Asking to Join the Battle

Yan rested at the Fire Tribe Management Center for a few days. During this time, he spent most of his time near the house. Every morning, he would fetch two buckets of water to wash his face, and then carry Yi'er for a couple of laps around the yard. Qingsui Sui would sew things inside the house during the day, and sometimes come out to sit outside for a while, basking in the sun. Watching Yan carrying Yi'er around, a slight smile would appear on her lips, and she would occasionally say, "Your way of carrying the child is much better than when you first came back."

That morning, Zhuangchai returned from outside. Zhuangchai was Yan's younger brother, and he was no longer young. He was tall and strong, with shoulders as broad as a door panel and bulging muscles in his arms. He wore a dark gray linen robe with several old, indelible stains on the front. A bronze-buckled leather belt was around his waist, and he wore animal-skin boots with dried mud clinging to the tops. His face was tanned dark and shiny by the sun, and the skin on his cheekbones was rough and firm. His eyes were not large but bright, and when he smiled, they narrowed into slits, giving him a reassuring look. When he reached the courtyard gate, he first called out, "Is Big Brother home?" before stepping inside. His steps were large and quick. He stopped in front of Yan, grinned, revealing a row of Baiya, and said, "Big Brother, how have you been resting these past few days?"

Yan was squatting in the yard wiping Yi'er's face. Yan was wiping him with a damp cloth, but Yi'er twisted and turned, refusing to cooperate. Yan held the back of his head with one hand and wiped his face a couple of times with the damp cloth in the other. After wiping, he stood up, draped the damp cloth over the wooden basin by the wall, and then spoke, his voice not loud but very clear. "It's fine. These past few days, I've been resting at home, holding Yi'er, and helping Qingsui with some odd jobs. It's much more comfortable than running boats outside. But in a few days, after the tribe's people in the upper reaches of the Fish River gather here at the management center, we'll have to start running boats. Father asked me to take them to the mouths of the Great Rock River Mouth and the Great Green River Mouth to settle them. After that, I'll have to pick up some people and go to the Fire Creek River Mouth. It'll be another long trip."

After listening, Zhuangchai loosened his belt and sat down on a low stool in the courtyard. He was tall, and his knees almost touched his chin. He spread his long legs apart, placed his hands on his knees, and said, "Brother, the old brothers heard you led another victory at the front and have all sent word that they want to join you in a big battle. Some of them are in the strongholds along the tributaries of the upper reaches of the Fish River. They told me they heard you wiped out the Wolf Tribe, and the Xueshou and Duzhu were all destroyed. They're really itching to join you, saying it's much better to fight alongside you—there's fighting and meat to eat, much better than guarding the warehouses in the rear. They asked me to ask you if they could be transferred to your side."

After listening, Yan stood up from the wooden basin by the wall, wrung out the damp cloth into the basin, and then said, "Sure, let them train more during this time, sharpen their knives, feed their horses well, and stock up on arrows. Our tribe will have another big operation soon, and I will ask my father to transfer them over to help. Let them prepare well, so that when the war starts, their knives are still dull, their horses are still thin, and they only have a few worn-out arrows left in their quivers. That would be unacceptable."

After listening, Zhuangchai slapped his knees together, making a short, muffled thud, and then spoke, his voice carrying a relieved satisfaction. "Good, they'll definitely be happy to hear that. Those old brothers have been idle in the rear for quite a while, training every day, and they're eager to go to the front lines. I'll pass on the message to them later and tell them to prepare well." He paused, leaned forward, placed his hands on his knees, and continued, his voice lower than before, but with a calculated caution in his tone, "Brother, will our tribe have any major operations this year? I saw you mention earlier about running ships and resettlement; is there going to be another big battle?"

Yan sat down on the low stool opposite him, picked up Yi'er from the ground and placed him on his lap. Yan put one arm around Yi'er's waist, grinned, and then spoke, his voice steady and clear: "Yes, after the autumn harvest, our Fire Tribe will prepare to wage war against the Tiger Tribe. This time, our goal is to reclaim the territories of the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, weakening the Tiger Tribe's strength. Taking back these two places will not only increase our population and territory but also weaken the Tiger Tribe. Without the food and people from those two places, their strength will drop significantly. We will have more..." "If we seize the food and population from those two places, our strength will increase significantly, and this increase and decrease will widen the gap even further. These two places are also very important to the Tiger Tribe; they are the territory of their Great Elder's 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 places, the Great Elder's faction will lose a significant portion of their income, and they will lose their influence within the Tiger Tribe. They certainly won't give up so easily, and there's a high probability of a major war. It's good that these old brothers want to come and help."

After listening, Zhuangchai took his hands off his knees, rubbed them together in front of him, and then said, "Alright, then I'll tell them to prepare properly, sharpen their knives, feed their horses, and stock up on arrows. They'll come to report as soon as you give the order, brother."

He paused for a moment, then shifted his body slightly to the side. Seeing Qingsui come out of the house, he stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, just got back from Mother's?"

Qingsui came out of the house carrying a bowl of water. She handed the water to Zhuangchai, a smile slowly spreading across her face, and then said, "Yes, sit down and drink some water. Don't leave at noon. Mother has prepared lunch. Your older brother said yesterday that he hadn't seen you for the past few days and wanted to talk to you."

Zhuangchai took the water, drank a sip, then put the bowl on the table, gently patted Yi'er's head, and said, "Okay, then I won't leave at noon. I'm hungry anyway, and Mother's cooking is delicious."

Later, they went to Qingye's place for lunch. In Qingye's room, there was a long table covered with a clean linen cloth. Qingye was busy at the stove, where fish was stewing. The fish soup was bubbling and steaming, with white vapor rising from the gaps in the lid. On a small table next to the stove were several plates of chopped vegetables, including stir-fried wild vegetables, cured meat, and steamed pumpkin. When Qingye saw them come in, she placed the wooden spoon she was holding on the edge of the pot and said, "You're here? Sit down, sit down. The food will be ready soon. There's fish stewing in the pot; it was just caught this morning, very fresh."

Just then, his father returned from the council hall at noon. Jianshi was wearing a white linen robe, the hem of which was dusty, as if he had just finished working and hadn't had time to change. He walked into the room and saw Yan and Zhuangchai there. A smile spread across his face as he wiped his hands on the hem of his robe and said, "You two are here? Perfect timing. I was thinking this morning in the council hall that I'd come back for a hot meal. Your mother said yesterday that she'd stew fish today, and I've been sitting in the council hall all morning thinking about Jianshi." He walked to the table, loosened his belt, and then reached out to Yi'er, Yi'er was being held by Qingsui. Jianshi took him and said, "This kid has gained weight again, quite a bit more than last month. Qingsui, you've taken good care of him."

Qingsui sat down beside him, set out the bowls and chopsticks, and then spoke, her voice low but clear. "Father, don't praise me. It's because Mother makes soup for me every day that he's so meaty."

Hearing this from the side, Qingye put the fish bowl she was holding on the table and said, "Stop praising it, let's eat. The fish will get fishy if it gets cold."

Everyone picked up their chopsticks. Zhuangchai picked up a piece of fish and picked out the bones from his bowl. Yan took a pancake, tore off a piece, wrapped it around some salted meat, and rolled it up. Jianshi Yi'er's position so he could sit on his lap, then lowered his head to eat. Qingsui watched Yi'er from the side. Qingye put a piece of fish in one bowl and a piece of meat in another, muttering, "Eat more, you've all gotten thin." The room quickly became lively.