“Please, don’t go! We haven’t talked about anything yet.”
“What should we talk about?” – Raykhona stopped. “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. What shall we talk about?”
“That’s why I am saying we have to have a talk.” – Otabek got encouraged. “Let’s us get acquainted with each other, let our parents get in touch, and if our stars converge … then…”
“Look at you!” – Raykhona couldn’t stop laughing: “You are really expert in solving problems, I see.”
Thus they got on well with each other day by day. The two desperately waiting hearts’ wishes prevailed over everything. Otabek got to know that Raykhona was also the only child in the family, that she studies as third year student in the university, that after studies she helps her neighborhood bread bakers to sell their bread in the bazaar. The next day they met near the monument of Timur the Great. Raykhona came directly to the agreed place after her lessons.
They went to a café located in the university boulevard to have some ice-cream. The Otabek accompanied Raykhona till the beginning of makhalla located not far from the Registan Square and the girl stopped him just there and said:
“I will go myself from here. You needn’t see me to home. As you know neighborhood, friends and enemies…”
“Ooops, do you have negative heroes of Abdulla Kodiriy in your makhalla? We are not credulous, as you know we are from special forces of colonel Yusufbek Yalangtush of Tashkent. I will not surrender so easily.” – Otabek said.
“You are a talkative guy! But do not lie, or you will stay with Zaynab…” – Zaynab departed with laughter.
6
Otabek shivered for a while after jokes of Raykhona because tragic life of Kumushbibi and Otabek was memorized by him as he had read the book for several times. He decided not pay attention and he thought past days are different from the modern times. These unfavorable days will not come back.
The two months, that passed by, lit the fire of love of hearts in their bodies, and it was impossible to extinguish it. In one of their dates Otabek mentioned that his parents are going to marry him.
“Go ahead! Who is stopping you?” – Raykhona said.
“I will marry you! If you consent I will send my parents to your home…”
“What else do you want sir? I am the only child in the family, they will not let me go so far…”
“Then I will steal you…” – Otabek said to Raykhona. “Do not joke, I have told about you to my parents. What do you say?”.
What could Raykhona reply? “Love is cureless, we can no longer escape from it…”
***
According to our people’s tradition when they go somewhere to seek a girl for marriage they say that they come to be “slaves”. This doesn’t mean that someone becomes a lord and the other a slave, it just emphasizes the responsibility of marriage.
We should, first of all, care about the groom’s intelligence and honesty, but not his nationality, origin or wealth. An intelligent person allows her daughter to get married to a groom, who can preserve their honor, who will be satisfied by their relatives and most important – with whom his daughter will be happy. Marriage will let the girl to the door of maternity. Imam Ghazali, in his work “Ihyau ulumiddin”, mentions Asmo binti Khorija’s advice, said to her daughter as follows: “Oh my daughter! You are leaving your nest and going to a place you know nothing about.
Be an earth for him, and he will be a sky for you. Be a house for him, and he will be a column for you. Be a maid for him, and he will be a slave for you. Do not bother him over trifles, do not demand everything from him, he will get sick and tired of you. Do not go far away from him, he will forget about you. If he is close to you, be close to him. If he goes far from you, be away from him. Keep his nose, ears and eyes safe, let him smell nice from you, let him hear good things from you and see your beauty.”
The more nicer a wife to his husband the more stronger their relations will be within a family. Girl’s education and explanation of marriage responsibility is an important step for a stable and strong family…
Although Raykhona was the only child in the family she was not spoiled. She can do any homework and she is diligent – and this feature comes from her mother Masturakhon. Her father Mansurjon is a humble person, he is very obedient and he may reply only once while his wife may ask ten questions. Long time ago he worked as an engineer in technical repairing factory, located in so called “Abramov Boulevard”, now the University Boulevard. The factory stopped its activity, moved to another place and he was left unemployed. Fortunately he is very good at his profession – a turner. He made a special room for his instruments and opened a workshop, and bought a turning machine. This profession is considered to be very rare and perhaps this is the main reason to have endless customers at his workshop – one asks to make a spare part this car, another asks something different to be turned and so on. Mansurjon’s habit is that he doesn’t negotiate with the customers, doesn’t argue with them and makes his service of best quality. He can say, due to the volume of the order: “I need at least two days to make this spare part.” or “Come back in two hours, please. Then you can take your item.” If the money that customers pay his service is more than he deserves, he returns part of it.
No matter the customers say: “Please take, it is yours, you did it as I wanted!”, he doesn’t agree.
He is used to say: “Conscientiousness is important! I am happy if you are satisfied with my work. I am sure you will share your ideas with your friends, and feel satisfaction from my work. In such a way your friend informs about me to another person and so on. As a result I will have more customers. And that kindness of you is enough for me…”
7
Most of the population, living near Siyab Bazaar in the Old City, do business in or near the bazar, as well. One buys goods and sells it there, the other prepares food at home and sells it in the bazaar. Another person buys for cheaper price from wholesale traders and sells in retailers’ stall, or delivers his goods to the women who occupied the stalls in the bazaar for retail sales. Even a youngest member of a family can bring a bucket of cold water and sell water in the hottest days of summer.
Masturakhon is a tailor, customers take the costumes and women’s clothes, that she sews, directly from her house. With the help of makhalla executives they opened a personnel record book in the knitting factory and recorded her as a craftsman.
Her neighbor Khamida is engaged in baking bread. The bread she bakes become a piece of art. There exist a lot of generations of bread bakers. Khamida is the 7th generation of bread bakers, and she has baked bread for 40 years. Thanks to their business they built beautiful houses, organized pompous wedding parties. Now her children and grandchildren are continuing her business and Khamida just controls them.
Samarkand bread, named Gala Osiyo bread, is famous all over the world with its taste, weight and elegance. The tourists coming from foreign countries get astonished as they see Samarkand bread and define it as one of the seven wonders of the world. In fact Samarkand bread has been well known and famous throughout the centuries in the Great Silk Road. Tradesmen,who started in a caravan, would bite a piece from Samarkand bread and leave the rest at home in a good hope to come back to Samarkand safe and sound. After a year or two, or even five years later, when he came back home he would eat the rest of the bread hung on the wall. Regardless of time this bread doesn’t lose its taste, if the dried bread is soaked in water it will become soft and eatable.
There are a lot of legends and myths about Samarkand bread all over the world. A tourist, who visits the Registan Square – the symbol of the city, becomes astonished by its view, and wishes to taste Samarkand bread, as well.
