In the case of a woman dancing over to a man; if he accepted, it meant that he liked her. Then, she could take the next step, such as giving him a handkerchief or a jewel.
Ye Xiaoxian was also dragged up to dance by Liu Qianqian. Although they didn’t know the local dancing style, they just took it as an opportunity to get some exercise, to have fun and also to build friendships with the locals.
Liu Qianqian imitated the steps of the locals as she asked Ye Xiaoxian, “Will any young guys dance to us?”
Ye Xiaoxian chuckled. “What are you thinking about? Isn’t Jia Zhenbo enough for you? Do you want a little lover?”
“Of course not! But you could find a man!”
Ye Xiaoxian said, “I don’t need one. Right now I just want to ensure our survival and make our lives better.”
Liu Qianqian then joked to Xiao Baozhu, “Baozhu, you can find a man among this lot.”
But Xiao Baozhu also had no such idea. “Don’t make fun of me. It seems you’re the one who’s eager to find a man.”
But as she danced, a young man came up to her and showed his attraction to her. Although she understood his meaning, she didn’t give him any response. In fact, she looked quite indifferent. Rejected by her silence, the man could only look for a new target. It seemed that he had more than just one or two targets. So long as one girl responded to him, he could get out of the single life.
Tarico was also dancing. Dilly said he was very much sought-after. Many girls wanted to marry him, but he didn’t take to any of them. At this moment, he was dancing joyfully with his brothers. Under so many expectant eyes, he didn’t show any interest in a girl.
Guri’s patience was wearing thin. She had been playing with her friends, but they all went off to dance with men. Only Guri got no invitation.
Humph! These men either have poor taste or think I’m an aggressive daughter of the tribal leader!
She had a look at Tarico again. Seeing him playing with only men, she felt an urge to dance to him. But just then, she saw the girl living near to Tarico go up to him and show her fondness for a while. He neither cooperated with her nor clearly rejected her. Instead, he responded with other postures. Getting his meaning, the girl trotted away immediately.
Guri snorted. Humph! You told me Ye Xiaoxian had close contact with Tarico. But what about you? I didn’t expect you also like him! Bah, who do you think you are? You’re just a poor girl in a family with only seven goats!
Guri became hesitant to dance to Tarico, afraid of being declined in the same way. Then, she looked over at Ye Xiaoxian. Ye Xiaoxian and her companions were also having great fun, as if they were no different from the locals.
Guri couldn’t help feeling angry. Humph! You outsiders have no right to integrate into our tribe! I must teach you a lesson!
…
Guri left the crowd and asked the herdsmen working for her family to come over. After learning her wicked plan, the men hesitated. But she threatened to cut their wages if they didn’t do as she told them. As such, they were forced to obey her.
They went back among the crowd but didn’t dance right away. Rather, they found several other people and whispered the plan to them.
…
Ye Xiaoxian and her companions had lost themselves in the joyful music. The scenery was so charming at the foot of Tianshan Mountains where they could feel the softness of the grass and see the blue sky and white clouds. The music played by horse-head fiddles and pipas (four-stringed Chinese musical instruments) further lit up the atmosphere. No one would pull a long face in such a situation.
Ye Xiaoxian even felt an impulse to start square-dancing. The music of Phoenix Legend echoed in her mind: Follow the lead of everyone’s dreams; Our steps will be like the beat of a drum; Sing with a smile and sing from your heart; It will guide our way all night and day…
Just then, a man danced up to her to show his admiration. She declined him with a silent smile. But then, there was one man after another wooing her…
She was confused. After all, she was not a heartthrob. Besides, she had never seen these men before. The tribe was so big and they lived so far away from each other. Why did these men choose her? Because she could do square-dancing?
Ye Xiaoxian soon drew many people’s attention. It was a rare scene that many men showed affection for a woman. The last time this had happened was five years ago. At that time, there had been an exceptionally stunning girl in the tribe. The people around Ye Xiaoxian all stopped to see how she responded. Embarrassed, she could only stop as well. But the men didn’t stop and even began to exaggerate their dance moves. It looked more like some collective flirtation than mere friendly interaction. It was as if they were doing this on purpose.
Liu Qianqian became angry and grabbed Ye Xiaoxian’s sleeve. “Are these men crazy? They must be making fun of us refugees! Little Ye, let’s go home now!”
Xiao Baozhu also said, “Let’s go!”
But Ye Xiaoxian was unwilling to submit. If she left just like this, these men would think the southern women were weak and easily bullied. If she met them again, they would still make fun of her.
Humph, I must respond in kind!
Although she couldn’t dance the local dance, she believed all the people could understand the gestures of showing refusal and disdain. So she danced again as if nothing had happened. But after warming up, she gave those men the finger, rolled her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at them.
The onlookers all burst out laughing. Tarico also noticed what had happened to her. When he wanted to help her, he found she had handled the trouble perfectly. So he didn’t go over and just watched her quietly with an involuntary smile.
The troublemakers, under Guri’s order, had planned to make Ye Xiaoxian leave in tears. But at this moment, they became the ones being teased by her and even laughed at by the onlookers. Embarrassed, they immediately fled.
Seeing the scene from not far away, Guri stamped her foot in anger.
What bungling oafs!
…
That evening, Ye Xiaoxian fried the leftover mutton and made naans for dinner. In the public yurt for the two families, there were some wooden tables and chairs made by the servant responsible for chopping wood. Rough as they were, they proved a great convenience in daily life. At least, they didn’t need to squat to have dinner anymore.
Talking about Ye Xiaoxian’s performance that day, everybody burst into laughter. Liu Qianqian and Xiao Baozhu had much greater admiration for her.
After sleeping for a whole afternoon, Li Chengru felt completely refreshed. He suggested they drink some sorghum liquor together. The local sorghum liquor was made using melted snow from Tianshan Mountains and several varieties of sorghum. It tasted pleasantly sweet with a low alcohol content. Even the women didn’t mind the taste.
