Chapter 36

The main force was still stationed in the same place. When Guoguang arrived, Majua ran out to greet him.

"Everyone seems to be safe. It seems the battle with the remnants of the enemy was rather anticlimactic, wasn't it?"

Seeing Guoguang's sullen expression, Lin Chong, who was standing beside him, chimed in.

"We ambushed the Mongol soldiers camping in the village at dawn, so it was bound to be anticlimactic. Did you manage to get the alcohol?"

"Don't even mention it. I went through so much trouble to get that alcohol..."

"Again, the kumis? I feel like I'm going to throw up just from the smell. How can they drink that stuff..."

Kumis is a traditional Mongol drink made by fermenting mare's milk. It is a relatively weak alcohol with a strange smell and a slightly sour taste, making it almost impossible for people from the Central Plains to drink it sober. The Mongols, however, drank it by the bowlful, almost as if it were their staple food.

"When did you ever drink it for the taste? You drank it to get drunk. This time, it's sorghum wine. Since we've been here for quite a while, I managed to get it with great difficulty. How about it?"

At the mention of sorghum wine, Lin Chong swallowed hard and glanced at Guoguang. Seeing Guoguang's Adam's apple move up and down, it was clear that everyone was equally starved for alcohol. For the alcohol from the Central Plains...

Guoguang looked around for a while before turning to Majua.

"The number of people seems to have decreased?"

"Yes, four thousand-man units are raiding the surrounding villages, turning them into wastelands. Mongol women and plunder are pouring in every day. I think it's going too far..."

"Stop complaining and let's meet later. I need to see Captain Dan first."

"See you later then. Come to Lin Chong's tent."

"Understood."

After sending some sorghum wine to his hardworking subordinates, the senior officers gathered in Lin Chong's tent, shouting that this is how alcohol should taste, toasting to their long efforts and praising each other. The drinking session, which started a little after noon, ended after sunset. Guoguang, along with Lin Chong, came out carrying two of the ten-man squad leaders under each arm. Throwing Majua into the adjacent tent, Guoguang grumbled to Lin Chong.

"Why do these women drink so much when they can't hold their liquor?"

Lin Chong agreed.

"Who knows? If they weren't women, I wouldn't mind sleeping with them, but they pass out first after dragging me in... Anyway, Captain!"

"What is it?"

"If you don't hurry, you might get beaten by Habur."

"Habur?"

For a moment, Guoguang thought about Habur. Then he remembered that Habur was a person's name and that the child was in his tent, and he smiled bitterly.

"I completely forgot. I should have taken care of her since I brought her back... I'm worried she might get beaten."

"Go quickly."

Guoguang threw the person in his left arm into the tent and frowned.

"I guess I have to. Sleep well, see you tomorrow."

Lin Chong's voice, mixed with laughter, came from behind.

"Captain, sleep well. If you have to see the work tomorrow, don't overdo it just because you haven't seen each other in a long time."

"..."

When Guoguang arrived at his tent, Habur was waiting for him, not sleeping. Only the armor and horse he had sent his subordinate to fetch had arrived, and the person himself only came in the evening, reeking of alcohol. Despite this, Habur ran up to Guoguang and hugged him. Guoguang embraced her and patted her back.

"Did you behave yourself?"

"..."

"Did you eat on time?"

"..."

"Did anyone bother you?"

"..."

"Speak. Don't just nod... Let me see your face. I've forgotten what you look like. How many days has it been?"

Gently lifting her chin, Guoguang saw tear marks on her still youthful face. Although his presence would prevent anyone from bothering her, being with the fierce, wolf-like men who didn't speak her language must have been a hardship for the girl. Guoguang, who wanted to send her away as soon as possible, sighed and spoke softly.

"Did you eat dinner?"

Seeing her shake her head, it was clear she had been waiting for him and hadn't eaten yet.

'Even though I've already eaten and drunk a lot with my subordinates, I should eat the food she prepared for me. Wait... Can I eat more?'

Poking his stomach and seeing it was still possible, Guoguang gestured to Habur.

"Then, let's eat together."

Habur quickly brought out the Mongol-style food she had prepared. Boiled lamb legs with bones, a thick soup in a small bowl, and kumis. Two small knives were placed on the small table.

'She must use these to cut the food. I wonder if my stomach can handle it...'

Guoguang looked at the table awkwardly, hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and bravely approached the table.

'I'm a fool for keeping this child with me...'

Sitting at the table, Habur handed Guoguang a knife. She also sat next to him and picked up a knife.

The Mongols sometimes cook animals whole, and other times they cut them into pieces and boil them. Since the pieces are large, knives are essential for eating. Eating with knives in hand often leads to problems during meals. Occasionally, meals turn into murders, so eating together is a sign of significant trust and a mark of great courage.

There were two lamb legs... one for each of them. As Guoguang picked up a lamb leg, unsure of what to do, Habur gently smiled, grabbed the exposed bone part of the lamb leg, and placed it on her sleeve. Following her lead, Guoguang held the knife with the blade facing him and cut the meat, bringing it to his mouth. Seeing the blood seep out from the undercooked meat, Guoguang hesitated.

'Oh Lord, it's undercooked. Well, the Mongols are nomads... It takes a lot of time to cook such a large piece of meat thoroughly, so it's natural that they only cook the outside. But now that I've picked up the knife... Once is better than twice.'

With a firm resolve, Guoguang cut the meat as Habur did and stuffed it into his mouth.

'Oh, God. Do I really have to eat this... I must have sinned a lot before I lost my memory.'

Despite his inner thoughts, Guoguang pretended to enjoy the food, and Habur was delighted. They talked casually while eating the bloody meat (deliciously?). To end the suffering quickly, Guoguang drank the kumis in front of him in one go, and Habur refilled his cup.

"You like kumis, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

'He's going to leave.'

"Take your time."

Since it was difficult to drink only the kumis and eat only the meat, Guoguang occasionally sipped the kumis while indirectly asking about their future.

"Do the Mongols always boil their meat?"

"No, they also grill it."

"Grill? Let's grill it tomorrow then."

"Why? Is it not tasty?"

"No, it's delicious. It's very well cooked... But eating boiled meat all the time, no matter how delicious, can get tiring. We should change it up sometimes."

Habur smiled.

"Okay, have more kumis. I've prepared a lot."

Guoguang forced a smile.

"Good job..."

'I can't survive... I need to send this girl away to live a normal life.'

After the hellish meal, Guoguang was more worried about the rebellion his strong stomach would face from the half-raw meat and kumis. Unaware of his thoughts, Habur chattered away, whether he understood her or not. Guoguang, who could barely understand half of what she said, was gradually reaching his limit, but the foolish girl didn't notice.

Unable to bear it any longer, Guoguang tried to go outside but changed his mind, picked up the sword in the corner, and sat next to Habur again. He began to polish the Qingcheng sword and saber he had started using recently, half-heartedly responding to Habur's chatter. Habur, startled when Guoguang suddenly drew his sword, relaxed when he began to polish it and started chattering again.

While polishing the sword to pass the time, Guoguang prepared a bed. Habur took the leather from his hands, laid it out carefully, and lay down next to him. Guoguang, who found the situation absurd, couldn't persuade this girl, who seemed to consider him a husband or a substitute.

'Oh well, let it be.'

Guoguang extended his right arm to make a pillow for Habur and fell asleep while listening to her whispers. Exhausted from running around and barely sleeping, it was inevitable. Habur, who had been whispering, soon heard Guoguang's steady breathing and, getting no further response, gently poked him.

"Hey..."

Getting no response from Guoguang, she smiled and leaned into his embrace, falling asleep. Despite the unexpected situation, she liked this strange man who cared for her.

The next morning, Majua came to wake Guoguang again. She barged into the tent.

"Captain."

Guoguang, half-asleep, looked up at Majua from his lying position.

"What is it?"

Majua, looking down at him, said bluntly.

"Can't you keep sleeping? We have a lot to do..."

"Work?"

"Yes."

"What kind of work?"

"Well..."

"What kind of work, I don't know, but you and Lin Chong can handle it. I'm exhausted from not sleeping for a long time."

"You're not getting up?"

"Hey, let me sleep. What time is it anyway..."

"The sun is already up."

"Already? It hasn't even been an hour since sunrise. Let's meet later."

Unwilling to get up, Guoguang pulled the leather higher. Majua approached and pulled it off. Guoguang was still wearing the clothes he had worn the night before. Habur, who was also lying next to him, wearing clothes, looked at Majua fearfully and gently hugged Guoguang. Majua, surprised, looked puzzled.

"..."

Guoguang, using his inner energy, took the leather from Majua, covered himself again, and said coldly in a sleepy voice.

"Let's meet later. Get out before I throw you out."

"Okay."

Guoguang, hugging Habur again, went back to sleep, and Majua, who had given up, went to Lin Chong's tent. Majua barged into Lin Chong's tent without hesitation. She kicked the sleeping Lin Chong to wake him up.

"Hey, get up quickly."

"Ugh... What is it?"

"Why are you still sleeping? Get up quickly."

"Ugh..."

Seeing Lin Chong groan and cover himself with the blanket again, Majua immediately pulled it off. Unlike Guoguang, Lin Chong, though only in his pants, blushed and tried to cover himself when his morning erection was revealed to Majua.

"Hey, get out."

"Tch, for a man..."

Majua kicked his hand, which was covering his front, and said.

"I'll wait outside, so come out quickly if you don't want to die."

"Hey, are you really a woman? You're driving me crazy in the morning..."

Lin Chong, managing to cover his erection, grumbled as he came out. Majua, who had been waiting outside, confronted Lin Chong.

"Hey, why is the captain living with a Mongol woman?"

"Don't you know? Why are you waking him up in the morning? If he's living with a smelly Mongol woman, the reason is obvious."

"What? Sex?"

Asked so directly, Lin Chong's face turned red, and he stammered.

"W-well... yeah."

"But it doesn't seem like that."

"Why?"

"Since he started living with Habur, I've been waking him up every morning... and..."

Shocked, Lin Chong exclaimed.

"Are you crazy?"

Ignoring Lin Chong's shock, Majua shook her head and continued.

"No, I'm not. But... every time, they were both wearing clothes. That means they haven't had sex. Can a man do that? I didn't see anything wrong with his... you know..."

As the conversation took a strange turn, Lin Chong's face turned even redder, and he looked around. He couldn't understand this Majua and didn't want to.

'Damn, if anyone hears our conversation, what a disgrace in the morning...'

"Stop talking nonsense and go back to sleep. You've been back for a long time and have had plenty of rest, but I'm almost dead. Riding around the plains with only thirty men is not easy. The captain hasn't slept, and neither have I. So please, let me sleep..."

Majua grabbed the back of Lin Chong's neck as he tried to enter the tent and dragged him to a temporary water container. She dunked his face in the water and pulled him out, then started talking again.

"Are you more awake now? That's why I don't understand. It's not for sexual desire, and it's not like they can use her as a servant because of the different eating habits..."

Lin Chong, still dripping wet, wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked at Majua in disbelief.

"Damn, the more I listen, the more ridiculous it gets. What's your point?"

"Basically, I'm saying, why a Mongol woman... If the captain wants, there are plenty of women here..."

Lin Chong, looking dazed, pointed at Majua.

"Plenty of women?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not the one who wants it..."

Majua, getting angry, made Lin Chong laugh mockingly.

"Hmph, no matter how much you pine, he's a different class. Drink cold water and cool off. Whether the captain embraces a Mongol woman or a woman from the Song Dynasty, it's none of your business. I'm going back to sleep. If anything happens, you deal with it."

As Lin Chong turned to leave, Majua shouted at his back.

"Hey, don't just think and listen to me too..."

Lin Chong, entering the tent, shook his head.

"Stop talking nonsense and go back to sleep. You're confused and talking nonsense because you're sleep-deprived."

Frustrated, Majua muttered to herself as she watched the flapping tent curtain.

"Hmph! I should stop talking."