3.2
The north was unlike the south. The city states people inhabit are usually scattered tribes within the jungle or wilderness. In order to survive in such places, one must abide by the law of the jungle – elimination of the weakest and survival of the fittest.
That's to say, the useless can never hope to attain recognition from others.
Of course, if survival is the ideal, then there is another method – precisely, attaching yourself to the strong by selling your body. It was all thanks to this method the chief allowed Zhe Yan and Chang An to live so long in his tribe.
The Bald Eagle* Tribe which they inhabit now is actually not as resourceful as Zhe Yan and Chang An's former home. The chief already has three wives and children and really has no spare energy to take in an infertile sub-beast. About two to three years ago, he also started losing interest in Zhe Yan and from that point on, the 'guests' visiting their small cottage were no longer fixed.
*Name of the tribe
Chang An, as if he had long been accustomed to doing so, turned and left.
He walked all the way to the river with a straw basket on his back and sat by the bank, immersing his feet into the cold stream.
A passing woman who saw him waved with joy and yelled, "Chang An! Chang An! Quickly come over here!"
This lady's name is A Yan and her house is nearby. Her husband had died during a hunting expedition and now she lives alone. The north is a vicious place for widows so it became the norm for many to remarry. Of course, there are always exceptions, A Yan herself, for example. No one is willing to marry her, not because she is ugly, but because she is infertile.
A woman who cannot bear children cannot be justified as a wife.
If she wanted to, she could be like Zhe Yan, exchanging favors for pity —— but it is only natural to expect being abandoned somewhere down that path.
Rather than living her days lacking dignity and sanctity, she'd much rather rely on herself to survive, despite how difficult and arduous that be.
A Yan's specialty was making sugar candy from malt and no one else is as good as her in the craft. The candy produced is both delicate and fragrant, sweet and crystal-like. She might lead a better life in the south because in the war-torn, desolate and impoverished north, malt is something only a small fraction of families can obtain. The profits gained were low so she could only do additional rough work to accommodate.
Chang An slipped on his straw sandals and ran over to her. A Yan cautiously gave their surroundings a quick glance and then seeing no one, squatted and laid down the heavy basket of raw hide behind her.
Winter was coming and she has to help the Chief's wives take care of these raw hides.
Then she took out something from inside her robes and and stuffed it into Chang An's hands, “Take it," she said.
It was a little brown bag.
Chang An opened it up and found three finger-sized malt candy inside, round and translucent.
A Yan said quietly: "Eat it secretly."
These are the leftover candies from her business and she didn't dare to grab too many in case people notice. Chang An picked up one, tiptoed, and placed it before her mouth.
A Yan lightly pressed his skinny hand down and said softly, "It's for you Chang An. I already ate."
Hearing this, Chang An treasured the sugar in his mouth, smiling happily at the sweetness.
A Yan stared at his smiling face——this child has beautiful eyes, but his gaze is always slightly cold. Only when he is smiling would the creases of his eyes flush pink like falling spring petals.
A Yan rubbed his head with a sigh: "Chang An is prettier than any other child in the tribe. If only you were my son…."
Her gaze fell unintentionally on Chang An's neck, and then her expression abrupted changed. She pulled aside the brittle material of his robe revealing bloody bruises and scars.
"How did this happen?" Her complexion sank and she stood up to glare at the adjacent cottage, "that bitch……he actually hit you?"
*贱人 – I translated it as bitch, but its meaning borders on slut more.
Chang An immediately shook his head and replied softly, "Zhe Yan is not a bitch, he treats me very well actually."
He picked up his small basket, pushed aside the cover, and took out a bundle of flowers.
These flowers grow in clusters and resembled little bells, thus their name "Colorful Bell Flowers." Even when they are plucked, their freshness can be maintained for up to 10 days and emit a gentle fragrance. Women love hanging them up in their homes but they are very precious and rare, growing in the deep forest only hunters are allowed to scavenge.
Chang An whispered, “A Yan, here,” and handed her a flower.
A Yan accepted it with a bit of surprise. “Is it for me?”
Chang An nodded.
A Yan blanked momentarily. She sighed and reached to caress the child's small tender face, "Didn't I say you cannot enter the forest alone? What if you meet a fearsome animal?"
"Went to see the training."Chang An replied.
The other end of the forest is reserved to be a training ground for young hunters and warriors alike. Chang An always liked to sneak into the grass bushes to peek. The adults there are all aware of his presence, but because he'd never caused trouble, they allowed him to do as he liked.
"Do you not like it?" He questioned with a sense of urgency, nervous.
"It's very beautiful," A Yan said, "I like it a lot."
She seemed to have something more to say but then the door of the Zhe Yan's cottage opened and a man stepped out.
Zhe Yan was behind him, pulling on his robes. They whispered something to each other and then Zhe Yan unexpectedly revealed a smile and called him from afar: "Chang An, come over here!"
Chang An ran forward with his little basket clacking behind him and Zhe Yan pulled him over and said to the abreast man: "This is Chang An, the one I told you about."
The man frowned and looked at the child: "Are you crazy? He's too young, is he even four?"
"He's already six. "
With a grin, Zhe Yan bent down and said, "This is Luke, a famous carpenter, as well as your future master. You are to become a respected artisan like him."
Chang An looked at Luke silently.
Zhe Yan grabbed Luke's sleeve: "I have no skills to teach him so I beg you to accept him. He's very capable and doesn't eat a lot so please."
Luke scrutinized Chang An critically: "Is he really six? But he looks way too small——and there are also so many herbal medicines in the house, is he ill?"
"No no, he's very healthy. Only that he's a late bloomer! Zhe Yan quickly denied, "the medicine in the house is for me, it's the truth! Believe me! If you dislike him, then you can let him return every night and I'll take care of him. Chang An is very smart, he surely wouldn't forget the path home, right? Quickly say something!" He urged.
Chang An neither nodded nor shook his head and only stood there quietly.
Perhaps men after venting their anger will find their hearts softened because Lu Ke hesitated briefly before finally relenting: "I'll test him out tomorrow. It's not that I will not accept him but if he proves incapable of swallowing the bitter pill, then I'll return him to you."
Zhe Yan's eyes brightened.
Lu Ke patted Chang An on the head a little coarsely, and then reached into his inner folds, beginning, "today's…"
"No no," Zhe Yan intercepted, pushing his hand away with a meaningful smile, "It's unnecessary, I like you, I am willing."
Chang An watched Zhe Yan enthusiastically sent Luke off and then return to him with an animate smile, "a sub-beast's easiest way out is to become a craftsman. That way, he can be ensured survival in any tribe for the rest of his life. Do you understand my meaning? You have to study well with Luke, after all, it was difficult for me to convince him……”
Behind him, Chang An whispered quietly, "I want to learn how to hunt."
*He say "我想学刀" – which literally means "I want to learn the blade."
But immersed in his own joy, Zhe Yan did not hear him at all. He was focused solely on the future——this child is his baby, and was once his only reason for living. That's why, he needs to have a future brighter than anyone else, and be stronger than everybody else.
While translating this, I was imagining Chang An similar to the child in this video:
Watch it all the way for full effects!