The next route Wen Qian planned to take would pass through the loess region, where the vegetation transitioned to grasslands and shrubs, no longer displaying the forests she had seen before.
The highway followed the contours of the mountain range, heading eastward, allowing her to continuously view the distant snow-capped peaks on the side.
Wen Qian knew that crossing over the snowy mountains would lead her to Jade Lake.
Following this route, she would reach the end of the mountain range on the map.
Since that was the case, she had no need to turn back and decided to continue eastward.
Continuing eastward, she would still be amidst the mountains, but the climate would change.
The air would become more humid, and the vegetation more lush, with hardly any exposed soil or rocks.
Similarly, there would be fewer snow-capped peaks as she approached the border of Xia Province.
Following the new planned route, Wen Qian avoided the more populous areas and instead took a path along a secluded highway.
Consequently, Wen Qian experienced different sceneries, and after a month, she reached the edge of Xia Province.
There, exposed red rock mountains rose, with the highway built along relatively gentle slopes.
Only grass and shrubs grew on both sides, with no tall trees, while higher up, the mountains were entirely red.
Viewed from above, it must have been a breathtakingly beautiful and majestic sight.
Wen Qian's driving speed was indeed slow, not to mention her frequent stops, as she chose very secluded roads. Yet, she still encountered terraced fields and houses.
Whenever she approached them, she would become more alert, using her binoculars from a distance to check for any people.
If there were people, she would quickly pass through; if not, she would take her time.
Fortunately, although the road network here was denser than before, and houses appeared more frequently, the limited resources meant that the residents were scattered, with only small patches of grassland or a few terraced fields.
There were also some scattered houses, some of which had collapsed after being abandoned for a long time.
After two more days, Wen Qian confirmed that she had left Xia Province and entered Liang Province.
There were no more snow-capped mountains, but she still traveled amidst the rolling hills and winding mountain roads.
However, the forest vegetation gradually increased, and Wen Qian would occasionally stop to collect one or two fallen and dried trees.
The terrain in Liang Province was diverse, and the area Wen Qian passed through seemed to have abundant vegetation and water resources.
Therefore, she decided to stop and rest for two days.
She had begun to feel fatigued and it was time to fulfill her previous plan of taking a break from her hurried journey.
Wen Qian, who had unknowingly evaded danger, lay in her temporary mobile home for a day or two, observing the safety of her surroundings before eating and drinking to recover her strength.
The altitude in Liang Province was similar to Xia Province, but as she continued further, the altitude would gradually decrease.
Just as she had initially worried about experiencing altitude sickness upon entering Xia Province, she now worried that her body, accustomed to living at high altitudes, might react adversely to the lower elevations.
Thus, she decided to slow her pace.
Her decision ensured that she did not fall ill after reaching her destination after such a long journey but remained in good health, proving her approach was correct.
Perhaps it was due to living alone for too long, or the lack of anxiety peddled on the internet, or simply the absence of comparison, but despite being in her forties, Wen Qian felt not a hint of aging.
Though she always took care of her health and body, her appearance and mindset were much younger than her actual age.
While she knew her age, her mindset remained that of someone in their twenties. Although the fine lines on her skin showed signs of aging, she felt no anxiety.
Perhaps it was due to her healthy lifestyle, but she had no back or joint pain that would make her feel old.
Previously, when she was working, she had felt stiff shoulders and neck, even suspecting that she was getting old.
After her recovery, Wen Qian felt much better and continued onward.
However, she was more cautious than before, ensuring safety before proceeding. Although more time-consuming, it provided peace of mind, making it worthwhile.
Wen Qian headed eastward, descending from higher to lower altitudes, from areas with less rainfall to those with more.
Consequently, the vegetation improved as she progressed, and the temperatures were slightly higher.
However, sunny days were still rare, so whenever Wen Qian reached a safe area after surveying the surroundings, she would set up her mobile home.
After arranging the external security measures, she would rest inside.
It rained that night, but Wen Qian had considered such sudden downpours when setting up her temporary residence, so she was not worried.
The rain was light, allowing Wen Qian to sleep soundly, perhaps due to her innate sense of security.
The sound of rain meant that wild animals were less likely to hunt, as many would fall ill from getting wet.
Thus, Wen Qian slept through the night, lulled by the patter of rain.
The next morning, she woke to find it was still drizzling, so she decided to wait for the rain to stop before setting off.
Although she had rain gear, there was no need to rush and risk falling ill and regretting it later.
Next, Wen Qian chose to head north again, as continuing eastward on any route would likely encounter more people.
So she decided to start northward within Liang Province, leaving the green areas on the map and heading toward the yellowish-brown regions.
Only there did the roads and population density remain low, even in those times.
She was not afraid of being alone but wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble by heading to less populated areas.
Many places might have been abandoned, but she did not want to see large-scale abandoned human constructions.
Although some structures occupied by wild animals might be more spacious than natural caves, she felt that with spring's arrival, hungry predators like bears would have awakened from hibernation.
If the high plateaus had salt lakes and gobi deserts, then in the upcoming journey she would still encounter gobi deserts, where the wind force and aridity were no less intense than in Xia Province.
The only advantage of heading north and then east would be a more direct route compared to her current one.
If one keeps walking eastward in Liang Province, the route would be very winding, because there are mountains or valleys everywhere, and thus the construction of roads often has to be adapted to the local terrain.
The roads built according to the convenient lay of the land tend to be quite winding and meandering, which is too tiring for Wen Qian who travels by bicycle.
