Chapter 231: Guri’s Affection for Tarico
After saying what he wanted to say, Tarico rode away without looking back at Dati and Guri. The two women went back in a huff. Both of them looked unhappy.
“Why is Tarico always against us? If your father dislikes anything, Tarico will do it on purpose! Does he think all the people in our tribe owe him something?”
Guri remained silent. Her mind was all over the place. Tarico hadn’t looked at her once just now!
…
After going back, Guri hastened to find a local girl who lived near Tarico. This girl hadn’t followed the migration group and instead stayed in the tribe for a whole winter.
“Hey, I have something to ask you. Did you go skiing this winter?” Guri asked.
It was publicly known that Guri liked Tarico, so this girl understood her meaning at once.
“Yes,” she said. “You want to ask if Tarico went skiing, right?”
Guri replied indirectly, “Now that you know this, just tell me!”
The girl just giggled.
Guri could only take out a package of cheese prepared in advance and handed it to the girl. “Now you can tell me. What did he do this winter? Who did he mix with?”
The girl took the cheese and said with a grin, “I don’t know much. Except for fis.h.i.+ng or riding, he also usually stayed at home. But one day, I saw him skiing with a refugee woman very happily.”
“Which woman?” Guri resisted the impulse to crack her whip.
“The one who asks Auntie Dilly questions all the time of course. Tarico likes Auntie Dilly. So does that woman. Maybe they often date in Auntie Dilly’s house secretly.”
Hearing that, Guri became even angrier. Needless to say, it must be Ye Xiaoxian.
Noticing Guri’s fury, the girl continued, “You like Tarico, right? But your parents don’t like him. Is there any future between you and him?”
“It’s none of your business!” Guri mounted the horse and rode away.
The girl held the cheese and cursed at Guri’s back. “Who do you think you are? A princess? How could Tarico like you?”
…
After Ye Xiaoxian returned from collecting potherbs, she heard about the Festival of Sacrifice and also how Tarico had embarra.s.sed Dati by selling them a goat for only one silver tael. She couldn’t help laughing. This was indeed what a man like him would do.
She didn’t feel it strange for Tarico to do so, but Squire Liu asked her secretly, “In your opinion, why Tarico is so kind to us?”
She said, “He’s a nice guy. There’s always such a person wherever we go.”
“I don’t feel the same. He may have an intention, and that may be you.”
She shook her head immediately. “Squire Liu, please don’t think that way. Even if he’s helping me, that’s because we’re friends and have common topics to talk about, like the cooperation over the camel team. There’s nothing more.”
Squire Liu said, “All right, but have you ever thought of marrying a local man?”
“Marrying?” She shook her head again. “No, I’ve never thought about that.”
Squire Liu took on a serious tone. “After living together for so long, I know you’re a good woman. Your mother also supports you to remarry. If you want to marry, I think Tarico is a good choice as long as you like each other. He doesn’t have parents, so he can choose who he marries by himself.”
She declined resolutely, “Oh, please don’t joke. I don’t want to remarry. Please don’t talk about Tarico that way, or I couldn’t have normal contact with him anymore. No, not just him, I wouldn’t talk to any men in the tribe!”
Hearing that, Squire Liu could only shut his mouth.
…
The day before the Festival of Sacrifice, Li Chengru came to the tribe again. His entourage was the same as last time. He had come here this time just to have fun at the Festival of Sacrifice. So he also brought six goats over, three for the tribe and three for the two families.
Mahal felt fortunate that he hadn’t done anything to provoke the Seventh King. It was such a blessing that Tarico had stopped Dati and Guri from charging 10 silver taels, or Squire Liu would tell the Seventh King about his heartless exploitation. If so, the Seventh King would certainly fly into a rage again.
After an impatient meeting with Mahal, Li Chengru took his people to Ye Xiaoxian’s house. Seeing him, the Xiaos and the Lius became wild with joy. They hadn’t expected him to come again after a long cold winter. They had even been worried that he had returned to the capital and could no longer protect them.
So, they invited them into the yurt hospitably. Some went to chop firewood, some prepared the food and some poured tea for the guests.
On sitting down, Li Chengru said, “Little Ye, I miss the milk tea I drank last time. I could drink a huge pot of it this time.” He said this as if talking to a friend.
Ye Xiaoxian didn’t think in terms of hierarchy or consider him as a king. “I happened to have made milk tea last time, but now as you can see, there’s none. To cook milk tea, I have to buy milk and boil tea. It’s too troublesome.”
“But I don’t drink anything else except for that.”
She smiled. “Do you want to try some honey-jujube tea I newly made. The honey and jujubes were all collected from the mountain. I promise it tastes as good as milk tea.”
Everything she makes is delicious. I may as well try some, he thought.
After a sip of it, he felt fascinated and drank one after another cups of the new drink, relegating milk tea to the back of his mind.
Fengsheng was worried that his master would rush to the toilet after a while.
Learning that Li Chengru would give them three goats, Xiao Tieshu asked Squire Liu, “What about Tarico’s goat? Are we going to buy it or not?”
Squire Liu said resolutely, “No. We have goats now. It’s not a fair deal for him to sell the goat for only one silver tael.” Then, he turned to a servant and told him to inform Tarico that he didn’t need to bring a goat over tomorrow because they had goats now.
Li Chengru asked, “You have to buy a goat to join the festival? How much is a goat?”
Squire Liu replied, “A few days ago, the leader’s wife came here and said that if we want to join the festival, we have to pay money, sacrifice a goat or work for them. If we pay money, we have to give her 10 silver taels and will get two goats. If we don’t have money, we need to work for them. It’s a good choice to help with work, but some refugees don’t have a chance to join the ceremony at all. They say they have to feed goats on that day. But the goats eat gra.s.s, don’t they? They just herd the goats to the pasture in the morning and drive them back in the evening. They don’t need to watch the goats eat all day! It’s obvious that the leader doesn’t want their partic.i.p.ation and the farmers don’t want to pay for them.”
Li Chengru’s face suddenly fell.
Comments (12)
White Whale
It’s funny how Mahal is very grateful for Tarico for saving his a.s.s but it didn’t stop Squire Liu from telling Li Chengru of what happened. Now that arrogant prince will let all the refugees join the festival and surely reprimand the leader.
2 days ago
5
Juliet Pulido
.
15 hours ago
0
lzevahc
Busted!
1 day ago
0
Comment
Chapter 232: Dancing at the Festival of Sacrifice
Translator: Fan Translation Studio
Mahal thought he had muddled through the officials’ inspection. But at dusk, Qiao Hu went to his house again. When asked if he was stopping the refugees from joining the festival, Mahal began humming and hawing.
He tried to excuse his behavior, “I don’t mean to stop them, but there are so many refugees here. If all of them partic.i.p.ate, I’m afraid the farmers will complain. After all, every family will kill a goat to share that day, but the refugees haven’t made any contributions.”
Qiao Hu snorted, “They haven’t made any contributions? Haven’t they herded goats for you? I heard that they don’t have salaries but only get two naans a day. Now it is the Festival of Sacrifice. If you don’t let the people celebrate it, what the point of having it? Just to please Heaven?”
Mahal was speechless.
Qiao Hu continued, “Go and tell the refugees that all of them can celebrate the festival tomorrow. The goats can eat gra.s.s by themselves. They don’t need to be fed, do they?”
“…”
Mahal could only do as Qiao Hu said. Dati and Guri were also required to go with him.
…
Tarico’s house.
Tarico was braising fish at the door. After eating the fish that Ye Xiaoxian made, he had also braised fish several times. The fish he cooked tasted better and better and was now similar to hers.
As he enjoyed his dinner, a servant from the Liu family came up to him. The servant was called Wu. He usually met Tarico while fis.h.i.+ng, so they were now acquainted with one another. Although Wu was not fluent in the local dialect, Tarico could understand his meaning by his body language.
“Tarico, good evening,” Wu greeted with a big smile.
Tarico said hospitably, “Have you had dinner? Sit down and join me.”
Wu waved his hand. “No, thanks. I can eat back home. I came here for the goat.”
“I’ll slaughter the goat tomorrow morning. If you want it earlier, you can come here to take it then.” Tarico thought Wu came to confirm the thing about the goat. After all, it sounded like a joke to sell a goat for one silver tael.
But Wu laughed. “No, we don’t need your goat. We have goats now.”
“Oh?” Tarico was surprised.
Wu stretched out three fingers and said with excitement, “The Seventh King came here and gave us three goats.”
“He’s here again?” Tarico asked.
“Yes! Thanks to him, we have three goats now. Hahaha! So we don’t need your goat and you can keep it for yourself.” Wu said this out of good will. Now that the Seventh King had given them the goats, Tarico then wouldn’t suffer any loss.
But hearing this, Tarico looked somewhat upset.
“Tarico, are you all right?” Wu sensed that Tarico was not happy.
But Tarico just smiled and said, “I’m fine. Now that you have goats, you don’t need to buy mine.”
Wu didn’t think much about the reason why Tarico was unhappy. “Apart from goats, the Seventh King has also brought us many other things. He’s such a nice man. I didn’t expect him to remember us after the journey, let alone visit us so frequently.”
Tarico smiled in reply.
After Wu left, Tarico looked at the braised fish in the pot, but he suddenly had no appet.i.te for it.
…
The Festival of Sacrifice finally kicked off. It was a very grand occasion. All the people gathered on the gra.s.sland, facing the rising sun. In front of them were dozens of alters filled with roast mutton, fruit and snacks. The local wizards and seniors murmured on the stage, dancing a strange kind of dance. It was said to dispel any bad luck from the previous year and welcome good luck for the new year.
The refugees were standing at the back with solemn expressions. No one made a noise or laughed at these strange rituals. After all, this was a meaningful ceremony for the locals. Li Chengru was also standing quietly in the front. As a distinguished guest, he could enjoy the best position.
When the ceremony was over, all the people became relaxed. Mahal announced tht it was time for revelry – eating and drinking!
People took back their roast mutton, set up the grills and used the fire to reheat the food. Then, they cut off large slices of meat to savor while drinking the local sorghum liquor.
In theory, Li Chengru should dine with the tribal leader. But he just exchanged ba.n.a.lities with Mahal and let the other officials eat with Mahal’s family. Then, he went to join the Xiaos and the Lius. He was like their old friend who they could sometimes joke with. So Squire Liu asked him with a smile, “Your highness, why did you come here?”
Li Chengru looked at Ye Xiaoxian and said, “I’m not used to anyone else’s mutton but Little Ye’s, just like we ate in that inn.”
It was true that different people had different tastes. The Xiaos and the Lius were also impressed by the roasted mutton that night and were eager to eat once more. How could they resist the temptation of Ye Xiaoxian’s food?
Ye Xiaoxian just smiled. When the fire was ready, she applied the prepared seasoning to the mutton. Slowly, the mutton began to sizzle and smell delicious. They kept swallowing as they waited expectantly for the moment to devour it.
…
At this moment, Tarico was eating with Dilly’s family. But the mutton on his plate seemed tasteless to him. He looked at Ye Xiaoxian from time to time. As she roasted the mutton, the others showed great trust in her. Even the Seventh King was waiting patiently by her side.
Dilly noticed his absent-mindedness and suddenly understood something.
Has Tarico taken a fancy to Little Ye?
Dilly’s husband didn’t know why Tarico was looking over at Little Ye and her companions so frequently. He said somewhat enviously, “I heard that the Seventh King is their friend. They met him during their escape, but only when they reached Baoning city did they find out that he was a king. Hahaha!”
The others also laughed. Dilly’s son said, “They’re so lucky.”
“The southern people always say good things happen to good people. Perhaps it’s their kindness that has brought them such good luck.”
“The Seventh King looks like a good man. I thought he was an arrogant guy going anywhere by carriage, but he’s actually so easygoing.”
“…”
The more they praised Li Chengru, the sadder Tarico began to feel.
…
The roast mutton was finally ready. The good texture and seasoning, as cooked by Ye Xiaoxian, made the mutton even more delicious than last time. As soon as the meat was put onto their plates, they bit into it excitedly and fiercely.
Once living a disciplined life, Liu Qianqian and Xiao Baozhu were used to eating in a cultivated way. But at that moment, they had oil all over their lips while gobbling down the mutton. Li Chengru also forgot about his image while faced with this delicacy.
Squire Liu asked, “It’s said there will be a dance performance this afternoon and also an archery contest tomorrow. Will you partic.i.p.ate in these activities?”
Li Chengru replied without hesitation, “Of course.” He loved the scenery and the people here very much. Every time he saw the mountains, gra.s.slands and the grazing goats, he would feel more than relaxed and comfortable. He hoped that he could stay here as long as possible.
…
Li Chengru didn’t watch the performance that afternoon. Instead, he was having a sound sleep in the yurt. Since he was full and drunk after the morning meal, he couldn’t be bothered to watch the show. He said he had seen such a dance many times in the capital and had no interest in it.
Ye Xiaoxian, Xiao Baozhu, Li Hongmei and Liu Qianqian all went to see the performance. After all, it was held only once a year.
The first dance was performed by Guri and some other girls. To their surprise, Guri was the lead dancer in the middle. The other girls sometimes had to struggle to lift her, as the ch.o.r.eography required.
Liu Qianqian couldn’t help teasing. “Without her family background, Guri wouldn’t be the lead dancer. I feel so embarra.s.sed for her. Each of the girls around her is more beautiful than her!”
Ye Xiaoxian didn’t like to gossip behind people’s backs, but she agreed with Liu Qianqian this time. What an obvious abuse of power!
Liu Qianqian continued, “Look, why can’t they lift a lighter and prettier girl? It must be very tiring to hold up a fat woman!”
Again, Ye Xiaoxian agreed.
Guri always felt that she was charming when she was dancing. But some of the s.e.xy poses were not so s.e.xy when made by her. While she was twisting her body, she sneaked a look at Tarico from time to time.
Since Tarico was with other young men, Ye Xiaoxian didn’t know who Guri was looking at exactly. Anyway, it was one of them.
Tarico would also perform a local dance with his brothers. It was a combination of strength and gentleness.
As these men went onto the stage, the local women began screaming and cheering. Ye Xiaoxian and her companions were too shy to cry out like that, but they also felt more than excited.
It was still cold in the early spring, but the male dancers wore sleeveless clothes to show their muscles. In this sense, it was indeed a show of strength and beauty. Since each of these men were carefully chosen according to their abilities, their dance was much better than the last one.
Liu Qianqian exclaimed with excitement, “Wow, look at that, and that… Wait, isn’t he the fis.h.i.+ng man? As I see, he dances the best!”
In the last part of the performance, the men and women would dance together around a bonfire. They could dance however they liked.
But there was also a hidden rule. If a woman liked a man, she could dance to his side to see whether he would cooperate with her. A man could also do this to show his affection to a woman.