Chapter 77 Darry
Chapter 77 Darry
Talking about this military expedition, Burigude was not worried at all. In his opinion, this war was destined to be won. Maybe the next time they saw him, he would no longer be a centurion but a thousand-man captain.
Seeing Burigude's high spirits, Zhu Shenzui didn't want to discourage him. He could only say a few words to ask him to be careful. After all, swords and guns are brutal on the battlefield, and even the bravest generals will inevitably suffer injuries. He didn't want a Mongolian general he had finally met to die on the battlefield.
As long as Burigude could come back alive, what did the outcome of the war matter? With Burigude around, Zhu Shenzhui would have a reliable trade route when he came to the grassland again, which was the most important thing for him.
The specific transaction will be handled by the people below, and neither Zhu Shenzhui nor Burigude are worried about this. This transaction is also a win-win situation. Burigude has gained a lot from Zhu Shenzhui through the transaction, and Zhu Shenzhui has not suffered any loss. It is nothing more than the difference of making more or less money. For Zhu Shenzhui, it is far more worthwhile to establish a relationship with Burigude than to sell these goods.
While they were chatting, the transaction outside was completed. When Burigude's people and Ma Shizhou returned to the yurt and reported the completion of the transaction, Burigude felt more relaxed.
In a good mood, he greeted Zhu Shenzhui warmly and said that he would treat Zhu Shenzhui and his friends to a whole roasted lamb tonight. On the one hand, it was to congratulate them on the completion of the transaction, and on the other hand, it was to thank Zhu Shenzhui. He hoped that he would come to him first every time he came to the grassland in the future.
That night, in Burigude's tent, the enthusiastic Burigude not only invited Zhu Shencui, but also found two centurions who were on good terms with the tribe to join him.
Several people drank wine and ate roasted whole lamb with big mouthfuls. In addition, Zhu Shenzui specially prepared some other delicious food for them, so the dinner was extremely enjoyable.
As the mood took them, they inevitably drank too much. The half-drunk Burigude even went on stage to dance. One centurion hummed a Mongolian long tune, while another clapped the rhythm happily. Even Zhu Shenzhui was pulled off the stage by Burigude and started dancing like him.
Seeing Zhu Shenzui's somewhat awkward dancing posture, everyone burst into laughter and the atmosphere reached its peak.
This is the best way for men to get closer, even if it's a Ming Dynasty man and three Mongolians. After this big feast, everyone became good friends after getting drunk, and the other two centurions praised the steamed rice and other delicacies specially prepared by Zhu Shenzhui today.
In front of Burigude, they patted their chests and assured Zhu Shencui that even if Zhu Shencui came to their tribe in the future, he could come to them if Burigude was not there, and as a friend, they would definitely treat him well.
Zhu Shencui's alcohol tolerance was quite good, but it was still inferior to these Mongolians. He drank too much kumis today. After the banquet, Zhu Shencui staggered to say goodbye to Burigude and others and reluctantly returned to his yurt. When he arrived, he dived in, lay down on the thick blanket with unsteady steps, and subconsciously reached out to grab the water bag placed aside.
I grabbed the water bag, opened the lid and tilted my head back to drink, but I didn't expect the water in it was gone after just two sips.
After shaking the empty water bag vigorously, Zhu Shenzhui stood up to look for water, but his head felt dizzy and he couldn't get up. He shouted towards the outside of the yurt.
After the shout, a thin shadow came in from outside and knelt down there without moving.
The light in the yurt was dim, and Zhu Shenzhui couldn't see who the visitor was for a moment. With a dry mouth, he asked again to bring some water, but the other party didn't move at all.
Shaking his head, Zhu Shencui focused and looked hard, then he saw clearly that the person kneeling over there was not his, but the youngest of the three slaves given to him by Bu Rigude.
Compared to yesterday, after Ma Shizhou washed them, the smell on the slaves was much lighter, and they changed their dirty clothes and looked cleaner than before.
"Water! I want to drink water!" Because he drank too much, Zhu Shenzhui's attention was a little distracted. He did not bother to ask why he came in, so he changed his words and said in Mongolian.
The little slave understood and responded quickly, backing out of the yurt. After a moment, he came back with a water bag in his hand.
"Master, please drink some water..." Kneeling on his knees, the little slave came to Zhu Shenzhui and handed the water bag to him with both hands. However, Zhu Shenzhui was a little drunk now. With a dazed look in his eyes, he stretched out his hand but failed to grab the water bag, and his whole body shook.
The little slave was startled and hurriedly helped Zhu Shenzhui. After hesitating, he opened the wooden stopper of the water bag and carefully put the water bag to Zhu Shenzhui's mouth.
Zhu Shencui felt all this in a daze, but he didn't care about anything else. He opened his mouth and started drinking in big gulps with the help of the little slave. After drinking several sips of water, he felt much more comfortable. After stopping, Zhu Shencui let out a long breath, closed his eyes, put on his clothes, and lay down. Soon after, he began to snore.
Seeing Zhu Shencui sleeping soundly, the little slave knelt beside him and did not leave. He stuffed the water bag and held it in his arms, then stayed in the yurt, quietly waiting for Zhu Shencui.
That night, Zhu Shencui, who seldom dreamed, had a messy dream. In the dream, he seemed to be wandering in a desert. The desert was so large that one could not see the end at a glance. The scorching sun in the sky made people tired and thirsty. He stumbled in the desert for a long time and could not find a way out. Zhu Shencui was so thirsty that he could not bear it. At this time, nectar fell from the sky and Zhu Shencui drank it all. After drinking it, he continued on his way. When he was thirsty, the nectar came to his mouth just right, making him feel refreshed...
This strange dream lasted all night, and Zhu Shenzhui woke up the next day, only to find himself lying in a yurt.
Zhu Shenzhui opened his eyes, his head still aching from drinking too much last night. The first thing he saw was the little slave kneeling not far from him.
For a moment, Zhu Shenzhu was a little dazed. He couldn't remember how this little slave got into his yurt. But when his eyes fell on the water bag in the little slave's arms, Zhu Shenzhu remembered what he had experienced in his dream. After trying hard to recall, he vaguely remembered that he seemed to have drunk too much and seemed to call this little slave to bring him water.
No wonder my dreams were so strange, and Ganluo would appear when my mouth was dry. It turned out that this little slave had been guarding me all night, and when I cried for water in my dreams, he would give me water.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Zhu Shenzui couldn't help but laugh at himself, and at the same time subconsciously looked at the little slave.
He had never looked closely at the three slaves that Burigude had given him before, and they were so dirty that he could not see their faces clearly. Now, because they had been washed and changed into clean clothes, he could see their appearance.
This little slave looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, with a standard Mongolian face, with narrow eyes, a large face, high cheekbones, and a flat nose.
Perhaps it was because he had not been full for a long time as a slave, so he looked very thin. After guarding Zhu Shenzui for a whole night, the little slave was already exhausted. He held the water bag and swayed his thin body slightly, and his head dozed off little by little like a chicken pecking at rice.
Zhu Shenzhui stretched, but as soon as he moved, the little slave suddenly woke up.
When he saw that Zhu Shencui had woken up and was looking at him, a trace of panic suddenly flashed across the little slave's face. He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Zhu Shencui, mumbling in Mongolian asking his master for forgiveness.
"Okay, stop kowtowing and get up." Although Zhu Shenzhui was a member of the royal family, his family had long been impoverished. He had never had servants at home since he was a child, and he had never been served like this.
Although he knew that in Mongolia, slaves were the lowest form of life and the value of a slave was probably not even as high as that of a sheep.
Ma Shizhou once told Zhu Shenzhui that he became such a slave after he was brought to Mongolia. He worked harder than cattle and horses every day, but ate worse than animals. The slave owner, the so-called master, would beat or scold him if he was not satisfied with him. It was common for slaves to be beaten to death by their masters.
No one would care about the life or death of a lowly slave. Such a life is simply not something a person can live on. It is also for this reason that when the little slave found that Zhu Shenzhui had woken up, but he had fallen asleep while guarding his master, it was normal for him to act like this out of fear.
"Come here and help me change clothes!" Zhu Shencui said to the little slave. The little slave looked up in horror, and was relieved to see that Zhu Shencui did not seem to punish him. He quickly put down the water bag and came to Zhu Shencui. He helped Zhu Shencui take off his outer robe with clumsy hands and feet, and then helped him put on a clean robe.
Then, he helped Zhu Shenzhui wash his face and rinse his mouth. After he finished all this, Zhu Shenzhui no longer looked like he was drunk yesterday and had regained his usual spirit.
"What's your name?" Zhu Shenzhui sat down and asked the little slave.
"My lord, my name is Dali."
"Dari?" Zhu Shenzhui was slightly stunned, because in Mongolian Dari means the sea. Similarly, in the Ming Dynasty, Dalian is actually Dari, which also means the sea, but it is written as Dalian because of the different pronunciation.
“Yes Master…” Darry replied while kneeling on the ground.
"What's your last name?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.
"My lord, I don't have a surname." Dali replied humbly.
"No last name? Then who gave you this name?"
"I gave myself the name 'Master'." What surprised Zhu Shenzhui was that Dali gave him such an answer. Zhu Shenzhui asked him with interest why he gave himself this name.
Dali told Zhu Shenzhui that because he had lived near Qier Lake with his previous master since he was a child, he didn't know his origins and he had not seen his parents since he was very young.
Because of the Beggar Lake, Dari gave himself such a name. Although the Mongolians live on the grassland, their hearts yearn for the sea and usually call lakes "Haizi". Dari is the same. He has heard people talk about the vastness of the sea and hopes in his heart that one day he can see the real sea with his own eyes.
"You did a good job last night. Tell me, Dari, what reward do you want?" Zhu Shenzhui asked calmly. Although it was not Zhu Shenzhui's intention for Dali to serve him all night, anyway, with Dali there that night, he did not suffer after getting drunk.
Zhu Shenzhui always punishes those who have done wrong and rewards those who have done good. Although Dali is just a slave, Zhu Shenzhui's soul is that of a modern man. He doesn't care much about class. Besides, the other party is a poor Mongolian child, so he asked this question.
Dali was stunned for a moment, his expression seemed a little dazed, or he didn't understand what Zhu Shenzhui meant.
After all, in his heart, as a slave, he should do whatever he wants for his master, even his own life belongs to his master. But now Zhu Shenzhui's question has exceeded Dali's normal thinking, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.
Seeing that he was in a daze, Zhu Shenzhui continued to ask a question, and Dali came back to his senses.
After hesitating for a moment, Dari kowtowed to Zhu Shenzhui without saying a word. His kowtow was so strong that the sound could be heard even in the yurt covered with a blanket.
"Dali, when I ask you what reward you want, you don't have to kowtow. Just tell me what you want." Zhu Shenzhui said with a frown.
Dali stopped moving, still not daring to look up. He clenched his fists and said to Zhu Shenzhui in a trembling voice, "My kind master, I don't need any reward. I just hope to follow you forever and serve you well..."
(End of this chapter)