Feng Yun

Feng Yun is a childrens literature writer， a member of The Writers Association of Jiangsu Province （WAJS）， and a recipient of awards such as the Bing Xin Childrens Book Award， Shanghai Good Childrens Book Award， and the “Little Star” Annual Gold Medal Writer.

Alxa pastoral area， May， early morning.

The slightly blue sky forms a perfect arc over the earth， with the horizon soft and elongated， stitching the skys bowstring. The air gently circulates， carrying the scent of spring in its coolness. The herders yurts are scattered here and there at the edge of the Badain Jaran Desert， and the camels are already awake.

Sudiya was woken up by her grandparents.

“Camels are born. Two of them！”

When Sudiya ran out with her shoes half on， one camel calf was struggling to stand， first lifting its hind legs and then its front legs， tremblingly standing up.

Her grandparents beamed with joy as the camel calf took its first steps towards its mothers belly， finding a teat and tasting its first sip of milk. “Well done！”

Sudiyas gaze shifted to the other camel calf. It lay on the ground， breathing rapidly， repeatedly trying and failing to lift its hind legs.

After giving birth， the mother camel did not lick the calves. The grandparents， having finished with the first， hurried over to help the other， wiping its nose and body. Grandpa sighed， “Too thin， resembling a young foal.”

Sudiya thought for a moment and asked， “Shall we name it Alxa？”

Grandpa said， “Sure， whatever name you choose is fine.”

In Mongolian， “Alxa” means “steed.” Sudiya named the little camel after the land， hoping it would grow strong and become as majestic as a steed.

Twenty minutes passed， and Alxa still couldnt stand. Sudiya wanted to help， but her grandmother held her back. “It must stand on its own. If you help it up， it will just fall again，” said the grandmother.

Sudiya could only watch anxiously from the side.

The mother camel grew impatient， lifting its front hooves， constantly nudging and kicking Alxa. Alxa seemed to understand its mothers urging. With each kick， it tried harder to stand， but its legs were unusually weak， like long-folded paper unable to straighten， collapsing again after barely standing. The mother camel kicked more frequently and harder， knocking Alxa down several times.

Grandpa worried the calf might get hurt， and tied the mother camels front hooves with a rope. Sudiya said， “Be gentle， Grandpa， dont hurt the mother camel.”

The mother camel， with its legs tied， could only lower its head repeatedly to its calfs chin， urging it to stand quickly.

The wind grew stronger， and despite it being spring， a storm could arrive anytime. The calf seemed to sense this， resting briefly before trying again to stand， first lifting its hind legs， then propping itself on its front knees， and finally its front hooves gripping the ground.

“Alxa did it！” Sudiya clapped her hands in joy from the sidelines.

Grandma brought a small cup of camel milk， freshly squeezed colostrum from the mother camel.

“Drink this quickly，” said Grandma to Sudiya， “children who drink it dont get sick.”

Sudiya took the cup and then said， “Grandma， dont milk Alxas mother. Let Alxa have it all. Its too thin.”

Even though Alxa drank all its mothers colostrum， it remained thin and frail compared to other calves， with sparse fur and slow movements. Sudiya， besides frequently visiting， helped her grandma pick tender camel thorns to feed Alxas mother， hoping it would produce more milk. But the mother camel had a poor appetite and hardly ate， dying two weeks later.

Grandpa said， “This mother camel must have been sick. Thats why Alxa is so weak.”

“Her moms dead， and what will Alxa eat now？” Sudiya cried.

Grandma saw this， supporting Sudiya with one hand and leading Alxa with the other to another mother camel.

Catching a whiff of milk， Alxa ran eagerly towards the mother camel but hesitated to get too close， pacing back and forth about a meter away.

“Go on， hurry！” Sudiya urged.

Starving， Alxa finally mustered the courage to put its head under the mother camels belly， but before it could drink， it was kicked away by the mother camel. Alxa almost fell， and when it approached again， another calf came to drink and unceremoniously pushed Alxa away.

Alxa bleated twice， watching with longing eyes.

“Ah，” Grandma sighed， “Mother camels feed their own first and cant care for others.” She led Sudiya back to the yurt， saying， “Well feed Alxa cows milk.”

From then on， feeding Alxa became Sudiyas top priority.

Six years old and usually prone to sleeping in， Sudiya would jump out of bed at the thought of Alxa needing five or six feeds a day.

She scooped several large spoonfuls of milk powder into a big enamel basin， added some hot water to dissolve it， and then diluted it with cold water to cool it down. Then she poured the milk into a large bottle， screwed the lid tight， and tested the temperature against her cheek.

The animal pen was right next to the yurt， and when Sudiya appeared with the bottle， Alxa immediately ran over happily. Alxa was only slightly taller than Sudiya， who could easily reach up to feed it.

Alxa drank milk so quickly！ The moment it latched onto the nipple， it sucked fiercely， its soft lips rhythmically moving， and in less than ten seconds， a large bottle of milk was gone. After finishing， it continued to hold the nipple in its mouth， sucking air as if to extract more milk.

“Do you want more？” Sudiya asked， hugging Alxas neck.

Alxa turned its head and sniffed around Sudiyas head.

“I know you want more. Just wait！” Sudiya ran back to the yurt with the bottle.

This time， Sudiya secretly opened a small iron can of camel milk that Grandma had milked for her. Camel milk is scarce， and herders rarely drink it. This bit was saved especially for Sudiya.

As Sudiya was filling the bottle， Grandma came in.

“Are you giving this to Alxa again？” Grandma was a bit angry. “How many times have I told you not to overfeed the camel calf， or it wont eat grass.”

Sudiya knew she made a mistake， but she also felt an indescribable sadness， and tears fell.

“But... but Alxa doesnt have a mother anymore.”

Sudiyas parents worked in southern China， and she hadnt seen them for nearly two years. She missed them dearly.

Grandma couldnt bear to see her granddaughter cry. She came over， took Sudiya onto her lap， wiped her tears， and said， “Okay， okay， go feed Alxa.”

Sudiya immediately smiled， nodding vigorously： “Yes， yes.”

Six years later， in the Alxa pastoral area， July.

“Camels are born， four of them.”

Sudiya was woken up by Grandpa and ran out of the house.

When Sudiya returned to the pastoral area after finishing primary school， Grandpa and Grandma had moved into a new brick house， and the number of camels in their area had increased.

In the lambing season， new life was born daily， but this morning was particularly exciting because Alxa had become a mother.

Sudiya saw Alxas calf stand up within minutes of birth and nuzzle under its mother for milk.

“Well done！” Twelve-year-old Sudiya jumped up and hugged Alxas neck.

Alxa was now a strong， tall mother camel， and Sudiya struggled to reach its neck. Alxa still remembered Sudiya， lowering its head to sniff her head just like before， and gently nudging her shoulder with its chin.

What does it want me to do？ Sudiya wondered.

Alxa nudged her shoulder harder with its chin as if trying to push Sudiya under its belly.

Sudiya realized Alxa wanted her to drink its milk.

Six years ago， Sudiya had raised Alxa. Now， six years later， Alxa treated her like a baby.

When Sudiya took a small cup to milk Alxa， it stood peacefully in the sunlight， its face shadowed as if smiling.

“Children of China” Series

（Total Four Volumes）

Feng Yun

21st Century Publishing Group

July 2021

120.00 （CNY）