Fish Meat – Chapter 135
by Little PandaThe First Year of Zhao Wu
Joyfully Blessed with a Daughter
Zhen Wenjun took a tumble, and by the time she got back on her feet, the carriage was already a hundred steps away, even the vicious dog was running madly alongside the carriage with its tail tucked.
The flying sand and rolling pebbles whipped against her face and body painfully. She gritted her teeth and stood up, just as a piece of metal came “whistling” towards her head. Zhen Wenjun quickly dropped to the ground to dodge, only to get a nose full of dry grass.
The “dragon” (symbolizing a powerful storm or whirlwind) raged behind them, nearly tearing apart the magnificent ruins of Changge.
“Let me off! I want to get off!” The old man, whom Zhen Wenjun had pushed into the carriage, was yelling. The coachman had escaped quickly, and the carriage had already dashed to safety. This man was clinging to the door, insisting on getting out, but Ah Xu and Ah He stopped him:
“Getting off now, are you out of your mind? You can’t get off!”
“I’m the guardian of the city! I must protect Lord Changge’s final legacy! Let go of me! I can’t abandon the city and run away! I can’t betray Lord Changge’s last trust!”
Neither side understood what the other was saying, but with one trying to get off the carriage and the other busy stopping him, they communicated through body language and tone, making the chaotic scene inside the carriage strangely “barrier-free” (indicating seamless understanding despite the language barrier).
“This old fool must be crazy!” Ah Liao was tempted to knock him out with a slap. Turning around, she saw that the little girl had a calm face, showing no intention of persuading the old man.
The dragon was swirling faster and faster, always chasing behind the carriage. The young brown horse was strong and energetic, running with increasing power. Meanwhile, the old dog accompanying the old man and the little girl was panting with its tongue out, utterly exhausted. It stopped, unable to run anymore, watching the carriage grow smaller and smaller in the distance with a reluctant gaze but did not bark.
The old man, with hot tears streaming, kept trying to get off as if seeking death. The little girl gave him a push back:
“I’ll go.”
Everyone was trying to stop the old man, but unexpectedly, it was the little girl who got off the carriage instead.
The little girl leapt out, rolling on the ground before standing up nimbly. She struggled against the wind, moving forward with difficulty. Her clothes were blown in waves, and her eyes were full of sand, making it impossible to open them. Despite the difficulty, she showed no sign of fear, walking step by step toward the ruins of Changge in the eye of the storm.
“Xiao Xiao!” the old man shouted, telling her to come back quickly, worried that anything caught in the whirlwind might come crashing down and smash her.
Xiao Xiao showed no fear, dodging obstacles while moving forward. The huge black dragon in the sky became clearer in her vision. As her feet nearly left the ground, she suddenly caught sight of the small drum that had always accompanied her, flashing through the black swirl.
This wasn’t Xiao Xiao’s first time seeing the black dragon.
Growing up on the grassland, she might see it several times a year. Sometimes the black dragon was big and scary, and other times it would spin in the air and disappear.
Since she was born, she lived with her grandfather, depending on each other. Her entire world was just this dead city and the distant sea she dreamed of.
Getting to the seaside was difficult; it required two days on horseback to reach. She was too young to ride a horse, and her grandfather was too old to get onto a horse, so she had never seen the sea.
Her grandfather wasn’t her real grandfather. He said he found her in the grasslands, not knowing which family had abandoned her. He was nearing the end of his life and needed someone to continue guarding Lord Changge’s treasures, so he saved her.
When Xiao Xiao was six, she asked her grandfather, “If you didn’t have to guard the city, would you still have saved me?”
Without even thinking, her grandfather replied, “No.”
But Xiao Xiao didn’t mind. She only knew that her grandfather was her benefactor. After her grandfather dies, she would take his place and stay in the land of Changge. Even though she didn’t know what Lord Changge looked like from her grandfather’s stories, and even though she really wanted to go to the seaside, a place so close yet so far, she never had the chance to see what the sea looked like.
Changge was everything to her grandfather, the place he spent his whole life protecting. Xiao Xiao couldn’t let it be swallowed by the black dragon.
Xiao Xiao wasn’t afraid of the black dragon, but the one before her was bigger and more terrifying than any she had seen before. She wasn’t sure if she could defeat this monster, but she knew she had to try!
Xiao Xiao’s frail body swayed left and right in the strong wind. She pointed her machete at the heart of the black dragon, shouting and yelling, trying to scare it away.
The black dragon wasn’t afraid of her at all; it came closer and grew even larger.
Just as Xiao Xiao was ready to fight to the death with the black dragon, she suddenly felt a pull on her heel. Looking down, she saw the long-haired dog biting her pants tightly, refusing to let go.
“Let go of me, Ah Mao!” Xiao Xiao shook her leg hard, trying to shake Ah Mao off. But Ah Mao not only held on but also kept pulling her back.
“Ah Mao, stop messing around! I need to slay the black dragon!” The girl and the dog were tugging against each other, neither able to win.
“Who else are you planning to fight, you little rascal!”
Just as Zhen Wenjun swooped in and gathered Xiao Xiao and Ah Mao into her arms, a massive force swept them all up into the sky.
Xiao Xiao and Ah Mao screamed in fright, while Zhen Wenjun shouted, “Hold on tight!” and grabbed a tree trunk nearby.
Xiao Xiao clung to Zhen Wenjun’s waist, and Ah Mao bit onto Xiao Xiao’s clothes. The two people and the dog flapped like a long tattered strip in the fierce wind. Finding even one tree on the grassland was rare, and though it was just a slender little tree, it was their lifeline. But soon, Zhen Wenjun felt the lifesaving tree starting to shake, as if it might be uprooted at any moment.
This couldn’t go on!
Zhen Wenjun tried hard to shift her position but couldn’t, and it was impossible to open her eyes. The phrase βbeyond one’s controlβ kept running through her mind.
This situation couldn’t continue; if they were sucked into the eye of the storm, it would probably be a dead end.
With great effort, Zhen Wenjun managed to see her surroundings. Downwind, there were two huge rocks standing firm in the storm. If she could maneuver the tree trunk to wedge it against the rocks, they might escape this danger.
There was only one chance. If the wind shifted even slightly or if she failed to secure it, the only outcome was likely death.
With no other options, she had to give it everything she had!
Just as Zhen Wenjun made up her mind, the little tree was suddenly ripped up by the roots, and they, along with the dog, were pulled upward and backward like kites with broken strings. Xiao Xiao screamed in fear, clinging tightly to Zhen Wenjun with her face buried in her back. Ah Mao, the dog, was in the exact same position as Xiao Xiao. Zhen Wenjun herself was helpless, nearly choked by their grip.
Debris, sand, and random pots and pans flew around them, occasionally knocking against Zhen Wenjun’s head, making it impossible to see where the two rocks were. In pain and frustration, Zhen Wenjun could only rely on her body’s instinct to swing the tree trunk forward with all her strength.
She missed.
A shock hit Zhen Wenjun’s heart. Had she failed?
It was over.
Just when she was panicking, she felt a jolt through her hands, and she managed to pull herself, Xiao Xiao, and Ah Mao back. They had succeeded! What a stroke of luck! Zhen Wenjun’s spirits soared as she firmly grasped the tree trunk, pulling them back to safety. They hid behind the large rocks, holding onto the trunk tightly to avoid being blown away again.
Only after the storm passed, leaving everything in chaos, did the disheveled Zhen Wenjun and Xiao Xiao finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Woof! Woof woof!” Ah Mao barked toward the distance, and the exhausted Zhen Wenjun, lying on the ground, thought she heard Wei Tingxu’s voice.
“I’m here…” Zhen Wenjun weakly raised her hand, responding in a faint voice.
Following Ah Mao’s barking, Wei Tingxu actually appeared, leading the way.
Seeing Wei Tingxu moving so quickly, with an anxious look as if she was in pain, Zhen Wenjun immediately stood up.
Wei Tingxu’s eyes were filled with urgency as she searched for Zhen Wenjun in the barren land. Once she spotted her, all the worrying thoughts in her mind vanished into thin air.
Noticing the relief spreading across Wei Tingxu’s face, Zhen Wenjun rushed forward just in time to catch her before she fell. Both of them were utterly exhausted, collapsing together onto the grass.
“I’m really lucky; heaven didn’t let me die,” Zhen Wenjun grinned.
“It’s not heaven that kept you alive; it was me,” Wei Tingxu replied, leaning in for a kiss. Zhen Wenjun held her and kissed back. As they were lost in the moment, they felt eyes on them. Zhen Wenjun opened her eyes slightly and saw Xiao Xiao and Ah Mao watching them intently from either side.
“Ahem,” Zhen Wenjun cleared her throat, helping Wei Tingxu up. She pointed into the distance and said in Central Plains dialect, “Your grandfather is over there!”
Xiao Xiao replied in Changge language, “You can speak Changge language; you said so before. What were you doing just now? Mouth to mouth.”
Xiao Xiao rattled off a string of words Zhen Wenjun couldn’t quite understand, leaving Wei Tingxu to ask, “What’s this little girl saying?”
Zhen Wenjun, a bit surprised, responded, “Huh? Oh, what are you saying, little missy? Your grandfather is over there, see! Go find your Grandfather!”
The carriage returned, and Ah Liao and the others got off. The old man also stepped down. Seeing Xiao Xiao and Ah Mao alive brought tears to his eyes. He prepared to run towards them with all his might, managing only to move an inch.
Ah Liao was practically worried sick and, along with Ah Xu, carried the old man to Xiao Xiao.
“Grandfather,” Xiao Xiao said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t kill the black dragon. It got away.”
The old man coughed violently, waved his hand in pain, and looked at the Changge Kingdom, now unrecognizable after the storm. After a long silence, he finally spoke, “It’s fate, all fate. Ah… I never thought that after all these years of guarding, I still couldn’t preserve even the last trace of Changge. Our homeland is truly gone…”
The old man lay on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Zhen Wenjun understood why he was crying so bitterly, and seeing him like this made her feel uneasy.
“Old sir, what’s past is past; the most important thing is to look forward,” Zhen Wenjun knelt beside him, comforting him first in Central Plains dialect, then softly in Changge language, “If your ancestors knew that you have been wholeheartedly protecting this memory for so long, they would surely be very comforted.”
The old man remained bowed on the ground for a long time before finally getting up with Zhen Wenjun’s help.
Then Xiao Xiao knelt down and bowed to Zhen Wenjun.
“What are you doing?” Zhen Wenjun almost blurted out in Changge language but managed to hold back, asking in Da Yu dialect instead.
It seemed like there was an unspoken understanding between them; even though they didn’t speak the same language, they could communicate well.
“You are Xiao Xiao’s savior; she should show her great respect to you. Just accept it,” the old man said.
Ah He grinned and said, “Is she thanking you for saving her life?”
Zhen Wenjun replied, “I didn’t intend to save her; she held onto me, saving herself. Alright, stop bowing and get up. Look, your forehead is all bruised.”
The old man looked steadily at Xiao Xiao, then at Zhen Wenjun, who had saved them all, including Ah Mao. Slowly, he said, “Xiao Xiao, you should go with your savior.”
Xiao Xiao sprang up, looking at the old man in shock, “Grandfather… are you abandoning me?”
The old man took a couple of breaths, wanting to cough but too weak to do so.
“Take me… back to the city.”
The old man couldn’t walk anymore, and Xiao Xiao was planning to carry him back. Zhen Wenjun couldn’t bear to see such a small child struggle, so she volunteered to carry him instead.
“Why do you want to go back?” Zhen Wenjun quietly asked the old man.
The old man opened his mouth in pain but couldn’t speak. The recent chaos had drained all his strength. For a moment, Zhen Wenjun thought he had passed away, but then he weakly said, “To the… left…”
Xiao Xiao held tightly onto Zhen Wenjun’s clothes the whole way, not letting go, while Ah Mao ran ahead, barking and looking back at them, as if worried they might take the wrong path.
Ah Mao seemed to understand the old man’s intentions; it knew where he wanted to go.
Wei Tingxu and the others followed behind Zhen Wenjun and the group, struggling over the rubble as they made their way into the city.
By then, the sun had completely disappeared. The coachman lit a torch and walked at the front, following wherever Ah Mao led, lighting the path for everyone.
“Looks like they’re searching for something,” Ah Xu remarked.
Hearing this, Ah Liao quietly exclaimed, “Could it be the secret method for the ability of birthing between women?”
Ah Liao, full of excitement, sped up as they continued walking. Ah Mao and the nearly lifeless old man led them to the ruins of a collapsed grand hall. The old man asked Zhen Wenjun to set him down, insisting on walking up himself to show respect to the Lord of Changge.
Zhen Wenjun didn’t stop him and gently put him down.
The old man could barely walk and crawled step by step on his knees.
He was a devoted follower of the Lord of Changge. As Zhen Wenjun watched the old man’s frail figure, she became curious about what a magnificent dynasty Changge might have been and what kind of charisma their king possessed to inspire such loyalty. At this moment, she knew she shouldn’t offer help, as it would be an intrusion on his devotion.
With great difficulty, the old man crawled up the steps, with Xiao Xiao and Ah Mao by his side, protecting him as they reached the front of the hall. The old man bowed on the high stone steps, and as Zhen Wenjun casually looked up, her gaze pausedβshe saw a familiar pattern.
In the center of the stone plaque in front of the damaged grand hall was the image of a mysterious bird, almost identical to the woven grass bird she had seen in Xie Fuchen’s study that day!
Zhen Wenjun’s heart raced, and she took a deep breath.
That day, she had asked Bu Jie to look into Ah Mu’s background, never expecting that on this journey to reopen the Path of Ten Thousand Directions, she would truly find Ah Mu’s homeland. Changge, Changge…
“When will the rivers flowing east to the sea return west again?” (“ηΎε·ζ±ε°ζ΅·οΌδ½ζθ€θ₯ΏζΈ” is a line from a traditional Chinese folk song expressing longing and inevitability.)
Zhen Wenjun finally understood the significance of what she overlooked in her childhood, the deep meaning behind the folk song Ah Mu loved to sing repeatedly, bringing tears to her eyes.
“Wenjun?” Wei Tingxu noticed her tears and handed her a handkerchief, puzzled.
“The nation is gone, yet he remains steadfastly loyal. Such devotion is truly moving.”
Although Ah Mu’s homeland had become a ruin, this journey to seek the secret method was indeed fruitful. Zhen Wenjun learned that Ah Qiong’s ancestors came from Changge, and more importantly, she realized that Xie Fuchen had not lied.
The small grave on Liaoxi Mountain truly belonged to Ah Mu, and Xie Fuchen did indeed know Ah Mu.
Ah Mu’s real name should be “Ah Qiong,” and she was a descendant of “Su Lan”.
What does Su Lan mean? Is it a person’s name?
Perhaps Su Lan was the one who led a group of Changge people away from their homeland to Da Yu. It could have been because they were tired of the barren grasslands, or maybe they wanted to explore broader territories. It’s even possible they wanted to reopen the Path of Ten Thousand Directions, just like them. Su Lan left the vast and majestic but impoverished Gulen Grasslands for a new nation, which eventually led to everything that followed and to Zhen Wenjun’s present.
Lying in the carriage on the way back, Zhen Wenjun kept pondering one thing.
What exactly was the relationship between Ah Mu and Xie Fuchen?
“Do you hate me?”
Before he died, Xie Fuchen didn’t see anyone except for her, and he asked this puzzling question.
This question seemed even more mysterious after the “Tomb of my Old Friend Ah Qiong” appeared. If the mysterious bird was a symbol of the Changge tribe, then Zhen Wenjun must have seen the same pattern with Ah Mu. Yet, Xie Fuchen kept this pattern hidden in a book in his study. The grass-woven bird pattern was made from a single piece of grass, crafted with skill that seemed beyond an ordinary person’s ability. It must have been made by someone very familiar with the design.
It was made by Ah Mu.
Zhen Wenjun couldn’t lie to herself.
The grass-woven bird pattern that Xie Fuchen treasured was very likely crafted by Ah Mu herself.
Xie Fuchen and Xie Taihang had slightly similar looks.
She and Xie Taihang had a tiny bit of resemblance.
But she and Xie Fuchen…
“Do you hate me?”
So it is, very well, very well.
Alai. This was the nickname your mother gave you; you shouldn’t abandon it.
In a confused dream, Zhen Wenjun returned to the small cell in the prison of Runing, with Xie Fuchen still before her eyes.
She denied it, saying, “I’m not Alai, and Alai wasn’t a nickname given by my mother. From now on, there is only Zhen Wenjun, no Alai.”
“Do you hate me?” Xie Fuchen kept pressing her.
“Hate! Of course, I hate!”
“Do you hate me?”
Xie Fuchen’s eyes, which seemed to see through everything, gazed at Zhen Wenjun with tears, repeatedly asking. There was a time when Zhen Wenjun couldn’t answer.
“Do you hate me? No, maybe you shouldn’t be hating me. You know something has started to change its tone, you know some things can’t be explained, and some things are too coincidental.”
Zhen Wenjun suddenly opened her eyes, drenched in sweat.
Xiao Xiao was shaking her.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Zhen Wenjun groggily woke up, the panic and confusion from the dream still pressing on her chest. She habitually glanced at Wei Tingxu sleeping beside her and quietly asked Xiao Xiao.
“Potty,” Xiao Xiao said.
Wei Tingxu also woke up, looking at them.
“What?” Zhen Wenjun asked back.
Xiao Xiao said, “Pee-pee.”
“You need to go to the bathroom. Uncle Fu, stop the carriage for a moment!” Zhen Wenjun called out to stop the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Ah Xu and A He had their arms and legs sprawled over Ah Liao, who was lying flat asleep, hugging a wooden box like a treasure. When Zhen Wenjun saw Ah Liao like this as she took Xiao Xiao off the carriage, she almost burst out laughing.
After getting the wooden box, Ah Liao, who hadn’t noticed the pattern on the stone railing in front of the main hall, was overjoyed, pointing to the bird engraving and saying, “Yes, yes, this is the pattern! We found the right place!”
But this wooden box was as solid as a rock, and Ah Liao couldn’t open it no matter how hard she tried.
Two days ago, the old man guarding the city dug out the wooden box from deep inside the main hall and handed it to Zhen Wenjun. Shortly after, he passed away. Before he died, he asked Xiao Xiao to kneel and recognize Zhen Wenjun as “Ah Mu”. Xiao Xiao, without hesitation, knelt and called her Ah Mu.
Wei Tingxu asked, “What did she call you?”
“I really don’t know!” Zhen Wenjun was quite troubled. How could you just become an Ah Mu so easily? Wouldn’t it be better to be recognized as an “Ah Jie” (meaning older sister) or even an aunt? Anything but being called Ah Mu.
With his last bit of strength, the old man said to Zhen Wenjun, “Xiao Xiao has been lonely since she was little and dreams of seeing the sea, but I’m too old to take her there. Since youβre going back to the Central Plains, you might pass by the sea. Could you, could you take her to… see the sea, even if it’s just a glance…”
Xiao Xiao, being a perceptive child, knew the old man didn’t have much time left, so she didn’t offer useless words of comfort. She just sat beside him, quietly shedding tears.
Seeing Xiao Xiao sobbing, her forehead bruised and red from kneeling, looking both pitiful and stubborn, Zhen Wenjun felt a pang in her heart and gently ruffled her hair.
“Alright, I’ll take her with me. But let’s not call me Ah Mu. I’m not ready to have a half-grown daughter just yet.”
The old man craned his neck and asked, “So, you agreed.”
Zhen Wenjun nodded.
“I don’t want to leave Grandfather,” Xiao Xiao cried even harder when she saw Zhen Wenjun agree.
“Go on, it’s rare to meet such a kind person… Even though she’s a descendant of Su Lan, I can tell she’s a good person and won’t treat you badly. You don’t really belong to the Gulen Grasslands. You’re still young; you shouldn’t waste your years here. You should go and see the world outside. I entrust you with the treasures of Lord Changge…”
Xiao Xiao buried the old man in Changge City. She wanted to take Ah Mao with her, but Ah Mao didn’t want to leave. It just leaned against the old man’s small grave, patted it with its paw, and when there was no response, it lay down.
“Grandfather guards Changge, and Ah Mao guards Grandfather.” Zhen Wenjun appeared behind Xiao Xiao without her noticing and gently tapped the back of Xiao Xiao’s head with her knuckles. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see the sea.”
After finally convincing Xiao Xiao to leave, they got on the carriage. Xiao Xiao was both hungry and tired, and Zhen Wenjun could hear her stomach growling loudly. It reminded her of herself in the past, so she smilingly handed Xiao Xiao a piece of dried lamb leg.
“Ah Mu is so nice.”
“…Don’t call me that.”
Xiao Xiao followed Zhen Wenjun everywhere, hugging the wooden box, like a real shadow, never leaving her side.
Zhen Wenjun had told her many times not to call her Ah Mu, insisting she wasn’t her mother, but Xiao Xiao just couldn’t change what she called her.
“Is she following you because she sees you as her mother?” No matter the language, the word for mother sounds quite similar everywhere. Xiao Xiao’s cheerful calling caught Wei Tingxu’s attention, and Zhen Wenjun was troubled:
“Do you think this kid is a bit silly? I just saved her on a whim, and she considers me her Ah Mu? Can you just casually call someone that?”
Wei Tingxu chuckled, “Looks like Changge Kingdom really does have a special way of gaining a child, though this one came fully grown.”
“Don’t even mention it. Ah Liao has been guarding that wooden box day and night. Even though it can’t be opened, Ah Liao is almost obsessed, believing it contains the secret to having children between women.”
Wei Tingxu asked, “Will the kid let her have it?”
“She saw Ah Liao cherishing that wooden box even more than she did, so she didn’t say anything. She has feelings for the old man, but not much for Changge Kingdom. But who should I send this kid to? Zizhuo, don’t worry, once I figure it out, I’ll send her off! Even though she was abandoned as a child and might not have an easy life ahead, having someone to take her in is a huge blessing, right? We can’t keep her with us; aside from a bit of skill with a machete, she doesn’t seem to have any big talents.”
“Enough,” Wei Tingxu stopped her. “You might as well keep her; I’m not going to say anything. Besides, she’s already calling you Ah Mu. How can you just send her away? Keeping a child around and raising her well might not be a bad thing. After all, that secret to having children between women isn’t likely to happen.”
Ah Liao happened to overhear this and burst into tears. It took a good amount of comforting from Ah Xu and A He to calm her down.
0 Comments