Chapter 123: Tracing the Desert Tracks

Chapter 123: Tracing the Desert Tracks

Unlike when Zhao Xiping had seen wild camels drinking by the river, this time they were blindly walking through the desert, judging from hoof prints, camel droppings, and signs of grass being eaten to determine if any wild camels had passed recently.

Sui Yu watched their movements carefully. These people came to the desert at least once a year, and the experience they had accumulated over the years was something she lacked.

"Have you ever come back empty-handed?" she asked Old Wan.

"Of course we have. Our provisions and water always run out eventually, and there are times when we encounter wolf packs. We can shake off the wolves, but we can't delay with food and water. Before that happens, we need to leave the desert or return empty-handed, or replenish our supplies and try again." Old Wan brushed the sand off his hands and said, "Don’t think we make easy money selling camels; it’s actually very hard work."

Sui Yu nodded and said, "Anything involving money is never easy. I opened a food stall now, and I’m busy every day, leaving early in the morning and coming back late at night."

"Selling food is indeed hard work," Old Wan agreed.

"Where is your food stall? What do you sell?" someone else asked.

"It's on Min Alley, where merchants gather. Do you know it?" Sui Yu asked.

"We know it, how could we not? The camels we catch and tame are mostly sold to merchant caravans," a young man said, driving his camel closer and smiling at Sui Yu. "What kind of food do you sell, Sister? We'll come support your business someday."

Zhao Xiping drove his camel between them, frowning as he said, "She sells noodle soup, flat dumplings, and buns."

Old Wan squinted his eyes and inquired, "I think I've heard of your food stall. The husband of the stall owner is a military commander, right? Is that you?"

Zhao Xiping nodded, "That’s me."

The others looked at each other, their previous casual attitudes fading, and they no longer ogled Sui Yu with roving eyes.

"You don't show your true colors," Old Wan said with a smile, bowing slightly to her. He looked at Sui Yu and bowed again, impressed that she ran a business despite being a commander's wife.

Sui Yu glanced at Zhao Xiping. When they fell behind, she said, "When I open my stall, will you sit next to me and watch over it?"

"He was provoking me just now," Zhao Xiping said, somewhat annoyed.

"Okay, I’ll keep my distance," Sui Yu said, touching her face and muttering, "My skin is all chapped from the wind and sand. What’s there to look at?"

Zhao Xiping glanced at her, thinking, _Where is it wrinkled?_ He couldn’t see any wrinkles.

By the time they entered the desert, it was already afternoon. They walked and stopped, feeling like they hadn’t gone far before the sky darkened. However, those who caught camels didn’t stop because of the darkness. They ate their dry rations while sitting on their camels and continued along the determined path.

When the moon rose overhead and the wind picked up, the group began looking for a place to rest.

"This year has been dry. Come spring, there will be sandstorms in the desert again," Old Wan said as he sat down behind a dune, spreading some grass. "If we don’t catch any camels this time, we won’t have another chance this year."

Sui Yu took a sip from her water pouch, gazing at the desert under the moonlight. She turned her head and asked, "Are there camel herds in the desert on the other side of the Gobi?"

"Yes, people there mostly use camels for transportation," Zhao Xiping said, laying down the grass and calling her over to sleep. He slept on the outside to shield her.

Sui Yu whispered a number in his ear and asked, "Is this enough to buy seven or eight acres of barren land? The houses in Min Alley are densely packed. To build an inn, I might need to buy four large mansions. Not only might I not have enough money, but they might not be willing to sell."

Since arriving in this era, Sui Yu had never seen tall buildings. Even the stations only had watchtowers with stairs. Moreover, Dunhuang had few mature trees, so if she built an inn, it would have to be wide rather than tall, to accommodate more people and their camels. Therefore, she chose a desolate area where the land was cheap and vast, allowing her to build as she pleased.

"I’ll ask about it when we get back," Zhao Xiping said, pulling a wolf pelt over them. "Go to sleep. Aren’t you tired?"

At home, she focused entirely on her stall’s business. On this journey, she had been running around for nearly a month, worrying about others’ lives, and without rest, she was back in the desert catching camels. Her body was exhausted, yet her mind was still preoccupied with building an inn… Zhao Xiping sighed inwardly. He wasn’t much older than Sui Yu, so why didn’t he have her energy? Oh right, she had even considered crossing the desert to seek fortune in Dayuezhi.

Sand particles fell on the wolf pelt like raindrops, disturbing everyone’s sleep. They dared not sleep deeply, waking every hour to shake off the sand and check the wind direction. If the wind changed, they had to move, to avoid being buried by sand.

As dawn broke and the wind weakened, Old Wan and the others quickly packed up. The group split into six directions, sifting through the sand to find camel tracks.

Sui Yu pulled Zhao Xiping towards the distance. The couple searched through the fine sand, as the wind last night had scattered and covered any traces.

After half an hour, the group spread out further in different directions. Sui Yu sat on the sand, staring at the large hole she had dug. At the bottom was a small-leafed plant that seemed dead, but when she snapped it, juice flowed out, indicating it was still alive—perhaps it naturally looked withered.

Smelling the scent of the plant juice, two camels trotted over. Sui Yu broke the small-leafed plant in half and shared it with their camels.

She stood up, brushing the sand off her bottom, and sighed, "How long will this take?"

"Can’t even handle this? You still want to cross the desert and the highlands to make money in Dayuezhi?" Zhao Xiping said sarcastically, hoping to discourage her from such impractical thoughts.

Sui Yu suddenly felt energized. She glared at him and said defiantly, "Who said I can’t handle it? I still have energy. From now on, you don’t need to search; just watch."

Zhao Xiping crossed his arms and watched her dig through the sand. He stood a few steps away, covering his nose and mouth, his gaze sweeping over her.

Sui Yu grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him.

Zhao Xiping quickly stepped back, looking at the sand on the ground and raising an eyebrow to tease her.

Sui Yu was speechless, then caught sight of the bow hanging on a camel’s hump. She ran over, grabbed the bow, and chased after him.

"Don’t run."

Zhao Xiping kept moving, laughing, "You want to hit me but don’t let me run? Who’s the fool here?"

The couple chased each other through the soft sand. Others nearby heard the commotion and felt envious. They were all here to catch camels, but these two were having fun.

Zhao Xiping climbed a dune, followed closely by Sui Yu. She leaned on the bow, panting, and called a truce, "Let’s stop. I’m exhausted."

Standing high, the smooth slope made one want to slide down. Zhao Xiping looked westward at the desert, northward at the snow-capped mountains, and southward at the endless Gobi. He turned east and said, "Let’s go back. If we want camels, we can just buy them."

Sui Yu knew he was concerned about her. If he feared hardship, he wouldn’t have come alone to catch camels two years ago. She shook her head and said, "No, it’s too disappointing to leave now. Don’t jinx Old Wan and the others; they rely on catching camels to support their families."

Putting herself in their shoes, if Zhao Xiaomi had quit when she was busy with her stall, even if she understood, she would have distanced herself from such a person. Someone who quits at the first sign of trouble isn’t someone anyone wants to work with.

"Let’s keep searching. We’ll find them eventually." Sui Yu sat down, kicked her feet, and slid rapidly down the dune.

"Are you crazy? You’ll wear out your pants," Zhao Xiping shouted.

Sui Yu didn’t hear him. The wind whistled past her ears as she landed softly and sprawled on the sand, enjoying the thrill of sliding down from a height.

"Are your pants torn?" Zhao Xiping was still worried about this.

Sui Yu reached back to touch her buttocks, her hand plunging into the sand. She felt a hard, round lump and pulled it out—it was camel dung, already dry, indicating it had been there for some time.

"I found camel dung!" She sprang up, shouting loudly, "Old Wan, I found camel dung! It's dry, so a herd of camels must have passed by five or six days ago."

Hearing her, someone ran over quickly, and Zhao Xiping also rushed down from the dune. He almost tumbled down, unable to stop himself until he had run another twenty feet.

Sui Yu held the camel dung as if it were a black pearl, showing it off with a proud look on her face.

A smile spread across his face, Zhao Xiping jogged over to her and bent down to inspect her pants. Thankfully, they were not torn.

"Truly, fools have their own luck," he patted her.

"Don't touch me like that; mind your manners," Sui Yu warned him.

Those who were nearby arrived, and Sui Yu handed over the camel dung, saying, "Take a look. Is it about five or six days old? I found it here. This is the windward side of the dune. A camel must have defecated here five or six days ago, and then the wind blew sand over it. The sand was blown away last night, revealing the dung."

"You know quite a bit," Old Wan ran over, examined the camel dung, and then dug at the spot Sui Yu pointed to, uncovering an intact lump of camel dung, undisturbed by the wind.

"The sand retains moisture; camel dung buried in the sand dries slower than when exposed to the sun. This dung is at least seven days old," the bearded man who arrived later broke open the dung and rubbed it between his fingers. He showed it to Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping, saying, "Look, do you see anything?"

Sui Yu scrutinized it several times and shook her head. "I don't see anything."

"These are wood fragments. This camel must have eaten tree branches or roots within the past one or two days. There are trees near Yumen Pass to the east, but further west, shrubs become scarce. So we don't need to search east. And to the north, it's too cold for newborn calves to survive, so they won't go north. We should follow the southwest direction, keeping an eye on both sides. If we keep pursuing for a few more days, we'll catch up."

He was teaching them. Zhao Xiping bowed gratefully and asked, "May I ask your name?"

"I'm also surnamed Wan, Wan Xingshan, his younger uncle," Wan Xingshan pointed at Old Wan.

"Wan Uncle," Zhao Xiping called out, saying, "Then let's start chasing. The longer we delay, the farther they will get."

Seeing his determination, Wan Xingshan dismissed the idea of suggesting they leave.

The group rode camels southwest, traveling day and night except for sleeping. After two more days, they found more camel dung scattered in the desert, confirming they were heading in the right direction. They quickened their pace.

On the fifth day, the air carried the scent of camels, and by evening, a smell of blood appeared. Following the scent, they discovered a female camel giving birth.