Chapter 159 Happy New Year
Before the summer heat set in, Sui Yu went to the street to buy five pounds of pork, carrying it alone as he walked to the guesthouse in the north of the city. The wilderness was barren of trees and houses, scorched by the sun. If the wind died down for a moment, walking in the wilderness would feel like being trapped in an endless steamer.
Sui Yu was sweating all the way to the guesthouse. As soon as she entered the house, she scooped up some water to wash her hands and face.
"Madam, we are here to prepare the feast. You can sit outside and get some fresh air. It's so hot and stuffy in the kitchen that you will feel uncomfortable coming in." Grandma Yin walked over to pick up the meat. Sui Yu was tolerant and kind to the three of them, mother and son, and she treated the mistress with care.
Sui Yu nodded and said, "That's fine. If you're unsure, come and ask me."
Grandma Yin went into the kitchen to busy herself. After a while, she brought out a plate of cooked broad beans soaked in cold water for Sui Yu to eat.
"Sister-in-law!" Ah Shui ran in like a little madman, "You haven't been here for a long time, Ah Shui missed you."
Sui Yu fed her a broad bean and asked with a smile, "Who taught you that? Why are you so sweet?"
"A Shui is speaking the truth." A Shui smiled. She gently touched Sui Yu's belly and then moved her hand away exaggeratedly, "Your belly is getting bigger."
Sui Yu nodded slightly, "What are you busy with all day?"
"Catch insects with my brother to feed the chickens." Ah Shui stared at Sui Yu's belly seriously. She chewed her fingers and her eyes rolled around. When Sui Yu wasn't paying attention, she touched it lightly again, and quickly retracted her hand as if she was bitten.
Sui Yu let her watch. She leaned back in the chair and ate broad beans. She looked outside the door and the figure of the cat owner suddenly appeared. It stretched out its long legs and scratched its head. It turned around and saw the person sitting under the eaves. It stopped scratching immediately, meowed loudly and ran to the kitchen.
"Cat Officer, you missed me too, didn't you?" Sui Yu leaned over and petted the cat. Her hands were covered in fur. She flicked the cat's head in disdain and said, "Go find Liang Ge'er and ask him to brush your fur with the same brush he uses for camels."
The cat officer didn't understand at all, so he lifted his tail and rubbed around Sui Yu's legs, making his fur fly. He left only after being slapped. He then lay on the wet muddy ground next to the water tank to cool off, licking his fur.
The smell of meat wafted from the kitchen. Ah Shui sniffed, ran to the kitchen and took a look around, and when she came out her mouth was full.
"What did you eat?" Sui Yu asked.
"Braised pork." Ah Shui chuckled, "Grandma Yin fed me."
"Go get a comb, I'll comb your hair and braid it into two small pieces."
Ah Shui ran away. She had the same fair skin as Tong Huaer, but she couldn't stand running in the sun every day and was tanned like a donkey dung ball.
"Sister." Sui Liang strode in. He dropped his bow and arrows and held three birds in his hands. He walked proudly to Sui Yu, swung them around, and asked, "Do you want to eat bird meat?"
Sui Yu was very flattering and said, "Eat! I'm craving bird meat. It's a pity your brother-in-law is not at home."
"I'm at home. Wait, I'll go boil some water to scald the bird feathers." Sui Liang strode into the kitchen. "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang, boil some water for me. I want to scald the bird feathers."
A Shui came over with a red hairband and a wooden comb. She walked to Sui Yu's legs and sat down, leaning over to ask her to help comb her hair.
"Who usually braids your hair? Your dad?"
"I do it myself, and sometimes my aunts braid it for me."
Sui Yu tied the ends of her hair with a red hairband, smoothed down her hair, and said, "Okay, now it's neat."
Ah Shui took the comb but didn't leave. She turned her head and gently held Sui Yu's belly, and asked with clear eyes: "Do children always grow in the belly?"
"right."
"I'm growing up, and I'm going to have a baby in my belly too?" Ah Shui patted his belly and muttered, "My belly is growing too... Ah! I get it, I have a baby in my belly too. When I grow up, he will grow up too."
Sui Yu laughed heartily and explained, "You don't have a baby in your belly. Children's bellies are big, and as you grow taller, your belly will shrink. You will only get pregnant after you get married."
Ah Shui nodded, half understanding, and then she asked cautiously, "Was I also born from my mother's belly?"
"Of course, just like a camel giving birth, humans are born from their mother's womb." Sui Liang interrupted and waved to Ah Shui, "Stop talking nonsense and come and help me pluck the bird's feathers."
The interruption made Ah Shui forget the previous sentence. She dropped the wooden comb and ran over to pick up the feathers, muttering endless childish words.
"Madam, how can we make cold noodles without garlic cloves?" Grandma Yin came out wiping the sweat off her face.
Sui Yu thought of her soybean paste, so she asked Yin Po to move the jar out. It was hot, and she didn't know whether the soybean paste had gone bad or not.
Grandma Yin picked up a handful with her chopsticks, twisted it in her hand and tasted it, and said, "It should be fine."
Sui Yu also tasted it. After brewing, the aroma of peppercorns and fermented black beans became stronger, especially the peppercorns, which changed from the original pungent smell to a rich fragrance, but did not cover the bean fragrance of the paste at all.
"Use this to mix with cold noodles. Drain the noodles and mix them with pickled radish and bean sprouts. Finally, pour this sauce over them and mix well." Sui Yu said, "When it's done, bring out a plate first so I can try it."
"Okay."
Sui Yu savored the aftertaste of the soybean paste, thinking to herself that if the noodles turned out well, she'd have work to do next. She could continue brewing soybean paste and sell it to returning merchants in the fall. And since she didn't need animal oil, she wouldn't have to worry about the lard solidifying and turning white in the cold weather, so the noodles would last longer.
"The cold noodles are ready." Aunt Yin brought out a plate of noodles and said, "Eat first. If the pickled radish isn't enough, I'll cut more for you."
Sui Yu took a bite, and Sui Liang and A Shui came over to have a bite too. The sour radish diluted the sticky taste of the soybean paste. If you chewed carefully, you could also taste the crushed fermented black beans, which melted in a sip. The shredded sour radish and bean sprouts made a crackling sound in the mouth, and the stomach felt sour and cool after swallowing, which was really comfortable.
"Grandma Yin, mix a plate for me too." Sui Liang rushed into the kitchen.
"And me, and me." A Shui spoke immediately.
When Lao Wan brought eight guests in, he saw them sitting side by side under the eaves and eating first. He joked, "It's still comfortable to be the shopkeeper. You can eat whatever you want."
"I've made some new dishes. Let me give you a taste first." Sui Yu stood up and said, "There's water in the jar. Draw some water and wash your hands. I'll have Grandma Yin serve nine plates of cold noodles so you can fill your stomachs and cool down."
"That's fine." Lao Wan pointed outside the door and said, "We'll come here on camels. You ask someone to keep a close eye on them."
Sui Liang immediately ran out to guard it.
Seeing that Lao Wan and the others seemed to want to discuss something, Sui Yu took A Shui away, and they went into the guesthouse and found a shady place to stay.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, and as the weather was hot, Lao Wan and his group of nine didn't want to go back to the city under the scorching sun, so they said hello to Sui Yu, found a few rooms, and slept directly on the mud couches.
It was not until sunset that Lao Wan and his friends walked out of the guesthouse. They asked Yin Po to cook another bowl of cold noodles. They ate their fill before preparing to leave.
"Shopkeeper Yu, I'll send someone to pick up some cold noodles tomorrow. Are you still doing food business?" asked Lao Wan.
"Are you alone?" Sui Yu was embarrassed. "I'm not close to the city, so I don't plan to do casual food business. If you want to reserve a table, that's fine."
"Dozens of people, thirty people, two plates each." said Lao Wan.
"Or you can sell us the sauce for the noodles." said the man standing next to Lao Wan.
"Okay, I'll sell you the sauce." Sui Yu stood up and said, "A can of noodle sauce that's a palm high will cost you seven cents. How many cans do you want?"
"Nine cans, one for each person," said Lao Wan.
"Then I'll have someone deliver it to the East Market tomorrow. I don't have enough jars here." Sui Yu said, "You can pay me after you get the sauce."
"Okay." Lao Wan whistled, and they all left on camels.
Sui Yu and Sui Liang also came into the house to eat. The brother and sister both ate cold noodles and the braised bird meat from lunch. It had been simmered over low heat for a long time, and the bones were already soft and the meat was tender.
"Madam, this is the one hundred and twenty coins given to me by Manager Wan." Grandma Yin handed the money over.
"You carry it and take it back later." Sui Yu suddenly had an idea to make money.
In the days that followed, Sui Yu went to the Chengbei Guesthouse every day. Lao Wan bought half a jar of soybean paste, and she continued to stir-fry peppercorns and fermented black beans, mashing them and pouring them into the soybean paste jar to mix and continue fermenting. This soybean paste was purchased, and since her own fields could harvest soybeans this year, Sui Yu was thinking about brewing three or four jars of it herself.
On June 20th, Lao Wan sent someone to buy noodle sauce again, and specifically asked for her pickled radish.
The next day, Sui Yu took Sui Liang and Yin Po to the city, carrying ten jars of soybean paste. Thanks to her previous experience walking around the city, she knew which alleys and streets had food shops and rice stalls, so she went there to sell her noodle sauce.
"Where's that person? Why are they going to the guesthouse in such hot weather?" Zhao Xiping came back on his camel and saw that the gate was locked. He threw his bag over the wall and rode his camel back to the guesthouse. Although he came up empty-handed, he got accurate information.
After leaving the camel at the guesthouse, Zhao Xiping walked back on foot. When he entered the city, he happened to meet the master and his servants who were walking briskly. He quietly approached them, walked past Yin Po, and gently tapped Sui Yu's shoulder.
Sui Yu turned around and saw that Yin Po was holding back her laughter. She felt something was wrong and turned around to see the man with a smile on his face.
"Who's back?" Sui Yu pretended not to know him.
"Who are you talking about?" Zhao Xiping took a quick look at her. She looked quite good, with a blush on her face and shining eyes. He was familiar with this look. She had made money again.
Sui Yu snapped her fingers and said, "You smell so sweaty, it's pungent. Stay away from me."
Zhao Xiping: ...
"Go back." He took two steps back and said, "You guys go ahead. I won't make the wind stink."
The four of them returned home. Zhao Xiping went to the kitchen to get some water and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. He washed his hair and washed it thoroughly before coming out.
"Where is Xiaomi?" Sui Yu asked.
"She's at home. She didn't come over. The wedding is scheduled for the second day of August. Mother asked her to stay at home for a while. When the wedding is closer, my eldest and second brothers will send her over." Zhao Xiping scooped water to rinse his mouth. "How have you been feeling these days while I've been away?"
“The bed is spacious and it feels very cool when I sleep alone. It feels very good.”
Zhao Xiping paused and his face darkened.
"But..." Seeing his expression change, Sui Yu smirked and said, "But when you're not here, the food I cook is often not finished."
"Don't you have pigs and dogs? Why are you worried about leftovers?" Zhao Xiping sneered.
Sui Yu looked at him with a smile and said, "Can't pigs and dogs sit next to us? Besides, there are meat and vegetables here. It would be a pity to pour them out and feed them to the pigs and dogs."
Zhao Xiping stopped smiling completely.
Sui Yu laughed wildly.
"I have something to tell you in secret." Sui Yu pointed to her belly and said, "Our little cub can move now."
Zhao Xiping was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic, "Really? Let me touch it."
Sui Yu followed him into the house. She asked him to talk to her stomach. When there was movement in her stomach, the man pressed against her belly and carefully felt the gurgling sound inside.
This was the first time Zhao Xiping felt the presence of a child. He was so excited that he was at a loss. He looked up at Sui Yu, pointed at his belly, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm a father."
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