Chapter 205 The Stubborn Little One
As it was getting dark, Zhao Xiping led his men to move a wooden bed from the Qianhusuo's house. There was still an empty room in the master courtyard of the guesthouse, so they could move the bed in and live there.
While Sui Yu was away, Zhao's mother punched the third child hard. She lowered her voice and said, "Your wife left the children to go out for business, and you didn't stop her? Last year when she came back for the New Year, you didn't even say a word."
Zhao Xiping said nothing, too lazy to talk, and just let himself be beaten.
"Your family is still short of money? You want her to go out and work like a prostitute?" Zhao's father scolded harshly, "You've only had a few years of peace and stability? Can't you be more honest? Go and tell her to stay home and not go anywhere else."
Zhao Xiping lowered his eyes in thought, then said with a frown, "Go ahead and tell me what you want to say."
"What? Are you still afraid of her?" Father Zhao glared.
"All the money in the family is earned by her. My salary is not enough to pay her taxes..." Zhao Xiping hesitated to speak.
Father Zhao fell silent.
"Dad, go talk to Sui Yu." Zhao Xiping tried to probe. Why did he feel that his parents seemed a little afraid of Sui Yu? In the past, if they had any objections, the old couple would probably gossip about it to Sui Yu behind his back.
Zhao's father didn't respond. He had long understood that Sui Yu was the one who made the decisions in the Third Brother's household. She had upset him the year before last, and last year she hadn't even mentioned inviting him and his wife over for the New Year. Now that she was making a fortune, he was even more afraid to offend her, fearing it would spark a quarrel between his son and daughter-in-law. If that happened, Sui Yu would run off with the children, and the family would be finished.
"Does she look like someone who would listen to us?" Zhao's mother said angrily. "How many years have you been married? Including your wedding and this time, you've been to your in-laws' house three times. She's holding a grudge."
Zhao Xiping also understood this.
"Dad, let's eat." The kid ran into the yard and shouted.
Zhao's father and mother immediately fell silent, leaving Zhao Xiping with peace and quiet. He dusted his hands and walked out. He stepped out the door and then turned back in. He said, "Dad, Mom, just come over and have some fun. Don't interfere in other matters. We know what's going on between Sui Yu and me."
"We didn't say anything in front of her." Zhao's mother immediately spoke out to prove her innocence.
"That's fine." Zhao Xiping stepped out of the door again. The little boy was no longer in the yard, and the kitchen yard next door was noisy.
"That year, I was seriously injured. You sent someone to tell me I was dead. Sui Yu almost committed suicide when she heard the news. If it weren't for Sui Liang's close watch, my family would be gone, and I wouldn't have a cub." Zhao Xiping only brought up this matter now. He once again warned his parents, "You two must not say anything nonsense in front of the cub, such as teaching him to cry or pretending to be sick to keep Sui Yu. If anything goes wrong because of the child, I won't be back. If anything happens to the cub, Sui Yu and I will not survive."
Zhao's mother was shocked. The word "suicide for love" was unfamiliar to her. She couldn't understand it. Could such a thing really happen?
"No, we are dumb and deaf, we don't hear or say anything." Father Zhao waved his hands weakly.
Walking into the kitchen, Zhao's mother saw a woman standing under the eaves holding a child. She stared at her as if she didn't know her.
Sui Yu was wearing a straight white dress and a fluffy gray rabbit fur coat. Her hair was braided into a pigtail and gathered in front of her chest. She stood by the torch with a plain face, half of her face illuminated by the firelight. She lowered her head and looked at the child in her arms with tenderness in her eyes.
The little cub stuck out his purple tongue and showed off to the merchant. The merchant tried to pull his tongue, but he giggled and buried his head in his mother's arms.
The smile on Sui Yu's face grew bigger and bigger. She looked up and saw Zhao Xiping standing in the yard, looking at her deeply. The smile on her face paused for a moment, and her face felt a little hot. She lowered her head to tidy up her hair, then quickly looked up and glared at him.
Zhao's mother saw it and began to believe what the third brother said.
Everyone had arrived. Over thirty people were seated at four tables, filling the entire dining hall. Each table was set with a large pot of mutton and radish soup. Zhao Xiping had arranged for Sui Liang to buy the mutton after the snow had fallen. The whole sheep had been slaughtered and buried in the snow to freeze, waiting for Sui Yu's return before being stewed.
After everyone was seated, Zhao Xiping brought in a jar of mulberry wine from outside, and Sui Liang brought in a bucket of bowls. He placed the bowls in front, and Zhao Xiping followed behind to scoop and pour the wine.
Gan Da and Gan Er fell silent, looked at the hostess, and then shifted their gaze to the action of the host pouring wine.
The aroma of wine filled the entire room, and the clear red wine in the black pottery bowl looked like blood.
There were twenty-one servants entering the pass this time, and twenty-three wine bowls were placed on the table. When the bowls were filled, Zhao Xiping put down the wine jar. He took the child from Sui Yu's arms, handed her a bowl of wine in one hand, and took a bowl himself.
"You've endured a lot this time away from home. I noticed everyone has dark circles under their eyes, and those who've had frostbite have had it relapse on their hands and faces. Bring out your wine bowls, and let's drink together to celebrate your return from the snow." Zhao Xiping raised his bowl, took Sui Yu in his arms, and continued, "From now on, I'm not a thousand-householder, nor am I your master. I'm just honoring you as Shopkeeper Yu's husband and the father of her child. Thank you for your protection along the way."
The twenty-one servants were stunned and truly flattered, but then they came to their senses and picked up their bowls excitedly. No one would be unhappy to be valued.
After drinking a bowl of mulberry wine, everyone's face turned red with excitement before the wine even got warm.
"Drink the wine, eat the meat and drink the soup with big mouthfuls." Sui Yu put down the bowl and said loudly: "When this batch of goods is sold, I will give you a share of the money."
This sentence immediately ignited the atmosphere of excitement. The servants who had been running around for half a year became energized. The fatigue in their bodies faded away, and they shouted for meat with rosy faces.
Zhang Shun shook the wine jar, and there was still some wine left inside. He went to the kitchen to get a bucket of hot water and poured it into the wine jar to mix it with a light smell of wine. He used water to replace the wine, and scooped two bowls to toast his two masters.
"I'm lucky to have met two masters." After saying this, he drank two bowls of water in one breath.
Sui Yu took a sip from the wine bowl and advised, "Eat more meat and drink more soup. Drinking too much water will make your stomach bloated."
Zhao Xiping had finished his wine, and he picked up Sui Yu's wine bowl and took a sip as a gesture of appreciation.
Zhang Shun returned to his seat. Qingshan could no longer sit still, touching the wine bowl. His legs were shaking, and he tried twice but didn't have the courage to stand up.
Sui Yu glanced at the table next to her and saw Qingshan's expression, she smiled.
Qingshan stood up with a red face. He scooped a bowl of wine-smelling water from the wine jar and walked towards the head table.
"I, I..." His hand trembled, and he spilled half a bowl of water. Qingshan became more and more nervous and at a loss. He gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Zhang is right. We are lucky to have met the two masters. My lord, please don't thank us anymore. We can't afford it. We are the ones who should be thanked."
Zhao Xiping picked up Sui Yu's wine bowl and clinked it with his. He drank the wine in one gulp and said, "Let's go eat the meat. I see they are all scrambling for the meat since you came over now. If you're any later, there will only be soup left."
Seeing this, the others suppressed the urge to come forward and toast.
Zhao's father and mother watched quietly. Father Zhao stared at the third son and wondered in his heart that he was so dignified and eloquent at the moment, why couldn't he stand up straight in front of his wife?
Two pots of stew were used to make one sheep. When the mutton on the table was finished, Yin Po and Meng Ma came over with clay pots to add more dishes. Cui Sao also brought some pancakes for them to eat with the mutton soup.
After all the dishes were eaten, everyone was full and was about to go back to the house to rest when Grandma Yin called the residents and told them to help clear the table, wash the dishes, and feed the pigs.
The big black dog and the little black dog came over for dinner. When they saw Sui Yu after entering the door, they wagged their tails wildly and jumped around her.
"I've been back for a long time, and you two just received the letter now?" Sui Yu asked the dog.
"They're tied up. Some of the merchants are afraid of dogs, so they're only let out at night," Zhao Xiping explained. He chased the two dogs away and said, "Go chew some bones. There are plenty of sheep bones tonight."
"Where is the cat official?" Sui Yu asked.
"Probably sleeping in Ah Shui's bed."
"I'll go look for him." Sui Yu held the cub in his hand and asked, "Are you going to look for the cat official?"
Of course the cub went with her, and Zhao Xiping also followed the mother and son.
The snow on the ground had frozen hard, and it made a crackling sound when stepped on. Sui Yu raised his foot and stomped hard, and the cub followed suit.
Mutton warms the body, and the mother and son are dressed warmly. Zhao Xiping is not worried that they will be cold. He takes two steps behind so as not to disturb Sui Yu from trying to please this awkward child.
Sui Yu pulled out a wooden board from the pile of firewood, and the kid stepped on the board. She pulled the kid's arm and slid on the snow.
"Sandboarding." The kid said suddenly.
"After you left, I took him to play on the sand dunes. He cried twice and never went there again," said Zhao Xiping.
Sui Yu felt a pang in her heart, and the smile on her face became forced. She squatted down, hugged the child, and glared at the man, complaining: "How could he still remember me? Shouldn't he have forgotten me?"
Zhao Xiping chuckled and said, "If you really forget, you'll cry."
Sui Yu remained silent.
When the cat official heard Sui Yu's voice, it crawled out from under the mattress, stretched and shook its fur, jumped onto the ground with all four limbs, and in an instant slipped out through the crack in the door.
A cat figure climbed over the wall and confirmed that it was Sui Yu. The cat official called out in a thin voice, jumped into the snow, meowed continuously, and pounced towards Sui Yu quickly.
"Cat Officer!" Sui Yu let go of the cub and hugged the cat. She rocked the cat and said, "Cat Officer, you've had a good life. You've gained weight again."
The cat official meowed with a sticky voice, and there was a purring sound in his throat. The mistress had disappeared for half a year, and when they met again, he rubbed his cat head against her stickyly.
The cub pushed the cat, trying to squeeze into Sui Yu's arms.
Sui Yu looked at Zhao Xiping with a smile. She picked up the cat and walked forward, chattering to it while keeping an eye on the back.
"Go after her." Zhao Xiping kicked his son with his toes and said, "Call her. If you call her, she will come and hug you."
Zhao Xiaozai said nothing.
"Forget it, let her be the cat official's mother."
The kid stiffened his neck and said nothing. When he saw Sui Yu turned around to look at him, he took a few slow steps and then ran over quickly.
"He's quite stubborn." Zhao Xiping was convinced. "I don't know who he takes after. He has a weird vibe."
"Whatever you want." Sui Yu put the cat official down and picked up the child, saying, "When I first entered your house, you were just like this, so stubborn and awkward."
Zhao Xiping: ...
After walking around to digest the food, Sui Yu was also tired. She put the child down, held his hand, and said, "Let's go back."
Zhao Xiping reached out and held the kid's other hand. After walking a few steps, he and Sui Yu held the child's arm and ran back.
The cub laughed happily, and the cat officer followed behind and jumped on his legs, making him laugh even louder.
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