Shimen Fan (10)
I quickly replied, "With a formidable enemy at hand, why discuss it? If there's anything Qingcheng can do for you, just say so."
Wei Ji nodded: "Then I will speak frankly. Yanziping was originally a garrison post. It has a favorable terrain, strong walls, and is not far from the defense lines of Qingling, Linchuan, and Shunxi."
"Mr. Liu proposed to establish it as a rear base. Firstly, it could be used to store grain and supplies; secondly, it could be used to gather the wounded in future battles and treat them in a centralized manner; thirdly, since most of the able-bodied men and women in the nearby streams had already joined the rebel army, for safety reasons, it would be more convenient for them to move here and take care of each other."
"I have entrusted the important task of guarding Yanziping to Guo Cheng; for daily operations, I still need Qing Niangzi's help. Tomorrow at midday, the main force of the Nare army will be attacking Linchuan. I and the leaders of the five tribes of Nanguang will climb the city wall together to meet the enemy. Shiyu will stay in Yanziping. Please take care of her with Huaixu."
Without hesitation, I replied, "Okay."
Wei Ji added, "However, Shi Yu's emotions have changed somewhat since he was rescued—"
I quickly asked, "What changes have occurred?"
Wei Ji looked at me and said, "I can't really say what exactly the change is. After Lin Zhong killed the Nare envoy the night before last, helping us escape, I've been busy recruiting for defense and haven't had time to investigate the reasons in detail."
I understood immediately: "Leave it to me."
Passing through the corridor, I arrived at the backyard in the blink of an eye. I could almost hear Huai Xu and Feng Qiao bickering in my ears. My heart skipped a beat for no reason. I composed myself and took Wei Ji's hand: "Qingcheng has picked up the people and left. There is no need for you to see me off, sir. Please give my regards to Mr. Liu and ask him to take good care of himself."
Wei Ji lowered his eyes and held her hand: "I will."
I pushed open the door and entered the room. I saw Shi Yu hunched over the table with her head down; Huai Xu and Feng Qiao sat on either side of her, sandwiching her in the middle; Lin Zhong leaned against the window with his arms crossed.
"Godmother!"
"Gu!"
Those two voices were so expressive and satisfying to hear; it was worth all the years I spent raising them… I smiled and looked out the window.
The man straightened up slightly, still turning his face to me with a calm and composed expression, and called out, "Master."
Huai Xu ran over with her arms outstretched, just like when she was a child, and wrapped her arms around my neck. Unfortunately, she is now taller than me and can no longer hang on me like a monkey.
She perched on my shoulder, jumped a few times, and patted my back, saying, "Godmother, I missed you so much! I was so worried that this big leader would deliberately make things difficult for you and take revenge on you because of what happened before..."
"Is it difficult? Yes, it is a little. But Prefect Song will protect me." I smiled and pinched her cheek. "It's not about revenge. Dong La is now your godmother's sworn brother. You'll have to call him uncle when you see him in the future."
"oh."
Shi Yu remained lying on the table, motionless. Feng Qiao gently nudged him and said, "Shi Yu, open your eyes and see who came to pick you up?"
I walked over, put my hand on his shoulder, and softly called out in the Dongcuanwu language, "Adao, Adao—"
"Mom..." The boy's trembling voice seemed to be filled with endless anger and grievances. The next moment, he hugged me tightly around the waist and burst into tears.
I leaned forward slightly, gently patted his back, and winked at Huai Xu and Feng Qiao, who were standing to the side in a daze.
The two men understood each other and followed Lin Zhong to the empty house next door.
"A-Dao must be homesick."
"A Dao's home was taken over by jackals... Grandma, Dad, Sister, and all his younger siblings were killed! A Dao is so angry... A Dao is useless... He can't avenge them like a tiger!"
I didn't know how to comfort the boy in my arms. The conflicts between impoverished tribes are especially bloody and cruel; today's jackals may become tomorrow's lambs to the slaughter; or perhaps today's lambs may grow into jackals in sheep's clothing, a cycle that repeats itself endlessly, a world where the strong prey on the weak…
I hugged him and said, "Ah Dao, a jackal can't beat a tiger. But what if one tiger encounters another? When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured."
"You are A Dao, and you are Shi Yu. When we grow up, let's not be jackals and tigers, but skilled hunters, okay?"
"When relatives and friends come, treat them with fine wine; when wolves and jackals arrive, prepare swords and arrows. Wouldn't this be a better way to protect our homeland?"
The boy looked up, his obsidian-like eyes gleaming with longing: "Yes!"
I ruffled his hair. "Next, I'm going to take Sister Huaixu and Brother Fengqiao to Yanziping. There are many important things waiting for us there. I'm thinking—Adao should come with us too, would you like?"
The boy nodded firmly: "I'm willing!"
I went next door and sent Huai Xu and Feng Qiao to prepare the horses. Lin Zhong was still standing by the window, so I dragged a stool over and sat down directly in front of him.
Lin Zhong lifted his eyelids: "You've made an arm pact with someone again?"
"No—this is the chicken from the swearing ceremony." I looked him over. "I've seen you leaning against something since you came in. Are you injured?"
"No, standing like this is less tiring."
"It's easier to sit down than to exert yourself."
Lin Zhong glanced at me and uttered a single word—"noisy."
"Thank you for your hard work, putting up with them for so long." I said carefully, "This time, thanks to you, you got them out. Otherwise... it would have been very difficult to handle."
Lin Zhong crossed his hands and looked out the window: "Lord Wei has already thanked us, would you like to thank him again on his behalf?"
I paused for a moment, then said, "Then—I thank you on behalf of the people of Nanguang."
Lin Zhong lowered his eyes: "No need. Your fellow villagers are also my fellow villagers."
I stood up abruptly: "Lin Zhong, you—" then sat down dejectedly again, "It's hard for us to talk when you talk like that."
"Master."
I looked up guiltily: "Hmm?"
Lin Zhong looked at me calmly and said, "Just tell me what you need me to do. Whether it's killing or saving someone, it's no different from cooking or chopping wood to me."
I took a deep breath, slowly stood up, walked to his side, and said in a low voice, "Luo Zhong is too opportunistic. I don't trust Prefect Wei and Mr. Liu to associate with him. I hope you can stay by my side to protect me in case of any accidents."
Huai Xu and I rode back to Yanziping. Looking ahead, we saw the refugees and local villagers, guided by Xu Shan and Qu Bu, working together to reinforce the saddle wall.
Less than twelve hours had passed since Nara knocked on the gate, yet no panic was visible on the faces of the people. An old man began to hum a long Yelam song, and the mountain people murmured in harmony. The desolate songs, carried by the howling north wind, echoed for a long time in the mountains—
"The waves of Yue Shui are crashing and surging—hey le!"
Yelan's unyielding spirit cannot be broken—hey!
The bronze drums thundered loudly—hey!
"Let's flatten the Thunderfire Beach—hey yeah!"
Upon entering Liu Yu's courtyard, Guo Cheng was leading his men from the patrol office to set up a makeshift shed; Wang Yunhui and Aunt Xu, along with the women from the weaving workshop, were cutting fine linen for wrapping inside; Liu Yu and Zhang, the head clerk, were counting medicinal herbs in front of the multi-eyed cabinet, one holding a pen and the other reporting the numbers.
Without even exchanging pleasantries, Feng Qiao and Shi Yu were left behind by Guo Cheng as helpers; I took the list of medicinal herbs that needed to be supplemented from Liu Yu, and had Huai Xu find several female herb gatherers. We carried hoes and baskets and headed into the mountains together.
Returning at dusk, they stepped into the courtyard and heard a rooster crow. It turned out that Feng Qiao had taken a break to return to the inn and brought the chicken coop to Yanziping. Huai Xu was overjoyed, and the herb-gathering girls surrounded the two of them, laughing at them for a while. Then, Manager Zhang came to call for dinner, and they all dispersed.
The next day marks the winter solstice in the Song calendar.
With Liu Xingjian gone, Huai Xu and I moved in with Wang Yunhui; Feng Qiao and Shi Yu stayed with Liu Yu.
I shared a bed with Huai Xu for the first half of the night. When I got up to use the restroom, I ran into Wang Yunhui. She was worried about Liu Xingjian and couldn't sleep. Since I was also inexplicably unable to sleep, I got into her bed, and the two of us talked for half the night.
"Qingcheng, I asked Xu Shan to carve a Guanyin statue for me."
I yawned: "Brother Xu has this skill too."
"Yes. She can do any kind of work, and she's kind-hearted. That's why your wife, Xu, treats her husband like a treasure."
Perhaps it was a matter of adapting to local customs, but after half a year in Nanguang, Wang Yunhui was no longer the Central Plains official's wife who would cover her eyes at the sight of "catching ducks in the river".
I laughed and said, "Don't you also cherish Mr. Liu? Otherwise, why wouldn't you be able to sleep in the middle of the night?"
"Tch. This guy's just a poor schoolteacher now, he doesn't even earn as much as me, who would treat him like a treasure? At my age, I'm a light sleeper to begin with, and with all this sudden quiet, I'm not used to it at all. What's wrong with you, getting up at night at such a young age? Should we wait until dawn and have Liu Yu take your pulse?"
"It's nothing. I was thirsty before going to bed, so I drank more water. I'm a light sleeper and don't usually sleep like this."
"That's good." Wang Yunhui yawned. "I knew you were easygoing."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Qingcheng, I need to get up at 3 AM to burn incense for peace."
"I know, you've been talking about it all night."
"Then I'll take a nap a little longer."
"Take a nap."
While resting with her eyes closed, Wang Yunhui tossed and turned, thinking, "Is it almost time? If it is, I won't close my eyes anymore. It wouldn't be good to miss the auspicious time."
I was both amused and exasperated: "Worshipping Guanyin isn't like getting married, why are there so many rules?"
"There's a reason for it. Liu Yu said that the empresses in the palace all worship Guanyin at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
"They must be praying to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, for the blessing of 'early birth of a son' and good fortune."
"Really? How come I didn't think of that?" Wang Yunhui's voice sounded somewhat dejected.
I patted her through the blankets and said, "Sincerity brings results, sincerity brings results."
"Um."
Wang Yunhui held one of my hands, and her shallow breathing gradually became even.
I was still wide awake, my thoughts drifting uncontrollably back twelve years—I got up at dawn to get ready, but the groom never came to perform the wedding ceremony…
All that awaited was the arrival of the current Nare's brother, who led the Shimen Tibetan army to sweep across Nanguang...
The world turns, what will be the outcome this time?
"Shrike—shrike!" Hunting is difficult in winter, and the shrik's mournful cry breaks the silence.
I gently nudged Wang Yunhui: "It's the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
Huai Xu was still asleep, so we tiptoed out of bed, washed up, and went to the wooden Guanyin statue.
Without an incense burner, she used a covered bowl instead, scooping in half a bowl of millet and packing it down. Wang Yunhui carefully picked up three sticks of incense, held them up to the lamp to burn, faced Guanyin, and bowed three times with a devout expression before inserting the incense into the bowl.
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