When you think of the desert, the first thing that comes to mind are golden and endless sand dunes, but in reality, it's not like that. When you first enter the desert, it's not what you would call a desert, rather more like a desert: clusters of plants that Tom can't name dominate the landscape.
There isn't much sand either, rather dust, sand, and gravel. Yushadu has invaluable experience of surviving in the desert, sometimes extracting water from the ground even when it seems impossible.
"If you find dense reeds in the desert, it means you can dig for water about a meter underground; if you see hyacinths, the water is about two meters underground; if you see camel thorns, you have to dig six to eight meters; poplar forests are the deepest, about eight to ten meters underground." The old Yushadu pointed to a cluster of hyacinths and said, "Of course, it's not absolute, but you can give it a try."
It was already late, and there was no time to waste on the journey, so Alyosha was glad to give it a try.
"But just in case," Alyosha said gravely, "If there's no water, you must give me a bag of your powdered dried fruits." The packets of powder that the old Yushadu had brought were his own recipe, made with various kinds of dried fruits. Before going to bed at night, he would boil a pot of hot water from the embers of the campfire, pour the powdered dried fruits into the water bladder, soak it in the hot water, and then throw the teapot into the sand. The next day, there would be a pot of cold and tangy juice.
A sip under the scorching sun is worth more than a jug of water. The sweetness of its tangy flavor makes your mouth water even at the memory.
The old Yushadu relaxed and even lit a pack of cigarettes. "No problem, but if you uncover water, your bag of white herb wine is mine."
Alyosha nodded, winked at his brothers behind him, and they took their entrenching shovels and started digging.
They were the best among the Maoists, with a solid foundation in civil engineering, and in no time, they had dug a two-meter-deep hole.
"Stop!" he shouted, crouching down to feel the ground, which was already damp from the dry sand, and a few more shovels down, a tiny droplet of turbid water appeared.
"Good luck." The old Yushadu approached Alyosha's camel and, to his anxious gaze, untied a round leather bag.
The old man then tried to make a bet with the team, but no one else in the group was willing to play along.
At first, the journey through the desert was new and interesting for the group, but when the novelty wore off, it became nothing more than a tedious slog. After three or four days of marching, the sand gradually grew around their feet, shrubs and grasses dwindled, and finally, when sand was all that remained, Tom and his group had truly entered the desert.
Yushadu was a living map, always finding the right direction in the sea of sand and a place to replenish supplies: water and camels. Tom suspected that without the old man, they would have turned back by now. In addition to being their guide, Yushadu took charge of planning the journey and teaching the group how to navigate the desert.
This was a lot of work.
For example, when faced with a sand dune, the old man would always circumvent it, avoiding the soft sand on the leeward side and trying to walk on the windward side and the ridges of sand.
When Alyosha asked about the reason for the detour, the old man looked at him like a fool for a while before telling him that the wind blows on the windward side every day, but it's hard and compacted, making it easier to walk on.
Of course, the easiest thing is to follow the camels' desires, as they know how to walk with the least effort. The old Yushadu only indicates to the camels the path to follow. That way, they can find the best way themselves.
To walk in the desert, you have to learn to walk during the day and at night. Otherwise, you'll get dizzy in less than two hours under the scorching sun. Early morning is the best time to go: it's not too hot, there's light, and it's daytime.
Yushadu is also in charge of choosing the campsite. Camping in the desert is very different from camping in other areas. The campsite must be sheltered from the wind and protected from quicksand, so the old man usually chooses a flat area among the dunes. It's also important not to camp near plants like red willows or poplars because where there are plants, there are usually poisonous insects.
The old man was so versatile that Peter wanted to give him a raise.
But the old man refused with utmost seriousness.
"God is watching," he said gravely, "I promised you $30,000 to guide you, and it's $30,000, and I shouldn't raise the price in the desert. It's called taking advantage of someone."
The caravan of camels continued on its way. The sun gradually tilted towards the west, the pale clouds in the sky turned red, and in the distance, perched on a dead tree, a bird of an unknown species lurked. A smile appeared on the face of the old Yushadu.
He may not have heard the saying "the morning sun never goes out, but the afternoon sun travels a million kilometers," but his experience tells him that when he sees the afternoon sun, the weather must be good: he doesn't fear rain, he fears sandstorms.
This afternoon, everyone was in a good mood. They had unearthed some dead logs from the camp that the old Yushadu had found to alleviate the pressure on fuel, and Yegor, one of Alyosha's raiders, had caught some snakes so that everyone could enjoy some fresh meat.
Once the fire was lit, everyone gathered around. Hermione sat next to Tom with her legs between her arms. Naturally, she wasn't dressed to impress in the desert, just a simple pair of high Martin boots and a white tunic, with a hood wrapped around her.
But as simple as she seemed, she and Tom felt much more comfortable than Dr. Hunter and the others these days: the magical robes isolated them from the sand and the sun, making them feel almost as comfortable walking through the desert as they did on the grass of Hogwarts.
Sara grabbed a lunch box and sat next to Tom with her legs crossed; then she stretched and yawned.
As soon as she put her feet up and opened her arms, Tom almost fainted: Western women smelled a little bad, and Sara couldn't find a place to shower these days, so...
Tom moved his butt to silently move away.
Fortunately, the wind changed slightly after a while and carried away the stale air, even bringing the smell of Hermione sitting upwind.
"The tea is ready." Tom brought the teapot from the fire, with steaming green tea inside.
After a long day of walking in the desert, a cup of hot tea was a great refreshment.
While Hermione drank her tea, Tom took out a canned meat, sliced the meat thinly, picked up a clean stone, and placed it at the edge of the fire. Soon the stone was hot, and Tom put the meat on it, sizzling and smelling of oil.
Tom picked up the meat with a fork.
"Ah~" the sliced meat was put into Hermione's mouth.