Chapter 194: Taking the Kids to the Mountains for Hunting
"Going out of town hunting?"
Sui Yu held the cub's hand and waved to Huang Ancheng, saying, "Yes, let's go out for a walk and take the cub to step on the sand."
Zhao Xiping nodded to the city guard, and when the caravan blocking the way ahead left the city, he followed suit.
"Goodbye, Shopkeeper Yu." The merchant riding on the camel turned around.
"Goodbye, have a safe trip." Sui Yu shouted loudly.
The cub glanced at them hurriedly, then his eyes fell on the endless yellow sand in the distance. He patted the hump, trying to drive the camel forward.
The camel shook its neck, and after the hostess gave the order, it trotted south, heading towards the sand hills in the distance.
The cub turned his head to look back, and was soon attracted by the arrow that was shot. The feather arrow brushed against the wings of the flying bird and fell down. The snow-white bird screamed, and was so scared that a few feathers dropped, and flew away as if running for its life.
Zhao Xiping shook the reins, and the camel sped up, passing the camel ridden by Sui Yu and the kid.
"Dad——" the kid shouted loudly.
Without waiting for the camel to stop, Zhao Xiping leaned back, stepped sideways, and, with his hands on the camel's back, jumped down swiftly and gracefully. He picked up the arrow, spun it around in his hand, and turned back to raise an eyebrow at the mother and son who had followed.
What a bad behavior, Sui Yu laughed.
The little one was particularly enthusiastic, clapping his chubby little hands, his clear eyes sparkling, and his smile revealed a few small teeth that sparkled in the faint morning light.
A flock of birds flew over from the west. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping looked up and she said, "Come and take the cub away."
The cub was in his father's arms. Sui Yu picked up the rattan bow hanging on the reins and pulled out a feather arrow from the quiver. She urged the camel to go west, and when the distance between them and the flock of birds was getting closer, she put the arrow on the string.
The cub pursed his lips and looked at it nervously. The rattan bow was raised, and a big black shadow fell on the barren land. He lowered his head and looked over curiously.
"Look." Zhao Xiping lifted his chin. The arrow had already left the string. The next moment, Sui Yu drew the bow again, aimed at the direction and shot immediately.
Two flying birds were hit by arrows one after another, and sharp bird calls sounded almost at the same time. They struggled, and the flying formation of the flock was disrupted for a moment. After a burst of chirping sounds, the flock suddenly rose high, and two black birds hung by feather arrows fell down.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping watched silently. After the bird fell due to exhaustion, Sui Yu rode a camel to pick it up.
"Is your mother powerful?" Zhao Xiping asked.
The cub smiled.
"Whose mother is this powerful person?" Zhao Xiping asked in a different way.
"Baby." The little cub giggled and shouted for his mother loudly at the person who was running away.
Zhao Xiping smiled. He walked to the camel and without waiting for his order, the camel knelt down. He held the baby in his arms and sat on the camel, and the camel stood up again.
"Let's go." Sui Yu came over carrying two dead birds.
"Mom——" the cub poked his head out.
"Let your father hold you. I'm busy right now."
Walking forward, a small flock of birds flew out from the sand hill. Zhao Xiping knew at a glance that someone was probably chopping wood on the hill and scared the birds away.
Sui Yu sped over and drew his bow to shoot arrows again.
Another bird fell down, and the cub clapped his hands excitedly. However, when the dead bird was brought in front of him, he only dared to touch its feathers.
Zhao Xiping put the three birds into a linen bag and tied it up. Then he picked up the bow, held the little cub's chubby hand, and led him to pull the leather string and release the feather arrow.
The arrow pierced the soil, splashing some dirt. The boy got excited. He pointed at the bird flying in the sky, grabbed the string, called out "Daddy", and tried to shoot the bird.
They ran all the way to the foot of the sand hill. The father and son's quivers were empty twice and they still didn't shoot a single bird. However, Sui Yu shot down two more.
After jumping off the camel, there was yellow sand under my feet. The cold spring breeze carried fine sand and slowed down as it approached the foot of the mountain. The sand fell and formed a layer of yellow sand blanket on the rough wasteland, layer by layer, slowly forming a long crescent-shaped sand dune.
Zhao Xiping carried the cub over and put him down on the sand dune. His legs and feet sank rapidly. The cub felt the squeeze and screamed in fear. He struggled to climb onto his father, but the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
"Bite--" The cub was about to cry because something was eating his feet.
Zhao Xiping smiled and picked him up, saying, "Who's biting you? Look, your foot is still attached to your leg."
Sui Yu came over, took off her shoes, stepped into the sand with her socks on, and then lifted her feet to show the cub, saying, "No one bit me."
The kid was skeptical, so Zhao Xiping put him down again. Before he even touched the sand, he immediately raised his legs, crossed them up like a split, and hunched over, refusing to get down.
Zhao Xiping and Sui Yu laughed out loud. They tried it twice more before the kid stepped carefully into the sand.
Sui Yu held him and climbed up the sand dune step by step. Zhao Xiping threw a piece of sheepskin with a rope. It was the leftover from making water bags. There was no hair, only smooth skin. He poked holes in the four corners and strung ropes through them. After tying it around his buttocks, he sat on the sand dune and slid very fast.
“It’s flying—”
The little boy narrowed his eyes. The sudden feeling of failure frightened him so much that he hugged Sui Yu tightly. Before he could even start to cry, he had already fallen to the bottom.
"Do you still want to play?" Sui Yu asked with his head down.
The cub said nothing.
"Then let's go up the mountain to hunt birds."
Zhao Xiping packed up his things and carried his son away. Sui Yu carried two bows and arrows and a water bag and walked up the mountain.
It is not until mid-March that the trees begin to grow new green leaves. Light green grass heads are hidden under the withered and yellow weeds, and the branches are dotted with green buds. Birds stand on the treetops, pecking through the buds with their sharp beaks and eating the fresh young leaves.
When someone went up the mountain, the birds in the lower places flew away, the birds in the higher places tilted their heads to look down, and the young ones looked up, mumbling and imitating bird calls.
"Shh!" Zhao Xiping raised his hand to cover his mouth. There was a gray-haired rabbit hiding beside a rock five steps away. If it weren't for his sharp eyes, he would have been fooled by it.
Sui Yu pulled out an arrow and put it on the leather string. She judged the angle of the messy branches, took aim, and released the arrow.
With a "ding" sound, the arrow hit the stone, and the rabbit that was chewing the tender grass roots was frightened and jumped around in panic. Sui Yu shot another arrow, but it was too late. The gray rabbit disappeared into the grass.
The kid suddenly clapped his hands vigorously.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping looked over in surprise. Was the kid celebrating the rabbit's escape?
"Why are you clapping? The rabbit ran away." Zhao Xiping patted him lightly, "Where did this fool come from?"
Sui Yu bent down and crawled under the tree to pick up the arrow. She accidentally saw a hole under the stone. She poked the arrow in and asked, "Would you like to eat snake soup? This must be a snake hole."
"You come over here and hold the cub, I'll go over and dig."
"Let me dig." Sui Yu took a few steps back and turned around. She kicked off a dead branch and used the broken branch to dig the soil.
Zhao Xiping walked over in a circle holding the child. He was holding a thick piece of wood in his hand to prevent snakes from jumping out.
"Have you ever eaten snake meat?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"No, we did dig up a hibernating snake on the way to exile, and the officers escorting us took it and ate it." After the cave entrance was dug open, Sui Yu bent his body, tilted his head back slightly and continued digging.
"I've eaten before. When we're fighting and don't have enough to eat, we catch snakes and dig rat holes," Zhao Xiping said. "I'll do it. I have experience."
"Okay." Sui Yu took the child.
Zhao Xiping took the broken wood and continued digging. He concentrated and calmed his mind, staring at the hole. The moment the snake poked its head out, he reacted very quickly and hit it with the broken wood. Once, twice, the snake tried its best to get out. He stepped on it and crushed its head repeatedly.
Sui Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She lowered her head to observe the cub's expression. He frowned nervously, staring at the twisting snake tail without blinking.
A faint smell of blood wafted through the wind. Zhao Xiping used a piece of wood to hold down the snake's tail, then moved his foot away to see if the snake was still breathing. With his other hand, he used a broken piece of wood to pierce the snake's head, crushing it into the soft sand. He then carried the body away.
This yellow-brown snake is as long as an arm and as thick as two fingers. It is not fat. It would probably take up a bowl of snake soup if cooked alone. It is suitable for stewing with a chicken.
Zhao Xiping glanced at the cub and thought, "He's not afraid of snakes."
"It's not that he's not afraid, he just doesn't know what a snake is." Sui Yu carried the cub and walked back to the mountain path, saying, "Let's go, keep going up."
The cub lay on Sui Yu's shoulder and looked around, occasionally glancing at the long snake his father was holding.
"This is called a snake. Say it to me, snake." Zhao Xiping taught him.
The kid laughed twice but didn't say anything.
"Meat." Sui Yu said, "Do you eat meat?"
The cub said "hmm".
"Snake meat, snake--" Zhao Xiping taught him again.
The kid is willing to learn now.
Sui Yu was tired of holding the child, so she handed the child to Zhao Xiping and found a rock to sit down and rest.
There was a sound of trees breaking not far away. Zhao Xiping looked over there with the cub in his arms. The sound did not sound like someone chopping wood, but rather like some wild beast running around in the mountains, trampling down dead branches and broken wood.
Sui Yu also heard it. She looked at Zhao Xiping, picked up the kid, and asked him to take the bow and arrow and go over to take a look.
A yellow goat had come up the mountain to graze and scratch itself like a pig, breaking branches wherever it passed. Zhao Xiping, standing high up, shot three arrows at the goat, and it fell to the ground.
"I'm going to pick up the sheep." Zhao Xiping shouted to Sui Yu.
"Okay, Xiaozai and I will wait for you here." Sui Yu felt relieved. She changed direction and helped Xiaozai stand on the stone.
"Baby..."
The cub looked up and Sui Yu kissed his forehead tenderly, causing him to grin.
"Baby, Mommy's going on a long trip. You stay home with your daddy." Sui Yu said slowly, "You don't understand a lot of what I'm saying yet. I'll explain it to you when I come back, okay?"
The kid didn't understand, but whenever his parents and uncle asked him if he was okay, if he could eat, or if he wanted to eat, he would nod subconsciously, and this time was no exception.
"So good." Sui Yu patted his little head. She picked up the child and looked east, pointing to the city in the distance and the desert beyond. She said, "This dynasty has a vast territory. Besides Dunhuang, there are many other cities outside. As for me, coming to this dynasty is a fortuitous encounter. I want to see what else the heavens have arranged for me besides allowing me to meet your father and have you, and what else I can do."
The cub leaned on her shoulder affectionately.
Sui Yu tilted her head and rubbed it, the little cub giggled, and she laughed too.
"Baby, when you grow up, I'll support you in everything you do. I won't restrict you." Sui Yu struggled to lift him up, allowing him to see higher and farther above her head. This wasn't the era she was born in. There would be better times, but neither she nor he could see them. She wouldn't be as free and independent as she had been in her previous life, and neither would her children. Perhaps they could only travel more and see more. The richer and more powerful they became, the fewer shackles they would have on them.
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