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mountain,force品牌mountain,force品牌(一)BODY RAINBOW 　　 Chapter Eight 　　It was almost dark when Phubu got to Tadrosa Village down the mountain. A light snowfall dusted the ground. Phubu was thinking about how to fi nd some shelter from the snow when he saw an elderly man with an umbrella waving to him at the entrance to the village. Phubu walked up to him. The elderly man asked， “Young man， are you a traveler or a pilgrim？” 　　Phubu was taken aback for a moment. Yes， what was he supposed to be？ 　　“You look too rushed and stressed to be a pilgrim， but too pious to be a leisure traveler.” The elderly man went on. 　　“Elderly， I am going to Lhasa to redeem a wish.”Phubu said. 　　“Wonderful！ I’ve been waiting for someone like you.” Then he grabbed Phubu’s hand and started walking. 　　“Where are you taking me？”Phubu asked while walking. 　　“Today is the 18th of October， a festival for the Avalokitesvara. The village made a pledge to invite 50 pilgrims to stay at the homes of the villagers. You are the 50th today， and you are my house guest.” 　　“What if someone else came after me？” Phubu asked. 　　“It’s highly unlikely. At this time， those prostrating pilgrims have either gone past this spot or stopped somewhere on the mountain. The kids on bikes usually don’t stop here； they’ll stay at the hostels. So you are the one.” The old man walked cheerfully and briskly. He starting shouting before he even entered the village， “Chodron， Chodron， set the table and heat the tea， our guest is here.” 　　Phubu followed his host into the house. Around a dozen people were there already. Some of them moved over a bit so Phubu could sit right in front of the fi re pit. “I am not cold. Please sit， don’t mind me.” Phubu found a place on the side and sat down while carefully holding his sack. He had just sat down when he was served hot butter tea. It 　　had been a long time since he had any butter tea， so he emptied three bowls in a row. Then it dawned to him that this might have looked like terrible table manners. But when he looked up， others were all busy eating Tsampa paste， no one bothered to look at him. With both hands， Phubu took the bowl of Tsampa paste which was giving off wonderful smell of butter milk curds handed by his hosts. Looking around the room at the fellow travelers， he could tell from their weathered clothes and callused foreheads that most of them were prostrating pilgrims. They all looked calm and content， having their meals quietly. Others were on their way to circumvent the holy mountains. They looked so relaxed as if they were on a trip to visit their relatives. There were even a couple of Chinese men， probably hikers. The room was warm because of the number of people in it， but it was a bit stuffy. 　　After dinner， Phubu went to the elderly man. “Sir， could I spend the night in your courtyard？ It’s a bit too crowded inside.” Phubu had to whisper， since some people had already lain down on the rugs. 　　The old man said， “It’s too cold out there. You’ll get sick.” 　　“Never mind. I am tough enough. It’s just that I am a heavy snorer. I don’t want to trouble the others.” 　　The old man smiled and nodded. He led Phubu outside. Phubu carefully grabbed his sack， which had gotten so light that no one would believe there was a body in it. Phubu followed his host into the courtyard. The snow had already stopped， it was clearing up. The plateau weather was temperamental just like that. They stopped at a relatively sheltered spot where there was a simple bed. The old man said，“Son， there must be some other reason why you won’t sleep there， right？” 　　“Sir， these are my wife’s clothes. She left earlier. I’m on my way to bring her more clothes. I don’t want to get them dirty. That’s all.” Phubu put the sack close to his head. 　　“I see. So you’ll leave early tomorrow.” 　　“Yes.” 　　“Sleep well tonight. I’ll have my family prepare something for the road for you. You’ll see them tomorrow morning.” The old men made a hand gesture of “going to bed” before he left. 　　Lying on the dry and comfy bed， Phubu could not sleep. The sky had cleared completely. The glowing band of stars in the Milky Way arching across the night sky gave off a soft light illuminating the whole courtyard. The increasingly richer aroma from the sack gave Phubu peace of mind. The Milky Way was moving slowly. Venus had risen in the east. Phubu saw the elderly man creep over and take in the fragrance in the courtyard deeply. He stood at the head of Phubu’s bed for a long time， and quietly left before leaving quite a few things beside Phubu. 　　Morning dawned. Phubu was not sure if he had ever slept， but his mind was crystal clear. The others were all fast asleep in the house. Phubu got up quietly， made the bed， and packed up. He saw the pile of things by his side left by the old man： a pair of military boots， a raincoat， gloves， as well as some food and money. Phubu tried the boots on， and found them fi t him well. Back when they were about to start their journey， Phubu。