Chapter 71

Chang'an kicked the man, who didn't react at all, as if he were dead.

She called out to Old Gu Six, "Dad, Dad!"

Hearing his daughter call him, Old Gu Six quickly put down the half-finished bamboo hanger he was making.

Old Gu Six ran to the riverbank and saw his daughter poking at a person in the river with a bamboo pole, not knowing if the person was dead or alive.

He went over and dragged the person ashore, turning him over. They had seen this man briefly on the road before - it was the young man in brocade clothes who had been galloping on horseback with others.

After pulling him ashore, Old Gu Six didn't bother with him further, and took Chang'an back home as well.

Thinking about how he had previously helped Yu San and his group, only to have a bucket of cold water dumped on his head, he'd rather not mention it.

He had treated others with kindness, only to be slapped in return.

Though one should remember kindness, it's up to him whether to accept others' gratitude. It's not right to take his help for granted.

Back at home, Chang'an began making bamboo tube rice, while Old Gu Six continued busy making hangers, which Chang'an had requested for hanging clothes.

He thought it was unnecessary - couldn't they just hang washed clothes directly on a rope to dry?

But since his daughter wanted it, it must be useful.

Chang'an busied herself in the makeshift kitchen, washing the rice and soaking it in clean water for half an hour. She prepared green peas, corn kernels, and diced carrots. She also diced shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sausage.

She mixed all the ingredients with the rice, added some oil and a little sesame oil, then added other seasonings and mixed well.

She filled bamboo tubes with the mixture, added some water, covered them, and steamed them in a pot of cold water.

While the bamboo tube rice was steaming, which took longer, Chang'an also prepared a cold dish of shredded kelp and set it aside.

The faint fragrance of bamboo tube rice wafted out. Old Gu Six put down his work, washed his hands, and sat down at the bamboo dining table, waiting to eat.

His eyes were fixed on the stove, looking like a hungry chick waiting to be fed. Chang'an found it almost unbearable to watch.

She suspected Old Six was the reincarnation of Taotie, the gluttonous beast of legend. How else could she explain his foodie nature? He seemed to eat endlessly all day, never appearing full.

In the evening, when Old Gu Six took the pots, bowls, and bamboo tubes to the river to wash, he found that the man he had pulled ashore in the afternoon was gone. He didn't think much of it, assuming the man had woken up and left on his own.

An Yi silently criticized them for a while, then led his brothers back to report their mission.

Chang'an and her group traveled for another half month. When they passed through a county town, they finally saw a decent local official efficiently settling refugees.

Old Gu Six didn't stop, driving the mule cart onwards.

People from all over living together, each place with its own customs, different dialects, and different personalities - just thinking about it gave them a headache.

They wanted to find a simpler place, not somewhere with nine different dialects and ten different customs among ten people.

The people settling in this county town were just like that. Chang'an could only understand three or four sentences, and the noise made her head buzz.

However, no matter who you're dealing with, people need to adjust to each other to find a better balance in their relationships.

So before finding that balance, chaotic days are inevitable.

Yet, after living in a place for a long time, one learns to follow local customs, integrates into local life, and eventually becomes a local. After a while, one might even forget where they originally came from.

The vegetable seedlings Chang'an had been nurturing in her space had already sprouted and grown. She transplanted them one by one.

The two sweet potatoes had also sprouted a bit, which meant they had successfully taken root.

"Dad, the sweet potatoes have grown too," she said.

Old Gu Six, remembering the sweet potatoes they ate in the mountains that nearly made him roll his eyes, wasn't very interested.

But since his daughter had grown them, he had to show support. "My daughter is so capable, even better at farming than me. When we settle down, you can teach me, and then I'll farm to support you."

"Aren't you going to hire farmhands?" she asked, remembering he had mentioned hiring workers to farm.

"...You teach me, I teach the farmhands, and then I herd cattle while supervising? Sounds wonderful," he mused, delighted at the thought.

Chang'an's eyes crinkled with laughter. She said teasingly, "Dad, you're going to be a wealthy landowner with two oxen. Can you manage to herd two oxen by yourself?"

She remembered a joke she had heard before about a young boy who went out to herd cattle. In the evening, the cattle came back, but the boy got lost in the mountains.

She felt that if Old Six went to herd cattle, he might end up like that boy, and the cattle might have to go fetch him home.

Hearing Chang'an's cheerful voice, Old Gu Six was happy that his daughter was happy. He grinned broadly and said, "Two oxen? I could manage twenty!"

Chang'an thought to herself: I'll remember your bold words.