Chapter 33 A Smart Move

The soup in the steamer was boiling, and the gurgling sound was like a heartbeat hidden in the flesh. Zhao Xiping lowered his eyes and opened the lid of the pot. He took a deep breath in the steaming hot white smoke and suppressed his surging thoughts.

"The meal is ready," he said.

Sui Liang immediately took out a bowl and brought it to the stove. He was hungry.

Sui Yu pulled out the unburned firewood and carried it out, pouring a bucket of water on it. The thick wood with flames crackled, and after a burst of white smoke, the sparks disappeared.

When someone came in after washing their hands, Zhao Xiping took the initiative to hand over the prepared dumpling soup, even with chopsticks already inserted.

Sui Yu glanced at him and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"This is the first time you've served me food. I'm flattered." Sui Yu bit her chopsticks and smiled. She raised her eyelids and squinted at him, then asked with a hint of anger, "Are you afraid I'll be sad?"

Zhao Xiping did not refute and agreed.

Sui Yu laughed again.

The man took the bowl out.

Only the two siblings were left in the kitchen. Sui Yu suppressed her smile and chewed a mouthful of noodles, her mind drifting away. Suddenly, her hand was shaken, and Sui Yu came back to her senses. She lowered her head and saw Sui Liang picking up the vegetable leaves from his bowl and putting them in hers. She handed him the bowl and said, "Brother Liang, eat yours. I have some vegetables in my bowl too."

Sui Liang smiled at her and slurped the dumpling soup.

Sui Yu also smiled. She walked to the stove, sat down and concentrated on eating.

The sound of footsteps outside the door gradually approached. When the figure stepped through the door, the kitchen was dark for a moment. Sui Yu looked up and said, "You are really tall. When you stand at the door, the door is blocked."

Zhao Xiping nodded, he opened the lid of the pot and served another bowl of rice.

"You slept too much during the day and can't sleep at night, right?" Sui Yu asked.

Zhao Xiping became alert when he heard this. He glanced over and was about to go out without saying a word.

"Help me knead the dough tonight. You're strong, so the dough will be chewy." Sui Yu walked out with the bowl in hand, saying kindly, "A regular customer who bought buns today praised my buns for being chewy."

"Only tonight?"

Sui Yu laughed dryly, "And tomorrow night."

"Only two nights?" Zhao Xiping confirmed again.

Sui Yu didn't say anything, but the meaning was self-evident.

Zhao Xiping's face turned black, and he knew that if he made any concessions, she would take advantage of the situation and become even more aggressive.

Sui Yu knew that he had agreed, so she stopped bothering him and took the initiative to say, "Hurry up and eat. I'll wash the pots and dishes after you finish."

The cat came back from the darkness, swung in front of the man, and then sauntered into the lighted kitchen with its neck held high and its legs spread wide. Sui Yu saw the large rat it was holding and exclaimed, "Oh my, my cat has started eating meat again. He's really capable."

The man squatting in the yard stood up and went into the house. He took a look and said unhappily, "Have you caught all the mice in your house?"

"You're such a bummer." Sui Yu glanced at him, then praised the cat official for his ability and said, "Since the cat came to our house, our food and drinks haven't been infested by mice anymore."

"I'm full." Zhao Xiping was too lazy to talk to her. He put down the bowl and said, "I'm going to fetch some water. Sui Liang will come and lock the door."

"It's getting cold, don't bathe in the river anymore. You'll get sick from the cold and suffer." Sui Yu warned loudly, "Come back and bathe. I'll boil some hot water for you."

"No need." Before he finished speaking, the man had already strode out of the door.

"Stubborn." Sui Yu spat.

Sui Yu felt relieved after washing the pots and pans and not having to knead the dough. She boiled some water, washed herself, and sat on the bed. The wooden box on the bedside was moved back onto the bed. She and Sui Liang counted the copper coins one by one in a good mood.

"Open the door." The water carrier came back.

Sui Yu put down the copper coins, put on his shoes, and went to open the door. Seeing him holding the fish, he asked, "Did you catch it with a grass net?"

"I caught it while I was taking a shower, but the net is gone. I don't know if it got washed away or someone took it." He didn't fetch water last night, but he did this morning, but he didn't bother to check the net. He has no idea when it disappeared. Zhao Xiping threw the fish into the broken bucket and said, "It's okay tomorrow. I'll make two more."

"The soles of my straw sandals are about to break..."

"Edit, edit, edit, edit—" Zhao Xiping interrupted her and said, "I'll edit it for you, okay? Go to bed and don't bother me."

"Brother Liang..."

"Edit."

"Okay." Sui Yu strode away, "Then we'll go to bed first and won't wait for you."

The bedroom door was closed. Zhao Xiping put down the bucket and stared at the ripples in the water. She was so shameless that she was not embarrassed at all when her little thoughts were exposed. She still ordered people around as usual.

"Remember to wash your hands when kneading the dough."

A shout echoed from inside the house, and Zhao Xiping frowned as he looked over. He scooped a ladle of water into the broken bucket, then scooped more water and rubbed his hands together amid the swishing of fish tails. As he went into the kitchen to mix the lees with the flour, he felt more and more that something was amiss. He had a vague feeling that the events of the past two days had been a dream, and that he was the only one affected.

After eating the mouse, the cat official came out from the firewood pile. He walked leisurely into the kitchen, jumped onto the stove, and licked his fur again and again with his furry legs.

Zhao Xiping stared at it, and when it licked its hairy legs until they were smooth, he pinched a handful of batter and dropped it on them. Seeing it stunned for a moment and then continued to lick, he laughed.

Two large bowls of noodles were mixed, the cat fell asleep, the camel fell asleep, and the chicken fell asleep. Zhao Xiping pinched his sore neck and pushed the door open to go into the house to sleep.

…

At dawn, Sui Yu prepared breakfast and ate it first. She threw away the bowl and started washing and cutting radishes.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Xiping saw that the dough he had kneaded last night had risen. He mixed it with dry flour and kneaded it into dough, then covered the pot and let it continue to ferment.

"I'm going to herd the camels."

"Okay, bring the camel back in an hour." Sui Yu instructed.

After the chopped radish was brought into the kitchen, Sui Yu saw that the used dishes were still soaking in the pot. He put down the wooden basin, rolled up his sleeves, washed the dishes in a few seconds, and then put them into the cupboard under running water.

"Brother Liang, it's time to light the fire," she said.

Sui Liang pulled some dry grass to cover the fire, and the firewood in the stove was ignited. He walked to the cupboard, took down the bowl, and put it in the basin to signal Sui Yu to look.

"You don't have to wash it, I just did it easily. He could do it easily too, but he just felt unhappy and was stubbornly going against me." Sui Yu smiled and let Zhao Xiping take advantage of it openly, so that his stubborn donkey would be willing to listen to her roundabout orders.

By the time she had fried the stuffing and put the buns into the steamer, the camel herders came back on time.

"I'll steam the buns for you to eat later. I'll leave a few in the food cupboard. When you're hungry at home at noon, you can light a fire and bake some buns." Sui Yu wiped his hands and gave instructions while standing at the stove door.

Zhao Xiping nodded.

"Please check the basket on the camel's back. I'm afraid it's loose." Sui Yu picked up the clay stove against the wall, raised it mid-air, and the man took it over. She then went to pick up firewood.

"Leave it there, I'll do it." Zhao Xiping frowned at her clumsiness in carrying things. He stuffed the steamers and other things into the basket one by one and said, "I don't have anything important to do at home. I'll pick you up in the evening. If you finish selling ahead of time, just wait there."

"Hey." Sui Yu responded cheerfully, "I knew you were the best."

"Speak nicely and stop disgusting me." Zhao Xiping got goosebumps again.

Sui Yu stopped smiling and glared at him. After the buns were cooked and the steamer was no longer hot, she packed up her things and led the camel out.

"Cat Officer, follow me."

The cat sleeping on the haystack jumped to the ground upon hearing the sound, swung its tail, jumped over the camel and chased Sui Liang.

Zhao Xiping and the others disappeared. He took the fish to the market to sell it, then went back to the field to pick two bundles of golden grass and went to the government to exchange them for a bundle of straw. Straw soles are the most wear-resistant.

He was home alone at noon. He had a stove but no pot, so he was too lazy to bother. After eating three cold buns, he continued to twist straw ropes to weave shoe soles.

Sui Ling passed by, took a look and left. Not long after she left, Captain Li came to visit again.

"Have you finished your work in the fields?" Captain Li walked in, looking around, and asked, "Are you home alone?"

"Um."

"The weather is getting colder, and those stubborn Tartars might invade again. In previous years, you said there was no one at home, and you had to guard the house and raise camels. This year, there are more people at home, so you can go on patrol without worry." Li Baihu explained the purpose of his visit, and he said with a smile, "Speaking of this, you should thank me."

Zhao Xiping stopped what he was doing and stared coldly at Captain Li. He said, "I did offend you, but you've cut off my escape route for twenty years. Isn't it time to let it go? You've been targeting me, wanting to kill me. Aren't you afraid that your brothers will be disheartened?"

Captain Li thought of the rumors about him during this period and Qian Wei who had turned away from him. He stared at Zhao Xiping and turned away.

Zhao Xiping had a gloomy face. After this bad thing happened, he was in no mood to make straw sandals anymore. He threw away the straw rope in his hand, locked the door, and went out for a walk. It was not until the evening that he went to the west gate to pick someone up.

"City Magistrate Huang said that there will be fewer merchants and travelers entering the city in the next few days. I'm thinking about moving my stall to the market. What do you think?" Sui Yu asked for advice when he saw someone.

Zhao Xiping nodded. "Most caravans leave the city in the spring and head west, and return eastward in the late autumn. When the snow falls, there's no one at the city gate."

"Then you go back first. I'll go around the city." Sui Yu thought again and asked, "Is there any noodles at home?"

"Less than two scoops."

Sui Yu was angry, "You won't tell me unless I ask, right? What will I sell tomorrow if I don't have face?"

“Sell whatever you want.”

"Sell you..." Seeing the man glaring, Sui Yu stuffed the cat official into his hand and said, "I won't sell you, I'll sell myself and Liang Ge'er as well. We'll all leave, and you'll be relieved."

Zhao Xiping nodded in agreement.

Sui Yu dragged Sui Liang away, and when they were far away, she shouted at the top of her voice, "Remember to cook."

Passersby looked over when they heard the sound. Zhao Xiping was annoyed by her yelling, so he turned his head and looked away, pretending that he and Sui Yu were not from the same family.

Sui Yu and Sui Liang had already walked away. The brother and sister went straight to the grain store to buy noodles. She came here every few days, and the shop assistants knew her. Whenever she walked in, they would greet her with "A bucket of gray noodles?"

"Yes, oops, I forgot to bring the noodle jar." Sui Yu slapped his head, "I always forget things. I'll go back and get the jar. I'll be right back."

"People often come to buy food and forget to bring their jars." The waiter was used to it.

Sui Yu smiled, but she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she walked closer and asked, "Brother, I want to ask you something. Can we set up a stall outside this grain store to sell buns?"

"You ask me this... I'm not the one in charge."

Sui Yu grabbed a handful of copper coins and stuffed them into his hands, saying in a gentle voice, "Please say a few more words. It will also make it easier for me to find the person who is in charge."

"You can't set up a stall outside the grain shop. The land belongs to the owner. But there's a place you can go." The clerk led Sui Yu outside and pointed to a shop about three meters away with large wine jars on display. He said, "That wine shop was involved in a murder case a few days ago, and they won't be able to do business for a while. I heard the owner say they might even have to sell off their property. I figured the owner of the wine shop wouldn't be able to take care of this area, so you could set up a stall there. Once you're driven out, you'll have already established yourself in the area. It won't be too late to find a stall then."

Sui Yu was overjoyed. It really was a good spot. She grabbed a handful of copper coins and stuffed them into the waiter's pocket, saying gratefully, "Thank you so much. You are such a good person."

Zhao Xiping heard this when he approached. He sneered and thought that everyone was a good person in her eyes.

The waiter noticed the man and quickly lowered his hands, smiling and asking, "Sir, do you want to buy rice or noodles?"

"Buy noodles, this is my man." Sui Yu saw him carrying a jar of noodles and said in surprise, "I thought I had to run back, but thanks to you for delivering it. I'm telling you, I found the stall..."