Chapter 279 Bald Monk
At sunset, the wind lacks the warmth of the sun, and the early spring evening is still a little chilly.
The kid sneezed, Zhao Xiping heard the sound and immediately urged him to put on his jacket.
The little boy skipped and jumped towards the ridge. He brushed the dirt off his hands, put on his small jacket, and picked up his father's big jacket and handed it over to him.
"The coat is dragging on the ground." Zhao Xiping reminded.
The kid tried to drag himself up, but after a few steps, his raised arm fell down unconsciously, and the coat dragged on the ground again. He stepped on it and almost fell.
After standing firm, he raised his eyes awkwardly, and Zhao Xiping looked at him helplessly.
"I'm not cold, just leave the coat there, don't bring it to me." Zhao Xiping was tired and didn't want to walk to the edge of the field just to get the coat.
The kid let out an "Oh" and stood still. When Zhao Xiping bent down to continue throwing seeds, he picked up his coat and continued walking.
"Dad, here's your coat."
Zhao Xiping turned around, put down the basket, took the jacket, put it on, patted the dusty footprints on it, and said, "Go stand at the edge of the field for a while. Once we've thrown away all the wheat seeds at the bottom of the basket, we'll go back."
"Oh." The cub looked up at the sky and said, "Hurry up, I still have to go back to feed the silkworms."
"Isn't it your uncle?"
"My uncle is busy entertaining guests. Dad, guess where my mother is?"
"Khotan, I guess." Zhao Xiping said without looking up. "I heard Khotan is rich in jade. I guess in another month, the caravan returning from outside the Great Wall will bring you some jade."
The kid grinned, sat cross-legged on the ground, grabbed the fine soil with his hands and threw it up, squinting his eyes and shrinking his neck, waiting for the soil particles to hit his head.
After spreading the last handfuls of wheat seeds, Zhao Xiping picked up a wooden rake and dug the soil. He walked over to the kid, kicked him, and cursed, "Get out! Don't sleep with me tonight if your hair is dirty."
"I'll sleep with my uncle." The kid jumped up.
Zhao Xiping was too lazy to pay attention to him. He kept digging the soil, and the loose soil covered the wheat seeds. He picked up the wooden rake and walked towards the ridge.
"The work here is done. The wooden rakes and baskets are placed on the ridges. When you go back in the evening, Erhei, remember to take them back." Zhao Xiping shouted loudly.
In order to busy himself with spring planting, Zhao Xiping hired ten helpers, led by Erhei, to farm not far away. He and Xiaozai personally drove the oxen to plow the two acres of land here, and also personally dug the soil and sowed seeds. The father and son came here on and off, and it took them five days to finish the farm work on the two acres of land.
On the way back, Zhao Xiping carried his son on his back. The little boy lay happily on his back, chattering incessantly.
The wheat field is not far from the guesthouse. If you walk north along the river, you will arrive there in less than a cup of tea.
From a long distance away, the cub heard the chicks chicks. When he got closer, he saw Hua Niu and A Shui leading two big black dogs to drive the chicks into the pen. The cat lying on the persimmon tree was wagging its tail from time to time, staring lazily at the noisy chickens.
When the masters came back, the cat stretched and stood up. It scratched the tree trunk with its claws and jumped down from the tree.
"Uncle, my father and I are back. Is there any caravan entering the customs today?" The first thing the kid asked when he entered the door was to ask if there was any caravan bringing back gifts for him.
"No, your wood ear tree has grown mushrooms." Sui Liang shouted excitedly, "Come and see, when I was watering the tree tonight, I found that the roots buried in the soil had grown small wood ear mushrooms."
The cub immediately slipped off his father and rushed over.
"You can't eat freshly picked wood ear mushrooms. They will cause stomach upset. You have to dry them and then soak them before eating them." A merchant coming out of the cafeteria gave a reminder.
Zhao Xiping thanked him and said, "His mother told him to."
"I heard that Shopkeeper Yu set off in early February?" the merchant chatted. "She's quite reckless. In February and March, the desert outside the Great Wall often has strong winds, and the sky is filled with yellow sand like locusts, which can blow for days at a time."
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything.
The merchant realized he had made a mistake and turned back to make amends, "But it's already mid-April, spring has returned outside the Great Wall, and there aren't many dusty days. Our caravan will leave tomorrow. If we encounter any caravans entering the Great Wall, we can ask them if they've encountered Shopkeeper Yu's caravan."
As soon as he finished speaking, the faint sound of camel bells came from the wind, and disappeared after a while, as if it was an illusion.
Zhao Xiping walked out and stood by the river, waiting and waiting, but he never heard the camel bells again.
But the next morning, he got up early to go on duty, and before entering the city, he met a group of Hu merchants and a group of Han merchants heading north.
Huang Lian was leading his servants driving camels to deliver food and fodder. When he saw the caravan in front, he drove the camels to speed up, but he was still no match for the vendors who had been guarding the city gate since early morning. The food and fodder business of the two caravans had been snatched away.
"Did they rest outside the city last night?" Zhao Xiping said, driving his camel closer. "I heard a few camel bells last night, and then they disappeared in an instant. I guess a caravan is resting outside the city."
"We came back late and the city gates were closed, so we had to spend the night outside the city," the merchant replied.
"Captain Zhao, are you going to take up your duties?" the escort said. "We've also brought back four slaves, supposedly from your family. They're still outside the city gates. They don't have household registration, so they can't come in. You need to go and get them."
Zhao Xiping's heart tightened, and he subconsciously asked, "Have you seen Shopkeeper Yu? How is she? Is she not injured?"
"No, they are very energetic. Their caravan encountered a ghost fire and two people were injured. You can ask them for the details. The people are outside the city gate." said the escort.
Zhao Xiping thanked him and hurried to the west city gate.
Huang Ancheng went to the city gate to stand guard before him. When Zhao Xiping arrived, he had already brought in four servants.
Song Laodong saved his life, but his voice was damaged. He was like a sick chicken crowing, snoring as soon as he opened his mouth, and he couldn't catch his breath after saying a few more words.
The two servants left by Song Xian explained the situation to their master one by one. After listening to a few words, Ding Quan saw Zhao Xiping coming over, and he hurried over to explain the situation.
"She lost nearly ten thousand coins worth of goods once she left the border? And three camels too?" Huang Ancheng said with a complicated look, "She might as well just come back with you. How can we make money like this?"
Zhao Xiping stared at him and asked, "Is Mr. Song okay?"
"She's fine." Huang Ancheng sighed worriedly and said, "She's fine now, but who knows if there will be more rebellious slaves on the trade routes in the future? This time it was Song Laodong who was the victim, but what if it's her or Lu Ya'er next time? I didn't approve of her going out to trade from the beginning, and I was even more against her taking Lu Ya'er with her. She insisted on making a scene at home and taking the child away. Now she's in danger, and I can't save her even if I want to."
"With Sui Yu here, this situation won't happen." Zhao Xiping was full of confidence. He took Ding Quan away and said before leaving: "Don't keep complaining. It's not easy for them to be out there. Even if you blame them for being restless, in the end, we are the ones who enjoy the benefits. My parents understand this principle. Don't pretend to be ignorant and act like a spoiled child."
Huang Ancheng looked a little embarrassed. After Zhao Xiping left, he sent his three servants back on their own while he went to stand guard at the city gate.
"What's going on?" asked a colleague.
In the past, Huang Ancheng would have complained again, but after being ridiculed by Zhao Xiping, he felt a little uneasy, worried that his colleagues would privately scold him for taking advantage of him. Just thinking about it made his face turn red.
"The caravan encountered ghost lights when it left the Gobi Desert. A few thieves and slaves took advantage of the chaos to escape, stealing silk and camels," said Huang Ancheng.
The city guards were shocked and asked everyone if they were okay.
"Two servants were injured, the others are fine." Huang Ancheng observed the expressions of the others.
"It's good that you're alright. Women can't trade as well as men. But your family's head and Captain Zhao's wife are both very brave. After all, they dared to reunite the caravan and continue their journey west. They are people who can accomplish great things." A long-bearded city guard patted Huang Ancheng's shoulder and said, "From now on, brothers will follow you and eat meat and drink wine with hearty mouthfuls."
Huang Ancheng understood what they meant. These people had some complaints about Song Xian and Sui Yu's caravan going out of the border, but they also had some admiration for them. Thinking of this, he looked uncomfortable. He had complained a lot in front of his colleagues in the past, and thinking that these people would laugh at him behind his back, he fell completely silent.
On the other side, Zhao Xiping took Ding Quan to the training ground, asked about the situation along the way, and then sent him to the clinic to see a doctor.
"Put the bill on me. I'll go to the city tomorrow and bring the money to settle it." Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "When you get back, tell the story of that night in front of Xiaozai and Sui Liang, focusing on how your master risked his life to save you and how brave he was."
Ding Quan responded with a smile.
When Zhao Xiping returned from his shift, he saw Zhao Xiaozai puffing out his chest and proudly telling the story of his mother risking her life to save the servant.
"...My mother said that will-o'-the-wisp isn't some kind of magic spell cast by ghosts. It's the foul air from the decaying corpses of humans and animals. It ignites quickly, and when the air burns out, it goes out. Of course, my mother also said that this kind of fire can't be extinguished with water and must be buried in sand." The boy memorized the words on the wooden board by heart. He spoke loudly to the merchants counting their provisions, and reminded them, "Uncle, don't be afraid if you see a will-o'-the-wisp. It's not a ghost."
"Okay, okay, I'm not afraid." The merchant nodded. He corrected, "But you have to say something nice. I don't want to encounter a will-o'-the-wisp."
The kid kicked his feet. He leaned in closer, smiled, and put forward a condition: "If you help me bring something to my mother..."
The merchant laughed and said that the child was always chattering next to him. It turned out that he had something to ask for.
"Okay, we'll leave tomorrow morning. What do you want to take?"
It was the boy's own handwriting. He had learned how to write from the old teacher. The big, crooked characters just looked like "mother".
"Did your mother bring you anything?" Zhao Xiping pushed his son into the house and asked, "Is there anything for me?"
The boy dug out a piece of dried meat and handed it over, saying, "My mother told me about her encounter with the sandstorm and the will-o'-the-wisp, and my uncle read it to me."
"Where is the wooden board? Bring it here for me to see." Zhao Xiping asked.
"The old man took it away."
That night, Old Chen found Zhao Xiping. He wanted to bury a pile of chicken bones and pig bones, and then find some unclaimed human corpses to bury in the wilderness. He planned to try it according to Sui Yu's instructions to see if he could create a ghost fire and solve the mystery of the ghost fire.
Zhao Xiping was also somewhat interested. He thought for a moment and said, "There are many dead bodies buried under the Great Wall. When the weather gets hot, I'll take you to the north to have a look."
This wait lasted for two months. After the spring planting was completed and the caravans were sent in and out of the customs, when the business of the inn was quiet, Zhao Xiping took Sui Liang and the little boy, and Erhei protected Chen Lao. The five of them rode camels to the foot of the Great Wall in the summer evening.
After asking the inspector about the place where the bodies were buried, Zhao Xiping saw piles of human bones and even swollen corpses in the moonlight before he even got close.
"It stinks." The kid pinched his nose. He had never seen a dead person and didn't quite understand the current situation.
"Brother-in-law, do you think you would be scolded if my sister knew that you brought us to this place?" Sui Liang asked in a muffled voice.
"Shh! Look." Zhao Xiping shouted.
In the distance, two clusters of blue and white flames were half floating on the human bones. As if they heard human voices, the two clusters of flames suddenly floated up and rolled in the air.
Erhei was so frightened that he cried out, "Ghost!"
Old Chen was also scared and broke out in a cold sweat. He urged Erhei to lead the camel and walk faster.
Zhao Xiping stared at them intently, but Sui Liang couldn't stand it any longer. He whipped the camel and said, "Stop staring blankly. Hurry up!"
"Tsk, you are all so cowardly, not even as good as my wife." Zhao Xiping said with disdain.
"Dad, your heart is beating so fast." The kid exposed him, "Are you scared too? Let me take a look, I'm not afraid."
"Look at shit! Run!" Zhao Xiping urged the camel, "They're catching up."
A group of people who loved dragons like Ye Gong were running wildly in the dark night. Thousands of miles away in the Pamir Mountains, Sui Yu and his group were walking in the valley at night.
"After crossing this valley and climbing over a high mountain, you will reach Dayuan," said Hua Suichun.
On the other side of the mountains and valleys, five bald monks were wading through the water, their destination also being Dayuan.
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