Chapter 256: Fishing in the Mountains

Chapter 256: Fishing in the Mountains

In the dead of night, Sui Yu woke up thirsty. She propped herself up on the woven mat and sat up. The fire nearby had died down, and the night wind blew, revealing the glowing embers.

The camels knelt resting, and the servants on night duty had dozed off, resting their heads. Hearing footsteps, the camels lifted their necks, and the drowsy servant, Gan Da, woke up alert. Relieved to see it was her, he exhaled and kicked the firewood at his feet before standing up to add a bundle of dry wood to the fire.

"Is there any cold boiled water?" Sui Yu asked.

"Yes, it's in the clay pot," Gan Da replied.

Sui Yu went over and scooped a bowl, drinking small sips. At that moment, Gan Da blew on the fire, causing the flames to rise, and the crackling sound of burning dry wood filled the air.

The camels went to the riverbank to drink, and Gan Da followed them. Sui Yu sat down not far from the fire.

"Master, we'll stand guard. Go to sleep," Gan Er whispered.

Sui Yu waved her hand and said, "I can't sleep right now. I'll take over for a while, and you can sleep. Wake me up when it's my turn."

Knowing Sui Yu was not the type to say one thing and do another, Gan Er went to sleep after hearing her say this.

Sui Yu looked at the night sky, then got up and fetched the wooden box from where she slept. She examined the inscriptions and drawings on the wooden pieces by the firelight.

From a distance, Gan Da saw her smiling as he led the camels over. Seeing this, he didn't disturb her and leaned against the camel to continue dozing off.

The wood on the fire gradually burned out, and the flames diminished, flickering a few times before sinking into the ashes. With the light gone, Sui Yu's attention shifted from the wooden pieces, and she looked up at the night sky. The moon and stars were hidden behind the clouds, and dawn was approaching.

She closed the wooden box, lay back down in her bedding, and closed her eyes for a bit more sleep.

At dawn, the sleeping forest awakened. The chirping of birds mixed with the sound of flapping wings, and the calls of wild chickens could be heard deep in the woods.

Outside the forest, after breakfast, Zhang Shun brought a bucket of water to extinguish the embers.

Once everything was in order, the caravan set off, and at sunrise, they entered the sprawling mountains.

"Yu, are you still going to the grassland?" Song Xian asked.

Sui Yu was startled and remembered something she had forgotten. "I meant to pay respects to the Grand Marshal when we left Chang'an, but I've been busy selling honey and forgot about it since we returned."

Song Xian wasn't too concerned and said, "Forget about it. It's not like you're not coming back. You can pay your respects next time you're in Chang'an."

"That's true. The grave is there, and it's not going anywhere," Sui Yu nodded. "As for my father's grave, we'll wait a bit longer. When I come back to Chang'an the year after next, I'll bring Liang Ge, and we'll go find it together."

"Today should be the 21st of July. Traveling through the mountains for about two weeks, we should be back in Dunhuang before October," Song Xian said happily. "This journey has been surprisingly smooth; we'll be back early without having to travel in the snow."

"Not so smooth, right? We encountered bandits at Great Green Mountain," Xiao Chunhong said.

Song Xian laughed and waved her hand, pointing at Sui Yu. "If we hadn't met the bandits, how would your master have met such good fortune? Not only did she make money, but most importantly, she also hired a tutor."

"So, the bandits were my benefactors?" Sui Yu joked.

Song Xian agreed, "Exactly."

"Then I should thank them and burn a few extra incense sticks for them tomorrow," Sui Yu said humorously.

They spotted a pile of fresh camel dung by the roadside. Qingshan dismounted and walked over, touching it. "It's still moist. A caravan passed by a day ago. It seems they're on the same route as us."

"Then we should try to catch up with them. Traveling with two caravans is safer," Song Xian said.

The caravan sped up and finally, as they rounded the mountain that evening, they heard the sound of camel bells ringing in the forest.

The sun set, and fog suddenly rose in the mountains. Sui Yu blew her whistle three times in succession, signaling the caravan behind to slow down.

"We'll camp at the foot of the mountain tonight; no need to chase the caravan ahead," Sui Yu said. "Unload the goods where needed, and those responsible for cooking, start preparing food. Qingshan, take three to five people and scout the area to drive away any snakes, ants, or hidden wild animals."

With that, she dismounted her camel and went to the nearby lake to wash her face.

The lake was crystal clear and not too deep. Standing by the lake, one could see the stones at the bottom, and the wild fish swimming in the water were also clearly visible. Sui Yu rummaged through her pocket and casually tossed some unfinished fried rice into the water, causing a stir on the surface as the fish below rushed to the top for food.

The camels approached, and just as they were about to enter the water, Xiao Xi and Sancao arrived with buckets to scoop some water before the camels could disturb it. The camels stepped into the water and lowered their necks to drink.

The fish vanished as soon as the camels entered the water.

Sui Yu squatted by the lake, splashing water on her face. She glanced at Song Xian and asked, "Want to make a fishing hook? Go break two needles and string them with hemp rope. Once the camels are done, we can fish for a while and make some fish soup cakes tomorrow morning."

"Alright," Song Xian agreed, pushing herself up from her kneeling position.

After the camels had their fill of water and went to graze, the lake surface soon calmed down. Sui Yu dug several earthworms from the humus at the mountain foot, threaded them onto the hook, and sat by the lake to fish with Song Xian.

As night fell, the fire was lit, and the rice porridge began to emit a fragrant smell. Qingshan returned with his men, holding live wild chickens and rabbits.

"Boil water to scald the fur; we're stewing a pot tonight," Qingshan said, throwing the wild chicken at Liu Ya'er's feet.

Sui Yu's fishing line moved. She lifted the rod, and as the hemp rope emerged from the water, the fish below surfaced, creating a tug-of-war between her and the fish, the water splashing with a crackling sound.

"Having trouble pulling that fish in?" Song Xian found it amusing and put down her rod to help Sui Yu pull.

The wild fish emerged from the water, and Sui Yu excitedly shouted, "Get a bucket!"

"Hey! My hook!" Song Xian noticed the rod fall into the water and hurriedly tried to retrieve it. A'niu, who had brought the bucket, saw what happened. He stepped into the water, submerging half his body to retrieve the rod with the hook attached.

"We've got a fish," A'niu said, handing the rod to Song Xian and stepping out of the water. "I thought the lake was shallow earlier, but after a few steps, the water came up to my waist."

"Perhaps the water is so clear that it deceives the eye," Sui Yu said, scooping half a bucket of water. She took the foot-long carp and tossed it into the bucket. "Go change your clothes. When the fish soup is ready tomorrow morning, you can have a few extra bowls."

"What kind of fish did I catch?" Song Xian asked, holding the fish next to Sui Yu. "Can you tell?"

"It's also a carp," Sui Yu replied.

"We don’t get this kind of fish in Dunhuang," Song Xian said.

"The fish in Dunhuang are cold-water fish. If we brought these carps to Dunhuang, they probably wouldn't survive the winter," Sui Yu explained.

Song Xian nodded, not particularly concerned, and baited her hook with an earthworm. She cast it back into the water and sat by the lake to wait.

After resting, Old Chen had one of the servants make him a fishing hook and joined the others by the lake.

Once the rice in the pot was cooked, the hearty porridge was poured into a basin, and the pot was washed to stew the meat. With the meat in the pot, only one person was needed to tend the fire, leaving the others free. Some also bent needles into hooks to join the fishing, while those uninterested went to the other side of the lake to wash their hair and clothes.

By the time the chicken and rabbit meat were cooked, the buckets of fish were already full. The wild fish in the lake were not very wary and took the bait whenever food was offered.

Sui Yu and Song Xian each served themselves a bowl of hearty porridge and a bowl of chicken meat. Sitting by the lake, they kept an eye on their hooks. Whenever a fish took the bait, they would quickly put down their bowls to pull the rods.

The servants followed suit, and soon everyone was fishing.

The group fished late into the night, finally heading to bed when they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

In the morning, Sui Yu woke up and looked at the fish in the bathtub. "I think we've fished out half the fish in the lake."

Song Xian looked at the sky and said, "How about we fish for another thirty minutes? We can wait until the fog has completely cleared before we set off?"

Sui Yu shook her head. "Don't catch them all; we should leave some for the next people."

"You're right. Okay, we'll set off after finishing our meal." Song Xian stretched lazily and asked, "What should we do with these fish? Bring them along for food on the road?"

"That's our only option."

The bathtub, filled with water and fish, became quite heavy. Sui Yu had the servants tidy up and arranged for a camel to carry only the bathtub.

They changed the water daily, keeping the fish alive for five days, which meant they had fresh fish soup every day.

As soon as the fishy water was dumped out, a wild black boar charged into the scene, its tusks protruding forward and its heavy breathing echoing. It rushed straight down the mountain path, nearly scaring the camel out of its wits.

Three or four arrows flew out in succession, followed by a series of pig squeals that echoed into the mountain forest, startling birds into flight.

Zhang Shun and Qingshan jumped off their camels, armed with cleavers, and approached the boar that was convulsing on the ground. Qingshan tapped the boar's tusks with his knife, producing a sharp, hollow sound.

"Don't discard the tusks. Take them. I'll bring them back for the kids and Liang Ge," Sui Yu shouted.

Meanwhile, the uncle and nephew that Sui Yu had been thinking about were watching the commotion at the West City Gate. Nearly seven thousand of the city's troops were about to depart for Cheshi to fight the Xiongnu, and half the city's population had gathered to see them off.

The soldiers, clad in armor, wielding large sabers, and riding tall horses, looked truly formidable. The boy's eyes lit up with excitement as he watched intently.

"With the army on the move, things beyond the pass should settle down soon," said a tall merchant standing with several others by the city wall. "I plan to lead my caravan out of the city tomorrow. With the army clearing the way, the road should be pretty safe."

"Why don't we travel together?" suggested another dark-faced merchant.

"That would be ideal."

"Shall we prepare the supplies then?" The tall merchant spotted Sui Liang and pushed through the crowd. "Hey, Sui Liang, could you ask the boy's aunt to send us five hundred pounds of supplies today?"

Sui Liang agreed. After the army left the city, he took the boy to see Zhao Xiaomi.

Meanwhile, a group of merchants had just entered Dunhuang. Seeing that there were few people at the city gate, they inquired with the city guards about what was happening in the city.

"There's an army heading out to fight the Xiongnu today. Everyone has gone to the West City Gate. Should we wait until next year to leave the city, given the war beyond the pass?" asked Yan's deputy.

"Let's head to the Long Return Inn first to drop off the items Jade Merchant entrusted to us, and while we're there, we can ask Zhao Qianhu for updates."