244 This Is Very Meaningless (1/2)

Chapter 244: This Is Very Meaningless

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

Mo Shan glanced at him. Her eyes looked blank and even a little confused. It was clear that she was really not very good at it, though she was a world-famous Calligraphy Addict.

Ning Que forced himself not to laugh. He looked at the dry meat in his hands and began to chat with the Desolate woman.

He was very good at chatting. The reason why he could survive in such a dangerous environment since childhood was that he was ruthless enough and good at flattery, which was another important quality. So every general in the City of Wei, His Majesty the Emperor, Master Yen Se and the female professor Senior Sister beside the east window all liked him very much.

Therefore, soon the Desolate woman, who lowered her head and dealt with the animal skin, began to chat with him enthusiastically. Although her accent was slightly weird, they had no problem conversing when both of them slowed down.

”There are a lot of fish in Hot Sea, a wide range of fish.”

The Desolate women grabbed a pile of dry grasses and wiped out the bloodstains on her hands. And then she made a gesture by separating her arms. ”My man has seen such a long fish. But talking about deliciousness, every annual festival of sacrificial light, the patriarch will send brave men to dive into the sea in search of roe fish. That kind of fish is really tasty.”

Ning Que put aside the dry meat in his hands and curiously asked, ”Roe fish?”

”Yes, we call it roe fish because its roes are big.”

The Desolate women stretched out her fingers and drew in the air exaggeratedly. And then she shook her head and said, ”After coming to the south, we raised more sheep than before. But it's inconvenient to eat fish.”

From the conversation, Ning Que knew that in spring Desolate Men moved southwards from Hot Sea in a cold area and robbed many meadows of the palace. Before the winter, they have reserved enough forage as well as sheep. But probably due to tradition, their tribe still sent Desolate Men to hunt around.

Cold wind and pieces of snow hit the tent. It made a dull sound in the wind as the tent was painted with a kind of peculiar paste. Ning Que thought of the previous situations seen along the way and felt somewhat puzzled. So he asked, ”Even if you came here to hunt, you didn't have to come to such a faraway place. It's always unsafe to be far from the tribe.”

He had hunted in Min Mountain since he was young. So he was well aware of the dangers associated with hunting away from one's tribe.

The Desolate woman said, ”This is a tribal rule. In the winter ceremony, one must live alone throughout the winter.”

Ning Que asked curiously, ”What is the winter ceremony?”

As soon as he finished his words, he suddenly raised his brows. And Mo Shanshan who had been quietly sitting beside also looked towards the door.

A heavy curtain was lifted up and a short figure rushed in, delightedly shouting. ”I'm back.”

It was a thin little boy with a fat round-headed badger on his shoulder. His face was full of joy and pride. But when he saw Ning Que and Mo Shanshan, he suddenly became alarmed.

”They're guests.” The Desolate woman stepped forward to take over the prey on his shoulder. She used her fingertips to gently pull it, swiftly blocking a bloody wound of the badger, and then patted the little boy's head with a smile.

Ning Que guessed that the boy was no more than 12 years old. He could not help but be shocked that the boy was actually able to hunt such a big cold badger that in such a cold weather. And then he remembered the life in Min Mountain when he was younger than the boy many years ago and could not help the emotions welling up within him.

”This is my son.”

The Desolate woman looked at the two astonished Central Plains people and laughed heartily, saying, ”The winter ceremony I just mentioned is his ceremony. According to the tribal rule, in the winter when a kid turns twelve, his parents will accompany him into the mountains to hunt. The kid can be regarded as an adult if he is able to hunt half a cart of prey before the North Hot Sea thaws.”

She looked at the little boy sternly but could not conceal the tenderness in her eyes. She said, ”Next year, he will become a warrior and then will have his own family. Therefore, this winter ceremony is the last time for us to be with him.”

A 12-year-old Desolate boy would become a warrior? Before Ning Que got out of such a shock, he immediately remembered her previous words of ”have his own family” and could not help feeling envious. He said, ”We Tangs can't get married so early.”

Upon hearing the word of ”Tangs”, the little Desolate boy who had been somewhat precarious suddenly became more nervous and subconsciously wanted to hide behind his mother. But he remembered that he was having a winter ceremony and would soon become a tribe warrior. So he forcibly summoned the courage to walk in front of her mother and glared at Ning Que mercilessly.

The Desolate woman slapped the back of his head heavily and reproached harshly. ”Does a fat Badger count? You need half a cart of prey in the winter ceremony. It's fine if the cart is a little one like the one back home. But have you not seen the big one pushed over by the man in autumn? The cart those barbarians use is so big. It's not easy to fill half the cart.”

The little Desolate boy was kicked out of the tent by his mother's stick and intimidation. He carried a wooden bow and arrows and once again started the difficult hunting that was compulsory for one to become a Desolate warrior. Ning Que listened to the Desolate woman's conclusion on home-made carts and barbarians cart and could not help but laugh happily.

The Desolate woman bowed her head and continued working. She held a piece of smooth wood and kept rolling it on the fur at her feet. From time to time she raised her arm to wipe the sweat on her forehead. Ning Que thought of those prey that had been covered with snow outside the tent and thought that this kind of work was really hard. So he asked, ”Sister, where is his father?”

”He died in the war with those barbarians in spring.”

The Desolate woman did not lift her head or change her tone. She still spoke in a hard and straight tone as if she was telling a story that had taken place a long time ago and had nothing to do with herself and even was nearly forgotten.

Suddenly, she looked up and stared at Ning Que, asking, ”You... will the Tangs come and fight with us?”