Chapter 166 Cats and Dogs Come to Visit
The sun rose and Zhao Xiping pushed the door open. The crying in the house had stopped and faint hawking sounds came from the distance. On the road outside the wall, the wheels of cars rolled on the ground, and the solid clattering sound brought the dazed people back to their senses.
Zhao Xiping recalled that the day after A Shui was born, Uncle Lao Niu came to his house with great joy to announce the good news. He was so excited that he couldn't wait to tell his relatives and friends the good news of having a baby.
"Sir, the room is clean and the mother and child are asleep. I'll be back soon." The midwife finished her meal and prepared to leave.
Zhao Xiping said, "Wait a moment." He tiptoed back to the house, handed her a hundred coins, and said, "I'll take you out."
"You are so polite, sir." The midwife took the money with a smile. She had paid it when she came to the door before, and giving another hundred coins as a wedding gift was not a small amount.
After sending the midwife away, Zhao Xiping first went to knock on the door of the Gu family next door.
Captain Gu heard the noise last night. Seeing Zhao Xiping approaching with a happy face, he congratulated him, "There's another member of the family."
"Yes, it's a boy. Our two families live close to each other, so I came to tell you the good news first. I'll come over to have a meal when the baby is one month old."
"Okay, I'll definitely go then." Captain Gu asked him if he had eaten. "If you haven't, why don't you have something to eat at my house?"
"No, I still have to go to my younger sister's house." Zhao Xiping said goodbye and didn't want to delay his business any longer.
He left the Qianhu Suo and headed west. On the way, he met Huang Ancheng who was about to go on duty. Zhao Xiping stopped him and told him the good news, and then went to Zhao Xiaomi's in-laws' home.
When Zhao Xiaomi found out, she immediately tied up the two old hens at home, picked up a basket of eggs she had bought two days earlier, called Huang Lianzheng, and the two of them hurried out.
At this time, Zhao Xiping had already walked out of the city and headed north. Before he got close, the big black dog heard the sound and came over. As it got close, it barked a few times anxiously.
Sui Liang heard the noise and ran out. Seeing that it was his brother-in-law, he scolded him, "Dahei, are you stupid? What are you yelling about?"
"It must have smelled blood on me. Sui Liang, your sister gave birth this morning. You have a nephew now, and you're an uncle now." Zhao Xiping stopped, the expression on his face like the sun in the sky, warm, gentle, calm, and with a shocking power.
Sui Liang was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and asked anxiously: "How is my sister? Why didn't you come to call me last night? I wanted to be with her too."
"She's already asleep. Come with me to see her now."
"Yeah." Sui Liang followed him, walked a few steps and ran back to the west kitchen to give instructions. When he came out, he saw Zhao Xiping leading the camel. He ran back into the west kitchen to get the bucket of fish.
The cat official came out of the warehouse meowing and asking for fish. The next moment, Sui Liang picked it up.
"Cat Officer, I'm an uncle now—" Sui Liang smiled, "Will you come back with me? There's a new member in our family. I'm going to take care of him like my sister took care of me."
"Meow--" the cat officer yelled, and it struggled to get down.
A Hu merchant came in and asked, "Is breakfast ready? Do you have pork and scallion pancakes this morning?"
"I don't know. You can go in and ask people. I'm going back to the city. My sister gave birth and I'm going to be an uncle." Sui Liang boasted loudly.
"Oh, Shopkeeper Yu gave birth? Is it a girl or a boy?"
"Just like me, a kid."
"A son takes after his mother. Your family is going to have another promising person."
The sound of hooves approached, and Zhao Xiping came riding over on a camel.
"Captain Zhao, congratulations on the birth of your son."
Other merchants who heard the noise came out and said, "Shopkeeper Yu has given birth? Congratulations. Is it a boy or a girl?"
"It's a kid." Zhao Xiping replied, "You guys are busy, we'll go back first."
"OK."
Sui Liang carried the cat official and rode on the camel. He took the fish bucket handed to him by the merchant, said thank you, and left the inn amid a series of cat meows.
The big black dog also ran wildly behind the camel. Gan Da chased after it and called the dog loudly, and the dog ran faster and faster.
The dog chased the camel back to the city. This was its first time entering the city. It mixed in with the crowd and followed the camel closely back to the Qianhu Office amid a series of screams.
Sui Liang jumped off the camel, holding the cat official in his arms. He patted the dog, which was so tired that its tongue was hanging out, and said, "Why did you chase it back? Do you want to come back to see my sister too?"
"Come in." Zhao Xiping pushed the door open and said, "Come in."
When the cat official landed, it ran into the yard excitedly and scurried around. When it smelled blood, its fur stood on end in anxiety, and it walked to the closed door and squatted down with its tail raised.
The big black dog also walked to the door of the main house. It stuck to the wooden door and lay down with its tongue hanging out.
"Third brother, why did you bring back both the cats and the dogs?" Zhao Xiaomi came out of the kitchen.
Zhao Xiping glanced at the cats and dogs and said, "They must be worried about your sister-in-law. Come back if you want."
"There's fish soup in the pot. Would you two like to have some?" Zhao Xiaomi asked.
Zhao Xiping and Sui Liang both waved their hands. Although they missed breakfast, they didn't seem to feel hungry.
The snow on the roof melted, and the snow water dripped down along the gutters, soaking the ground little by little.
Suddenly, a baby's cry was heard in the room. Zhao Xiping immediately pushed the door open, followed closely by Sui Liang. Cats and dogs mixed among people's legs and feet, and rushed in with their heads held high.
Sui Yu woke up and turned her head to see a black dog's head standing by the bed. When she looked over, the black dog shook its ears and wagged its tail.
"Meow——" The cat official circled the bed with its big tail erect.
"Sister, are you awake? Are you hungry?" Sui Liang asked as he approached.
"There's fish soup stewing in the kitchen." Zhao Xiaomi continued.
"You are all here." Sui Yu felt in a good mood. She looked outside and saw that the doors and windows were closed. There was an oil lamp on the table near the window. The wick of the candle was cut and the flame was tiny. It could illuminate but not be dazzling.
Sui Yu looked at the man holding the child at the end of the bed and asked, "How long have I been sleeping? Is the cub hungry?"
"Less than half a day." Zhao Xiping said, "Eat something before going to sleep?"
"Okay." Sui Yu also felt hungry. She looked at Sui Liang and Zhao Xiaomi and said, "I don't have anything to do. You don't have to stay with me. Just look after the children and go about your own business."
"It's winter, and I have nothing to do, so I'll stay home with you today. If you need anything, just give me a call." Zhao Xiaomi walked out. "I'll get you some fish soup."
Sui Liang also said he had nothing to do. He walked over to Zhao Xiping and said, "Brother-in-law, let me see him."
Zhao Xiping glanced at Sui Yu, then bent down to show the red monkey in the cradle to Sui Liang. As expected, the smile on Sui Liang's face became forced, and he moved his mouth, but couldn't find any words of praise.
"Meow——" the cat official jumped onto the bed.
"Hey, you're so dirty, you're not allowed on the bed." Sui Liang picked up the cat and interrupted, "Let's go, let's all go out. Dahei, you come out too."
Sui Yu tried to suppress her laughter. She stroked the dog's head and said, "Go out with Liang Ge'er. When it gets warmer in the spring, I'll take the young master to the guesthouse to play with you."
The cat and dog followed Sui Liang out, and the door closed. Zhao Xiping came over with the whimpering cub in his arms and said, "You two really are siblings."
Sui Yu finally smiled. She looked down at the child next to her. The child was red and wrinkled, thin and small, with a pointed head.
"I have a headache." She didn't want to watch anymore. She spread her arms and legs and lay on the bed, saying hopelessly, "Did we get the wrong baby?"
Zhao Xiping was too lazy to pay attention to her. He half-hugged her and helped her sit up, then hurriedly took out a sheepskin coat for her to put on.
"No, it's uncomfortable to sit. I'll just lie down." Sui Yu lay down in pain, "Go get a basin of hot water and wipe me. It's time to change the mat under you."
Zhao Xiping took out the clean mat she had prepared in advance, and when he took out the old mat soaked with blood, he fell silent.
Sui Yu half-lay on the bed, lifted her jacket and clumsily fed the child. Looking at the wrinkled little face, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Haha, you're so ugly." She said with a smile, "So ugly, who do you look like?"
The dog outside the door suddenly barked, and the suckling cub was frightened and burst into tears, its already red face turning even redder.
"Okay, okay, I won't call you ugly anymore." Sui Yu patted him, "Stop crying. The more you cry, the uglier you become."
Zhao Xiping heard this when he came in with water. It was the truth and he was speechless.
"Drink the fish soup first or wipe your body first?"
"Wipe it first. I sweated last night and I feel uncomfortable." Sui Yu continued to feed the baby, and this posture made her sweat again.
Zhao Xiping didn't delay any longer. He quickly wrung out the cloth and wiped it down her neck first.
Sui Yu shivered at the scalding hot towel. She couldn't help but ask, "Did you scoop up boiling water? Aren't you afraid of the heat?"
"It's not boiling water, it's not hot. Grandma Yin said that you can't catch a cold." Zhao Xiping picked her up and wiped her waist, abdomen and back, then hurriedly took a cloth to dip it in water again.
After wiping the upper body and legs and feet, he took the basin out to change the water, wiped Sui Yu clean carefully, and finally put a hot water bag on the toes and lower back.
Just after taking care of the older one, the younger one had diarrhea again. Zhao Xiping went out to get some water and came in to clean the younger one.
Sui Yu pinched her nose in disgust, "It stinks."
This is nonsense, but since the mother dislikes her son and no one else can find any fault with her, Zhao Xiping can only remain silent.
Sui Yu lay on the bed and watched him clean up. She said, "This kid is also lucky. He will have milk after giving birth."
"It's not just a blessing to eat delicious food, but it's also a great blessing to be born in your belly." Zhao Xiping said.
He spoke seriously and Sui Yu laughed heartily.
Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang were standing in the yard and heard it. She winked at Sui Liang and said, "You wouldn't have guessed it, but my third brother is quite good at coaxing people."
Sui Liang squatted down, holding his face and watching the big black dog raise its leg to bite it, without saying anything.
"Xiaomi, bring the fish soup." Zhao Xiping opened the door and came out, saying, "Don't wait any longer, it's time to eat and go for a walk. I'll be at home, so I don't need your help."
"Then I'll go back to the guesthouse to eat, and I'll go tell my sister." Sui Liang stood up.
After entering the room, Sui Liang quickly closed the door. He walked over slowly, stood by the bed, looked at the ugly child carefully, and said honestly: "Sister, I will recognize him even if he is ugly."
Sui Yu chuckled, "Then I'll thank you as his uncle on his behalf."
Sui Liang then realized he had said the wrong thing. His ears flushed and he scratched his head. He looked at him again and said, "Even if he's ugly, I still like him. From now on, I'll beat up anyone who bullies him."
"Okay, I'll rely on you to hold the place together from now on." Sui Yu laughed so hard that her chest hurt, and she hurriedly sent him away: "You will stay in the guesthouse for the next few days and help me keep an eye on it. Don't send money home alone. Your brother-in-law will come over every two days."
"Okay." Sui Liang reached out and gently touched the kid's face. When he saw the child looking at him, he was surprised to see how cute he was. He couldn't help but say softly, "Uncle is going to make money. You should grow up quickly."
"The uglier a child is at birth, the prettier he'll be when he grows up." Zhao Xiaomi came in with fish soup and egg noodle soup and said, "Just based on your sister and my third brother's looks, there's no way this child can be ugly. If you don't believe me, just wait until the full moon."
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