| She smiled at him and leapt over onto the back of the chestnut horse
"That is our army in front," she saidChen put away his shield and galloped towards the Muslim linesA small detail of cavalrymen rode out to meet them, shouting and cheering as they came, then jumped off their horses and bowed before the girlThe officer in charge walked over to Chen and bowed before him too
"Brother, you have endured great hardshipMay Allah the true God protect you," he said
Chen bowed in return and thanked himThe girl rode straight into the Muslim ranks without waiting for ChenShe obviously commanded a degree of respect, for wherever the chestnut horse went, the soldiers made way for it with cheers
A brigade commander invited Chen to the barracks to eat and rest, and Chen told him he wanted to see the tribe's leader, Master Muzhuolun
"The Master has gone to observe the enemy's strength," the replica rolex submariner commander replied"When he returns, I will immediately inform him Following the long journey and the tense encounter with the Manchu army, Chen felt worn out, and after he had been shown to a small tent, he immediately slept
Some time after noon, the commander returned to say that Muzhuolun was now not expected to return until eveningChen asked him who the white-gowned girl was
The commander smiled"How could anyone be more beautiful than she?" he said"We are having a love-match meeting tonightWhy don't you come along, brother? You will be able to meet our leader there
Chen did not press him furtherTowards evening, he saw the young warriors donning their finery, each face alive with excitementThe desert evening sky slowly deepened in colour and a thin crescent moon rose above the horizonChen heard the sound of music strike up and soon afterwards, the commander came into the tent
"The chanel tote bags new moon has risen," he said, taking Chen's hand"Let us go, brother!" The two walked towards a huge bonfire where the young Muslim warriors were gatheringAll around, people were roasting beef and mutton, and preparing various delicacies while others played musical instrumentsA horn blew, and a group of people emerged from a large tent near the bonfire, among whom Chen recognised Muzhuolun and his son, Huo AyiChen decided he would wait until the official ceremony was over before revealing himself, and turned up the collar of his gown to hide his face
Muzhuolun motioned to the crowd, and they all knelt down and prayed to AllahWhen the prayer was ended, he spoke
"Those brothers who have already taken legal wives, I am afraid I must ask you to go and stand guard," he said"Let your younger brothers have a pleasant evening
Three columns of warriors formed upHuo Ayi, flourishing his sabre, black prada bag led them off into the darkness
Having lived many years in the Muslim regions, Chen knew that although marriages were arranged by parents according to various considerations of wealth and property, the procedure was still much more liberal than that of the ChineseThe love-match party was a tradition among the Muslims that had been passed down for many generations at which young, unmarried boys and girls could seal their romances and become engagedThe initiative was taken by the girl, who would place a belt round the neck of her chosen boy and lead him to dance
After a while, the music became softer in toneThe tent door flaps parted and out came a large group of young Muslim girls who sang and danced their way towards the bonfireThey all wore colourful clothes and small caps laced with gold and silver threads which sparkled brightly in the firelightChen noticed two beautiful girls walking shop for chanel bags over to Muzhuolun, one in yellow, the other in white, and with a start, he recognised them as Huo Qingtong and the girl who had brought him to the Muslim campUnder the moonlight, they both looked extremely graceful and attractiveThe two girls sat down, one on either side of Muzhuolun
A thought suddenly struck Chen"The girl in white must be Huo Qingtong's younger sisterNo wonder I kept thinking her face was familiar: it's the same face as that on the jade vases, although the drawing does not even come close to reproducing her real beauty
His heart began to thump wildlyFrom the day he had first met Huo Qingtong, his love for her had begun to grow, but the familiar closeness between her and Lu Feiqing's pupil had convinced him that she already had a suitorAlso, having spent the past few days with such a matchless beauty, his romantic thoughts had turned completely towards the white-gowned cartier santos white g |