The Kingdom of Four Rivers

by Guy Salvidge

  All eyes turned to Cheng. Would he really part with the family? Who would go with him? Not Ji Tao. Surely Cheng did not expect her support?

  “Who will take the river road with me?” Cheng asked.

  No one spoke. Not one of them rose to his defence. In that moment, for the first time in years, Ji Tao felt sorry for her brother.

  “Then it is settled,” Cheng said. “I will remain, though with reservations.”

  “I admire your courage,” Tuan said. “Perhaps tomorrow, if things do not go well for us, we will reconsider your proposition.”

  Another restless night. Troubled by her thoughts, Ji Tao imagined that her tent was sinking into the mud. It was hard to breathe—

  —but when she woke in the night from a vivid dream, her thoughts were clear. She had dreamed of a great, treeless plain baking under a pitiless sun. She recognised it as the Eternal Waste, which she had never seen with her own eyes. The Waste was thought to stretch to infinity. She had stood on the plain and had not felt the sun on her cheek. Perhaps the Eternal Waste was the land of the dead. But her mood had not been troubled, as it had been when she had fallen asleep. No, her mind had been empty, exalted. But the feeling was fading. What did it mean?

  Up until this point, Ji Tao had been slogging though mud, both mentally and physically. She had been oppressed from above and below. Now she decided that she would strike out in her own direction. Ji Tao went back to bed and slept peacefully.

  It did not bother her that they made little progress on the sixth morning. She had a sense that things were about to change for the better. When Tuan began to falter in his resolve, it was Ji Tao who spoke out in his defence. This surprised everyone, but especially Cheng.

  “What do you know of these matters, sister?” he said.

  “I have eyes, ears, nose and mouth,” she said. “I can judge the situation as well as you.”

  “Stop,” Tuan said.

  “We're turning around?” Liang asked.

  “No,” Tuan replied. “We're being watched.”

  Tuan made them all get down from the caravans, except Rame. He had them stand in a semi-circle, hands open and pointing downward, to indicate that they meant no harm.

  The plan worked; slowly, the watchers came out of the jungle. Three, four, five, six of them, carrying long spears. They were naked except for loin cloths. Four men, two women. Their skin was dark copper. They stood a short distance from the traders, mimicking their gestures. One by one, they put the spears on the ground. Perhaps they understood.

  “We mean you no harm,” Tuan said.

  The dark faces betrayed no hint of comprehension. When one of them spoke, Ji Tao could barely make out the words. Something about a fire perhaps.

  Tuan persisted. “We are traders,” he said. “We're on our way to Luihang.”

  The natives must have known Luihang, for they began talking among themselves, pointing at the caravans and the teams of gaur.

  “Yi Min, get a bag of wheat,” Tuan said. The boy did as requested.

  “Here,” Tuan said. “A gift.” Stepping forward, he placed the bag on the ground in front of the natives. “For you.”

  One of the natives, the one who had spoken first, picked the bag up. He looked at Tuan, not knowing what to do with it.

  “To eat,” Tuan said, gesturing that it was to be put in the mouth. “Wheat.”

  “Eat,” the head native said, nodding. The way he said it, it sounded more like 'it.'

  “Bring five more,” Tuan said to Yi Min.

  “Help him,” Kalliyan said to Roshan.

  The bags of wheat were distributed, one to each native. Some of them were experimenting with the contents, chewing the grain and passing it from one hand to the other.

  “You need to cook it,” Tuan said. “In a fire.”

  “Fire.” This was a word they understood.

  “You can turn it into bread,” Tuan said. Going to the back of the nearest caravan himself, he pulled out a piece of bread and gave it to the head native.

  “You can turn this into this,” he explained. “To eat.”

  “Eat. Bread.” Bread was pronounced 'Brid.'

  “Good,” Tuan said. “Now, we need to get to Luihang. We need to travel through your territory.”

  “Ya, Luihang,” the head native said. He pointed in a northerly direction.

  “We can't travel through the jungle,” Tuan said. “Not with the caravans.” He tried to depict this in gestures, pointing first to the caravan and then to the jungle, shaking his head. Then he pointed to the road and nodded.

  The head native consulted with his followers. Ji Tao caught only the occasional fragment. It was impossible to follow their conversation.

  “Sout,” the head native said, indicating to the path ahead of the caravans.

  “South?” Tuan said.

  The native man nodded. “Sout an nort.”

  “The road turns north, toward Luihang?”

  “Umbala,” the native said. 'Umbala' must have been one of the natives, for he picked up his spear, gave his bag of wheat to his leader, and started walking south along the path. He gestured for them to follow.

  “Umbala sout an nort,” the native leader said, by way of explanation.

  “Umbala will lead us to Luihang?”

  “Ya.”

  And so it was. Tuan thanked the native leader for his help, and they continued along the jungle road after Umbala. The other natives melted into the jungle.

  “If they know what wheat is, maybe they're not cannibals,” Ji Tao said to Tuan.

  “Maybe not,” Tuan agreed. “Some natives are cannibals, of that I am sure. But perhaps not these. That corpse you saw, it may have been eaten by a tiger after all. Besides, it was another native that you saw, not a shield-man.”

  “That's right,” Ji Tao said.

  “Then who are we to judge them?”

  Ji Tao saw his point. It was not as though hangings did not take place in Baitang.

  As promised, after two hours of travelling the road began to turn toward the north. Cheng checked his compass regularly and informed them that they were heading in the right direction. Luihang was thought to be little more than a day away if the road held this course. They could be in the city by tomorrow.

  And there were people in the jungle, watching them along their way. Umbala, who liked to keep his distance, chattered away to himself. Perhaps the jungle was full of these people. Occasionally an intrepid youngster would summon up the courage to walk alongside them. For this, they were rewarded with bread, or even better, meat. Soon the sides of the road was lined with natives. Ji Tao found herself in the position of handing out bags of wheat every few hundred metres to placate the crowd.

  “Stop handing out so many,” Rong Li said.

  Ji Tao had the idea that perhaps the natives were not quite as numerous as they had first imagined. Even though it was hard to tell them apart, she started to see the same ones again and again. There was a boy, about Yi Min's age, who had a long white scar across his chest. The second time he came for a handout, she was not quite sure it was the same boy, but on the third occasion, barely twenty minutes later, she refused to hand it over. This proved unpopular.

  “They're fleecing us,” Liang observed. “Tell him to go away.”

  The boy had got the message. The natives, seeing that the handouts had ceased, started to lose interest.

  The afternoon passed uneventfully. They had had some difficulty explaining to Umbala that they needed to stop for lunch, but the message eventually got through to him. Umbala simply sat in the middle of the road. He refused an offer of food but was happy to drink their water.

  Extricating herself from the need to look after Yi Min and the twins, Ji Tao took the opportunity to talk to Sovann about what Liang had said to her two days before. Ji Tao waited until Kalliyan was engaged with the twins herself before drawing Sovann aside.

  “Cousin Liang is looking well, don't you think?” Ji Tao said.

&
nbsp; “Liang?” Sovann said. “I'm sure he's happy to be on the road again. These trader types become restless if they are cooped up too long.”

  “Liang is always restless,” Ji Tao said. “Maybe it's time for him to settle down.”

  “Him, settle down?” Sovann laughed. “Dewei used to say 'younger brother is too flighty even for a trader.' I can see him as an adventurer, going to all the wild places.”

  “Maybe a wife would bring him down to earth a bit.”

  “Well, what about Kalliyan?”

  “Do you think she'd be interested?”

  “Not sure. Rong Li would make life hell for her if they were to marry.”

  “I think Liang would prefer to marry a Han girl anyway.”

  “Well, there's plenty of those. He could have just about any girl he wanted if he put his mind to it.”

  “Why do you say that?” Ji Tao asked.

  “Liang would make any girl a fine husband. You obviously can't see that because you're related.”

  “Explain it to me then.”

  “Well, he's a handsome enough fellow, and much kinder and wittier than most men. Dewei was quite jealous of him, in his way. And besides, there would be dozens of girls who'd marry into the Chens if they got the chance.”

  “Like you did?” Ji Tao teased.

  “It's not my fault Dewei drowned, is it? It was most unfortunate.”

  This was familiar territory between them. Ji Tao knew that Sovann had not loved Dewei intensely. They had only been married for a few months when he died, and the marriage had been arranged.

  “Cousin Dewei was a good man,” Ji Tao said, “but he never had much time for us. He already seemed grown up when he was sixteen.”

  “A bit like your brother in that respect.”

  “That's right.”

  “Men are a necessary evil,” Sovann said. “I never said that to a man, of course. They wouldn't understand.”

  “Liang would,” Ji Tao said. “He would know exactly what you meant.”

  “Perhaps I'll mention it to him, then.”

  “My cousin is very bright in his way,” Ji Tao offered.

  “Then why is he always saying such stupid things?” Sovann countered. “Like how he is going to throw a rope around the sun?”

  “That's just how he is. He says a lot of things he doesn't really mean.”

  “I don't call that being very bright,” Sovann said. “I'll give him one thing though—he has managed to get out of doing too much work in this family. His parents spoil him too much. Especially Rong Li. One would be excused for thinking the sun shone out of his eyes and his breath was a cool breeze.”

  “Cousin Liang is somewhat spoiled,” Ji Tao admitted. “But he's going to lose out on being the head of the family because of the way he is.”

  “And that is what you call a 'wise man'?”

  “No, I suppose not,” Ji Tao said. “Poor Tuan. He must wonder what went wrong.”

  “Your brother seems competent enough to lead the family, if a little headstrong.”

  “You don't know him like I do,” Ji Tao said. “Behind those empty eyes lurks a tyrant to rival Yao.”

  “Then perhaps you should become the head of the family,” Sovann said. “You seem quite close to Tuan.”

  “As if that's going to happen. Can you imagine Rong Li taking orders from me?” The thought amused her.

  “Rong Li wouldn't be there,” Sovann pointed out. “She and Tuan would be safely tucked away on the farm in North District.”

  “I think even cousin Liang would make a better leader than me,” Ji Tao said. “I can't even supervise the children properly.”

  “You just don't respond well to people telling you what to do.”

  “I had a dream that I was going to stand up for myself more. Maybe you should too.”

  “Right, it's settled then,” Sovann said. “Ji Tao and Sovann are henceforth not taking orders from anyone—”

  “—especially Rong Li—”

  “—unless they deem it necessary themselves. This means no babysitting Yi Min and the twins, and no cooking.”

  “I don't mind the cooking so much,” Ji Tao said. “But I agree with you on the babysitting. Why can't Cheng look after Yi Min? It's his son after all.”

  “Do you think we should mention this to Kalliyan?”

  “Why not?”

  “I think I'll go talk to her,” Sovann said. “Kalliyan! I need to discuss something with you.”

  By the time night fell in the jungle, Tuan thought they were only three or four kilometres from Luihang. Despite this, the town was still hidden from view. Again, she struggled to sleep the night through. By morning, she felt more tired than when she had gone to bed. Ji Tao's neck ached and her joints were stiff.

  Then, just as Tuan had predicted, the amber glow of Luihang shield began to peek through the jungle. Their guide, upon seeing it, refused to take another step. He simply pointed at the shield and shook his head. Tuan thanked Umbala for his guidance, and offered him two sacks of wheat for his trouble. But Umbala shook his head again, wandering off into the jungle.

  Chapter Three

  After almost a week on the road, the first thing on Ji Tao's mind was the need for a shower. Her hair was matted and lank, her skin dirt encrusted. They made for the hostel in Luihang's east district, which offered free travellers accommodation. This is where they would stay until market day.

  “See, Yi Min,” Ji Tao said. “Luihang is just like Baitang.”

  Luihang, like Baitang, had been built long ago on the bank of the Wu, and like Baitang, the river passed under the shield. After becoming accustomed to the claustrophobic closeness of the jungle, Ji Tao felt like she was swimming in air. To the north, she saw fields and beyond that, the angry red glow of Luihang Inner Shield.

  Luihang differed from Baitang in that it was encircled by what was known as the 'ring road,' which was both a blessing and a curse. The road was an efficient means of transportation, but it was an extremely busy thoroughfare. Besides, Ji Tao did not like travelling right under the edge of the shield like this. The shield seemed overbearing, overpowering. If one looked carefully, one could occasionally see flashes—like lightning—within. The ring road was made of metal, which had struck Ji Tao as odd the first time she saw it. Surely the metal would be better used elsewhere? But Tuan had explained to her, as he explained to Yi Min now, what the ring road had been for:

  “Once, this road was what was called a 'travelator.' You simply stood on it and the road itself moved. See how there is a gap in the middle of the road? One half would go forward and the other backward. You could go the whole way around Luihang without lifting your feet.”

  “Why doesn't the road work now?” Yi Min asked.

  “Why not, indeed?” Tuan said. “It was very expensive to maintain. In the old times, this was no problem, but in later years people did not have the tools or the expertise to fix it. One day, when the ring road had broken down for the hundredth time, it was decided that people would have to walk by themselves. Walking is no great hardship, is it?”

  Yi Min nodded, but he was clearly taken by the idea of a road that moved by itself. “But it's so dirty,” he said.

  “Poor Yi Min,” Ji Tao said. “The whole world broke down before you had a chance to see it.”

  “I will learn how to fix the ring road!” Yi Min said.

  Everyone laughed at this. Liang said, “Yi Min, we'll have to ask the administrator if we can try to fix it. I think between the two of us we have more brains than all of Luihang combined!”

  “Hush,” Tuan warned. Liang had to learn to hold his tongue. Ji Tao often worried about him offending the locals with his jokes.

  “My apologies, father,” Liang said. “But you must admit, it's a bit stupid to make such a wonderful thing as this ring road and then forget how it works.”

  “Such is the way,” Tuan said. “So many things have been forgotten.”

  “Do you think the administrator would let
us take a look at it?”

  “I would not dare ask unless I could be sure that you could fix it,” Tuan replied. “Min Jian does not tolerate fools.”

  Luihang and Baitang was similar in that their outer shields were divided into four districts. Each district was a cluster of buildings overlooked by a great water tank, which was more than one hundred metres high. These tanks were the lifeline of the districts, and indeed the Inner Shield itself, as they were the main source of water for drinking, bathing and irrigation. Water that fell on the surface of the shield drained into sinks and was piped down to the tanks.

  The east district was Luihang's trading zone; only within its boundaries was trade permissible. Their trip had been timed to coincide with the market which was held every tenth day. It was scheduled to be held tomorrow.

  “Looks like a day of leisure,” Liang said, rubbing his hands together. He had a point. As they had arrived on the morning before market day, they would indeed get some free time.

  “Remember what Xi Ning said,” Tuan warned.

  “We can go out for a drink, can't we?”

  “Yes,” Tuan conceded. “But that mouth of yours is to be clamped shut.”

  Their quarters were comfortable enough. It was a roof over their heads anyway. Ji Tao helped stable the gaur and then went in search of the shower she had been craving.

  “Three minutes only,” the shower monitor, an elderly woman, said.

  “What!”

  “We're trying to conserve water,” the woman said. “We're growing rice now.”

  There were five or six women in the showers already. Frantically scrubbing her skin, Ji Tao cursed the system that dictated the length of a shower to her. After all, the Chens were traders. They should have priority.

  “She doesn't really mean it,” one woman said to Ji Tao. “Just keep it short.”

  The room filled with steam. It was glorious to be clean again.

  “I can see you've been on the road awhile,” another woman said to Ji Tao.

  “Only for a week. Where are you from?”

  “I'm from Zhenghe originally. We've just got back from Ximing. I'm Jia Li.”