The number of people gathered in the cave wasn’t actually that large, but since most were standing, Sha Yi still couldn’t see anything despite leaning forward several times.
Masa was also curious. Seeing her craning her neck, he cautiously stretched his own to look, but Xigu immediately stopped him. Though she didn’t scold him, her expression darkened noticeably.
Xigu and the others must have known what the commotion outside the cave was about. Judging by their reactions, they clearly didn’t welcome whatever—or whoever—was out there. Otherwise, why would they wear such displeased expressions?
However, if they disliked it, there must be a reason. Having spent considerable time with Xi Yi, Sha Yi found him quite reliable. As for Xigu and the others, though they had just met, she already felt a certain fondness for them. After all, they were Xi Yi’s family and tribespeople. Moreover, the current situation had nothing to do with her, an outsider, so she decided it was best to follow their lead.
Once she figured this out, Sha Yi sat back and stopped trying to peer outside.
Beside her, Xi Yi was whispering with Xigu. When he noticed her turning back, he smiled slightly, while Xigu gave her a meaningful once-over, her expression ambiguous and inscrutable.
Sha Yi felt a chill under Xigu’s gaze, but just then, Masa leaned over hesitantly and pointed at her belly, asking softly, “Yi, ke na ye ku po sa na?” (【ke na ye ku po sa na】Is there a child here?)
If earlier she had been unsettled by Xigu’s odd look, now she was utterly baffled by Masa’s words. She vaguely recognized some of the sounds—Xi Yi had mentioned them before—but she hadn’t fully grasped their meaning. As a result, she only understood half of what Masa said.
He was likely asking, “Is there… here?” The sound “po sa” was something Xi Yi had mentioned in the tree hollow, but she had never deciphered it. As for why Masa pointed at her stomach, she had no idea.
The only thing she could guess was that Masa’s question must be related to whatever Xi Yi and Xigu were discussing. Otherwise, it would be strange for a shy boy like Masa to make such a gesture and inquiry.
Sha Yi pondered for a while longer but still couldn’t make sense of it. In the end, she could only shake her head at the hopeful Masa.
Masa withdrew his hand, disappointed, but after a brief pause, he lifted his head again and asked, “Lun sa kuo ta ku po sa na?” (【Lun sa kuo ta ku po sa na】Will there be a child after the rainy season?)
Again, she only grasped half of his words. The rest were sounds Xi Yi had mentioned that night in the tree hollow, which she still didn’t understand.
This time, however, she didn’t need to rack her brains. Xigu reached out and patted Masa, nodding as she said, “Lun sa kuo ta ku, Xi Yi ke na nuo!” (【Lun sa kuo ta ku, Xi Yi ke na nuo】There will be a child after the rainy season, Xi Yi promised.)
“Er na?” Masa instantly perked up, turning excitedly toward Xi Yi. (【Er na】Really?)
“Mm, wei ke na nuo,” Xi Yi responded, gently ruffling Masa’s hair before turning his gaze to her, his eyes shining. (【Wei ke na nuo】I promise.)
Sha Yi wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about. Though she still had questions, seeing everyone so happy, she didn’t press further and simply smiled along.
Noticing her smile, Xi Yi seemed especially pleased. He stood and pulled her up, while Xigu grinned suggestively, motioning for them to leave and not worry about the rest. Sha Yi felt awkward.
At the cave entrance, the clamor continued. A crowd had gathered in a circle, surrounding a dark-skinned woman lying weakly on the ground, the earth beneath her stained dark red with blood.
Several groups around her were arguing fiercely. After a while, a tall, heavyset woman emerged from the crowd, pressed a hand to the fallen woman’s slightly swollen belly, then hoisted her onto her back and walked away. Blood continued to drip from both women’s legs as they moved.
Sha Yi’s heart pounded. As the two women passed by, the pained moans of the one being carried sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t help but glance back, but a man hurriedly followed them, blocking her view.
Sha Yi had no choice but to sigh softly.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the woman being carried away had been pregnant but had miscarried for some reason. It seemed her tribespeople and others held vastly differing opinions about the situation, while the man—likely her husband—looked utterly confused, merely rushing after them.
What was tragic was that, as a woman in this era, suffering a miscarriage meant misery and helplessness. Lack of proper care was the least of her worries—she probably wouldn’t even get much rest before having to resume labor for survival. In the long run, this would likely damage her health irreparably.
Pulling her thoughts away from the miscarrying woman, Sha Yi grew worried about herself. Now that she was here and had tacitly accepted her relationship with Xi Yi, pregnancy and childbirth in this ancient time were inevitable. If everything went smoothly, it would be fine, but the conditions here were so harsh, incomparable to modern times. She had no way of knowing if her body had fully adapted to this era. If something went wrong… she didn’t dare imagine it.
For a moment, the image of blood dripping from the woman’s legs replayed in her mind, unrelenting.
Xi Yi noticed her unease, looking both puzzled and concerned as he asked her something.
Sha Yi didn’t understand and didn’t bother trying to decipher his words. Instead, she glanced again at the bloody mess left behind by the woman, her brow deeply furrowed.
This unintentional look seemed to clear the confusion in Xi Yi’s eyes. He hugged her tightly, then pointed at an animal crouched among the crowd for her to see.
Following his gesture, Sha Yi spotted a large rongmo—its size comparable to a modern-day wildcat, far bigger than the one they had found earlier. It was curled up lazily, eyes half-closed.
Seeing her stare, Xi Yi pointed at the bloodstains and said something, as if explaining the connection between the rongmo and the woman’s miscarriage.
Sha Yi pondered his gestures for a long time, suspecting the rongmo might have caused the miscarriage, though she couldn’t guess the exact reason.
Xi Yi, unwilling to let her overthink, pulled her back into his arms and patted her back soothingly, murmuring, “Po sa du lun sa, pai ge si.” (【Po sa du lun sa, pai ge si】The child will come after the rainy season, don’t worry.)
The first half of the sentence was identical to what he had said that night in the tree hollow, a phrase that had been repeated often since. Though she still didn’t fully grasp it, her curiosity was piqued. She lifted her head from his chest and asked uncertainly, “Po sa… du lun sa?” (【Po sa du lun sa】The child will come after the rainy season?)
—
**Author’s Note:**
**Translations:**
– 【ke na ye ku po sa na】Is there a child here?
– 【lun sa kuo ta ku po sa na】Will there be a child after the rainy season?
– 【lun sa kuo ta ku】After the rainy season, there will be.
– 【ke na nuo】Promise, guaranteed.
– 【er na】Really?
– 【wei】I.
– 【po sa du lun sa, pai ge si】The child will come after the rainy season, don’t worry.
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