A Promise Under the Starlight

The night was as dark as ink, with stars twinkling in the sky. After leaving the Valley Tribe Council Hall, Yan and his group walked back along the path they had come from. The scattered torches along the roadside swayed in the night wind, casting long shadows of the group. About a hundred steps from the council hall, Dali suddenly slowed down, turned around and glanced at Yan, his eyes filled with a mischievous smile.

"Feiyu Leader, Bailin Leader," Dali cleared his throat and called out, "Let's hurry up, I just noticed the campfire over there looks a bit dark, we need to go back and add some more firewood."

Feiyu paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and nodded repeatedly, "Right, right, right! The campfire can't go out, we have to get back quickly!"

Bailin understood immediately. "Yes, yes, we still need that fire for lighting at night!"

As the three talked, they quickened their pace and walked forward. Dali even turned back and winked at Yan, his expression clearly saying: This is all we can do for you. The other members of the Fire Tribe also understood and quickened their pace to follow.

Qingsui's attendants exchanged glances and, knowing better, quickened their pace.

"Miss," one of the older attendants said softly, "We'll wait for you at the dock."

Qingsui nodded slightly without saying a word. In the blink of an eye, the group had gone far away. On the way back to the Fire Tribe's temporary camp, only Yan and Qingsui remained. The night wind blew by, bringing the damp scent of the river and the faint smell of smoke from the distant camp. The torches by the roadside flickered, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

They both slowed their pace without saying a word. Neither of them wanted to walk too fast, because walking fast meant they would have to part ways soon. Although they could meet again tomorrow, they wanted to spend as much time tonight as possible.

"Yan," Qingsui broke the silence first, her voice drifting gently in the night breeze, "Every time I see you, my father, and the elders talking so earnestly, I just want to laugh."

Yan paused for a moment. "Want to laugh? Why?"

Qingsui tilted her head to look at him, her eyes filled with laughter. "When you talk about crucial moments in front of them, you always have a serious face and speak in a very formal manner, as if every word has been carefully calculated. But in front of me?"

Yan felt a little guilty. "What did I do in front of you?"

Qingsui smiled, pursing her lips. "You're always laughing and joking around with me, and sometimes you even make me laugh."

Yan panicked and quickly tried to explain, "Where did I laugh and joke? I wasn't... I was just trying to make you happy!"

He paused, his tone softening, "Besides, we rarely get to see each other, I can't just have a long face every time I see you, can I? What would that look like?"

Qingsui deliberately put on a stern face. "That won't do. You have to treat my father and the others the same way, and you have to treat me the same way too."

Yan blinked and said seriously, "Okay, next time I come, I'll definitely speak to you with a straight face."

As he spoke, he straightened his face, his expression tense, and said in a stiff tone, "Miss Qingsui, hello, the weather is nice today, have you eaten?"

Qingsui was amused by his serious expression.

But she immediately straightened her face, pretending to stomp her foot angrily. "You're so good at talking! I'm ignoring you!"

After saying that, she really quickened her pace and walked forward.

Yan hurriedly chased after him, apologizing as he went. "Hey, hey, I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't walk so fast!"

Qingsui ignored him and continued walking. Yan caught up with her and gently tugged at her sleeve. "Qingsui, I was really wrong. I shouldn't have teased you. Please... please don't be angry."

Qingsui stopped and turned to look at him. The torchlight shone on her face, making her eyes bright, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Who's angry?" she said. "I was just teasing you."

Yan paused for a moment, then laughed, "Oh, so you've gone bad."

Qingsui smiled too, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

The two of them stood in the middle of the road, grinning at each other.

After laughing for a while, Qingsui finally stopped and asked softly, "How long will you be staying here this time?"

Yan thought for a moment and said, "We need to transport two million catties of grain this time. Although we've been cooperating quite well with your Valley Tribe, with so much grain, counting, loading, and verifying it, it'll probably take until tomorrow afternoon to finish."

He looked at Qingsui with apologetic eyes. "We have to go back first thing the day after tomorrow."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Qingsui's eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

"So urgent?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, the sooner we transport the grain back, the more at ease the people in the tribe will feel. Although the Fire Tribe is not short of food right now, having more grain in the warehouse will make people feel more at ease."

He paused, then added, "The next time someone brings a fleet, it should be my Jianya. For me, I won't be able to come until at least next spring."

Qingsui was silent for a while. She lowered her head and looked at the road beneath her feet. The firelight flickered on her face, making it impossible to see her expression. After a long while, she raised her head, and a smile returned to her face.

"I understand," she said. "Your tribe is looking forward to this grain; the sooner it's transported back, the more peacefully everyone can celebrate the New Year."

Yan looked at her, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. This girl is so sensible.

Qingsui continued, "When you have time next year, I'll go visit your Fire Tribe and have a good time."

Her eyes lit up, and her tone became excited. "You have to play with me a lot then! I want to ride horses to my heart's content!"

Yan laughed and patted his chest, assuring him, "Don't worry! I've been taking good care of those two horses, Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds. When you come, you can ride them around and have a good time!"

Qingsui's eyes lit up even more. "Really? Do they still remember me?"

"Of course I remember," Yan said. "Every time I feed them something delicious, I mention your name. They must be wondering when that pretty girl will come back."

Qingsui was amused, but this time she didn't pretend to be angry; instead, she nodded seriously.

"Okay, I'll definitely come."

She looked at Yan and whispered, "Thank you, Yan."

Yan was taken aback. "Thank me for what?"

Qingsui didn't answer, she just looked at him with an indescribable affection in her eyes. The two of them just stared at each other like that. The night wind blew by, bringing the barking of dogs from the distant camp. The starlight shone on them, casting long, long shadows. Before they knew it, their hands were clasped together again.

It was a very natural action, without any deliberate probing. They simply clasped hands naturally. Qingsui's hands were still so soft and warm. Holding her hand, Yan felt a sense of security he had never felt before. The two continued walking forward, this time walking even more slowly.

They walked and talked, recounting their experiences over the past few months, the interesting things that happened in the tribe, and what they wanted to do in the future. Yan told Qingsui about the children in the Fire Tribe's Youth Team, how they trained, and how they played pranks. Qingsui listened with great interest, laughing out loud from time to time.

Qingsui told Yan about the things in the Valley Tribe, how the elders argued, how her father had a headache, and how the people at the Little Valley Camp quarreled with the Bear Tribe downstream. Yan listened attentively, asking questions every now and then.

Before they knew it, the Fire Tribe's temporary camp had come into view. Inside the camp, a Fire Tribe was burning brightly. Daya and a few others sat around the fire, talking and laughing from time to time. Dali, Feiyu, and Bailin were also there, eating grilled fish.

Yan stopped walking, and Qingsui stopped walking too. They looked at each other and knew it was time to part ways.

"We've arrived," Yan said.

"Mm." Qingsui nodded.

Neither of them moved for a while before Qingsui finally spoke.

"Yan, remember to send someone to let me know when you're done with your work tomorrow," she said. "I've left someone at the dock; just have any of your servants tell them."

Yan nodded. "Okay, I definitely will."

Qingsui looked at him, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Then see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Qingsui let go of her hand, turned around and walked towards the dock. After a few steps, she turned back.

"Inflammation!"

"Um?"

"Make sure to call me when you're done tomorrow...!"

Yan smiled and nodded vigorously, "Definitely!"

Qingsui smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She turned and walked quickly toward the dock. This time she didn't look back. Yan stood there, watching her figure gradually disappear into the night until she was completely out of sight, before turning and walking toward the camp.

In the camp, Daya was the first to notice his return.

"Brother Yan's back!" he shouted, jumping up to greet him. "Why did it take you so long? We thought you were lost!"

Dali stood up as well, chuckling, "How was it? Had a good chat?"

Yan glared at him, ignored him, walked to the campfire, sat down, picked up a grilled fish, and slowly ate it.

Feiyu gave a thumbs up. "Impressive! The daughter of the Valley Tribe chief, she's a golden branch and jade leaf!"

Yan smiled but didn't say anything. As he ate the grilled fish, he thought about Qingsui, her smile, her words, and the way she turned and left. His heart felt warm.

"Brother Yan," Daya leaned closer again, "Are you going to see her tomorrow?"

Yan nodded. "Okay, I'll go after I'm done with work tomorrow."

Daya chuckled, "Then I'll finish my work early tomorrow to give you some time."

Yan patted his head. "You're so clever."

Everyone burst into laughter. The campfire danced in the night wind, casting a rosy glow on everyone's faces. Yan ate his grilled fish, watching the flickering flames, lost in thought.

Tomorrow, I need to finish packing the food early. Tomorrow, I need to spend more time with her, because after tomorrow, we'll have to part ways.

But it doesn't matter. Next spring, she will come to the Fire Tribe whenever she has time. At that time, I can take her to see many, many places—the Fire Creek River, the newly reclaimed fields, the newly built wooden houses, the children of the Youth Team training, and let her ride the Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds to run freely on the grassland by the Fire Creek River. Thinking of these things, Yan smiled.

"Brother Yan," Daya leaned closer again, "What are you laughing at?"

Yan snapped out of her daze, glanced at him, and said, "It's nothing, eat your fish!"

Daya pursed his lips, then sat back down to eat the fish. As night deepened, the camp gradually quieted down.