Chapter 118: Haridi's Chance Encounter

"Haridi!"

Hearing his wife's call, Haridi turned his head from the camel's back. His wife was already swaying on the camel's back, but her hands were still tightly holding their little daughter, "We... let's stop and rest for a while." She begged, "I'm already very tired, and so is Miriam."

Saying this, she painfully licked her dry lips and turned her head to pull her headscarf tight, not knowing whether it was to avoid the increasingly scorching sun or to prevent her husband from seeing the hatred on her face.

"We have rested many times already. If we continue like this, we won't be able to reach the next water source before sunset." Haridi explained to her patiently.

Unfortunately, his patience was useless, "I want to go back to Bethlehem!" His wife suddenly shouted hoarsely, "Why can't we stay in Bethlehem?" She questioned, "You are a goldsmith, a skilled goldsmith! Mr. Le Gao also said that you can get a stable job in Bethlehem, and with him as a mediator, the guild there will accept you."

"As long as you agree, they will immediately provide you with housing, tools, apprentices, basic gold and silver, gems, and servants." She said with longing—the last item was what she looked forward to most. When they were in Bilbeis, although they were excluded by their peers and could not serve nobles and the Caliph because of faith, Haridi's reputation and skills had quite excellent word-of-mouth among the residents of Bilbeis.

Haridi's wife was of course also a Jewish person, but she was just the daughter of a Jewish merchant in Bilbeis. In Bilbeis, there were almost no Jewish people of the hermit sect. Even if some Jewish people of the hermit sect would act with the caravan, they would not disturb him. Their life was peaceful and leisurely. As a goldsmith's wife, although she could not compare with those noble women wearing jewelry and silk, she had never lived a life of embarrassment.

But this peaceful life was broken on the day Bilbeis fell.

However, when Haridi's wife knew that they could leave Bilbeis as long as they paid the ransom, she felt a sense of joy brought by luck in her heart—when the city of Al-Azar was captured by the Crusaders, they killed all the Saracens and Jewish people in the city—he even felt that he and his family were watched by God.

This idea lasted until they met that Crusader knight, who forced them to hand over their little daughter. She felt like she had fallen into hell from the human world. How could she bear it? It was simply like cutting a piece of blood-stained skin from her body with a knife. She of course did not want to abandon her little daughter, but she was also afraid.

She was afraid that if they insisted or resisted, the knight would not hesitate to kill them on the spot. Their little daughter would still be unable to escape the fate of becoming a slave, or even worse.

But just then, a lord who was willing to speak for them appeared—although from the perspective of age, he was still a child, he still made a fair judgment.

When their family walked out of Bilbeis completely, she even felt a trance.

Although at that time, they had nothing but the clothes on their bodies, she was not panicked. She knew how amazing her husband's craftsmanship was. People would even joke about whether he was also watched by a saint, so he could create such exquisite and ingenious items.

But anyone who had seen Haridi's work would not doubt that he would serve a duke or a king in the future.

Therefore, when Haridi told her that he was preparing to go to Bethlehem, she strongly agreed.

Bethlehem was a holy land second only to Al-Azar, and what was indispensable for every holy place worshipped by pilgrims was icons, crosses, reliquaries, and all kinds of prayer beads, jewelry, and accessories with sacred meanings. There were more craftsmen in Al-Azar than stones on the ground, and Bethlehem was of course no exception.

As she wished, Haridi immediately found a friend. Jewish people were known for their stinginess, harshness, and near-cruel shrewdness, but among their ethnic group, they always advocated mutual help and support—although sometimes forced by circumstances, they would occasionally trip someone or push out a scapegoat—this situation was not much, and Haridi's profession would not conflict with the other party.

Haridi's friend was very enthusiastic as soon as he saw them, immediately arranging accommodation and dinner for them.

From that night on, Haridi's wife seemed to have returned to the days in Bilbeis, without having to wander, without having to be fearful, and could enjoy soft beds, rich food, and warm bath water to her heart's content, with servants serving diligently on the side.

After staying for only a few days, not to mention Haridi's wife, even their little daughter's face had a bit more blood color. She fully expected Haridi to settle down in Bethlehem. She even thought about whether to borrow money in her father's name, or let Haridi borrow it himself, or directly rent a shop from Haridi's friend, using works or remuneration to repay the principal and interest—she had full confidence in her husband and was not worried at all about going bankrupt because of this loan.

But what she didn't expect was that before she had time to smile, Haridi brought her bad news.

Haridi did not intend to stay in Bethlehem. On the contrary, after receiving funding from an old friend, he would not open a shop, build a workshop, or seek a recommendation from a steward to seek opportunities in front of nobles—he would use this money to purchase camels and mules, prepare food and water, and prepare to take them back to the settlement of the hermit sect.

"What?"

"I am a member of the hermit sect. Because of some reasons, I left that place. Now, I am going back."

Haridi's wife was almost driven crazy when she heard this. She was also a Jewish person. Of course, she had heard of the "hermit sect." They were a small group in their ethnic group. Unlike most Jewish people, even after thousands of years, they had not changed much, still adhering to the most ancient and orthodox concepts and doctrines.

They did not lend money, do business, or exchange money. Every member of the hermit sect had only one profession, that is, a farmer, or a scholar who took farming as a profession. They reclaimed land in very remote places, drew river water, and planted wheat or vegetables. There might also be grapes and figs.

In their settlement, there were no poor and rich, and no servants and slaves. Everyone was equal.

They got up every day to welcome the sunlight, bathed in the river, and then put on simple linen robes, walking into the fields or vineyards to cultivate meticulously. It is said that they were very good at planting wheat, vegetables, and fruits, and were self-sufficient. Except for occasional exchanges (after all, they also needed necessities such as salt, pottery, and cloth), they almost never had contact with the outside world. When the sun went down, they began to study and pray.

And such a life, they had continued for hundreds of years, and perhaps would continue in the future. This life sounded holy and noble enough, but Haridi's wife did not intend to be the wife of a bitter monk, and did not want her daughter to grow up in such a harsh environment.

But as an Isaac woman, she did not have the courage to express opposition, whether it was words or actions.

She could only think in her heart—she would even rather return to Bilbeis. To tell the truth, even if she became a slave and servant of a Christian, it might not be worse than becoming a member of the hermit sect—otherwise, why would farmers try every means to enter the castle to work?

But she also knew that although Haridi was usually silent and gentle enough to them, he was not a person who would be swayed by his wife's words. She did not dare to disobey on the surface, and could only try to delay, just hoping that during this time, Haridi could change his mind—at least, if he wanted to go back, let him go back alone. Damn, she would rather stay in Bethlehem.

She had already heard that the new lord of Bethlehem was the knight who saved their little daughter. If he still maintained the fairness and kindness he had in Bilbeis, then even if she and her little daughter stayed in Bethlehem alone, it would not be bad.

Haridi might have noticed what his wife was thinking, but like all husbands, he just attributed it to the softness and strangeness peculiar to women and didn't care much.

He gently patted the camel's neck, telling it to slow down, until his wife's camel slowly followed. He turned his head to observe his daughter's condition. Haridi's wife didn't lie. Adults could endure the burning of the sun, the dryness of the air, and the pain brought by the bumps.

But for a child, this was three kinds of torture. They had only walked out of Bethlehem for half a day, and the little girl had withered rapidly like a flower lacking water, her face flushed, her limbs soft, and she really didn't look very good.

"Feed her some water."

"I've already fed her." Haridi's wife complained in a low voice, "Or give her some sugar cubes."

"No." Haridi looked at the sky. Sugar could make people refreshed again, but it would also take away the moisture in the mouth faster. Although they brought several skins of water, in the desert, there was never enough water.

"We speed up," he said the opposite of what his wife wished, "Get to the next water source as soon as possible."

Places with water sources usually had a village or tribe. Although the place Haridi mentioned could hardly be called a village, it could only be said to be a residential point.

There were only a few low houses here, but relying on the water source, the residents here could maintain their livelihood by providing food, water, and hay for horses and camels for passing caravans.

Just as Haridi said, it was already dusk when they arrived, but several campfires had already been lit on the open space outside the village. Haridi pulled the camel vigilantly, "You stay here." He said, and then jumped off the camel, walking forward cautiously.

After a while, his expression relaxed. It was a caravan, an Isaac caravan.

People in the caravan also saw Haridi. When seeing the attire similar to them, it could be seen that they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Haridi's wife stood in a place not illuminated by the firelight, watching them greeting and shaking hands with Haridi. After a while, two people holding torches escorted Haridi back. They led the camels and mules, sending them to the side of the largest campfire. The desert night was very cold.

They saw that Haridi's wife was still holding a little girl, and immediately led them into an empty house on the side, "This house has been rented by us." The caravan leader said: "Rest assured and live here."

Haridi's wife showed a grateful smile. She and her little daughter indeed needed a place to lie down and rest, and of course, they needed to be able to shelter from the wind and rain. She walked forward two steps and found that there was a thick blanket on the ground. She immediately shouted "God bless" happily, put her little daughter on it, and then unfolded her cloak to wrap her up.

The caravan leader stood at the door for a while before turning to walk toward the campfire. "Brother, where are you going?" He asked.

He asked this for a reason. After all, in this place where bandits were rampant, Haridi actually walked in the desert alone with a woman and a child without bringing servants or hired wandering knights. Wasn't he afraid of encountering any threats?

Not to mention, even without bandits, there would be wolves in the desert.

Haridi first thanked him for his kind reminder, and then said: "The place we are going to is not far from here, it may only take two or three days." Then they could safely return to their hometown.

The leader pinched his fingers, roughly estimating the time and distance, "Where are you going? Are you going to Banias or Damascus?" These two places could not be reached in two or three days.

"Of course not." Haridi said, "The place I am going to is Qumran." If he said this to a Christian, the Christian might not know what kind of place it was, but since he was talking to an Isaac person—this person, although not of the hermit sect, also knew of the existence of the hermit sect, and he also knew Qumran, which was a settlement of the hermit sect.

"Are you a scholar there?"

"Qumran has no scholars, only farmers." Haridi answered with a smile.

The leader did not argue. The hermit sect was like a group of bitter monks who could marry. Although they had no money, no territory, and no titles, they were highly respected and trusted by the Isaac people—even if most of them had become notorious, becoming calculating and profit-seeking, they still retained a thin persistence in their hearts.

That is, perhaps one day, they could wash away their sins and glow with new life.

If it is said that the Isaac people are now a big tree that has long withered and rotted, the hermit sect is the purest seedling of them. They would even say that if one day, the fire hell rises to the ground, the Isaac people will also hold the members of the hermit sect on their heads, preferring to die and fall and suffer torture themselves, rather than watching their hope fall.

He looked at Haridi, knowing that this stubborn guy might not accept too much kindness. So he thought for a while and asked: "Do you have wheat planted there? Are there grapes? Or vegetables."

Haridi nodded, "Then can you let us go back with you?" The caravan leader said, "I need to purchase some grain, wheat, vegetables, grapes, or wine, the more the better, and there is a very good price. You can also take things."

"Is there another war going to break out somewhere?"

"I don't know." The caravan leader lightly skipped this topic, "I came from Damascus. However, the Saracens seem to have never stopped the war. Perhaps they are preparing to take Al-Azar."

He made a joke.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 119 =====