The morning mist of Ziwu Valley had not yet dissipated when the caravan arrived at the Chencang Post Station. The horseshoe prints on the bluestone slabs held last night's rainwater, reflecting the "station-guarding ghoulish face" newly carved by Huwa—a smiling face holding a lantern, its abacus-bead eyes fixed on the insect marks on the post station's beams. Moli's cyan robe cuffs were still stained with rain, but she had no time to tidy up, keeping her eyes fixed on the knots tied by the Persian merchants as they unloaded their carts.
"Young Master Xiao, look here," Zhang Yifan's abacus beads bounced on the clasp of the glass box. "Ali's red silk knot is the Persian 'peace knot', while the Han carters use the 'ten-thousand character knot'—" He suddenly pointed to the "double-knot ghoulish face" Huwa was carving, his left hand pointing at the Persian knot while his right hand gestured at the ten-thousand character knot. "The nobles pray for good fortune, while the commoners seek durability. The knots of the trade route must keep both hands warm."
Huwa suddenly rushed toward the post station kitchen with his carving knife, chiseling a ghoulish face holding a soup spoon by the stove, its abacus-bead eyes fixed on the boiling porridge pot. "Brother Fan! There is sand in the post station's porridge. I'll carve a 'sand-filtering ghoulish face' so all the sand crawls into its mouth!" The post station manager smiled as he served two bowls of porridge, the rims carved with the "gr…
Chapter 82