Chapter 373 Extra Ten
The caravan carried the goods westward, passing through the three kingdoms of Yuli, Luntai and Qiuci. After a brief stop for supplies, the caravan sold the heavy goods and headed north across the Tianshan Mountains, carrying only silk and cotton fabrics.
"Sister, was this the route my brother-in-law took when he followed the diplomatic mission to Wusun?" Sui Liang asked.
"What's going on? How come I don't know about this?" The kid was anxious. "My father also took this road? What was he doing in Wusun?"
"We went to fight the Xiongnu. That battle promoted your father from a mere centurion to a captain of a thousand men." Sui Yu continued, smiling, "Don't ask. You didn't even exist at that time."
"Why am I not mentioned again?" the kid said dejectedly. "My father never mentioned it. I didn't know about his great achievements until I was twelve years old."
Song Xian laughed at the side and suggested, "Write a letter back to question him. Blame him for being born so late."
"He's definitely going to write a letter. It's fine if I don't know, but he's going to tell Xiaohua about it. We two are like fools who are kept in the dark." The kid complained. He stared at the two people on his left and right, and said angrily, "You three have so many little secrets. Mom, you haven't told my uncle anything. You are really tight-lipped."
"You know it now, we didn't hide it from you on purpose." Sui Yu shrugged, "Your father doesn't want to show off, so why should I show off to your uncle?"
"I'm showing off for him," said the kid.
"Okay, go show off." Sui Yu nodded, "Remember to write a letter to your father and see if he beats you up."
"Why do you want to beat him?" A Shui asked.
"Has your father ever boasted to you about his battles and killing enemies?" Sui Yu asked.
Ah Shui shook his head, "Really not."
"The soldiers stationed in Dunhuang City have all been on the battlefield and killed the Huns. Everyone is doing the same thing, so what is there to brag about? The territory west of Hongchiling was conquered by our army. Wherever our caravans passed, the blood of soldiers and officers was stained, and human bones were buried everywhere. Glory is paved with suffering, and those who survived are lucky ones who have gone through hardships. The army drove away the ambitious bandits, and many of their own brothers and colleagues also died. Now that they have finally settled down, how could they be willing to mention the precarious past?" Sui Yu explained.
Those who heard this could not help but look down at the mountain path under the camel's hooves. The grass was lush, wild flowers were blooming, butterflies were fluttering among the flowers, and the fragrance of the grass and trees covered up the earthy smell of the soil. It was peaceful and harmonious, and it was hard to imagine a scene of blood and anger.
The cub looked up at the green hills and murmured, "This is the road my father walked."
His tone was different from before. He calmed down and could imagine his father's mood and appearance as he passed through this place, eager to die, hurriedly following the army to the battlefield. He might have been injured too, and blood would fall on the muddy footprints. After his departure, the fertile soil nourished by his blood would grow thriving seedlings.
When the caravan stopped to rest, the boy cut a piece of cloth and spread it on a small stool. He sat on the grass and wrote with a charcoal pencil, recording in detail the roads he had walked and the scenery he had seen.
"...Father, I've embarked on the path you've trod. This prosperous trade route was built by you and countless unknown heroes, and your contributions are invaluable. The small nations of the Western Regions revere the Han's military might, admire their skills and culture, and live a life much like the Han people, with men farming and women weaving. And with the Protectorate established by the Han in the Western Regions to manage the affairs of these nations, our Han Empire has grown ever stronger, no longer fearing the ambitions of wolves and tigers.
I've come to see that your hard work has not been in vain. When my sister grows up, I will take her back to walk the same path you walked. Oh, by the way, when I get back, tell us about your war experiences, and I'll tell your grandchildren about them later..."
Sui Liang approached quietly and peeked at his nephew writing a letter from a high position. He stopped writing reluctantly only after a piece of cloth was filled with words.
A loud eagle cry was heard, and Sui Liang and Xiaozai looked up at the same time. Sui Liang looked at the eagle, and Xiaozai saw his uncle, and he hurriedly covered his letter in panic.
"The Black Hawk is coming." Sui Liang blew the wooden whistle.
"Uncle, why did you peek at me writing a letter?" the kid said in embarrassment.
"Ah? What?" Sui Liang pretended to be dumb. "I just came over and didn't see your letter."
The cub was skeptical, but relieved. Seeing his uncle go to greet Black Hawk, he asked again worriedly, "Did you really not read my letter?"
"No."
"He saw it." A Shui complained.
The kid cried out "Ah!" and took a fire stick to go and settle the score with his uncle.
The black hawk perched on the tree screamed sharply, and spread its wings angrily, as if ready to pounce and ambush. The cub was so scared that it quickly dropped its fire stick.
"What are you doing? Are you planning a rebellion?" Sui Liang protected his nephew. He pointed at the eagle with a fierce face and cursed, "Foolish thing, you can't tell the difference between inside and outside. Didn't you eat the chicken fed by the young master?"
The boy was touched and said, "Uncle, you are still good. Don't peek at me writing letters next time."
Seeing Black Hawk running away again, Sui Liang let down his guard. He chuckled and said, "You're a good coaxer. Your father was so happy after reading this letter that he couldn't sleep for three days. He boasted to everyone that he had a good son."
"I'm not kidding you, I'm speaking from the heart. Don't you think my dad is very powerful and brave?" The kid was dissatisfied.
Sui Liang hummed a few times, "Wait, I'll write a letter back to praise him."
"It's time for dinner." Sui Yu called out. She asked curiously, "Little one, what did you say to your father?"
"Praise him." The kid was a little embarrassed. "My uncle has already taken a peek. Mom, you should take a look too."
"No, I won't read it." Sui Yu stopped asking. She glared at Sui Liang fiercely and warned him, "Don't peek at your nephew writing letters anymore." This was to prevent the little boy from having reservations and not daring to express his love in letters.
"Okay, okay." Sui Liang agreed readily, "As an apology, I'll write a letter to my brother-in-law later and let the little one take a look first."
Sui Yu looked at the kid, who nodded repeatedly, looking secretly delighted.
She said "Pooh", thinking that she was meddling in other people's business. The uncle and nephew were both of bad character.
Five days later, the Sui and Song caravans met a group of Hu merchants in the mountains of Tianshan. After a conversation, Sui Yu entrusted the letters and small items he had collected over the past few days to the Hu merchants to take back to Dunhuang.
"How long will it take to reach Wusun?" Zhang Shun asked.
"If we don't take the wrong road and don't get delayed along the way, it will probably take another month," Hu Shang replied.
"When we arrived in Wusun, our letter had not yet been sent back to Dunhuang." The boy was disappointed.
"By the time we leave Wusun, we'll definitely have the letter." Sui Yu signaled Zhang Shun to strike the gong. "Let's continue on our journey."
There was camel dung left by the Hu merchants' camel caravans on the mountain roads, and there were black eagles soaring in the sky, providing warnings and reporting. The caravan traveled smoothly in the mountains without being attacked by wild animals.
The caravan left Dunhuang at the end of February and trekked all the way to Wusun in mid-June, just in time for the migration of herdsmen. Flocks of sheep and cattle, led by horse-riding herdsmen, moved to their summer pastures.
Standing on the mountain and looking down, you can see endless green. The river reflecting the sunset glow is like a white jade belt winding on the grassland. The dark green fir trees are connected with the distant mountains. The dazzling white snow-capped mountains are covered by the white clouds.
"This place is bigger and richer than the grasslands in the Qinling Mountains," the cub exclaimed in delight. "The soil in Wusun is so fertile, the grass grows more lushly than wheat seedlings. This place must be perfect for growing cotton."
A Shui: ...You are such a good son to your parents. You are always thinking about growing cotton wherever you go.
When the group of people came back to their senses from the shock, they found that the tired camels had already lowered their heads to eat grass. They simply rested there, spent the night on the mountain, and went down the mountain at dawn the next morning.
Black Hawk came back from hunting and left behind a lamb covered in blood. Sui Liang saw a burnt yellow mark on the lamb's tail and his heart sank. It was over. Black Hawk had caught a lamb that already had an owner this time.
"Sister, there should be migrating herdsmen nearby. I will ride my camel down the mountain for a walk. If I can meet its owner, I will compensate him with a sheep." Sui Liang said.
"Qingshan, you come with us, and A Shui should go too, so that we don't encounter herdsmen who don't speak Chinese and can't communicate with them." Sui Yu said.
"Mom, I want to go too." The kid stood up immediately.
"I'm going too." Hua Niu raised her hand. "I can speak Wusun, too."
Sui Yu waved his hand, "Anyone who wants to go can go."
Ah Qiang hurriedly stood up, Lu Yaer pulled Yang Erlang and followed with the camel, and eight or nine people walked away in a hurry.
The black eagle flew away again. Sui Liang could not rely on it to lead the way, so he could only carry the dead lamb down the mountain to look for it.
In the distance, migrating herdsmen are still on their way, driving their flocks of sheep over a mountain to the summer pasture halfway up the mountain.
"Toya, one of our lambs is missing. My father said an eagle came and took it away." A girl rode her horse closer angrily and said angrily, "If the dark cloud is still there, it will definitely drive the wild eagle away."
"Could it be that the dark clouds are coming back?" Toya asked.
"Impossible! How could the dark clouds prey on our lambs?"
Toya was speechless, thinking that this was not necessarily true. The dark clouds liked to drive away the wild eagle because it regarded the flock as its own.
"Is that the sound of camel bells? A caravan approaching?" A woman listened carefully and said, "Toya, there's a caravan coming. Ride over and lead them over. I wonder if they've brought any cotton robes."
"Okay, Am." Toya responded, "Gao Wa, are you going?"
"I won't go. I still have to stay with my mother."
Toya called a dog and rode her horse to chase the sound of camel bells.
The rosy glow in the sky slowly faded away, and when it grew dark, the big black dog chasing the horse suddenly barked wildly. Toya slowed down and looked ahead vigilantly.
At the foot of the mountain, Sui Liang and his group heard the barking of dogs and immediately knew their target. Where there are dogs, there must be people, so they quickened their pace.
The black dog ran in front of him and attacked Sui Liang directly. Sui Liang picked up the lamb and threw it at him, driving the camel to divert the drooling black dog away.
"Hey! Girl, call your dog away quickly. We are a caravan from the Han Dynasty. We are not bad people." A Shui shouted loudly in Wusun language.
Qingshan pulled the bow and arrow on his back.
"Ha! Come back." Tuoya stared at the sheep in Sui Liang's hand and scolded him again. Seeing that the dog had red eyes and did not obey orders, she drove her horse to chase after it and said in Chinese: "Leave the sheep behind and throw it far away."
Sui Liang threw the lamb out with a throw of his hand.
"Harry, bring it back." Toya ordered.
The black dog chased the lamb. Toya approached Sui Liang and saw him whispering to soothe the irritable camel. She stood quietly on the horse without saying a word.
The boy drove his camel after him and asked anxiously, "Uncle, did the dog bite you?"
"No." Sui Liang sighed. He looked at the shepherd girl beside him. She was staring at him straight, which made him feel a little nervous.
"Is this your lamb? Sorry, my eagle went out hunting and brought it back. How much is this lamb worth? We will compensate you," he said.
"We came here just to compensate for this sheep." A Shui said in Wusun language.
Tuoya asked in broken Chinese: "Did you raise the eagle?"
"Yes, but it likes to hunt on its own and doesn't usually eat what we feed it." Sui Liang explained, "How much is this lamb worth? We'll compensate you."
"Are you a caravan? Coming from the Han Dynasty? We want to do business with you." Toya said, speaking fluent Chinese.
Sui Liang pointed to the top of the mountain and said, "Our caravan will come down tomorrow."
"We'll wait at the foot of the mountain tomorrow." Toya agreed.
"How much is the lamb worth?" Sui Liang asked again.
Toya smiled at him, shouted "Hari", and left with the dog.
"Hey!" Sui Liang was puzzled. He asked again in Wusun dialect, "How much is the lamb worth?"
Toya turned around and asked with a smile, "Are you married? Tell me, I don't want you to pay me."
"No, he's not married." Yang Erlang teased, "Miss, are you interested in him?"
"He is the most handsome Han Chinese I have ever seen." Tuoya answered in Wusun dialect with a smile.
Yang Erlang didn't understand, so he asked Hua Niu, "What did she say?"
"She said she likes our second manager." Hua Niu said mischievously.
The others laughed out loud.
Sui Liang also smiled, and after laughing, he said, "Let's go back, so that my sister won't come looking for us again."
When they returned to the mountain, it was already dark. The cub jumped off the camel and ran to his mother. He said excitedly, "Mom, a Wusun girl has fallen in love with my uncle."
"Sui Liang used his face to save us from paying for the lambs," said Yang Erlang.
Sui Yu tsk-tsk'd twice. She looked at Sui Liang and saw that he was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Liang, how do you feel?"
"Girls from other ethnic groups are quite bold, straightforward and uninhibited, which is great." It was a pleasure to have someone appreciate his looks, and Sui Liang openly expressed his feelings. But this was just about the incident; he made no comment on the girl personally.
"Do you like it?" A Shui came over and joked.
"Don't talk nonsense, come and have dinner." Sui Yu suppressed the matter.
"Aunt, that girl asked us to do business at the foot of the mountain tomorrow." Lu Yaer interrupted.
"Okay, we'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain tomorrow morning when we get down."
*
The next day, when the caravan went down the mountain, seven herdsmen were already waiting for them.
Tuoya found Sui Liang and said, "Please wait for two more days. My father has sent someone to inform our relatives on the other side of the mountain. They also want to buy things from your caravan."
"What do you want to exchange with us?" Sui Liang asked.
"Horses, I know you Han people love our Wusun horses." Seeing that he could speak Wusun, Tuoya happily spoke in Wusun. "Can you call your eagle out so I can see it? I also raised an eagle, but it disappeared two years ago."
Two years ago? What a coincidence! The Black Hawk was brought to Dunhuang by the Hu merchants in the autumn of the year before last. Counting the days of travel, the Hu merchants should have captured the hawk in the summer of the year before last. This makes it exactly two years.
"What does your eagle look like? What color is its fur?" Sui Liang asked.
"It's black, with a tuft of white hair on its chest."
When they matched, Sui Liang told her that the eagle in his hand looked like this, and was brought to Dunhuang by a Hu merchant. Its hometown was at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.
"It lived in Dunhuang for a year, and then came out with us. I'm sure it knew the way back, but I don't know why it didn't come back." Sui Liang wondered, "Do you know?"
Toya was surprised and excited. She looked at Sui Liang and felt a sense of fate in her heart.
"Last year I met five monks and listened to their lectures. Have you ever seen a monk?"
Sui Liang shook his head, "What does this have to do with monks?"
"Dark Cloud brought you back to me. It broke its wings when it left the nest, and its parents abandoned it, so I adopted it. It drifted to Dunhuang, and you rescued it. It lived there for a year, building a good relationship with you, and then brought you to me." Tuoya tried to convince him. Since she had never seen a monk before, she changed her story: "The goshawk is the eagle god on the grassland. It blesses the children of the grassland to grow strong and nimble. I saved Dark Cloud, and the eagle god sent it to repay its gratitude."
Sui Liang was stunned. These words were really absurd, but all the coincidences made him believe in this fate. It was really too coincidental.
"Maybe we recognized the wrong eagle. My eagle is not your eagle." Sui Liang was about to back down.
Toya rushed forward and insisted, "The dark cloud must have returned."
"Then call it over." Sui Liang wanted to take a gamble.
"What if it is?" Toya stared at him intently, her eyes like the sun in the sky, so bright that people dared not look directly at him.
"I want to go back. I want to go back to Dunhuang." Sui Liang's feverish mind turned clear. "My home is in Dunhuang. I want to go back."
"I can go with you," Toya said.
Sui Liang was stunned. He subconsciously said what was in his heart: "Are you stupid? You want to leave your parents and hometown for a man you only met once?"
"We are nomads, and we live a nomadic life." Tuoya pointed to the ground beneath her feet and said, "We live by the water. Wherever the cattle and sheep go, we follow. We may pass by this place this year, but we won't come back next year. We children of the grasslands migrate our entire lives. Even though I'm only seventeen, I've already walked from Wusun East to Wusun West."
Sui Liang still couldn't accept it. He advised: "You don't even know who I am. Don't risk leaving your parents for me."
"After my mother followed my father, she only met her mother and father twice, both times while traveling. Even if I find a man on the prairie, I will never leave my father and mother.
"Tuoya picked up her robe and sat next to Sui Liang. She said firmly: "I believe in Wuyun's vision and my feelings. You are a good man."
How stupid, Sui Liang said silently.
"Do you like me?" Toya asked closer.
Sui Liang didn't answer, he got up and left.
Toya immediately followed. She smiled friendly at the caravan members and said happily to her tribesmen, "Father, he is the man that Wuyun brought back to me. I want to leave with him."
Ah Shui was so shocked that she almost choked to death. She hurriedly said to Sui Yu, "Sister-in-law, she really likes my brother and wants to go with him."
Facing his sister's incredulous gaze, Sui Liang blushed. He didn't know how it had come to this. He was completely confused.
"Did you promise her?" Sui Yu asked.
"No, I advised her not to leave her parents, but she didn't listen."
Sui Yu understood, and he neither agreed nor explicitly refused.
What was going on? They had just met last night and again this morning, and Sui Liang had already tricked the girl away? Sui Yu didn't know what to say. It was too complicated, and she couldn't figure it out.
"So should we continue doing business with them or help you find a marriage?" Sui Yu asked.
Sui Liang was about to jump up and down, "What marriage? There is no such thing."
Sui Yu looked at the young foreign girl, beaming with joy not far away. She possessed the simplicity of someone unworldly and unsophisticated, yet not clumsy or ignorant of the ways of the world. Instead, she possessed a wildness and freedom. Unfettered and full of vibrant vitality, she had grown up on the grasslands and belonged to them.
Sui Yu turned around and looked at Sui Liang, saying, "Think about it yourself. If you take her away, you will be responsible for her. Seriously, this is your own choice. Whether you take her or not, if I hear you say you regret it later, I will slap you in the face."
After saying that, Sui Yu continued to talk business with others. Sui Liang was 22 years old and he could take responsibility for his own lifelong affairs. She would not help him make decisions.
In the evening, a black eagle flew over the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Ah Shui and the others were even more excited than the people involved. They screamed, "The eagle is coming! The eagle is coming! Is it a dark cloud?"
"Dark cloud - dark cloud - is that you? I am Toya." Toya shouted loudly.
The black eagle let out a clear cry, then landed on a fir tree and looked down at the people on the ground.
"It's not a dark cloud." Sui Liang was a little disappointed. He said to Tuoya, "You stay on the prairie."
"It's a dark cloud. I can't mistake it for a dark cloud." Tuoya said, "Gao Wa, do you think it's a dark cloud?"
"It ignores you." Hua Niu said, "It doesn't know you, how could it be the eagle you raised?"
"I didn't raise it. It was injured when it left the nest to learn to fly. I picked it up and brought it back to raise. I applied medicine to it, and as soon as its wound healed, it destroyed the cage and escaped. After escaping, it built a nest on a nearby snow-capped mountain and helped us drive away other eagles. Later, when we moved to the pasture, it followed us, but it didn't live with us. It would warn us when there were wolves, and would ask us for meat as a reward when there was no prey in winter. It usually doesn't get close to people." Toya explained.
Ah Shui let out a "hmm" sound and muttered, "It really is a dark cloud. This is exactly the same as its behavior in Dunhuang."
The cub huddled beside A Qiang to listen to her translation. After listening, he came up with an idea and said, "Auntie Tuoya, if you hit my uncle with a stick, the black eagle will become a dark cloud if it doesn't peck you."
Sui Liang: "..."
"This is also a method, let's fight." Sui Yu agreed with this rough way of recognizing relatives.
Tuoya picked up the horsewhip and walked towards Sui Liang. She whipped him with a smile and asked, "Do you like me?"
Black Hawk raised his head.
Sui Liang didn't look at Tuoya, he looked up at the eagle.
"Fight again." Yang Erlang started to cheer.
The boy handed over a firewood stick and said, "Use this to hit him."
Sui Liang gritted his teeth and said, "You're awesome, Zhao Mingguang."
Toya raised the stick but didn't drop it. She asked seriously, "Are you unwilling? If you are not willing, I won't hit you."
Sui Liang looked at her. She was tall, and he looked at her straight in the eye. Her eyes were a little sad and unwilling.
"You like my face?" he asked without hesitation, then muttered to himself, "That's just right. I like your bold nature. Fight! I'm sure if I deny my feelings today, I'll miss you for years. If I were brave enough, I might come to Wusun to find you again, but I lack courage. You're different. You're very courageous."
Sui Liang was impressed by her courage. Even after just meeting her for the first time, she was so bold as to express her affection and was not ashamed of her feelings. She was passionate and bright, unlike his slowness and timidity. He wondered if all nomadic girls behaved in this way. He was indeed defeated by her straightforward pursuit.
Toya understood. She threw away the fire stick and said, "Trust me, it's a dark cloud."
"What's wrong?" The kid couldn't understand what he heard or saw.
Sui Liang mustered up the courage to take Tuoya's hand and said, "Sister, I want to take Tuoya back to Dunhuang."
"You shouldn't have told me." Sui Yu reminded.
Sui Liang walked up to Tuoya's parents, knelt down, and said, "Father and mother, I want to take Tuoya back to Dunhuang. I will also bring her back to Wusun to see you in the future. I hope you can bless us."
"Hurry up and agree to it." Toya urged happily, "Father and Mother, this is the man the Eagle God brought back to me. There is no mistake."
The old herdsman helped his new son-in-law up. He looked at his daughter and nodded in agreement.
"Is that it?" The kid was incredulous. "I have an aunt?"
"Yes." Ah Shui nodded, and she said with a sigh, "It's incredible, a marriage facilitated by Eagle."
The cub picked up the fire stick, raised it and walked closer to his uncle, looking back as he walked. He wanted to see if the black eagle was a dark cloud.
Toya noticed it, pointed at herself, and whispered, "Hit me."
The cub raised his stick, but before it fell, the hawk's cry rang out. He was so frightened that he dropped the stick and shouted, "Auntie, help!"
"Look, it's a dark cloud." Toya was happy.
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