Chapter 11: Become sworn brothers on the grassland and forgive the past
The bonfire lit up the grassland at night, and the warm atmosphere pushed the joy to a climax. The bonfire party of three people seemed to contain the passion of a thousand people.
Tana handed over a blanket, and Wen Yuhan and Wen Ranqi put it under their heads, looking at the starry summer night sky breathlessly.
The Milky Way is right above my head, as if I can touch it with my hand.
"Look at the shooting star!" Tana was the first to see it. She shouted happily, then turned her head away shyly.
Wen Yuhan pointed at the stars in the sky and said, "On the grassland, you can see a sky like this every day in the summer. I've been watching it for so many years, but I haven't gotten tired of it at all."
"Over here, we need special tools to see such a beautiful sky. I haven't seen such a clear night sky for a long time."
Wen Ranqi recalled the time before he transmigrated into the book. He'd wanted to see a starry sky like this, and he'd borrowed a telescope from a friend who was an astronomy enthusiast. Most of the time, he'd just looked at other people's time-lapse photography. He hadn't been abroad to see the aurora, not even in China. It seemed like he'd never been to many places besides staying in his own little house. Thinking about it, he felt quite regretful.
"You seem to have something on your mind? Do you want to tell it to Big Brother?" Wen Ranqi chuckled and turned to ask Wen Yuhan, "Big Brother's accent is similar to mine. Could it be that you've been to the South?"
Tana glanced at him in surprise. Wen Yuhan exchanged glances with her, then shook his head and replied to Wen Ranqi, "Indeed, I am from the South."
"Then I'm not wrong. During this time I've been with you, Big Brother, I've felt that although you have the enthusiasm and straightforwardness of the Fire Nation, you're actually very careful, slow, methodical, and well-behaved when it comes to doing things. This is not like the Fire Nation's character at all."
"Xiao Ran has a good eye. That's right. I used to live in the south, but something happened at home. I'm alone and have no relatives. It might be better for me to stay away from the south, so I chose to move north."
Wen Yuhan looked at Tana with tenderness in her eyes. Wen Ranqi had already guessed what was going on. "You met my sister-in-law and have stayed on the grassland ever since."
"Yes, I was just like you back then. We were robbed clean along the way, leaving only my old horse. I originally thought of letting the horse go and jumping off a cliff to escape the pain, but the old horse seemed to have a human nature and bit my sleeve tightly, and finally shed tears. I felt that it was so smart and pitiful, so I got down from the cliff, got back on the horse, and rode it aimlessly north."
Wen Ranqi was fascinated by what he heard, his clear eyes hiding a slow expectation.
"What happened next? How did you get together with your sister-in-law? I want to hear about it too."
Tana shyly ran into the tent. Wen Yuhan's face was filled with a happy smile. "I thought I would either die by jumping off the cliff. I had no money to buy food, so I could only find wild fruits in the woods. But when I got to the north, there were empty plains and hills everywhere, only grass and flying sand and gravel."
"I didn't have the energy to hunt, and I passed out on the horse's back. When I woke up, I was rescued by a herdsman. I almost ate to death because I was so hungry." Wen Ranqi found the scene funny in his mind, "Didn't your sister-in-law save you?" "No, it was many days later when Tana brought a man to the tent and met with the owner of the tent and got to know me. I felt that maybe I shouldn't have died so early because I didn't die. Tana was very respected by the herdsmen. I thought I wouldn't starve to death by following her around as a handyman, so I knelt in front of her and asked her to take me in and help her with work."
"She accepted you?"
"Of course not. She saw a grown man like me kneeling casually, which is considered cowardly in their eyes, so she didn't even look at me. Later, while helping out at the herder's house, I inquired about Tana's situation. I had to stay with her so that I could have a stable job and salary, and live in the future. So, through my persistent efforts, I got a job as a stand-in."
"Stand attack? What's that?"
"It's a game of the Fire Nation. They'll pit criminals against warriors chosen by powerful individuals. It's essentially a duel of the dead. Most of the chosen individuals are captured outsiders. No matter who wins or loses, the spectators don't suffer any loss."
"You won?"
"My martial arts skills aren't as good as others, but my reflexes are pretty sharp. I used some clever tactics and still managed to win a few battles, with my opponent injuring me three-tenths and my opponent injuring me seven-tenths. I was locked in the cabin when Tana appeared. She brought me to Murong Gele and told the Murong clan leader that she wanted to marry me. I hadn't expected her to bring this up at the time. I was worried that the clan leader would treat me badly, and I was also panicked, not knowing how to deal with Tana's sudden and sincere feelings for me."
"Sister-in-law is the daughter of the patriarch? Why did the patriarch agree to you being together?"
"Of course I didn't agree. Murong Gele hates southerners, especially me, who looks like a Fengyue tribe member. But Tana discussed something with the chieftain for me, and not long after, Murong Gele asked me to bring Tana, dozens of sheep, a dog, and three cows to the northernmost part of the Huolie tribe. I guessed something must have happened between Tana and Murong Gele, so I tried to persuade her to go back, but she didn't. Later, Murong Gele even sent us a lot of things. From Tana's behavior, I think Murong Gele accepted me."
"We've gotten used to living here. We only return to Mandar City for a while before the heaviest snowfall. That's how I've lived here for four years."
"I really envy you and your sister-in-law."
"You are still young, and you will meet someone you like in the future." Wen Ranqi smiled helplessly. He was a bachelor before, and now he doesn't know when he can go back. He can't fall in love here, so he will continue to be a bachelor.
Even if he has luck in love, he will never be with the other person. It would be better if he was not a man.
"Big brother, don't you have any brothers or sisters?"
"I had a younger brother before, but he lost his life because of me." Wen Yuhan's eyes were filled with regret. "If I had been braver at the time, maybe I could have saved him. He was such a brilliant man, he shouldn't have died so young. I'm the one who deserved to die."
Wen Ranqi looked at the sorrowful Wen Yuhan with sympathy. He wanted to break the melancholy atmosphere, so he walked to the campfire and took three mutton skewers. "Don't be too sad, brother. Maybe your brother has forgiven you a long time ago, otherwise how could you have so much good luck? If your brother hadn't forgiven you, how could you have the life you have now? He must have prayed to the gods and ancestors to bless you."
"You really think so?"
"Well, the timing is perfect tonight. If big brother is willing, I will become sworn brothers with you. Although I don't have much skills, I still learned how to help big brother herd sheep." After hearing Ranqi's bold words, he thought about what he had and smiled awkwardly.
"Okay, let's become sworn brothers. From now on, whenever I have a bite to eat, you'll have a bite to eat too. You'll never go hungry.
"Hahahaha, okay, okay."
After eating three pieces of mutton and swearing an oath, Wen Ranqi and Wen Yuhan became brothers. With tears in his eyes, Wen Yuhan hugged Wen Ranqi tightly. Wen Ranqi, who was at a loss, hesitantly touched Wen Yuhan's back, which was trembling with excitement. Except for being hugged like this at the university graduation ceremony, he had never been hugged so closely by anyone. He could even feel Wen Yuhan's heartbeat.
"Brother, it's getting late. Why don't we go to bed? We still have to herd sheep tomorrow."
Wen Yuhan let go of Wen Ranqi and looked at her as if she were a treasure. When the bonfire burned out, Wen Yuhan called Tana. The three of them cleaned up the leftovers, put out the charcoal fire, and went to sleep.
Wen Yuhan's face was filled with smiles. Tana knew that he had finally solved his troubles. The two of them hugged each other in the candlelight, "You finally smiled."
"Well, as long as he is still alive, I will be happy." Wen Yuhan finally let go of the past. Not only did he see Wen Ranqi who was still alive, but he also became brothers with Wen Ranqi again.
Wen Ranqi lay on the bed, closed his eyes and meditated. He prayed that no one would know he was here from now on. He prayed that days like this could last forever until he found a way to go back.
The stars shifted, time passed. The marble shimmered with a mysterious light in the darkness, as if silently answering Wen Ranqi's prayers. Murong Gelie's horse galloped on, while Wen Shi, a thousand miles away, planned his strategy.
Visitors are about to arrive outside the Hundred Flowers Valley, and the quiet valley is also filled with startled magpies.
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