This journey was met with a little episode. Just as Qu Fongning slipped into the lord’s ger, he was caught by a very old granny. This granny was worryingly ancient. The skin on her face sagged like layers of noble ladies’ skirts dragging on the earth. But her imposing air maintained abundant power, almost as if she could whip out a crane to beat people anytime. As soon as she saw Qu Fongning, she stretched out her shrunken hand at his wrist. Qu Fongning dared not dodge. He was afraid that if she didn’t catch on, she’d fall back and faint.
The old granny studied his frame and figure and wobbled with delight. Shakily, she felt his chest and pinched his bum. At least she had fingers gloves on, or else she would’ve scratched out blood marks all across his body.
Qu Fongning was felt all flustered, ticklish and wanted to laugh, and resisted, “Granny, don’t touch my waist… hahaha… Not the armpits either…”
Fortunately, Yujien arrived in time, politely called her “Granny Sa,” and rescued him from the demonic clutches.
Shaken, Qu Fongning rushed to hide behind his back. Finding Grandma Sa still gawking at him like a tiger, he hurried to hide further in.
“Don’t be scared, this is A’chu’s god-grandmother,” said Yujien with amusement. According to steppes’ customs, when a child is born, they must find a respected old lady as their god-grandmother. Because her longevity, her “heavy life,” could protect the child from evil and misfortune. Qu Fongning learned of the grandma’s honored stature, dared not to offend, and obediently came out to kowtow.
Granny Sa squinted her eyes, scrutinizing him from head to tail, her expression very content. Her smokes-pouch-trim-like sunken lips squirmed a few times, sounding “ah, ah,” and started making hand signs.
Yujien conducted humility for him: “All friends’ kindness, please don’t take them seriously.” Finding him staring at himself dumbly, obviously not understanding the conversation, he was a little surprised. “Little monkey doesn’t understand?”
Qu Fongning responded awkwardly in small hand signs: “Granny’s sign language is different from mine, lots of old words… I haven’t seen.”
Granny Sa saw him flipping his hands. Her cloudy old eyes came alive with a curious light, and she suddenly flopped onto him, huffing and touching his face, her expression both ecstatic and sad.
Qu Fongning was frightened to leap back a step, but hurried to coil around her waist to hold her ancient frame. Finding her excited countenance and her eyes glittering with tears, he realized, “Was she reminded of A’chu?”
Yujien waited for a moment by the side and finally collected her off. Granny Sa’s emotion hadn’t calmed. She clasped Qu Fongning’s hand tightly and tearfully made a few hand gestures. Yujien signed almost unperceivably, and said, “Yes. If A’chu is still here, they will be very good friends for sure.”
Qu Fongning peered a glance at him, feeling very peculiar: Sleeping with me every night, you dare to say this out loud!
Yujien saw his odd expression, laughed, and took him back by his side. Qu Fongning nudged his forehead against his hard shoulder, upset, creased his face and bumped a few more times for retaliation.
Granny Sa watched his childish manner and fell even more infatuated. Yujien read her, relaying, “Bopo said your demeanor just now was… just like A’chu when he was little. Her honor had been a god-grandmother for over forty years, and her greatest regret was… fine. No need to say it.”
Qu Fongning heard “Forty years,” and thought: “This granny certainly is old.” The plan settled in his heart, he fixed his dress and went up to kowtow. “If granny doesn’t feel I’m too big, from now on you shall be my granny.”
Granny Sa never expected he would be willing for this. For a moment, her emotions failed her speech. She hastily brushed her thin, short hair, and felt everywhere on her body, wanting to find a greeting gift for him. Suddenly, remembering something, she took his arm and went one step and a limp, and led him into the storeroom.
Yujien stood by the door, watching her struggling to open a rosewood crate, her pace hobbling and her breaths huffing, and he said, “I thank you for your kindness for him. Ningning, come out.”
Qu Fongning had craned his neck to look at the bits and bobs inside the crate. At his words, he begrudgingly sounded an “Oh,” and got up.
Granny Sa grabbed him, refusing his leave, her throat followed with a low cry, her eyes glowed, and she slowly pulled out a ceremonial gown shimmering with golden light.
This gown was of diaphanous, silken texture, patterned with large puffs of clouds, and of exceptionally crisp fabric. Upon it, golden threads entwined crisscrossed into golden grids, every line clean and clear, neat in juncture, and without excessive ornamentation. Pearls and jades brimmed the trim of the horseshoe sleeve, and the badges on the shoulders were all made from jadeites. The robe ribbon was fluffy and springy, as soft as morning clouds, and embroidered with a black-based red flower in the size of a bowl, as scarlet as dripping blood, precisely the family emblem, the Nvquay blossom. The lower dress beneath the waist separated into several straight pieces, with the lower trims turning up a little, like a battle dress touching the ground, or lotus leaves upside down. The accessories also fought for attention, the jewel crown, trouser robes, waistcoat, and ugyen1 boots all prepared and complete, elaborate and refined, engaging any spectator to instant delight.
Granny Sa’s shriveled hand caressed the golden lines of the dress, her face seeming in joy and sorrow. She followed to compare it to his frame, motioning him to try it on.
Qu Fongning had mixed with Cher Bien for many years; through his eyes and ears, he had learned something about identifying treasures. He saw every jewel and thread was worth a fortune. How dare he try it on; he hurried to push back.
The more he refused, the more Granny Sa insisted he try. Afterwards, she developed a temper and outright started to peel his clothes.
“This is the gown made for A’chu’s grand wedding, now…” Yujien said from the side; “it has no more uses. You put it on.”
Helpless, Qu Fongning loosened his clothes and belt, and allowed granny to dress him excitedly. Very good-looking the gown was, yet it was also really thick. As it went on him, he started to sweat in a deluge. He saw Yujien watching him amusedly by the door, and couldn’t resist discretely mouthing a complaint: “So hot.”
The corners of Yujien’s lips shifted, also making lips to him, “Hold it.”
Dressed at last, Qu Fongning was so hot, his arms and the inner shirt had glued into one, and his thin small clothes had soaked through. As he raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat, his arm only lifted half-way and could move no more. Under the fetter of this beautiful gown, no matter how small the movement, his ribs would be bound tight. He couldn’t laugh, couldn’t run, even walks had to proceed with a leveled head and even shoulders, without any imbalance nor off-sidedness; he was a prisoner in a jeweling shackle!
He was screaming in his heart. He lowered his head to lift up the two plates of his lower dress, attempting to gain a little cool. There was no mirror in the yurt, and he couldn’t see how he looked. But he saw Granny Sa gawking at him, her shriveled lips slightly apart, her fingers jittered a few times and clasped her eyes.
Yujien’s gaze fell on him, but it quickly darkened, so gloomy that it was frightening. Chiu Fongning lifted his arm awkwardly, struggling to console her, “Granny, don’t cry! If you like to see me wearing this, I’ll wear it to show you more often in the future.”
Granny Sa heard him, and her ancient tears fell all the more. She relentlessly stroked his arm and desperately tried to ask for something. Yet Yujien didn’t translate for him and only said, “Bid goodbye to granny.” And he led him away. Granny Sa ran to the door, repeatedly making hand signs in her persistent inquiry. Yujien pretended not to see and stalked off.
Qu Fongning couldn’t put down his curiosity. Just as they left the city gates, he started prodding him, “General, what the granny say to you?”
Yujien glanced at him from his shoulders, his voice very husky. “What?”
“It’s…” said Qu Fongning, bemused.
Before the words left his mouth, Yujien had pinned him against the wall into a deep kiss, and pushed apart his legs with his knee. The lower dress of his gown was wide open, with no cover. As he was roughly humped between his naked thighs, he shuddered in a palsy, and his waist instantly held not. He wrapped around his shoulders, exchanging saliva with him, kissing heatedly.
He didn’t get enough intimacy with Yujien for the past couple of months, and his body really was kind of thirsty. As his lips were probed in, he only wanted to open himself and let him impale him. He felt his thick, scalding matter pressing against his thighs. Unable to contain itself, he protended his hand to loosen the strap of his gown. As his hand reached half-way, his elbow tensed tight and could move no more.
Yujien’s searing breath sprayed on his sweating cheeks, his stubbles poked him hot and aching. His hand lifted his lower skirt and held one of his legs over his own arm. In the heat, he heard his husky whisper drill into the depth of his ears, “Want to swallow you whole in one bite.”
How could Qu Fongning wait for him to bite? His calves coiled fast around his stalky flank, hooking and dragging down the slim edge of his shorts. A pity his waist was constrained and he couldn’t take it off. This gown yoked like a hard cocoon, and he was a giant butterfly unable to fly away! For a moment, he was vexed to his back thrashing to itch, and he nearly sprouted some antennas and started splaying.
Yujien embraced his irresistibly feverish body, his breaths dropped heavy as well. He kissed him hard a few times and extended his hand to loosen the stiff collars under his throat.
But before the twelve jadeite buckles loosened by half, someone who could not take a hint came to call, “Lord master, the hunting sled is ready.”
Qu Fongning jumped. Between his gasps, he peered out and saw a black shadow prostrated in the distance, with his entire head nearly buried into the earth, presumably an old servant of Yujien’s house. Behind him, there was an odd styled sled, with four or five half-man height sled dogs sitting or lying on the side. The dogs clamored loudly; it was especially noisy.
However intense his desire was, he didn’t want to show the dogs. He resentfully shot Yujien a glare and withdrew from him.
Yujien smooched him by his ear. “Take you to play,” he said, helped him fix the collars, and led him up the sled. The one who couldn’t take a hint still buried their face deep in the earth, and half-prostrating, reined up the sled dogs and bridled leather straps around their mouths.
Qu Fongning observed curiously and found this man pale white of beard and hair, tanned-dark of skin, and got a monstrously huge indigo flower on the left side of his lower neck. At first strike, he just felt a little surprised. With a couple of more glances, the flowery vines looked almost alive, and seemed to writhe and twist on the skin. Truly terrifying. As he stared a moment longer, green shadows stirred before his eyes, then came a wave of nausea in his throat, and he whipped his eyes away.
Yujien held the reins, saw his repulsion, and teased him, “I’ll tattoo one on you here tomorrow, then when people pick you up later, they’ll know who to return to.”
Qu Fongning felt even more repulsed, and straightened his collars tall, blocking out his neck. He glimpsed at that man again, muttering, “Can’t you burn it out for him? Such a big branding, doesn’t it look disturbing to people!?”
“It’s been dipped with heavy ink, can’t be burned away. Sit tight, little kind soul.” And with a shout, the sled dogs jumped up, pulled tight the leather ropes, and shot out of the city gates in a fright.
Qu Fongning sat on this dog-pulled sled, feeling the swift run, sailing across the land even more smoothly than horse-drawn carriages. The verdant pasture outside the city measured higher than human heads, and as the dogs passed, the path fell aside. And if there were stars watching them from the heavens, they would see a surge of white wave traveling further and further, with not a single man on the crest of the wave, and must be very amazed.
The night breeze on this summer day was also cool and dewy. At first, Qu Fongning was scared of falling off the sled, and tightly gripped the car edges, sitting very obediently. Before long, he sat tight no more, knelt and straightened up from the chair, spreading open his fingers, catching the fleeting flora. And a moment later, he outright stood on the chair, opening his arms against the wind, howling towards the moon.
He yelled and howled madly for a bit, still felt unsatisfied, and nagged Yujien to embarrass himself with him. On the usual, Yujien bothered not to heed him. But for these two days, in the thickness of their love, he coddled him like honey, and couldn’t refuse him. He threw away the reins, stopped on the high ground and got up, and emitted a low and distant long cry.
This call sounded like the cry of a dragon and the roar of a tiger, and streamed away steadily from his side. After a long, long time, in came the remote echoes from a far, far away.
Qu Fongning listened, spirited away, and raised a heart to best his call, took a deep breath, and stretched his lips to a high cry.
His youthful voice took along a rustling clarity, like a little skylark with fresh grown feathers, spreading its wings from the verdant cloud of the great’s crown, soaring towards the great hawk above the ninth heaven.
Yujien gradually withdrew the husky call and met his eyes. Qu Fongning cleared his throat and, lightly, made a lip sign to him.
Smiles surfaced in Yujien’s eyes. “However high you wish to fly, however high you shall fly.” And with the moon bright on his back, he kissed his lips.
~
Before long, they arrived at the destination. It was an ovoo2 piled out of blackstone, with a fluttering khadag on the tip, and surrounded by a ring of little flags in five colors. “This is my family’s ancestral burial place.” Qu Fongning swiftly put on a solemn look. He knelt respectfully and kowtowed, took some paraquat essence water, and made a few dabs on the indigo porcelain before the mausoleum.
“This is my parents’ resting place,” said Yujien, pointing to a spot. Qu Fongning was going to kneel, but he was caught on the clothes and lifted aside. “No need for formalities. Stand properly, let my mother take a good look at you.”
Qu Fongning quickly stood up and straightened his back, his eyes staring at the sunken rocks, his heart tickling with disquiet. If this heroic mother knew he was consorting with her son with an unspeakable purpose, making him heirless, her blessed soul would certainly be furious and probably swing her golden staff and beat him shapeless.
Yujien found a cool spot to sit down. He saw his dodging eyes and chuckled. “What are you scared about? I’m here. She won’t hit you.” He patted the ground between his legs, gesturing him to sit over.
“I’m not scared, it’s you… Wolf!” He screamed, and Watering Chill was unsheathed in an instant. A black shadow in the size of an ox slowly strutted out of the long grass behind the ovoo. “…It’s a bear!” he backtracked. The beast had a thick, hard grey pelt, its ghostly green eyes shone coldly at him. In his panic, he backtracked again. “Bearwolf!”
“Full of crap,” Yujien chided with a laugh. He pulled him into his arms and nodded lightly at the gigantic wolf. The wolf padded over aloofly, patrolled a circle around the ovoo, sniffed the grounds of the four corners, sat down, and thus stayed entirely still.
“This is my family’s grave keeper,” said Yujien.
Qu Fongning examined it curiously, finding it two or three times larger than common grey wolves, with the height of a man as it sat on the ground. It must be the king of the wolves. As it sat like this before the ovoo, without any meaning for familiarity or signs of subjugation, it faintingly showed an air of comparing power to Yujien.
He watched with fascination. He furtively protended his hand, beckoning the wolf, and picked up a small rock, rolling it before the beast.
“Ningning, don’t play with it,” said Yujien.
Qu Fongning reluctantly answered, widened his eyes at the wolf for a bit, and forlornly moved away his gaze. He rested against Yujien’s chest and pointed. “Da-ge, there’s a flower bush over there.”
It was a bush of deep red nvquay blossoms, blooming profusely near the ovoo. There were no other flowers within ten zhang of its existence; even the surrounding grass seemed thin and listless.
“Mn,” Yujien watched and replied, his left hand rising slightly. The gigantic wolf brushed its tail and languidly stood up, trotted its heavy steps before the flower bush, fetched back a couple of tufts and placed it arm’s length from them, flipped its wolf lids at them for a glance, and haughtily sat back down.
Qu Fongnign’s jaw dropped. “This fellow is certainly proud!” he applauded.
“My boys are all like this,” Yujien tsked. He took over the flowers and tossed them into his arms.
Qu Fongning lowered his head for a smell, let out a great sneeze, and darted out many palm-sized petals. He sniffled, and suddenly mischievous, he knelt on Yujien and pinned an enormous flower on his head.
“Aren’t you smelly?” Yujien growled. Though he refused on his lips, he couldn’t let him go, and through this tuft of fiery, red blossom, he held his tightly corseted waist, touched his nose, and kissed his lips.
This kiss didn’t have urges of lust, more like the licking affection between a large beast and a small creature. Qu Fongning closed his eyes in the sensation, brushing on him. “Da-ge,” he cooed.
“Mn, Ningning,” responded Yujien.
Qu Fongning rested on his shoulders for some length before, almost imperceptibly, letting out a sign. Then he sat up, alert. “There’s somebody singing over there.”
“The little monkey’s got a pair of ghostly ears,” said Yujien with a smile. Beneath the moonlight, there really was a faint singing coming remotely from the direction of Yarrdu City.
And Qu Fongning sang along, out of tune:
Fifth month flowers blooming by the river bight
The golden carriage galloping in a flight
Beautiful Lady Uighdai
Turn up your golden curtains high
—Receive the heroic King Yarrdu’s rite!
…
The lyrics not really understood, his enunciation not quite clear, he vaguely sang away. Finding Yujien smiling at himself, he asked him in thick skin, “I sing well?”
“Sing very well. Do you know who King Yarrdu is?” said Yujien.
Qu Fongning found his gaze profound, and couldn’t help stammering, “It can’t… can’t be…”
“Yes, precisely me.” Yujien commended; “This ancient city is branded after my family name.”
Qu Fongning gaped. “Your name is… Yarrdu? What about Yujien?”
“Yu means royal bestowment by the great khan. The Yarrdu tribe has always been Chienye’s strongest power ever since time immemorial; it’s the sword which defends the nation and maintains its peace. ‘Yujien’ is my honorary title.” He flicked a finger at him. “You’ve slept with the old boy for so long, don’t even know my name?”
Qu Fongning was in a daze. “…You never told me,” he said, holding his forehead, looking him up and down, his gaze renewed and novel.
Yujien flicked him again. “What chu looking at? Aren’t you going to bear my name in the future?” As he spoke, he frowned and pulled out a flower from the back of his neck.
Qu Fongning considered for a moment, even more curious. “Then there’ll be people making songs for me?”
Yujien answered not. He placed him on the ground, turning serious. “Ningning, do you know why did Da-ge beat you last time?”
How would Qu Fongning expect him to suddenly bring up a serious matter. For a moment he couldn’t turn around, a little bewildered, and then said, “I know. I… didn’t heed your words.”
“You’ve got loads of times when you didn’t heed me, have I ever hit you once?” said Yujien.
Qu Fongning lowered his head in reminiscence, and finally murmured after a while, “No. You have always been good to me.”
Yujien pressed on his shoulders, and said quietly, “Ningning, you yourself can act as you may, but governing an army requires absolute rigor, without the slightest negligence. If I do not harshly punish a centurion officer publicly defying military order, how can I convince the masses? One instance of favoritism leads to endless repercussions. You don’t understand it now, when you sit in my position, perhaps you will understand.”
“I’d thought… no matter what I do, you would like me,” Qu Fongning grumbled.
“Want my love and attention, how hard is that? But, little guy, me teaching you is to raise you into a man, not keeping a cat or a dog. If I don’t teach you to stand tall and take hold your life, but only play and romp with you all day, shaking your tail, begging for favors, that is a love of indulgence, with only a hundred harms and no benefit. However much I like you, I can’t allow you to live under my wing for your whole life. Surely not when you settle down and establish your own career, you are still going to come act cute to me?”
Qu Fongning lowered his eyes, silent. Yujien wrapped around his shoulders, signing. “Ningning, when I heard you left your post on your own, Da-ge was unutterably disappointed and worried. When the poles fell on you, surely I’m hurting too? But Ningning, if you can’t comprehend this cause and effect, how can you leave your name in history for the love of posterity? And how can your name and mine be inscribed into the same hymn?”
As Qu Fongning heard the last sentence, a curious paralysis seized his heart. He lifted his gaze to him, seeing his profound eyes as deep and remote as the cosmos. His somewhat hoarse voice said: “Ningning, this land is the gift I shall give to you! I wish, in hundreds and thousands of years, you and I shall be in the same ballad people will sing.”
Qu Fongning’s whole body gave a great shake. He raised his face to his visage, his heart boiling afire, his breath hot. He tightly clasped his own hand and nodded hard.
And the result was they couldn’t wait until they went back. They did it on the grass. In the haste, they couldn’t relieve the glamorous gowns, and Yujien lifted his lower flap and thrusted in. And such, they were proper and dressed on the top, but bare and naked on the bottom, between the land and the sky, long rushes and light breeze, the stars and the clear moon, open to all and one. In charge of augmenting nerves, Qu Fongning’s body was inexpressibly hot. Between now and then, he was propelled to release twice. Amidst the intimacy, he saw the gigantic wolf staring coldly to this side. His canal tightened, and he buried his face whole into Yujien’s arms. “The wolf is looking,” he whispered.
He also gave Yujien a start, who let out a low humph and said, “Let it look.” He propped up his leg and deliberately swung the golden bells on his calves towards the moon, letting the bright golden light bounce on his body.
Qu Fongning purred, his wavering eyes glanced at him mistily. Yujien kissed his instep and breathed by his lips. “Granny Sa asked me today, when are you going to get married.”
Qu Fongning hummed dimly and embraced him. “Aren’t you the one who decides?”
“Does Ningning have someone in mind? Or should I pick a few for you? Which kind do you like?” Yujien said with a vague smile.
Qu Fongning was done dizzy and giddy, and didn’t know whether these words were real, and replied along, “No. Mn… Obedient, good tempered, knows how to wash…Mnn!” A high cry, he was charged at his depth.
And he heard him speaking huskily by his ears, “Let you pick any woman under the sky; you can marry whoever you want. But Ningning, no matter how many wives you marry, whenever Da-ge wants you, you must come to my bed…” He gave him a violent thrust. His voice dropped lower and hoarse, “Open your legs, embrace me like this… understand?”
Qu Fongning nodded dazedly, matching the movements of his waist, muttering, “I… understand. Da-ge…”
Yujien quickened his movements, pumping his vision ablur and his rear slippery with water. And he shook his head with a laugh. “Ningning, how can you start a family like this?”
The gown constrained Qu Fongning too tight on the chest; he couldn’t speak and could only send his gaze, overflowing with lusty water, to him, and probe out the lush red tip of his tongue, drawing him into a deep kiss.
The wolf wandered for a moment before the ovoo, swung this thick, hard tail, and silently took its leave.