Free Web NovelChapter 2094: Chapter 1531: Men and Women on the Kamchatka Peninsula
A clear stream flows down from the distant mountains, bringing the crispness of snow water and the sweetness of the mountains.
The natural environment of the Kamchatka Peninsula speaks for itself. This vast land spanning 470,000 square kilometers, equivalent to fifteen Eastern Fan Islands in size, presently houses only ten thousand tribespeople from the Mountain Part and Rokube. For thousands of years, human activity has never left a permanent change on this majestic peninsula. The mountain cabins, tents, and migrating tribespeople are like the easily shed reindeer hair on the Kamchatka reindeers, coming and going, a cycle of life.
"Purple Sable! Purple Sable!!..."
Loshanda crosses the meadow, walks through sparse trees, until reaching the desolate mountain foot. The stream is a landmark, and that patch of light green potato field beside it, viewed from afar, seems only palm-sized. The busy tribespeople appear as small as ants. But it’s the smart and perceptive Siberian Huskies who first notice him. These lively big dogs dash out for hundreds of meters, barking fiercely at Loshanda from a distance.
"Woof! Woof!"
"... Who’s there?"
"Purple Sable, it’s me!..."
The young woman, tall and slender, is not particularly beautiful, but has a heroic and appealing presence. She carries a bow and arrow, with a hand axe strapped to her, and cautiously watches the forest. Then she pauses, rubs her eyes in disbelief, and hesitantly asks.
"Loshanda? Is it you?..."
"Yes! It’s me, I’m back!..."
"Ah! You’re back!..."
The reunion isn’t glamorous. Loshanda and Mu Zidiao sit side by side on a stone, aside from the initial hug, there’s not much else to say. They don’t share a common language, Loshanda knows a bit of Kotyel’myen tribal language, and Mu Zidiao knows a bit of Nava language, relying completely on gestures and mutual understanding for conversation. As for their rapport... Even though they’ve been married for a year and a half, their actual time together amounts to only the initial rushed half-month of marriage.
"Purple Sable, how is your grandmother doing?..."
"Yes, grandmother fell ill last year and lost quite a bit of weight. This year’s new year reindeer festival was hosted by Father of the Mukun tribe instead. However, grandmother’s divination predicts she’ll live two more years!..." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"Oh!"
Loshanda nods, pondering the situation of the Mountain Part, then falls silent again. It’s Mu Zidiao who, after thinking for a moment, smiles and says to her husband.
"Los, the main branch of grandmother’s Mountain Part planted many potatoes by the hot springs at the Winter Camp last year. It’s warm there, and the harvest is quite good; seven or eight acres can feed a person for a year! These potatoes can be stored for a long time, perfect for enduring winter. This year, not only our camp planted more, but the Mountain Parts within hundreds of miles also experimented with planting some, roughly tending them... Even when the winter snow arrives, digging from the fields can yield a ’pigeon egg’ to eat..."
"Good. That’s great! I heard there was a cold wave last year?"
"That was the year before last! Shortly after you left, a big snow lasted for ten days, reaching waist-high... Many tents in the camp collapsed, and half of the reindeer froze to death. I led people in rescue efforts but didn’t save many... Last year was slightly better, but still insufficient. The food reserves of each tribe can only support them for a year, and the tribe chieftains are eager to move south, asking us for grain, quite urgently..."
"Chief Divine bless! Yes, Purple Sable, don’t worry. The sailboat I traveled on arrived quickly. The Tamicao fleet is coming from behind, bringing rice and salt, and will take over the population the tribes cannot sustain... A lot of food can be acquired from the south, needing reliable warriors. The Mountain Part is our closest ally, kind of like our own tribe; we will accept whatever you have..."
The couple chat intermittently. Loshanda holds his wife’s rough hands, feeling the calluses on them.
The harder old calluses on the web between the thumb and index finger and the inside of the knuckles are evidently left by prolonged bow-holding and archery. The newer calluses on the palm base and fingertips are results of handling farming tools. Between the old and new calluses runs a long stretch of callus across the entire palm, left from gripping the reins while managing reindeer and driving sleds.
"My wife can shoot and hunt, manage reindeer and dogs, and has learned how to plant potatoes. She married me at sixteen, and she is only eighteen now..."
Loshanda pauses, unsure of what to say. Even though women of the Mountain Part live this way, Purple Sable doesn’t feel it is arduous. But he feels a sense of guilt inside.
He isn’t naturally taciturn; whether with Chimere Grand Priest or Zuwaro High Priest, he could talk a lot. But when with Purple Sable, he says little, while Purple Sable speaks more. By the potato field beside the flowing stream, he listens to his wife’s long-winded chatter about the camp’s labor, gradually relaxing.
When winter is about to leave, Purple Sable will ride a dog sled to her grandmother’s camp to join the new year’s reindeer festival, sharing frozen reindeer meat. Before spring comes, holes will be drilled in the ice to fish for large arm-length fish. After the snow melts, fishing in river mouths, returning pregnant ones to the water, and preserving excess catch with salt to make salted fish for later consumption. Then as grass grows and sprouts, with particularly long daylight, great effort will be spent roughly and carefully planting potatoes. During downtime from potato planting, upon seeing beautiful flying birds, she would shoot an arrow and pluck the colorful feathers...
"Pluck feathers? What for?"
"To make a feather crown for you! It’s a tradition of the Sea Tribe. Don’t all chieftains wear feather crowns? It’s just that the bird feathers here aren’t long, not as good as the one you previously wore..."
"... Oh!"
Loshanda responds with an "Oh," nodding vigorously. He still says little, but internally there is a mysterious struggle and irritation. After a moment, he suddenly remembers something, opens a package styled after Japanese fashion, and smiles as he hands it to Purple Sable.
"Open it! It’s a gift for you!..."
"A gift?..."
Purple Sable blinks in curiosity, attempting to untie the tightly secured package. But her hands are somewhat clumsy, unable to untangle the complicated cloth for a while, until Loshanda helps her. Inside the package, she finds a tassel-decorated folding fan, two symmetrical sachets, a lacquered long comb, and two pieces of light silk tunics, even a red Japanese-style chest piece.
"... Are these clothes?"
"Yes! Do you like them?"
"...?"
Purple Sable widens her innocent eyes as she holds the light, thin clothing, which offers no warmth. Her face shows an untainted clarity, as she looks at Loshanda the same way she looks at a mischievous "Husky."
"Los? These are so small, can you really wear them?"
"You can!"
Loshanda nods, comparing the "small clothes" against Purple Sable’s body. That well-trained, archery and skiing-capable young body indeed exudes alluring strength. After a moment, Loshanda swallows, lightly coughs, and says.
"Cough! Maybe they are a bit small. I remember they weren’t like this before? In this one or two years, haven’t you been eating too much... Cough! But theoretically, you might squeeze into them. Let’s go, Purple Sable, to the camp tent and try them on?"
"Ah? Go back now? The field hasn’t yet been planted!"
"Let the tribespeople finish it... Purple Sable, I’ve missed you a bit!..." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Huh?..."
Purple Sable opens her mouth, a bit bewildered. Her husband’s sudden affectionate words resemble Husky’s barking, hard to fully understand but she can guess the meaning. She hesitates, looks at the unfinished field, then at her husband’s eager gaze, and her heart suddenly softens, nodding.
"Alright then!... You have to help me plant tomorrow..."
"Okay! Anything you say!"
