Chapter 217 Fugitive Slave

When Ah Shui came back from feeding the chickens with Hua Niu, she saw the little boy hopping outside the guesthouse with a very conspicuous bag. Before Ah Shui could ask, the little boy started to show off: "Aunt Ah Shui, this is something my mother gave me."

Ah Shui was a little confused, as was Hua Niu. The two of them stared at the little boy, and seeing the genuine excitement on his face, Hua Niu asked doubtfully, "Is your mother back?"

"No."

"Then where did this come from?" Ah Shui walked to the side of the boy. She stretched out her hands and picked up the shoulder bag that was as big as two palms. Under his nervous and defensive look, she looked at the shoulder bag carefully inside and out.

"My uncle has it too." The kid whispered.

Ah Shui glanced at him and said with a dull face, "I want to see yours."

The kid muttered a few words vaguely, staring at the bag with a distressed look on his face. As soon as Ah Shui let go of his hand, he subconsciously stepped back, patting the bag gently with his little hands, for fear that it would get dirty with dust.

Ah Shui glared at him and said angrily, "Give me back my silkworms."

The kid stuck out his tongue mischievously and ran away laughing.

He walked south with his bag. The big black dog and the small black dog on the other side of the livestock pen saw him, barked a few times and chased after him.

"Little guy, where are you going? Where's Dazhuang? Where's your uncle?" Li Mutou saw him and called out to him, "Don't run around. Come and play with me."

"I'm waiting for my dad." The boy walked to a tree and didn't move. He sat on the tree roots and stared at the direction where Zhao Xiping left in the morning.

Two black dogs came running over with tongues wagging and huffing, and licked the young master enthusiastically. The little boy pushed them away in disgust, fearing that they would dirty the bag, so he put the clean shoulder bag on his head.

The two dogs circled the tree, the big black dog urinated on the tree and ran away, and the little black dog returned to the cub, stretched out and lay down to sleep.

As the sun sets, Sui Liang comes out of the vegetable garden carrying a hoe. He goes back to the house, gets a bucket, goes to the river to fetch water, and carefully waters the wheat grains he has sown.

The cub was tired of standing under the tree and carrying the bag. He took off the bag and held it in his arms. He crossed his legs and sat down next to the little black dog. He held his chin with his hands and looked at the golden sunset as he ran out of the city.

"Ah!" he cried out in surprise, "The sun is chasing my mother. Day, day is coming, and she will wake up."

The little black dog opened his eyes, turned over, wagged his tail and continued to sleep.

"Little guy, we are going to pick eggs. Do you want to come?" Ah Shui came out with a bamboo basket and shouted loudly.

The cub turned around and saw Dazhuang and Huaniu carrying baskets and going to look for eggs in the grass. He wondered why his father hadn't come back yet, and he didn't want to wait any longer.

"Come quickly, use your pocket to put the eggs and see if the pocket your mother made for you is strong enough." Ah Shui said cautiously.

The cub stood up quickly and ran back, vowing to prove that his bag was a good one.

Zhao Xiping ended his day's work at sunset. He went directly from the sorghum field to the training ground to train his troops, and did not return until the sunset faded and night fell.

On the way, he encountered a farmer and his wife planting spring crops in the fields north of the city. One of them was carrying a load, while the other was carrying a water bag and a food bucket. As they passed each other, he overheard the woman discussing what to have for dinner with her husband. Zhao Xiping couldn't help but think of Sui Yu. When he was still in the military settlement, during the busy farming season, he would work until dark before returning home. Back then, there was always someone waiting for him at home with a pot of hot rice.

Zhao Xiping slowed down his pace. He stopped and looked to the west. There was still a faint light in the western sky. He didn't know where the people who had left the customs had gone or what they were doing now.

"Hey——" Zhao Xiping shouted.

Suddenly, a man came up from the ridge beside the road. Zhao Xiping's face turned red. Without waiting for the man to come closer, he took a step and ran away quickly.

"Dad?" The kid shouted when he saw the figure.

Zhao Xiping ran a few steps quickly. He remembered that one winter, which should be the year when the guesthouse was just built, Sui Yu waited here for him to come back every day.

"It's my dad." The kid jumped for joy.

"Why don't you stay home? The wind is still a bit chilly at night." Zhao Xiping squatted down and picked up the child, holding Dazhuang's head with one hand and said, "Let's go home. Have you eaten yet?"

Dazhuang nodded.

"Dad, look." The kid picked up the bag he had been carrying and said happily, "My mom made it for me."

"Your mother?" Zhao Xiping subconsciously thought that Sui Yu had returned, but after a moment's thought, disappointment washed over him. He touched his bag and asked, "Are there any caravans from the west coming today? Did your mother ask them to bring it back?"

The cub nodded heavily, "Uncle has it too."

"Just two shoulder bags?" Zhao Xiping asked.

"Um."

"There's nothing for me?" Zhao Xiping said disappointedly, "Are there really only two shoulder bags?"

The kid glanced at him and said nothing.

Zhao Xiping went to find Sui Liang, and after finding Sui Liang, he went to Qin Wenshan's caravan to inquire about Sui Yu's situation.

"When we left Loulan, Manager Yu was also about to set off for Yuli State. Calculating the days, she is probably already in Yuli State now, or perhaps she has already left Yuli State and set out on the road to Luntai or Kucha," said Qin Wenshan.

Yuli had an even smaller population than Loulan, half of whom were Han officials who brought pardoned prisoners to cultivate the land and build beacon towers. The local people were mostly self-sufficient, working with caravans along the way, selling food and rations to make ends meet.

Sui Yu sold all the salted fish he brought from Loulan in Yuli and exchanged them for food for people and camels, making a profit of about three hundred coins.

After a short rest in Yuli State for one day, Sui Yu led the caravan to continue its journey westward, crossing paths with two groups of Hu merchants.

"Boss, one of the caravans is going to Dunhuang. I've entrusted the raisins and three pairs of trousers I brought back for home to them. We've agreed that they don't have to pay for accommodation in the Changgui Guesthouse no matter how long they stay there." Zhang Shun came over to explain.

"Accommodation is free, but you still have to pay for food and drink," said Sui Yu.

"Yes, that's what I said." Zhang Shun took a sip of water from his water bag and said, "The Hu merchant said that if we go west for five days, we will probably see the city of Qiuci."

"I heard that Kucha City is full of gold, silver and jewelry." Xiao Chunhong said excitedly.

"Who told you that?" Song Xian asked.

"Isn't it?" Xiao Chunhong looked puzzled. "I heard it from a passing merchant when I was in Loulan."

Sui Yu covered his mouth and laughed, "If the city of Qiuci was covered with gold, silver and jewels, it would have been conquered by the Xiongnu long ago. Even if it was a city wall made of cast iron, it would have been smashed and looted."

In the distant farmland, an old woman heard the laughter and looked over. The slowly rising sun was shining brightly. A caravan of hundreds of camels loaded with goods was heading west against the light.

"Grandma, what are you looking at?" asked a thin teenager.

Aunt Chun shook her head, bent down and continued to plant rice seedlings.

The caravan left this oasis with no shortage of water, and the further west they went, the more serious the desertification of the soil became. The sand and dust blown in from the desert in the south accumulated at the roots of the grass, and the clumps of desert grass lost their green color and turned withered yellow.

The camels lowered their heads to chew grass, and the gravel crackled between their teeth, just like chewing human skulls, making people's scalps numb and their bodies cold.

"Miss, the wind is blowing. If it doesn't stop, there will probably be dust in the next two days. The caravan will easily get lost and may even get separated. Why don't we find a place sheltered from the wind to take shelter first?" The old servant of the Song family was very experienced. When he was young, he had followed the master out of the country to explore the world.

Song Xian thought for a moment and asked Sui Yu for his opinion.

Sui Yu had already heard it. The sky was filled with yellow sand, the sky was dim, the vision was obstructed, and there was no leeward slope in sight.

Suddenly, the wind grew stronger, sending gravel and grass debris flying everywhere. A large clump of grass was uprooted from a dry crack and instantly swept into the air.

A clump of weeds blew onto the camel's head, and it neighed in fright. Xiao Chunhong quickly picked it up with an arrow, but it still stamped its hooves restlessly, disturbing the other camels as well.

"Everyone get off the camels." Sui Yu made a decision. She took out the wool rope she bought from Loulan and first arranged for people to string the camel reins together. Then she divided the people into groups of ten, with ten people tying a string. Each group was responsible for guarding twenty camels. The next step was to stay where they were and wait for the sandstorm to pass.

The camels were forced to lower their heads and kneel down. The food and fodder replenished in Yuli came in handy. A bundle was given to each camel to calm their restless emotions.

People hid behind camels to avoid the fierce wind and sand.

Sui Yu and Song Xian brought two tall and strong servants of the Song family to patrol the situation in the wind and sand. Some timid camels wanted to run away at first, but they only came down after being whipped several times by the reins.

"Take out the mattresses carried by the camels and cover yourself with them. We don't know how long this sandstorm will last, and it may be cold at night. Also, keep water and food on hand. Eat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty, and do it on the spot if you need to defecate or urinate. Don't leave the camel caravan." Sui Yu gave instructions as he walked.

After making sure that the people and camels were arranged, Sui Yu and Song Xian walked back with difficulty against the wind and sand.

The yellow sand blocked by the camel crawling on the ground had buried its hooves and legs, and a thin layer of yellow sand also fell on the other side. Sui Yu and Song Xian prepared food and water, and the two of them snuggled together with mattresses wrapped around them.

The yellow sand on the mattress accumulated quickly, and a layer of sand also accumulated on the head exposed outside. If he moved slightly, the coarse sand would slide down the collar and crawl on the body like a snake, giving people goose bumps.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky suddenly darkened. She could no longer see anything, and all she could hear were the sounds of wind and sand and the camel's breathing. Sui Yu felt sleepy, so she yawned and swallowed a mouthful of sand.

"Pooh." Sui Yu tilted his head and spat, and the sand on his head slid into his clothes again. This time he was no longer sleepy at all.

This long night seemed to have no end, and there seemed to be no other life in this desert.

Song Xian fell asleep, and Sui Yu could no longer bear it, so she lowered her head on her knees, closed her eyes and dozed off.

When the wind and sand subsided, Sui Yu woke up because of numbness in her knees and legs. When she opened her eyes, she saw the night sky full of stars. The starry sky tonight was as clear as the surface of a lake, without a trace of cloud covering it, and every detail was clearly displayed in this desert.

"Where are you going? The camel stays."

The voices coming from the end of the team made Sui Yu stop trying to get up. She looked up and saw a figure with his back to her. The person who was speaking was hidden in the shadows, and the low voice made it difficult for her to tell who it was.

"The master has treated us well. If you want to escape, I understand. I will pretend I didn't see anything. But you can't take her camels and steal her goods."

"You don't want to leave?"

"I can't leave." Qingshan stood up, raised his bow and arrow, and said, "If you dare to take the camel, I guarantee you won't live to see the dawn."

Zhang Shun suddenly cried out "ouch!", as if he had just woken up. He shouted, "Stop the sandstorm! I'm almost buried! Qingshan, come and help me! This damn place is a place where we just can't survive. I'd rather be in Dunhuang, where we have food and drink and don't have to worry about suffering."

Now everyone was awake. Sui Yu also struggled to get up, holding onto the camel. The yellow sand buried him up to his waist. He was exhausted from the sleep he had taken.

"Pack up and continue on our journey. We can't stay here for long." Sui Yu gave the order.

The camel bells rang again, and the group continued to head west without missing a single person.