Chapter 313 Cotton Bolls
Sixteen thousand yuan was used to move into the Song family's home. Sui Yu stood aside and watched. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow flash by the moon-shaped doorway in the second courtyard. She tilted her head to look, but there was no one there. However, a few flowers beside the doorway were swaying.
"Sister Song, you sold me the camel at a low price and waived a year's rent. If your great-grandfather knew about this, would he have any objections?" Sui Yu asked jokingly, "But don't wait until I'm gone or you and your son will start arguing."
Song Xian smiled contemptuously, "It's not his turn to make the decisions in my family."
Sui Yu was shocked by the contempt on her face. How could the mother and son have reached the point of becoming disunited?
"Hasn't he attended any classes with Master Chen this year?" The question was addressed to Sui Yu, but Song Xian's tone didn't contain any doubt. "Lu Yaer told me. I asked him yesterday, and guess what he said? He said he was busy. What was he busy with? Busy drinking with other camel traders, and spouting nonsense about wanting to make friends with them so he could do business. Making friends? Ha, a bunch of bastards who looked down on him, and he, a fool, had the nerve to toast them."
Sui Yu was not surprised. She had asked Zhao Xiping to go to the drunken man's house to inquire about the situation when she saw him on the street before. Song Congzu kept making excuses, implying that he could hire an accountant to receive guests in the future, and it didn't matter whether he could read or not.
"He knew you were going to buy him an official position, so he became lazy and thought that his future would be smooth sailing, so he started to indulge in pleasure." Sui Yu said without any hesitation.
Song Xian knew in her heart that she was disappointed that the son she had high hopes for turned out to be like this. She was even glad that his ugly side was revealed early, allowing her to see clearly that he was a spendthrift.
"After I leave, he'll go raise camels in the desert. He won't be allowed to come back unless I do. As for buying an official position, put that idea aside for now. This isn't how I'll spend my hard-earned money." Song Xian said calmly, "I've already told his father that if he continues to let his son act like a playboy and not do his job, the family business will belong to Lu Yaer."
"What did Huang Ancheng say?" Sui Yu stopped calling him "Brother Huang." She refused to believe he didn't know what Song Congzu was doing outside. She still remembered Huang Ancheng's help with her stall at the West City Gate thirteen years ago. Considering her family's financial difficulties, he had repeatedly declined invitations to dinner to express his gratitude. She always remembered this favor. Even when he later suggested that Zhao Xiping not let her go out to trade, worried that her appearance would cause trouble, she never complained, only thinking he was conservative and overly cautious. He seemed like a nice guy, and he looked respectable standing at the city gate. Yet, this man, who was willing to worry about other people's affairs, was actually a fool when it came to his own family affairs.
"I don't care what he says. If they don't change and satisfy me, I'll just make sure they have enough to eat and drink for the rest of their lives." Song Xian nudged Sui Yu with her elbow and said, "Let me tell you something. If Sui Liang and Lü Yaer get married, they must have a child with my surname, Song. He's smart, and Lü Yaer isn't stupid either. Their child will definitely be smart, and he's a good parent, so he'll definitely raise a good child."
Sui Yu couldn't bear to listen any longer. Song Xian's eyes were shining, as if she was holding a child in her arms. It was really scary. She quickly interrupted and said, "It seems that my worries are in vain. I see that you are very open-minded. You don't worry about your own family affairs, but you worry about things that don't exist."
Song Xian sighed with regret. Sui Yu was not tempted at all. After all, her family business was not small.
"I've figured it out now. People have different minds. Some are stupid, some are smart. Everyone has their own destiny. Let's see if he can figure it out. I talk too much, and he gets annoyed. He might not listen. Forget it." She knew exactly what was wrong with her personality, but she couldn't change it, so how could she change someone else's? Besides, she had a new hope. She was hoping Sui Liang and Lu Yaer would work out. This was her other way out.
"What does Sui Liang like?" Song Xian asked.
Sui Yu slapped her and turned away.
Song Xian laughed, "Take care. I'll come talk to you in a couple of days."
It was a month later when Song Xian went to Changgui Guest House again. She heard Lu Yaer say that Sui Yu's cotton had blossomed. It was snow-white, soft and fluffy. Only then did she remember that Sui Yu had obtained what were suspected to be cotton seeds in Dayuan.
Five days ago, the first cotton boll bloomed in the cotton field. Sui Yu, who came here for patrol every day, was the first to discover that the green cotton boll spit out white cotton wool, which was whiter than snow and was particularly conspicuous among the green branches and leaves.
After crossing the river, Song Xian walked around the ridges and found that some cotton trees had already borne fruit. Some of the fruits were as big as eggs, while others were as small as bird eggs. There was even a small area of cotton trees covering half an acre that were still in bloom.
In the cotton field, five maids were holding jars and picking out insects from the leaves. They didn't know Song Xian, and they all told her to leave with stern faces.
On the open space to the west of the cotton field, a shed with ventilation on all sides was built using cotton rolls and rough wood. A wooden bed was placed under the shed. After the cotton crops matured, Ding Quan and his big black dog guarded the shed day and night.
Ding Quan heard the sound and sat up from the bed, saying, "Master Song, you are late. Our master has already picked the cotton and gone home."
He turned around and explained to the maid, "This is Mrs. Song. We bought our camels from her family. She has a good relationship with our master."
Song Xian saw a bit of white. She bent down to take a closer look and saw a cotton ball split open, revealing white fluff inside.
"I'm going to look for Sui Yu, you guys go ahead and get busy." Song Xian said hello and strode away.
It wasn't far from the guesthouse, so Song Xian didn't ride her camel again, lest she trample the chickens digging in the dirt. She led her camel north, and even before she got close, she could smell the stench of manure. Further along, she saw several people plowing the open space north of the guesthouse with camels. There were also several other people scattered about, squatting on the ground, unsure of what to do.
Xiaozai and Aning sat in the shade at the foot of the wall, their eyes blank and dazed. A plump girl, perched on a bamboo mat at their feet, was happily playing, pulling at some white cotton wool. She turned her back slyly and was about to stuff the cotton wool into her mouth when Aning, like a ghost, swooped over and snatched the cotton wool from her hand. With a couple of scoldings and a couple of slaps, he returned to his meditative state, staring blankly at his noisy sister.
"Ah..." The cub sighed, "Why isn't she sleeping yet?"
"What are you two doing? Whose child is this fat girl?"
"Aunt." Aning stood up with a start and said, "This is my sister. She was born last October when you were not home."
"I don't even know what the little girl's name is." Song Xian didn't know that Zhao Xiaomi was pregnant. Only then did she realize how fast time passed.
"Jinhua." Aning ripped the cotton wool from her sister's mouth and said, "My mother was busy cutting and drying grass, and Jinhua was making a fuss at home, so the maid brought her here. Alas, Grandma Wang was too lazy to coax her, so she left her to me and went to pick up stones in the fields."
Song Xian found it funny. A nine-month-old baby was a lump of flesh. Holding her at this time was hot and tiring. It would indeed be better to work in the fields instead, which would be less troublesome and worry-free.
"Where is your mother?" she asked the boy.
"I'm going to the field to check on the mung beans." The kid seemed to know what she was going to ask next. He pointed to the bamboo mats piled on the bench and said, "This is the cotton I picked this morning. My job is to watch over it and prevent chickens from flying up and shitting on it."
Song Xian sat on the bamboo mat and said, "I'll keep watch for you. I'll watch Jinhua. You two can go and have fun."
Xiaozai and Aning were overjoyed. The two brothers got up and ran away. Jinhua pointed at them and yelled. The more she yelled, the faster they ran.
Song Xian took out a handkerchief to wipe her saliva and said, "If your brothers don't play with you, your aunt will."
Jinhua didn't know her, but she wasn't shy. She was happy when someone talked to her and didn't mind being held by anyone.
"You probably inherited your mother's personality. Even if the men in your Huang family get together, they can't make a big move. They are always timid and not generous at all." Song Xian muttered a few words.
Jinhua was still grinning. Song Xian stroked her little head and nodded, then smiled and said to herself, "You think it's right, too, right?"
When Sui Yu came back from the field, she saw Song Xian holding the sleeping child and herding chickens for her.
"Why are you here?" Sui Yu took off her straw hat and fanned herself. She put the basket on the ground and sat down against the wall to enjoy the cool air. She asked, "Where are my children? Little one? Liang Ge'er?"
"I just picked some mulberry leaves and came into the house..."
Before he could finish his words, the kid jumped out. When he saw Sui Yu, he ran to the river quickly and brought back a dripping water bag in a few breaths.
"Mother, here's some honey water for you. I'll hang the water bag on a rock and suspend it in the water. It's so cool."
Sui Yu unplugged the bladder and drank half of the water in one breath. Only then did he have the strength to speak, "Thank you, son."
The kid chuckled and said, "No thanks."
"Go get me a bowl. I'll peel some mung beans and make some water for them this afternoon." Sui Yu pushed the kid and said, "Ask Sister Cui to make two delicious dishes. Your Aunt Song will have lunch at our house."
"My uncle has already given instructions and the meat has been bought back." The boy said in a loud voice.
Song Xian glared at Sui Yu, who blocked it with her eyes. It was useless to look, as she wouldn't act as a matchmaker to protect her.
"Why are you here? By the way, do you want some water?"
"By the time you remembered, I was already dying of thirst," Song Xian said unhappily. "I drank it. I drank a bowl of rice soup when Jinhua did."
The kid brought the bowl over. Sui Yu dragged the basket over, grabbed a handful of bean pods, and placed them on his lap. He said, "I'll peel them. I don't need your help. Just keep doing what you were doing."
"Someone will come to buy mulberry leaves later, and we will count them." said the kid.
"Selling mulberry leaves? How much?" Song Xian asked.
"One copper coin and ten mulberry leaves."
"A profiteer." Song Xian said.
The boy's face flushed as he explained, "There are only four large mulberry trees, and there are too few mulberry leaves. When the fifty-three mulberry seedlings my uncle brought back grow up, one copper coin can buy thirty mulberry leaves."
"He's still a profiteer." Song Xian said deliberately.
"All businessmen are dishonest." He cursed her in a roundabout way.
Song Xian looked at Sui Yu with a smile, and the boy immediately reacted. He snorted angrily and ran away.
"You're in a good mood, so you come here to argue with my son." Sui Yu picked up a mung bean that had fallen to the ground and said, "I'll pick it in two days. I'll ask Lu Yaer to take half a basket back."
"No, keep it for yourself. She can just have one bowl here. No need to take it back." Song Xian refused. "Is this also the seed you got from that monk?"
"Well, besides this, there's another kind of bitter eggplant. It's bitter when you pick it, but if you slice it, soak it in salt water, and then dry it, it's quite delicious. It's great with stewed meat. You should try it for lunch." Sui Yu wasn't sure if it was the variety, or if the eggplants hadn't been domesticated yet at that time. A small patch of seeds sown during spring planting had sprouted five eggplant seedlings. The fruit they produced was indeed eggplant, but it tasted bitter. Zhao Xiping threw them away for fear of poisoning. She picked them up, washed them, cut them, soaked them in salt water, and dried them. They were edible, but still had a faint bitter taste.
However, the stewed meat with dried eggplant absorbs oil and relieves greasiness, so it is popular again at the dinner table.
"Okay, I'll try it at noon." After saying that, Song Xian heard a whistle. She raised her chin and asked, "What are Xiao Chunhong and the others doing?"
"I bought ten acres of land. While they are still at home, I asked Zhang Shun and others to plow the wasteland, pick out the stones in the soil, and spread a layer of manure. I will plant golden flower grass next year." Sui Yu said.
"Your business is getting better and better, and your life is getting more prosperous." Song Xian sighed. "When the time comes, donate some cotton, and you won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Sui Yu looked up at the cotton on the bamboo mat without saying a word.
Zhao Xiaomi's maid, Wang Po, came over. This was the name Xiaomi had given her at her new home, as she found the original name difficult to pronounce and remember. She glanced at Sui Yu first, then walked over to Song Xian and said in accented Chinese, "Excuse me, Madam. Please give me the child."
"This is Huang Lianzheng's second aunt." Sui Yu explained to her.
Song Xian handed Jinhua to the maid and said, "Take her home and feed her. She was hungry, and the rice porridge she drank wasn't enough to satisfy her hunger."
"Oh, thank you, ma'am." Grandma Wang carried the child to look for the camel she had come to ride.
Song Xian retracted her gaze and said, "This servant is clumsy and useless."
"I asked Aning to go back and tell Xiaomi, but..." Sui Yu thought about when she came back from the field and saw that the woman who was weeding in the field also brought her child to the field. The breastfeeding child was sleeping in the basket, and the older child was watching over her.
"Maybe for her, this is how she raised her child," Sui Yu said. "Outside the Great Wall, she was probably just a poor herder, and her child grew up amidst the pounding of horse hooves."
The sound of hooves rang out, and Wang Po was riding on the camel's back, holding the child in her arms. Her body did not sway at all while the camel was running. From her back, one could seem to see the shadow of her riding a horse and driving the flock of sheep to migrate.
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