Chapter 181 Uncle and Nephew Get Angry
When they returned, it was already late and there was no time to buy meat. Sui Yu asked Yin Po and Cui Sao to catch six chickens, slaughter them and stew them in a pot. While the chickens were stewing, they made two basins of flour and baked a basket of pure flour pancakes.
Zhao Xiping had not returned from the training ground yet. Sui Yu, holding the cub, and twenty-two servants were sitting in the kitchen yard chatting. Xiaochun was eloquent and excited as she recounted the eleven days they had spent in the desert.
"...The desert is hot during the day and cold at night. We weren't prepared the night before and woke up in the middle of the night from the cold. We opened our eyes and saw a flock of birds alighting on a sand dune. We sat up, and they flapped their wings and flew away. That wasn't the end of it. The birds followed us for several days, probably waiting for us to die and eat our flesh." At this point, Xiao Chunhong smiled. "But they didn't eat our flesh, so we shot them down and roasted them for a few days. We had a good time."
"My dear, we have found a way to save firewood when making fire in the desert." Liu Yaer said.
"Yes, yes, that's right. Just dig a sand pit and make a fire. Burn the bird's feathers, then throw the bird in and bury it with sand. Then make a fire on the sand and bake pancakes. After the pancakes are eaten, the bird meat will be stewed." Xiao Chunhong interrupted.
The others nodded.
Sui Yu glanced at Liu Yaer, and her words were interrupted. There was no disgust or unhappiness on her face. It seemed that after eleven days away from home, Xiao Chunhong had already seized the right to speak among the female slaves.
"Why are you here?" Zhang Shun asked in a low voice.
Qingshan looked up at Sui Yu, then lowered his head and whispered, "I asked my wife for help, and then I don't know how it happened. This morning, the master asked the captain for ten of us."
"We are also slaves of the Zhao family, and we have signed the contract." Qingshan emphasized.
Zhang Shun said "Oh" and looked at his mistress. She was leaning forward and listening carefully to Xiao Chunhong's chattering. The child on her lap was swinging his legs and looking around with puffed cheeks. When he met the child's gaze, he giggled, revealing a plate with two teeth.
Zhang Shun smiled, hooked his finger at the young master, and quickly withdrew his hand before the mistress looked over.
"Your life will be better from now on," he said.
Qingshan hummed, "Both masters are kind-hearted people. Today, the master let us rest at home. I have never closed my eyes during the day."
"When we first arrived, our two masters also told us to eat more, sleep more, and gain weight." Zhang Shun pinched Qingshan's arm, which was all bone, and advised: "Grow more meat and keep yourself healthy so that you can help the masters with their work."
"Madam, when are we going to go out and do business?" Xiao Chunhong asked.
Qingshan looked up suddenly. Without giving it much thought, he asked impulsively, "Can I go too?"
Sui Yu looked over and said, "Zhang Shun, you and Gan Da will be responsible for training them. Start with jogging, just like you did in the beginning."
After she finished speaking, she said to Qingshan, "When the time comes, I'll see how your training goes. If you don't hold me back, I'll take you with me."
"If they are a drag, we won't bring them along, so they don't have to share our money," said Xiao Chunhong.
Sui Yu wanted to laugh. This girl was so much to her liking, it was like she had paid someone to help her.
"If you do business with me, I will share the profits with you. I will eat the meat and you can drink the broth." Sui Yu explained.
"My wife and the masters don't want the money from the merchants as tips, and ask us to save it for ourselves." Gan Da added boastfully.
"My wife also told you that the imperial court will definitely issue a decree in the future to allow us to redeem our slave status with money." Gan Er said again.
Three words from three people completely stunned the ten new male servants. This was simply a journey from hell to heaven. At this moment, apart from their utter devotion to their master and their full enthusiasm, they could no longer think of anything else.
Uncle Niu sighed secretly. He stole a glance at Sui Yu. This was truly a man capable of great things. He was neither a slave nor a servant. At this time, he actually felt the urge to go out with Sui Yu and try his luck.
The sound of camel's hooves was heard outside the wall. After a while, Zhao Xiping appeared outside the door. He turned over and jumped off the camel's back, striding into the yard.
"Grandma Yin, is the meal ready?" Sui Yu turned her head and asked.
"The chicken is ready, and the dough has just risen. We're kneading it to make pancakes." Grandma Yin stopped kneading the dough and came out to ask, "How about serving the chicken first? We can eat the chicken first and then the pancakes."
"No hurry, I'll wait for you guys." Sui Yu handed the cub to his father, rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll help, and we'll have dinner together tonight."
"I'll go help too." Xiao Chunhong stood up.
Liu Yaer followed closely behind, and Xiaoxi, Sancao and the others also followed.
Zhao Xiping led people to build a fire in the yard and got four torches for lighting. More people were in the yard and it became brighter. Cats and dogs came. A Shui chased the cats and dogs, and the little cub poked his head out to watch seriously. No one paid any attention to him, but he was laughing happily alone.
The pancakes were baked, the table was set, and the chicken was taken out from the earthenware pot. Everyone took a bowl to scoop up the meat, held the pancake in one hand, and either stood or sat, eating and drinking with hearty mouthfuls.
Qingshan and Erhei tried hard to control their gaze, not letting themselves think about the food in the pot while eating. It would be ugly if they showed those beastly faces as human beings.
After enjoying a hearty meal, Xiao Chunhong, Zhang Shun and others felt warmly welcomed and relaxed. They then dragged their tired bodies back to their rooms to sleep.
Uncle Lao Niu and Li Mutou carried pig food to feed the pigs. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping also went there. The twenty-three wild camels that were driven back were divided into five pens. They had good food for their first meal since they got home. Half of the stone trough was covered with soybeans and millet. There was hay and fresh grass piled in the pen for people to eat at will. There was also endless water to drink. With water, food and grass, none of these wild camels got angry.
"Forty camels." Sui Yu took Zhao Xiping's arm and leaned against him, saying, "Is this a pleasant surprise?"
"Um."
"Everything is better than we initially expected, and it will get better and better in the future." Sui Yu encouraged himself.
The big black dog came running with its tail wagging. It licked Zhao Xiping's hand to say hello, then went around the pigpen, climbed up the earthen wall by stepping on the wooden stakes outside the pen, jumped into the pigpen, and squeezed into the herd of pigs to compete with them for food.
"No wonder it's so fat." Sui Yu muttered, "It eats nine meals a day, even a pig can't compare to it."
Zhao Xiping smiled and pulled Sui Yu away. His big fat son was waiting for him at home.
…
In the days that followed, the twenty-two slaves practiced martial arts in the morning and evening, and went to work in the fields in the morning and afternoon. The soybeans were still tender, the wheat was still green, and the sesame in the fields could be harvested.
The sesame seeds are harvested and the stalks are taken back to be used as firewood. After the sesame seeds are dried, 40% is kept by the family and 60% is handed over to the government.
On the eighth day of September, Changgui Guest House welcomed the first caravan since the beginning of autumn. This was a group of Hu merchants who set out from Chang'an, carrying cloth, wine jars, porcelain, bronzeware, looms and grain seeds.
Two days later, the Hu merchants replenished their food and dry rations and left the city again with the melodious sound of camel bells.
Soon after, Han merchants returning from the Western Regions entered the city with their camel caravans, trekking through the desert for several months. After entering the city, they sought food and drink and engaged in extensive trade.
The caravans that hired camels from Song Xian half a year ago also started to enter the city one after another. These caravans chose to stay in the city because they wanted to sell their excess furs. If they could sell the furs and spices, they would return the camels. If the goods were left over and had to be transported to the interior, they would buy as many camels as possible.
When they went to the government office to sign the contract, Song Xian said half-jokingly, "If you want to rent or buy camels from me in the future, you have to stay at the Changgui Guesthouse. I have negotiated with the shopkeeper Yu. The caravans who hire camels from me can stay at her place for ten cents less per room."
The merchants smiled. They had no shortage of money, and most of the people passing through at that time would stay for one or two nights before leaving. They would definitely do whatever was convenient for them.
"You two have a good relationship. She brings you business, and you bring her business." The merchant joked. He explained, "We will leave tomorrow morning. We won't stay long. If we enter the customs later, we will stay in Dunhuang for the winter and then go to stay with Yu Zhanggui for a long time."
"Then let me thank you on behalf of Shopkeeper Yu." Song Xian bowed hastily, stopped, and said, "Farewell, I wish you a smooth journey and a speedy reunion with your families."
The merchant gestured for her to move forward.
Song Xian left the government office and headed straight for the north of the city. On the way, she saw Captain Hu riding his horse angrily past. After the horse galloped away, she cursed inwardly, "You wretch! Are you seeking death by running so fast?"
As she approached the Changgui Guesthouse, she glanced across the river and understood. The guesthouse on Sui Yu's side was bustling with guests coming and going, while the guesthouse on the other side of the river was as quiet as if a dead body was buried there, and not even a single person could be seen.
"How's business going here?" Song Xian asked Sui Yu. "Business in Minxiang is pretty good."
"It's not so bad here. The first five guesthouses are full." Sui Yu pointed westward and said, "Two caravans stayed there the day before yesterday. I guess they wanted to curry favor with Captain Hu, but their beds collapsed in the middle of the night. When they tried to leave at dawn, the steward wouldn't let them go. They had to pay for the beds. Oh, and they left with empty stomachs. There wasn't even a hot stove there."
Song Xian looked disgusted when she heard this. "How can you get into this situation by just copying others?"
"Those who pay don't worry, those who take the money don't work hard, and there's no reliable person to look after them. They're all half-baked. It's strange they can make money." Sui Yu thought of the ten male slaves he got for free and said with a smile: "Because of the six guest houses, except for Captain Hu and the slaves who suffered losses, everyone involved in this matter benefited."
"It's okay. Captain Hu has a big family and a lot of wealth, so this little loss is not a big loss." Song Xian gloated.
As they were talking, Sui Liang and A Shui came over carrying the kid.
"Are you carrying a piglet?" Song Xian joked.
"I can't hold him anymore, so I have to ask A Shui to help lift him." Sui Liang's face turned red with tiredness.
Sui Yu went over to take the child, and the boy was still happy as he was dragged along.
"Sister, the kid has a glass bead given by a merchant. Take it away so he doesn't swallow it." Sui Liang sat cross-legged on the ground. He stretched out his hand to the kid and said, "Give the thing in your hand to uncle."
The kid turned his face away and clenched his hands tightly to prevent him from touching them.
"Let me see." Sui Yu stretched out her hand. "What good stuff is that? Let me see it quickly."
The kid moved his eyes, glanced at Sui Liang, and slyly put his hands into his mother's arms.
Song Xian laughed, "Oh, my uncle is no match for my mother."
Sui Liang's face turned red with anger. He gritted his teeth and slapped the kid.
Sui Yu smiled and took out the glass bead from her arms. It was a blue bead the size of a pigeon egg, with an uneven surface full of pits and many small bubbles inside. Its transparency was very poor. In her time, it was very cheap, just broken glass, but in this dynasty, it was a valuable and rare treasure.
"Who is so generous?" Sui Yu shook the glass bead. She tentatively handed it to Sui Liang and asked the boy, "Can I give it to my uncle? He likes it."
Sui Liang stared at the kid. He stretched out his hand to take it, but before he touched the glass bead, he saw the kid frowning, his face full of reluctance.
"I don't want it, I don't like it." Sui Liang cried angrily, "I don't like you anymore, you stinky kid, it's all in vain that I'm nice to you."
The kid was stunned.
"I won't be your uncle anymore." Sui Liang wiped his tears, feeling so sad.
Sui Yu looked at the boy and said, "Zhao Mingguang, you made your uncle cry."
Sui Liang ran away, and the kid started crying loudly. Sui Yu returned the glass bead to him, but he refused to take it and threw it away.
Now the treasure has become stinky dog shit and no one wants it.
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