Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Sui Yu tugged at Xiao Chunhong and asked, "Is there anyone still outside?"

Xiao Chunhong spat out the sand in her mouth and replied, "Brothers Gan Da and Gan Er, along with Qingshan, are securing the camels. Not just them, there are others too. They'll be fine; they won't get lost."

As she spoke, Xiao Xi stumbled and crawled toward the neighboring tent. The servants inside helped her over, and both Sui Yu and Xiao Chunhong reached out to pull her in.

"A'niu, where is Zhang Shun? Go inside and count the number of people, then report back to me," Sui Yu called out, gripping the tent.

"I'll go and count as well..." Xiao Chunhong added.

"That's enough; everyone's back," Song Xian interjected.

"Mother, shouldn't we count our family's servants?" Lvya'er asked.

"No need. They're all seasoned hands. As long as we don't cause trouble, we won't hold them back," Song Xian replied.

The servants Song Xian had brought were all accustomed to life in the desert, especially the old-timers left by her father, who had been specially trained for her. They're highly adaptable.

Outside, Sui Yu waited until all the servants had entered the tent before she and Xiao Chunhong supported each other to get inside. Then, Xiao Xi and Sancao quickly pulled down the tent flaps and sat on them to weigh them down.

With that, the last glimmer of light vanished.

Sui Yu spat out a few times, shaking the sand from her hair. Song Xian went over to help brush the sand off her.

"This cursed weather," Sui Yu muttered.

"It's my fault. If we had set out later, this wouldn't have happened," Song Xian said, blaming herself.

Sui Yu waved her hand and explained, "That's not what I meant. The weather in the desert is unpredictable. We left late the year before last, and still encountered a sandstorm. It's normal to face anything on this journey. I can accept it, and I won't blame you. Don't bring it up again, or I'll have to comfort you over and over."

Song Xian smiled and said, "Alright, I won't mention it."

"Let's all rest. With the intensity of this sandstorm, I'll need to send people out to shovel the sand in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn down, or our tent might collapse," Sui Yu said, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

The howling wind and the sound of sand and gravel fiercely hitting the tent drowned out everything else. Outside, nothing could be heard clearly. Sui Yu was worried about their camels but could do nothing, so she suppressed her anxiety.

Suddenly, the tent pole shook violently. Liu Ya'er rushed over and hugged the pole, while others moved to stabilize it. Song Xian felt her way to the side of the tent and jumped up to slap the taut camel hide, trying to knock off the dust and sand that had accumulated outside.

After what felt like an eternity, when the tent was on the verge of collapsing, there was movement outside. Someone had circled to the west side of the tent and was vigorously shoveling the yellow sand piled on the camel hide despite the wind.

"Who's out there?" Xiao Chunhong shouted.

"It's me and Erdan."

"It's your family," Sui Yu said to Song Xian.

Song Xian hummed in acknowledgment, "They're better at dealing with this kind of weather than Zhang Shun and the others."

"After this, we'll know better. If we encounter this kind of weather again in the future, we'll handle it more calmly," Xiao Chunhong said defiantly.

"Alright, alright, you're right," Song Xian laughed. "I was praising my family's servants, why are you competing? What, do you want to join my family?"

"Not a chance. My master is willing to share profits with us, but yours isn't," Xiao Chunhong said in a hushed voice.

Sui Yu clicked her tongue, and Xiao Chunhong immediately apologized.

"It's fine, I'm not angry. A master like yours is truly unique, both in the Guanzhong region and beyond," Song Xian said.

The male servants from the neighboring tent also came out braving the sandstorm. With them busy, Sui Yu felt much more at ease.

"What profit-sharing?" Lvya'er asked.

"My servants protect me on my trading journeys, and I give them twenty percent of my earnings," Sui Yu explained leisurely.

Lvya'er was surprised; it was really like this.

"Do my servants know about this?" she wondered.

"They know about the profit-sharing, but not the exact amount," Sui Yu said. "Xiao Chunhong, none of you have told them, right?"

"No."

"Then have any of them asked you about it?" Lvya'er asked again.

"Yes, many have asked us," Xiao Chunhong replied.

Song Xian sighed softly and said, "I'll think about it. From now on, I'll give each servant who travels with me on trading trips three hundred coins."

"How much money do you have?" Lvya'er asked Xiao Chunhong.

Xiao Chunhong instinctively looked toward Sui Yu. Even though she couldn't see her, the lack of response made her vaguely understand her master's intention.

"We won't tell you," Xiao Chunhong cut in before anyone else could speak, teasingly saying, "This is my family's secret; outsiders can't know."

Lvya'er scoffed, "When I'm in charge, I'll also share profits with the servants."

Sui Yu clapped her hands and laughed, "Young Mistress Song is generous and straightforward. I like people like you."

"Silly girl..." Song Xian sighed, at a loss for words.

Lvya'er snorted in the dark, unconvinced. She didn't think she was silly. Her servants were already feeling discontent. If she didn't follow Aunt Sui's example, they might secretly cause trouble.

After some time, the servants shoveling sand outside left, and the sandstorm seemed to ease a bit. Sui Yu faintly heard a few camel calls. However, as soon as she lifted a corner of the tent flap, a fierce gust of wind rushed in, nearly knocking her over.

Taking the opportunity, she glanced outside. The piled-up yellow sand on the ground was likely ankle-deep.

Sitting inside the tent, they couldn't tell whether it was day or night. When they got hungry, they chewed on some roasted rice, which everyone carried in their pockets. Sui Yu and Song Xian weren't worried about the people in the neighboring tents going hungry.

Half a pocket of roasted rice was gone, and the wind outside had calmed. People from the neighboring tents came out, and Sui Yu and Song Xian also shook off the sand-covered tent flap and stepped outside.

The sky was still dim. Looking around, yellow sand curtains woven from dust stretched in all directions. The boulders and mounds, though lifeless, seemed to Sui Yu to exude exhaustion. The camels tied under the boulders were even more exhausted, lying on the ground unable to move, their throats raw from calling.

Sui Yu had Gan Da and Gan Er bring out jars of water from the tent to distribute among people and animals. Seeing Zhang Shun lead the others to check on the camels, she had Xiao Chunhong organize the tent. Given the current situation, they wouldn't be able to move for the next two or three days.

Song Xian and Lvya'er went to check on their caravan's condition, taking stock of the fabrics, provisions, and dry rations.

"Everything's fine. Before the storm hit, I had the goods moved into the tent," Song Laodong said.

"Uncle Dong, thank you for your concern," Song Xian said gratefully.

"It's my duty."

"Yes, protecting us on our trading journeys, you've both worked hard and achieved much. I've thought about it, and from now on, I'll give each servant who travels with the caravan three hundred coins," Song Xian took the opportunity to announce the reward.

No one dislikes money, not even loyal old servants. He didn't refuse, his face creasing into a smile.

"Master, we've lost two camels," Zhang Shun ran over in a panic, handing Sui Yu two tied ropes. "Dankou and its mother chewed through the ropes and ran off. We don't know when they left."

Sui Yu's face darkened. The saliva on the rope was still wet, mixed with dust and sand. Half a finger's length away from the broken end, there were neat tooth marks. It was indeed them who had bitten through the rope and escaped.

"Should I take some people to search nearby?" Zhang Shun asked uneasily. "They were all tied up properly. The other camels are still here, only those two are missing."

Sui Yu looked at Song Xian, who was walking over, and asked, "How's your situation?"

"Everything's fine. My camels are all well-trained. Any camel that bites ropes wouldn't live to grow up," Song Xian replied.

Sui Yu turned to Zhang Shun and said, "Forget it, don't search. We might lose people while trying to find the camels. We'll be staying here for two or three more days. Let's see if they come back on their own."

"Are those two wild camels?" Song Xian asked.

"All my camels are wild. The calf has been with us since it was born. It has no memory of the wild herd, but its mother definitely does," Sui Yu said angrily, throwing the rope aside. "I raised the calf, and now it just took off without a word."

"If it had told you, it wouldn't have been able to leave," Song Xian said. "When we get back, I'll give you two camels. Don't be angry."

Sui Yu refused. "The sandstorm wasn't your doing, and you didn't cut the rope. Why should you compensate me?"

"It's not compensation, it's a gift. You've been teaching my daughter, so this is my way of thanking you," Song Xian said.

Sui Yu touched her chin, pleased. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Song Xian nodded. "You can choose when we get back."

Sui Yu immediately stopped worrying about the lost animals. She agreed readily, saying, "Lvya'er, if you have any questions in the future, feel free to come to me."

"Hey, Jade Merchant, how's your situation?" Xu, the caravan leader, called out loudly. "Two of our tents are torn, and two water jars are broken. We're really unlucky."

"I lost two camels," Sui Yu said.

"Oh no!" Xu, the caravan leader, winced in sympathy. "It seems you're the most unlucky. Wait a couple more days, see if they come back."

The wind was too strong to start a fire, so everyone chewed on some dried food and drank cold water before going back into the tents. They slept fitfully, occasionally going out to shovel sand, and barely made it to dawn.

The sand around the tents had piled up past their knees. Thanks to the sand weighing down the tents, they hadn't been blown away by the strong winds.

The sandstorm lasted for three days on the Gobi Desert. When the wind finally stopped and the sand settled, the desert was unusually quiet and peaceful. The sky above was a clear blue without a single cloud, and the bright sunlight shone down, stinging their eyes.

After the storm, the standing boulders and mounds had been worn down a bit more. A bird that had fallen to the ground at some point lay dead under the sand. When the smell reached them, they dug it up and found that its belly had already been hollowed out by insects.

The escaped camels never returned. Sui Yu decided not to wait any longer. Taking advantage of the calm weather, she had to continue the journey.

They walked with the sun at their backs in the morning and chased the sun in the afternoon. Worried that the weather in the desert might change again, Sui Yu decided to chase the moon at night. The two caravans behind them had no objections.

After twelve days and nights of walking and resting, the three exhausted caravans finally made it out of the Gobi Desert. However, the main group had gone off course. The snow-capped mountains to the south were faintly visible, while Loulan was far to the north.

"It seems we'll have to take the southern trade route through Ruoqiang and other countries," Sui Yu said, sitting down on the sand to catch her breath. She turned to the leaders of the other two caravans and suggested, "How about we take this route? We can return through Kuqa and Loulan."

"Fine, I have no objections. If we go through Kuqa, I'm afraid we might encounter runaway Xiongnu soldiers," Xu, the caravan leader, said.

"I'll follow your lead. Let's travel together," Li, the caravan leader, said.

"We'll rest here tonight and take another day off tomorrow," Sui Yu said. "I can't walk anymore."

Song Xian and her daughter sat back-to-back on the ground, too tired to care about cleanliness. They just wanted to rest their stiff legs. After a while, she sent the household servants to fetch water and firewood. There were still seven live chickens left, so thin they were nothing but skin and bones. While they still had some life in them, she decided to slaughter them all and make a pot of soup to nourish everyone.

They spent most of the night plucking the chickens. The night watchman chopped them up and threw them into the pot. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he turned around and saw two clusters of blue-white fire floating towards him. He let out a terrified scream and fainted.

"Oh my god! Ghost fires!"

The sleeping people woke up in a panic. Sui Yu heard the commotion outside and pulled open the tent flap. A large group of blue flames was chasing people and camels. She immediately realized what it was. This was her first time seeing it, and it did look like ghost fires.

"It has nothing to do with ghosts. Don't run! The more you run, the more the fire will chase you," she shouted. No one listened to her, and she angrily pounded the ground. "What kind of bad luck is this? This trip has been nothing but trouble. Is the heavens trying to stop me from making money? Damn it!"

Sui Yu put on her shoes and dragged out the trembling female servants. "It's not ghosts. Grab something and hit them down. I'll show you something new today."