The sun never sets in America

Chapter 341 Afghanistan: Bai Erwen

"The lonely smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun sets over the long river——"

Bai Erwen, who was riding on a donkey and wearing a local white roll hat on his head, was reading one of the few ancient poems he knew.

Beside him were dozens of young local tribesmen, some riding donkeys, and some simply wearing sheepskin boots and following behind.

Next to him, Luo Daniu, who was also riding a donkey, kept filling his mouth with water. The sheepskin water bag in his hand soon became empty.

The whole person's face looked a little sallow due to the wind and sand. The spirit was also a little sluggish, and he looked like a slave who had just finished hard work.

But only Bai Erwen knew that this guy was simply lazy and didn't want to do anything, so he couldn't cheer up at all.

"What am I talking about? Afghanistan is just a shitty place. Look at it, it's not even as good as Persia!!"

Luo Daniu shook off the empty water bag in his hand. He looked very unhappy, especially when he saw the barren mountains not far away.

If Persia is an oasis in the desert, then Afghanistan is the leftovers of the oasis. Although it still seems very suitable for farming near Kabul, Luo Daniu became more and more irritable after leaving Kabul.

It's just that I can only feel the gaze, but can't see anyone. Occasionally I see a woman holding a veil, and I quickly retract my head, but soon I can't help but stick my head out and look in their direction. I went, but at most I could only see their backs. I wanted to see those "foreigners" more accurately, but I was scolded by the man.

Taking the silver plate handed over by the old man, Bai Erwen smiled, and then in front of the old man, he picked up the naan cakes that had been broken open, dipped in the sticky mutton soup, and stuffed them into his mouth. After eating, , gave the old man a thumbs up and a "goodwill" smile.

Listening to the "unofficial history" that Luo Daniu heard from somewhere, Bai Erwen curled his lips, and then replied dismissively:

Bai Erwen did not reply immediately, but turned to look at the "friendly" Afghan friends around him, and finally said to Luo Daniu in a Wu dialect from the Jiangnan region of China:

“Afghanistan is such a place, with little water and little land, and has been a poor place since ancient times!!”

“Can we spend the night here??”

After Bai Erwen finished speaking, he glanced at Luo Daniu beside him. The other person immediately understood what he said. When he entered, he followed Omar with his hands moving downwards, revealing a bulging bag on his waist. holster.

When Luo Daniu heard this, he turned his head and looked at the Afghans who were peeking and understood. He smiled and said: "If you ask me, it's all the fault of Genghis Khan. It is said that he was the one who invaded Afghanistan." At that time, some local water conservancy facilities were destroyed and poisoned, and it became what it is today——"

Omar is a typical Pashtun, wearing black cotton wool. Even in such weather, he would not take it off. Although he may have adapted to it, for Bai Erwen, if it were not for "business", he would not take it off. Don't wear such an ugly hat! !

When Bai Erwen heard this, he habitually touched the ruby ​​ring on his hand. This ring was given to him by an old sweetheart he knew, and it was euphemistically called "tying his heart."

Kuriban frowned, then remembered the identities of these people, and answered boldly:

"Our tribe occupies two of the four small rivers in this area. What you see is one of them. The other runs through a valley, and the valley contains the food we need."

For a self-made man like him, there is no so-called "past glory". After all, for a person, or for a country, to constantly recall the glory means the current "backwardness".

Omar ignored his lips, which were still stained with mutton, and translated what Bai Erwen had just said in Pashto to the "respected" old patriarch.

Riding on the donkey, Bai Erwen chatted with Luo Daniu in his hometown dialect, while constantly looking at the jujube forest in front of him with his peripheral vision.

Bai Erwen was very disdainful of the theory of water conservancy, just like the Persians had been bragging to him about how awesome the Persian Empire was back then. He agreed on the surface, but in his heart he thought it was the "stubbornness" of the Persians. Or "memory".

"Okay, I'll do as you say!!"

The waiting time was so long that Bai Erwen even doubted whether Omar had sold them and glanced at Luo Daniu.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to plant something as indifferent as a jujube tree in such a precious place.

Then he turned his attention to Omar, whose mouth was full of oil.

Sitting cross-legged on the Afghan blanket, Bai Erwen took the milk tea with both hands, while stroking this relatively high-quality carpet and looking around at the surrounding decorations.

"Mr. Bai, this is our Pashtun tribe. If they are outsiders or foreigners, they will be very wary, but if they have referrals from people like us, it should be OK!!"

When he saw the old sterling silver muskets and Afghan machetes hanging on the wall, he subconsciously looked at the old man who was still dividing the bread. He was sure that those things on the wall must have been used by this guy. In other words, I used it when I was young, for no other reason than intuition, a kind of intuition "from the heart", or the sense of smell.

Looking at the old patriarch with a gray beard in front of him, but still staring at him with vigour, Bai Erwen bowed slightly and said "God bless you". Only then did the old man named Kuliban opposite him become more attentive and greeted them to come in. Room.

If Bai Erwen's guess is correct, there is at least an underground river under this jujube forest, or a relatively large underground water, because according to Bai Erwen's visual inspection just now, this jujube forest covers hundreds of acres. Coupled with the vague fruit trees in the distance, Bai Erwen immediately concluded that this tribe had precious local water sources, and there might even be more than one.

After all, entertaining guests is a man's business and has nothing to do with these women.

"Patriarch, I want to ask you one thing, why do you plant jujube trees in such a precious place? As far as I know, there are not many grain-producing places in this area??"

After taking a few bites, Bai Erwen asked tentatively:

The deeper he goes in, the more Bai Erwen can feel what "in full view" means.

Several big Han men around him immediately put their hands quietly on their waists. If the Afghans made any move, they would immediately draw their guns.

When Omar heard this, a "kind" smile appeared on his face. His slightly yellowed teeth looked like he had eaten a lot of meat.

At the end of Bai Erwen's words, he added, "Use hometown dialect."

Five minutes before I touched the gun, I saw Omar running out sweating profusely. The first thing he said when he saw Bai Erwen was, "The patriarch allowed it, but he asked us not to contact the female family members, and to pay an accommodation fee." ".

Strong people never complain about reality, they only adapt to it and change it! !

The two chattered for dozens of miles until they stopped in front of a jujube forest.

"What kind of paradise on earth and exotic beauties do you want to see? It's probably going to India."

"Otherwise, maybe Afghanistan is really a good place."

Kuliban looked at the Han Chinese in front of him who "do as the Romans do in the country", said a local blessing, and then began to eat the mutton on his plate.

After all, he was a man who had been beaten by wind and sand for several days in a row, surrounded by an empty desert, and he was going to get angry.

"As for the jujube tree, apart from us eating it, the most important thing is to make dried fruits and sell them to the merchants who come to buy them."

"What nonsense is water conservancy? This thing is man-made and can be restored. If your house collapses, why don't you build a new one??"

Bai Erwen stopped Luo Daniu, who was about to pick dates, and said directly in fluent English to the Pashtun guide Omar beside him:

Looking at the tribe built with mud bricks in front of him, Bai Erwen said nothing and kept looking at this "Pashtun tribe" with his eyes.

Seeing Omar in front of him who was constantly moving and gesturing as he spoke, and his English with an Afghan accent, Bai Erwen nodded, acquiescing, but soon thought of something:

"If you can successfully stay, I will reward you with two days' wages."

Looking at the old man in front of him who said "never ending", Bai Erwen thought about the authenticity of what the other party said, but soon he was relieved. After all, he and others were foreigners and could not stay here for a long time. How, so what if I don’t know.

After Kuliban finished speaking, Bai Erwen directly began to ask about the situation leading to "Northern India".

After learning that they were really going to India to do business, the Kuriban said directly:

"Young man, I do not recommend that you go anywhere near India right now."

"Why??"

Bai Erwen looked at this wise old man and wondered why he stopped him from going to India.

When Kuliban looked at the expression of this young Han man, he knew that the other party did not quite believe what he said, so he directly said:

"Young man, I don't know why you went to India. It may be business, but now is definitely not a good time to do business. The British are now encircling and suppressing the tribes near India. It is said that many people have died - —”

"If you go now, you are likely to get involved in this war that does not belong to you." Looking at the old man in front of him who did not look like a faker, Bai Erwen turned his head and looked at Omar who was pretending to "eat meat" and suddenly understood He explained why this guy hesitated to speak several times when negotiating with him in Kabul. It turned out that the problem arose in this place.

At this time, the old man named Kuliban said:

"Young man, if you want to do business in India, you can wait until the war is over. After all, this is Afghanistan, and the British cannot stay forever!!"

Looking at the confidence on the old man's face, Bai Erwen was surprised at first. After all, this is the world's hegemon. Afghanistan, which does not even have a slightly organized army, could be Britain's opponent. But the terrain of Afghanistan popped up in his mind. After thinking about the weather, Bai Erwen understood what the old man meant.

After seeing the machete and silver musket hanging on the wall, Bai Erwen looked at the old man named Kuliban and no longer regarded him as an ignorant grass-headed king, but as a real man. An elder with rich experience.

After thinking about it, Bai Erwen immediately asked about the current situation.

"This is not the first time the British have come here. Their army came here many years ago. I still remember the clothes they wore at that time. Young man, it was red, right??"

Because of his age, Curriban could not remember the military uniforms worn by the British.

"Yes, they are red in color. We usually call them red shirt troops, but you can also call them lobster soldiers——"

“Young man, what is a lobster??”

Realizing that there might not be a species of lobster in Afghanistan, Bai Erwen immediately explained it and danced, making the old man laugh non-stop.

"Patriarch, I want to know if there is another way to enter India??"

Bai Erwen looked at the old man, trying to learn some "secrets" from him.

"I remember the earliest days, before the British conquered the whole of India, we Afghans often went to India to carry out some activities."

"Mainly through a mountain pass called Khyber, but it is probably impassable now because the British are coming."

After all, Kuriban did not say the word "plunder". After all, although this thing is not a big deal in Afghanistan, it is still necessary to maintain "morality" in the face of these foreign guests coming from afar.

Bai Erwen didn't believe that there was really any activity worth traveling so far.

Then he asked:

"If we can't enter India, can we go to Central Asia? I heard that there is also a war there, and we might be able to get some opportunities."

Hearing the young man say the word "opportunity", Kuliban looked at the young man carefully and thought about what the boy named Omar just said about the "carpet merchant" in Han.

Now it seems that these Han people are definitely not here to buy carpets. After all, if you want to buy carpets, just go to Kabul. What are you doing here?

"Young man, I don't know why you came here, but I know that I can't stop you."

Listening to the old man's faint "warning", Bai Erwen quickly said that he was just doing business and had no ill intentions.

Then I heard Curiban continue to say:

"Young man, if you want to make money, the best way is not to get involved in those disputes. After all, no matter how much unstable wealth you have, it is not yours!!"

This was the last thing Curliban said to Bai Erwen, because then Bai Erwen made an excuse to go and rest.

In an earthen house, feeling the "coolness" inside, Bai Erwen, who had just sat down, couldn't help but sigh at the "wisdom" of Afghanistan.

Although the entire Afghanistan is no different from hundreds of years ago or even a thousand years ago in Bai Erwen's view, there are some things that cannot be compared with technology. Although these methods are very crude, in Bai Erwen's view, this represents A kind of wisdom, a kind of wisdom that belongs to "people".

"Damn it, this mutton made me feel sick to my stomach. It's so greasy. I really don't know why they eat such greasy food. I just kept eating pancakes."

Luo Daniu, who had just walked in, took off his shoes and fell directly on the soft blanket. As soon as he lay down, he started to complain about the mutton that he couldn't get used to.

Due to the lack of supplies, the only meat available to Afghans is chicken and sheep.

Of course, fish actually counts, but because of water resources, most areas still eat the two above.

Also because of the shortage of supplies, when Afghans eat meat, they like to add a lot of spices and boil out the thick fat.

(Due to the proximity to India and Persia, spices are very cheap)

Luo Daniu has had a good life in the past few years. He has been advocating vegetarianism recently, and he couldn't bear to eat such greasy "Afghan specialties" all of a sudden.

Bai Erwen took out a bag of "chewing gum" and threw it to Luo Daniu.

The chewing gum also has two Chinese characters for "Lan Fang" written on it, with orange in front.

Chewing gum was first invented as a candy during the Black Sea War. At that time, it was mainly mint flavored and used to freshen the breath. After all, in the war, where there was a lack of water and time, the breath was not as big as usual, so chewing gum became a A habit of many people.

(The earliest was mint leaves)

Later, it gradually evolved into the current chewing gum, which is available in various flavors. Bai Erwen likes to eat oranges, and most of the ones he buys are orange flavors.

Luo Daniu chewed gum in his mouth, chewed it seven or eight times, and then said:

"I said, since we can't enter that kind of India, what should we do??"

"I've said it before, work hard in Persia, beauties, money, everything you need. You insist on believing that boss's nonsense and insist on trying your luck here. What now??"

"Didn't you encourage me in the first place? Why did it become my fault!!"

Bai Erwen didn't like Luo Daniu's habit of shirking responsibility.

The two complained to each other for a few words, and then fell into a period of "indifference."

In the end, Bai Erwen was the first to speak:

"Do you think we should go to India?"

"Go, take what you want, take your and my head, do you dare to bet? If you dare to bet, I will!!"

Luo Daniu answered unceremoniously.

Bai Erwen relaxed for a moment, and then said:

"It's not like you didn't hear what the old man said just now. At this time, the British are fighting vigorously, and they will give away their heads if they go."

"How about this, change the route to Central Asia, go to Central Asia, and after passing Central Asia, we will reach Xianbei. That is our territory, there is no one to be afraid of!!"

Bai Erwen's mind turned quickly, and he suddenly thought of the Xianbei area.

Luo Daniu asked directly:

"What are you doing in Central Asia? Don't tell me. Central Asia is richer than India??"

Bai Erwen leaned against the wall wrapped in carpet, looked at the silverware in the room, and then slowly said: "Tell me, what did that old man just do? ?"

"What else can I do, just farm!!"

Luo Daniu curled his lips and answered.

Bai Erwen looked at the furnishings in the room again, and then said in a complicated tone:

"I think he looks like a bandit, no, he is a bandit!!"

Luo Daniu suddenly turned around and looked at Bai Erwen.

(End of this chapter)