Chapter 309: Worldly-wise but not worldly-wise
It was summer in May, and the river at the foot of Hongchiling Mountain had entered its flood season. Sui Liang heard the sound of rushing water before he left the Qinling Mountains. He thought that this was probably the same sound of the waterfall that the old man had described.
"Master Song, Shopkeeper Sui, we won't see you off once you leave this mountain." said the leading soldier in black clothes.
Upon hearing this, Song Xian showed gratitude and said, "Okay, there's a big river outside this mountain. After crossing the river, we'll reach Hongchiling. There are soldiers guarding the pass on Hongchiling, so the road ahead is less prone to bandits. We can walk on our own."
"Brothers, thank you for your hard work in escorting us along the way. Please leave your address. If our caravan comes across anything good outside the customs, we will send some to you on our way to Chang'an to try." Sui Liang had been a criminal slave and had experience in dealing with soldiers and officials. He had also been welcoming and seeing off guests in guesthouses for many years, so he knew very well that making arrangements was the best way to win people's hearts.
Sure enough, the five soldiers covered in dust heard what was said, and the tension on their faces disappeared, and they visibly relaxed. They all asked what good things there were outside the pass.
Sui Liang looked at Zhang Shun. Zhang Shun pondered for a moment, and after Song Xian finished describing the excellent quality of the furs and blankets outside the Great Wall, he continued, "Last spring, we returned from Dayuan. Their mare's milk wine was delicious. Our master used it to entertain the captain, and the captain loved it, saying it was rich and fragrant, and even when drunk, he didn't get a headache. Another thing happened when we passed through Qiuci, where we encountered a group of Parthian merchants. They had tiger bone wine, which was said to be very strong and beneficial for health. We bought two jars, but our master couldn't bear to drink them and used them to entertain the officials. We'll buy more tiger bone wine when we leave the Great Wall and send it home to the officials on our way to Chang'an."
"Hey, we just love wine. When we go to Chang'an, bring me a few jars of mare's milk wine or goat's milk wine from outside the Great Wall." The leading clerk tapped his whip and shouted to Sui Liang, "Don't forget the tiger bone wine. If you come across this rare stuff, remember your brothers."
Sui Liang nodded happily, "I won't forget you. The next time I go to Chang'an will be next year or the year after, and I will definitely come to visit you. I hope my brothers won't refuse to let us in and treat us like beggars."
"Stop talking nonsense and annoying me. What beggar is so rich?" The young police officer walking at the end picked up a lump of mud from the sole of his shoe and threw it at the wooden box filled with copper coins, saying, "Is this stuff fake? How about I take the trouble to open the box and check it out for you?"
"Xiao Liu!" the leading clerk scowled. This caravan had a good relationship with Zuo Duhou, yet they were the ones being harassed for money. Did they have shit stuck in their eyes? Did they have water in their brains and were they confused?
"I was just talking nonsense. I'm drunk before I even drink any alcohol. Don't be offended, little brother." The soldier named Xiaoliu changed his words reluctantly.
"I will definitely send some good wine to your door someday, and let Brother Xiaoliu drink to his heart's content." Sui Liang had a pure look on his face, as if he didn't understand their argument.
Song Xian took a step back in silence, gazing at Sui Liang's slender figure, thinking to herself, "God is truly partial." She remembered something she'd never shared with anyone. Before her father died, he'd said she was stubborn and couldn't see herself clearly. She wasn't the smooth talker she'd always been. She lacked the eloquence of a businessman, the resilience, and the ability to judge people. She'd considered a small fortune in business a plus, but she wouldn't last. She'd always been dissatisfied with those words, believing her father was deliberately suppressing her and prejudiced against her. Now, she was reluctantly accepting them.
Sui Liang was a young man who had never traveled far. From Sui Yu's words and the letters she found along the way, Song Xian understood him to be a child who hadn't grown up, a kindhearted person with no experience of worldly affairs. This belief seemed to be confirmed when they left Dunhuang. He cried whenever he left the city, and even when camping outdoors at night, he often cried. When asked, he would tell her he missed his family, his sister, his nephew, and his brother-in-law. The letters he sent back to the caravan were mostly filled with his homesickness.
Yet, even though he was such an immature child, he wasn't afraid to interact with outsiders. When he met Zuo Duhou, he was as fearless and dignified as Sui Yu. When he met Hua Dadangjia, he greeted them with familiarity, as if they were long-lost relatives. In front of these veteran soldiers, he could make jokes without hesitation. Unlike her, she would think twice before speaking, fearing that she would say the wrong thing and offend others.
Song Xian was struck by her discernible immaturity. He was naive when it came to business, and whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, he would instinctively seek help from his servants or her. This precisely demonstrated his innate ability in socializing, his natural familiarity with the intricacies of dealing with people, like a natural businessman. Yet, compared to a businessman, he possessed a certain openness. If he were the son of a high-ranking official, Song Xian would understand his confidence, but he wasn't. In fact, his family background was a disadvantage.
Song Xian sighed. If it is said that like fathers give birth to like sons, like daughters give birth to like sons, then Sui Yu and Sui Liang, brother and sister, inherited their ancestral blood and were born smart. Her father was also a capable man. But why did she seem to be blocked in some way? Standing next to capable people, she looked much duller, and her age did not seem to be any improvement on her part.
A dazzling halo of light came over, and Song Xian raised her hand to cover it. The caravan came out of the mountain, and without the obstruction of the treetops, the sky suddenly cleared up.
"Where did you cross the river from? Which mountain did you climb?" asked the leading police officer.
"This river is called Lishui. A day's journey upstream along it will take you to the crossing point of the great river," Zhang Shun explained. He pulled out a wooden plank and sticks of charcoal from his pocket and said, "Sir, which alley and market do you live in? What's your full name? I'll write it down for you."
While the clerk was reporting his address, Song Xian drove his camel closer to Sui Liang and asked with a shy face, "Brother Liang, do you want to give them some money?"
"What do you think, Sister Song?" Sui Liang didn't dare to make the decision alone. After all, he didn't want the whole family to bear the cost.
Song Xian: "...then give it to me?"
Sui Liang was waiting for this, and immediately agreed, saying, "I'll ask Xiao Chunhong to get fifty strings of cash. Is that a small amount?"
"I'll take another fifty strings of cash," said Song Xian.
"Okay, I'll have Li Wu give it to them when we leave."
"Brother, we'll give you a ride a little longer. We'll return after you've crossed the river. I took a quick look around here. The forest is dense and dense, and the camel dung on the ground is dried and hardened. It must have been a while since a caravan has passed this way. We're a little worried about letting you travel alone for a day," said the bearded clerk. "If anything happens to you due to our laziness, the Left Capital Marquis will not forgive us."
"Then I'll trouble you brothers. When you come to Dunhuang, please go to the Changgui Guesthouse and our family will slaughter pigs and sheep to entertain you." Sui Liang said politely.
The police officers knew that it was impossible for them to go to Dunhuang in this lifetime, but they still agreed with a smile.
The caravan rested for an hour at the foot of the mountain. After the people and camels had eaten and drunk their fill, the caravan set off again.
The caravan did not travel at night and did not reach the river until the evening of the next day. There were no caravans on either side of the river, and there were only three boys guarding a sheepskin raft under a tree on the opposite bank.
"Boys, business is coming." Zhang Shun shouted, "Go call your masters, we need to cross the river."
"It's late today, let's wait until tomorrow."
"Then let's wait." Song Xian said, "We'll spend the night by the river."
"Ask them if they know Lao Shuan, and tell them we want to hire his sheepskin raft." Sui Liang still remembered his sister's instructions. If the tiger bone wine is useful, Lao Shuan's family will be their connection along the river.
Zhang Shun conveyed the message loudly, and heard the other side asking which caravan they were from. As soon as the word "Sui" came out, the boy ran away quickly.
When dinner was ready, people came from the other side. In addition to Lao Shuan's family, there were also a dozen boatmen. They paddled sheepskin rafts across the river. Before they even got ashore, they started asking about tiger bone wine.
With soldiers and officials by his side, Sui Liang insisted that he had obtained the two small jars and promised to find them for them when he left the border next year.
"Young shopkeeper, have a rest after dinner. Let's cross the river at dawn tomorrow morning. The current is slower now, just before daybreak, and the sheepskin rafts will be more stable." Lao Shuan finally found a chance to speak. "I'll go back and find some people. By tomorrow morning, we can gather a hundred sheepskin rafts. Ideally, we can take you across in one trip."
Sui Liang thanked him repeatedly and promised again, "Next year I'll have someone send you tiger bone wine. No, I'll ask the caravans returning to the border this year. If they have tiger bone wine, I'll buy it from them and send it to you this year through a passing caravan."
Lao Shuan smiled secretly. This kid was still a little naive. He dared to give a definite answer. It was certain that he had some in stock at home.
…
The next day, when cocks crowed, it was still dark, but the banks of the river were already bustling with activity. The sheepskin rafts entered the water, and the splashing sound drowned out the birdsong in the forest.
The arrangements for the caravan to cross the river were almost complete. Sui Liang took Li Wu to find the jailer who was preparing to return. He kindly said that before the kumis and tiger bone wine were delivered, he and Mr. Song would treat them to two jars of good wine first.
Li Wu handed over a bundle containing one hundred strings of copper coins.
The police officers didn't take it, not because they didn't want it. If Xiaoliu hadn't said that before, they would have accepted it. The problem was that he hinted that the caravan should pay money, which changed the meaning. If they reported it to Zuo Duhou, they would not be able to defend themselves and would not end up in a good situation.
"We're loading. Go over and keep an eye on it. Don't let anyone take away any valuables," the bearded man said. "Come find us in Chang'an later. Enough small talk, get busy."
Li Wu looked at Sui Liang, Sui Liang nodded, and he took back the bag he had handed over.
"Goodbye, brothers." Sui Liang bowed. "Next time I go to Chang'an, my sister and I will bring my nephew to visit you and express our gratitude."
The boatmen were shouting, Sui Liang said nothing more, he hurried over.
"Young shopkeeper, come and take this sheepskin raft. I will hold the boat steady and make sure you don't fall into the water." Lao Shuan shouted.
Sui Liang took Gan Dahe and five boxes of money on board, while Song Xian took his servants on another sheepskin raft.
"Young shopkeeper, do you still have tiger bone wine at home?" Lao Shuan asked in a low voice after leaving the shore. "I've finished the two cans of tiger bone wine you gave me last year, and my old legs have started to hurt again recently."
Sui Liang watched the sheepskin raft drift further and further from the shore, and the sound of the flowing water grew louder and louder. He sighed and said, "Old man, you are so unkind."
"I'm a man of my words. I'll make sure you don't fall into the water. I'm not an ungrateful bastard."
Sui Liang didn't believe him, so he relented and said, "I'll have someone send you a jar when I get back, or have a passing caravan bring it to you. Let's make it clear that you can't do this again."
"Okay, okay," Lao Shuan said without hesitation, and promised, "From now on, when your caravan crosses the river, just come find me. My family and I will ensure your safe passage."
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