Shan

Last night my every instinct was to keep Jinhai in my arms till morning.  The pain of seeing him leave was physical.  After so long, after the intensity of our reunion, I just wanted to hold him, listening to his breathing and looking at his beautiful face.  He turned at the door and smiled and then he was gone.  I had to remind myself that he wasn’t going far, that I’d see him tomorrow.  It was a long time before I slept, clutching the bracelet he’d given me.

Getting Hao Meng to hire me was a breeze, because each of us instantly recognized an army veteran in the other.  We compared experiences, in my case suitably tailored to give the impression that I’d left the army a year or two ago.  He was a soldier for twenty years, quitting some twelve years ago.  He asked a few pertinent questions and engaged me on the spot.  There’s something about him which reminds me irresistibly of Shao Ru.

Jinhai has given me a lively picture of the merchants and the various relationships in the caravan, so I’m prepared when a clash with the Zhu boy occurs almost immediately.  The argument about expense and delay wins Zhu Min over and persuades him to follow my advice, but I see from his son’s expression that the matter isn’t over, and indeed, next morning, the boxes have been unloaded.  I have no intention of getting into a squabble with a teenager, so I leave the matter to the father to deal with. 

However on the morning of our departure, the boxes are once again on the ground beside the wagon.  Zhu Yu’s sitting on the steps with a look that says, “And just what are you going to do about this?”

A number of people have collected to see the show.  Zhu Min’s clearly deeply-worried and frustrated.   The grey dog, recognizing the smell, trots over and decorates the boxes again.  Zhu Min utters a small cry and calls for his son’s servant.  Jinhai and the Yao boy are standing together.  There’s a gleeful, anticipatory look on Jinhai’s face which I recognize.

The servant comes over, bends down to pick up the first box and utters a loud howl of pain.  Clutching his back, he falls to his knees and rolls theatrically on the ground, wailing.  “Oh my back, my back!  Ai, what am I going to do?  My poor back!”

Quick as a flash, Jinhai’s kneeling beside him.  He tentatively feels the sturdy back and the man’s wails redouble.  Jinhai looks serious.  “I’m afraid this servant has damaged the muscles of his back.  I’ll give him some medicine, but he won’t be able to do any heavy work for a while.”

“But the boxes….” Zhu Min looks round helplessly.

Madam Zhu, no fool, says, “One servant’s too old and the other’s only a boy.  You’ll have to load the boxes up yourself, husband.”

It occurs to me that Madam Zhu may not be very fond of this other woman’s difficult son.

Jinhai helps the moaning servant up and assists him towards the Yao wagon.  Nobody offers to help Zhu Min with the loading.  In fact, the crowd mysteriously melts away.  He speaks to his son in an unusually sharp tone.  “Ah-Yu, get down here and help me, now.”

Grinning, I turn to go and saddle up.  Hao Meng appears at my elbow, looking thoughtful.  “That was interesting,” he says.

“I've an idea your Young Master Zhao had something to do with it.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me at all.  Well, I’m off now.  The baby’s in your arms till this evening.”

I’ve drawn up a plan dictating the order of travel and the camping arrangements, and have communicated it to all the wagons.  There’s a short interval of fussing before we get away but then we proceed without problems till midday.  As Jinhai has told me, this is nothing like the army.  All the same, my spirits rise at being in charge of something again, however different this may be to leading two hundred cavalrymen.  The three backsides in saddles, as Hao Meng calls them, are deployed in the middle of the caravan and Jinhai’s bringing up the rear, riding a horse I’ve never seen before, a long-legged chestnut with a white blaze and a lot of class. 

We lunch lengthily.  I ponder ways of shortening the midday stop, during which we’re vulnerable to attack.  Halfway through the afternoon, we meet Hao Meng cantering back to meet us.  The camping place isn’t far ahead.

“You made good time,” he calls as he approaches, “Lose anybody on the way?”

“No, all right so far.”

He turns his horse and falls into step beside me.  “They’re good people mostly.  But they can be a sore pain in the ass.”

We get to the camping area and there’s an interval of chaos because everyone’s forgotten the plan.  I get them into order eventually, the servants start to unharness the horses and I dismount to show them how to establish a picket line.  A few moments later, there’s a loud shout, Yaaaaah, followed by the sound of fast hoof-beats.  I spin round to see Zhu Yu on horseback galloping full tilt out of the circle of wagons.  He’s on my horse.

The little bastard's taken my horse!

There’s no time to get angry.  I put two fingers in my mouth and whistle, loud and clear.  Swift’s pace slows, he turns in a half-circle and despite Zhu Yu’s frantic tugging and shouting, he canters back to me and lowers his head to my hand.

“Young Master Zhu,” I say, in the sudden silence.  “Please get down.”

“The fuck I will,” he yells.

I don’t give him a second chance.  Grabbing the collars of his robe, I haul him out of the saddle and send him sprawling on the ground.  “Tomorrow you walk,” I say.

“You can’t make me!”

“You can walk of your own free will or I can tether you to the back of a wagon.  Your choice.”

Zhu Min comes rushing over.  “Sir Zhan, Sir Zhan, don’t be harsh.  Can’t we talk about this?”

“Your son took my horse,” I say.

Hao Meng strolls over, squats down beside Zhu Yu and pokes at him with a forefinger.  “You do realize,” he observes, “That taking a man’s horse is tantamount to sentencing him to death?  Horse thieves aren’t very popular in this part of the world.  In fact, in some places, stealing a horse gets your head cut off.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Sir Zhu,” I say to Zhu Min, “Everyone here heard me clearly state the penalty for joy-riding.  I can’t make an exception for a member of your family.  That would look like favoritism.”

There’s a general mutter of agreement and everyone looks at Zhu Min, whom I have put, intentionally, in a spot.  He knows I’m in the right, but he doesn’t want to upset his precious son.  But the pursed lips and raised eyebrows in the crowd decide him. He turns to the boy.  “Ah-Zhu, you’ve behaved badly.  You must take your punishment like a man.”

“But Father….!”  Zhu Yu wipes the dirt off his face and struggles to his feet.

“Go back to your wagon and reflect on your errors,”  Zhu Min says, but the lad throws him a furious look and dashes off, pushing through the crowd.

I raise my voice.  “Let’s get settled now.  Get the horses watered.”

 “Vicious little bugger,” says Hao Meng.  “He’ll try it on again.  You’ll have to keep your eyes open.”

After that everything goes smoothly.  The caravan discovers that the new system is practical and even convivial.  Within the circle of the wagons, children start to play and servants begin to light fires and prepare the evening meal.  I hold another training session as the smell of food rises.  I eat with Jinhai’s friends again, seeing how very fond they all seem to be of one another.  Jinhai and the Yao lad almost seem like brothers and the strange Lei girl like a sister.  The Yao father also impressed me during our short encounter, though by his general appearance, it’s a toss-up whether or not he can last as far as the capital.  And Madam Zhong has a quiet authority behind her soft demeanour.  My little fox was lucky to fall in with these people.  I feel cold when I think about what might have happened.