Chapter 169 Good-looking and popular
There was only one table full of guests for the full moon banquet. Ah Shui did not sit at the table. Song Xian's Lv Yaer ate a few bites of food and went to play with Ah Shui. The remaining twelve people sat at the full table, so it was not too crowded.
When talking about the guesthouse at the dinner table, Aunt Sun said, "Don't worry about it. As long as there are people living there, you will make money."
Sui Yu sneered and said, "What kind of money are you making? You haven't even made back the money you invested. You're still losing money."
"Hasn't made back the money yet?" Dongzi's mother was a little skeptical.
"No." Sui Yu shook his head, "I still owe Mr. Song 5,000 coins."
Song Xian nodded.
"You'll get your money back sooner or later," said Sister Lamei.
"That's true." Sui Yu took a sip of water and asked, "You guys made a lot of money, didn't you?"
This was undeniable. Aunt Sun nodded and said, "Yes, I made some money."
"Uncle Lao Niu, Aunt Du said that you refused to rent the house to her because she thought the chickens would dirty the house. So rent it to me and I'll store the food there." Dongzi's mother changed the subject, fearing that Sui Yu would ask her how much money she earned.
Uncle Niu waved his hand and said, "I won't rent it out. I'll keep the house for my son Ah Shui. It's only for people to live in."
"You are quite particular." Aunt Sun continued.
After the topic was changed, everyone continued to eat.
Aunt Sun had guests at home, so she left after dinner. Dong Zi's mother and Sister La Mei didn't stay long either. Sui Yu's family had long since moved out of the military settlement, and their former friendship was maintained solely through business dealings. When they met again, there was little else to talk about beyond the usual pleasantries.
The table was cleared away, and Meng Ma brought over a few bowls of brewed oil tea. Song Xian smelled the aroma and asked, "Do you have butter?"
"You have a good nose! I bought a small jar from a foreign merchant." Sui Yu took a spoonful of the oil tea and said, "It's quite fragrant, better than lard."
"Buy me a can if you see it next time," said Song Xian.
"OK."
The tea leaves were almost empty and it was snowing outside again. Song Xian and Zhao Xiaomi were getting ready to go home.
"Hey, this belongs to your daughter, right?" Uncle Lao Niu took a ribbon from A Shui's hand.
"I gave it to my sister. I don't want it anymore." Lu Yaer waved her hand.
Sui Yu pressed down Uncle Niu's hand and said, "Lu Yaer likes Ah Shui. She gave it to Ah Shui, so Ah Shui took it."
"Yes, what Lu Yaer gave away is Ah Shui's." Song Xian put on the fox fur coat and said, "Then we will leave. We will meet again when there is a chance."
Sui Yu walked out to see him off and stopped at the eaves. Zhao Xiping escorted him all the way out the door.
After seeing the guests off, Zhao Xiping came back in and said, "Uncle Lao Niu, you and Ah Shui should stay at home and go to the guesthouse after the snow stops."
Uncle Niu nodded and said, "Bring your son out. There were so many people around just now that I didn't get a good look at him."
Sui Yu went to hold the baby. The baby's face was rosy while sleeping, and his eyelashes were long, black and drooping, making him look like a little girl.
Uncle Niu leaned over to take a look, looking extremely envious.
"Can I hold you?"
Sui Yu handed the child to him. Although Uncle Niu had one less hand, he was more skilled than Zhao Xiping in holding the child. The baby moved in his arms and fell asleep again.
Ah Shui came over, she lay on Uncle Niu's lap and looked at him, whispering, "My little brother is so handsome."
"It's a nephew." Sui Yu corrected, "You are the little cub's aunt."
"Wow, I'm an aunt now." Ah Shui wrapped her beloved red ribbon around the button of the swaddling clothes and said solemnly, "This is for the little cub."
Sui Yu did not refuse and said in a child's tone: "Thank you, auntie."
"Hehe." Ah Shui held his face and smiled.
Zhao Xiping sat aside and watched silently. It was a windy and snowy day. The cold wind was howling outside the house, but there were bursts of laughter inside the house. It would be great if such days could continue forever.
After another cup of tea, Sui Yu carried the baby back to the house to feed it, and Zhao Xiping followed in with water.
"I want to wash my hair." Sui Yu took a strand of hair and smelled it, then said, "It's all rotten."
"It's not spoiled." Zhao Xiping came over to unwrap the baby and asked, "Did you pee?"
Sui Yu glared at him and pushed his hand away.
"Okay, okay, tomorrow I'll light the stove and warm up the room so you can wash your hair and take a bath." Zhao Xiping hooked her chin and kissed her resentfully, saying, "You're just pretending to be clean."
"Your son washes it three or five times a day, but I'm always dawdling when it's my turn." Sui Yu pinched him.
Zhao Xiping wanted to cry out, "I'm not worried about you catching a cold. If I wasn't worried about you, I wouldn't be arguing with you."
Sui Yu laughed twice, she raised her hands to hook her arms around his neck, tilted her head back and kissed him.
With two swallowing sounds, the cub drank the milk more vigorously, and glanced upwards while sucking.
Zhao Xiping saw it, and he was defeated. He buried his head in Sui Yu's neck and laughed.
After eating and then pooping, Zhao Xiping washed the child and then went to wash the diapers. Sui Yu shook the little cub's hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work, dad."
"It's not hard, I'm happy." Zhao Xiping closed the door and said, "It's cold outside, you two sleep in the quilt, I'll fill two hot water bottles and bring them over later."
Uncle Niu heard the noise and came out, asking, "Is the child asleep again?"
"It's cold outside, and Sui Yu just got out of confinement. She'll avoid the cold if she can," Zhao Xiping explained. "When spring comes, Sui Yu will definitely bring the cub to the guesthouse every day. It won't be too late for you to cherish her then."
"That's right. A child born in winter is hard for both adults and children." Uncle Niu followed him into the kitchen and saw Zhao Xiping washing diapers by hand. He was surprised and asked, "Isn't it the old woman who washes them?"
"I'm strong, so I can scrub it more cleanly." Zhao Xiping heard Ah Shui's laughter and said, "I've noticed that children grow up quickly and won't need diapers very often. If I can wash it myself, I'll do it myself."
Uncle Lao Niu sighed. Who said that? He often complained that Ah Shui grew too slowly, and sometimes he felt that she grew too fast. He still remembered clearly the days when he held her in his arms. In a flash, she could run and jump.
As evening approached, the snow stopped and Uncle Niu did not stay for dinner. He took A Shui and Sui Liang back to the guesthouse.
The millet porridge in the pot was bubbling, and the kitchen was warm. Sui Yu carried the baby to the kitchen to eat. Zhao Xiping took over, holding the baby in one hand and picking up the dishes with chopsticks in the other.
"If you hold a child too much, he can't let go. He needs to be held even when he falls asleep, and he cries if you don't hold him." Grandma Yin gave a half-concealed instruction. She could see that the master and mistress of the family loved the child very much and did everything themselves. When it came to this little child, they, the servants, had no say. If she didn't have a genuine interest in Sui Yu, she wouldn't have said anything.
"It's okay. There are many people at home and there is no shortage of people to hold the baby," said Zhao Xiping.
"Let's make a wooden bed for him. We can't let him develop a clingy personality." Sui Yu continued.
Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll go find a carpenter tomorrow."
When the small bed with the scent of wood was brought back, it was already halfway through the first lunar month. The weather had warmed up, and the snow that had fallen a few days ago had melted, but the road was still wet.
Sui Yu tried to walk out of the city, but the wet mud was sticky on her feet and riding a camel was too cold, so she gave up the idea of going to the guesthouse.
It was not until February, when the cub was two months old, that Sui Yu chose a sunny day and took Yin Po and the child to the guest house.
When they arrived, Xiao Chunhong was practicing with her servants and escorts. Sui Yu watched from a distance and asked, "Brother Liang, how long have these people been practicing?"
"I have been practicing all the time. On New Year's Eve, my brother-in-law found the bodyguard and said something to him. After that, Xiao Chunhong, Liu Ya and others followed the bodyguard to practice their legs and feet after running. I also practice with him when I have nothing to do." Sui Liang said.
Sui Yu remained silent. After she told Zhao Xiping her plan clearly, he never mentioned the matter of going out to do business again. She thought that even if he didn't resist, he wouldn't take the initiative to do it for her, because this would push her to leave home earlier.
"Sister, why do we need them to practice martial arts?" Sui Liang was puzzled.
"It's useful. I'll tell you another day." Sui Yu put her hand on his shoulder and said, "You're almost as tall as your sister."
Sui Liang smiled and said, "Nephews take after their uncles. The little one will definitely be as tall as me in the future."
Sui Yu: ...
In this family from now on, I'm afraid she and Sui Liang will be the shortest.
The people practicing martial arts dispersed. Xiao Chunhong saw Sui Yu and hurried over to greet her. She said, "Madam, I listened to you very well. Every morning and evening, we would go out for a run. Later, the adults found a master for us, and we followed him to practice our legs and feet."
Sui Yu squeezed her shoulders and said, "Not bad, you've gained weight and become stronger."
"We can eat our fill every meal, and even have some meat every now and then. We've all gained weight." Liu Yaer said, cleverly trying to please, "Thanks to my wife, we don't have to suffer anymore."
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Give birth to a child. I haven't touched a bow and arrow in nearly a year. I'll give each of you a bow in a few days, and you can practice archery with me. When business at the inn slows down, we can go hunting together to make some money."
After hearing the last sentence, those who had doubts in their hearts dispelled their suspicions and just felt that this mistress was a good moneymaker. Those who wanted to be lazy no longer had a secret joy in their hearts, because this mistress did not seem like someone who would support idle people.
"Hey, here comes Shopkeeper Yu." A late-rising merchant went out to eat. Seeing him, he walked slowly towards him and said, "Look at your kid. Your second shopkeeper praises his nephew to the skies. I want to see what he looks like."
Sui Liang touched his nose and smiled awkwardly.
Sui Yu opened the swaddling cloth covering the child's face and said, "Look, is there something like this in heaven that doesn't exist on earth?"
The voice woke the cub up. He wanted to cry as soon as he opened his eyes. When he saw who was holding him, he curled up the corners of his mouth again.
"Oh, what a treasure!" The merchant rubbed his hands and asked with a smile, "Can I hold it for a moment?"
"He's in a bad mood right after waking up, and now he starts crying when someone else holds him. You see, I didn't even let his uncle hold him." Sui Yu explained.
"Then I'll just take a look." As he said this, the merchant took off a ring from his finger and placed it on the swaddling clothes, saying, "I've been living with the young shopkeeper for two or three months. I'm giving you a greeting gift."
"You're too polite." Sui Yu refused to accept it. The face of this ring was made of white jade as big as a fingernail. It was very valuable and too precious.
"Take it, take it. I don't need it. It's just a little toy." The merchant walked away with his hands behind his back. "The child is good-looking. I'm happy when I see him. When I'm happy, I like to give gifts."
Sui Yu had no choice but to thank him.
At noon, another merchant brought a gray fox fur with a dirty corner to the cub and said, "Make a hat for the child. Bring the little shopkeeper here to play more often in the future."
"Are you also a person with wealth?" Sui Yu muttered, "Good looks are popular."
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