Chapter 76 Song Jingchuan

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. By the fifth day after Huiyin and the others arrived in Dayuan, they had completely integrated into the local customs and traditions. If you didn't look closely at their features and only saw their clothes, you would not be able to tell that they were outsiders.

That day, Huiyin and Fangmu each held a slice of melon and sat next to the peddler, observing the crowds coming and going. Two days ago, the Prince of Guishan had sent them a message saying that he had seen several unfamiliar Han people here. So Huiyin and Fangmu had been keeping watch here every day to try their luck.

When the two first arrived, the surrounding Dayuan people seemed to have seen something strange and unusual, surrounding them and looking them over with interest. Huiyin and Fangmu were a little embarrassed at first, but they eventually accepted it.

After a few days of trial and error, Huiyin has been able to understand the language of the Dayuan people. They are very hospitable and always give Huiyin and Fangmu some food.

A cheer came from the side. Huiyin and Fangmu turned their heads at the same time. Not far away, the rammed earth square was bustling with people, who were surrounded by layers of people.

The two were startled by the sound of gongs and drums. Huiyin covered her ears and asked the cheerful peddler beside her what was going on. After a lot of misunderstanding and gesturing, Huiyin and Fangmu finally understood that this was a wedding ceremony of the Dayuan people.

She watched with interest for a while, and based on their clothing and headdresses, she determined that the man and woman walking at the front were the main characters of the wedding. However, the more she looked, the more familiar the man seemed.

A crowd of onlookers gathered, and Huiyin strained to stand on tiptoe and get a better look at the groom's face. Suddenly, Fang Mu exclaimed, "This groom looks like a Han Chinese!"

Upon hearing this, Huiyin disregarded everything else, nimbly pushed through the crowd, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Fang Mu broke out in a cold sweat after realizing she was gone, and in just a few breaths, he had already thought of seven or eight ways he could die.

He quickly shouted Huiyin's name and finally saw her figure at the front of the crowd. He then squeezed in after her.

Huiyin, being petite, squeezed her way forward. The newlyweds walked right up to her, allowing her to clearly see the man's face. It was none other than her younger brother, Song Jingchuan, who had been missing for a year.

He was dressed in the attire of a groom from Dayuan, a brand-new crimson brocade robe embroidered with galloping celestial horses in gold thread, shimmering in the firelight. He smiled, his eyes narrowed, and greeted the Dayuan people beside him.

The bride was completely covered by a magnificent gold brocade veil, on which countless tiny bells jingled softly with her subtle movements.

Huiyin took a deep breath and shouted at the loudest volume she had ever uttered, "Song Jingchuan! You come here right now!"

Although the crowd couldn't understand the words, they were clearly stunned by the sound and gradually quieted down.

The groom, Song Jingchuan, was suddenly startled to hear Chinese in this place. Although the voice was not calling his name, he was still shocked and looked in the direction of the voice.

She was an extremely beautiful woman, her breathing rapid and heavy, her chest heaving violently, her eyes glaring at him angrily.

Song Jingchuan awkwardly touched his head. He didn't recognize the woman, and being looked at like that by her made him feel naturally suppressed. He lowered his head in fear.

Fang Mu, who had finally managed to squeeze into the crowd, also heard the voice. Startled, he quickly squeezed to Huiyin's side to see. The groom from Dayuan was undoubtedly a Han Chinese, not very old, and his eyebrows and eyes resembled Huiyin's somewhat.

He gaped in surprise, his voice trembling slightly, "Song Jingchuan?"

Only then did Song Jingchuan realize that the two people were calling him. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, pointed to himself, and said, "Do you know me? My name used to be Song Jingchuan?"

Huiyin finally snapped out of her shock. Looking at her younger brother who didn't recognize her at all, her heart sank to the bottom. She pointed to herself and said, "I am your elder sister, Song Huiyin, and you are my younger brother, Song Jingchuan. We grew up together since we were little. Don't you remember me at all?"

"Song Jingchuan" looked apologetic and shook his head, "I hurt my head and don't remember anything from before."

At this moment, the Dayuan bride standing next to him suddenly lifted the gold brocade veil from her head, stepped forward with a defensive expression, separated "Song Jingchuan" and Huiyin from each other's gaze, and started chattering in Dayuan language.

But judging from her expression, she seemed to mind that "Song Jingchuan" was in contact with them.

A man from Ferghana with a thick beard and striking features walked out from behind the girl. He spoke in broken Mandarin: "You've mistaken him for someone else. He's not the person you're looking for."

After saying this, he turned back to explain a few words to Song Jingchuan and the girl, urging the procession to move forward and continue the wedding. "Song Jingchuan" hesitated for a moment, then was pulled away by the girl.

Huiyin quickly pulled Fangmu along to chase after them. She had finally found her younger brother and would not let anyone take him away so easily.

The bearded man was prepared and called three Dayuan men to stop Huiyin and her companion. Although Fang Mu was skilled in martial arts, the three men were tall and strong, and he also had to protect Huiyin from injury, so he was at a disadvantage for a time.

Huiyin was firmly held back, forced to watch helplessly as her younger brother was led away. Enraged, she shouted, "Song Jingchuan! You come back here!"

The man who had been pulled away, "Song Jingchuan," shuddered. Ignoring the dissuasion of those around him, he turned back, pulled away the burly man who was blocking Huiyin, looked at Huiyin with fluctuating emotions, and called out in a trembling voice, "Sister."

He couldn't remember anything, but the moment he saw Huiyin, she looked very familiar, and he unconsciously wanted to get closer to her. Especially when Huiyin called his name twice, it made him even more certain that they were siblings.

It turns out he wasn't without family or without a place to come from; his name was Song Jingchuan.

——

Looking at the three people in front of her, Huiyin was unusually at a loss for words. After recognizing Song Jingchuan, she naturally strongly opposed his marriage to that girl from Dayuan.

In her mind, Dayuan was just a temporary stopover; she always intended to take her younger brother back to the Southern Dynasty. At the very least, she wanted him to return to Jingzhou, kneel before his parents' door, kowtow, and offer incense.

If one marries a woman from Dayuan and has children, wouldn't one end up staying in Dayuan?

Before her, Song Jingchuan and the Dayuan girl sat close together, both staring awkwardly at Huiyin, as if she were a villain who had broken up a loving couple. The girl was beautiful; her name was Heshi.

Sitting next to them was the bearded man, He Shi's father, a merchant from Ferghana.

According to He Shi, she met Song Jingchuan more than a month ago when she and her father were traveling on a trade route. At that time, Song Jingchuan was lying unconscious and unrecognizable on the grassland. She rescued Song Jingchuan despite her father's objections and took him to Dayuan to take good care of him.

She liked Song Jingchuan, proposed to him, and wanted him to stay in Dayuan.

After finishing her speech, He Shi looked at Huiyin pleadingly, quickly spoke a string of words in Dayuan, and then anxiously looked at her father.

The bearded man translated for her: "Heshi said she likes your brother very much and hopes you won't break them up."

Looking at He Shi's hopeful eyes, Huiyin turned to look at Song Jingchuan and asked hesitantly, "What do you think?"

Although she did not want her younger brother to marry Heshi, Jingchuan had grown up. Although he had lost his memory, his eyes were still the same as before. If he insisted on marrying Heshi, Huiyin would not stop him.

Song Jingchuan glanced at He Shi first, then held her hand tightly and made up his mind, "I agreed to marry He Shi myself. No one forced me. I am willing to marry her."

Although He Shi could not understand Song Jingchuan's words, she understood his meaning and, overjoyed, threw herself into his arms, weeping.

Huiyin nodded slightly, then asked, "You're marrying her because you love her, or because she saved your life and you want to repay that debt?"

He Shi still couldn't understand, but she felt Song Jingchuan's body stiffen and her father's face turn ugly. She was at a loss.

Seeing this, Song Jingchuan quickly took her hand to comfort her, then looked up at Huiyin and calmly said, "It's not realistic to say you like her, and it's not entirely about repaying a debt of gratitude either."

He paused, then continued, "I don't remember anything from before. I only lived in Dai County for a few months before being captured by the Xiongnu, where..."

Song Jingchuan shuddered as he recalled his time with the Xiongnu. "I thought I would die among the Xiongnu, but I was lucky enough to survive. I was rescued and carefully cared for by Heshi. My memories are full of days of exile. I long for a home."

“Sister, if you hadn’t appeared, I would have married Heshi and stayed in Ferghana.”

Huiyin felt as if she had been boiled in a pan of oil. She couldn't help but ask, "Now that I've found you, and you're still willing to marry her, don't you want to come back to the Southern Dynasty with me?"

Song Jingchuan's eyes were filled with conflict. "If you want me to go back, I will."

Huiyin blinked almost imperceptibly, nodded haphazardly, and got up to leave without saying anything more. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would be unable to help but resent him.

"Sister..." Song Jingchuan called softly from behind.

Huiyin waved her hand and went out alone. She didn't go far; after leaving the three people's sight, she squatted down in a corner. She never expected that after going through so much trouble to find her brother, he would refuse to go back.

Huiyin buried her face in her knees, silently weeping. She had always believed that Jingchuan was waiting for her, waiting for her to rescue him. So no matter how much hardship or exhaustion she endured, Huiyin was not afraid. She gritted her teeth and, after going through so much, finally arrived here and found her younger brother.

But the younger brother has started a new life and forgotten everything from the past.

Huiyin didn't blame him. To Jingchuan now, although she was his older sister, she was a complete stranger with no memory of her. Naturally, she couldn't compare to Heshi, who had saved him. It was only natural that he chose Heshi.

She didn't know whether she should tell him everything from the past, so that he would relive that painful memory and experience the agony of losing his father and mother again.

Huiyin didn't know how long she had been outside. She saw Song Jingchuan come out with a worried look on his face, sit down gently beside her, and say in a voice as soft as the wind, "Sister, are you disappointed in me?"

Huiyin burst into tears. Through her teary eyes, she looked at Song Jingchuan. In the past year, he had become much darker, and there were several small whip marks on his face. His once fair hands were covered with frostbite.

She couldn't imagine what kind of life he was living among the Xiongnu during the dead of winter.

"I'm not disappointed, I just... don't know what to say to you?"

Huiyin closed her eyes, letting the tears fall. She had figured it out. This was good enough. Let him live on without knowing anything, and live the life he loved with the girl he loved.

Song Jingchuan took out a piece of milk white candy from his pocket and handed it to Huiyin, "Sister, can you tell me what our family is like?"

Huiyin took the candy and put it in her mouth. The candy was sweet and rich, making her forget her sadness without realizing it.

She smiled and said, "Our parents died early, and we grew up in the clan. The clan didn't treat us very well. After we grew up, I took you to Chang'an. One day, due to negligence, you fell off a cliff and went missing, ending up in Dai County."

Song Jingchuan listened quietly, a hint of regret on his face. He still thought his parents were alive. "Do we have any other relatives?"

"And my uncle's family, they are doing very well."

Song Jingchuan felt relieved and leaned quietly against the wall, a pang of sadness rising in his heart for some reason. He turned his head to look at Huiyin's tired expression and couldn't help but ask, "Sister, you must have suffered a lot following me all the way to Dayuan."

Huiyin thought of Pei Yu; he had taken good care of her on the way here, and although she had suffered some hardships, they hadn't been too great. She shook her head and remained silent.

Song Jingchuan held Huiyin's hand and whispered, "Sister, let's stay here and let me take good care of you from now on, okay?"

Huiyin withdrew her hand, smiled, and patted his head. "I can't leave here for now. As for the future, we'll see."

——

Three days later, Huiyin watched Song Jingchuan and Heshi get married. Fang Mu advised her many times to tell Song Jingchuan the truth. He said that as long as Song Jingchuan knew the past, he would definitely not agree to marry Heshi and would obediently go back to the Southern Dynasty with them.

Huiyin looked at Jingchuan, who was laughing heartily in the crowd, and refused upon hearing this. Even if she told Jingchuan the truth, he would agree to go to the Southern Dynasty with her, and he would also choose to marry Heshi. He would try his best to balance the contradictions between the two things, and he would live a very tiring life.

Fortunately, the Song family's great revenge was achieved, and Huiyin didn't want to force him to do anything. Everyone has their own path to walk, and she didn't want to be like Madam Pei, who used the guise of doing what was best for you to make decisions on her own.

She was just a little melancholy. Her younger brother, who used to follow her around aimlessly, was getting married in the blink of an eye, and might even have children soon.

Huiyin looked up at the sky, thinking that after returning to the Southern Dynasty, she must go to her parents' graves to offer incense and tell them about this, so that they could rest in peace.

Fang Mu asked cautiously, "Your brother isn't leaving, but what about you?"

What if Huiyin also decides not to go back and stays here to get married and have children? What will he do then? Will he settle down here like them, or will he go back to apologize to the young general?

Huiyin looked down at the wolf fang pendant on her chest and did not answer him, because she did not know whether to stay or go back.

Besides, they can't go back now.

Dayuan has received the battle report that the Southern Dynasty and the Xiongnu have officially gone to war. The Southern Dynasty has deployed 100,000 troops at border passes such as Dai County and demanded that Yule immediately return the Southern Dynasty's princess Suiyang, who was sent to marry the Xiongnu. Otherwise, they would go to war with the Xiongnu.

Jules was naturally unwilling, and this reason was merely an excuse used by the Southern Dynasty. After Jules refused, the Southern Dynasty sent troops to invade the grasslands. Dayuan was far away, and many battle reports were not very clear. It was only known that the Southern Dynasty's commander was a general surnamed Pei.

Fang Mu was overjoyed to hear the news of the care he received. He ran to Huiyin, singing and dancing, covering his face and crying, "The young general hasn't forgotten us! He hasn't forgotten us! He'll be here soon to take us home!"

Huiyin couldn't help but pour cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "Given the current situation, this battle will last a long time."

She was right; the war had dragged on for a long time without ending. After Song Jingchuan and Heshi got married, with Heshi's help, Huiyin and he both learned the language of Dayuan. The bearded man was also very kind to Song Jingchuan, gradually entrusting him with the affairs of the caravan.

After the Xiongnu and the Southern Dynasty went to war, the Jieluo people also got involved. Haqing was recalled to her tribe and was no longer monitored by them.

Huiyin was unwilling to sit at home waiting for news. She was very curious about those strange and rare treasures, which she had never seen in the Southern Dynasty.

She gradually formed an idea: if the Xiongnu could be successfully driven out, the passage between the Southern Dynasty and Dayuan would be opened, and the two countries could trade with each other. All the things that were not available could be sent to the Southern Dynasty, benefiting the people.

From that day on, she traveled with Fang Mu and Song Jingchuan to various countries, bringing back many rare treasures. However, embarrassingly, she and Fang Mu were penniless, having already spent all the wealth left by Ha Qing.

Fortunately, the bearded man was very generous and took good care of his relative, not charging her for the things Huiyin had left behind. Heshi even took out her own savings to help Huiyin buy things.

Soon, time flew by, and three years later, the city of Dayuan was abuzz with excitement. The war was over, and the fierce Xiongnu people had lost their important pastures south of the Gobi Desert and were driven out to the south.

When the news arrived, Huiyin was at home taking care of her adorable niece, who had just turned two and was at a very active age. The little girl's name was Haoling, and she was the daughter born to Jingchuan and Heshi after their marriage.

Three months ago, He Shi accidentally broke her arm. Hui Yin was worried about leaving her at home alone, so she stayed to take care of her and her daughter. Meanwhile, the bearded man took Jing Chuan and Fang Mu out to do business.

Huiyin adored this little girl. The girl looked just like her, with a beautiful, adorable, and clever appearance that made her irresistible.

Although the little girl was mischievous, she was also very sensible and didn't cause Huiyin any trouble. The only problem was that she would insist on hearing a story every night before going to sleep. For the past three months, Huiyin had been taking care of her, and she was very attached to Huiyin, following her around like a little tail during the day.

A neighbor from the next courtyard came to bring Huiyin some homemade food. After chatting with her for a while, the neighbor told Huiyin all about the defeat of the Xiongnu. At that moment, Huiyin almost dropped the bowl in her hand, but luckily, a little tagalong was sitting at her feet and quickly grabbed the bowl.

Seeing this, the neighbor praised Haoling for being so clever. Huiyin then came to her senses and saw Haoling still sitting on the ground, holding a bowl and laughing. She was startled and quickly picked Haoling up to check if she was injured.

Upon hearing the news, Huiyin was unsettled. After a few words to her neighbor, she left Haoling in the care of her mother and hurriedly went out to the street to inquire about the news.

She had just stepped out when she ran into the guards sent by King Guishan to invite her to the palace. King Guishan was even more amiable to Huiyin than before, and he got straight to the point, explaining his purpose. It turned out that the Xiongnu had retreated to the southern desert, and he had also come up with the idea of ​​opening up trade with the Southern Dynasty.

Huiyin explained the situation of the Southern Dynasty to him in detail, and learned from him that the Southern Dynasty had indeed won the battle, and the Xiongnu had moved to the south of the Gobi Desert.

She had been waiting for this news for three years.

When Huiyin returned home, her dormant heart began to stir. She missed the Southern Dynasty, its customs and traditions, and the people who were waiting for her there.

She couldn't wait to set off home right now. Huiyin suppressed the surging emotions in her heart. The bearded man and Jingchuan hadn't been gone long, and they wouldn't be back for at most another month. She couldn't travel alone; she could only wait for them to return.

Or, she can wait for that person to come and pick her up.

Xiao Haoling had just woken up from her afternoon nap. Her chubby feet stepped out onto the ground, and she rubbed her eyes, calling out to Huiyin in her childish voice. Huiyin went over, hugged her, and led her into the room.

He Shi had already woken up and was sitting at the corner of the bed sewing an outer garment for Hao Ling. When she saw Hui Yin, she smiled and called her "elder sister".

In these three years, not only did Huiyin learn Dayuan language, but Heshi also learned Han language, and even Xiao Haoling was taught to speak both languages.

Looking at Huiyin's smiling face, Heshi put down her needlework in a daze and couldn't help but say, "Sister, you have such a beautiful smile." This was the first time in the past three years that Heshi had seen Huiyin smile so happily, even more beautiful than the shimmering silk gauze.

Huiyin told her the news of the Xiongnu's defeat, "Heshi, I'm leaving here and going back to my homeland."

Heshi stared blankly. Over the past three years, she had come to regard Huiyin as her closest elder sister and had always believed that Huiyin would live with them in Dayuan. This news was too sudden and too terrible for her.

Huiyin noticed her fear, lowered her head and pinched Xiao Haoling's soft cheek. She had already thought it through. Dayuan was good, and she had no objection to Jingchuan wanting to stay here. Besides, he and Heshi had been married for three years, were a loving couple, and had such a pitiful and lovely daughter. How could she bear to separate them?

"Don't worry, I won't force Jingchuan to go back with me."

He Shi blushed and waved his hands repeatedly, "That's not what I meant. I also want to go back to the Southern Dynasty with you."

Huiyin was extremely surprised by her words. "What did you say?"

He Shi touched Hao Ling's little hand, her eyes full of affection, "These days, my husband always dreams about the past."

Huiyin slowly raised her eyes and listened carefully to what she was saying.

“He woke up from his dreams several times, crying and saying he was sorry to me, sorry to our parents, and that he was unworthy of being a son and a brother. He told me not to tell you, but I knew very well that he was thinking about the past. He must really want to go back, but he was just holding back because of me.”

Huiyin was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. Jingchuan had actually remembered everything, yet he had never revealed it to her. If Heshi hadn't told her all this, she probably would never have discovered it.

He Shi continued, "I also want to see what the Southern Dynasty is like, to see the place where you once lived. Besides, my husband and I can't bear to leave my sister, and Hao Ling can't bear to leave her aunt either, can she?" She shook Hao Ling's arm and said with a smile.

Haoling giggled, snuggled into Huiyin's arms, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Haoling likes Auntie. Auntie smells so good."

Huiyin held back her tears and hugged Haoling tightly. She had watched this little girl grow up since birth, and she was no different from her own daughter. She couldn't bear to part with her.

"But you're coming back to the Southern Dynasty with us, far from your hometown. Aren't you afraid?"

He Shi smiled and shook his head, then squeezed Hao Ling's soft arm, signaling Hao Ling to speak.

Haoling shook her head and said in a childish voice, "As long as Auntie is here, no one will bully us."

He Shi added, “My father and I have no other relatives in Dayuan. We have already discussed it and agreed that if you return to the Southern Dynasty, we will go with you. Please don’t mind.”

Holding back her tears, Huiyin hugged Heshi and made a promise: "Don't worry, as long as I am here, I will ensure that you and your daughter are safe and sound. This is my promise to you, Song Huiyin."