Grandfather’s family has decided on a trading expedition as soon as the mountains allow us to pass. Grandfather’s brother found Karma somewhere along the road from Ya’an to Chengdu, a well-known route for traders to travel, so that’s where we’ll go. It’s safest to join a caravan heading that way, and knowing the family by now, they’ll never miss an opportunity to profit from trade.
I’m not sure what it all involves. When we went out to Lhasa, Dendup and Karma also brought a few horses packed. I never got to see what was in those bags. I guess they’ll be sending tea back from Ya’an, but what will they bring? Usually it’s horses that are traded to the east, but I can’t imagine us driving up a herd. Could be deer musk, wool, or yak hides—I have no idea.
I asked Father when we shuffled the
