Chapter 346 Sui Liang’s Choice
As night fell, the camels and chickens scattered across the pasture returned to their pens, and the wilderness became quiet.
Sui Yu turned around and went into the house to put down the account book, then took the little boy's silk lantern, lit it in the kitchen, and left the guesthouse with the lantern.
There were still people in the cotton field. Erhei and five maids were carrying water to water the fields. Sui Yu walked over and, using the dim light from the lantern, checked the cotton seedlings' progress. Flower buds hung among the dense branches and leaves, and the soil clinging to the cotton roots was compacted, a common problem when the cotton plants quickly dried out after watering. This made pulling out the cottonwood in late autumn very difficult.
"Master?" Erhei asked while standing by the river.
"It's me." Sui Yu stood up straight. "The moonlight is not good at the end of the month. The fields are pitch black. People standing in the cotton fields can't see the road. Be careful not to fall. Pack up the farm tools and go back now."
"There are only two rows of seedlings left. Let's work hard tonight and finish watering these two rows. Then we will go to the land under the name of the second manager to water it tomorrow." Erhei said.
"Then walk slowly and don't fall." Sui Yu walked out of the cotton field and said, "Hire fifty or sixty workers tomorrow. Water the remaining cotton fields in one day. Don't delay the growth of the cotton just to save money."
Erhei let out an "Ah".
The five maids in the field breathed a sigh of relief. They had been carrying water load after load, walking back and forth in the cotton field without any time to rest. Even if they drank meat soup three times a day, their bodies could not bear it.
The sound of hooves came from the end of the road. Sui Yu stopped and stood by the roadside waiting.
"It's my mother." The boy on horseback shouted excitedly.
Sui Yu waved the lantern, and when a horse and a camel stopped in front of her, she held the lantern to her chest and made a face in the light.
"Eh..." The kid jumped off the horse and muttered, "I'm not scared. Aning will definitely be scared. I'll let him stay here tomorrow and scare him at night."
"Stop your mischief." Zhao Xiping scolded, "He's timid, don't scare him."
Sui Yu handed the lantern to the kid and said, "Go scare your uncle."
The cub immediately took the lantern and ran away.
Sui Yu took the reins of the horse, held the man's hand with one hand, and asked, "What happened in the field? Why did you leave again in the afternoon?"
"Nothing happened. I took my son to the Agricultural Department. Later, I ran into Ma Nongjian, who was also there. We talked about something." Zhao Xiping stroked the woman's palm. He asked meaningfully, "When did you wake up? Can you sleep at night?"
"You still have energy?" Sui Yu laughed. The two of them couldn't sleep last night because of today's banquet. They chatted and talked together and didn't fall asleep until the second watch.
Zhao Xiping chuckled with an ambiguous tone.
Erhei and his five maids finished their work, and the six of them carried buckets across the river. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping swallowed their flirting and let the itch grow secretly in their hearts.
"Sir, have the cotton buds formed yet?" Erhei asked.
"Yes, but not much. We transplanted them too late, and the fertilizer isn't strong enough, so they're not growing as well as our own," Zhao Xiping said. "Did Farm Supervisor Ma come to check on the fields today?"
"Someone came over, I don't know if it was Ma Nongjian."
"What's wrong?" Sui Yu asked.
"When he was at the Agricultural Bureau, he told me that our cotton was growing better than the cotton grown by cotton farmers. It seems that he has also visited the cotton fields during the past few days." Zhao Xiping was glad that this was also a doer who was willing to work in the fields under the scorching sun, instead of being a hollow straw like Captain Hu.
Thinking of Captain Hu, Zhao Xiping returned to the guesthouse and took Sui Yu to the riverside. He asked, "How about we build the General of the Central Army's residence on the other side of the river?"
"Captain Hu gave you the territory?"
Zhao Xiping snorted, "Before, when I was in a low position, I had to swallow this humiliation. Now that I have a higher position, I want to return this humiliation to him."
"Okay!" Sui Yu smiled.
"Sister, brother-in-law, it's time for dinner." Sui Liang came over.
"Here we are." Sui Yu let go of the man's hand. She glanced at the place where the stone tablet stood and said, "The gate of the mansion faces east. Let Dad guard the gate for us."
"What?" Sui Liang didn't understand.
"Your brother-in-law plans to build the General of the Central Army's residence west of the river."
"That's great! How big is the General of the Central Army's residence?" Sui Liang said excitedly. "Does it have two more entrances than the Qianhu Suo's?"
"That's about right. The Captain's Mansion is a four-story house." Zhao Xiping continued, "Once the location is determined, the craftsman will draw up the blueprints. You and the kid have your thoughts on what to add, such as a martial arts arena or a silkworm breeding house. I'll tell the craftsman when the time comes and have him design it."
Sui Liang had no idea for a moment, "I'll discuss it with the kid tonight."
"Okay, no rush." Zhao Xiping thought that the land deed had not been transferred yet and it would probably take three to five days.
However, when Zhao Xiping was opening the gifts at night, he saw a land deed with his name on it among the gifts sent by Captain Hu. The location was on the west side of the river, which was the former site of the guesthouse that had a lifespan of less than half a year.
"No wonder everyone wants to get promoted. Power can deceive people." Zhao Xiping sighed.
"Don't get carried away. You have power, and our family has plenty of money. You can't embezzle it." Sui Yu reminded him, "Cotton is profitable, and we live on the border. There are bound to be bad-intentioned people trying to win you over. Don't be fooled."
"Impossible, I hate corrupt officials the most, have you forgotten?" Zhao Xiping asked.
Sui Yu didn't forget. She could still remember how much cold words she had endured in front of Zhao Xiping because she had a corrupt uncle.
All the gifts were unpacked. Captain Qu generously gave a pair of deer antlers, but the gifts from the ten captains were a bit funny, all of them were hairpins and rings for women or exquisitely embroidered cloths. The ten centurions probably asked the captains, and the gifts they sent were either fragrant bath beans or small horse whips and leather boots, all things for women and children.
"My colleagues and subordinates all know that I love my wife and son, so I've brought gifts to you." Zhao Xiping picked up Sui Yu and threw her down on the bed, saying, "I'm a little sad. Please comfort me."
Sui Yu punched him, but gradually, his fist lost its strength and his nails dug into his flesh, leaving red marks on his bronze skin.
As time passed, the dark night sky faded in color at a certain moment, the thick black turned light, and a blue-gray color appeared on the horizon.
The roosters crowed, the chirping of insects disappeared, and human voices were heard in the wilderness north of the city.
Erhei was thinking about hiring help, so he went into the city before dawn.
When Sui Yu woke up, the hired helpers had already gone to work in the fields. There were not many people around the guesthouse. The servants who had received their dividends yesterday also went to work in the fields in high spirits. Only Uncle Niu and the cat official were sitting under the mulberry tree, watching the chickens to prevent them from damaging the vegetable garden.
There was no business in the guesthouse, and Sui Yu didn't need to interfere with the work in the fields. She had nothing to do after breakfast, so she could only take out the silkworms raised by Sui Liang and Xiaozai. She fed the silkworms mulberry leaves slowly and methodically, and chatted with Uncle Niu from time to time, spending half a day there.
I took another nap in the afternoon and the day passed just like that.
The hired helpers to water the cotton had left, and the builders came in large numbers. There were fifty or sixty more people near the guesthouse, and the wilderness north of the city became lively again.
It took eight days to dig the foundation, and the cotton in the field entered the flowering period.
Sui Yu found work to do. She divided the cotton growers into three groups and taught them how to top the cotton and then pinch the buds. After she taught them, she finished the work in her cotton field.
"Sister." Sui Liang saw Sui Yu combing the cat's fur. He walked over, squatted down, and said, "Sister, I want to tell you something."
"What is it? Tell me."
"Are you still building guesthouses in other places? For example, in Jiuquan County and Wuwei County?" Sui Liang asked. "There's nothing to do at home. I'm too idle. I want to find something to do."
"I want to build a guesthouse, but I originally planned to wait until cotton is planted in the other three counties next year before I build the guesthouse there," said Sui Yu.
"No need to wait until next year, I'll do it." Sui Liang stroked the cat's tail and sighed, "The kid spends half the day in school and half the day running around with his dad. He has things to do, and I can't just sit there doing nothing."
At this time, his sister was carrying the burden of life for him, and he could not let his nephew carry the sky for him in the future. Sui Liang thought that he could not really live like a child, otherwise he would not only be looked down upon, but also make his sister be picked on.
Sui Yu glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Don't you still have the mulberry silk business? If you leave, who will take care of the people who come to buy mulberry leaves?"
"You, I see you're too bored, sleeping for half the day every day." Sui Liang smiled, "I'll leave this business to you, help me take care of it."
"Have you really decided?"
Sui Liang nodded. He had this idea half a month ago, but he was worried that the combination of building a house at home and growing cotton in the field would make his sister too busy to handle everything, so he didn't tell her.
Now it seems that he was overthinking it. The servants in the house are becoming more and more useful, and the work at home and in the fields is well managed. It is no longer the situation of five or six years ago where there was no one available, and he no longer has to stay at home.
"Okay, go ahead." Sui Yu agreed. "Take Dazhuang with you. He's honest and obedient. Take him with you to keep you company. I'll ask the servants if there are any who want to stay home. If not, I'll find other ways. Keep an eye out when you're out. If you come across someone with good character and intelligence, you can consider hiring them as a steward for your guesthouse."
Sui Liang nodded, "Then where should we build the next guesthouse?"
"The guesthouse in Wuwei County focuses on the food and ration business..." Sui Yu suddenly had an idea. "I got it. I'll go find Xiaomi and see if she's interested in expanding her business to other places."
Sui Yu left as soon as she said she would. The cat official realized later that the combing had stopped. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the mistress had gone to lead the camel.
Zhao Xiaomi had her own thoughts on Sui Yu's proposal. Since she and Huang Lianzheng couldn't leave, she wanted her brother-in-law to go with Sui Liang to Wuwei County to buy land and plant grass. However, her brother-in-law was too honest and timid to travel far alone, and Cui Hongxia was pregnant with their second child and couldn't go with them.
However, when Song Congzu heard from his little boy in school that his uncle was going to Wuwei County to build a guesthouse, he came up with an idea. He proposed to leave Dunhuang with Sui Liang and go out for a trip to see which place was suitable for him to buy land and grow grass.
Two days later, Song Congzu took two servants and left Dunhuang with Sui Liang and Da Zhuang.
Sui Yu and Xiaozai went to see him off. When they parted, Xiaozai said sullenly, "Uncle, you must come back at least once a month. I missed you before you left."
"Okay, I will definitely come back." Sui Liang agreed. He did not follow the caravan, but chose to stay inside the pass just to make it easier to go home.
He was raised by his sister and brother-in-law, and he grew up with his nephew. He is a member of this family, and this will always be his home.
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