Chapter 55: Escape from Slavery

When the bustle of the alley died down, Sui Yu took her bowl home. The sheep in the pen bleated with hunger, and the piglets dug at the trough. She went into the kitchen to see the pot soaked with water, the sticky porridge at the bottom shoveled up. She bent down to add some firewood to the stove, then went out to the camel pen to dig out the leftover radishes from the winter. The radishes had become shriveled, and the camels disliked them, only eating the shriveled leaves and ignoring the radishes. She picked five, rinsed them, chopped them into small pieces, and put them in the pot to cook. Once cooked, they became pig food.

Thinking back to last year when she complained that a live pig weighing only 70 kilograms was too light, she now understands that it is not easy for a pig to grow to 70 kilograms if it eats this stuff every day.

People were short of food, and pigs had even less good food to eat. All they had to eat were radishes boiled in slop and grass to eat.

"I'm going to take a walk in the mountains." Zhao Xiping came in and got a machete.

"What are you going to do in the mountains?" Sui Yu asked.

"Find a tree and ask a carpenter to make a bed. I need wood. I give him wet wood and some money and he will do it." Zhao Xiping hurried to lead the camel.

Sui Yu was delighted when she heard this. She walked out and leaned against the door, looking at him with her eyes flickering. "What's the matter? Your uncle Niu is going to be a father, and you're anxious too?"

How shameless! Zhao Xiping didn't even look at her.

"Why didn't you cut it down in winter? It's May in a few days, and there must be snakes on the mountain." Sui Yu stopped joking and asked a serious question, saying, "Look carefully. Forget it, don't go now. Wait until winter comes before going up the mountain."

"The trees are leafless in winter, so I can't tell what kind of tree it is." Zhao Xiping strode out and said, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Sui Yu spat at him, saying that he didn't know how to appreciate a good person.

The radish soup in the pot was bubbling. Sui Yu brought the pig feed bucket in, opened the lid of the pot, threw the wilted radish vines and old shepherd's purse from the vegetable basket into the pot, and scooped them into the pig feed bucket when they were softened.

"Brother Liang, come in and stir the food." She shouted loudly.

Sui Liang ran in holding the cat official in his arms. He took the pig food stick and stirred the food so that it would cool down faster.

Sui Yu cleaned the kitchen, then went to the vegetable garden to cut two handfuls of leeks and pull out a bundle of bitter herbs. She came back and poured out the food to feed the pigs. After the pigs finished eating, she opened the fence gate and let the sheep and pigs out.

After finishing the crops in the fields, Sui Yu was only responsible for taking care of the pigs and sheep on a daily basis, while Zhao Xiping was mostly responsible for raising the camels.

"Heading the sheep again?" Aunt Sun glanced at the sheep and pigs and said, "You've taken good care of these two sheep. They haven't lost weight even after weaning."

Sui Yu did not take any credit for it. She hugged Sui Liang and said, "It was Liang Ge'er who took good care of us. He was the one who took care of the pigs and sheep when we were working before."

"The boy is quite capable."

Sui Liang pursed his lips and smiled.

As soon as the brother and sister left, a little girl dressed as a maid came over, looking around. After Aunt Sun had already entered, she stepped out and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Auntie, is this Shisantun? Do you know Sui Ling?" asked the maid.

Aunt Sun pointed to the next alley and said, "That's it."

Sui Hui only remembered that Sui Ling said she lived in Shisantun, so she sent the maid to look for Sui Ling first.

The maid went from house to house asking people. Sui Ling was washing clothes in the yard when she heard the sound and came out. She said, "I am Sui Ling. Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"I am Aunt Hui's maid. Aunt Hui dreamed of her mother last night and felt uncomfortable when she woke up. She asked me to pick you and Miss Sui Yu up to talk to her." The maid said eloquently.

Concubine Hui? Sui Ling was stunned. When did her sister become a concubine? She was both happy and annoyed. She immediately locked the door and left with the maid.

"When did my sister become a concubine?" Sui Ling asked directly.

"The thirteenth day of the first lunar month has already passed three and a half months."

Sui Ling was even more angry. Such a happy thing was hidden from her. When she heard the maid asking about Sui Yu, she said angrily: "Why call her? We don't have the same parents."

"That's what Aunt Hui said." The maid stammered.

"She's not at home. She must be out herding sheep."

The little maidservant gave up after hearing this, thinking that sheep farmers all have the smell of sheep, and the concubine would vomit if she smelled it.

Sui Ling held her breath and followed the maid into the Hu Mansion. When she stepped into the side courtyard, the maid told her that Aunt Hui was pregnant.

She felt more and more uncomfortable.

Sui Hui lay in bed, still asleep. She'd conceived this child thanks to medication, but the signs of pregnancy had been tough. She'd vomited all night last night, and this morning, before dawn, she'd vomited again after drinking a sip of water. Fortunately, the reaction was strong; otherwise, she wouldn't have known the baby was here. The doctor had taken her pulse the day before yesterday, and it was weak, suggesting she might have just reached full term.

She slept until noon and woke up to find out that Sui Ling had arrived. She washed up quickly and went out to meet him.

"Sister, you are really enjoying yourself. If I were at home, I would be busy preparing lunch right now." Sui Ling complained as soon as she saw people.

Sui Hui ignored her and turned to ask the little maid: "Why didn't my cousin come?"

"The young lady said that Miss Sui Yu went to herd sheep and is not at home."

"Your cousin is more important than your biological sister, right?" Sui Ling became more and more indignant.

When Sui Hui heard the word "sheep", she thought of the mutton she had eaten the day before yesterday. She covered her mouth and retched, then waved her hand to signal the two maids to go back.

"Have you visited Big Brother?" Sui Hui took a sip of water to calm herself down, then asked, "I heard that during the spring plowing season, the servants all went to work in the fields. Have you visited him?"

Sui Ling was speechless, and she made a guilty excuse: "Qian Wei didn't let me go see my brother."

Sui Hui had also heard similar words from Sui Yu. Comparing the two, Sui Hui felt even more heartbroken. Sui Ling's selfish and heartless appearance was exactly the same as her father's.

"Sister, are you in contact with Sui Yu?" Sui Ling felt that only Sui Yu could tell her about the spring plowing. She said angrily, "What a snob. Seeing that I'm in a bad situation and not worth currying favor with, he repeatedly told me that he doesn't want to have any contact with me..." The rest of the words were suddenly silenced in Sui Hui's eyes. She found that the gentle sister in her memory became blurred. The person sitting opposite her had the aura of her mother, and those eyes seemed to be able to see through her heart.

Sui Ling shut up, lowering her head, not knowing what she was thinking. Sui Hui didn't care either. She just sat there, thinking about what she was going to say next.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a noise outside the door. Sui Ling heard the maid's voice bowing. She saw Sui Hui standing up, so she also stood up and walked out.

Sui Hui smiled, her thin eyebrows drooped, and she looked gentle and lovely. When she saw Lord Hu, she called him "Master" in a soft voice.

"Greetings to my brother-in-law." Sui Ling saluted playfully.

Sui Hui frowned and scolded, "Don't be so presumptuous."

Sui Ling pouted.

Master Hu glanced at her, supported Sui Hui, and said, "Are you feeling better now that you've seen your sisters?"

Sui Hui smiled again, nodded, and said, "I am feeling better. It's a pity that my other sister is away herding sheep, so she didn't come."

"Then wait until you stop responding and then call her over." Master Hu instructed the maid, "Serve the food."

Sui Hui wanted to give Sui Ling some nourishment, so she had two couches set up for them. Sui Ling had a separate table with stewed beef soup on it. As for her and Lord Hu, they had only a dish of skimmed chicken soup with the oil skimmed off, and all they had were vegetarian dishes.

But Sui Ling thought this was a disrespect for her and she was not worthy of eating at the same table with the master.

Sui Hui didn't pay attention to her. She was worried and had a poor appetite, so she put down her chopsticks after taking a few bites of food.

"What's wrong? Are you still worried after seeing your relatives?" Lord Hu asked with concern.

"My..." Sui Hui's heart was pounding. She forced herself to suppress her anxiety and spoke hesitantly, "Seeing my sister reminds me of my brother. I went to see him last year. He was only twenty-seven, but he looked as old as an old man." As she spoke, she knelt and inched towards Lord Hu. Tears welled up in her eyes, she said, "I don't know if my eldest brother will live to see this year. He doesn't even know he'll have a nephew."

Lord Hu smiled faintly and reached out to touch her belly. He didn't want his child to have uncles and aunts who were criminal slaves, so he said, "Don't cry any more. This child was born with great difficulty. Please don't cry for me. As for your brother and sister, I will cancel their slavery."

Sui Ling was overjoyed and she knelt down excitedly.

"There's just one thing: once you're enslaved, your identities are gone." Lord Hu looked at Sui Ling and said, "Do you understand?"

Sui Ling didn't understand, she looked at Sui Hui.

Sui Hui explained, "After we've been delisted, we need to register our household. We'll no longer be surnamed Sui on the register. I'll take my mother's surname and be called Wen Hui. My eldest brother will be called Wen An from now on. What's your surname?"

Lord Hu would not dare to release slaves and change their household registration without reason, but he could change life to death. Dunhuang is thousands of miles away from Chang'an, and the emperor is far away. The three siblings of the Sui family are not important criminals. No one will notice that there is a problem if there are three more people who died of illness in the household registration.

"My name is Wen Ling." Sui Ling also decided to take her mother's surname.

"Now we can have a good meal?" Lord Hu smiled at Sui Hui. "How long have you been thinking about this?"

Sui Hui smiled sheepishly. She felt relieved, picked up her chopsticks and started eating again, mumbling, "Master, I have something else on my mind. I have two cousins. If it weren't for my third uncle who risked his life to save them on the way to exile, you wouldn't have seen me. Please raise your hand and set them free."

Lord Hu rubbed his finger ring and said with a half-smile, "Will there be any of your clansmen next?"

Sui Hui could tell he was unhappy, so she thought it would be best to give up the idea now. However, she still said stubbornly, "No, they bullied us on the way to exile, and it was my third uncle and cousin who protected us."

"Sui Yu has cut off all contact with us..." Sui Ling muttered.

Lord Hu looked over and laughed playfully.

Sui Hui frowned, she clenched her hands and stared at Sui Ling coldly. Sui Ling shrank under her gaze, and the malice in her heart quickly dissipated.

But it was too late. Lord Hu put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, stood up and put on his shoes, saying, "Since we have cut off contact, then there should be no more contact. What does a concubine's aunt have to do with my son?"

Lord Hu thought of Sui Yu's name. He had been reported by several people for instigating soldiers to engage in business. It seemed that he was not a peaceful person, so he should just be an obedient slave.

After Lord Hu left, Sui Hui stood up on the low couch and walked towards Sui Ling step by step. She was so angry that she slapped Sui Ling with one hand. Her nails scratched her face, leaving two bloody marks on it.

"Fool, stupid and evil, you really deserve to die." Sui Hui turned Sui Ling's head, unmoved by her tears. "You deserved to die in the wolf's mouth that night. You have no gratitude at all, you are selfish and harm others while you are alive. You are a slave of sin yourself, don't you know the hardship of being a slave? Did Sui Yu steal your man or kill your son? Why do you hate her so much?"

"I, I didn't mean to..."

Didn't mean to? Sui Hui had heard her use this phrase to shirk responsibility too many times. She pinched her chin and said, "From now on, you and I will sever our sisterly relationship. We will not see each other except in life and death. I will also tell my eldest brother about what happened today. No matter what he chooses, I still stick to my decision today. Get out."

Stupid people are not scary, and evil people can be controlled, but if a person is both stupid and evil, anyone who associates with her will be unlucky.