Chatting at Home

Yan left the council hall and walked east along the smoothed dirt road. The wooden houses on both sides of the road cast slanted shadows in the afternoon sun. Some people squatted at their doorways mending fishing nets, their fingers weaving through the mesh. Others sat on their doorsteps whittling sticks, the sawdust piling up at their feet. A boy ran out of an alley and almost bumped into him, but his mother, who had chased after him, called out to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back, scolding him. The boy struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free. He was dragged back, glancing back at Yan. Yan waved to him, and the boy grinned before being pulled into the house by his mother.

When he reached his room, the door was ajar, and he could hear voices coming from inside. It was Qingsui humming something, the tune off-key and broken, interspersed with Yi'er's babbling. Yan raised his hand and gently knocked twice on the doorframe. The humming stopped, and Qingsui's voice came out. "Come in, the door's open."

Yan pushed open the door and saw Qingsui sitting on a low stool by the window, holding Yi'er in her arms. Qingsui supported him with one hand and used a soft cloth to wipe his mouth with the other. Yi'er's two little fists were clenched around Qingsui's collar, his head buried in her arms, babbling something as if he were complaining to his mother. Qingsui looked up when she heard the door open, and when she saw it was Yan, the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile that extended from her lips to the corners of her eyes. She placed the soft cloth on her lap, lifted Yi'er up a little, and then spoke, her voice not loud but very clear. "You're back. Is the banquet over? Mother still has a lot of leftovers. She said we can just heat them up and eat them tonight, no need to cook anymore."

Yan sat down on a low stool by the table, unfastened the knife from his waist and leaned it against the stool leg, then nodded. "That's all for now. Everyone's almost finished eating. Father told me to go out sailing again in a few days. The tribe is preparing to wage war against the Tiger Tribe after the autumn harvest. I need to rest at home for a few days to recover my strength. Once the manpower gathered at the various strongholds upstream arrives, I still need to take them to the Great Rock River Mouth and the Great Green River Mouth to settle them."

Upon hearing this, Qingsui paused for a moment, gently lifting Yi'er up slightly to make room. Then, turning to look at Yan, she spoke in a lower voice than before, "Then you'll be busy again. You've only been back a few days, and you're already going out again. Yi'er has just gotten to know you a bit, and you're leaving again. When he's older and recognizes people, he won't even recognize you when you come back."

After listening, Yan reached out and gently pried Yi'er's small hand off Qingsui's collar, holding it in his palm. Yi'er's fingers were as thin as sticks. He shook her fingers a couple of times, then spoke, his voice low but clear. "Yes, we will inevitably have a battle with the Tiger Tribe, but now is not the time for a decisive battle. We plan to weaken the Tiger Tribe first, and launch a decisive battle when Tiger Tribe are even weaker. After all, launching a decisive battle too early will result in greater losses for us. The resources that the Tiger Tribe had accumulated have been greatly depleted recently, and their population absorption on the Long River has also slowed down significantly. This is the perfect time for us to launch an attack. As long as we take over the territories of the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, the Tiger Tribe will only become weaker. Those two places are the territory of their Great Elder's faction, with grain, land, and people. If they lose these two places, the Great Elder's faction will lose its influence within the Tiger Tribe. As long as we absorb these two territories and win one or two more major battles, the Tiger Tribe will no longer have the strength to contend with our Fire Tribe."

After listening, Qingsui changed Yi'er's position, letting him lie on his back in her arms. Yi'er was unhappy and twisted a couple of times, but Qingsui gently tickled his stomach with her fingers, and he quieted down. When she spoke, her voice was a little lower than before, her brows furrowed slightly, and the lines at the corners of her eyes tightened a bit. "So you'll be staying on the front lines for a long time afterward?"

Yan nodded, released Yi'er's small hand, placed her palm on his knee, and then said, "Yes, Father told me to coordinate things at the front after the autumn harvest. We'll talk about it after we take over the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe. I'll coordinate things at the front, Daya will manage the supplies at the rear, Shibang will provide support at the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth, and Julang will watch the north from Stone Ridge Mountain. These points will form a line, and we can support each other."

After listening, Qingsui pulled Yi'er closer to her, gently pressing her fingers against Yi'er's swaddling clothes. Then she spoke, her voice carrying a suppressed but still evident worry. "The Tiger Tribe shouldn't give up these two territories they've taken so easily, right? They've occupied them for so long, cultivated the fields, built houses, and everyone's moved in. You think they'll just run away as soon as you arrive? I don't think it'll be that easy. They'll definitely send troops to take them back. Do you have enough people with you? Should I ask Father to send you more?"

After listening, Yan leaned forward, placed his hands on his knees, and spoke, his voice not loud but each word carrying a calculated certainty: "It should be so. These two territories are not small; they belong to the faction of the Tiger Tribe's Great Elder. The Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth and the Great Luwei River Mouth are controlled by their faction. The grain and cloth they pay to the Tiger Tribe each year account for a large portion of the Great Elder's faction's income. If we take these two territories, the Great Elder's faction will lose a significant portion of their income, and they won't have much leverage in the Tiger Tribe. The other elders have long been wary of the Great Elder..." "Those elders who hold power in the Tiger Tribe are dissatisfied. If the Grand Elder loses more territory, the other elders will definitely cause trouble, and their hard-won unity will be severely disrupted again." He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. "As long as we quickly take these two territories and swiftly defeat their reinforcements, the Grand Elder's faction in the Tiger Tribe will suffer a significant blow. Having lost both territory and troops, they won't be able to hold their heads high in the Tiger Tribe. If the other elders cause trouble, their internal strife will be disrupted for a while. Once the chaos subsides, they won't have the strength to extend their influence outwards."

After listening, Qingsui picked Yi'er up from her arms. His little head was tilted to the side, and his eyes were half-closed, as if he was about to fall asleep. Qingsui turned her head to look at Yan, her voice a little softer than before, but her tone was very steady. "I just hope you are safe. I don't care about the territory or the battle. I just hope you can come back safely. Yi'er still young. He can't be without his father."

After listening, Yan stood up, walked to Qingsui, squatted down, and gently touched the back of her hand that was resting on Yi'er's back. He paused for a moment with his fingertips, then said, "It's alright. Even if the Tiger Tribe's reinforcements come, they won't be a match for our Fire Tribe. We've already set up defenses at the mouths of the Great Rock River Mouth and the Great Green River Mouth. We have enough boats and our soldiers are trained. The Tiger Tribe's boats will travel upstream from the Great Luwei River Mouth and will have to stop at the Great Rock River Mouth. Our fleet will be waiting for them there. Their boats aren't as big as ours, they don't have as many people, and their weapons aren't as good. They'll be at a disadvantage if we fight. I won't be in any danger if I go after the autumn harvest. Don't worry."

Upon hearing this, Qingsui's expression relaxed somewhat, but there was still something lingering in her eyes. She gently patted Yan's hand and then spoke, her voice slightly higher than before. "Then take more people with you. Be careful; Yi'er is waiting for you to come back and teach him to walk."

Yan listened, a slight smile playing on his lips. He withdrew his hand from Qingsui's and gently stroked Yi'er's little head. Yi'er's hair was fine and soft, like a layer of downy hair. Then he spoke, his voice gentle with a sense of confirmation. "Okay, I'll bring more people. We'll be back as soon as the fighting is over." He paused, withdrew his hand, and stood up. "He should rest at home these few days. I want to hold him more."

Qingsui nodded to him, then pulled Yi'er closer to her. Yi'er's little mouth was slightly open, his breathing light and even. Qingsui placed him on the bed, her movements so slow it was as if she were placing something that might break at any moment. Yan stood by and watched. Once Yi'er was settled, the two of them quietly retreated to the table and sat down. Qingsui poured him a bowl of water, and the two of them spoke in hushed tones. Sunlight streamed through the window paper, spreading a warm yellow patch of light on the table, within which tiny dust particles floated slowly.