Chapter 237
Chapter 237
“Pretty Sister, do you keep dogs? I want to find Youyou a wife.”
What a sweet-tongued little girl.
Qi Wenxiu’s smile grew brighter. “I don’t, but there are dogs in the stockade. If yours doesn’t like any of them, find a wolf in the mountains. Dogs as big as yours could easily steal a wolf as a wife-or a husband.”
“That’s what I think too,” Jiang Yunsui said happily.
Little Mushroom seemed to suit Qi Wenxiu perfectly, and they chatted throughout the journey.
After traveling widely with Ji Yan’an and the others, Jiang Yunsui was no longer as timid as before. Though young, she now dealt with people openly and confidently. Her snow-white cuteness and sweet tongue made her especially lovable.
“Sister Wenxiu, do you know of a beautiful big bird called the Phoenix-Mimic Bird?”
Shen Qingzhu was speechless. Had she truly asked so directly?
“The Phoenix-Mimic Bird? How do you know about it?”
“From legends. I love legends,” Jiang Yunsui replied innocently.
Qi Wenxiu sounded proud. “Then you asked the right person. Our clan uses the Phoenix-Mimic Bird as its totem.”
She pointed to the design on her clothes. “Look. That’s it.”
The pattern showed the silhouette of a large bird: long and graceful yet imposing, with a lengthy tail.
“But it truly is legendary now. Nobles once loved capturing them because they were so unusual. Our people haven’t seen one for generations, though we preserve its stories. I thought outsiders had forgotten it.”
Qi Wenxiu spoke without reservation. She might harbor suspicions, but even locals had failed to find the bird for generations. Outsiders had no chance.
Shen Qingzhu broke into a nervous sweat listening to them. Children truly spoke without inhibition.
Yet after observing the stockade, he found its people genuinely good-tempered-or perhaps simply broad-minded. A more irritable clan would have taken offense at questions about its totem.
The mountain path was manageable on horseback, but too narrow for carriages. Travel was so difficult that some residents never learned what lay outside the mountains or visited even the nearest town, a day and night away.
Merchants who sought the stockade out were rare, so everyone welcomed Shen Qingzhu’s group enthusiastically.
That night, a bonfire burned in the great square. Beautiful girls and young men sang and danced around it.
Jiang Yunsui thought it looked fun. The moment Qi Wenxiu pulled her into the line, she began bouncing along. The dance required little skill, and she soon grew proficient.
The dogs bounded in too, frightening people. That was hardly surprising when Zuozuo and Youyou were as large as lions.
Jiang Yunsui caught their ears. “Stay with me. Don’t run around scaring people.”
The adults laughed at the tiny rice dumpling solemnly lecturing two fierce beasts. The contrast was frightening and hilarious, especially when the dogs whimpered aggrievedly and lay down without daring to bark loudly.
Meanwhile, the villagers enthusiastically toasted Shen Qingzhu’s party with sweet, low-alcohol rice wine that even children could drink.
Shen Qingzhu cautiously smelled it. After confirming it contained nothing suspicious, he signaled his companions, and everyone drank freely.
Jiang Yunsui danced, sipped rice wine, and ate fruit and local cakes until excitement carried her away. By the end, her face was flushed and sweat dampened her hair, but her eyes shone brilliantly.
Exhausted, she fell asleep immediately that night.
The stockade houses were wooden, since trees were abundant. Their roofs were thick, neatly laid thatch. The roofs required regular replacement, and insects easily ate the wood.
Jiang Yunsui woke the next morning still dazed.
“Little Yunsui.”
Qi Wenxiu entered with a bowl. “Get up for breakfast. Drink this honey water-it’s very sweet.”
Jiang Yunsui drank and thanked her sweetly.
“Thank you, Sister Wenxiu.”
Qi Wenxiu pinched her soft cheeks until they reddened, then reluctantly let go.
“I’m old enough to find a husband. I hope I have a beautiful daughter like you someday. Come, change clothes.”
The local outfit resembled Miao dress but was simpler and more practical, without cumbersome ornaments. The hairstyle was simple too, decorated with one large, beautiful flower.
Adults and children alike wore flowers in their hair. The striking custom was lovely, and everyone in the stockade cultivated flowers.
Outside, Jiang Yunsui saw blooms in ceramic pots along windows and corridors and planted in every corner of the courtyard, filling it with life. These people certainly knew how to live well.
“Little Yunsui, come eat.”
Breakfast was plain: boiled eggs, soybean-pulp cakes, and soy milk-just enough to fill the stomach.
“We’ll eat tofu at noon. My mother made some.”
Every scrap of food was precious here. Even soybean pulp was rarely fed to livestock; shaped into cakes and fried with a little oil, or stir-fried as a dish, it was perfectly edible.
Jiang Yunsui did not mind. She even shared her candy and biscuits with Qi Wenxiu.
After breakfast, Shen Qingzhu had to maintain their identity as herb merchants.
Nearly every household had gathered medicinal plants. They were common varieties, but excellent in quality and preparation. As a physician, Shen Qingzhu appreciated them and bought everything without bargaining down the already modest prices.
When the villagers saw that the visitors truly paid, they happily brought their stores and formed a line.
“They’re paying more than the previous herb merchants.”
“Hurry! If we’re late, they might stop buying.”