Chapter 198 Crossing the Long River at Night
The vegetation was lush and the air was filled with water vapor. After coming down from Hongchiling, Song Xian felt her body suddenly become lighter. The intense summer heat and abundant water vapor at the foot of the mountain made her feel uncomfortable all over.
The water flowed very fast on the long and wide river. The ropes tied to the shore had been submerged in the water, and the only way to cross the river was to take a sheepskin raft.
Sui Yu negotiated with the boatman, explaining that she had many camels, but a sheepskin raft could only carry one camel, not counting the person. Transporting the camels alone would require forty crossings. The boatman offered ten coins for a round trip, but after much bargaining, Sui Yu finally shaved two coins off the price by mentioning a man nicknamed "Leech."
"Wait until night. The water flow will be slower at night and we can ferry you across the river then," said the man holding the raft.
After giving the instructions, the boatman tied up the raft and went home to do farm work.
"Boss, let's go collect firewood. The firewood we brought with us was burned out when we came down the mountain." Xiaoxi said.
"Let's go around and see if we can hunt some wild animals," Qingshan said.
"Then let's build a stove." Gan Da said.
"Let's unload the things from the camel's back. Should we spread out the felt to dry it in the sun?" Zhang Shun asked.
Sui Yu nodded and pointed to a tree at the foot of the mountain. "Just hang it under the tree and let it air in the breeze. Don't leave it in the sun. Besides, it's hot down there, so it won't be cold sleeping outdoors at night. Once the felt has dried, fold it up and bundle it up. We'll use it on our way back."
“Qingshan, take five or six people with you to go hunting, but don’t go near the farmland. The land policy here is different from that in Dunhuang. Whoever buys it owns it. The weeds in the fields all have owners. If you go to their fields to hunt rabbits and field mice, you might be chased and beaten by the whole village.” Zhang Shun thought that Qingshan and his group had never lived a serious life and didn’t know the rules inside the pass, so he gave them some warnings to avoid trouble.
Sui Yu was unaware of this. Upon hearing this, she said, "Follow Zhang Shun's instructions."
The green mountains should be good, so he led his men to the foot of the mountain.
"Thanks to Zhang Shun, if he hadn't said it, I really wouldn't know about this matter, and it might really cause trouble." Sui Yu faced Song Xian, but spoke to Zhang Shun.
Song Xian glanced at Zhang Shun and said, "This is a useful person. He is careful and willing to worry."
"From now on, when I tell you to do something, you can't refuse." Sui Yu turned around and spoke to him with a smile on her face.
Zhang Shun didn't expect to receive a few compliments for this. He felt very embarrassed and said, "What's the big deal? I've lived in the village before and know these things. I just mentioned them casually. It's nothing to take seriously."
"Look, he humbly declined before I even asked him to do anything." Sui Yu said to Song Xian.
"No, no, I don't know much..." Zhang Shun scratched his head and changed his words: "Okay, boss, if you have anything to say, just tell me. If I make a mistake, don't blame me."
"Don't worry, it's definitely your fault."
Zhang Shun thought he had misheard and looked up suddenly.
"You are definitely to blame for my mistakes, so you should be more careful and don't give me the chance to scold you." Sui Yu smiled and tapped the felt on her hunchback, saying, "Go hang it up to dry, but don't expose it to the sun."
Zhang Shun nodded hesitantly and walked away leading the camel.
"It's so hot." Song Xian hid under a tree. "Why do I feel like it's even hotter here than in Dunhuang? All those trees are wasted."
Dunhuang was hot, too, but cooler if there were trees or roofs, or if you sat in a mud house with the door open and a breeze blowing through, you'd feel cool. It was hot here, and the vapor was hot, sticky and heavy on the skin. Those used to dry weather wouldn't be able to adapt. Sui Yu also felt a stuffy headache. She'd long since grown accustomed to Dunhuang's dry climate, but after her experience of exile, this minor discomfort was like a mosquito bite, not worth worrying about.
After the stone stove was built, Gan Da came to fetch water from the river. Sui Yu remembered that there were many people and livestock on both sides of the river, so she instructed, "Remember to boil the water you fetch from the river, and skim off the dirt at the bottom of the pot before using it to cook."
"Shopkeeper Yu, how much is your boat to cross the river?" Two Hu merchants came over to ask.
Sui Yu pointed with his fingers and asked, "Aren't you?"
"Four more than you." Hu Shang smiled, but his tone was indignant. "Once we enter the customs, we will be the Han people's fat sheep."
"After we leave the border, the treatment we receive in the Western Regions won't be comparable to yours." Sui Yu's face remained calm, and he suddenly asked, "Are we returning this winter?"
Another Hu merchant waved his hand and said that they had brought a lot of goods, especially spices, and it would take time to sell them. They would probably leave with the cloth from the Central Plains at the turn of spring and summer next year.
"If you pass through Dunhuang again, you're welcome to stay at my guesthouse. I'll probably build a teahouse this year with storytellers. Merchants will leave me stories, and you'll learn what happened to the Han people after leaving the border." Sui Yu smiled faintly, but her eyes were sharp. She looked at the two Hu merchants in front of her and said, "The Han Dynasty has laws and officials. The people are governed by the law, and if Hu merchants are wronged, the government will redress your grievances. After you enter the border, you may occasionally spend more money, but you won't lose your lives. We are different. Many Han merchants have been buried outside the border."
Hu Shang, who had made sarcastic remarks just a moment ago, changed his expression slightly. He remembered that a few years ago, the captain sent by the Han court to Kucha to cultivate land was killed by the local people. It was not until two or three years ago that the Changluo Hou of the Han Dynasty led his troops to besiege the city of Kucha, and the murderer who killed the Han official was handed over.
Thinking of this, Hu Shang's face was embarrassed, but he said sincerely: "Shopkeeper Yu is right. We foreigners do get a lot of protection when we come to the Han Dynasty."
"What are you talking about? Why are you so hesitant to tell me something?" The head of the Hu merchants came over and looked at Sui Yu and said, "Shopkeeper Yu, the boatmen have a grudge against the Hu people. I'm worried they might do something bad while rowing the boat. What do you think? Can you do us a favor and carry the spices and furs that can't get wet across the river?"
Sui Yu had no objection and she agreed without hesitation.
Immediately, the Hu merchant moved ten boxes of spices and ten bundles of furs to Sui Yu's camel caravan. As a reward, the Hu merchant gave him a leg of lamb bought from a farmer.
Qingshan and his friends also returned from hunting. There are many mountains and dense forests here, and there are many wild animals. They shot back three fat rabbits, dug out five bird nests, and brought back twenty-six bird eggs.
The lamb legs were stir-fried to release oil, and the rabbit meat was fried in lamb fat until it released fragrance. Then Hu Shang came over and threw in a handful of peppercorns, sprinkled with salt, and added boiling water to stew. Sui Yu asked Sancao to watch the fire, and she took out the bath beans and went to the river to wash her hands and face.
After a hearty lunch, the people from both caravans fell asleep under the trees. It was a rare opportunity for them to have some free time, so they slept until dusk.
They had a good lunch and didn't work in the afternoon, so they weren't hungry at night. They each had a bowl of fried rice porridge to fill their mouths. Seeing that it was almost dark, the servants were busy tying goods to the camels.
It was pitch black, and both Sui Yu's caravan and the Hu merchants lit torches, but the boatman did not show up for a long time. It was not until the middle of the night, when the dogs were all asleep, that the boatman slowly came over.
As the night deepened, the rate at which the snow on the mountains melted slowed down, the amount of water flowing into the river decreased, and the flow rate also slowed down relatively.
The boatman jumped into the water to secure the sheepskin raft. Sui Yu and Song Xian held torches to light the way. The servants pulled and pushed the camels onto the sheepskin raft. The camels were afraid of the swaying raft and refused to get on the boat.
Sui Yu stepped in again, leading out the camels she had personally raised, "Lao San" and "Lao Si." These were the young camels Zhao Xiping had brought back from the Gobi Desert after shooting them. They disliked Zhao Xiping, but listened to Sui Yu. She forcefully led "Lao San" onto the sheepskin raft, then made him kneel down. With his lower center of gravity, he pressed down, preventing the raft from moving.
With "Old Three" and "Old Four" leading the way and "Eggshell" obeying well, the other camels were whipped more or less, and with the temptation of salt bricks, they were all pulled hard and caught up with the sheepskin raft.
A camel was accompanied by a slave to guard the boat, and the remaining slaves followed Sui Yu and Song Xian to sit on three sheepskin rafts. Sui Yu and Song Xian each brought two slaves to guard the money box, spice box, silk and furs.
"These boxes of spices belong to foreign merchants, right?" asked the boatman.
Sui Yu glanced at him and said, "No, it's mine."
The boatman scoffed. "First time trading, huh? Your camels are clearly crossing the river for the first time."
"I guess so. I left the border last spring, returned to Dunhuang to spend the New Year with my children in the winter, and only came east with the Hu merchants in April of this year." Sui Yu looked at the river reflecting the moon and said irritably, "My husband serves in the Dunhuang army. He is a captain, and I run a guesthouse. I have no worries about money to support my family. I just want to get out of Dunhuang and see the world. If he hadn't stopped me, I would have followed the Han merchants here at the end of February."
The boatman had already seen that she was a woman, so he was not surprised when Sui Yu revealed her identity. As for the "husband of a thousand households" she mentioned, the boatman could not tell whether it was true or not. Just like the spices on this ship, he was 90% sure that they belonged to the Hu merchants, but he did not dare to take the risk for the 10% uncertainty.
"Do you know leeches?" the boatman asked again when the sheepskin raft reached the middle of the river.
"I am acquainted with Leech's nephew. His surname is Qin and he lives at the foot of Dazhen Pass." Thanks to Qin Wenshan's detailed explanation, Sui Yu learned that there was a local tyrant named "Leech" by the river. She had just mentioned it casually for bargaining, but she didn't expect to use it now.
The boatman said nothing more, and the sheepskin raft arrived safely on the other side of the river.
The slaves who had landed earlier came over to move the boxes and carry the goods, and the sheepskin raft crossed the river again to the other side to pick up the Hu merchants.
"They're not afraid that we'll steal the spices and furs." Song Xian suddenly laughed. "If we run away now, they'll be so angry."
"We can't escape, and they know our background. What are they afraid of?" Sui Yu said, looking at the water. "Any barbarian who dares to travel thousands of miles across the desert to trade with the Han Dynasty is definitely a ruthless person. I guess they all have connections with the powerful."
Song Xian suddenly realized that this was very possible.
At this moment, the river suddenly made a loud "splash" sound, and a sheepskin raft capsized, throwing everyone on board into the river. The boatman was a good swimmer, and the Hu merchant was also a good swimmer. They worked together as if nothing had happened, lifted the sheepskin raft, turned it over, climbed back on, and continued to cross the river.
After crossing the river and the boatman left, Hu Shang finally dared to curse.
"Damn it, doing these little tricks every year is so annoying." Hu Shang took off his wet clothes and wrung out the water. He wanted to twist the boatman's head, but he couldn't cross the river without these people. All he could do was curse and make himself angry.
"What will happen if you cross the river alone?" Song Xian asked.
"If we separate the goods, they won't dare to overturn every sheepskin raft, but we will suffer some losses." The boss was helpless.
Sui Yu thought for a moment and said, "There's a local tyrant called 'Leech'. If you're really in trouble, you can go find this guy and offer him some benefits to mediate."
"Let's talk about it later. We only pass by once a year. If we meet Han merchants who are easy to talk to, like you, we will just get our clothes wet." The boss declined politely, thinking it was too troublesome.
The spices and furs were returned to the Hu merchants. Sui Yu asked them to check them on the spot to make sure there were no problems. The two caravans continued their journey overnight.
After this incident, Hu Shang's caravan walked in front to lead the way, and would occasionally look after Sui Yu's caravan.
Sui Yu's journey was very smooth. He passed through valleys with high mountains, lush trees and many villages, and then walked into the ancient Nanshan Road, going in the opposite direction of the caravan from Chang'an and Shuzhong.
When they reached a flat area, Sui Yu heard the neighing of horses. She climbed up a tree to look out and asked, "Is that the imperial horse farm over there?"
"Yes." Hu Shang took a sip of water and said, "If we go through the grassland, the road will be much easier."
"Then why don't you leave?" Song Xian asked.
"Of course we can't leave. The officials can get through, though." Hu Shang stuffed his water bag and said, "Let's go. We'll continue on our journey through this valley. When we reach the end, we'll see Chang'an."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com