Children of Loulan

After buying the cloth, the two did not leave the market in a hurry, but continued to stroll around. As they walked, they admired the dazzling array of goods around them, and from time to time they would stop to pick out some of their favorite things.

After careful selection, they bought many delicious snacks and exquisite jewelry. These snacks looked very tempting and mouth-watering, while those jewelry sparkled with dazzling light and were irresistible.

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it is the day before Kuturuk's birthday. Since Hanguli needs to accompany him on the birthday, and the mansion will be very busy at that time, she decided to stay there that night and not go home. In this way, she can better prepare for the next day's affairs, and at the same time save time and energy running back and forth.

She lived directly in the Moon Courtyard. That night, Ainuer slept with Hanguli. They lay on the same bed, but it was obvious that neither of them was sleepy.

Two people stared at the ceiling with four eyes

At this time, Ainuer finally plucked up the courage to ask the question she had always wanted to ask but didn't dare to ask. She asked softly:

"Hanguli, do you...hate me?"

Hanguli turned around and looked at Ainur. She was confused as to why Ainur asked such a question. She frowned and said:

"Me? Why should I hate you?"

Ainuer said sincerely and with a little guilt:

"It's all because of me that you need to separate from your parents. Because of me, you have to enter the palace to participate in the selection. From now on, you will be a bird in a cage and will never be free again!"

In fact, Ainur wanted to ask this question a long time ago, but she was too cautious to ask. She felt that Hanguli should be able to fly freely in the sky, but now because of her, Hanguli had to be a bird in a cage.

Hanguli looked at Ainur who felt a little guilty and smiled.

"No, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, my mother and brother wouldn't have medicine, my father would have to work so hard to make money, and I wouldn't have the good life I have now. What's more, after entering the palace, you will enjoy wealth and glory. Even if you are a bird in a cage, you are still a canary!"

I originally thought that Hanguli would hate me, but I didn't expect that she didn't hate me at all, and even her voice was very gentle. Ainuer stared at her face and saw that she didn't seem to be lying, so she asked again:

"You really don't hate me?"

"I really don't hate you...!"

In fact, at the beginning, when she knew that she had to go to the palace for Ainur, she did have a little resentment in her heart, but it was only a little bit. After all, her family still owed their family two lives!

After hearing Hanguli's affirmative words, Ainur immediately turned over and sat up, looking at Hanguli, and said expectantly:

"Then let's become sworn sisters, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Hanguli immediately sat up and looked at Ainur with some confusion:

"Tomorrow, your father will declare me his adopted daughter, so we can be sisters too!"

Ainur shook her head: "That's different. Dad adopted me as his daughter so that you can enter the palace, but we are sworn sisters for life!"

Hanguli nodded without thinking: "Okay, what do you want to do!"

Seeing Hanguli agreed, Ainur immediately got out of bed and pulled her out.

"Come on, follow me!"

Hanguli: "What are you going to do?"

Ainuer said mysteriously: "Don't ask, just follow me!"

Seeing her like this, Hanguli didn't say anything more, but just followed Ainur quietly.

Ainur first took a pair of scissors, then took Hanguli out of the room. They came to a tree in the yard and said:

"This is a poplar tree. My father planted it for me when I was born. He said he wanted my vitality to be as strong as the poplar tree!"

After that, she took Hanguli's hand and continued: "Come, let's kneel down together!"

The two knelt in front of the poplar tree. Ainuer took out a pair of scissors and cut off a lock of her own hair. Then she turned around and cut off a lock of Hanguli's hair. She put their hair together and tied them together with a rope. She took out a handkerchief to wrap the hair, dug a small hole at the roots of the tree and buried the hair in it.

After doing this, she turned around, looked at Hanguli and said:

"Do it with me, and you will say what I say"

Hanguli did not ask anything, but just nodded to show her agreement. Seeing that she agreed, Ainur turned around, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and

Hanguli followed her, kneeling straight, closing her eyes, and clasping her hands together.

"I am Ainur"

"I am Hanguli"

"From today on, I voluntarily become sisters with Hanguli"

"From today on, I voluntarily become sisters with Ainur"

"For the rest of my life, if we ever meet again, Hanguli will be my priority and I, Ainur, my younger sister."

"For the rest of my life, if we ever meet again, Ainur will be my priority and Hanguli will be my elder sister."

"May we share happiness and hardships, and be true sisters in the next life."

"May we share happiness and hardships, and be true sisters in the next life."

Then Ainur kowtowed three times to the poplar tree, and Hanguli also kowtowed three times.

When all this was done, Ainur took Hanguli's hand and stood up, smiling and saying: "Sister, from now on you are the elder sister and I am the younger sister!"

Hanguli also smiled and nodded, and the two of them went back to bed.

Regarding everything that just happened, Hanguli couldn't help but ask:

"Why did you cut off your hair and bury it under a tree?"

Ainur: "I heard from my elder brother that in the Central Plains, when couples get married, they put their hair together and bury it under a tree!"

Hanguli stared in surprise:

"Ah? That's something only married couples can do, but...but we can't be married, why should we do that?"

Looking at her, Ainur just found it funny:

"Oh! You didn't know that there is a saying about burying your hair!"

Hanguli became even more curious: "What's the explanation?"

Hearing her question, Ainur began to think. She remembered that her elder brother did say it, but she didn't remember it clearly:

"Hmm... let me think... it seems like something or other?"

Seeing that Ainur couldn't speak, Hanguli patted her gently and said with a smile:

"what?"

Ainur smiled and hid from her:

"I was thinking about it. Oh, I remembered it now!"

Hanguli: "What is it?"

Ainuer suppressed her laughter and said:

"It's like they're married, loving each other beyond any doubt!"

Hanguli stared at her: "But we are not husband and wife!"

Ainur: "Oh, I haven't finished yet?"

Hanguli: "Okay, you say,"

Ainur: "My elder brother said that tying hair together not only means marriage, but also means that we can continue our relationship in the next life!"

Hanguli stared at her blankly and said:

"Is it true that we can continue our relationship in the next life?"

Ainuer looked at Hanguli and said seriously:

"Really? My eldest brother said so. He also said that in the Central Plains, couples who are married are husband and wife. If they want to become sworn brothers, they have to swear an oath of blood!"

Hanguli: "What is a blood oath?"

Ainuer: "Just get some wine, put the blood of two people in the wine, and then drink the wine and blood!"

Hearing Ainur say this, Hanguli was so shocked that her jaw dropped.

"Ah? Then...how much blood would be needed? Too much blood could lead to death. And wouldn't it make you drunk if you mix wine and blood together? I get drunk after just one glass."

Ainur: "So, I think the blood oath is inappropriate, so I thought of using hair!"

Hanguli: "The people in the Central Plains are really strange. How could they have such a cruel sworn brotherhood?"

Ainur: "Hey, they are stupid. They don't use simple methods, but use such bloody methods instead!"

Hanguli said thoughtfully: "Well, our Ainuer is still smart!"

Ainur: "Really? I think so too!"

The two smiled at each other, and Hanguli stretched out her hand to tickle Ainur's itch, saying as she tickled:

"You have no shame, you really have no shame!"

Ainuer laughed out loud when she was tickled. She dodged and said:

"Haha, I'm actually very smart!"

The two laughed and played for a while, and soon fell asleep in each other's arms. The night was quiet, and a full moon was hanging high in the sky. Neither of them knew what the future would be like, nor did they know how to go in the future. They only knew that the girl in front of them was their best friend and the person they should cherish the most.

Early the next morning, the maid opened the door and saw the two young ladies still sleeping soundly, so she called out softly, "Young ladies, young ladies, it's time to get up!"

Because they slept too late last night, they were still very sleepy at this moment, and they obviously didn't want to get up.

Ainuer pulled the quilt and said unhappily: "Hey, stop shouting, I'll take a nap!"

Maid: "Miss, today is the master's birthday, you have to go and wish him a happy birthday early!"

Ainur: "Oh, I get it. Let me take a nap for a while!"

Seeing this, Dar came over and patted the maid gently and said:

"Then let's come back later. It looks like the two ladies chatted very late last night. It will be fine to come back later!"

Hearing this, the maid looked at the two ladies on the bed, then looked at Dahl, and could only nod helplessly and said, "Okay, then we'll go out and wait for a while!"

As they spoke, several maids walked out of the room one after another, closing the door gently.

Just then Mrs. Luke came. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw several maids coming out and asked:

"What's wrong, what are you doing?"

The maids saluted: "Greetings, Madam!"

Dahl: "Hello, Madam. The two young ladies haven't woken up yet!"

Mrs. Luke: "She's not awake yet? Usually Ainur would be up at this time!"

Dahl: "Madam, I guess the two ladies chatted too late last night!"

After hearing what Dale said, Mrs. Luke nodded and said, "Then let them sleep for a while. It won't make a difference for a while. But it can't be too late. We still have to meet the guests later!"

Dahl: “Yes”

After giving her instructions, Mrs. Luke turned around and left to watch the banquet entertain the guests.