The dust settles

Chapter 3

The mother led a group of people, facing the east on the platform of the arcade in Guanzhai, hoping that Wang Qi would come from the east.

From below, the living Buddha slapped the steel ring on the lion's head on the gate of the village.

The cripple butler wanted to pass down the message several times to ask someone to open the door.But they were stopped by my mother.My mother asked me, "Do you want to open the door?"

"Tell them to wait. You can't be so anxious to ask for money from my family." I said.

The butler, the maids, and the servants all laughed.Only my nanny didn't laugh.I know that in her mind, the monks are confused with the gods and Buddhas in the temple.

Dolma said: "The young master is really smart."

The mother gave the maid a sharp look, and Dolma fell silent and said nothing more.

Mother scolded: "How could you be so rude to the Living Buddha!" ​​Pulling up her long pleated skirt, she went downstairs to open the door for the Living Buddha in person.

The living Buddha finished his salute.Mrs. Tusi did not return the salute, but said coquettishly, "I saw the living Buddha's yellow umbrella was blown into the river." "Amitabha, madam, it's because of my low morality."

It was windy in the valley.The wind whistled high in the air.

Mother did not invite the living Buddha into the palace, she said: "The wind is blowing, tomorrow, you also bring the musicians from the temple to welcome our guests."

The Living Buddha was so excited that he couldn't even speak, and kept bowing to Mrs. Tusi.Logically speaking, it was wrong for him to do so.As soon as he puts on the yellow shirt and purple cassock, he is no longer himself, but the representative of many gods and Buddhas in this land, but he has forgotten all these.

In the morning, as soon as two trumpets sounded from the watchtower, I got up and wore my own clothes.The nanny hurriedly brought the bedpan, but I couldn't get anything out.One day yesterday, I pulled out all the things in my stomach.

Drums were beating in the scripture hall, and cigarettes were lingering on the official village.The courtyard and the square in front of the official village were tethered with sweaty horses.The leaders came from the four villages and eight villages with their own troops.My mother and I came downstairs together, and the brigade set off.Mrs. Toast rode a white horse among a team of red horses.Around her waist is a palm-width silver belt, on her chest are numerous bead ornaments, and the newly braided braids on her head are shiny.I hit the horse to catch up.Mother smiled at me.My red horse is fatter and stronger than all the red horses, and has a quicker pace.As soon as my mother and I were side by side, people cheered for the two beautiful horses.Amidst the cheers, the sun shone on the road ahead, and my mother and I walked forward side by side.I thought she didn't want to go out with a stupid guy.But she didn't, she walked forward with her son, waving the whip with red tassels in her hand to the cheering crowd.At this time, my heart was filled with infinite love for her.

As soon as I lifted the rein, Pegasus ran to the front.

I also want to say, "I love you, Mama," like all sane kids do.

But I said to my mother who caught up immediately: "Look, Mom, the bird."

"That's an eagle, fool," said the mother, and she shaped her free hand into the shape of an eagle's claw. "This way, you can catch rabbits and lambs."

"They also catch dead fish in the river."

"And they'll jump down and catch poisonous snakes."

I know that the poisonous snake that my mother refers to is the leader of the rebellion, and even chieftain Wangbo who intends to be our enemy.After the mother said this, she asked the leaders to rush to the front.I reined in the horse and stood by the side of the road.I saw Sangye Dolma wearing bright clothes, walking with the servants.Today the servants dress up too, but the clothes, like their faces, are never brightly colored.Dolma walked with these people, I feel that she has been wronged.

She looked at me with sadness in her eyes.

She came up to me.I threw the reins in her hand into her hand.In this way, a tall horse, a person with a problem in the brain but born noble, separated her from the crowd who could only hope for the afterlife.Mrs. Chieftain and her majestic entourage disappeared across a mountain bay.Ahead of us spread out a sunny moor, with golden woods high above, and the river glistening below.The luxuriant winter wheat fields surround the villages one by one.Each time such a place passes, the line will expand a little.

This growing procession was right behind me, and no one wanted to get ahead of their master.Every time I look back, there are strong men taking off their hats and beautiful girls making bright faces.Ah, how good it is to be a chieftain, the king of a small piece of land.If I hadn't been just my father's drunken son, I would definitely have thought of killing my father at this moment.

And I just said, "Dolma, stop, I'm thirsty."

Dolma turned around and shouted to the people behind.Immediately, several men trotted, with a puff of smoke behind their feet, knelt down in front of my horse, and took out various wine utensils from their arms.Dolma blocked the unclean drinking utensils one by one.Those who were rejected felt like a death in the family.I quench my thirst from a wine jug fashioned into a bird.As I wiped my mouth, I asked, "Who are you?"

The man bowed his slender waist and replied, "The silversmith Quza."

"Are you a good silversmith?"

"I'm a silversmith with poor skills." The man said calmly.Originally, I should have rewarded him with something, but instead I said lightly: "Okay, you go down."

Dolma said: "The young master wants to reward him with something."

I said, "If only he would take one less look at you."

And I also know, as a king, how vulnerable the heart is.

Dolma pinched me, and only then did I regain a good feeling.I glanced at her, and she boldly glanced at me, so that I fell into the abyss of her eyes and couldn't extricate myself.

So, let me sing a song:
Ah, please look up, what a beautiful view there, there is a tower of honor.

Ah, please look into it, what beautiful scenery is there, and there are good boys with guns on their backs.

Ah, please look down, what a beautiful view there, that is a beautiful girl wearing silk.

As soon as I started, Dolma sang along.She sang heart-stirringly, melodiously and gracefully.But I don't think she sang for me.That boy is not me.But she, a servant, put on silk and satin because of our favor.She's done.I said, "Sing again."

She thought I was very happy, so she sang it again.

I asked her to sing again.She finished singing again.I asked her to sing again.This time, she didn't sing so well.I said, "Sing again."

Her tears flowed down.As I said, on this day, I learned how good it is to be a king.I also understand how easy it is for a king to feel sad.As soon as her tears came down, I felt the pain in my heart gradually calm down.

4. VIP
That morning, we set off from Guanzhai and pitched a tent to welcome guests at Shili.

The men will perform horsemanship and marksmanship.

The lamas at home and the lamas in the temple have to perform drum music and divine dance performances respectively, which is also a kind of competition that requires great efforts for them.In all fairness, we like this kind of competition among lamas.Otherwise, their status is simply too high.

Without this competition, they can unanimously say to you, Buddha said this, Buddha said that.Make your toast have to let them talk nonsense there.But when there is a problem between them, they will come and say, let's pray for the prosperity of the Tusi family.They will also assure you that their prayers will be a little more effective than others.

As soon as the whole sheep in our place was put into the pot, the fragrance of the tea came out, and all kinds of ear-shaped pasta came out of the oil pot, we saw one, two, and three pillars of green smoke rising into the sky from the mountain ridge. A signal of the arrival of a distinguished guest.Carpets were immediately laid out inside and outside the tent.All kinds of food were placed on the short table in front of the carpet, including fried animal ears freshly pulled out of the frying pan.Listen, those ears are still squeaking.

With a few horn horns and a puff of yellow dust, our cavalry rushed out.

Then there was a group of people holding khatas, including several singers with high-pitched voices.

Then there is a group of monks holding conch shells and suona.

Father will be greeted by these three groups of people in turn when he leads our distinguished guests on the road.We heard a volley of gunfire, fired by the cavalry, and of the nature of a salute.Then came the singing of the common people.When the distant conch and the cheerful suona sounded, the guests had already come to us.

Chief Maiqi reined in his horse, and everyone could see his pride and joy.And the officials of the provincial government who stood side by side with him were not as imposing as we imagined.It was a thin man, and he took off his hat and waved it at the crowd.With a crash, a large group of aliens knelt down on the withered grass.The house slaves bowed their waists and rolled the carpet in front of the horse, and the two little house slaves immediately set up the ladder for dismounting on all fours.One of them is my partner Solan Zelang.

The thin man wore a straight hat, adjusted his black glasses, raised his legs, and stepped on Suolang Zelang's back to get off the horse.He waved his hand, and dozens of neatly dressed soldiers came up to him. When the chieftain walked up to his wife, there was only a sound of a trumpet, and they saluted the chieftain and his wife with a neat military salute.Then, Commissioner Huang Chumin presented Mrs. Tusi with silk, jade and gold as gifts.Mrs. Toast offered a bowl of wine and a yellow hada.The girls also handed the wine and hada to the Han soldiers at this time.The drums of the lamas began to whine.

Commissioner Huang went into the tent and sat down. His father asked Tong Si if he could ask someone to perform a dance.

Tong Si said: "Wait, the commissioner hasn't written poetry yet."

It turned out that this Han guest was a poet.The poet would not have had the chance to do this with us; at first, seeing his half-closed eyes, I thought he was intoxicated by the food and the beauty of the girls.

Commissioner Huang sat with his eyes closed for a while, then opened his eyes and said that he had finished his poem.After watching the girls' singing and dancing with great interest, he yawned when the lamas performed the lengthy divine dance, so he went to smoke with the support of his soldiers.That's exactly what they said, it's time for the commissioner to take a breath and refresh himself.The interest of the lamas was hit, and the dance steps became sluggish immediately.The Living Buddha of Minzhu Ning Temple, who finally won this opportunity, waved his hand, and an embroidered statue of Shakyamuni entered the dance hall holding it high.Just hearing the sound of "buzz", people all fell to the ground, and the dancing monks started to dance again.

The chieftain said to his wife, "The Living Buddha works very hard."

Mother said: "Yes, I knew it was like this, so why did I do it in the first place."

Dad laughed happily."It's a pity that so few people know this truth," he said.

"Perhaps, by the time they understand this truth, it will be too late."

The living Buddha came to meet him wearing crystal glasses, and his face was not very natural.It was his father who took his soft and fat hand and said: "We are going to settle accounts with Chieftain Wang Bo, so you can recite sutras for us and bless us invincible."

The father said: "Tomorrow, I will send someone to send alms."

The Living Buddha folded his hands and bid farewell.

In the tent, the soldier next to Commissioner Huang has been replaced by our girl, his eyes are shining like nocturnal animals.

The last program of the day is photoshoot.

After our family sat around Commissioner Huang, I found out that my brother hadn't come back.It turned out that he was escorting the purchased ammunition in the back: rifles, machine guns and bullets.

The person who took the photo was Tong Si, who is now often called a translator.We called this kind of person who can change one language into another language Tongsi at that time.My father held me in his arms, Commissioner Huang sat in the middle, and my mother sat on the other side.This is the first photo in the history of our Maiqi toast.Now that I think about it, it's really about time that photography came into our place, as if it was designed to leave a clear picture of our end.

But at that time we all regarded all this as the beginning of a more prosperous family than before; at that time, my father and mother were so lively, but the photos made us so dull, as if some futures were destined Characters who disappear quickly.You see, the father in the photo looks neither dead nor alive.As everyone knows, at that time, he was full of ambitions, ready to suddenly hit our neighbor who offended us.And to a certain extent, he is the kind of character who is aware of punching.

A few days later, my brother arrived with the newly purchased ammunition.

The land next to Guanzhai, where a horse can't run to the end, is full of yellow dust all day long, and it has become our family's training ground.The platoon of regular soldiers brought by Commissioner Huang acted as strict instructors.As long as one of them gave an order hoarsely, our people would march forward in a square formation, shouting slogans and walking stiffly in the field.Of course, they didn't have a clear goal yet, they just chanted slogans, kicked up billowing yellow dust all the way, walked to the end of the earth and yelled and walked back all the way dusty.This is completely different from the pre-war training we understand.

Father wanted to ask Commissioner Huang what this meant, and whether this kind of military training could really help him defeat Chieftain Wang Bo.Commissioner Huang said without waiting for his father to speak: "Congratulations, chieftain Maiqi, you have become the one who truly has a modern army among all the chieftains; you will be invincible."

The father felt that this was a bit unreasonable, so he asked his mother: "Before, have you ever seen an army trained like this?"

Mother said, "I haven't seen an army trained any other way."

(End of this chapter)