Yin Su had been outside the city walls many times, but always with the thought that she would return. Now, her thoughts scrambled. This was not routine. Her mind swirled with memories of which plants were found where around the city. What she found would allow her Mother to prepare tasty and nourishing meals, and also create tinctures and salves for ailments. She would have to remember all her Mother’s teachings.

It did not take long to leave the familiar surroundings behind.  She scanned the territory they walked through, guessing in her mind where the best herbs might be found. Thinking about plants and herbs allowed her to occupy herself and not think about what was actually happening. When that no longer worked she began to look around and observe new things. She spied small communities off the road. Places where a few farmers worked together to grow and harvest food to sell in the city.

The road became lonelier as people left the road for these villages. Soon there was no one ahead or behind them. Yin Su watched the sun get lower and lower until its brilliance shone directly ahead and they had to avert their eyes or risk being blinded. At this time her husband led the ox off the road into a meadow with a copse of small trees. He unhooked the ox from the cart and led it to a stream that Yin Su had not even noticed. He tied the ox to a sturdy tree branch so it could graze on the fresh grass and drink from the stream.

Yin Su followed his movements with fascination. She did not know what she should be doing.

“We will sleep here tonight,” her Husband announced. “Let us eat some of the fruit we purchased in the market and then we can rest.”

The reminder brought her to life. She climbed up on the oxcart and retrieved a container of apples. The sweet fruit would refresh them and let their bodies revive in slumber. Her Husband got out the sleeping mats and put them under a nearby tree, folding the long grass over to create a soft place for sleeping. Yin Su noticed his careful placement of the mats and again thought about what had been on her mind the last few hours.

Her Husband took an apple and sat on the ground to eat it. He nodded his head in the direction of the apples and then toward a spot on the ground near him, indicating she should join him. She did. Neither spoke. Her Husband took large bites of the apple, chewing loudly and apparently enjoying the flavor. Yin Su took smaller bites and tried not to make any noise as she ate.

“The taste is good. You like apples?” Her husband had finished his and was watching her dainty bites and slow chewing.

“Um, yes.”

“Good. Now we must rest. It is a long journey to Hangu Pass. Three, maybe four days more.”

Her Husband got up and checked on the ox, now contented with a full belly of fresh grass. The sun was almost gone. Because they had not prepared a fire, there was only the fading sunlight. The sleeping mats loomed, side by side with the single cover to protect them both from the cool night air.

“We will rest now,” he repeated and continued to look around as if he did not know what to do next. Finally, he walked over to the sleeping mat and crawled under the cover. He turned on his side so he was facing away from the mat that Yin Su would occupy. Yin Su took that as her signal to join him under the cover.

Activity behind closed doors between a man and a woman was not foreign to Yin Su. It was not hidden in the Great House. The Great Lord was with many women, including her mother. She had realized that as a young child. And she, herself, had attracted the attention of boys her own age among the household staff. But none had interested her. Other girls in the kitchen teased her about her reticence as they batted their eyes and wiggled their hips to garner the attention that she rebuffed. They were the ones who bore children to stock the kitchen staff. When too many children were born, they simply disappeared; the mothers sold or married off. Yin Su had remained in the kitchen longer than any other.

Now her time had come. Her husband awaited her in the bed. She slowly finished her apple and arose from her seated position. The moon appeared and she could see her surroundings. The soft noises of nature going to sleep for the night enveloped her. Birds fluttered in the trees and came to rest. Movement in the grass revealed small animals going underground or deeper into the forested area. Her husband’s breathing added an unfamiliar note to the symphony.

She walked to her side of the sleeping mat and sat down. She removed her grass sandals and placed them by the head of the mat. She crawled under the coverings and lay on her side facing away from her husband. She waited.

Her husband stretched and changed his position to lying on his back. He stretched again and was lying facing her back. He laid a hand on her hip and gently rolled Yin Su on her back. She closed her eyes. She did not resist.

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