neighborhood of that generation. And then go inside. I'll go in and ask people myself. As soon as I heard that, it was done. Just let him drive. A moment of work. I came to the old part of the city.
The driver told me. Golmud is a newly built city. The road is generally wide. The old town has been expanded countless times. But everywhere there are such small pieces of squares. Because of the awkward location. It has been left behind. Most of these bungalows were built in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. It's full of illegal buildings. The address of my one. It's one of those alleys.
I got out of the car. It was already the end of dusk. It's dark and dark. Sandwiched by a little bit of the sunset. I looked up. In the backlight, only the shadow of a long row of black sè tiled houses can be seen. These are all silos built in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. This time looks past. The old town is particularly mysterious.
Walk in. Looked around. I realized that this place can't really be called a district. It's just a few remnants of old streets after the expansion of the city. One of these buildings has no heritage value. Second, there is no regular maintenance. It looks a little shaky. Presumably it will not be long before it is in the world. And there aren't many people in the old town either. I saw a few hair salons. Walk between houses. Old house, old wires. The swarthy ones mingle with the lights of the hair salon. It feels pretty weird.
I walked through it for about two hours. Walk around. The lady in the hair salon thought I was a thief but not a thief. They all opened the door and smiled at me. However, it is exactly as the taxi driver said. The pattern inside is too confusing. Many of the alleys are separated from illegal buildings. There are no street signs. It's useless to ask people. Several migrant workers passing by shook their heads with a smile and goodwill. It probably means that they don't know where this side is.
Some sites can't be found either. This is the first time I've encountered this kind of thing. Smiled wryly as he walked. I feel the changeability of the world. Just when I was dizzy. A yellow-topped tricycle rode up behind. The driver asked me if I wanted to get in the car. I'm tired from walking, too. Just sit down and let him take me around.
The coachman is of Han nationality. It was also about the early years when he came from the south. Listen to me with a southern accent. That's a lot of talk. Told me that he was from northern Jiangsu. The surname is Yang. Fame. Everyone calls him Eryang. I've been stepping on three wheels here for twelve years. Ask me what I want to do. High-end, low-grade. He knows Han, Tibetan, and Uyghur girls. I also gave me a 20% discount on the full set. If it's not good. Travel he also becomes. There are no places of interest in Golmud. But there is a big scenery around the Gobi. He is familiar with them all.
I laughed in my heart. The heart said that if your father gave you another three-character name. You can change your name to Hengyuanxiang. But that's what he said. My heart moved. Xindao These coachmen have been here for many years. Most of the streets and alleys are familiar to the chest. Why don't I ask a few more questions? Maybe you can know something from his mouth.
So he showed him the address. Ask him if he knows about this.
I didn't have much hope. But I'm done. Heng Yuanxiang nodded and said he knew. As he spoke, he stepped on it. Soon. He rode onto a very remote trail.
Old houses on both sides of the road. There are almost no pedestrians under the dim streetlights. I really panicked when he parked the car. It looks like it's going to be hijacked. He smiled when he saw me. Say to me. I'm looking for the party.
I looked up. It was a three-story building. There is a patio. Under the street lights. The building was pitch black. Only the exterior walls can be seen. There doesn't seem to be a single person inside. The whole house is ghostly.
I was dumbfounded. Ask the coachman what the hell is this? He said: This is the People's Liberation Army sanatorium in the 60s of the 20th century. It's been deserted for a long time.