Great Tang Idyll

Book 2: Chapter 44

Volume 02 Chapter 44: Advancing Forward Under The Watch Of Others

The night passed by in a hurry.

Zhang Xiao'bao slept peacefully, but the other young master had a night full of dreams. He dreamt that his family took over the Zhang and Wang manors, and then chased the two families out. He woke up several times from his dreams because of his own laughter.

Li Xun woke up early in the morning and he also carried a backpack on his back. He didn't know what to put in it, so he only placed a blanket and a few silk kerchiefs inside. He tried thinking of what to put inside, but nothing came to mind. He reasoned that the items used on the grassland couldn't be used in the desert. After all, there weren't many insects in the desert, let alone wild vegetables.

What he wanted to figure out most right now was what Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan brought with them. He had a chance to ask yesterday, but he was so angry that he forgot to ask. Now it was hard to ask them directly. He decided to follow behind them and take a good look at what they were going to do.

In their backpacks, they also had saltpeters with the highest purity that could be found here. They brought some salt with them too. They didn't bring any other food since the food would be confiscated anyway.

During the inspection process, several people who wanted to bring food with them were warned once, and their items were taken away. Afterwards, the bustling team finally set out into the desert.

Some people left, and some new people had joined in. The total number of people was not less than before, but was actually greater by ten. The number of children in the smaller age group was lower than before with only 45 children.

As soon as the 140 plus children entered the desert, more than 50 people rushed ahead. None of the remaining 80 people ran like madmen and all of them turned their eyes to Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan.

"Yeah, these people must be the ones from the grassland survival training. It seems like they have set their eyes on us. Let's go. The next place with water is three li1 away. Tie the rope properly."

Wang Juan glanced at those people, and while talking, she took out a rope, and she and Zhang Xiao'bao each tied it to their waists. One of the purposes was to prepare for quicksands. Even if Li Xun had sent someone to inspect the area, it was still necessary for them to make sufficient preparations. This was a matter of habit. The other purpose was to pull the other person up if the other person loses their footing and slips when climbing dunes.

The two walked forward with one person behind the other. They tried to keep their heels lifted off the ground slightly with their legs slightly bent and their bodies leaned forward. They took out a retractable stick from their backpacks and continued forward.

Li Xun and the others didn't know that Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan were this well prepared. They weren't able to get people to bring the same equipment over to them, so they had no choice but to just follow behind. Each one of them were puzzled because they felt that it was unnecessary to carry a walking pole since it was fine to just walk straight ahead normally. They also felt that the rope was unnecessary.

Except for the children of the Li Manor, everyone else was rich. They wore intricate little leather boots on their feet and their steps were soft and comfortable when they walked on the sand. The Li Manor's children also wore leather boots because of Li Xun, however the boots weren't that intricate. As for the clothes, it was provided by the store responsible for the clothes.

As everyone followed in the back, they glanced at Zhang Xiao'bao's and Wang Juan's backpacks from time to time in hopes that the two of them would take things out of their bags. The children who were in the lead didn't care about the people at the back.

The parents of the new participants didn't know about the situation. When they saw that their children had run to the front, they reacted just like those parents on the grassland and they began to praise and boast about their children.

The desert was not big, but there were a lot of sand dunes. Some of the dunes were singular, and some of them were connected together. If a person wants to go around them, then the person would have to walk a long way. The children chose to climb the dunes directly, since no one was willing to take a long detour.

At this time, the advantages of the design of Zhang Xiao'bao's and Wang Juan's shoes were evident. Even if the small studs under their shoes could not grip onto the sand firmly, they would not slip down like other children when climbing dunes. The pole also played a big role. After inserting it into the sand and using a bit of force to grip onto it, they were able to keep their bodies from tilting back. Even if their foot slides once, it will not greatly affect their progress.

"Li Cheng, do you see that? So that's what it's used for." Li Xun watched from behind and then spoke to the person next to him. After he said this, he realized that the person was not Li Cheng, but another servant whose name was Li Xing.

Li Xing would not so stupid that he would correct the Young Prince. While staying on his side, Li Xing replied, "Young Childe, also their shoes. If you look at them carefully, they're different from the ones we're wearing. There are some small studs underneath. How smart. I'll prepare some for tomorrow. I didn't know about it before."

"Okay. Learn more from them. Look at the kid over there. He's from the manor next to our's and the Zhang's and Wang's. What was his name again? I think his family also has a person with an honorary official title with fifth ranking. That's quite high."

Li Xun nodded, and when he saw the person who pretended to be a fool, he worried that he would mess with Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan. After all, that person was a little older. If there were any danger, Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan might withdraw from the training even if Li Xun intervened. From who would Li Xun learn how to survive in the desert then?

Li Xing also spotted the person. That person kept his eyes on Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan, who were up ahead. He replied, "I know him, he's from the Han family, and his name is Han Yong'yao2."

"Humph. Yong'yao? A person like him shouldn't even think about being glorious. When I return to the manor, there's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Other manors cannot even be compared to the Zhang and Wang manors. The person supervising their manors is not powerful in an ordinary way. How far until the next water station?"

Li Xun looked down on that person. He scoffed. He felt that today's sun was extraordinarily strong. He licked his lower lip with his tongue, looked up at the path ahead that seemed to never end, and asked.

"We're almost there. We just need to walk a bit further. Like last time, we won't be given food at noon. I wonder how many people will not be able to persist. The desert is no better than the grassland." Li Xing replied and walked behind Li Xun. Occasionally, he glanced over at Han Yong'yao.

The 50 plus children seemed to not know what it meant to be tired, and they were still running with all of their might. Some children even intentionally slipped down the dune and ran back up.

"Xiao'bao, do you think there will scorpions in this area? Or snakes? If there are, then we will have lunch to eat at noon."

After Wang Juan climbed to a slightly higher sand dune. She stood there and looked down and asked.

"I don't think so. Li Xun must have sent someone to inspect the area thoroughly. The snakes that are found in the desert are usually poisonous. How could he allow people to be bitten? Do you want to go down first or should I go first?"

Zhang Xiao'bao stood beside Wang Juan, and he looked at the path below while talking.

"Let's go together. Take that thing out." Wang Juan replied. Zhang Xiao'bao opened the backpack and took out a few wooden boards that were slightly narrower and shorter than the backpack itself. One end of the board was slightly curved upward. He placed them on the ground and they both sat on it. After adjusting their positions, they used their pole to get the boards moving, and then the two quickly slid down the slope of the dune.

Li Xun and the others also climbed up the dune, and they saw the items that Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan had. They were stunned by this for a while, and then they looked at the two people who were near the bottom of the dune already. They had no choice but to run down the slope, and this time, it took a lot of effort. Some people couldn't control themselves, and they ended up falling and rolling all the way down the slope.

Before Li Xun said anything, Li Xing stood beside him and said, "Young Childe, I get it now. I must make this tomorrow too. Although the children up ahead are horsing around now, after they walk a bit more, they will run out of energy. That item will help save a lot of energy."

"Yeah, they really have great ideas. They don't even seem tired. They might even be the first ones to arrive today. Wonderful, I learned something new. If I encounter something like this in the future, I'll be able to make preparations in advance."

The other people also kept note of these items and planned to use them tomorrow. The only person who wasn't clear-minded was Han Yong'yao. He was obsessed with thinking of how to cause trouble for Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan. Unfortunately, probably because his family's food was better, he was a bit chubby and wasn't able to keep up. All he could do was follow behind while panting.

The parents that followed behind their children were also uneased. They had to watch their children climb dunes and slip and fall, so their hearts ached for them. The parents who were at the grassland survival training last time helped their children take note of the tools that Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang used.

They sighed again in their hearts while watching those two children cooperate seamlessly. They felt that if they were their own children, then they would hold them in their arms and dote on them. They were too sensible and too strong-willed. They have never seen them complain about being tired before, let alone crying sadly.

They admired the two children's parents. They wondered how their parents taught the two children to be mature like adults. Other than this, they also felt that the two children looked really cute with chubby faces that had dimples when they smiled and eyes that could talk.

Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan had no clue that other people wanted to take the two of them for themselves. They went down the slope, put away the plank, and continued to move forward step by step. In a while, they would reach the water station.

Translator's Notes

1. Three li

This is about 1.5 km.

2. Yong'yao

His name translates into "forever glorious".