Chapter 225
After resting for half a day, in the evening, Sui Yu and Song Xian took three or five servants and two large bags to buy naan.
Hearing footsteps in the alley, Erhei crawled over. Seeing it was Sui Yu, his face lit up with joy. He raised his hand and slapped her face: "Master, I am worse than pigs and dogs. I have no conscience. I don't know what is good and what is bad. I was greedy before and disappointed you. I know I was wrong..."
Sui Yu ignored him, as if he hadn't seen or heard anything, and walked away.
Erhei stood up and tried to chase after him, but was stopped by the male slaves who had caught up with him. At close range, they could clearly see the slap marks on his face and the blood at the corners of his mouth, secretly praising his willingness to be so ruthless.
"Aniu, don't stop me." Erhei begged.
Ah Niu shook his head. With his example in front of them, even if they felt reluctant, they could not act on their own and make their master dislike them, and their good days would be over.
The footsteps faded away. Aniu and his male servants let go of Erhei, patted the smell off their hands, and quickly chased Sui Yu.
"Ah! I finally saw you." Kurban jumped down from the wall. He ran around Sui Yu and Song Xian, saying excitedly, "Can I dance for you? Look, I can dance... I thought you guys had gone home."
Before he finished speaking, Kurban twisted his waist and shook his shoulders. He leaned back and trotted on tiptoe, then spread his arms and jumped lightly like a wild goose, his eyes and eyebrows very lively.
Sui Yu and Song Xian both stopped and looked at the dancing Kucha boy in admiration.
Seeing this, Kurban stopped dancing, approached excitedly, and asked, "How about it? Can you take me to Dahan?"
"Aren't you giving up yet? Aren't you afraid that we will sell you out?" Sui Yu teased.
Kurban waved his hand confidently. He muttered a few words in Kucha and then said in Chinese: "You are not that kind of people."
"Oh? Then you're mistaken." Sui Yu smiled and continued walking, saying, "If you come back to Dahan with me, I'll let you perform in the teahouse and make money for me."
"She really does have a teahouse." Song Xian glanced back at Kurban and said, "Are you still willing to come with us?"
Kurban said nothing and just stood there motionless.
Song Xian shrugged and smiled, then followed Sui Yu to buy some baked naan.
"Grandma, do you have any naan bread left?" Sui Yu came into the yard and greeted her. "Wow, the grapes have grown so big? It's a pity they're not ripe yet."
The dates on the date tree have grown up. The old cat was sleeping on a mat under the tree. When he heard the noise, he shook his ears without opening his eyes.
The old lady held up two fingers and asked Sui Yu if he wanted two more batches of naan.
"I want two batches of naan tonight, and five batches of meatless naan tomorrow." Sui Yu went out to look for Kurban. The child was still standing there. She waved and said, "Kurban, come and help me translate a few words."
Kurban told the old lady about Sui Yu's request. Sui Yu took out ten strings of copper coins and five feet of cloth. The old lady chose five feet of cloth and two strings of copper coins.
"What does your teahouse do?" Kurban walked up to Sui Yu and asked.
Sui Yu glanced at him and said, "You really want to go? You're only fifteen or sixteen years old. It's so nice to be in your own country. Why would you leave your hometown and go so far away? Do your parents agree?"
Kurban didn't quite understand what he was saying. He didn't understand the meaning of the phrase "leaving one's hometown." He thought for a moment and said, "I'm young. I want to go out and explore the world."
"Where are your parents?" Sui Yu asked.
"My father is an alcoholic. He doesn't care about me." Kurban's father was a shepherd boy in his youth. At eighteen, he fell in love with a shepherdess who loved singing and dancing. After giving birth to Kurban, she fell in love with another shepherd boy who played the bone flute and waist drum. The two lovers of music and dance eloped with their flocks. From then on, Kurban's father fell in love with alcohol, often getting drunk, and left the child to be raised by his sister who lived in the city.
"My father came back once five years ago, and now I don't know if he's alive or dead." Kurban shrugged. "My aunt agreed to let me go to Dahan."
Sui Yu and Song Xian exchanged a glance and asked, "Does your aunt speak Chinese? I'll come see her tomorrow."
Kurban shook his head. He pressed on, "Where do you live? I'll pack my bags and go with you."
Sui Yu laughed. She looked at Kurban and said seriously, "I can take you away. I'll take care of your food and drink along the way, and you can live in my house when we get back. But there's a price to pay. You have to stay in my teahouse for five years. After five years, I'll let you go."
"Speak slower."
Sui Yu broke down the words and explained them to him one by one. After making sure he understood, she asked again, "Are you still willing to go back to Dahan with me?"
Five years? Kurban thought it was a good deal. With a time limit, he wouldn't worry about Sui Yu cheating on him. Besides, if he followed her, he would have food and drink.
"Okay." Kurban jumped up, "I'll go back and get my things."
"Wait a minute." Sui Yu chased out and called out to the people, "We'll leave the day after tomorrow morning and come to see you tomorrow evening. Say goodbye to your relatives and friends."
Also give him a day to regret.
Two ovens of mutton naan were ready, and it was getting dark. Several servants went to take the naan. The old lady who delivered the naan walked to Sui Yu and looked at her.
Sui Yu let her look at him, packed the naan and left.
When we returned to Agu Lane, Erhei was missing. It seemed that he was aware of the situation and was afraid that someone would tie him up and sell him while he was sleeping at night. He was quite vigilant in this regard.
The next morning, Erhei appeared at the entrance of the alley. He tiptoed into the alley, knelt outside the door where Sui Yu lived, and allowed people coming and going to look at him.
Sui Yu had no time to care about him. The head of the You family was going to sell some medicinal materials. She followed him, on the one hand to pave the way for the future, and on the other hand to take the opportunity to get to know people and inquire about the whereabouts of the cotton.
After a whole day without any results, in the evening, Sui Yu took Zhang Shun and Li Wu to get some baked naan.
Kurban saw a man jumping down from the wall. He was carrying a large bag, was alone, and had no relatives to see him off.
"Does your aunt know that you are leaving Kucha?" Sui Yu confirmed with him again.
"I know. By the way, can I bring another person? He likes Dahan just like me." Kurban followed Sui Yu.
Sui Yu stopped and looked Kurban up and down, and was speechless.
"Is it okay?" Kurban asked. "Anle can play the bone flute. You can take him with you. It's worth it."
Sui Yu smiled, she would not suffer any loss in any way.
"Do his family know?" she asked.
"They are all dead." Kurban answered cheerfully. He shouted twice towards the wall, and a Kucha boy who was slightly shorter than him came out, looking timid, shy and introverted.
"Anle can only speak a little Chinese, I will teach him." Kurban took the responsibility.
"Are your parents dead?" Sui Yu asked.
Kurban repeated it in Kucha language, and Anle nodded.
Sui Yu suspected that this person couldn't speak a word of Chinese, and that Kurbanbet was trying to trick her. She took two people with her to get some naan and took the person away in front of the old woman. Seeing that she didn't try to stop him, she took the person away.
Back at Agu Lane, Sui Yu instructed, "Zhang Shun, Kurban and Anle are in your care. Arrange two camels for them tomorrow."
"good."
"Master, Erhei has fainted." Xiao Chunhong rushed out. "You left this morning, and he has been kneeling there, not eating or drinking. He has been outside in the sun for most of the day. I don't know when he fainted. Qingshan fed him water and porridge, but he hasn't woken up yet."
Sui Yu went in to take a look. Er Hei was too dirty. They disliked him and didn't let him get on the bed, but put him directly on the floor. The room was dim. Sui Yu took a closer look and said, "If he wakes up tomorrow morning, take him with you. If he doesn't wake up, leave him here."
Erhei woke up in the middle of the night and heard the snoring above him. He sat up with difficulty and noticed that there were still grains of rice in his mouth. He couldn't help but feel happy.
Zhang Shun noticed someone staring at him. He woke up from his sleep and vaguely saw a figure on the ground. He whispered, "Awake? The master said that if you wake up tomorrow morning, he will take you with him."
"I can wake up, I can wake up." Erhei's voice trembled with excitement. "I won't sleep anymore. I'll wait until dawn."
Zhang Shun ignored him and fell back to sleep. Why bother? He was asking for trouble. Even if the mistress agreed to take him back, she probably wouldn't use him anymore. If he couldn't go out to trade, he wouldn't get any money, and he would be stuck digging in the fields for the rest of his life. Furthermore, the mistress was kind-hearted, but the master was not a pushover. He would definitely be beaten when he got back.
Erhei was dozing off against the wall, and he woke up when he heard any movement in the alley.
The male servant who had been guarding the pasture at night brought back the camel. Except for the cook, the rest of the people were busy packing their luggage. They tied up the new food and fodder and water in clay pots that had been replenished yesterday. After eating, they counted the number of people and set off again.
After leaving the city of Kucha, we met another caravan. The three caravans traveled together, with two or three hundred camels winding for three or five miles. The jingling sounds of the camel bells gathered together, mixed with the music of Kurban beating the waist drum and Anle singing in Kucha language, echoing in the hot desert.
On the tenth day of June, the cub discovered that small ears of wheat had grown.
On June 20th, the awns of wheat ears become hard and prickly.
On the second day of July, the cub discovered that the wheat ears were blooming.
On July 20th, the last wheat flower fell and the ears of wheat began to swell.
"Dad, the wheat is still green." When the kid woke up early in the morning, he ran out to see if the wheat had turned yellow.
Zhao Xiping ignored him, and the kid squatted beside the wheat and muttered to himself.
"Be careful when walking and don't let your clothes get caught on you." Sui Liang came out to give instructions.
The kid was wearing a moon-white silk bellyband and a pair of shorts of the same color that did not cover his knees. These shorts were also made of silk, which was smooth, cool, and nice to wear. The only downside was that the material was too delicate and would definitely rip if it got caught on tree branches or wheat stalks.
The boy came out of the vegetable garden carefully and walked towards the kitchen barefoot.
When the early-rising merchants saw him, they put their big hands on the little cub's slippery back, as if they were going to eat him, and commented, "The delicate skin and tender flesh are so white, so soft and tender, so tender that you can squeeze out water. Why are you so white, kid?"
The kid fluttered away like a loach. He stood outside the kitchen, looked inside, and asked, "Grandma, where are my father and my uncle?"
"No one's coming. Why don't you change your clothes? If oil splashes on them, you won't be able to wash it off." Grandma Yin was so busy that she couldn't even move her feet. She took a moment to say something and dismissed him, "Go out quickly and find someone to change your clothes."
"Can I help you put on your clothes?" asked the merchant who was standing at the door and had not left yet.
"I can put on my clothes by myself." The kid tiptoed out and saw Dazhuang through the door. He shouted happily.
"Come, I'll hold you." The merchant came over.
"I can walk by myself." The kid ran to Dazhuang and asked, "Dazhuang, when will the wheat turn yellow?"
How could Dazhuang know that when he saw the merchant reaching out to pinch the kid's butt, he slapped him and angrily scolded him, "Don't you have a butt yourself? Why are you touching the kid's butt?"
The merchant was not angry. Seeing the kid glaring at him angrily, he smiled.
Zhao Xiping came over from the livestock pen and saw the kid was barefoot. He said, "Go back and put on your shoes."
"Dad, what should I wear?" The kid tiptoed back.
"He touched the kid's butt." Da Zhuang complained.
The merchant laughed out loud, "You kid, the cub is not a girl, so why can't you touch his butt?"
Da Zhuang was stunned. He couldn't understand why Uncle Niu didn't allow Ah Shui to spank him or Ah Shui's butt before.
Zhao Xiping pushed him and said, "You can't touch the buttocks of boys and girls. Go help the kid put on his pants and make sure he doesn't put them on backwards."
After that, he asked the merchant with a smile: "You don't have children? Touch my child's butt."
"My child has grown up with a smelly butt."
"Have another one." Zhao Xiping walked towards the kitchen and said, "Don't pinch my child. He doesn't like others touching him."
The boy changed his clothes and came out to have breakfast with his father and uncle.
"Will you come with me to the training ground?" Zhao Xiping scooped a spoonful of scrambled eggs into the boy's bowl and said, "Eat more and gain weight, or your mother won't come back and say I didn't take good care of you."
The cub giggled and swallowed a spoonful of eggs in big gulps.
"Will you come with me to the parade ground?" Zhao Xiping asked again, "Bring your waist drum and come with me to the parade ground. Dazhuang will come too, and you two can play outside the parade ground."
Autumn was approaching, and many caravans were returning to the border. Sui Liang was busy, as was the cook in the kitchen. The other helpers were even busier, leaving no one able to keep an eye on the child. Zhao Xiping was worried about leaving the child home alone. The river was flowing fast, and the child fell in, and in a moment he was nowhere to be found.
The kid had no objection. After he was full, he went to get the waist drum. Sui Yu specially brought back a small waist drum. The drum head was only the size of an adult's palm, which was very suitable for tying around the child's waist so that he could hold it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com