After the men greet their lord, they rush to pick up the goods and drag the women into the campsite. Every women obediently follows the big beefy man. He show them to a small hut with wooden doors. Once they are all in, he close and lock it. Then women inside are all afraid also the place smells bad. There is nothing they can do. Banou finds a spot and sit down on the chair. Some sit on the hay and they all remain silence. Hours goes by the door remain lock. Soon, they all got tired and most of them sleep.
The next morning, the door is open. A young girl comes in with some bread rolls and milk to share with everyone. Banou is the last to grab a bread roll and the last to have a sip of the remaining milk. In the next twenty minutes, some men comes in and drag some of the women by their hair. It makes the rest of the women frighten and follow where the women are drag to. Banou like a lifeless person follows behind. They reached a huge tent with guards infront. Once inside, they are all made to knee down and everyone of them dare not look up. The young lord command his men to take which ever Han Chinese woman they like. The rest along with the Uyghur women are to be given to those men without woman. Soon the men drag the Chinese and Uyghur women out of the tent. Only Banou and Mehmet's daughter remain. She shiver in fear while Banou just sit there staring at the carpet floor. A pair of boots come to her view, she look up. The young master knee down and grab her chin.
"Tell me, who are you."
Mehmet's daughter hearing that he speaks Mandarin, she rush to him
"Master! Please spare me! I ... I can do anything! I will can ...!"
"Shut up!" He yell at her and look back at Banou. "Talk!"
"Master, she is a traitor! She is unworthy! She can clean your horse! Sh..."
"Who are you to command me what to do?! Didn't i command you to shut up?!"
She cower in fear and lower her head. While he gets up and yell for someone to get in the tent. A tall and rotund man comes in and bow to his lord.
"Take her. The one with the straight hair. Teach her to listen to you."
"Can i ..."
"Do anything you wish. I don't care."
"Understand my lord."
With that, he bow again and grab Mehmet's daughter. She scream and beg for help. Now the tent is left only Banou and the young lord. He sits at his table and look at the girl who refuse to talk nor do anything. Usually in this case, they will cry and beg for mercy. They will pled and ask to be released but this girl in front of him is different. He got up and walk around her. He keep doing it and Banou watch his feet disappear and appear in her line of vision. He keeps walking and she keep watching. Till he got feed up and yell at his men.
Banou is drag into another dwelling. She stands in the middle and wonder what to do inside. Inside it seems like belong to a person of importance. The furniture are made with sandalwood. At the center of the dwelling is a fire place. At all the four corners, like every civilisation, there are candles light up. One of the corner, seems like there are books. She walk over there and touch the shelve. Somehow seeing there are book here makes her smile. She pick up the book but it is written in a language that she did not learn. She search through the shelves and finally find a book written with Chinese text. She pick it up and find a nice spot next to the candle and read. She try to recall all the words she learn. She can speak fluently but reading the Chinese text require her memory. She only learn up to a hundred words. As far as she knows there are a thousand words including ancient Chinese text which some of it are still in use. Thus she try to read it will hope that she got the correct characters and meanings.
The young lord is finishing his round of inspection and hearing his men reports. After that he stretch and decide to see his new muse what she is doing. He walk in quietly. To his surprise, she is reading a Chinese book of Poems. She seems to be engross in it. Quietly he walk out and instruct that he is having dinner in his tent. He walk off to continue his inspection of his campsite before ending his day. While Banou inside the dwelling is reading comfortably when a young girl brings in milk tea in a jar and some cups along with some bread rolls. She look at Banou with great interest. As Banou looks different with the ladies who are bought here. Banou recognised her as the girl who deliver the breakfast this morning so she smile. The girl return a smile and speak in her language. Banou shakes her head. The girl understands and points to herself.
"Min Min" and she point to Banou, asking her name.
"Ban Nu" They smile at each other. Min Min bow and soon walk out of the dwelling. While Banou continue to try to understand the books that she have pick up.
That evening, Min Min and two girls comes in with trays of food. Banou who is sitting on the chair near the shelves look with surprise at the amount of food coming in. Soon the whole round table is fill with food of all sorts. Finally two bowls of rice is laid on the table. When the food all place on the table, the young lord walk in. The girls all bow and leave. Banou is shock at the amount of food on the table. It is impossible to finish especially the plate of meat that is pilled up mountain high.
"Come. Let have dinner."
Banou continue to sit where she is. Refusing to move. He sit down and stare at Banou. Slowly his eye bows begin to knit together and his lips press hard together. Banou understand that he is beginning to get angry. She put down her book and walk to the table. Sitting opposite of him.