Chapter 3: The Wilderness (Part I)

Only then did the mount be settled, and the hospitable master brought water from the well with a copper basin and beckoned everyone to wash their hands and clean their faces. This move is in line with the meaning of "washing the dust" in Chinese, so Xu Dayan understands the truth without asking. Look at the people who put their hands into the copper basin in front of them, and also picked up the well water.

It's cold on the grassland, and the well water is cold. wiped it on his face, and it made everyone sober up a little. After everyone has washed their faces and changed into clean clothes. The tribal leaders warmly invited the vendors to serve tea in the big tent. For the good intentions of the master's family, Sun Jiu didn't dare to refuse, and followed behind the leader with words of thanks. At this moment, Zhang San, the deputy leader of the caravan who was supposed to follow behind Sun Jiu, suddenly lost his strength under his feet, and his steps became smaller and smaller. Seeing Zhang San like this, Wang Mazi, Du Scarqi and others glanced at each other, and slowed down their pace one after another. Soon, everyone "let Xu Dayan" behind Sun Jiu.

Xu Dayan knew that there were a few old traders with ill intentions, so he was careful in everything and changed his righteous attitude along the way. lest you accidentally take a wrong step and say the wrong word, and become the laughing stock of everyone in the future. But under all the caution, I didn't expect that there were tricks in the order of accounting. He followed Sun Jiu and walked slowly, and he came to the big tent. Li Xu said in his heart that it was not good, took two quick steps, and inserted it directly between Sun Jiu and Xu Dayan.

"Little bunny! Calling you good in a moment! Zhang San scolded in his heart. When drinking the "dismount" wine, he, Du Scarqi and others had already made up their minds to make Xu Dayan's ugliness. If he hadn't been pulled by Li Xu at that time, Xu Dayan would definitely have become the most unpopular villain in the Xiren tribe today. At this moment, seeing that Li Xu once again inserted a lever in the trap of everyone, the resentment against him in his heart was even deeper.

The host didn't know about these dirty things among the guests, and saw that Sun Jiu was not followed by the elders in the caravan but two relatively brightly dressed teenagers, and then thought that one of the teenagers actually had a wolf as his companion, and immediately thought that these two handsome teenagers were rich and noble figures among the traders, smiled, pointed to the northwest corner of the big tent and said: "The distinguished guests came from afar, so that the cattle, sheep, and pastures of the Su Si Department were contaminated with blessings, but please take a seat and drink a bowl of milk tea made by the little girl herself!" (Note 1)

Sun Jiu stepped forward with a smile and bowed three times to the northwest corner of the felt tent. Then, he took the master's hand and said, "It's me who came uninvited and caused trouble to the master's house." Dear Ejin, please take a seat and let me wait to receive the blessings of the elders! ”

After a few polite words between the guests and the hosts, the tribal leader himself sat down on a sheepskin bed in the north. As the brass bell rang, two old men of the Xia tribe with beards as long as their hair slowly entered and sat down next to the leader. When it was the turn of the ninth uncle, he chose the position due east, and then beckoned the vendors to sit down in turn.

The felt tent used by the tribe for hospitality was five times the size of an ordinary felt tent, surrounded by wooden strips and wrapped in snow-white felt. Large windows are opened in all directions of the dome and felt wall, and the windows are made of fine wooden lattices in the Central Plains, but they are not thick paper, but a thin and translucent film, so they appear to be extraordinarily bright.

According to Li Xu's speculation, that membrane should be something like an animal bladder. But he didn't dare to ask, his father Li Mao once warned him that Hu Ren was wild, and the change between hot and cold faces was often a matter of an instant. Therefore, if you can not offend other people's taboos, try not to offend. Don't ask anything strange when you encounter it, lest it be a tribal secret of the Hu people.

The vendors sat in a circle and gathered into a large circle. Only the northwest corner of the felt tent and the doorway for men to enter and exit were vacant, which the patriarch had previously indicated. Xu Dayan looked so strange, and he couldn't ask questions. When Zhengbai was scratching his heart, Li Xu quietly stretched out his hand and wrote the word "ancestor" on his back.

"It turns out that it is the place where they worship their ancestors, I don't know what doctrine it comes from!" Xu Dayan thought in surprise. Before his journey north, he had read many articles describing the tribes of the steppe. All the classics describe that the name of the Turks originated from the Golden Mountain, because the shape of this mountain resembles a Douqi, and the pronunciation of the Douqi in its language is Turkic, so the Turkic is used as the name of the entire tribe. During the Han Dynasty, this department died in the Xiongnu, and the whole clan was slaughtered. Only one of the children was young, and the Hun soldiers could not bear to kill him, so he was abandoned in the wilderness and left to fend for himself. The wolves gathered around and nursed the child, who took the wolf girl as his wife and gave birth to ten children. The eldest of them later became a Turkic king, surnamed Ajana (colostrum), so the Turks called themselves the descendants of wolves.

Although the tribe in front of him is attached to the Turks, the name of the tribe is similar to that of a large tribe in the Turks. But on its battle flags, felt tents, and the chief's seat, it was embroidered with swans.

"These two teenagers shouldn't be vendors!" The elders of the two tribes, who had read countless people, muttered in their hearts. The Turks regard the blue wolf as a totem and regard it as a sacred object for the whole clan. And the blue wolf on the grassland is extremely strong, if it is not for chance, few people can raise wolf cubs. Therefore, a young man who can have a blue wolf as a companion will definitely be regarded as an outstanding person in the clan.

His gaze swept over Li Xu's face, and he couldn't ignore Xu Dayan sitting beside him. Compared with Li Xu, who has a thick skeleton, rough skin, and is as calm as a stone, Xu Dayan gives people a completely different feeling. In the eyes of the elders, he is like an unruly white horse, no matter how big the herd, you can't ignore his presence. And this kind of character, whether in prosperous or troubled times, is destined to live a colorful life.

The guests and hosts politely talked about the weather, the journey, and the fat thickness of the cattle and sheep, but their eyes weighed each other's bottom carefully. After a few words of gossip, the patriarch clapped his hands gently, and with the crisp and melodious ringtone, a group of girls carried copper kettles inside. The patriarch of the Su Si tribe picked up the first bowl of tea, slowly left his seat, put his hands in front of Sun Jiu, and chanted like a song: "Big brother from afar, please drink a bowl of coarse milk tea." Although it is not as fine as the tea leaves of the Central Plains, it is also a treasure in my tribe! ”

"The brother of Su Sibu gave me the whitest milk, not the best in the grassland, but the colostrum of the cow. Give me the most fragrant tea, not the finest in the world, but the purest in the world! Sun Jiu also got up and sang harmony in Turkic. took the milk tea, but refused to drink it first, turned his head and handed it to his companion.

At this time, Sun Jiu noticed that the person closest to him was actually Li Xu, and he was slightly stunned. looked at Xu Dayan next to Li Xu, and immediately understood that someone was making trouble. Open-minded by nature, he didn't feel a little annoyed, but he didn't want to say much, just encouraged Li Xu and Xu Dayan with his eyes, and he must fight for this breath.

Li Xu nodded at Sun Jiu knowingly, and passed the copper bowl full of milk tea to Xu Dayan. Xu Dayan is such a clear character, seeing that Sun Jiu doesn't drink and Li Xu doesn't drink, he immediately understands the key. Chong Li Xu bowed slightly, turned around and passed the milk tea down. One by one, the merchants passed down until they reached their last companion, and then they stopped.

The patriarch was overjoyed to see that the merchants were meticulous in observing their own etiquette. Speed up, bowl after bowl of milk tea to Sun Jiu. Sun Jiu passed out the milk tea bowl after bowl, until everyone held a copper bowl in their hands, then picked up the last bowl of tea, and thanked the patriarch with his head bowed.

The patriarch of the Su Si tribe and several elders looked at each other and smiled, picked up the tea bowl, and took the lead in tasting it. Only then did the vendors begin to drink bitterly, and their thoughts of seeing Xu Dayan's ugliness fell again in vain.

The milk tea is made of fresh milk and coarse tea with salt, which is an indispensable treasure on the grassland. The merchants had a long journey, and they could just use it to nourish their bodies. The host family is a good intention, but not all guests are blessed. Especially Li Xu and Xu Dayan, who had only heard of the name of milk tea, and when they saw a big bowl of thick soup in their hands that was thick and oily mixed with the fragrance of tea and milk, their stomach and intestines immediately began to tumble. peeked around, and saw that Uncle Nine and the others were drinking sweetly, frowned, closed their eyes, raised their necks and poured them directly.

"It's like drinking medicine! Bitter mind! Xu thought with his eyes closed. A bowl of milk tea was poured clean, but I didn't know what it tasted like in my mouth.

The patriarch saw that the two teenagers had made a big bowl of milk tea in one go, his brows furrowed slightly, and his throat was rolling. I thought they were appreciating the taste of their own strong tea, and they were so happy that their hearts were overjoyed. Clapped his hands and ordered the girls to come forward and refill the tea for the two.

Xu and Li complained bitterly in their hearts, knowing that the host was so enthusiastic, and they would not drink the first bowl of milk tea so quickly anyway. As he was thinking about how to stop swallowing the salty and fatty herbal soup, a chuckle like a silver bell suddenly sounded in his ears.

When the two of them heard the sound, they looked up and saw two pairs of eyes as clear as the lake and blue as the sky looking at them with a smile. The scalp exploded, and the body was numb on the spot as if it had been struck by lightning.

The owner of the eye has a slender nose and fair skin. One is dressed in goose yellow, and the other is dressed in light blue. Although, like the other Shan people, brown leather is inlaid on the edges of the clothes. The skirt was obviously cut into the bent shape often worn by women in the Central Plains. In addition to the Suzhou silk curly skirt, the two girls also put a yellow sheepskin cut on the upper body. The whole body is divided into four large pieces, each of which is embellished with gold threads. The shoulder corners are light, the waist is tight, and under the backdrop of the long curved skirt, it makes the whole person look slender and tall. (Note 2)

Xu Dayan was born in a wealthy family, and he is used to seeing all kinds of young fandel, but he has never seen an alien girl like the girl in front of him, full of vitality and blooming like a flower. I only felt that my eyes were bright, and the whole felt tent was dyed golden by the girl's laughter. Compared with him, Li Xu has seen fewer women, and what impresses him the most is his own concubine, a hero with a knife in one hand and a chicken neck in the other. Although this image is intimate, it does not match the beauty described in the Book of Songs. When he was young, he also agreed with the views of the old masters in the county school, that is, the so-called beauty herbs were all written by ancient scholars. If you read the ancient style in the Book of Poetry as "obscene words and bad tunes", it is not only a misunderstanding of the original meaning of the ancients, but also a great disrespect for the sages.

At this moment, the girl in the felt tent reminded him of the poems he had learned. The impression given is brighter and more vivid than that of poetry. He heard his heart beating and wanted to stop it, but found that the concentration he had cultivated in his body had long since disappeared. I just feel that the evening sun is very bright, very bright, through the film of the pasted window, it makes people dizzy.

Seeing the two teenagers holding the tea bowls in a daze, the girl found it even more interesting. After her eyes wandered several times, the woman in the light blue Suzhou silk curl smiled and urged in a low voice: "Drink it quickly, doesn't the milk tea I boiled with my own hands taste bad?" ”

These two sentences are an authentic Central Plains tone. Xu and Li were so frightened that their hands trembled and almost threw the whole bowl of milk tea to the ground. Realizing that they had lost their temper, their faces turned even redder, as if they had just passed the Flaming Mountain, and even their necks were burned to blood.

"Tao Kuodesi, don't deliberately play tricks on guests!" Seeing that the two teenagers were full of embarrassment, the patriarch scolded in a low voice.

The girl's name was Tao Kuodesi, but she twisted her body, and the silver bell at the end of her braid made a chaotic sound as her body swayed. Between the bells, the girl said coquettishly in Turkic: "Father, look at these two Central Plains boys, the big man will blush too!" ”

The vendors who could understand a few words of Turkic laughed, and everyone set up a trap for a long time to make Xu and Li ugly, but they were not as good as the girls' eyes. When the tea girl heard this, she really stepped forward to take a closer look, and looked at Xu Dayan and Li Xu like boiled prawns, turning bright red from head to toe.

"Don't mess around and scare the guests, go out and take a look at the mutton that Aslan has managed! They have traveled thousands of miles after a tiring journey" The patriarch obviously couldn't do anything with his daughter, waved his hand, and drove the girls out of the big tent with a smile. (Note 3)

After this frolicking, the distance between the guest and the host suddenly shortened a lot. The elders of the two clans were also amused by the shyness of the young man and the naughtiness of the girl, and laughed as the guests laughed for a while, said a few polite words, and then asked about the purpose of Sun Jiu and the others.

Although Sun Jiu was straightforward, he didn't dare to say that he had to come to the Xiren settlement because he went to the Xi tribe to fight out. It's just an excuse that he took the caravan north, and met Hao Laodao halfway, and heard that the other party said that the people were hospitable, so they came over thousands of miles to make friends.

The two patriarchs also knew that what Sun Jiu said might not be true, but the area inhabited by the Xia tribe was too far away from the Great Sui, and there were various tribes of the Xi tribe in the middle, so there were very few caravans from the Central Plains coming here. The goods that were resold to the Xi people by the Xi, Turkic, Khitan and other tribes not only remained high in price, but also had a lot of discounts in quality compared with the goods in the hands of the Central Plains traders. Therefore, since the last time the caravan escorted by Hao Laodao inadvertently broke into this grassland, the nobles of the tribe have been looking forward to the arrival of Han traders every day. Sun Jiu and the others took the liberty to come at this moment, but they just happened to fulfill the wishes of the people.

Therefore, the elders did not delve into the truth of what Sun Jiu said, first sighed a few words of hardship on the journey, and then suggested to the patriarch: "Xi'er, why don't you send someone to send a message to the neighboring tribes, so that they can come to our tribe in three days to trade with the brothers of the Central Plains." In this way, the valued customers of the Central Plains can get rid of the goods as soon as possible and return south before the blizzard blocks the road! ”

When Sun Wen heard this, he hurriedly stood up and thanked him. "Thank you two elders, Immortal Heaven will remember your good deeds!"

"Thank you for the kindness of the Elders!" All the vendors stood up and saluted. The group had been delayed on land for too long, and they were worried about whether one tribe would be able to eat all the goods. If you endure the pain of lowering the price in order to dump the goods, everyone's hard work will inevitably be a little worthless. The elders' advice just solved the dilemma they were facing, and several tribes rushed to trade at the same time, which not only allowed the goods to be sold quickly, but also allowed the traders to bargain for a lot of benefits in terms of price.

The leader of the clan, Susisier, was very clever and immediately understood the long-term plan of the elder's advice. Waving his hand, he said generously: "Brothers, why be polite, it is the responsibility of my Su Si Department to provide convenience to the guests!" ”

"I'm afraid that in a few years, there will be an extra golden crown on the head of the swan of the Su Si Department!" In the chaotic voice of thanks, Xu Dayan whispered to Li Xu in a very low voice. Before entering the tribe, he found that the top of the swan's head painted on the opponent's battle flag did not have the golden crown like the peaks specially made by the Hu people. This shows that the Su Si tribe is only a small tribal branch among the Xia people, and the recognized leader of the Xia tribe is not from a few nearby felt tents.

Regardless of the danger of the journey, the traders risked their lives to go north, asking for a word of wealth. Once the reputation of Su Sibu's kindness to caravans spreads, within two years, under the temptation of huge profits, no matter how far the road is, caravans from all over the country will definitely flock to them. The surrounding tribes must also form a small but close-knit trading circle with the Su Si tribe as the core. In the long run, the strength of the Su Si Department will expand at the fastest speed. And the various tribes on the grassland have always been based on strength, and there are not too many orthodox scruples.

Li Xu nodded slightly, as if agreeing with Xu Dayan's opinion. In fact, he didn't hear a word of what the clan elders were talking about and what Xu Dayan was saying. Deep down, what he was thinking about at this moment was not how to get rid of the goods, how to observe Minister Su Si's style of planning.

Just in front of the half-pillar of incense, the blue-shirted girl burned his eyes like the sun.

Note 1: The Turks use wolves as totems, so their vassals will misunderstand Li Xu's identity.

Note 2: Qufu, side by side, are all one of the Hanfu. Usually men wear straight robes and women wear curved robes. The shoulder to shoulder look similar to today's vests.

Note 3: Aslan, as well as Taugotosi and Sir are all transliterations of Turkic names. Turkic people usually have surnames without names, and the surname of the tribe is the surname of the individual. Ah Silan is a snow leopard, and Tao Kuo is a peacock (not sure?). ), Cir for the lion. The whole name is Su Si Asil, Su Si Xier, Su Si Tao Kuo Desilk.