The excitement eventually came to an end, and the reporters drawn by it left.
They had sampled local ethnic cuisine, watched some traditional activities, and learned about the sins of the former aristocratic masters and the hardships endured by the serfs.
They had also gone into the Bolamula no-man's land, where they saw the increasingly scarce Tibetan antelopes, wary wild wolves, solitary snow leopards, marmots standing guard in a daze, wild yaks snorting blasts of heat from their nostrils, lively wild asses...
Of course, they had also seen the skeletons of many animals, reduced by nature into bones scattered across the ground and gradually decomposing. Wang Yan once again explained to them the importance of ecological conservation.
In the early stages of economic development, environmental destruction was the price paid. Corresponding oversight and inspections were relatively lax, and rule by people was even more lax. Only after development had taken off and reached a certain scale did people begin to pay attention to such issues.
As the saying went, "When granaries are full, people learn propriety; when food and clothing are sufficient, people understand honor and shame." The same applied to a country. Only after it developed and had money could it properly consider environmental issues. That, too, counted as putting people first.
The reporters returned with plenty of material. It was foreseeable that Machi County and Bolamula would be trending searches for some time to come...
Shao Yunfei got his wish and stayed behind. Every day, he carried his camera around taking pictures, interviewing the mountain patrol members one by one, and speaking with nearby herders as well.
Everyone was fairly friendly toward him, except White Chrysanthemum, who found him utterly unpleasant. Her disdain was written all over her face.
The others were happy to watch them squabble, treating