early morning twilight

The motorbike team entered Waqia Township, and the road became narrower.

Some of the trees on the side of the road pierce straight into the sky, which are the most common poplars on Karakorum.

Some are bent towards the middle of the road, and the branches and leaves are entangled.

"You came at the wrong time." Jin Chongshan said suddenly.

"Huh?" Si Ye turned his head.He checked that summer is the peak season for traveling in Xinjiang, how could it not be the time?

"Summer is suitable for seeing the grasslands in northern Xinjiang. Have you been to Bayinbulak, Kalajun Grassland, and Yili Lavender Base?"

"Ah... planning to go."

What Siye thought before setting off was to go to southern Xinjiang first, play from Kashgar to Hotan, and then go to northern Xinjiang.

But it was only when he arrived in Kashgar that he realized that Xinjiang was too big, not to mention northern Xinjiang, even Hotan, which he didn't really want to go to.

He just wanted to stay in Ta County and follow Brother Jin to look around.

"Then when should you come?"

"Spring and autumn."

Si Ye didn't believe it this time, thinking that Jin Chongshan was teasing him.

According to the strategy, spring is the only time when Xinjiang is not very beautiful.

Because the snow has melted, but the grass hasn't grown yet.

The grasslands and hills are bare, and the dust in southern Xinjiang will be particularly large in spring.

Si Ye tugged on Jin Zhong's clothes at the waist, and said with a complaining tone, "Brother Jin, you lied to me."

"I did not lie to you."

"Just cheated."

"Did you see those trees?" Jin Zhongshan motioned to the river beach on the right.

There are many trees growing on the edge of the river beach, which are not distinctive at first glance.

"That's an apricot tree. For about ten days every spring, the whole river ditch is in full bloom. There are no leaves, but only flower clouds, reaching every household."

I don't know if it's the warm wind blowing in front of me, but Si Ye felt that there was a hint of a smile in Jin Chongshan's tone.

The smile turned into the frivolity he was familiar with at the last sentence.

"Just imagine."

It was as if thousands of miles of snow clouds were unfolding in front of Si Ye's eyes.

The valleys and ditches are full of flower rain, the green water reflects the snow-capped mountains, and the lambs roll among the petals.

Si Ye almost blurted out: "I'll come back next year! What about autumn?"

"Autumn." At this time, the motorcycle drove into a tunnel-like place.

But the top of the "tunnel" is not reinforced concrete, but intertwined branches and leaves.

In summer, there is nothing special about the branches and leaves.

"When the leaves turn yellow in autumn, the whole section of the road turns into a golden tree hole."

Si Ye raised his head, the sunlight leaked from the branches and leaves that hadn't yet turned yellow, casting mottled spots on his face.

He could see the gods, and the surroundings instantly changed from green to golden.

Jin Chongshan drove him from this golden section to the other.

The sunshine in autumn is gentler than that in summer.

White mist rose from the small river, spreading over them together with the sunlight, and following the driving, long, flying light and shadows were drawn.

Like a layer of white transparent yarn.

Like a bride's veil.

Si Ye took a deep breath and inadvertently grabbed Jin Chongshan's clothes even tighter.

Designers' ideas are always unconstrained.

But his sudden imagination was too outrageous, and he was taken aback.

Jin Chongshan felt the strength on his waist, "Why?"

"No, no!" Si Ye's ears were burning, "Brother Jin, this hat is a bit hot."

Jin Chongshan glanced at the rearview mirror, "Well, it's quite hot."

"what?"

"Your face is red."

"...!"

Residential houses were already visible ahead, and the convoy slowed down.

Si Ye looked around curiously, those houses were very different from the ones he saw in Ta County.

More original, it is piled up with off-white stones.

The same stone surrounds the low courtyard wall outside.

The doors are wooden doors, sheep are raised in the yards of every household, and the national flag is planted on the roof.

The wind blows up the national flag, and that little red is the brightest color in the whole village.

Si Ye asked: "The national flag is..."

Jin Chongshan said: "Everyone inserted it spontaneously."

An indescribable emotion suddenly surged in Si Ye's heart.

It is surging, raw, boiling and burning in every cell.

To his surprise, when he was silent, Jin Chongshan seemed to be talking to himself:

"Tajiks love their motherland. Not only do we plant the national flag at home, we are also guards on this border -- although we are not soldiers or police."

Shino nodded thoughtfully.

But at this moment, he still couldn't comprehend the true meaning of this sentence.

There was a lot of activity ahead, and many herdsmen had already gathered at the entrance of the village waiting for the marriage proposal team.

Of course they were not waiting, the music was playing, and men and women were dancing around each other.

Marriage is the most important thing in life for all Tajiks.

So when someone in the village wants to get married, everyone will come to watch and send blessings.

Amidst cheers and music, the convoy drove to Amihumar's home, which was even more festive.

People are all dressed in traditional costumes, singing and dancing, even children as young as four or five years old are dancing.

It was the first time Si Ye came into contact with such a custom, and he said excitedly, "Brother Jin, can you dance?"

Jin Zhongshan exposed his intentions, "If you want me to teach you, just say so."

Si Ye raised his brows secretly, and the blond hair that was crushed by Tumark had been blown fluffy by the wind.

He spoke vigorously, like a majestic lion.

"It's not difficult. I have observed and studied, and I will."

"Well, then I won't teach."

"Brother Jin!" Si Ye confessed for a second, "I have to teach you!"

Jin Chongshan snorted softly, the temperature of the corners of his lips was blown up by the wind, and quietly passed Siye's ears.

Proposal officially begins.

But it was not as formal as Si Ye imagined, similar to a Han wedding.

All Tajik rituals are integrated into eating and dancing.

Before Si Ye could react, he was stuffed with a plate full of mutton bones.

While Jin Chongshan blew the eagle flute, Asimu and the others opened up and danced in the yard.

Soon, the woman's relatives and friends also joined.

The marriage proposal ceremony suddenly became the scene of a large-scale dance fight.

Si Ye was holding a mutton bone and wanted to join in, but he was afraid that he could not dance well.

Jin Chongshan came to him, "Do you know why you have mutton bones, but we don't?"

Si Ye thought for a while, "Because I look thinner?"

"Because you are our honored guest."

Jin Chongshan said: "The Tajiks are hospitable, even if you are just passing by, if there is a wedding, we will invite you to attend."

Moved by this pure enthusiasm, Si Ye whispered, "Thank you."

Jin Zhongshan changed the topic, "And you can't dance."

"..." This must be deliberately picked out!

"The master is afraid that you will be embarrassed when standing, so he invites you to eat mutton bones in advance."

At this time, the music stopped for a while, and the relatives and friends of the woman greeted everyone to the long table covered with embroidered tablecloths.

There were plates of mutton bones.

The sheep here are raised by the herdsmen themselves, and the meat is delicious, but it is too much for Siye to eat such a large portion.

But throwing it away is absolutely impossible.

He couldn't forgive himself for disappointing the good herdsmen.

Seeing that Jin Chongshan was going to get meat, he quickly caught him.

"Ok?"

"Brother Jin... If you don't mind, let's have this together?"

There was some teasing emotion in Jin Zhongshan's gray-blue eyes, "I won't pick meat for you."

Si Ye immediately took out the knife, "I'll pick it for you, I'll pick it for you!"

"Well."

So they sat on the ground and shared the meat on the same big plate.

The host's house served salty milk tea with cream, watermelon cut into large pieces, bright yellow apricots, and cups of dark red freshly squeezed pomegranate juice.

Si Ye tasted everything.

I was a little embarrassed at first, but then I let go, holding the mutton bone in my left hand and pomegranate juice in my right hand.

The euphemistic name is: degreasing.

The music started again, and Asimu and the others jumped up again.

Si Ye said, "Brother Jin, I've wanted to ask for a long time, what kind of dance are you dancing?"

"Eagle dance." Jin Zhongshan stood up, "imitating the posture of an eagle when it soars."

"Ah! No wonder it's so sassy!"

Jin Chongshan looked down at him, his eyes against the light, more profound and mysterious.

"Do you want to learn now?"

Of course Si Ye wanted to, but he was a little stage frightened.

The eagle dance seems simple, but he knows that the eyes have learned the truth that the body has not learned.

Jin Chongshan held out his hand to him, "Don't be afraid, we never laugh at people who are willing to understand our culture."

Si Ye looked at the hand in front of him.

It is large, somewhat rough, with distinct palm lines, like the roots of a tree deeply rooted into this land.

"Yeah." He replied softly, then held it, and was pulled up by a strong force.

The sound of the music was romantic. On the edge of the crowd, Jin Zhongshan taught Si Ye every movement of the Eagle Dance.

Si Ye's dancing is still unfamiliar, and he looks back at Jin Chongshan from time to time.

When he made mistakes in basic movements, Jin Chongshan would hold his waist and hold his arm with the other hand to correct him.

Every time at this time, his heart would beat faster and faster.

The heat from his chest spread to his face, but fortunately his forehead was already sweating, and his blushing could also be explained by being too hot.

He knew something was wrong with him.

This strangeness started when he fantasized about sunlight and mist as a veil.

Or earlier, when he was quietly leaning on Jin Zhongshan's back.

Or even earlier, when saying "The mountains are the heartbeat of the wilderness".

Jin Chongshan said something in his ear, and his breath spread the itch from the tip of the ear to the tip of the heart.

It was the music that was too loud, the heartbeat was too loud, and he couldn't hear anything clearly.

His eyes became very wet, and the numerous desires and hesitation were like pebbles thrown into the water, causing ripples in his eyes.

He knew that he jumped wrong, and that Jin Chongshan was patiently correcting him, but he couldn't calm down to learn.

He didn't even dare to look at Jin Chongshan.

He has experienced Jin Chongshan's ability to see everything many times.

I'm afraid that the next time they look at each other, Jin Chongshan will see the secret in his eyes.

He is so understanding.

More and more herdsmen are looking towards them.

As Jin Chongshan said, the Tajiks really do not laugh at people who are willing to get close to their own culture.

They were all smiling, stepping on the beat, applauding him.

Si Ye was suddenly ashamed of his poor dancing posture, he didn't dare to look at Jin Chongshan, turned his eyes to the other side, hurriedly followed the herdsmen who were circling, and learned another dancing posture.

With no one to correct him, the cheers grew louder.

He thought he had learned well, and Jin Chongshan let go of his arms and waist and danced around him.

He spun more vigorously until the music died down.

There was thunderous applause, and a new wave of food was placed on the long table again.

Si Ye wiped his sweat, the sun had already risen to mid-heaven, even under the shade of a tree, it was still very hot.

"When will we give the gift?" Si Ye thought about the earrings.

"When Amihumar came out."

"When is she coming out?"

"Dance a few more rounds, and she will come out when she is moved."

Si Ye dried up the pomegranate juice in one breath, and the embroidered shirt was wet with sweat and stuck to his body, but was quickly dried by the dry wind.

If he hadn't been in it, this seemingly lengthy ceremony would have made him impatient.

But at this moment, he didn't feel agitated at all. When the music started again, he danced with Jin Chongshan again.

Amihumar finally came out accompanied by his sister.

Jin Chongshan presented red silk as the representative of the man's marriage proposal.

Amihumar took over, and Aili Mi's fourth marriage proposal was considered a success.

There was endless cheers in the village, and Siye was greatly moved, and personally handed the earrings to Amihumar.

The beautiful Tajik girl thanked him in poor Mandarin and wished him the best of luck in his life.

After the marriage proposal is over, the man's team is about to leave Waqia Township, and rush back to tell Elemi the good news.

Si Ye looked at Jin Zhongshan.

Jin Chongshan said that they would not go back, but they would take him to see the magnificent Panlong Ancient Road in a while.

Sino bid farewell to the motorcycle team at the entrance of the village.

Asimu liked him very much, and bumped shoulders with him.

"Brother Ye, you are very talented in dancing! You can dance better than my sister!"

"..."

Why sister?

Seeing Siye's blank face, Asimu laughed.

"Brother Ye, you don't know that when you jump to the end, you will be in the woman's pose! Our man, the pose is like Brother Jin's!"