Back To The 80s-Chapter 382 - 392: Foreign Territory_1

Bai Xiaolan stood in the office of the militia with several fourteen and fifteen-year-old boys. An equally aged girl stood alongside them, her head lowered as she stared at the tips of her shoes.

Upon seeing Ji Xiangdong walk in, Bai Xiaolan immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at him. Her heart pounded with apprehension, regretting her impulsive interference. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

That morning, after Ji Xiangdong had left, she had wandered around the Poplar Forest and spotted two middle-aged women picking wild mushrooms. They enthusiastically told her that there were plenty of mushrooms in the autumn which could be dried and then stewed in winter, tasting as good as meat. They showed her the morels and wild oyster mushrooms they had collected, explaining that the morels liked to grow under rotting leaves and the wild oyster mushrooms on damp, decaying tree roots.

Intrigued, Bai Xiaolan ran home to grab a basket, intending to pick mushrooms herself. As she ventured in the opposite direction of the two women, she spotted four or five boys of her age bullying two children who appeared to be siblings.

The children were from a minority group in the village, and Bai Xiaolan couldn’t understand their dialect. However, she could tell that the two siblings were being pick on by the larger group of boys. The sister, she noticed, was tearfully pleading, probably asking for mercy.

Initially, the boys merely pushed and shoved the siblings. However, they soon began to ruthlessly punch and kick the brother, who lay helplessly beneath them. His sister intervened and got kicked as well.

Although Bai Xiaolan had been cautioning herself not to interfere, the sight of the helpless girl being hurt made her lose her cool. She rushed in to intervene. Thanks to a few self-defense moves she knew, the fight ended in a draw. The distraught sister ran to get the local militia leader, and everyone soon found themselves in the office of the village committee.

Upon seeing that Bai Xiaolan was uninjured, Ji Xiangdong sighed with relief and began communicating with the militia leader, Krimu, in the Uyghur language.

Having learned the details, Ji reflected that persuading Bai Xiaolan not to meddle in such matters might be a tough task.

As Bai Xiaolan was leaving the office alongside Ji, the girl who had been standing in the corner hurried to them. She excitedly said something unintelligible to Bai Xiaolan before giving her a hopeful look.

Ji, realizing that Bai Xiaolan couldn’t understand, explained, "She says she wants to give you a flowered cap."

Hearing this, Bai Xiaolan hurriedly declined, "No! No! I didn’t really do anything, I can’t accept a gift."

The girl’s face fell at Bai Xiaolan’s refusal. Captain Krimu began to explain something to Ji who, in turn, explained to Bai Xiaolan, "If you don’t accept her gift, it makes her feel belittled and not considered as a friend. Rejection in front of all these people would be very embarrassing for her."

Hearing this, Bai Xiaolan quickly agreed to accept the cap. The sight of her agreement made the girl’s eyes light up. She grabbed hold of Bai Xiaolan’s hand and led her towards her home.

Upon entering the home, the girl quickly fetched a wine red flowered hat from her cupboard. The pointed hat had an owl feather at the top, which symbolized bravery in her culture. The cap was adorned with silver thread embroidery and beaded tassels that hung in the front.

Bai Xiaolan was in awe of the beautiful hat. The girl excitedly started babbling something and gesturing, which Bai Xiaolan understood neither. Ji came in a moment later and clarified, "She’s saying that this hat is traditionally worn by brides in their culture. She finds you as beautiful as a bride." Fresh within Ji’s mind appeared an idea of incorporating an exotic twist to their traditional wedding ceremony. To match this hat, a bridal outfit would be necessary, he realized. So Ji asked the girl where one could buy bridal dresses.

Upon hearing that Bai Xiaolan was a bride-to-be, the girl beamed with joy, and then pulled out a deep pink dress from her box. The long-sleeved dress had golden clouds embroidered on it and a tiered ruffle hem. She handed it to Bai Xiaolan while talking excitedly.

"It’s her sister’s wedding dress, which someone else had gifted," Ji explained, laughing. "But her sister was a bit too fat for the dress and had to make a new one."

Bai Xiaolan admired the beautiful dress and timidly asked, "But shouldn’t she keep it for her own future wedding?"

"Her future in-laws will provide a new one when she gets married," Ji explained.

Bai Xiaolan, moved by the beautiful dress and considering the girl’s family’s financial situation, pulled out twenty yuan from her pocket and handed it to the girl.

The girl shook her head vehemently, blushing intensely. The girl’s brother, who had been silent all this while, said something.

"Alright, let’s accept this," Ji said, nodding in approval. "And remember to invite them to our wedding. Her brother plays the Dombra." Bai Xiaolan started thanking the girl profusely. Just as they were leaving, Bai Xiaolan came to know that the girl’s name was Ayinu, and she was Bai Xiaolan’s first friend in this place.

Ji contemplated on their way back home. "If the militia hadn’t arrived to intervene today, could you have taken on those five boys?" he asked.

Bai Xiaolan shook her head, apologizing, "I’m sorry, I only got involved because I saw Ayinu being bullied, and I acted impulsively..."

Ji, who was pushing his bicycle along, stopped and said, "While I support your urge to defend the weak, you need to remember to prioritize your own safety next time. If the person isn’t saved and you end up injured, it’s counterproductive."

Bai Xiaolan nodded decisively, "I promise I’ll be careful next time."

Ji couldn’t resist a light chuckle, "You can be reckless if I’m by your side."

The next few days remained busy for Ji, with an air of intrigue surrounding his activities.

Bai Xiaolan kept herself occupied by picking and drying wild mushrooms for the winter. She had now become adept at chopping potatoes into proper pieces and rolling out the dough evenly for noodles.

One morning on September 6th, Ji woke up early and beckoned Bai Xiaolan to accompany him downstairs, carrying a bag. There, they met a Kazakh friend of his waiting on horseback, another horse tethered alongside.

After a friendly greeting, Ji bounded on his horse and hoisted Bai Xiaolan up as well, who rode in front of him.

Excited about her first horse ride, Bai Xiaolan paid no mind to where Ji was leading her, secure in the knowledge that he wouldn’t gamble her away.

After riding for over half an hour, they arrived at a vast plain at the foot of a mountain. In front of a few scattered yurts on the plain, people from various ethnicities, all dressed in their festive attire, milled around.

Ayinu, also dressed in festival clothing and wearing the flowered hat, ran over looking excited. Bai Xiaolan immediately understood and was too surprised and pleased to say anything.

Ji helped her dismount and handed over the bag he had brought, "Go change into this with Ayinu."

Ayinu, ecstatic, led the still dazed Bai Xiaolan towards a yurt. Inside, five or six well-dressed girls were seated, all smiling and urging Bai Xiaolan to change into the outfit with their eyes.