That night, it started raining lightly around Jade Lake, which didn't affect Wen Qian much. If it rained harder, she would just need to add an extra rain cover over her tent.
Since the camping spot had a relatively flat terrain, Wen Qian chose the innermost area which was slightly higher. Even if it rained heavily and formed streams, it wouldn't affect her.
Fortunately, the rain here was quite light, and apart from some moisture, it didn't hinder their tent setup.
The weather forecast also showed that the rain wouldn't last long, so Wen Qian didn't wear earplugs to sleep, as it was better to wake up than miss any news.
The next morning, the weather was sunny. After resting for two days and regaining her energy, Wen Qian officially started her hiking trip.
Circling the entire Jade Lake would take more than ten days, so Wen Qian allotted herself half a month's time.
Along Jade Lake, there were self-driving tours, motorcycles, bicycles, and people like her who hiked on foot.
Wen Qian thought that if she got tired of walking, she could just ride a bicycle.
Seeing others carrying large bags on their bicycles, Wen Qian felt that she had packed too lightly.
So while walking, she would carry just one bag, but if she rode a bicycle, she would hang more things on it.
She couldn't look too strange, as she had seen some cyclists on the road looking like beggars, with messy hair and blotchy faces.
Wen Qian also planned to make herself look a bit more weathered, to better fit the surrounding environment.
In the morning, Wen Qian walked, and in the afternoon, she cycled, gradually getting accustomed to the routine.
The altitude here was slightly higher than the last place she hiked, so she was concerned about altitude sickness and didn't want to overexert herself, taking it slow instead.
On the first day of arrival, a strong wind blew in the evening, accompanied by heavy rain.
Due to the noise, Wen Qian couldn't sleep well. The next morning, after eating breakfast in her tent, the strong winds and rain continued outside, leaving her unable to pack up her tent and continue on.
So she stayed in her tent, reading books related to outdoor camping.
She knew that Jade Lake often experienced strong winds and rainstorms in September and October, but she didn't expect to encounter them as early as August.
However, she should experience all kinds of weather in Xia Province. If everything was just sunny, she wouldn't be prepared when she actually encountered adverse conditions.
Fortunately, her tent had an extra waterproof cover, and although the wind howled loudly outside, the tent still provided her with a sense of safety.
Around 9 AM, everything calmed down. At this point, Wen Qian came out to pack up her tent, and other self-driving campers around her started packing up too. Suddenly, someone came over and spoke to her.
Wen Qian then realized that this was someone she had encountered before at the Youth Hostel, but she had quickly forgotten about them and didn't expect to meet them here.
The person said that a few people from the Youth Hostel had formed a temporary group for a self-driving tour, and wished they had known Wen Qian was taking the same route, so they could have gone together.
Wen Qian smiled without saying a word. Even if their driving route was the same as her cycling route, their daily schedules would be different.
However, it was fortunate that the other person wasn't hiking or cycling, otherwise Wen Qian would have faced many inconveniences along the way.
For instance, when everyone was cooking and living together, she would be alone in her tent eating hot meals.
Starting a fire here would be troublesome, even though she had a camping stove.
Another issue was that at higher altitudes, water doesn't boil properly, so others carried mini pressure cookers.
All of Wen Qian's equipment was cleaned, dried, and stored in her spatial storage without being used.
Fortunately, the person only came to greet her, said a few words, and quickly left with their group.
Wen Qian resumed her solo journey, but she realized that while she could communicate smoothly online and over the phone, face-to-face conversations became difficult if she had to speak more, and she didn't know why.
Perhaps she was just avoiding interaction with others.
As Wen Qian cycled slowly towards the next destination, she came across a very lively place along the way.
Many vehicles were parked by the roadside, and local villagers were leading horses, with a field of rapeseed flowers nearby.
In Xia Province, rapeseed flowers bloom from June to October, and the locals are quite clever in planting seeds at different times to ensure continuous blooming.
Some people like to take photos amidst the flower fields, so the villagers charge an entrance fee of about ten yuan per person, attracting quite a few visitors.
Wen Qian didn't enter, but took a video by the roadside before continuing on.
For her, living in overly crowded places for too long would make her uncomfortable when alone, so she tried to minimize exposure to large crowds as much as possible.
After the rain and wind, the sunshine was quite pleasant. Wen Qian stopped for lunch, then pushed her bicycle along slowly.
The sky was blue and the scenery was beautiful, so Wen Qian took many photos and shared some with Zhang Zixuan.
As soon as Wen Qian sent them, Zhang Zixuan told her that she was still in Xia Province and had booked an 8,800 yuan tour group to travel to the western edge of the province, likely near the basin.
The trip would last a week, and she offered to share photos and videos as well.
Without waiting for Wen Qian to ask, Zhang Zixuan explained that her family's area had been experiencing continuous storms and rain, with many flight cancellations.
Her parents also said that since the weather was fine in Xia Province, she shouldn't return for the time being.
Even if she could fly back home, she would just be stuck indoors, so she might as well stay outside and gain more experience.
Her parents sent her more money and even said that if the rain persisted, they might take a high-speed train and travel as well.
When Wen Qian heard about Zhang Zixuan's destination, she asked if she could share the tour group's itinerary and schedule as a reference.
Zhang Zixuan was delighted and asked if Wen Qian wanted to join, offering to postpone the trip so they could go together.
Wen Qian declined, as the 8,800 yuan cost was too high for her, and she didn't have the leisure to visit various scenic spots.
In fact, the itinerary coincided with Wen Qian's first safety checkpoint, but she didn't plan to spend money on sightseeing and intended to take the train directly.
The farther into Xia Province, the more limited the transportation routes became.
Wen Qian knew that many formerly isolated residents had gradually gathered in groups of ten or so households, and were now collectively relocating to larger towns and counties for better access to education, healthcare, and public facilities.
Wen Qian was headed to those places that used to be inhabited but were now deserted, to explore them.
She might encounter bears in some random areas, as bears were present in certain parts of Xia Province with their keen sense of smell. Wen Qian didn't dare risk running into those animals.
