Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 199 Dunhuang Buddhist Caves
Cai Zhu'er asked in surprise, "Take refuge in Buddha?"

The old lady said, "Although this Boss Li was once wealthy, he was also a man with a tragic fate. In his early years, due to the strong manipulation of his clan, his sister was to be sent to the home of a local official to work as a dancer. According to him, his sister was intelligent from a young age, well-read, and deserved a better match in terms of character, appearance, and talent. She was unwilling to suffer such humiliation, and he did not want to watch his sister become a sacrifice for the clan, so he secretly sent her away. Because of this, he offended his clan and was expelled from the household."

"However, he was naive and inexperienced back then, unaware of the wickedness of human nature. He never imagined that the servant who took his sister away would turn around and sell her to a slave trader. After dealing with the people in his clan, he went to the house he had arranged to look for her, but there was no trace of his sister or the servant. He was filled with remorse and beat his chest in despair."

"Did he...did he go to see his younger sister later?" Cai Zhu'er vaguely sensed something.

"He searched and eventually found the servant and the slave trader. After repeated questioning, he learned that his sister had been sold to a man in Hexi to be a concubine. When he arrived, the family said that his sister had escaped from the border in the chaos and had disappeared without a trace." The old lady sighed. "It was while he was searching for his sister that he got involved in business with India and made his fortune by transporting colored minerals and clay from Dunhuang. I guess that's when he became a Buddhist."

"Boss Li's caravan was willing to escort Aweng all the way, and also took over our old house in Andu at the right time. Did Aweng help him in any way?" Shen Tu Zhuo keenly grasped the key point. These two people seemed indifferent and distant, but in fact they had a life-or-death friendship. There must be some connection between them.

“That’s true,” the old lady said. “Your grandfather promised to help him find his sister in the Western Kingdoms, and he really did find her.”

"Found it?" Cai Zhu'er's heart pounded. "Where...where did you find it?"

The old lady looked at her and said, "In Mohe, the former capital of Mohe."

Cai Zhu'er finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question that had been bothering her: "Is Boss Li's sister...my mother?"

“I didn’t know who it was before, and the master never mentioned it,” the old lady said, looking at the dressing case. “Now it seems that it must be your mother.”

“But Mother never mentioned it to me or my brother. We didn’t know her relatives had come looking for her.” Cai Zhu’er said blankly.

"Boss Li told Nan Jun that he had found his younger sister, but she was unwilling to return to Da Xuan with him. She said that she had settled down in Mo He and had relatives she could not bear to leave." The old lady said kindly, "I suppose she would prefer the freedom and the desert with you all by her side to that cold hometown."

"So Mother had already met our loved ones. She stayed behind for us." Tears instantly filled her eyes. Caizhu felt her mother's fervent love once again. It was this unwavering affection that supported her in facing all hardships.

"Knowing that my sister is safe and sound, and has a happy life with her children, Mr. Li has finally fulfilled a wish." The old lady picked up Shen Tu Ji's earrings and said, "He gave us many gifts as thanks for this, and these earrings are one of them. Ji'er liked to play with them when she was little, so I simply gave them to her."

"Mother, we asked about the Li family last time, why are you pretending not to know?"

“At that time, you had just returned from Andu. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to settle down and would act rashly, which would give others an opportunity to exploit your mistakes,” the old lady said. “Now that the Prince of Qin’s prestige is growing, you have something to rely on. It wouldn’t hurt to know more about what happened back then. Besides, I never expected that my daughter-in-law would have such a close relationship with the Li family.”

"Mother, I was just wondering what Boss Li was using the colored ore, colored soil, and gold powder that he was transporting to the Indians for?" Shen Tu Zhuo couldn't help but ask curiously.

"To paint murals for their temples and to sculpt golden statues of Buddha," the old lady replied. "After doing business for a long time, Mr. Li himself became a Buddhist, so after he moved from Andu with his family, he settled in Dunhuang County."

“Dunhuang, Dunhuang…” Shen Tu Zhuo suddenly realized and said to Cai Zhu’er, “I remember now, I’ve seen this lotus pattern in Dunhuang!” “Where in Dunhuang did you see it?” Cai Zhu’er asked after composing herself.

"Let me think, last time I went to Dunhuang to write a poem for the Yuefu, I also went to ask Zhu Tingwei for information..." He paused here, worried that mentioning his brother would upset his mother, so he glossed over it, "I was looking for some information. At that time, Zhu Tingwei was patrolling Mingsha Mountain. When I went to find him, I saw many stone caves on the cliff there. I saw him in one of the caves!"

"A stone cave?" Cai Zhu'er asked, puzzled. "Why would there be a stone cave?"

“Those are grottoes opened by Buddhist believers,” the old lady said. “Boss Li was also one of the grotto openers there. He visited the king briefly when he passed through Zhangye, and then went to Dunhuang to open grottoes. There are natural colored minerals and colored soils there, which can be used to paint Buddha statues and sutra murals.”

“Grottoes…murals?” Cai Zhu looked at Shen Tu Zhuo and saw the same hope in his eyes.

Far in the sky, close in front of you.

Perhaps they should go to Dunhuang and ask the Li family for clues about the case from back then.
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Once the long-standing bottleneck is cleared, things suddenly become much smoother.

With the assistance of Zhu Tingwei, they quickly found the Li family, or more precisely, their descendants.

Cai Zhu'er was hoping to see her uncle, but fate had other plans. They only met Li Tuo, the youngest son of Boss Li. Li Tuo said that his elder brother had gone to Mingsha Mountain to open caves, his two elder sisters had married, and his grandfather and mother had both passed away from serious illnesses several years ago. Now he was the only one left to take care of the family.

Unlike his father and brothers, he did not revere Buddhism, only having a slight interest in it, and preferred reading in his daily life.

Although she felt deep regret, Cai Zhu was still very happy to be able to see her mother's close relatives in her lifetime. She was also very close to her cousin Li Tuo and took great care of him.

Li Tuo was just twelve years old, still quite young. He had vaguely heard his older brother mention some old stories about the family, but he didn't know much. Faced with Cai Zhu'er, his suddenly appearing cousin from another race, he was somewhat at a loss.

Seeing the Li family's simple and cramped house, with many of the mud bricks collapsed, Cai Zhu'er couldn't help but be moved: "You must have suffered a lot over the years. Don't worry, things will get better. I'll have someone renovate this place later. We can't just focus on opening caves for Buddhist worship and leave our own living place in such a dilapidated state."

Li Tuo said awkwardly, "No, no need. My brother said that although the family is not as prosperous as before, we still have some savings, enough to support ourselves. If I accept charity from others without permission, my brother will blame me for being unambitious."

“How can this be charity? I need your help, so I should give you something in return,” Cai Zhu’er said. “Li Tuo, can you take us to your brother? We have some questions for him.”

“Great! I was just about to bring food to my brother.” Li Tuo slung a satchel over his shoulder, stuffed in a few flatbreads and a water pouch, and looked at Cai Zhu and Shen Tu Zhuo. “If my brother sees his cousin and…cousin’s husband, he will be very happy.”

“From my brother-in-law? Ah, no, he’s not…” Now it was Caizhu’s turn to be embarrassed.

"It's a misunderstanding, I'm her uncle." Shen Tu Zhuo said, trying hard to suppress the corners of his mouth.
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Next chapter: It turns out that those lost bamboo slips were hidden here.