295. I Canât Sleep
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
People ran to Old Mr. Xiaoâs yurt when they heard that he was dying.
The old man was unconscious. His face was red, and his mouth was wide open. His throat seemed to be filled with sputum, and he could hardly breathe, looking very painful.
Ye Xiaoxian came as well. From the look of the old man, she knew that he had a stroke. His brain vessel was blocked and he might be suffering hematencephalon.
In ancient times, disease like this was incurable, unless there were miracle-working physicians like Doctor Xiao.
But Doctor Xiao had already left, and it would take months to locate him since he liked to travel all over the world.
Someone went to get the witch doctor of the tribe.
After the witch doctor came over, he chanted something in a low voice to Old Mr. Xiao for a while. After he finished, he sighed and said to them, âThe G.o.d of Tianshan Mountains wants him, so he canât stay.â
It meant that Old Mr. Xiao was dying.
Although Old Mr. Xiao was not a good person, he was an elder of the Xiao family after all. People were sorrowful to hear that.
The old man looked healthy, but suddenly he was dying.
In the afternoon, Old Mr. Xiao died.
The woodman had planned to go to the mountain to cut some wood and make a sedan, but now they were going to make a coffin.
The funeral came first, so they had to make preparation for it.
Li Hongmei was very upset. She complained in the yurt that night, âMy father-in-law was capable of nothing. He couldnât help us with anything. When Baoshan and little Ye are going to get married again, he chose to die at this critical time. Now they canât have the wedding this year.â
According to the customs of the Zhongyuan Area, if a grandfather died, the grandson had to observe mourning for a year. If a father died, the son had to observe mourning for three years.
Yi Baozhu hurriedly said, âMother, donât talk like this when you go out, lest Big Uncle and Third Uncle hear it and blame us for being ruthless.â
âThis is how it is. He was heartless, why canât we?â Li Hongmei said angrily.
Li Hongmei looked at little Ye. âLittle Ye, what do you think?â
Little Ye also felt helpless. She was so excited last night that she couldnât sleep all night. However, she was disappointed today.
She said, âLetâs wait another year. There will be ample time for Baoshan and I, and we can wait for one more year. The most important thing now is to prepare the funeral.â
Li Hongmei was a little indignant. âI have been looking forward to the wedding, but⦠Forget it. Life and death are decided by fate. Your grandfather was not blessed, so he couldnât enjoy a good life.â
â¦
The funeral was arranged according to the customs of the Zhongyuan Area. They made a coffin, but they did not play Suona (a woodwind instrument). After they kept vigil beside the coffin for one night, they carried it to the foot of the mountain the next day, and set up a tombstone. That was the end of the funeral.
The death of Old Mr. Xiao came too suddenly. If he had had the chance, he would definitely have demanded that his body be sent back to his hometown. He had been thinking of going back.
It had saved everyone a lot of trouble now that he suddenly died.
After the funeral, they gathered together for a feast.
When Tarico heard that Old Mr. Xiao had pa.s.sed away, he came to give his condolence. Seeing that the people from Zhongyuan Area had a feast after the funeral, he was a little confused. Werenât they supposed to stay in quiet silence or cry for a few days at such a time?
w.a.n.g Wen and w.a.n.g Wu explained the customs of Zhongyuan Area to him, and he understood.
He thought that this made sense. When a person was born, everyone welcomed him happily. When he died, they should see him off happily.
Thus, Tarico joined them and had the feast.
However, he didnât go to see Jin Xiaoyu that day.
Thinking of the way Jin Xiaoyu looked at Xiao Baoshan that day, he was really afraid that he would suffer again like what he had experienced with little Ye before.
He couldnât force her to love him.
â¦
At night, Xiao Baoshan was reading alone in yurt.
Suddenly, he heard Ye Xiaoxianâs voice, âBaoshan, are you asleep?â
Xiao Baoshan quickly put down the book and pushed open the door.
Little Ye stood outside. It was so cold that she stomped her feet.
âCome on in!â Xiao Baoshan said.
Xiao Baoshanâs house was as cold as ever. Apart from the period of time when Xiao Baofeng was back, he didnât light a hibachi at all.
But it was better than outdoors, where the wind was strong.
âDo you feel cold?â Xiao Baoshan took little Yeâs hand and felt it. It was cold.
âIâll light the hibachi. You sit for a while,â Xiao Baoshan said.
Little Ye sat down and glanced at the head of the bed. She saw the book, which was about Military tactics.
The hibachi was lit and it slowly warmed up the room. Xiaoxian felt much better.
Xiao Baoshan sat down next to her.
He was surprised by the arrival of little Ye, who wouldnât take the initiative to come to him. He wanted to ask, but he didnât know how to start.
Little Ye saw his doubts, so she took the initiative to say, âI couldnât sleep. I saw that your lights were on, so I came over to see you. Have I disturbed you?â
âOf course not,â Xiao Baoshan said.
âBut youâre reading at night.â
âI feel bored, so I read it to pa.s.s time,â Xiao Baoshan smiled.
Little Ye put her hand on her thigh and rubbed it. On one hand, she tried to warm herself up. On the other hand, she intended to relieve the uneasy feeling of being alone with Xiao Baoshan.
Seeing this, Xiao Baoshan simply pulled her hands over and put them in his arms, asking, âDo you feel warmer this way?â
Ye Xiaoxian felt shy, trying to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly, so she could only sit face to face with him in an awkward position.
âWhy are you so hot?â little Ye said, âItâs winter, but you donât need a hibachi.â
âMaybe I was born that way.â Xiao Baoshan looked at her and said.
She sat there shyly, making him want to kiss her.
Ye Xiaoxian said, âGrandfather suddenly died, and we have to observe mourning for a year. We have to wait for the wedding.â
âItâs fine. Anyway, in my eyes, youâre always my wife, but if you insist on having a wedding before you get back to me, Iâll have to wait.â
Ye Xiaoxian said indifferently, âI donât care.â
She came over tonight to talk about this.
Of course, she also wanted to see him and spend some time alone with him.
Xiao Baoshan looked at her, starting to pant for no reason.
The hibachi was burning, and the temperature was rising. His desire began to surge when they sat face to face.
âLittle Ye,â he called her softly.
âWhatâs up?â She looked up at him with big bright eyes like brilliant beads.
Xiao Baoshan couldnât help holding her chin and slowly leaned forward, kissing her lips.
This time, little Ye didnât refuse.
It was just a kiss, and people in love did it a lot.
However, once Xiao Baoshan was aroused, he couldnât control himself.
When he pushed her down, a thought flashed through her mind. They hadnât got married yet.
She had asked for a grand wedding. She had said that they would not be husband and wife again without a proper wedding. He had divorced her.
If she offered herself this time, what would he think about her?
A woman without principles!
Therefore, she kept her rationality and pushed him away.
âBaoshan, no!â
Xiao Baoshan was turned on and couldnât stop.
He willed himself to stop when little Ye got angry, but before he let go of her, he didnât forget to grope her.
Little Ye said as she straightened up her clothes, âWeâve agreed to have the big sedan chair carried by eight men. We are not married without the wedding.â
Although Xiao Baoshan was reluctant, he had to listen to her.
This was a punishment for his foolishness of agreeing to marry Jin Xiaoyu.
After little Ye straightened up her clothes and said, âIâm going back. Otherwise, my mother will be worried.â
Xiao Baoshan held her hand. âWill you come again tomorrow night?â
âIt depends on my mood.â She looked back with a charming smile.
He couldnât help but laugh.
â¦
The camel team was about to cross the desert for the first time this year.
This time, Tarico didnât inform Jin Xiaoyu. Only when she saw people do the packing did she know which day they would set off.
Of course, she was following the camel team this time, as she couldnât stay in the tribe.
Since Tarico didnât inform her, she went to Tarico herself.
She went to Taricoâs yurt, and he wasnât there, but the yurt wasnât locked.
She pushed open the door and looked inside. It was quite tidy without many items. Everything was in place, and there was a piece of clothing that he wore in the middle of the bed. It was a typical bachelorâs home.
She looked at the decorations of the yurt. There were bull horns, tiger skin, and his self-made bow. In the middle, there was a new year painting and a portrait of a lady.
She guessed he bought them in Zhongyuan Area. When she looked at the portrait of a lady, she was amused.
âMen like the same things.â
Suddenly, Taricoâs voice came from behind her, âWhy are you here?â
Jin Xiaoyu looked back at him and said, âHow come you could walk without making any sound?â
Tarico said, âI saw my door open from far away, so I slowed down to see who came.â
She guessed he had just come back from the bazaar, as he was carrying quite some things in his hands, including some snacks.
He put away his shopping and asked Jin Xiaoyu, âWould you like some water? Or milk tea?â
Jin Xiaoyu said, âNo, thanks.â
Her intuition told her that Tarico got colder to her, but she didnât know why.
âI have some snacks here. If you like to have some, take it. You donât have to be polite,â Tarico added.
Jin Xiaoyu asked, âAre you taking these snacks for the journey? The camel team is about to set off, but you havenât informed me, so I come to ask you if you count me in.â
Tarico looked absent-minded, asking, âAre you going this time?â
âOf course, Iâve already said that Iâm also a member of the camel team. You should inform me if there are any activities in the team.â
Tarico said lightly, âOkay. We are setting off tomorrow morning. You can go back and pack what you need on the journey.â
âOkay.â Jin Xiaoyu was relieved after she got his confirmation.
She was going back to prepare for the journey, but when she got to the door, she stopped and asked with a smile, âTarico, I feel like youâve been cold to me recently. Do you fall in love with another girl?â