Chapter 60 Section VI

The cold sun slanted on the camel caravan ready to go. In the afternoon, the road outside the north gate of Guihua City.The heavily loaded camels pulled a long team one peak after another, and Huang Yang, Mr. Lu, Zhang Youhe saw the camel team off.This is the camel team hired by Sanyitai from the Guihua Wantuo Society, consisting of 38 camels in total.Ma Wuye, the head of the house, was hired separately.Such a camel caravan is considered a small caravan in Guihua City, consisting of three camel husbands, a landlord, and a treasurer accompanying the caravan—that is, Xu Taichun, who is all the members of the caravan.The other is the three fierce guard dogs that accompany the team.

This trip to Taichun is to transport 10,000 catties of sesame oil produced by Sanyitai to Uliasutai City, an important town on the Khalkha Grassland.The whole journey is three thousand eight hundred miles. Taichun looked at the people seeing him off, and shouted: "Brothers—start!" The camel team moved slowly. "Brother, the camel road is no better than the mainland," Huang Yang told Taichun as he walked, "It's either a grassland or a desert, sparsely populated, and harassed by thugs, you must be more careful!" Zhang Youhe: "Be careful when you go out, and if something happens, don't panic and deal with it calmly."

Mr. Lu: "The weather is getting colder every day, shopkeeper Xu needs to take care of his body..." "I know." Taichun waved his hand: "Go back!" The camel team moved slowly, and the dull camel bells rang in the morning wind, quite sad and tragic.For at least hundreds of years, the camel caravans in Guihua City have formed such a rule that they set off in the afternoon, walk at night, and camp in the early morning.Camel herding the next morning.A dead set, a rule that no one can change. At dusk, the camel team walked into Daqingshan.On a mountain ridge, the fiery sunset cast the shadow of the camel caravan on the golden mountain ridge, and beautiful silhouettes appeared in the ravine.

Ma Wuye rode at the head of the camel team, and behind the camel team was shopkeeper Xu, who was cutting off the rear for his own camel team. In the early morning, the camel team crossed the mountain ridge, and they stopped in a valley. The camel drivers were busy unloading the camels, setting up tents, making a fire and cooking...then it was time for a good night's sleep!Ma Wuye rode up a hill and shouted to the back: "Brothers, the journey is here." The camel drivers also shouted happily: "Oh!—Oh!—" After a simple supper, the camel drivers who were tired all day got into their tents, threw their big leather jackets on the ground, covered them with half of their beds, and within a short while there was thunderous snoring in the tent.

Beside the bonfire outside the tent, Ma Wuye was talking in front of Xu Taichun.This time shopkeeper Xu used Ma Wuye as the head of the camel team, and Ma Wuye was very grateful.Business on Maqiao was slow, and shopkeeper Xu obviously gave him a chance to make money.Therefore, since he came out, Ma Wuye always wanted to do something in front of shopkeeper Xu to show his gratitude. Ma Wuye added a few pieces of dried cow dung to the fire, and approached Taichun: "Master Xu!" Taichun was smoking a pipe and thinking about something: "What's the matter?" Ma Wuye: "Master Xu, I offer you a plan."

Taichun: "Okay, tell me." Ma Wuye: "Shopkeeper Xu, Sanyitai is doing well now, I suggest that you start the mule business in the future!" Taichun: "Oh, fifth master might as well explain it in detail." Seeing that shopkeeper Xu was interested, Ma Wuye came to his spirits: "Guihua City has been a famous official horse imperial bridge in the country since the Ming Dynasty. Our mules and horses here have a good reputation in the interior and are easy to sell wherever they go. Whether it is farming or Pulling carts, not to mention military use. Making money! We know this business."

Taichun said: "I know this, there is no second person on the Maqiao in Guihua City who can compare with Ma Wuye." "A layman is scared when he sees live horses and live sheep. That's because he doesn't understand." Ma Wuye continued: "Furthermore, the market for mules and horses is flexible, unlike tea and medicinal materials, which are all controlled by the three major markets." The number is under control. No one can control the horse market, and besides, the business in the horse market comes quickly. If you want to say other things, I can’t do it. I’m good at horse market business. Master Xu, do you want to hear the secrets inside?”

Taichun is a businessman, since someone read the business scriptures to him, it would be great, so he filled another bag of cigarettes and lit it: "Ma Wuye, tell me what you say, I'll listen." Before I knew it, the camel team had been walking for more than a month, and nothing happened, and no mistakes were made.Taichun is very satisfied with Ma Wuye.When the camel team pitched their tents that day, Taichun said to Ma Wuye, "I've been counting the days, and we've been walking for thirty-eight days. We'll be able to reach Uliasu Terrace in one month's time!"

Ma Wuye said: "I hope it will be like this all the way!" Unexpectedly, as soon as Ma Wuye's words hit the ground, something happened! It was the patrolling guard dog who first noticed the abnormal situation. The three dogs barked wildly together, and the sound was particularly loud and tense in the silent wasteland. "Ma Wuye, listen—" Taichun immediately became alert: "There seems to be movement!" A faint sound of horseshoes came to this side. Ma Wuye, who was unharnessing, jumped up like a spring and shouted: "Brothers! Quick! Fuck you!" Taichun was startled, and quickly pulled out a knife from the cargo pack next to him.The sound of horseshoes was getting closer and closer, Taichun listened carefully for a while, and said to himself: "The sound seems to be only a horse..."

The sound of hooves is getting closer.All the camel drivers held a big knife in their hands and stared at the wilderness under the night with wide eyes.In the hazy night, the sound of horseshoes got closer, and it gradually became clear that the comers were just riding and riding! Ma Wuye returned to Taichun's side and said, "Shopkeeper Xu, the person here is not likely to be a thug." The dogs on the camel caravan outflanked the person coming.The one who rode and rode to a place a dozen steps away from the campfire reined in his horse and stopped.Ma Wuye immediately led all the camel drivers to surround the man: "Bold and crazy! I don't even think about my ability to rob the camel caravan."

"Hey, then don't be afraid, I'm not a thug!" The man said loudly, "Are you the camel team of Guihua City?" Taichun heard this voice somewhat familiar, suddenly a thought flashed in his mind: "Could it be that he is..." The man immediately said: "Hey, I'm really not a thug!" "Don't play tricks! Get off the horse quickly, so as not to suffer from flesh and blood!" Master Wu shouted, and he was about to charge up. At this time, Taichun shouted: "Slow down! Fifth Lord Ma, step back first." Taichun came to a place three steps away from that person and stopped, and asked: "If you guessed right, this is Master Na, right?" The man immediately said: "Master Xu, I'm here." Taichun groaned in his heart: It really is Naye, this big princess... But, the people in the camel team can't let them know that Naye is a woman. There are rules for walking on the camel road, and it is not allowed to say that women are unlucky. The women and the camel team got mixed up, if they found out that Na Ye was a woman, then Mr. Ma would have to tear her up! Taichun was anxious, but he acted calmly, he said loudly: "Since it is Master Na, why did you come here in the middle of the night?" Na Ye: "I obeyed my father's order and went to the border to deal with military disputes in the starry night. I happened to meet the camel caravan of Master Xu. Can you allow me to go with you?" Looking at the dark grassland around him, Taichun sighed softly. Ma Wuye shouted from behind: "Master Xu, you can't trust him! It's better to have one less thing than one more thing on the camel road." Taichun said: "Ma Wuye, tell everyone to leave. This is a friend of mine. I know him. He is indeed from the General's Mansion." Seeing what the shopkeeper said, Ma Wuye took everyone into the tent and went to sleep. Taichun Lana Ye sat down in front of the bonfire, took the water bottle and dry food and handed them to Na Ye. Na Ye drank a few sips of water: "Oh, I finally found you! If I didn't see this bonfire, I'm afraid I would have to spend the night alone in the wasteland." Taichun sat aside and looked at Na Ye. She was wearing a pair of soft cowhide short boots. She was wearing a short men's casual clothes with a belt around her waist. Her long hair was tucked into a hat. She looked neat and tidy. Compared with her daughter's outfit, it has a different charm. Taichun asked with a cold attitude on purpose: "Tell me, what are you going to do?" Na Ye looked at Taichun and smiled mischievously, but didn't speak.When she was full, she yawned: "Ah, I'm so tired, I want to rest!" Then, she took off the fur coat and blanket from the horse, spread it out beside the campfire and got in: " Ah, not bad, much better than expected!" Looking at Na Ye's heartless appearance, Taichun felt both angry and funny. It was a rare good weather for several days in a row. The red sunrise sprinkled the fire-like brilliance on the grass, and the grass was coated with a layer of warm golden red. The camel caravan marched on the grassland.Taichun and Naye rode side by side on horseback, at the end of the camel caravan. Taichun asked: "Master Na, didn't you say that you rushed to the border according to your father's order, why are you not in a hurry?" Na Ye smiled slyly: "I lied to you, you still take it seriously!" Taichun: "I've figured it out a long time ago! Is there any kind of person in the General's Mansion with thousands of troops? Even if there is an urgent matter, you will not be sent out like this! You, you can't even make up lies, and you still want to come out to deceive people! Tell the truth, Master Na, what on earth are you going to do?" Na Ye said indifferently: "Let's play, let's relax." Taichun teased: "It's really a big princess from the general's mansion, he dares to do anything. He ran to this deserted place to play, thanks to your idea! Do you know how dangerous the camel road is?" Na Ye said with a smile: "Then what? I am willing!" Taichun: "You're still laughing! If you can't keep up with the camel caravan, you will be torn apart by wolves or by thugs!" Na Ye rode on the horse with a leisurely look: "I'm not afraid." Taichun: "Big Gege, I think you should go back. Even if you are not afraid of thugs or wild wolves, you are also a person who wears filial piety, how can you mess around!" Na Ye shouted: "Xu Taichun, don't spoil my interest, okay?" Taichun hurriedly stopped and said: "Speak up, my big princess, the hunchbacks must know that you are a woman, and they must tear you alive. This is very particular!" Na Ye let out a long sigh: "Oh, back then, I was married to a sick man by obeying my parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Every day I wake up like a prison. Love can't be loved, and hate can't be hated. Ge Ge, but my life is not as good as a little girl in the folk. Anyway, now that he is gone, I am relieved!" Taichun persuaded him with kind words: "I've been out to play for the past two days, and my heart is relaxed. I think you should go back. I'll find two strong men to see you off." Na Ye: "No. I managed to catch up with the camel caravan, you don't want to send me back! I will follow you wherever you go, you have to take it with you if you want, and you have to take it with you if you don't want to!" Taichun lowered his voice: "You, men and women don't know each other, what should we do if word spreads!" "It took a risk to finally find you, but you want to drive me back. You are still a good friend!" Na Ye said dissatisfiedly, "Besides, I am a woman disguised as a man! Hey, Xu Taichun, if you drive me back , I’ll just show off my daughter’s outfit and see what you do!” Taichun was frightened by Gege's words, and hurriedly said: "Oh, my big Gege, you can save yourself! Well, if you want to follow you, just follow, but there is one thing, you must not reveal your identity!" Na Ye snickered triumphantly. Taichun and Naye walked on the grassland side by side, which seemed romantic. Na Ye said comfortably: "Ah - it's the first time I have enjoyed such a relaxed life when I grow up so big. These years have made me very aggrieved." Taichun: "You trust your horse freely here, if you can't be found at home, maybe the world has turned upside down." Na Ye: "Hmph, never mind it!"