Chapter 349 Preference
Ah Shui wiped her tears and chased after him. She snatched the silk from Uncle Niu's hand, picked up a basket of eggs, and left with the camel.
Uncle Niu walked under the jujube tree. He looked at Ah Shui's back riding a camel and sighed. Who would have thought that he took Tong Huaer home fourteen years ago just to have a child to take care of him in his old age, but now he has abandoned this original intention and truly thought about his child like a real father, and took the initiative to push her away.
The old blind man shuffled over, tapping his cane. He smelled the fresh steam mixed with the scent of bath beans and asked sourly, "Damn old man, did your daughter wash your hair again?"
"Speak nicely, or my daughter will get angry again if she hears you." Uncle Niu walked to the base of the wall, picked up a broom, and swept the fallen dirt along the way. The builders had brought the dirt in from the sand hills on camels, and the dirt leaked as they went, making the outside of the guesthouse filthy.
The blind old man groped for the jujube tree to sit down, but unfortunately he touched a raw chili pepper. He crushed it and waited for the burning pain in his hand to grow.
The broom head scraped against the uneven road surface, making a "squeaking" sound again and again. The cat official stretched lazily, walked to the foot of the wall, lay down again, and continued to sleep with his eyes closed.
The next day, Song Xian brought Lu Yaer and A Shui into the city. The three of them went to the government office to inquire about the price of wasteland in the north of the city. Both families planned to buy land near the river. The price of wasteland was more expensive, at three hundred and thirty coins per mu.
Song Xian bought eighteen acres of wasteland for Lu Yaer, and the title deed was registered in her name.
The clerk went with them to the north of the city to measure the land. Song Xian chose two acres of land on the north side of the General of the Central Army's Mansion and planned to build a house, just like the ancestral home in the city, a house with two courtyards and a backyard for servants to live in. Two acres of land would be enough.
"The remaining sixteen acres will be located east of the river, bordering Shopkeeper Yu's ten acres," Song Xian told the clerk. After the clerk left, she explained to Lu Yaer, "You'll manage these sixteen acres yourself. This is a fallback plan. If you ever fall out with your brother and he doesn't want to help you raise camels, you can move your camel caravan here. These sixteen acres can accommodate hundreds of camels and even a row of mud houses for servants."
Lu Yaer was silent. Last night, Ah Shui cried to her and told her that Uncle Lao Niu was making arrangements for his funeral. Her mother's actions were no exception. This operation was considered to be dividing the family property for her and her brother.
"When your brother comes back from Wuwei County, I will talk to him and explain everything. Then I will put the 100 camels in your name and divide the servants in half. The slaves who go on business will be in your name, and you will be their master from now on." Song Xian continued.
"Mom, everything is fine, why do you look like you are arranging your funeral?" Lu Yaer suddenly spoke.
"Nonsense." Song Xian thought the words were unlucky and slapped the girl. "These things will have to be explained and sorted out sooner or later. The sooner we sort them out, the more peace of mind I'll have."
In reality, she wanted to seize the opportunity presented by the feud between her great-grandfather and his father to divide the family fortune, lest it drag on. She worried that if they reconciled, they would join forces to fight for the inheritance. Making malicious assumptions about one's own son was both dishonest and disgusting, and Song Xian didn't intend to confide in anyone. She hardened her heart, deciding to be the bad guy and divide the family fortune, lest the siblings fight over it in the future.
"Mr. Song, where are you building your house?" Uncle Niu led Ah Shui over. He muttered, "This little girl only bought one and a half mu of land. How many houses can she build? I asked her to buy another mu of land, but she refused."
"One mu and three fen of land is not small. It can accommodate a small courtyard, three rooms, a kitchen, and a livestock pen. That's enough," Song Xian said. "While you're still here, keep an eye on her and hire a carpenter to dig the foundation first. She can continue building on it later when she saves enough money."
Uncle Niu stopped talking after hearing this.
After the clerk had measured the sixteen acres of land, he came over with sweat on his forehead to measure the residential land for A Shui.
In the evening, Song Xian invited the clerk to dinner at the guest house to thank him for his busy work all day.
"How long will it take for Manager Yu's house to be completed?" Song Xian asked Ding Quan.
"Before September." Ding Quan replied. Sui Yu had instructed him before, and Zhao Xiping had also discussed with the craftsmen, asking them to speed up the work and complete the warehouse before winter.
Song Xian thought for a moment and said, "Please ask them if they'll still be accepting work next spring. I want to build a two-story house in the north of the city. It should be finished in two or three months."
Ding Quan agreed, "Okay, I'll ask tomorrow."
The next day, Ding Quan replied to Song Xian, "They still have farm work to do. Mr. Song, if you hire them, you have to accommodate their schedule. They can only build a house for you after they finish the spring planting."
Song Xian had no objection, she was not in a hurry to move in.
…
Time passed quickly and it was the end of June. The layout of the General of the Household was finalized, and the officials led a group of laborers with tools to dig the foundation.
Houses were being built on both sides of the river. When the vendors in the city got the news, they started setting up stalls selling vegetables and eggs, fried fruits, fried hemp leaves, and millet jelly.
The north of the city suddenly became lively.
Someone leaked the news that twenty acres of wasteland in the north of the city were sold at once. The merchants who had been waiting and watching could no longer sit still. Those with sufficient funds bought two or three acres of land and planned to wait for the right time to build houses and shops.
The kid brought in a bowl of cold cake. He tiptoed in and peeked in. Sui Yu, who was lying on the bed, saw him and waved for him to come over.
"Mom, are you still feeling uncomfortable? Do you want to eat some cold cake? I just bought it." asked the kid.
"I don't feel uncomfortable anymore." Sui Yu sat up, took the bowl and ate a piece of the cold cake. It was fermented millet and tasted a bit sour. She couldn't get used to it before, but now she liked the taste.
The little boy sat on the bed and watched her eat. He poured out a handful of purple-red mulberries from his cloth bag and said, "Mom, I tasted them. They're not very sweet. Do you want to eat them?"
Sui Yu waved her hand, "You eat it yourself, I won't eat it."
After eating half of the millet jelly, Sui Yu put down her bowl and spoon, picked up her fan and waved it, saying, "Your uncle should be back soon. He's been away for almost a month."
The boy nodded heavily. He reached out and touched Sui Yu's belly and said, "My uncle is going to be an uncle again. He must be so happy. Mom, weren't you in a bad mood when you were pregnant with me?"
"No, when I was pregnant with you, I was walking very fast and had a good appetite." Sui Yu said, "Maybe it was because the weather was too hot and it was noisy outside, so I felt a little irritable and couldn't muster up energy."
The boy took the fan, fanned himself vigorously, and asked, "Mom, are you still hot?"
"hot."
The boy fanning himself became harder and harder, and Sui Yu enjoyed it with a smile.
The boy was tired of fanning himself, so he picked up half a bowl of cold cake and ate it, then continued fanning himself.
"It's not hot anymore." Sui Yu stopped him from fanning her. She put on her shoes and got out of bed, saying, "Let's go out for a walk."
The sun was high outside, and the wind was hot and dry. After a few steps, Sui Yu couldn't stand it anymore, so she pushed the kid into the teahouse, which was spacious and shady, perfect for cooling off.
Uncle Lao Niu and the maid from Chang'an were picking cotton in the teahouse. Sui Yu took a stool and sat over, and she also sat down to work.
"How many baskets of cotton did you pick today?" Sui Yu asked.
"Twenty-seven baskets," Uncle Niu replied. "The weather was nice, so the cotton bolls were plentiful. I went to the fields this morning and saw a vast expanse of white cotton. It's almost noon, and the cotton pickers are still out there. It looks like there's still quite a bit left."
There was the sound of a blind stick knocking on the ground outside the door. Sui Yu looked over and saw that it was the kid leading the blind old man over.
"Why did you bring him here? He can't see and can't pick the cotton." said Uncle Lao Niu.
"I can't see, but I still have a mouth," the blind old man said angrily. "The young master invited me here to play ventriloquism for his mother. You guys are taking advantage of me, and your ears are blessed."
Uncle Lao Niu stopped being stubborn. Lao Xia’s ventriloquism skills were indeed quite good, and his willingness to perform was indeed a blessing to their ears.
Sui Yu looked at the little cub. She did not hide her happiness and joy at all. Under her gaze, the little cub became more energetic.
"Blind Grandpa, please sit here." The kid said loudly, "My mother is feeling restless and it's hot, so she's not feeling well. Please blow a whistle to cool her down, like the sound of running water, something calming."
"What a good boy." Uncle Niu praised.
"Yes, my son is very thoughtful. There is no better child than him." Sui Yu praised him generously. "He has such a kind heart. It will benefit me for half my life."
The little boy was happy and shy. He ran over and covered his mother's mouth with his hand. When his palm felt the corners of her mouth turned up, he couldn't help laughing. He put his arms around his mother's neck and lay on her back to act coquettishly.
Lao Xia drank some water to moisten his throat. As his mouth opened and closed, the sound of gurgling water and the rushing sound of the stream echoed in the empty teahouse.
The kid calmed down, sat next to Sui Yu, and also dragged a basket of cotton over to break.
At noon, the people who were picking cotton in the fields came back. Sui Yu asked Erhei to buy a bowl of cold cakes so that the workers could have something cool to eat and take a break.
The old blind man also got a bowl to give his tired throat a rest.
As more people came into the teahouse, the smell became mixed. Sui Yu couldn't stay there any longer, so she found a quiet guesthouse to stay in, walked under the eaves, and enjoyed the cool breeze.
Hearing a series of hoofbeats coming from the livestock pen on the east side, Sui Yu raised his voice and asked, "Is it my child's father who has returned?"
Sui Liang, covered in sweat, jumped off the camel. He strode towards the direction of the sound and said, "It's not my child's father, it's my child's uncle who has returned."
Sui Yu was surprised. She trotted over to open the door, but the east door was locked from the outside. She shouted, "Brother Liang, the door is locked. I don't have the key. Come around and I'll be out."
After saying that, Sui Yu walked quickly westward, shouting as he walked: "Little boy, your uncle is back!"
Sui Liang ran quickly and saw the boy rushing out of the teahouse.
"Uncle!" The kid jumped three feet high and laughed loudly, "You're finally back. I missed you so much."
Sui Liang was very satisfied with this. He carried his nephew who came running over and said, "You are too heavy. It's so hot, and you have gained weight?"
"Can't it just be growing taller?" The kid was dissatisfied.
"I've only been away from home for a month. How tall can you have grown?" Sui Liang left him and turned to talk to his sister. "You've gained all the weight on your little guy? Sister, why are you still thinner?"
Sui Yu smelled the sweat on his body and turned around and retched.
"Uncle, you're going to be an uncle again." The kid said excitedly, "My mom is pregnant, and I'm going to be a big brother."
Sui Liang immediately took a few steps back. He was surprised and worried, and kept mumbling: "Did you vomit when you were pregnant with the first child? No? Why did you vomit when you were pregnant with the second child?"
"I just want to vomit when I smell sweat and stinky food. It's not serious." Sui Yu said, "It's different from the reaction when I'm pregnant. This one in my belly is probably a girl."
Sui Liang's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously said, "This child must not look like his father. He should look like you, or like me."
When Zhao Xiping came back and heard this, he took out a handful of soybeans for feeding camels and threw them at his brother-in-law.
Sui Liang smiled awkwardly and ran away with his nephew.
Sui Liang was washing his hair and bathing in the house, while Xiaozai sat outside the door and talked to him about family matters, how much money the silkworm business made, and how the house of the General of the Central Army was arranged...
The door creaked open and Sui Liang came out with wet hair. He held down his nephew who was about to stand up, pulled up his pants and sat down.
"Your mother is pregnant again, are you happy?" Sui Liang asked.
The cub nodded without hesitation, "My mother is a good sister, and I will be a good brother."
"Your brother or sister will love you as much as your uncle loves your mother, and he or she will be a good brother or sister." Sui Liang touched his nephew's head and whispered, "Your uncle will love you the most."
"This is not good." The kid muttered, but his mouth was stretched into a crooked shape.
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