Chapter 253 Honey Makes a Big Money
Entering from Xuanping Gate, passing through the East Market, and entering the second city gate guarded by guards, the atmosphere inside the gate was much quieter. On the wide road, officials on duty walked on the narrow paths on both sides, and no one was walking on the middle road. Sui Yu suspected that it was reserved for the emperor and concubines to walk.
The sky was getting dark, and lanterns were lit on both sides of the palace walls. However, in these deep streets, the scattered lights flickered like fireflies, but they dispersed halfway before reaching the ground, and the road was still dark.
The sound of footsteps clattered on the hard ground. The closer they got to the imperial city, the louder the footsteps became. It was probably because the atmosphere was too quiet, or it could be because the eunuchs and maids in the palace walked too lightly, making them look reckless and rude.
"Who is it?" A patrol team armed with swords approached.
"But the Left Capital Marquis? I am the commander of the Xuanping Gate. A merchant caravan from Taiyuan County captured forty-six bandits in the Daqing Mountains. I wanted to take them to the Bandits Department, but I wonder if we can go to the office now." The city guard explained.
A dark-faced, acne-stricken military officer came over carrying a lantern. He waved it and said, "My colleagues from the Thief Caosi have finished their shift. I'll take them to the Jingzhao Yin and inquire about the situation tomorrow."
The city guard said "yes". He glanced at Sui Yu and thought that she was a woman and probably didn't know the procedures of the court. He asked, "Will these merchants who reported the case come back tomorrow to write the complaint, or will they go tonight?"
"Tomorrow, you pay attention to where they are staying. When there is news, I will send people to look for them. You can help lead the way then." Zuo Duhou said.
The city guard said "yes" again, he took a few steps back, turned around and asked Sui Yu and his servants to follow him.
We returned along the same route and when we exited Xuanping Gate, the moon was already high in the sky and the stars were brilliant.
Ah Niu squatted outside the city waiting. When he saw someone coming out, he quickly walked over and said swiftly, "Master, Xiao Chunhong has rented a house. She arranged for me to pick you up."
"Where is it?" Sui Yu asked, "Gongcheling, would you like to come with us, or should I arrange for someone to guard it tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, have a servant wait outside the city for news. When the government is hearing the case, you can go over there." The city guard stretched and said, "It's getting dark. I should go back too."
Sui Yu said thank you for the trouble and watched him walk away. She followed Aniu with her servants.
When they returned to the mausoleum in Xianyangyuan, the maids had already prepared meals, including sauerkraut buns, millet porridge, fried shredded radish and pork, and leeks and eggs.
After filling her stomach, Sui Yu arranged for the night watchmen and those who would stake out the city the next day, and she drove away all the male servants.
"You don't have to get up early tomorrow morning. Get some sleep. You can sleep as long as you want." Sui Yu instructed, "Also, be careful when you go to the river to bathe. Don't go into deep water. Zhang Shun, you need to be more careful and count the number of people before going to bed."
Zhang Shun responded, "Master, don't worry too much. You have to explain everything every time you go to a place. We are adults now, not ignorant kids."
Sui Yu snorted unconvincedly, "My son is very sensible."
"Okay, okay." Zhang Shun smiled. "It's hard to say. You guys take a rest. We're going out. If anything happens at night, just shout loudly. We can hear you from next door."
Sui Yu nodded, and waited for Xiaoxi to close the door. She immediately unbuttoned her clothes and went to take a shower.
It was summer, and the night air was hot. One pot of boiling water could be mixed with four buckets of cold water, enough for four people to take a bath. After the bath, they washed their hair. By the time everyone was sitting in the yard enjoying the cool air and drying their hair, the water they had brought back in the evening had all been used up.
Hearing some noise next door, Sui Yu shouted and asked the servant to bring two more buckets of water.
The water was delivered, and Sui Yu sent someone to boil it. "Boil the water and let it cool for a while. When it's no longer hot, scoop a spoonful of honey into the bowl and stir well. Everyone can taste the honey water."
When she heard that she could eat honey, Xiao Chunhong ran into the kitchen and scrambled to light the fire.
Song Xian looked away, yawning and covering her mouth. She asked sleepily, "How are you going to sell this honey?"
"I'll take a day off tomorrow. The day after tomorrow I'll go buy pottery pots and jars from the potter in the kiln. I'll filter the honey and pour it into small pots and jars and sell them individually. It doesn't matter if I can't sell them all. I'll take them home to eat. Honey is good for the human body and can be eaten by the elderly and children. I also have a teahouse there and I'll need this." Sui Yu had an idea long ago.
Song Xian yawned again. Seeing that she spoke so clearly, she stopped worrying about it.
Her hair was half dry, and Xiao Chunhong asked someone to bring honey water. She first brought two bowls to her two masters.
The wild bees in the mountains collect honey from many flowers, and their honey is a kind of multi-flower honey. It tastes like a flower, but it is hard to tell which kind it is. Sui Yu drank a bowl of honey water in a few gulps, put down the bowl, picked up the scissors, and cut off a piece of hair with a few quick strokes.
"I'm going back to my room to sleep." Sui Yu put down the scissors and stood up, saying, "I won't eat tomorrow morning. Unless it's someone from the government, don't call me."
"Me too." Song Xian put down her bowl and followed. She stretched and said, "Finally, I can get a good night's sleep."
The two of them fell down and fell asleep. They didn't notice when the servants came in.
She slept until the afternoon and woke up feeling so hungry that her hands and legs were weak. Sui Yu took the bowl and chopsticks handed to her by Xiao Chunhong and sat on the wood under the eaves to eat.
"No one from the government has come yet, and Aniu is still waiting outside the city." Xiao Chunhong explained without waiting for Sui Yu to ask.
Sui Yu nodded.
"Go buy five chickens and half a piece of lamb tonight and stew two pots. I'll pay for it." Song Xian said, "I'm craving lamb."
"Aren't you afraid of getting a sore throat by eating mutton in such hot weather?" Sui Yu choked on the food in her mouth and patted her chest. Before she could say anything, Xiaoxi trotted into the house to pour water.
Sui Yu took a sip and caught a glimpse of clothes hanging in the yard, fluttering in the wind. Xiao Chunhong and the others had washed all the dirty clothes they'd collected along the way in one morning. She couldn't help but feel lucky she'd insisted on buying female slaves. If they'd only been male, she probably wouldn't have gotten a good night's sleep on this journey.
"Master?" Ah Niu came running back, sweating profusely. He took the honey water Xiaoxi handed him and swallowed it in big gulps. After the honey water went down his throat, he felt much better. He continued, "Master, the guard at Xuanping Gate said that the government will not hear the case today, so we should continue to wait."
"Okay, you'll be responsible for keeping an eye on the movements at the city gate from now on," Sui Yu instructed. "By the way, have you found out where the Grand Marshal is buried?"
"He is buried in Xianyang Plain, probably only one day's distance from here." Xiao Chunhong replied. She had inquired about this when she went to the river to wash clothes in the morning.
"Has the person been buried? Aniu, go and call Zhang Shun over." Sui Yu ordered.
When Zhang Shun arrived, Sui Yu arranged for him to contact the Hu merchant selling blankets in the West Market to find out if the Sima family was still in need of white linen and white silk. "Take Xiao Chunhong with you, and go around the silk and cloth shops in the West Market to find out the buying and selling prices of silk and linen. Then, contact the caravans coming to Chang'an to see if they would like to buy silk from us."
Zhang Shun and Xiao Chunhong looked embarrassed, but Sui Yu pretended not to see it. She couldn't always lead them in doing things. She stood in front and did everything herself, so that they all had nothing to say or do. Money was not that easy to get.
"We bought the silk cloth for 400 coins a piece. Try to negotiate it down to 500 coins. If it's above 500 coins, I won't take the excess and will share it between the two of you." Sui Yu continued, "The same goes for the mulberry wine. The purchase price was 170 coins a jar. If you sell it for 300 coins more, the remainder will be yours."
Zhang Shun and Xiao Chunhong were both depressed and excited. They each carried a piece of silk cloth and a jar of mulberry wine and went out.
While it was still early, Sui Yu took out a piece of white linen, drew a simple picture on the ground, and described it in detail to the servants. After making sure they understood, she called Song Xian and two servants to go into the city.
When they returned in the evening, two servants each carried a large bathtub in, and the maids had also sewed two linen curtains.
It was pitch dark, and before the city gate closed, Zhang Shun and Xiao Chunhong returned dejectedly. Sui Yu knew at a glance that they had not gained anything. She waved her hand, signaling them not to say anything. If they had no gains today, they could just go out again tomorrow.
The next day was another sunny day. After Sui Yu woke up, she used long poles to build two wooden frames more than one meter high. She erected the wooden frames in the open space in the yard and covered them with sewn linen tents. Now she didn't have to worry about flies and mosquitoes flying over.
"That's it. Tie a double layer of linen to the bathtub, scoop the honey up and let it dry in the sun. The honey will drain down, and the honeycomb fragments and bee larvae will be combed out and thrown away." Sui Yu held the ladle in both hands, scooping honey with one ladle and placing the other ladle underneath to catch it, so that the honey would not drip everywhere.
Honey with impurities was poured onto the white linen. The sweet smell spread and flies immediately came buzzing over.
Willow buds pulled the linen tent tightly to prevent them from flying in.
"I'll leave this job to you. I have to go to the city to buy pottery pots and jars today." Sui Yu put down the spoon, stamped her foot, and instructed: "Every time you stick an incense stick, pour two buckets of water on the ground to prevent ants from climbing up the bucket."
"Okay, master, don't worry." Liu Yaer agreed readily.
Sui Yu and Song Xian brought ten male servants into the city. Aniu was still squatting at the city gate. When he saw people coming, he shook his head.
"Let's go to the East Market to buy pottery. If you need anything, come to the East Market." Sui Yu instructed.
When entering the city, Gan Da took out money to pay the entrance fee, but the city guard who had dealt with them before waved his hand and signaled them to go directly.
"So we don't need to pay the entrance fee?" Song Xian glanced back, then turned to Sui Yu and said, "We should be rewarded for capturing these bandits, right? Maybe there'll be a commendation? For example, maybe the officials in Chang'an City could write a letter to Dunhuang praising us. If that were to happen, we'd be so proud."
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Aren't we impressive enough now?"
Song Xian felt that it was not enough. This kind of prestige was far inferior to the prestige given by the government.
Arriving at the East Market, Sui Yu first went to look for the potters. After browsing the stalls, she picked out a thin-necked pot that was two hands long. She said, "I want pots or jars of this size. How many do you have? I'll take them all."
"Only the ones with thin necks?" asked the stall owner.
Sui Yu nodded.
"I only have seventy or eighty thin-necked clay pots at home."
"What if we have to burn another furnace? How many days will it take?"
"It takes at least half a month to knead and bake the embryo."
"Then bring me those seventy or eighty thin-necked pottery pots you have this afternoon. I want them all. Give me a good price."
"Two for one penny." The stall owner pointed with his fingers.
Sui Yu pointed to a clay pot that was almost as high as her thigh and asked, "How much is this?"
"One cent each," the stall owner said. "Don't just look at the size. The more delicate the item, the more work it takes. The narrow-necked jar you're looking at is valuable because of its narrow neck. Only a master craftsman can make that."
"Okay." Sui Yu was too lazy to haggle over the price. She stood up and said, "I'll come over to pick up the goods this afternoon."
Afterwards, she went to other stalls to have a look. After wandering around for most of the day, she bought eight baskets of thin-necked pottery jars, one of which was painted. There were bright red stripes on the brown pottery jar.
The pottery jars are washed clean, then put into a pottery pot and boiled in water. After disinfection, each pot is covered with white linen and placed in the yard to dry in the sun.
For four consecutive days, Sui Yu had been looking for pottery jars and pots in the city. The pottery she brought back was almost piled up into a small mountain. At this time, she rolled up her sleeves and led the maids to fill the pottery jars with honey.
"Master, I've found a buyer for the white linen." Xiao Chunhong ran in happily. "A high-ranking official in the city lost his mother, and his family wants a lot of white linen for the funeral. I've only negotiated a price of 130 coins per piece. Will you sell it?"
Hemp is grown in all parts of the Central Plains. Linen cannot be sold at a high price, but one piece can earn twenty coins, and fifty pieces can earn one thousand coins, which is enough to cover the round-trip expenses of the caravan. Sui Yu was satisfied, and she nodded and said to sell it.
"Don't worry, Mr. Song. I will go out and ask around tomorrow and try to sell your goods as well." Xiao Chunhong said.
Song Xian smiled and shook her head, saying, "I'm not in a hurry. If I can't sell it inside the customs, I'll definitely be able to sell it outside the customs. I won't have it lying around."
Xiao Chunhong ran out to call Zhang Shun and the others to come move the goods. When she saw Ah Niu coming back excitedly, she asked loudly, "Is the case finally going to be tried?"
"Yes." Ah Niu replied hurriedly. He walked into the house quickly and said, "Master, the city guard sent a message asking you to enter the city early tomorrow morning. He is waiting at the city gate."
Sui Yuying is good.
"What kind of reward will we get?" Song Xian couldn't contain herself anymore. She put down the honey pot and muttered, "It should be money, right?"
"Never mind the reward. Let's take the opportunity to take a good look at the imperial city tomorrow. Who knows, maybe this will be the only chance in our lifetime to walk under the palace walls." Sui Yu was a little excited.
The next morning, Sui Yu and Song Xian woke up early, changed into clean clothes, put on women's clothes, combed their hair, and went into the city with four servants.
The city guard led the six of them, masters and servants, through the East Market and into the inner city. Inside the inner city was the towering palace wall. It had been dark when they came in before, and Sui Yu and Song Xian hadn't seen what the palace wall and the palace road looked like. This time, when they passed by, they looked at it without blinking.
The city guard cleared his throat and whispered, "This is Beigong."
"Who lives in there?" Sui Yu asked in a low voice.
"The late emperor's concubine."
Sui Yu exclaimed, "Oh!" The palace walls stretched for two or three miles from north to south. How many people would live in it? But thinking about how many women had to spend most of their lives in this palace, she also disliked it for being too small and narrow.
Walking along the palace road where the North Palace is located, I met many patrolling guards and officials in a hurry along the way. At the end of the palace road, separated by layers of earthen walls, there was actually a market town. Important officials lived in the market town. There were many shops on the street, but there was no noisy hawking.
The city guard saw the Marquis of Zuo Du and stopped, warning him, "Don't look around. To the east is Changle Palace, where the Empress Dowager lives. To the west is Weiyang Palace, where the Emperor lives. You can't see inside from the outside. Follow the Marquis of Zuo Du later. He will lead you to the Thief's Office."
Sui Yu retracted his gaze and said, "Thank you for the reminder, big brother."
"I'm coming." Zuo Duhou approached and said, "Come with me."
The six masters and servants walked through the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, bypassed the Jingzhao Yinyuan Courtyard, and finally turned into the Zeicao Division. The Zeicao Division's function was as the name suggests, responsible for catching thieves and bandits.
Wang Heiniu and his gang had already been tortured and had confessed everything they needed to. Sui Yu and Song Xian were just going through the motions, recounting what had happened.
"The Emperor is aware of the bandits' robbery and assault. He will dispatch troops to suppress them. You won't have to worry about doing business in Taiyuan County anymore," Cao Ling said with a smile. He glanced at the Chief Clerk, who held out an arm's length wooden box. He walked over to Sui Yu and Song Xian and said, "I've learned that the caravan that captured the bandits was led by two female managers. The Emperor praises your courage and strategy. These two swords are gifts from the Emperor. Take them for protection."
Sui Yu and Song Xian were delighted and immediately knelt down to bow.
After leaving the thieves' office, Song Xian said happily, "I will enshrine this sword in the ancestral hall so that my father and ancestors can see it. I, Song Xian, have brought honor to our Song family."
Sui Yu opened the wooden box and took a look. He said, "If my family knew about this, they would be so happy. I want to display it in the teahouse so that other merchants can see it and envy them to death."
Zuo Duhou waited patiently on the side. When he saw the two female shopkeepers had finished their fantasies, he stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, I'll take you out."
"Okay, thank you." Sui Yu suppressed her smile and walked to the edge of the market. She asked, "Are all the people who run shops here rich or noble? Can I rent a shop here for ten days?"
"What do you want to sell?" Zuo Duhou asked, "Silk cloth? You can sell it in the West Market."
"It's honey. I was lucky enough to buy some honey from various flowers deep in the mountains. It's sweet and nourishing. Drinking a bowl of honey water before bed helps me sleep well all night. Honey water also helps clear the intestines..." Sui Yu lowered his voice and continued, "Old people and children have poor digestion, so eating too much meat can cause constipation..."
"Ahem..." Zuo Duhou coughed twice. He looked at Sui Yu with disdain. This man was too uncouth.
"I'm serious. When we were traveling for business, our diet was irregular and we couldn't eat meat every meal. We did that often. But after that, I drank a bowl of honey water before going to bed, and everything became better. My bowel movements became smoother and I didn't get acne on my face." Sui Yu kept talking as if he couldn't understand his expression.
Zuo Duhou blushed. His face was covered with pits and pimples. It was because of his poor appearance that he could not walk in front of the palace. He glared at Sui Yu, thinking that she was talking about him.
After being glared at, Sui Yu seemed to react belatedly. She lowered her head, hunched her shoulders and said nothing.
Zuo Duhou looked at her and wanted to ask something but couldn't bring himself to do so.
Song Xian understood. She looked back and motioned Gan Da to take a few steps forward.
"On the second day after we arrived in Chang'an, we bought half a lamb and stewed it. It was hot, and eating lamb would make people get irritated. Women were better off, but men have strong yang energy, and when they get irritated, they would get blisters on their mouths and pimples on their faces. Among us, Gan Da had the worst condition. When he woke up, he had seven pimples on his face. He drank two bowls of honey water a day, and after only five days, most of the pimples on his face disappeared." Song Xian said.
Zuo Duhou turned around and took a quick look, then said, "Then I'll try it when I get back. A bowl of honey water before bed will do."
"It's good enough as long as I can poop freely." Sui Yu continued.
Zuo Duhou kept a stern face and said nothing.
As they were about to leave the palace where Beigong was, Sui Yu brought up the previous question: "Can I rent a shop here for a short period of time?"
"What do you think? How is that possible?" Zuo Duhou sneered, "How much honey do you have? Sell it to me."
Sui Yu gave him a suspicious look, which made him laugh. Zuo Duhou said disdainfully, "Are you really taking advantage of me? I don't care about your little tricks. If it weren't for the fact that it's not easy for a woman like you to travel around the country doing business, I wouldn't bother with you."
Sui Yu snorted, "That's a very high-sounding statement. Buying and selling will definitely make money. Forget it, do me a favor and I'll sell it to you."
Zuo Duhou was just about to say that he didn't want to buy it when he heard her say that the people in Da Sima's family would definitely not eat meat while they were in mourning for him. Without meat oil, they would definitely have difficulty defecating. She asked him to take a few jars of honey to Da Sima's family.
"We are from Dunhuang County, living on the frontier. We have a stable and prosperous life because, firstly, the Emperor allocated us land and houses, and secondly, the Marquis of Guanjun drove away the Xiongnu for us. Although we are thousands of miles away, we still think of the Emperor and the General. As for the Grand Marshal, although we have never met him, we heard that the Emperor and the Empress personally went to pay their respects after his death. He must have been a good official. We cannot pay our respects to him, so we can only offer some simple gifts to express our gratitude. The person is gone, and the living must take care of themselves." Sui Yu spoke with sincerity. She looked at the crops in the field like a simple old farmer, and looked at the Marquis of Dongdu with sincerity. She asked cautiously, "Is my request causing you any trouble?"
"No." Zuo Duhou shook his head. "It's rare that you're so kind. If the Grand Marshal knew about this, he'd surely be very happy. I'll have someone deliver the honey. I can't guarantee whether the Huo family will accept it, but I can guarantee that I can buy all your honey. How much do you have? I'll send it with a carriage tomorrow."
Sui Yu thought about it. Over the past five days, she had drained a total of eighteen jars of honey. One large jar could be divided into forty small jars. She calculated and said, "About seven hundred and twenty jars. Each jar weighs about four pounds, which is nearly three thousand pounds. Look..."
"It's okay, I'll buy them all." Zuo Duhou was afraid that Sui Yu would be embarrassed. He couldn't let down such a simple and grateful person.
"How much is a jar?" Zuo Duhou, who had no idea how much his family spent on food, clothing, and daily expenses, muttered, "A jar weighs four catties, so ten coins a catty is fine. Honey is more valuable than meat."
Sui Yu clenched her hands excitedly, but she still couldn't bear to exploit others too much. She only bought one catty and two cents, and including the jar, it was only two and a half cents.
"Thirty coins a can is enough." Sui Yu said, intending to solidify her honest and simple personality. She said honestly, "I just need to earn a hard-earned income, not more."
"Let's each make a concession. Thirty-five coins a jar." Zuo Duhou touched his face and said, "If this is a lucky coincidence and my acne really disappears, I should thank you."
Sui Yu glanced at him and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for you outside the city tomorrow. I'll tell you how to clean your face then. Your face produces a lot of oil, which clogs your pores. If the dirt in your pores can't be discharged, it's easy to get acne."
"Pores?" Zuo Duhou pondered carefully. "Could it be because I don't have facial hair? My legs are hairy, so I don't get acne there."
Sui Yu: "...It's the sweat pores. The skin on my face is delicate, and the sweat pores are small, so they get clogged easily."
Zuo Duhou was now completely convinced. He waved to the city guard waiting nearby and said, "You go out of the city with him first. I will ask for leave tomorrow and go look for you."
Sui Yu suppressed her excitement and pretended to follow the city guard casually, moving neither fast nor slow. Not only were outsiders deceived by her, but even Song Xian believed it.
"You..." Returning to the rented house, Song Xian looked at the flies buzzing around the white linen tent and didn't know where to start.
"There were fifty-two and a half cans of honey in total. We drank half of it ourselves, and sold eighteen of the remaining fifty-two. Not only did we recoup the cost of the honey, but we also made nearly twenty thousand coins." After calculating the amount, Sui Yu cried out in excitement, then laughed heartily, "It's all thanks to this benefactor of mine."
Song Xian was stunned. She stared at Sui Yu blankly and asked, "Are you fooling him?"
Sui Yu looked at her in surprise and said, "Aren't you still backing up? It's not a lie. Honey does clear the intestines and relieve constipation. Judging from his condition, he must have been having trouble defecating often. Drinking honey water is good for him, and it's also good for the elderly and children. It's just that I over-packaged it and raised the price."
"Then what do you think of Da Sima..."
"My admiration is genuine. They were truly remarkable men. They played a crucial role in our peaceful life today." Sui Yu lifted his chin and looked up at the sky, saying, "A generation of heroes has come to an end. Fortunately, many still remember them, myself included. But sending honey is just a gimmick. Before I leave Chang'an, I plan to cook a pig's head and a sheep's head as a sacrifice."
Song Xian didn't hear what she said next and asked again, "Were you targeting Zuo Duhou from the beginning? Oh my God, you are so calculating."
Sui Yu shook her head, pointing upwards, and said in surprise, "Do you think I'm a deity in heaven, capable of fortune-telling? I originally planned to rent a shop in the West Market, but then, when I entered the inner city, I saw a shop in front of a high-ranking official's house and wanted to do their business. When I realized it was impossible, I turned my attention to Zuo Duhou. Sure enough, selling honey to him is more profitable than renting a shop and selling it retail."
Song Xian was amazed. She walked over to Sui Yu, hugged her head and studied it carefully, and asked enviously, "How did you grow this head?"
Sui Yu shook her head proudly. Thinking of the money that was about to go into her pocket, she felt relaxed all over and all the fatigue of the past few days disappeared.
Darkness returned to dawn, and before the sun rose, Sui Yu was already waiting outside Xuanping Gate. At the exact time of the day, Zuo Duhou changed out of his official uniform and emerged wearing a light blue silk garment. He rode a horse, followed by three carriages.
Sui Yu led him to Xianyang Plain, where seven hundred and twenty jars of honey had already been placed under the eaves. The mouths of the narrow-necked jars were tightly plugged with wooden stoppers wrapped in silk cloth. It would not be embarrassing whether they were used as gifts or resold.
Zuo Duhou pulled out the cork, and a stream of crystal-clear amber honey came out. He looked at it in the sunlight and said, "Not bad, worth the price, and tastes good too. Your yard is sweet."
After saying this, he waved his hand and the servants unloaded thirteen wooden boxes from the carriage, each box containing two thousand coins. When the carriage was empty, they loaded the honey jars into the carriage.
The servants of the Song and Sui families all went over to help, and Sui Yu brought out half a basin of rice washing water, which had already settled. She gestured for him to wash his face with the water in the basin.
"This is rice washing water. Don't use the first layer of water. This is the second layer. Let the second layer of water sit for half a cup of tea, then skim off the top layer to wash your face." Sui Yu said, standing aside. "I wash my face like this every day. Last year, I went outside the Great Wall and got a sunburn on my face when I came back. I used rice washing water for two or three months and it healed."
Zuo Duhou rubbed his face, then stood up and scooped a ladle of clean cold water to wash it again. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but his face seemed to be much more relaxed.
"Another thing, you can't pick your pimples, and don't touch your face before washing your hands. Wash your face when it itches. There are servants to serve you anyway, you just need to shout." Sui Yu continued to instruct.
Zuo Duhou nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. By the way, are you planning to return to Dunhuang after selling the honey?"
"No, the silk cloth hasn't been sold out yet. We plan to sell it to other caravans and sell as much as we can. Then we'll go to Taiyuan County and return to Dunhuang." Sui Yu seemed to suddenly remember something. She called Gan Da out with a jar of mulberry wine and said, "We haven't had time to sell the mulberry wine yet. I'll give you two jars. This wine is not intoxicating. It's fine for my sisters at home to drink. Don't be disgusted."
"We also drink mulberry wine at home, but it's a tribute." Zuo Duhou pushed the lid of the wine jar. The wine tasted good, but it was a little turbid. He didn't like it, but he could help Sui Yu sell the mulberry wine.
All seven hundred and twenty jars of honey were loaded onto the car, and Zuo Duhou left with the five small jars of honey that Sui Yu had specially prepared for the Huo family.
In the afternoon, the owner of a wine shop came and bought all the mulberry wine from Sui Yu and Song Xian for three hundred coins per jar.
Sui Yu had twenty jars of mulberry wine, and Song Xian had forty-one jars of mulberry wine. One earned two thousand six hundred coins, and the other earned five thousand three hundred and thirty coins.
As for the coarse and silk cloth, Sui Yu and Song Xian agreed to sell all their goods to caravans entering Chang'an, offering a profit of fifty coins per piece of silk cloth and twenty coins per piece of coarse cloth. These caravans would buy the goods and then replenish their stocks with silk and satin before leaving Chang'an without stopping. Sui Yu and Song Xian, carrying the bronze sword bestowed by the emperor, led the caravan back to Taiyuan County.
From May to June, they went from Chang'an to Taiyuan County and returned to Chang'an. In terms of cloth, Sui Yu earned 6,200 coins and Song Xian earned 9,600 coins. Excluding honey, Sui Yu earned a total of 8,800 coins and Song Xian earned nearly 15,000 coins. The two were very satisfied with this.
They set out for Taiyuan County in early June. With no bandits causing trouble and imperial troops searching the mountains, Taiyuan County was peaceful enough that people could leave their doors unlocked at night. Sui Yu and Song Xian led their caravan through the villages, each buying fifty rolls of silk and sixty rolls of coarse cloth, as well as silk and satin from Taiyuan County. Sui Yu spent all his remaining money on eighty rolls, while Song Xian bought one hundred and twenty. With their money nearly depleted, they finally considered returning.
The day before leaving Taiyuan County, Sui Yu smelled the salty, damp air of the sea on the road. After asking passersby, she drove her camel to catch up with a caravan that had just entered the city. This caravan had come from the coast, their mules laden with goods, having set out last summer and only reached Taiyuan County this summer.
"Is this dried seaweed? Can you sell me more?" Sui Yu asked.
The two sides could not communicate with each other, and after a long period of gestures, Sui Yu used a camel to buy all the kelp they brought, which was probably only two hundred kilograms.
"So, you bought this rotten dried vegetable for ten coins a pound, which is more expensive than meat." Song Xian was puzzled, but also found it funny. "Could it be that after hunting geese all day, he finally got his eyes pecked by a goose? Does Sui Suanpan even lose money sometimes?"
"You don't understand. I heard from my father that there is a kind of dried vegetable on the seashore that can cure goiter. I wonder if it is this one. I want to take some back home and have it twice a month." After that, Sui Yu gave her a small portion and said, "You should also keep some on hand for peace of mind."
"Really?" Song Xian asked. She glanced at the mess of dried vegetables in her hands and said, "I remember when I was little, I saw a man in my family who raised horses. He had a very thick neck, almost as thick as his head. I was scared of him, so I hid from him. I don't know what happened to him later, but he died. I don't know if it was from an illness."
Sui Yu nodded. She tied the kelp to her camel's back, blew the horn, and led the caravan out of the county.
Passing by Qijia Village, Sui Yu rode a camel into the village with two servants. The mulberries gradually turned red and purple, and the villagers began to pick mulberries to prepare for wine making.
"Erlang, Sister Li," Sui Yu called to the mother and son on the mulberry tree. She dropped a half-bundle of dried kelp and said, "Take this and eat it. Make soup with it and tofu twice a month. It helps prevent goiter."
With a "bang", the basket in Li's hand fell, and the shiny purple mulberries scattered all over the ground.
"Mom, I didn't say that." Erlang said. He quickly jumped down from the tree and supported his mother. He turned and shouted at Sui Yu: "Didn't I tell you not to mention my brother's death in front of my parents?"
Sui Yu was stunned for a moment, then she quickly reacted and said, "I don't know what disease Dalang has. I just met a caravan coming from the sea in Taiyuan County. The kelp they sold can cure goiter. I bought some for my child. I'll give you a bundle when I pass by your village."
Li pounded her chest with her hands. She took a deep breath, and when she recovered, she hugged the dried kelp and asked hoarsely, "Can eating this cure goiter?"
"Yes, you should eat more, especially Erlang." Sui Yu turned the camel around and said, "That caravan is still in Taiyuan County. It's their first time here, so they didn't bring much. They might have eaten on the way. If you need anything, go find them and ask them to send it here every year."
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