Chapter 13
There were heavy casualties last night. Small mounds of earth rose up on the grassland. Parents lost their children, children lost their parents, and people who had walked along the way lost their companions who supported each other. The sad people had wooden faces and stared blankly into the distance or at their feet.
However, sadness and joy were not mutually exclusive. When the skinned wolf was roasted on the fire, the people who had survived the previous night wiped away the panic on their faces and shouted with joy, scaring away the birds that were catching flies.
Sui Ling looked over at the sound. In the past, she would have been overjoyed, but not now. Her stomach was empty, she was starving, yet she had no appetite at all. The sight of bright red meat even made her want to vomit. She looked at her distant clansmen. This was how they felt when they lost their uncles, brothers, wives, children, and mothers.
She lowered her head, not looking at the group of people chatting and laughing, it was too dazzling.
When the wolf meat began to roast and smell delicious, the officers and soldiers who had been chasing the fugitive returned. The fugitive, his hands bound, had been whipped until he was completely naked. His black linen clothes were stained red with blood, and his exposed skin was torn and fleshy. Everyone who saw this tragic scene fell silent, and even those who knew him pretended not to know him.
A whistle suddenly sounded, startling the black bird circling in the air. It flapped its wings rapidly and fled from this dangerous place.
"Come here and form a circle." The officers and soldiers drove people away with whips in their hands.
Sui Yu pulled Sui Liang to his feet and followed Sui Wen'an into the crowd. A dozen terrified prisoners were kicked to the ground and knelt on the ground under the threat of sticks.
"Everyone, open your eyes and take a look! Last night, when we were all working together to drive off the wolves, these people took advantage of the chaos and escaped." With that, a black whip cracked through the air, landing fiercely on a male prisoner. The sound of clothing ripping was even faster than his screams. The bearded officer's face was calm, but the fierceness in his eyes chilled people to the bone. He looked at the onlookers and said, "If they were on the battlefield, they would be deserters, and their entire families would be killed. In that case, sending them all the way to the border is a waste of food. It's better to kill them right here."
"beat."
The sticks left afterimages and screams were heard everywhere. The fugitive, whose hands and feet were tied, was beaten until he squirmed on the ground like a maggot, but the sticks still fell on him mercilessly.
Sui Yu didn't dare to look anymore. She lowered her head and covered Sui Liang's eyes. However, her vision was blocked, but her hearing was amplified. The desperate and painful wails and screams drilled into her ears like snakes, scaring her to tremble all over.
Everyone was tortured.
The wolf meat on the fire was burnt, and the smell of burnt meat mixed with the smell of blood in the wind made people dizzy. The wailing became lower and disappeared in an instant. The dull sound of sticks stopped, and the neighing of horses in the distance returned to the sunlight.
"Look up, everyone. Are you deaf when I say look up? Look up!" The officers and soldiers with blood on their faces and thick necks were scolding like crazy.
Everyone shivered and raised their heads. The twisted person on the ground turned into a bloody mess. They took a quick glance and then lowered their heads in panic. The timid ones were already crying with fear.
The officers and soldiers were very satisfied with the results. A bearded officer tapped his palm with a whip and said with a smile, "Look at them a few more times so they can learn their lesson. Be good on the road next time and don't make trouble and make me angry."
Wherever he walked, the people standing there retreated as if they had seen a ghost.
The members of the Sui family glanced at the officers and soldiers who had come to them and suddenly stopped, their eyes like knives sweeping over them. Some of them were so frightened out of guilt that their hands and legs trembled and they slid to their knees.
"If you're tired of living, just tell me. Why bother looking for death? I'll take the trouble to send you off." Despite the chaos last night, they could still see the man leading the wolves. The bearded officer used his whip to forcefully lift the leading man's chin and asked, "Did you understand everything I said?"
"Understood."
"I understand."
No one picked up the bloody man lying on the ground. The wolf meat was roasted, and the officers and soldiers invited everyone to come and eat. They were butchers who wanted to take lives the previous moment, but now they became kind cooks. They used their knives to cut the meat and distributed it to everyone, and also reminded them to eat enough.
Sui Yu felt a chill in his heart, and once again realized the horror of the feudal dynasty.
The wolf meat was fishy and smelly. Before she even put it in her mouth, the smell was so pungent that it hurt her eyes and made her nauseous. Sui Yuping took a bite and the tip of her tongue touched the warm meat. The smell of blood and flesh made her subconsciously retch. There was no water or food in her stomach and she couldn't vomit. She was choking and holding her breath, and she tried too hard, so tears welled up in her eyes.
Sui Liang threw away the meat in his hand, crawled behind her and patted her back anxiously. Influenced by her, he also started to dry heave.
"I'll do it." Sui Hui walked over and helped Sui Yu up, saying, "Brother, go to the river and get a jar of water."
Sui Wen'an looked at his tribesmen not far away, and thinking of the intimidation not long ago, he picked up the jar with a cracked corner and left.
"Okay, no need to film." Sui Yu stopped Sui Hui's hand, wiped away her tears, and said, "I'm so hungry that I can't stop vomiting."
The last meal I had was a bowl of thin porridge yesterday morning.
"Let's boil some hot water later. I'll go find some chives." Sui Ling whispered. She looked at Sui Yu cautiously. "Is that okay?"
"This is the first time I see you being so humble." Sui Yu curled his lips.
Sui Ling couldn't hold it in anymore after she said that. She covered her mouth and cried, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle wanted to save us..."
"If Third Uncle hadn't protected me, I wouldn't have been bitten by the wolf. Sister Yu, I wish I were dead." Sui Hui also cried. She knelt down in front of Sui Yu and Sui Liang, "You hit me and scolded me. I'm sorry to Third Uncle, to you and Liang Ge'er."
"Why? My father is dead and I still have to comfort you?" Sui Yu pushed her.
Sui Hui changed her kneeling position and sat on the ground. She wiped away her tears and said, "I was confused."
Seeing Sui Wen'an approaching with a can of water, Sui Yu said, "It was his own decision to save you. From the time he was injured to his death, I never heard him regret protecting you."
The three of them understood what she meant. Sui Wen'an put down the jar, picked up Sui Liang, and said, "Brother Liang, you will be like my own son from now on."
Sui Yuwuxin hugged her head and cried with them. She went to the grass with weak legs to look for leeks. If she didn't eat something, she would starve to death.
There was still fire in the fire where the wolf meat was roasting. Sui Wen'an took the can and pressed it into the fire. When a soldier came over, he asked cautiously, "Sir, would you like some hot water?"
"It's not winter, why drink hot water?"
"The sinner's brother is young and doesn't have the luxury of eating wolf meat. I'll cook him two bowls of leek water."
The officer nodded and said, "Hurry up, we have to leave in half an hour."
Sui Wen'an told the news to his three sisters. The four of them quickened their work to boil water and blanch the vegetables. They picked the leeks clean and threw them into the boiling water. When they changed color, they took them out and fed them to their mouths.
Half an hour later, the whistle blew, Sui Wen'an tied the mouth of the jar with a straw rope, and he rushed into the crowd with half a jar of boiling water and followed on his way.
No one dug a grave to bury the fugitive who was beaten to death. The bloodstains had turned dark red due to the sun, and were covered with dense swarms of insects and flies. It looked scary and disgusting, and passers-by avoided it.
Sui Yu pulled Sui Liang away as well. Sui Wen'an's arm was injured and no one could hold him, so he could only follow them and walk on the ground.
The huge crowd left the place where blood and energy were boiling, and headed westward in the direction of the setting sun, arriving at an inn standing on the edge of the grassland in the middle of the night.
"If I could have continued on my journey last night..." Sui Ling wished time could go back.
"Shh, shut up." Sui Yu glared at her. Although it was unintentional, it would be a big deal if it was heard by someone with ulterior motives. They would exaggerate and accuse the official of making a wrong decision.
Sui Ling felt guilty in front of her, so she did whatever Sui Yu said. When she was told to shut up, she kept her mouth shut and didn't say a word.
I entered the woodshed, and just as the straw bed was being made, the servants brought me some hot porridge. It was already late, and the cook had probably lost his patience, so the porridge had probably only boiled a few times before being served. The millet was still hard, and it crackled when I bit into it.
No one dared to despise them. Although they had already moved into the post station, the shadows on the grassland still made people feel uneasy, fearing that any words they said would displease the officers and soldiers.
The woodshed became quiet early on. Sui Yu put the wolf meat that he had not eaten at noon into a jar and stuffed the mouth with straw to prevent it from being eaten by mice at night.
"Cousin, from now on we will take turns to keep watch, two in a shift. Tonight I will keep watch in the first half of the night, and you will keep watch in the second half." Sui Yu said.
"Why keep watch? Keep watch?" Sui Ling was puzzled.
"In the past, Uncle San would watch over us every night...Okay, Sister Yu, I'll listen to you," said Sui Wen'an.
Sui Yu asked Sui Liang to sleep next to her. Snoring gradually rose in the woodshed, while the three people beside her tossed and turned. She said, "If you can't sleep, you guys get up and keep watch."
"I'll watch over it. I'll watch over the first half of the night, and Ling'er will watch over the second half." Sui Hui sat up and whispered, "I never knew Third Uncle watched over us every night."
Sui Yu followed her wishes. She lay down and warned her, "No matter what happens, don't leave this small place. If someone comes, shout loudly. If the soldiers come, kill them all."
Words are spoken for the people around you to hear.
"I know."
Sui Yu thought she would not be able to sleep either, but her body was more honest than her will. She fell asleep soon after lying down, and even slept until dawn, but she had more dreams.
At the turn of spring and summer, there is no shortage of wild vegetables on the grassland. The morning meal is vegetable porridge, which is a mixture of green vegetable leaves and yellow millet. This is the most decent meal I have had since my exile.
After the meal, the army left the post station, walked along the edge of the grassland for half a day, and then went up and down among the low hills for three days. The westward road turned into a route along the rushing river.
Looking back, the grassland has disappeared among the mountains.
Sui Yu was extremely tired. When she passed by the shallows, she squatted down and scooped up water to wash her face. After drinking a few sips of water to quench her thirst, she scooped up water for Sui Liang to drink. His hands were small, and the water leaked out when he put it to his mouth.
"Are you full?" she asked.
Sui Liang nodded.
"Then let's go quickly." Sui Yu pulled her and ran quickly to catch up with Sui Wen'an and his two siblings.
The melodious sound of camel bells came from the wind. The tired people looked over with wooden faces. On the other side of the river, a group of merchants were coming from afar, leading camels, riding mules and carrying goods.
"Brother, is the river ahead fast flowing?" the escort officer asked loudly.
"The water level dried up, the river surface tightened, and the camels walked in, with the water level reaching their backs."
"Okay, where are you coming from?"
"I went to Dayuan."
A river separates the two banks. Caravans carrying goods head east, while volunteers and prisoners move west. One side is full of energy and vitality, while the other side is lifeless. They pass by each other in parallel, as if they will never intersect.
Sui Yu withdrew his gaze, lowered his head to look at the road beneath his feet, and listened to the sound of camel bells getting farther and farther away.
The wide river forks at the end. You have to choose one to walk on. The soil under your feet turns grayish yellow, and the plants on the road become sparse and short. In the distance, there are towering mountains and numerous trees. There are villages at the foot of the mountains, and farmlands are scattered around. The trees have all been cut down, just like a healthy person with a bald head.
Sui Yu asked the escorting officer, "Sir, where is this place?"
"Golden City."
Jincheng, the predecessor of Lanzhou, is located in the western part of the Loess Plateau.
Sui Yu remembered the big river that Shang Lu had mentioned before, and it was most likely the Yellow River.
As they crossed the river through Jincheng, Sui Yu realized she had guessed correctly. She had been to this place before, more than two thousand years later. The water then was muddy and yellow, not as clear as it is today. It turned out that more than two thousand years ago, the Yellow River was not yellow, and the Loess Plateau was not covered with gullies and barren.
A dozen sheepskin rafts came from the other side, carrying merchants and their goods. The camels and mules went into the water, their reins tied to the ropes connecting the two banks, and they waded obediently in the river.
After the camels and mules came ashore, the officers and soldiers ushered everyone into the water, shouting, "Children carry the weight on their shoulders, and everyone else pulls the rope across the river. Pull back and forth, left and right, and don't let the water wash you away."
"Sister Yu, I'll carry Liang Ge'er." Sui Wen'an said.
Sui Yu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. Sui Wen'an squatted down, and she and Sui Hui worked together to support Sui Liang and sat astride his neck.
"You two follow me later." Sui Yu instructed. She could swim, and if the river was not fast, she could still save the people who were washed away.
When it was their turn to go into the river, Sui Yu and his siblings were very cautious. They stepped into the river and carefully watched the situation under the water, also guarding against people who might harm them.
The river water gradually covered the knees, thighs, stomach, and chest, and the deepest part was above the neck.
"Huh--" Sui Yu walked ashore with water all over his body. He was surprised that no one tried to trip him when crossing the river. It seemed that the intimidation on the grassland worked.
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