Chapter 269: Profit without Capital
This merchant's surname was Hua, and he was from the same clan as Hua Suichun. On their return journey, their caravan took the risky route south of the Tianshan Mountains. Passing through Yuli on their way to Loulan, they encountered a group of Xiongnu soldiers who were trying to rob them of their goods. The escorts engaged, killing three and wounding five. Seventy to eighty percent of the merchants were also injured. The caravan's leader immediately ordered the younger members of the clan to flee on camels, while the rest were captured by the Xiongnu. Fortunately, upon reaching Loulan, the fleeing group heard that the Han army had attacked Cheshi. They immediately changed course and headed for Cheshi for help. After nearly a month of searching, they finally managed to recapture their captives.
The people returned, but the goods were gone. Only twelve camels were left after being eaten. The caravan suffered heavy losses.
Sui Yu led Hua Dangjia into the warehouse next to the kitchen to talk. When he talked about his tragic experience, he cried so hard that he couldn't get up and sobbed on the table.
Sui Yu was at a loss. No one could bear this kind of thing. She had lost most of the family fortune she had worked hard to build up for half her life. How could she not feel pain? She could not comfort anyone with empty words.
She walked out and closed the door. When the crying in the room stopped, she went in with a pot of hot water and two bowls.
"I lost my composure. I'm so sorry. I couldn't help myself." Hua Dangjia forced a smile and explained, "These days I've been comforting myself by thinking I'm lucky to be alive, but I can't sleep every day. I'm anxious and restless, like I'm on fire. Especially when I see the caravans next to me with their bulging pockets and the herds of camels in the snow, I feel so resentful."
"I understand." Sui Yu handed over a bowl of hot water and said, "Drink some water."
Hua, the head of the family, took a sip from his bowl, then put it down and looked at Sui Yu. He said, "Shopkeeper Yu, I won't hide it from you. I've been unwilling to give up these days. We are all merchants, and we all know how profitable a large caravan can be when it comes to entering and leaving the border. Suddenly, I have to give up and take my people back to my hometown to live a frugal life. I really can't bear it. The day before yesterday, I overheard a few children in the school mentioning the use of kelp to treat illnesses. I realized that there is a lot of profit in it, and it is also a way for our family to survive. I wonder if you are interested in partnering with us in business."
Sui Yu became interested. She sat up straight and asked, "Tell me about it."
"Tell us about kelp and its cure. Have Mr. Chen write something on bamboo slips. That way, when I sell kelp, I'll have something to prove it." Speaking of business, Mr. Hua's spirits perked up. He smiled and said, "I heard from Suichun that Mr. Chen is an official in the Grand Marshal's Mansion. His reputation should be very useful. Of course, we're not trying to deceive people; it's true. But when it comes to prevention and treatment, the effectiveness is invisible to others. If we have someone to endorse us, this path will be easier to follow."
"It seems that Mr. Hua has considered everything carefully." Sui Yu said.
"No, not really. I know nothing about kelp. I don't even know what it looks like, let alone where it grows." Hua Dangjia looked at Sui Yu and said, "Shopkeeper Yu, tell me everything you know and I'll give you 10% of the profits."
Sui Yu thought for a while and asked, "Where is your Hua family's hometown?"
"We live in Chang'an. Living in Chang'an is not easy, so we have to come out to make a living." The head of the Hua family explained, "My name is Hua Xiangrong, and I am Suichun's uncle from the next room. His father is from the main branch, and I am from the side branch. Most of our clan lives in Shaolingyuan. Where will Manager Yu live when he goes to Chang'an?"
"The mausoleum town of Xianyang Plain."
"It's not far from Xuanping Gate, it's a good place." Hua Xiangrong nodded. "Next time you go to Chang'an, if Manager Yu would do me the honor, I'd like to host you."
"Okay, we outsiders don't dare to walk around randomly in Chang'an City, for fear of offending others without understanding the situation. When we go to Chang'an next year, I would like to ask Mr. Hua to arrange someone to take us to see Chang'an City." Sui Yu said.
Hua Xiangrong breathed a sigh of relief, his nerves, which had been tense for months, finally relaxed. He said excitedly, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Yu, for telling me about the kelp situation."
"Don't worry, let me tell you one more thing. The Song family can rent camels from the caravan to enter the border. That's why I asked you where you were staying. Although your camels are damaged, if you live in Chang'an, we won't worry about you renting the camels and running away." Sui Yu smiled and asked, "Are you planning to rent camels? I can help mediate."
Hua Xiangrong clapped his hands excitedly, tugging at the wound on his arm. The pain brought him back to his senses, and he said, "I'm afraid it won't work in the next two years. All our money is tied up in the goods. If the goods are gone, we'll be injured, and the escorts will be killed or injured. This is enough to empty our family's funds and we can't afford to rent camels. It's embarrassing to say, but I came up with the idea of selling kelp after listening to your children's stories about the sea. Kelp is just grass in the sea, so it should be cheap."
Sui Yu nodded. "On the coast, dried kelp is probably similar to our dried radish. It can be sold at a good price if shipped out of the coast, but the journey is long. The caravan I encountered on my trip to Taiyuan County this year took them a year to reach Taiyuan County. I also made inquiries. It's mainly because there are many mountains (Taihang Mountains) between Taiyuan County and Handan County. The terrain is even more complex than that of the Qinling Mountains. I don't know if this caravan came over the mountains or took a longer route."
Hua Xiangrong fell into deep thought. After a long while, the hot water in the bowl died down. He made a decision and said, "I'm going to give it a try. Whether I can make a comeback depends on this one."
"Okay." Sui Yu smiled, and she revealed, "From what I know, as long as you reach Handan County, you'll be not far from the sea."
Hua Xiangrong picked up the bowl and drank the cold water in one gulp. He begged Sui Yu to tell him more about what happened at the beach.
The two men discussed in the warehouse for a long time. Finally, Sui Yu wrote the deed and the two men pressed their fingerprints on it. The next day, on the last day of the official's duty, they went to the government office to get a clear pass.
At the end of the year, Sui Yu sent the tax revenue collected for the year to the government office on camels. The total income of the guesthouse and the caravan this year was 160,000 coins, and he had to pay 7,200 coins in cash.
The end of the year has arrived, and it is New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye. While the servants are busy slaughtering chickens and pigs, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping, along with their children and Sui Liang, the four of them are busy huddling snow and making snowmen.
Zhao Xiping shoveled all the snow by the river. Sui Yu stood on the snow pile and rolled a snowball. The snow was heavy this year, so she wanted to build a snowman taller than the wall.
A muffled cry sounded behind him. Sui Yu turned around and found that the little cub had fallen to the ground. He was wrapped like a ball and tried several times to stand up on the snow but couldn't.
"Mom, Dad—" He turned over and lay down, shouting helplessly: "Uncle, come and give me a hand."
Sui Liang brought a basin of snow, walked over with a sinister smile, and said, "You beg me."
"Please." The kid agreed readily.
Sui Liang thought for a moment and asked, "Have you ever lied to me?"
The cub shook his head firmly.
"Have you ever scolded me?"
The cub still shook his head.
Sui Liang stared at him suspiciously. He thought about it again and again and said, "Sister, I'll give you a chance to question him."
The uncle and nephew met every day, and there were not many secrets between them, so there was really nothing he wanted to know.
"Ask him whether he likes his father or his mother the most." Sui Yu suggested with a smile.
"Who do you like best, your father or your mother? Tell the truth, or I will bury you in the snow and make a snowman of you and stand it outside." Sui Liang threatened.
The kid stammered and said nothing.
"Tell me quickly." Sui Liang became interested and laughed wickedly, "Who do you like the most? Plus me, you choose one."
The kid chose to get up by himself, but Sui Liang would never let him do as he wished. He kept making trouble and the kid couldn't sit up even if he kicked up the mud.
Zhao Xiping brought over two baskets of snow, and the cub immediately asked him for help.
"If you say you like me the most, I will help you." Zhao Xiping put forward the condition.
The kid was so angry that he yelled to the sky.
"You lied to your father." Sui Yu teased him.
"No, I don't want to lie."
"Oh, it seems you don't like your father the most." Sui Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhao Xiping, then continued to ask with a smile: "Then you like me the most?"
"I love my dad the most too." While Sui Liang wasn't paying attention, the kid hugged his legs and struggled to get up. Sui Liang reacted and wanted to push him away, but the next moment, someone suddenly came from behind and pressed his shoulders, snatching the snow basin from his hand. His vision suddenly turned upside down, and he was thrown down on the snow pile.
Zhao Xiping mentioned the little cub and said, "It's still useful to like your father."
The little boy smiled, snorted heavily, ran over and sat astride his uncle, imitating him and asking, "Do you like me the most?"
"Tsk!" Sui Liang laughed. "You're quite shameless. You're so bold to ask."
"Speak up, do you like me the most?" the kid asked shamelessly.
Sui Liang grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and sprinkled it on his nephew's face. Seeing that his nephew had a frown and squinted his eyes, his pouting cheeks made him look even more adorable. He pinched it with his cold hands.
Just as the cub was about to grab the snow and fight back, he heard his uncle say, "Yes, I like you the most."
The cub's eyes lit up with joy. He quickly climbed up and sat up, saying sweetly, "Uncle, let me help you get up."
Sui Yu laughed and became coquettish again, her voice this time sweeter than honey.
The uncle and nephew brushed the snow off each other's bodies, and then held hands to make a snowman.
It took most of the day to build the four snowmen. When the New Year's Eve dinner was about to begin, Zhao Xiping stepped on the wooden ladder and put the largest snowman's head on it. That was the end.
"Who is this?" the cub pointed at the largest snowman and asked, "Is he my dad?"
"Yes, your father is the one who looks after us, so he is the tallest." Sui Yu took the cub by the hand and whispered, "Mom doesn't mind that you like your father the most."
"I like you the most, too." The kid kicked the snow. "I like my uncle the most, too."
"Okay." Sui Yu stopped talking and said, "Let's go eat."
"You go first, I'm going to pee." Zhao Xiping carried the wooden ladder into the house. After Sui Yu and Sui Liang brought the baby into the teahouse, he came out and squatted on the ground to gather the scattered snow together. He quickly made a small snowman as long as a mallet and placed it next to "Sui Liang".
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping took their children into the city, holding torches and waist drums. Like last year, they first went to Zhao Xiaomi’s house to tie the camel. This time, the three of them also came out.
As the Nuo dance crowd ran out of the city, Kurban and Anle led a group of children, carrying waist drums. They beat out a rhythmic beat. Unlike last year's cheerful beats, this time the drums were passionate and tense, like two male birds with their tails spread out in a fierce dance. The running crowd stepped to the beat, their loud footsteps echoing the drums. Beneath the wandering fire dragon, pairs of eyes, dark and gleaming, and faces, some old, some childish, some young, some wrinkled, were filled with longing for the new year.
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