Chapter 128 The Northern Desert
Having bid farewell to the gentle, humid water towns of Jiangnan, the Shen family's carriage traveled north, passing through the bustling Central Plains and over the majestic Guanshan Mountains.
As the latitude increases, the scenery outside the window gradually becomes desolate and vast.
The gentle breeze turned into a gale carrying sand and gravel, and the once verdant willows became resilient poplars. The air became dry, and the sunlight became blinding.
The northern frontier, the vast desert.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"
As soon as she got off the carriage, Jiang Mianmian spat out a mouthful of sand.
She wrapped herself tightly in a thick felt cloak, covered her face with a windproof veil, leaving only her eyes visible as she stared in despair at the endless expanse of yellow sand before her.
My God... Is this the legendary northern frontier?
This is so dry! My face is about to crack! Did I bring enough hydrating face masks?
[I wish I hadn't come! Wouldn't it have been better to eat crabs in Jiangnan? Why did I have to come here to eat dirt!]
Shen Jin stood beside her, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit. The wind and sand ruffled his hair, making him look even more aloof and imposing. This was once the place where he had fought valiantly, every grain of sand soaked in the blood of countless soldiers.
But at this moment, looking at the woman beside him who was frantically brushing the sand off her body, the murderous look in his eyes instantly turned into helplessness.
“Your Highness,” Shen Jin handed her a water pouch, “have some water. It’s very windy and dusty here, so don’t speak.”
How can you eat meat if you don't open your mouth?
Jiang Mianmian took the water pouch and took a swig, then pointed to the campsite that was being set up not far away, "Where's the whole roasted lamb you promised? If there's no whole roasted lamb, I'm going on strike! I'm going to lie on the ground and refuse to move!"
He chuckled silently.
"have."
He pointed to the bonfire that had already been set up, "We have not only roasted whole lamb, but also hand-pulled mutton and mare's milk wine. All you can eat."
"That's more like it!" Jiang Mianmian instantly came back to life.
Compared to Jiang Mianmian's disdain, four-year-old Tuantuan showed great enthusiasm for this huge "sandpit".
Wow! So much sand!
Tuantuan shot out like a small cannonball, rolled around on the sand dune, and turned herself into a muddy monkey.
"Mom! Look! There's a big bug here!"
Tuan Tuan excitedly ran over, clutching a brown sand lizard in his hand. The sand lizard struggled desperately in his grasp, but it couldn't escape the clutches of this monstrous little devil.
"Ah—! Take it away, take it away!"
Jiang Mianmian jumped onto Shen Jin's back in fright, "Don't come any closer! This thing is too ugly!"
Shen Jin supported her legs and looked at his son: "Tuantuan, put that thing down. Those are the original inhabitants of this place, you are the guest."
"oh……"
Tuan Tuan let go of her hand with some disappointment, and the sand lizard disappeared into the sand with a "whoosh".
"It's okay, Dad will take you to ride a camel."
Shen Jin pointed to the tall camels chewing hay not far away.
"Camels? Great!"
...
At dusk.
The sunset over the desert is one of the most magnificent sights in the world.
The family of three rode camels and climbed the highest sand dune.
Looking out, the undulating sand dunes resembled frozen ocean waves, stretching all the way to the horizon. At the horizon where heaven and earth met, a huge, blood-red sun was slowly sinking.
Beneath the sand dunes, the winding Yellow River, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, shimmered with a golden-red light, resembling a giant dragon lying across the land.
A lone plume of smoke rises straight from the desert, while the setting sun hangs round over the long river.
This desolate, majestic, yet profoundly lonely beauty instantly struck Jiang Mianmian's heart.
She no longer complained about the wind and sand, and no longer felt sorry for her skin.
She simply watched the setting sun in silence, feeling an unprecedented sense of awe.
How beautiful!
[Completely different from the quaint bridges and flowing water of Jiangnan. The beauty here is rugged, wild, and so intense it makes you want to shout out loud.]
No wonder the ancients always said, "Don't laugh at me, drunk and lying on the battlefield." In such a place, it's easy to feel a surge of heroic spirit.
Shen Jin sat on the camel, looking at this familiar land.
Once, he stood here and saw the smoke of war and the corpses strewn across the fields.
Now, he has a wife by his side, a child in his arms, and a peaceful and prosperous world before him.
"Mianmian".
Shen Jin pointed to the setting sun, "This vast desert was once the grazing land of the Northern Yan. Now, it is the territory of Da Gan."
"It was you, along with countless soldiers, who defended it."
Jiang Mianmian turned her head to look at him.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on his profile, making him look like a guardian deity.
"No."
Jiang Mianmian shook her head and reached out to hold his hand. "You were the one who guarded it. I just... handed him a bomb."
[Although the explosive charge was quite effective, it was you who risked your life.]
Shen Jin, you are a hero.
Hearing the word "hero" in her heart, Chen Jin's fingers trembled slightly.
He doesn't need the world's praise, nor the meticulous writing of history books.
Just that one sentence from her is enough.
"Father! Mother!"
Sitting in Shen Jin's lap, Tuantuan suddenly pointed at the setting sun and shouted, "The sun has fallen down! Should we go and pick it up?"
That shout completely shattered the desolate and tragic atmosphere.
Jiang Mianmian chuckled:
“Silly son, the sun can’t be brought back. But…”
She pointed to the wisps of smoke rising from the campsite below the mountain, "We can go and 'reclaim' that whole roasted lamb!"
"Yay! Time for meat!"
"drive!"
Jiang Mianmian slapped the camel's rump, "Charge! For the whole roasted lamb!"
Shen Jin looked at the two gluttons, one big and one small, shook his head helplessly, and urged the camel to follow.
What about the setting sun over the long river, what about heroic spirit?
Compared to braised pork belly and roasted whole lamb, all of them have to take a backseat.
Night falls.
The desert nights are bitterly cold, but the campfire is warm as spring.
The family sat around the fire, eating heartily the fragrant mutton and drinking large bowls of strong, pungent mare's milk wine.
Above us was the Milky Way, so dazzling it seemed within reach, and in our ears was the howling of the wind and sand through the poplar forest.
"Calm and cautious."
Jiang Mianmian, slightly tipsy, leaned on his shoulder and asked, "Where to next?"
"Let's go to the beach."
Shen Jin shielded her from the wind, saying, "I'll take Tuantuan to catch crabs. I'll also take you to see... the real vastness of the sea and sky."
"good."
Jiang Mianmian closed her eyes, a satisfied smile on her lips.
Everywhere is beautiful as long as I'm with you.
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