Perhaps the journey so far had been too exhausting. Qiong Rong clambered up by the donkey's tail and settled behind Xing Yan. Before long, rocked by its jolting steps, she fell asleep with her head against his back.
Xing Yan had not been prepared for Qiong Rong's arrival, and at first he felt rather awkward. But after a while, when the little girl woke from her nap and began telling him all her strange, amusing ideas, he suddenly realized that this seemingly endless journey along the post road was not quite so dull after all.
Now, the only one who did not particularly welcome little Qiong Rong's arrival was the scrawny, frail-looking donkey.
Taking advantage of the long journey, Xing Yan began teaching Qiong Rong all manner of everyday knowledge. The little girl, ignorant of worldly affairs, often came out with odd, endearing questions that kept him laughing almost the entire way. By the end, his mouth was not yet tired of talking, but his cheeks were nearly cramping.
Of course, besides discussing these worldly matters, Xing Yan also had to talk at length with his little sister Qiong Rong about the precautions they should take when helping suppress the bandits in Jieyang. Though he had never personally taken part in such a military expedition, a hundred variations still shared the same core, and he could imagine some of the basic principles.
Just as this spoken military training was drawing to a close, the young instructor put particular emphasis into his voice as he addressed the recruit undergoing training behind him:
"Qiong Rong, when we fight those bad people, there are bound to be lots of people running all over the place. You must remember to stay close beside me and not get separated."
"Yes! Of course I will. I