Chapter 99

Mu Fulan set foot on the road to the west. Out of the Central Plains, through the Xiguan, through the vast Hexi, along the old road she once walked, followed by Jialinshu, Yanzhishu, Helishu, and Dushan Mountain. On this day, we finally arrived at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

From here to the destination of her trip, there are only the last three or two days left. And the season has also entered the winter from the autumn when she set off.

What she saw along the way was different from the year she remembered. I still remember that year when we traveled westward, it was desolate and sparsely populated, but this time, this ancient road that had been annihilated in the wind, sand and snow area, even in this kind of weather, still encountered from time to time between the Western Regions and Hexi. On the way, there were also some post points for business travel and camel caravans to supply and rest.

At noon, the snow was getting heavier and heavier. When passing by a post point on the side of the road, the guide said that this is the last place for people to rest on the road to Jincheng.

The entourage looked tired, and Mu Fulan called to stop, lighting a fire to cook hot food, and while resting, suddenly heard the sound of a woman’s groaning in pain from a nearby tent.

The tent was made of sturdy cowhide. Outside was parked a caravan of dozens of camels, dozens of carriages, and hundreds of people, all dressed from outside the region. It should have stopped here for some time, but everyone ignored the wind and snow, did not hide in the tent, but gathered outside the cowhide tent, as if anxiously waiting for something.

It was still half a day before it got dark, and after the rest, Mu Fulan was about to go on the road. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but hesitate for a while. She was listening carefully to the intermittent moaning from the woman. The man with thick eyebrows and high nose in many years saw him kneeling in the snow with a “pop”, his face pale, his eyes looking up at the sky, and he kept kowtowing as if praying.

Mu Fulan had already guessed what was happening in the cowhide tent. Although she was in a hurry to get on the road, and wished she could get to where she wanted to go earlier, but almost instinctively, she still opened her mouth and ordered the guide to go over and ask what was going on, saying, “Go and tell him that I might be able to help him a little bit. .”

The guide walked away and said a few words to the man, who turned his head sharply and looked this way.

Mu Fulan traveled westward this way, from top to bottom, all dressed in ordinary clothes, just looking for someone, even the guide hired in Hexi didn’t know her identity, let alone this man from the Western Regions. Hearing the guide say that she might be able to help, with a look of ecstasy in her eyes, she got up from the snow and ran towards her.

The guide hurriedly explained: “He is one of the richest merchants in the Kubera kingdom. His name is Daman. He has admired the kingdom of the East for a long time. The daughter of the priest of Kubera, who can speak the language of Shangguo, he took him with him. He stayed in Shangguo for more than half a year, and wanted to return to the west before the heavy snow closed the road. When he came here, he stopped when she gave birth. , Since last night, no child has been born yet.”

Mu Fulan told the entourage to continue to rest, and immediately entered the tent.

On the ground in the tent lay a young woman in her twenties. Her belly was bulging high and the floor was full of blood. She was almost exhausted. She was dying. There were a few servants who were serving, all of them were pale and panicked. There was a lot of talk, and when he saw Mu Fulan entering, it was as if he had seen a savior, and he hurriedly moved away.

After Mu Fulan cleaned her hands, she briefly exchanged a few words with the mother, and then comforted her softly, telling her not to be afraid, massage her abdomen for her to help her give birth, and ask someone to feed her some sugar water and food until her strength recovers. , Demonstrate her to follow her to accumulate and exert strength.

Her calm voice seemed to carry a power to calm people’s hearts, and the woman gradually calmed down and followed suit.

After half a day, the man who was anxiously waiting outside the tent heard the cry of a baby falling to the ground, and was immediately told by the servant girl who ran out that his wife had given birth to a baby boy, and the mother and child were safe. He turned around and threw himself into the snow again. After expressing his thanks to God, he immediately ordered his subordinates to bring out the wine, slaughter the sheep and set it on fire, as a token of congratulations.

Outside the tent, there was a burst of cheers.

It was already dark and the snow still hadn’t stopped. Mu Fulan knew that today was going to be delayed, so he asked his subordinates to set up a tent and planned to spend the night here.

This post point, which was gradually deserted due to the imminent closure of the mountain due to heavy snow, was very lively tonight. The blizzard and snow were raging, and the bonfires could not be stopped. There were tents erected everywhere, and the aroma of the food was overflowing amid the laughter and laughter.

Daman was very grateful to Mu Fulan, and ordered the lambs to be brought in wine. Mu Fulan distributed it to his entourage. After changing clothes in his tent, he returned to Daman’s wife’s tent and told her some postpartum care. Precautions.

With a happy smile on the woman’s face, she kept nodding her head.

Mu Fulan looked at the sleeping baby in her arms. Although she was still tired, her mood seemed to be infected, and she gradually brightened with joy.

Da Man and entered the account, as if he had drank a lot of wine, his face was red, and he said something to Mu Fulan. His wife helped him turn the conversation: “Madam, my husband said, you look like a group of people, you don’t look like a business traveler, how did you come to this place? In a few days, the road will be covered with snow, at least next spring, Only then can traffic be restored. If you are also going to the Western Regions, you can go with us. My husband has a lot of friends. You have helped us a lot, and he is very willing to serve you. ”

With a smile on her face, Mu Fulan lightly stroked the baby’s soft hair, and was about to speak when she suddenly heard cheers coming from outside, as if a new group of passers-by had come here. Hearing this movement, it seemed that the man not only knew Daman’s group, but was also respected.

Accompanied by cheers, one of Da Man’s entourage ran outside the tent and shouted a few words. His face immediately showed joy, and Mu Fulan said goodbye in a hurry, and hurried out.

The woman hurriedly pleaded for her husband: “Madam, don’t blame him for being rude, saying that the city lord of Jincheng returned to the city and just passed by. Madam, do you know something, my husband’s camel caravan met a nomadic caravan from the north in the Tianshan Mountains before. , was rescued by him. Not only the country of Kubera, but also the merchants of Dawan, Anxi, Gumo and other countries were also sheltered by him, so they could travel with confidence, and everyone respected him like a god. I didn’t expect him to pass by tonight, my husband I was in a hurry to see her, so I neglected the lady…”

The woman was still apologizing to her for her husband’s actions, but Mu Fulan didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. She pressed against the door that separated the inside and outside, held her breath, and listened carefully.

The lively atmosphere outside reached a climax with the arrival of this group of people. This Kubera businessman seemed to be toasting the other party, wanting to keep him and share with him the joy of winning Lin’er today.

Amidst the noise that filled her ears, the sound of a man’s laughter faintly drifted into her ears.

The man who laughed seemed to be in a very happy mood. After the laughter, he continued to talk to Damon. She couldn’t understand what he said, but how could she ignore this voice?

This journey westward, her mood is no longer the beginning of the hatred that the road is difficult to travel, and the mountains are closed. The closer she got to the destination she wanted to go, the anxiety and apprehension that seemed to be timid about being close to home and whether her old friend was still there, lingered more and more in her mind and lingered.

She didn’t expect that so soon, just tonight, when she didn’t seem to be fully prepared, she would suddenly meet him here.

Her heart beat like a drum. She closed her eyes, let out a long breath, stretched out her hand, slowly opened the tent door, opened a gap, and looked out.

The sky was dark, the north wind was howling, and in the heavy snow, next to a cluster of bonfires more than ten meters away from her, she saw a man wearing a snow cloak and a full beard. Among them, the tall and straight figure is still very conspicuous, and you can see it at a glance.

The man took a hot wine from Daman, drank it in one gulp, and said with a smile, “Congratulations, and thank you for your stay. I passed by here tonight, and when I saw it was so lively, I came to take a look. My camp is just ahead. Under the foothills, the past is over. You live with your wife, I won’t disturb you, and I will visit again when I have time in the future.”

He walked out of the crowd surrounding him, walked to the dozen or so cavalrymen who were still waiting for him on the side of the road, mounted their horses, and said goodbye to Daman, who was seeing him off, then mounted his horse and continued on his way.

In the chest cavity, there seems to be a fire, and it suddenly ignites.

Mu Fulan rushed out, facing the back in front, and made a calling voice: “Xie Changgeng—”

The north wind that came through the distant mountain gorge roared mournfully above her head in harmony with her call.

He didn’t hear it, the figure was about to sink into the dark snowy night in front of him.

“Xie Changgeng—”

She faced the north wind, called him again, and rushed towards the back in front of her desperately.

She chased to the side of the road, but the man in front was nowhere to be seen. She stepped on the thick snow and continued to chase. She strayed into the snow that was deeper than her calf by the side of the road, and her foot was stuck and could not be pulled out again.

“Xie, Chang, Geng—”

She moved towards the empty snowy night in front of her, and made a final scream that used all her strength, so that it was broken and hoarse, but the sound was shredded by the north wind and engulfed without a trace in an instant.

She couldn’t bear it any longer, covered her face with her hands, bent down, and squatted down slowly.

Damon and her entourage caught up, stopped nearby, and stared at the back squatting in the snow in surprise.

“Madam, are you looking for the Lord of the City? Don’t worry, you return to the account first, and I will go after him on behalf of Madam!”

Damon immediately ordered someone to bring the horse over.

Mu Fulan turned the back of her hand, pressed her sore eyes, opened her eyes, and stood up.

She shook her head and was about to speak when she stopped.

In front, a person, riding a horse, broke through the night, and was heading back here.

His speed was not fast, and in the wind and snow, he slowly drove his horse back, as if he was a little hesitant.

Daman exclaimed “City Lord” in surprise and immediately chased after him. He chased in front of the man’s horse, said a few words, then raised his hand and pointed in Mu Fulan’s direction.

The person on the horse’s back followed what he was pointing at, raised his eyes, and glanced at her place, as if he was frozen by the wind and snow in the sky, stopped in place, and his figure froze.

Mu Fulan’s blood boiled instantly, and he pulled out his leg, which was deeply sunk under the snow, and continued to walk towards him with difficulty in the wind and snow.

He watched steadily until a gust of wind came, blowing her thinly clad body like a twig in the snow, swaying to the ground, she seemed to come back to her senses, and quickly turned over from the horse.

Her feet sink into the snow again. She stopped and stood, looking at the man on the opposite side who was walking towards her on the snow.

His steps were a little dignified at first, and gradually, he walked faster and faster, however, just as he was about to reach her, he suddenly stopped and stopped in the snow a few steps away from her.

The two of them looked at each other like this, and neither moved forward nor spoke.

The north wind blew snowflakes and hit her in front of her.

“Chang Geng…”

She looked at the person on the opposite side whose face was hidden in the dark snow, and finally, she called out to him in a low voice, trying to walk towards him again, trying to finish the last few steps between them. distance.

At the moment when she took a step, the figure in front of her flickered, and the man had arrived in front of her. He took off the cloak on his body, covered her whole body from head to toe, then grabbed her hand tightly, took her to the front of the horse, put her on the horse’s back, and immediately He also got on the horse, and under the gaze of many surprised eyes cast behind him, he galloped away.

Her breath was filled with a familiar breath. The countless memories of the dusty old days, at this moment, seem to be gradually awakened, bit by bit, converging into a stream, rushing towards her. She closed her eyes and curled up tightly in the man’s arms, under the wrap of that warm fur cloak, letting him take her to any place in front of her that she didn’t know or care about.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally arrived at a place where she was carried off the horse. After laying down and laying down, she gently removed the cloak that had been covering her with one hand.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the tent. The sky was blizzard and snow was blocked from the outside, a heating stove was burning in the corner, and the yak oil lamp was on, emitting a unique orange-red light, covering everything in the tent with a layer of warm light. gosh.

Many years ago, it was also such a snowy night. At the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, she seemed to have seen the same light that was quietly burning beside her. And that night, the person who shared the account with her, he was also by her side at the moment, but after sending her to the account and putting her down, he looked at her silently without saying a word.

She sat up and stared at the face of the man beside her with a unkempt beard, which was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar. She looked at it for a long time without blinking.

Under her gaze, he seemed to gradually lose his temper. He slowly raised his hand, touched his face, and said in a low voice, “I’m getting old, right? You still look like before…”

The moment she heard him say these words, tears suddenly poured out like pearls that had been broken, blurring her vision.

She shook her head vigorously, lunged at him, pressed her face to his unkempt beard, and began to cry.

He comforted her and told her not to cry, but instead of listening, she cried more and more, and finally stretched out two arms to him, like a little girl asking for a hug, wrapped around his neck and tightly Hold on, won’t let go.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his arms, took her into his arms, tightened his arms, and never let go.