Ten days on the road, and all along the way people kept collapsing from lack of water and food. Those with family to look after them could have their bodies gathered and laid to rest somewhere in peace. Those without were simply tossed aside like any other corpse on the roadside, left to rot and breed maggots.
At dusk,
everyone arrived at the foot of the mountains, halting at the sight of the range that stretched a hundred li across their path.
To reach the next city, crossing the mountains was the shortest route. Taking the official road meant going around the entire range, twenty extra days of travel. Their food likely wouldn’t last that long, so they had no choice but to take the shortcut.
Here, the band of famine refugees went their separate ways. Those with carts and provisions chose to continue along the official road, while those short on water and food chose the mountain path, the odds of finding water in the mountains were simply better.
“It’s almost dark! Our village will spend the night at the foot of the mountain and go in tomorrow morning!” The village chief struck a bronze gong, organizing everyone to make camp on the spot.
The villagers broke off in twos and threes to get to work, and the other refugees also chose to overnight at the mountain’s base. Before long, the foot of the mountain was packed with people.
Midnight.
In the tent, Shen Yanqing loosened his arms around Qi Yanxuan, intending to slip out quietly. He had barely moved before Qi Yanxuan woke.
“A-Xuan, it’s my turn to keep watch for the second half of the night. Go back to sleep.” Shen Yanqing kissed the corner of Qi Yanxuan’s mouth, his voice steeped in tenderness.
Qi Yanxuan nestled in his arms, loath to let go no more sleeping with his boyfriend to hold.
“Okay. But eat something before you go, or you’ll be hungry later.” Qi Yanxuan reached into his backpack, took out a flashlight, and switched it on, then pulled out a can of eight-treasure porridge.
He opened the porridge and handed it over. Shen Yanqing gazed at the flashlight with quiet fascination, his eyes sparkling, he never imagined such a tiny thing could give off light.
“Eat first! You can play with it after!” Qi Yanxuan found the sight of him unbearably endearing, like some curious child.
In front of outsiders, Shen Yanqing was invariably cold and aloof, with little to say to anyone. Aside from matters of necessity, no one had ever seen him chatting with a close friend. Only in front of Qi Yanxuan did he show the full range of his emotions.
“Okay!”
They had eaten no small amount of eight-treasure porridge on this journey. The first time he tasted it, the flavor had amazed Shen Yanqing, but because of the writing on the can, characters he’d never seen, and for fear of drawing attention, even when he brought it to Shen Yanshan he always poured it out into a bowl first.
When he finished, he handed the can back to Qi Yanxuan to put away.
Having stowed the can, Qi Yanxuan picked up the flashlight and showed him how it worked. “There’s a switch here. Push it up and it lights up, push it down and it goes out.”
Shen Yanqing took it and flicked the switch a few times, finding it delightful. The light in his eyes was that of a child with a new toy.
“Take this with you. It’s dark out there, and the firelight doesn’t reach far. If anything happens, having a flashlight will make things easier. Don’t worry about anyone spotting it, it’s fine. I can protect myself, and I can protect you and Uncle too! Trust me! Okay?” Qi Yanxuan cupped Shen Yanqing’s face in his hands and gazed at him with deep affection.
He wanted to be the one who gave him a sense of security, wanted him to live freely and at ease. And in return, all he needed was a reassuring embrace from him whenever he himself grew tired.
In the past, Qi Yanxuan had been like duckweed drifting with no place to land, never knowing where his journey would end. Now he had found his home, wherever Shen Yanqing was, that was home. When two people are together, there’s no need to keep count of who gives more, because they will always be together!
“Alright! I’ll protect A-Xuan too!” A flash of determination crossed Shen Yanqing’s eyes. Even if danger lay ahead, he would surely stand in front of Qi Yanxuan. He pulled Qi Yanxuan into a fierce embrace, arms tightening as if to press him into his very body so they would never, ever be apart.
Tucking the flashlight inside his clothes, Shen Yanqing left the tent to stand watch for the night.
The night passed without incident.
The next day,
“Yanshan, we’re about to enter the mountains. You and your son know the mountains far better than the rest of us, so we’ll be counting on you to lead the villagers.” Thinking of the dangers lurking in the mountains, the village chief was gripped with worry as he looked at Shen Yanshan pleadingly.
“All right. Yanqing and I will teach everyone how to survive in the mountains, but a lot of the dangers in there you’ll have to stay alert to on your own. Village Chief, first have everyone bind their sleeves and trouser cuffs with strips of cloth, like this.” Shen Yanshan showed the village chief his own already-bound sleeves and cuffs.
Then the whole group set off into the mountain range. The light within the mountains was dimmer than outside. Treading on rotting dead leaves, they looked up to see layer upon dense layer of interlacing branches overhead, sunlight could barely reach the ground. The moment the crowd of over ten thousand people entered the towering mountain range, they vanished from sight entirely.
Kaoshan Village walked at the front of the procession, with a long line of people trailing behind. The mountain forest was riddled with danger, and Qi Yanxuan knew these people were deliberately hanging back, scheming to let Kaoshan Village scout out the path ahead.
But he couldn’t care less. Who would end up dead remained to be seen. If these people thought they could use them as sacrificial lambs, they should have asked whether he even agreed.
Along the way, whenever anyone spotted edible wild vegetables or fruit, everyone scrambled to pick them, the whole crowd was like a plague of locusts sweeping through the land.
Hardly any of them knew medicinal herbs, though, and that worked out nicely for the Kaoshan Village villagers.
“If you see any of these herbs, pick them!”
Doctor Xu gathered a few specimens of easily recognizable plants dandelion, cocklebur, wild chrysanthemum, plantain and passed them around to the villagers so everyone could gather herbs as they walked.
The weather was scorching hot these days, and many of these plants could clear heat and detoxify the body. Having come across them, how could they possibly pass them by? Besides, the mountain forest was full of poisonous creatures, who knew when the herbs might come in handy?
Back in the desert, it had been thanks to the heat-clearing, detoxifying herbs Doctor Xu carried that everyone had avoided dying of heatstroke. So the moment Doctor Xu mentioned gathering herbs, everyone threw themselves into it with gusto, eyes sweeping around like they’d been fitted with radar, letting not a single medicinal plant slip past.
Darkness fell especially fast in the forest. Shen Yanqing led everyone to a flat, wind-sheltered spot to make camp; they would spend the night there.
Doctor Xu handed out mugwort to everyone. “Burn some before you sleep, it keeps mosquitoes and insects away! And stuff today’s vervain into a sachet and carry it on you it repels snakes!”
Everyone did as Doctor Xu instructed.
Three days passed without incident.
Today, as the group made their way through dense thicket, Shen Yanqing called a halt.
“There are wild boar tracks here. Everyone, be careful!” Shen Yanqing warned them with a grave expression.
After that, everyone pricked up their ears and picked their way forward cautiously, terrified that a wild boar might come charging out of nowhere at any moment.
After walking for about an hour, a rustle sounded from the bushes. The group froze, staring ahead.
A sounder of wild boars burst out from the undergrowth fully six of them.
***
Seeing this, Shen Yanqing yanked Qi Yanxuan behind him in one motion, drawing the short blade at his waist, his eyes alert and wary.
At the very front of the group, Kaoshan Village bore the brunt of the wild boar’s charge. The other able-bodied men of the village, seeing this, likewise drew their weapons and stepped forward.
Though the women were frightened, they still shielded the elderly and children of their households behind them.
One good thing about Kaoshan Village was its honest, united folk. Sure, there were occasional petty squabbles, and some people were gossipy big mouths, but when real trouble struck, they would never abandon you.
The wild boar charged straight toward the crowd.