What's China Been Up To? (2)
"Mmm, that was a decent meal..."
But there's way too much smoke filling the room. Should I crack the window open a little?
Clack—
It's a window made of wooden planks. Takes me back. I made my windows out of wooden planks too, back in the day.
Slap, slap, slap.
"Ah, ahn. Ahn."
Oh, for crying out loud. I just had to hear the one sound I didn't need to. Sounds like that boss-man host and his wife are having themselves a good time.
BANG.
Seriously? Now that I've heard it once, I can hear it right through the closed door too. The soundproofing in this place is dog poop.
"I've pretty much seen everything there is to see, haven't I? Maybe I should head home. These beds are uncomfortable too..."
Let me sleep on it. I think I've only been looking at surface-level stuff so far.
"The nights feel chilly, but there's no bedding, no stove... do they only use those in winter or something?"
I guess these people must be pretty resistant to the cold.
Then, on the third evening, it hit me: these rotten folks had been eating and going out to have fun entirely on their own. I'd been frozen out! And it turned out they DID have a stove — they'd carry a bowl of charcoal in with them.
"Wait, no. Was my food actually tastier than theirs?"
Every single evening — jerky and potatoes, stir-fried, roasted, grilled every which way? Hmm? So really, I was the one who'd been snubbing THEM!
And with that, I marched right out. The guards at the entrance stared at me like something was up, but I just ignored them and walked out.
"Hmph. Really is nothing to see around here, huh?"
I needed to ask someone something. Was there not a single person who looked suitably dim-witted around here?
While I stood by the road glancing around, I spotted someone trudging along with what looked like an A-frame pack on their back, and approached.
"Hey."
"Who, me?"
"Yep. Got a question. Is there a city bigger than this one?"
"Huh? You a half-wit, child? You talk strange."
Huh? Something feels off again. Was that an insult in there somewhere?
"Follow that river over there and there's a walled city."
"Follow the river?"
"Yep. Head upstream."
"And the road?"
"Just walk and it's a road. What else are you gonna ask?"
I can barely understand half of what this guy says. Sounds like he's telling me to follow the river, so I'll just go. So this is that famous Yangtze River, huh?
The shoes they'd given me were way too uncomfortable, so I tossed them and put on my rabbit-fur boots instead. Tried them when I went to Seolju before — soft and cozy as anything, and since your feet don't sweat in them, you can wear them year-round.
"The river's wide here too. Must be a lot of river traffic. Look at them rowing right up against the current like that."
Fascinating. They've even rigged up sails of a sort, straining their way upstream.
Three days of walking and not one single interesting thing had happened.
"And here I thought China would be like the world of a martial arts epic. Where's the romance?"
Every now and then I'd pass someone, and they'd just stare at me like I was a freak. Nobody talked to me at all.
Dug-dug, dug-dug.
Oh? Horse hooves? The dirt ground makes them sound muffled. Moving at a walking pace, it seems. It's a horse alright. It'll pass right by any second now.
Hee-hee-hiin—
Hm? Did I drop something? It's turning around!
"Miss! Where might you be headed?"
Huh? Who's this? Some bookish scholar type? A rare breed for an era like this?
"Me. Don't understand talk. Sorry."
"Ah! Shall I give you a ride?"
Something about his hand gestures says he's offering to let me ride. Wouldn't that be hard on the horse, though? It'd take a real toll on the poor thing...
"You okay?"
Look at that horse's face, man. It's not happy.
"The road ahead isn't far, so it should be fine. Please, mount up."
Was that an invitation to ride? Ugh, whatever. It'd be nice to have a travel companion anyway. It's not my horse — he can figure it out himself.
"Thanks."
"Hold on, I'll lift you up."
He wants me to grab on? You're built like a twig, buddy. Can you even carry me?
"Please."
I left it to the horse. The kids lifted their hooves for me to make mounting easier.
"How remarkable. The horse offered you its hoof?"
"No idea. Whatever they're saying."
No, wait. Hold on. What the hell? Was I supposed to ride in FRONT of you? Something tells me this journey is about to get uncomfortable.
Thud, thud.
Wow. Horseback riding is absolute garbage. I've only ever ridden our ponies, and they were genuinely comfortable by comparison. This is like riding in the bed of a truck down an unpaved road.
No matter how hard I try to hold on, my butt keeps bouncing every which way. It's going to be worn down to nothing. Damn it.
"Where do you come from, miss?"
"That mountain there."
"Ah. From one of the villages deep in the mountains, I see. What business brings you out this way?"
"Don't. Know."
Stop talking to me. Good grief. The horse ride is so bad my skull is ringing.
How many hours had it been? Another earthen fortress appeared — and this time, unlike the last, it was absolutely enormous. I figured this might actually be the capital.
"Wow. Building a fortress out of dirt. Impressive."
I salute the sheer ignorance of it. I poked at the wall in passing and my finger sank right in. You'd be better off stacking stones.
"Haha. I see I've surprised you. This is Seongdo."
Wait, so "Seongdo" and the capital are different things? The guy I asked when I set out said the same thing — everyone keeps calling it Seongdo.
"Not the capital?"
"No. The capital lies further on. And judging by your appearance, you have nowhere to go. Allow me to take you into my home."
I caught the part about having to go further, but... should I just go to school here or something? I can barely understand a single word these people say.
Da-gak, da-gak.
Huh? Was now not the time to put me down?
Where I ended up getting off was, of course, this guy's house.
Well, well~ You were a rich kid, weren't you? It's on a completely different level from that house I stayed at before. The only wooden thing is the roof — apart from that, it's practically a tiled-roof mansion.
And clearly different in other ways too — the rooms are somehow tidy, and there's even a small table and chairs. The bed is still rock-hard, but there are blankets. Night and day from last time.
Shaaah—
And then, right on cue: this. They hauled a huge wooden tub into my room, and servant children bustled back and forth filling it with water. Warm water, no less.
"Hey, aren't the servants working way too hard, though?"
Back home, our bathhouse boilers are separate — light a fire and the heated water circulates on its own in copper pipes...
These girls are smaller than me, and they're slaving away.
"Please, go in. Guest."
"Go in?"
"Yes."
Well. They still scrubbed me down with what was basically a loofah, but they washed my hair for me too, and it was genuinely relaxing. And then the clothes they handed me — different. Actual silk, and dyed, no less.
Turns out if you want to travel as an honored guest, you've got to aim for the wealthy households.
Knock knock knock.
"Guest. You are summoned."
"Mm-hm."
I followed the woman to what you'd call the main hall — a spacious room where a crowd of people sat gathered.
"Ahh, so this is the child who came down from the mountains."
"Pretty, isn't she? Slim in the waist, but she'd milk well and bear children easily, I'd say."
"But the language barrier — however will it work?"
"She'll pick it up in time."
They're gossiping away, and I caught almost none of it. I'm starting to want to go home...
"Me. Where?"
"Ah! Yes, this way, please."
Everyone was chattering so much that even my guide seemed to space out for a moment. I had to poke her in the ribs to get her to lead me.
At the last house they'd carried in the table as one whole piece, and this time they did the same — only here they transferred the dishes onto the table where we sat.
What kind of hardship is this? Is this what happens when you have too many people living together? Back home our families just pitch in and carry things themselves? Maybe it's just a cultural difference.
Well, for better or worse, mealtimes here were just as rowdy. Apparently these people are a noisy breed by nature.
"What do your parents do, miss?"
Hm? My parents? As in, do I have any? Is this a background check?
"No parents."
I don't have parents, you see?
"Oh dear..."
"She must have suffered so much, poor thing?"
"Still, she's far too clean to have truly suffered, no?"
What's with all the pitying? I just don't have parents in this life? There's no tragic story, I just. Don't. Have. Any.
After staying a few days like that, I realized the kids here must be terribly bored. There was literally nothing to do.
Then one morning I was having breakfast and sipping warm water with the guy who'd brought me here.
"What do people do for fun around here?"
"We ride horses, or shoot the bow. Why do you ask?"
"Bored. Nothing to do."
"Would you care to try shooting a bow, then?"
"Yes. Let's go."
It sounded like he was offering archery, so I said yes right away. Might as well check out their bows while I'm at it. Doesn't look like they use iron for them.
Hm? We didn't go far? They're all just here in the backyard? Looks like they plant a log in the ground and shoot at it.
The yellowish arrowheads appear to be bronze.
"Hmm..."
Wow, this bow is depressing. I mean, they've clearly carved it with some care, but it's basically just a stick with a string wrapped around it?
"Allow me to teach you."
No, I'm staring at it because it's depressing — get lost! AAAARGH! What is this, Titanic? Why are you maneuvering to embrace me from behind?!
"I'll do it myself."
"It won't be easy. Are you certain?"
This guy's already got hearts in his eyes, doesn't he? I'll fire off a few shots and make my escape.
Creeeak.
Ah... it actually draws when I pull it... The competition's skill level is just pitiful.
Fwip. Thock.
Even at this distance, the arrow doesn't sink deep into the log at all.
"Oh? Magnificent shooting!"
"Too weak. Got anything stronger?"
"There are hunting bows, but surely no need for one?"
"Strong one. Give."
So there's nothing stronger? Should I just start heading home?
"Wait a moment."
What have they got? Oh? He's bringing out something bigger and sturdier-looking? So THAT's the real deal?
"Shoot carefully. It's dangerous."
"Hand it over."
Grrr-r-r-ruk.
Oh? Not quite on the level of ours, but this one takes real effort to draw?
Shweeee— CRACK!
The sound of it in flight is definitely much crisper. And the arrowhead bit deep into the wood.
"Goodness. You truly are a remarkable shot, miss?"
"Thanks. I'm leaving now."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"Home."
"You... have a home?"
Huh? Did you think I was homeless?
"You said you have no parents, didn't you? Stay here. I shall take you as my sixth wife."
Hm? Something about a sixth wife? Ugh... Not this again — dragged into another marriage proposal? Every place I go, this garbage happens.
"No. Going."
"We fed you and clothed you, and this is how you repay me, you wretched girl?"
GRAB.
Huh? Why is he suddenly accelerating? Is he grabbing my collar?
"Let go!"
"Yes! Time to beat the attitude out of you, girl!"
SLAP.
Excuse me? Did this bastard just smack the top of my head with his palm?
"You hit first, right? That's self-defense."
"What? What are you saying?"
Well, you can't understand me — I said it in Daehan language. Now let go of me, you jerk.
KA-BOOM.
The man went flying limply backward. The sight of him crumpling and rolling across the ground was honestly worth watching. Hmm. Whatever I receive, I should return in kind, shouldn't I?
Wheeee—
"Gahk—!"
First time I've ever seen a person fly. Since I'd raised a ruckus anyway and wanted to go home, I simply launched myself into the sky.
I'd received quite a lot, so it was time to hand out some gifts~
"UWAHAHAHA! Gifts for everyone~"
CRASHHHH
Wheeee— BOOM! BOOM! KA-BOOOM
The soil I'd collected while putting out that forest fire a while back, along with embers and burning wood, rained down in a nice, even spread all across the grounds.
"GYAAAAH! FIRE!"
"It's fire!"
"Hot earth is pouring from the sky!"
Hehehe. They're having the time of their lives! Seems they're grateful for my gifts? Then I should keep spreading them generously~
Huh? Wait a second? Something feels off here.
"Oh, right. There were a lot of wooden houses, weren't there?"
Smoke's billowing up from every direction and getting worse by the minute. Time to go? I'll toss out what's left along the way~
And so, flying roughly northward, I committed a little terrorism. Looking back, the farmland was burning, wildfires were spreading — my, what smoke.
"Turns out wildfires aren't such a bad thing. WE found a ton of resources! Hope you all dug up plenty of good things too!"
Thus ended the grass fire and forest blaze of one perfectly peaceful autumn day. That should've been rice, right? Wait a bit longer and would it turn into popped grain?
Eh, whatever. I'll just eat some when I get home.
And so, the records show that in the year 655 of Daehan, a great fire broke out in China.
So immense was the blaze that smoke was witnessed even from Bongpyeong and Bonghwa, north of the Yellow River.
No accurate historical records of China survive, but it is said that a rain of fire fell from the heavens.
The wildfire that day burned a considerable portion of the food supply, and with the mountain blazes making it impossible to forage any further sustenance, it has been passed down as a time of great famine.
And scholars speculate that the floods and landslides that followed for some time may be the reason the Xia Dynasty vanished without leaving behind so much as a credible historical record.