You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 382 Lady Shexiang

After leaving Guilin, Lu Ran and Shen Yuege drove west along the national highway and entered Guizhou Province.

When Lu Ran first entered Guizhou Province, he didn't feel that anything was different.

The road was still paved, and there were mountains on both sides, much like in Guangxi Province.

After driving for an hour, he began to feel that something was wrong.

There are way too many mountain roads here.

It's not just one or two mountains, but a continuous mountain range, one after another, with one mountain passing by only to be blocked by another.

Just as you climb one slope, another slope appears ahead.

We had just come down one slope when we encountered an even steeper one ahead.

This is truly a winding mountain road.

Lu Ran's palms were sweating as he drove, and the RV's engine made a low, rumbling sound on the mountain road, as if it were throwing a tantrum.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Yuege looked out at the mountains and said, "There are just too many mountains. At least the mountains in Guangxi Province are in clusters with some flat land in between. The mountains in Guizhou Province are just patches of land, you can't even see a flat area."

"There's not a single three-foot-square patch of flat land here," Lu Ran said. "That's exactly what Guizhou Province is like. Finding a three-foot-square patch of flat land here is harder than finding a dragon."

Have you ever seen a dragon?

"I've never seen one, but I've seen a dragon."

"screw you."

Shen Yuege rolled her eyes at Lu Ran.

But at the same time, she noticed that Lu Ran's expression was much more serious than usual, and his hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel.

She didn't disturb him, but sat quietly beside him, occasionally helping him check the navigation.

Lu Ran stopped at a service area and checked the road conditions in Guizhou Province on his phone.

Some people online say that the mountain roads in Guizhou Province are difficult to drive on, especially the national highways, which have many bends, steep slopes, and large trucks, so drivers should be careful.

Some people said they drove 300 kilometers on a national highway in Guizhou Province, which took eight hours, and their hands were shaking all day afterward.

Lu Ran read the comment aloud to Shen Yuege, who then said, "How about we take the highway?"

"What's the point of highways? All you see on them are tunnels and viaducts; you can't even see what the mountains look like. National highways may be slower, but you can see the scenery. Isn't the point of traveling to see the scenery?"

"Aren't you afraid your hands will shake?"

"My hands don't shake. I've driven on much worse roads. The inner ring elevated highway in Shanghai during rush hour is ten times harder to drive on than the mountain roads in Guizhou Province."

Shen Yuege was amused by his analogy and didn't say anything more.

The two continued on their journey.

The air in the mountains is wonderful, carrying the scent of earth and leaves, a completely different kind of fumes from the car exhaust in Shanghai.

Lu Ran rolled down the car window, took a deep breath, and felt much refreshed.

Shen Yuege also began to relax, adjusting her seat back slightly and reclining to look at the scenery outside the window.

The mountains in Guizhou Province are different from those in Guangxi Province. The mountains in Guangxi Province are rounded limestone hills that look like steamed buns, while the mountains in Guizhou Province are steeper, higher, larger, and have denser vegetation.

The trees on the mountain are dense, layer upon layer, stretching from the foot of the mountain all the way to the top, like a thick green carpet covering the mountain.

Occasionally, you can see small villages scattered in the valley, with a dozen or so households, black tiles and wooden walls, and wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

There is usually a big tree at the entrance of the village, and several elderly people sit and chat under the tree.

The village is surrounded by small terraced fields, which are stacked one on top of another on the hillside, like huge steps.

Looking at the terraced fields, Shen Yuege suddenly said, "These people live their whole lives in places like this. How long does it take them to go out?"

"It depends on how far it is. It might take half a day to get to the town, and a whole day to get to the county seat."

"What if they get sick?"

"There are village doctors. For serious illnesses, go to the county town. If all else fails, call an ambulance."

"Can an ambulance get through? This is a mountain road."

Lu Ran thought about it and realized that what she said was indeed a problem.

It's really difficult for ambulances to get on these mountain roads.

But not wanting to steer the conversation toward something serious, he simply said, "That's why they generally don't get sick."

Shen Yuege knew he was changing the subject, so she didn't press him.

After driving for most of the day, the two arrived at a Miao village in southeastern Guizhou.

The village is built halfway up the mountain, with hundreds of stilted houses stacked one on top of the other, looking like a giant building block tower from a distance.

A row of girls dressed in Miao costumes stood at the entrance of the village, holding cow horn cups filled with rice wine.

"The 'gate-blocking wine'," Lu Ran said. "It's a Miao tradition. Guests must drink wine before they can enter."

"I don't drink alcohol."

"Rice wine has a low alcohol content, similar to a soft drink."

Shen Yuege took the horn cup with some skepticism, took a small sip, and found that it was indeed not strong, but sweet, like fermented rice wine, so she finished it.

The girls laughed and brought over another cup.

"Want more?" Shen Yuege's eyes widened.

"The welcoming drink is usually three cups."

Shen Yuege glanced at Lu Ran, who shrugged, meaning "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Shen Yuege forced herself to drink the next two glasses. Her face turned red after drinking them, not because she was drunk, but because she drank them too quickly.

The two entered the village and walked up the stone path.

The roads in the village are all paved with bluestone slabs, hundreds of years old stones, worn smooth and shiny by countless footsteps.

There are stilted houses on both sides. The first floor is used for raising livestock and storing miscellaneous items, the second floor is for living, and the third floor is for drying grain.

Some stilted houses have strings of red peppers and golden corn hanging under their eaves, which looks festive.

When we reached the middle of the village, we saw a large lusheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), made of pure copper, standing on a stone platform.

There is an information board next to it, saying that this lusheng is the symbol of the village. Every year during the Miao New Year festival, the whole village gathers here to play the lusheng and dance.

Shen Yuege took a picture in front of the lusheng (a traditional reed instrument), looked at it after taking the picture, was not satisfied, and took a few more pictures until she was satisfied.

After leaving the Miao village, the two continued driving west.

The road is still a mountain road, with just as many bends and steep slopes.

Lu Ran had gotten used to it, driving at a moderate pace, slowing down when necessary and accelerating when appropriate, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Shen Yuege was flipping through a travel guide in the passenger seat when she suddenly said, "There's a place up ahead called Liupanshui. Want to go?"

"Liupanshui? Isn't that a cool city? It's cool in summer and cool in winter."

"What kind of description is that?"

"That means it's not hot there all year round. The average summer temperature is just over 20 degrees Celsius, and the winters aren't cold either. It's a great place to escape the summer heat."

"It's not summer now."

"Then we'll just pass by for a bit, without stopping."

The two of them did not stop when they passed through Liupanshui.

It's not that I don't want to park, it's that I can't find a place to park.

The RV was too big, and the roads in Liupanshui city were narrow and crowded. After circling around twice without finding a parking lot, Lu Ran simply drove there.

After leaving Liupanshui, continue driving west, and you'll soon reach Wumeng Mountain.

Lu Ran had seen Wumeng Mountain in his textbooks in his previous life.

The Wumeng Mountains are as vast as mud balls; the Red Army passed through here during the Long March.

Back then, the Wumeng Mountains were a hundred times more difficult to traverse than they are now. There were no roads, no vehicles, and no food. Red Army soldiers walked for months in straw sandals through the towering mountains.

But it's different now.

The national highway is well-maintained. Although it has many bends and steep slopes, at least it's paved, so it's not difficult to drive.

Lu Ran parked the RV in a parking lot in the Wumeng Mountain scenic area. The two of them got out of the car and drove around the scenic area.

The scenery of Wumeng Mountain is quite different from other parts of Guizhou Province.

The mountains in southeastern Guizhou are delicate green hills covered with vegetation, while the mountains of Wumeng Mountain are more majestic, more open, larger, and more imposing.

Standing atop the mountain and looking down, the mountains stretch endlessly, layer upon layer, with distant peaks appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist, like a splashed-ink landscape painting.

Shen Yuege stood on the observation deck, took pictures around with her phone, and after looking at them, frowned: "I can't capture it. This scenery can't be captured by a phone."

"Then don't take pictures. Just look with your eyes."

"True beauty is meant to be felt with your heart, not just taken as photos to look back on later."

Shen Yuege put her phone away, leaned on the railing, and looked at the distant mountains.

The wind blew, messing up her hair, but she didn't care, just squinting at the distance.

"Lu Ran".

"Um?"

"What do you think it must have felt for people in ancient times to live in places like this, looking at these mountains every day?"

"He's probably thinking, 'When will I be able to get out of here?'"

Shen Yuege turned to look at him: "How did you know?"

"Because that's what I think too."

Lu Ran was telling the truth.

Standing on Mount Wumeng, looking at the endless mountains, he suddenly felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

These mountains are too big, too many, too dense.

One after another, one area after another, as if there were no end in sight.

He recalled an article he had read in his previous life, which said that the reason why Guizhou Province was poor was because it had too many mountains.

There are many mountains, but little land. With little land, there is little to grow. With little to grow, people go hungry. Without enough to eat, they have no strength to work, no strength to work, no money to earn, and no money to earn—that's poverty.

This is a vicious cycle, repeating itself generation after generation for thousands of years.

Some people never leave the mountains in their entire lives.

It's not that I don't want to leave, it's that I can't get out.

The mountain roads are too difficult to walk. If you walk for a day, you'll still be in the mountains. If you walk for two days, you'll still be in the mountains. If you walk for a month, you might still be in the mountains.

As I walked, I didn't want to walk anymore. I felt that staying in the mountains was quite nice. At least I had a home, a piece of land, and a few chickens.

But what about their children? And their children's children? Generation after generation, they are trapped in the mountains, like being locked in a giant cage.

Seeing him lost in thought, Shen Yuege waved her hand in front of his eyes: "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. I was just thinking that a very remarkable person once came from these mountains."

"Who?"

"Lady Shexiang".

Shen Yuege was taken aback: "Lady Shexiang? What does she do?"

The two arrived at the museum in the Wumeng Mountain Scenic Area. The museum was small, with white walls and gray tiles. There was a stone tablet at the entrance with the words "Shexiang Lady Memorial Hall" engraved on it.

Lu Ran pushed open the door and went inside. It was quiet inside, with only a few tourists.

The walls of the exhibition hall are adorned with portraits and text descriptions, while glass cases display unearthed artifacts such as swords, pottery jars, and bronze drums.

Lu Ran stood in front of a map for a while, then turned to Shen Yuege and said, "Lady Shexiang was a person from the early Ming Dynasty, of the Yi ethnic group. Her maternal family was a Yi chieftain in southern Sichuan. She married Aicui, a Yi chieftain in northwestern Guizhou. After Aicui's death, she acted as regent for her husband and managed the entire northwestern Guizhou region."

Shen Yuege listened attentively, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.

"At that time, Guizhou Province was in chaos. The Ming Dynasty had just been established, and the local chieftains were disobedient and rebelled at the drop of a hat. Lady Shexiang was different. She knew that the power of the Ming Dynasty was too great, and that rebelling would be suicide. She chose to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty and helped Zhu Yuanzhang stabilize the situation in Guizhou Province."

"What did she do?"

"Many things. She opened up the post roads, which were the official roads from Guizhou Province to Sichuan Province. After this road was completed, goods from Guizhou Province could be transported to Sichuan Province, and the culture of Sichuan Province could be spread to Guizhou Province. She also sent people to the capital to learn the culture and technology of the Central Plains and brought them back to teach the locals. She also helped the Ming Dynasty quell several rebellions and stabilized the situation in the entire southwest."

Lu Ran paused, then added, "Zhu Yuanzhang once said, 'Shexiang's surrender is worth more than ten thousand soldiers.' For a woman to make Zhu Yuanzhang say such a thing, wouldn't you say she was incredibly powerful?"

Shen Yuege nodded, a subtle change in her eyes. Listening to Lu Ran's explanation, she felt a sense of admiration.

"What happened to her after that?" Shen Yuege asked.

"She died young, in her thirties. But what she did had an impact for hundreds of years. The post road she built was still in use until the Qing Dynasty. The systems she established were still in operation until the Republic of China. After her death, she was posthumously honored as 'Lady Shunde of the Great Ming Dynasty,' and many people in Guizhou Province and southern Sichuan worship her like a goddess."

Shen Yuege didn't ask any more questions.

She walked slowly through the exhibition hall, looking at the words and pictures on the walls, stopping to examine each one carefully.

After leaving the museum, the two went to the grasslands of Wumeng Mountain.

The Wumeng Mountain Grassland is not a real grassland, but a large open meadow on the mountaintop.

At an altitude of over 2,000 meters, looking down from the top, one sees towering peaks and distant mountain peaks hidden in the clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

The meadow was covered with wild grasses and wildflowers. Although the flowers had faded this season, the withered yellow grasses swayed in the wind, creating a desolate beauty.

Shen Yuege ran a few steps on the meadow, got tired, and plopped down on the grass without caring about getting dirty.

Lu Ran sat down next to her, and the two sat side by side, looking at the distant mountains.

The wind was strong, making Shen Yuege's hair fly wildly.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to look at Lu Ran: "You said Lady Shexiang died in her thirties, did she feel her life was worthwhile?"

Lu Ran thought for a moment: "Whether it was worth it or not, only she knows. But I think it was quite worth it. What she did is still remembered more than six hundred years later. The roads she built are still in use more than six hundred years later. The people she protected have lived to this day, generation after generation. Isn't that enough?"

Moreover, there was a song praising Lady Shexiang in my previous life, called "Lady Shexiang".

Lu Ran felt that it was appropriate to take it out now.

...