Professor Fang Xin remained silent for a long moment, seemingly making a monumental decision. Finally, he looked up and called into the inner room in English, "Marie!"
A voice answered, and a moment later, the professor gave his instructions: "Please contact Professor Gugler and inform him that I regretfully won't be attending this year's Matthieu-Leia Symposium. Apologize on my behalf, and be as tactful as you can."
Tashi Damba was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could hardly speak. Gripping Fang Xin's hand tightly, he kept repeating, "Professor… Professor…"
Marie, Fang Xin's Filipino housekeeper, burst into the room, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Professor? Did I just hear you correctly? You're not going to Germany?"
Fang Xin nodded firmly. Marie repeated in shock, "Professor Fang! You're really skipping the symposium? But you've always wanted to attend!"
Fang Xin let out a long sigh, smiling kindly at Marie as he patted her shoulder. "It's alright, Marie. The telephone directory is under the desk lamp on the left side of my desk."
Grumbling in disbelief, Marie walked off, muttering to herself, "He's gone mad, absolutely mad. A lifetime of silent research, and now he's giving up the highest recognition of his work? For what? That tall man—he must be the devil himself!"
The moment Fang Xin turned back around, Tashi Damba pulled him into a tight embrace. Overcome with gratitude, Tashi exclaimed, "Professor, you're the best! The best!"
Struggling to breathe, Fang Xin gasped, "Enough, Damba! Enough—I can't breathe. Alright, let's focus. We still have many unresolved issues. Let's take another look at the photos."
Tashi Damba held onto the professor's arm and said, "No need, Professor. The car is downstairs. Let's talk on the way. The flight leaves in two hours."
Fang Xin pointed at Tashi and smirked, "You sly fox—you had this all planned, didn't you? At least let me pack a few things."
Tashi shook his head. "No need. I brought your wool coat from last time in Tibet, as well as three sets of Chinese tunics, shoes, and socks. The only question is, do you need any equipment or instruments?"
Laughing, Fang Xin replied, "That makes it simple. I'll just need my laptop."
Before he could finish, Tashi had already grabbed the lockbox in one hand and the laptop in the other. Standing by the door with his hands full, he still managed to make a courteous gesture for Fang Xin to proceed. The professor smiled helplessly—this stubborn Tibetan student was undoubtedly his finest pupil.
Inside the long Mercedes-Benz business van, Tashi Damba once again opened the scripture box. Fang Xin studied the photos and said, "The first issue is that we have too few leads. These two photos are all we have to guide us. And…" He looked at Tashi with a grave expression. "I still can't confirm the authenticity of the photos."
Tashi Damba smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Professor. After hearing Tang Ming's account, I contacted some friends near the Tibetan border. They've already gone to investigate Menghe. Apparently, there's a ragged middle-aged man there who behaves erratically. It's said he's been living in Menghe for nearly a year, surviving by begging and scavenging during the day and hiding in an abandoned hut at night. Based on the photo dates, Tang Tao was there in May, and Menghe is a small place with few people. If nothing else, this lunatic could very well be the 'Menghe madman' Tang Tao mentioned. If Tang Tao got information from him, surely we can too?"
Fang Xin gave Tashi a meaningful look and said with a smile, "It seems you've planned everything out and only needed to convince me to go along."
Tashi grinned sheepishly. Fang Xin, however, shook his head. "It's still not ideal. There are several issues. First, we don't yet know for sure if this madman is the person Tang Tao mentioned. Second, even if he is, he's not in his right mind. Even if we find him, he might not be able to recall or convey what he told Tang Tao. Third, we don't know how Tang Tao encountered him—was it intentional, or by chance? If it was deliberate, then Tang Tao must have had prior information, which we know nothing about. Without better preparation, this trip to Menghe might be a waste of time."
Frowning, Tashi admitted, "You're right, Professor. What other options do we have? Should I fly back to the U.S.?"
"No!" Fang Xin waved his hand. "If Tang Tao's condition hasn't improved, going back won't help. Are you still in touch with Tang Ming? Call him and find out."
Tashi quickly took out his phone to make the call. After a while, he hung up, looking more serious than before. Shaking his head, he said, "There's no change in Tang Tao's condition. What should we do now?"
Fang Xin let out a deep breath and skillfully opened his laptop. "Now, we'll have to rely on some friends. I'll send the photos to a colleague at the Beijing Meteorological Station."
"Beijing Meteorological Station?" Tashi asked, puzzled.
Fang Xin pointed at the photos, his tone becoming professional. "The blurred plants in the photos give us clues. There's juniper, ephedra, and gentian—all located near the photographer. Juniper grows at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 meters, often on sunny slopes in places like Jiuzhi and Xunhua in Qinghai. Ephedra is found between 2,000 and 4,600 meters, thriving in sunny, rocky, or gravelly areas on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Gentian grows more broadly, typically in meadows and mountainsides.
"This suggests the photo was taken in a sunny area. Tibet and Qinghai are both to the west. The photo is dated May, three days after the summer solstice. From the shadows cast by the setting sun, we can estimate the sun's angle. Assuming this juniper is perfectly vertical, we can calculate the sun's altitude. Comparing this with data from the Tropic of Cancer, we can deduce a rough latitude. With the time on the photo—5:12 PM Beijing time—we can also estimate longitude by comparing the shadow angle to the same time in Beijing. This way, we can pinpoint a general latitude and longitude instead of blindly searching."
Professor Fang Xin remained silent for a moment, as if making a monumental decision. Finally, he looked up and called into the inner room in English, "Marie!"
A voice responded, and moments later, Fang Xin gave his instructions: "Please contact Professor Gugler and let him know that I won't be attending this year's Matthieu-Leia Symposium. Apologize on my behalf, and be as tactful as you can."
Tashi Damba was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could hardly speak. Gripping Fang Xin's hand tightly, he repeated, "Professor… Professor…"
Marie, Fang Xin's Filipino housekeeper, rushed in from the inner room, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Professor? Did I hear you correctly? You're not going to Germany?"
Fang Xin nodded firmly. Marie repeated in shock, "Professor Fang! You're really skipping the symposium? But this has always been your dream!"
Fang Xin let out a deep sigh, smiled kindly, and patted her shoulder. "It's alright, Marie. The telephone directory is under the desk lamp on the left side of my desk."
Grumbling to herself, Marie left, muttering, "He's gone mad. Absolutely mad. A lifetime of silent research, and now he's giving up the highest recognition of his work? For what? That tall man—he must be the devil himself!"
The moment Fang Xin turned back around, Tashi Damba pulled him into a tight embrace. Overcome with gratitude, Tashi exclaimed, "Professor, you're the best! The best!"
Struggling to breathe, Fang Xin gasped, "Enough, Damba! Enough—I can't breathe. Alright, let's focus. We still have many unresolved issues. Let's take another look at the photos."
Tashi Damba held onto the professor's arm and said, "No need, Professor. The car is downstairs. Let's talk on the way. The flight leaves in two hours."
Fang Xin pointed at Tashi and smirked, "You sly fox—you had this all planned, didn't you? At least let me pack a few things."
Tashi shook his head. "No need. I brought your wool coat from last time in Tibet, as well as three sets of Chinese tunics, shoes, and socks. The only question is, do you need any equipment or instruments?"
Laughing, Fang Xin replied, "That makes it simple. I'll just need my laptop."
Before he could finish, Tashi had already grabbed the lockbox in one hand and the laptop in the other. Standing by the door with his hands full, he still managed to make a courteous gesture for Fang Xin to proceed. The professor smiled helplessly—this stubborn Tibetan student was undoubtedly his finest pupil.
Inside the long Mercedes-Benz business van, Tashi Damba once again opened the scripture box. Fang Xin studied the photos and said, "The first issue is that we have too few leads. These two photos are all we have to guide us. And…" He looked at Tashi with a grave expression. "I still can't confirm the authenticity of the photos."
Tashi Damba smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Professor. After hearing Tang Ming's account, I contacted some friends near the Tibetan border. They've already gone to investigate Menghe. Apparently, there's a ragged middle-aged man there who behaves erratically. It's said he's been living in Menghe for nearly a year, surviving by begging and scavenging during the day and hiding in an abandoned hut at night. Based on the photo dates, Tang Tao was there in May, and Menghe is a small place with few people. If nothing else, this lunatic could very well be the 'Menghe madman' Tang Tao mentioned. If Tang Tao got information from him, surely we can too?"
Fang Xin gave Tashi a meaningful look and said with a smile, "It seems you've planned everything out and only needed to convince me to go along."
Tashi grinned sheepishly. Fang Xin, however, shook his head. "It's still not ideal. There are several issues. First, we don't yet know for sure if this madman is the person Tang Tao mentioned. Second, even if he is, he's not in his right mind. Even if we find him, he might not be able to recall or convey what he told Tang Tao. Third, we don't know how Tang Tao encountered him—was it intentional, or by chance? If it was deliberate, then Tang Tao must have had prior information, which we know nothing about. Without better preparation, this trip to Menghe might be a waste of time."
Frowning, Tashi admitted, "You're right, Professor. What other options do we have? Should I fly back to the U.S.?"
"No!" Fang Xin waved his hand. "If Tang Tao's condition hasn't improved, going back won't help. Are you still in touch with Tang Ming? Call him and find out."
Tashi quickly took out his phone to make the call. After a while, he hung up, looking more serious than before. Shaking his head, he said, "There's no change in Tang Tao's condition. What should we do now?"
Fang Xin let out a deep breath and skillfully opened his laptop. "Now, we'll have to rely on some friends. I'll send the photos to a colleague at the Beijing Meteorological Station."
"Beijing Meteorological Station?" Tashi asked, puzzled.
Fang Xin pointed at the photos, his tone becoming professional. "The blurred plants in the photos give us clues. There's juniper, ephedra, and gentian—all located near the photographer. Juniper grows at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 meters, often on sunny slopes in places like Jiuzhi and Xunhua in Qinghai. Ephedra is found between 2,000 and 4,600 meters, thriving in sunny, rocky, or gravelly areas on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Gentian grows more broadly, typically in meadows and mountainsides.
"This suggests the photo was taken in a sunny area. Tibet and Qinghai are both to the west. The photo is dated May, three days after the summer solstice. From the shadows cast by the setting sun, we can estimate the sun's angle. Assuming this juniper is perfectly vertical, we can calculate the sun's altitude. Comparing this with data from the Tropic of Cancer, we can deduce a rough latitude. With the time on the photo—5:12 PM Beijing time—we can also estimate longitude by comparing the shadow angle to the same time in Beijing. This way, we can pinpoint a general latitude and longitude instead of blindly searching."