Chapter 102: Forty Acres of Land
The rolling clouds turned from dark to blue, and the gate of the Zhao family opened from the inside. Four camels walked out one after another. The big camel in the lead, carrying tables, chairs and benches, did not wait for anyone to command it, and walked towards the alley entrance as it knew the way.
Next door, Mrs. Qin was sweeping the yard. Hearing the noise, she looked up and met Sui Yu's eyes, and they both smiled. After the four camels passed, she lowered her eyes and continued sweeping. Hearing the lock close next door, she looked up again and saw Zhao Xiping trotting over like the wind, looking energetic from the early morning.
"What are you daydreaming about? Are you still sleepy?" Qin Dashun walked out of the house with lazy steps.
Mrs. Qin lowered her head and continued sweeping the floor. The floating dust and chicken droppings gathered into a pile. She scooped them up with a wooden shovel and poured them into the dung basket. She brushed off the dust on her body and went into the kitchen to cook.
"The family next door is getting better and better. They make money every day and everyone in the family is very energetic." She felt a little complicated. The two families were neighbors. If one of them was not careful, he would be far inferior to her family. Suddenly, the couple in her family got lucky and were about to be better off than hers. She always felt a little uncomfortable.
Qin Dashun picked up his load and walked out, saying angrily, "You only see the thief eating meat and not the thief being beaten. It's what they deserve if they make money."
Mrs. Qin spat at him and cursed him inwardly for being useless. After that, she continued to bury her head in the fire. It was useless to envy others for making money. Only when you have food in your mouth can you feel happy.
Smoke had just risen from the military settlement, and the streets were already filled with the rich aroma of rice. The people setting up stalls and shops had already been busy. The guys who were watering, wiping cabinets and sweeping doors saw that the bun stall was open again, and they all asked the hungry shopkeeper if he wanted to buy some buns to fill his stomach.
"Dumpling lady, I haven't seen you for a long time. What fillings do you have for the dumplings today?" the oil shop owner asked loudly.
"I have a basket of your favorite pickled cabbage, egg and tofu buns. I only prepared one basket. Will I call you when it's ready?"
"Send it to me when it's steamed. I want the whole basket. I hired some help to press the oil today."
"Okay." Sui Yu responded crisply.
"Are you done with the farm work?" Hu Shang came out and was stunned for a moment when he saw the man lighting the fire. He asked, "What's this?"
"This is my third brother." Zhao Xiaomi said loudly.
"This is shopkeeper Ali. He was kind enough to rent a stall to me." Sui Yu turned around and introduced.
Zhao Xiping took a quick glance, then stood up and said, "Shopkeeper Ali, haven't you had breakfast yet?"
The two men were of similar build and equally burly. They looked at each other and then looked away at the same time.
"Do you have any baked buns?" Hu Shang asked.
"Or is it leek and egg filling? When the buns are out of the pot, I'll bake five for you." Sui Yu asked.
Hu Shang nodded, turned around and walked into the shop.
Zhao Xiaomi winked at Zhao Xiping and said, "You're right, this bearded man has feelings for her third sister-in-law."
Sui Yu stretched out his flour-covered palm and threatened, "Why are you making faces? Hurry up and knead the dough."
Zhao Xiaomi chuckled and lowered her head to continue kneading the dough.
Sui Yu turned and glared at the man. Zhao Xiping lowered his head and smiled, saying, "I'll leave once this pot of buns is cooked. I won't disturb you from doing business."
He knew who Sui Yu's heart was with, and no matter what other people thought, it would not affect him.
Two baskets of steamed buns were sent to the oil shop, and the sauerkraut, egg and tofu buns were sent to the oil shop. Zhao Xiping took eight of the other baskets of lard and radish buns. He drove the four camels home, and Sui Liang was still waiting at home.
The fields needed to be plowed, and when the officials came on duty, Zhao Xiping took Sui Liang to borrow oxen and a plow. The agricultural official noticed his name and called out, "Sui Yu is your wife?"
Zhao Xiping nodded.
"Inspector Hu came to say hello and asked you to come and see him. Also, I'm granting you Sui Yu and Sui Liang's forty acres of land. Get started on plowing and fertilizing while the weather's still warm." The agricultural official pulled out another tube of bamboo slips and said, "The household registrations have already been distributed. These forty acres should have been yours long ago. It's been six months too late, and only the newly reclaimed wasteland to the north remains unclaimed."
"North? Near the Great Wall?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"It's still far from the Great Wall, but it's close to the lower reaches of the Shizhi River, so irrigation is quite convenient." The agricultural official thought for a moment and said, "Wait until you come over from Supervisor Hu, and I'll send someone to take you there to identify the land."
Zhao Xiping was not sure how Supervisor Hu knew he would come over in the next few days. He tied the ox to a tree and asked Sui Liang to watch the plow beside him. He went into the government office to find Supervisor Hu.
Supervisor Hu had just arrived at his shift. Upon hearing the announcement, he looked at the person who walked in and asked, "Are you Zhao Xiping?"
"Your Excellency, I am Zhao Xiping."
"No wonder Captain Qu took a liking to you. You've got the physique of a soldier." Supervisor Hu twirled his beard and inquired, "Did escorting the envoy go smoothly?"
"It's going well. Lord Chang has been to the northwest before and he is familiar with the direction. Although we encountered a sandstorm on the way, we were safe." Zhao Xiping answered honestly.
Supervisor Hu nodded. He pondered for a moment and then asked directly, "Have you seen your wife's cousin on the street?"
Zhao Xiping looked confused.
"Never met him?" Supervisor Hu breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing for him that Sui Wen'an did not get in front of the delegation.
"I don't know him, and no one recognizes me either." Zhao Xiping shook his head. As he spoke, he thought of the merchant staring at him in Wensu Country and asked, "What's the name of my brother-in-law?"
Supervisor Hu wanted to laugh, the more he thought about it the more amusing it became. Sui Hui tried every possible way to get him to free Sui Yu from slavery, but Sui Yu had never mentioned the names of Sui Wen'an and others in front of Zhao Xiping.
"Sui Wen'an." He laughed and said, "Now I'm Wen'an."
Zhao Xiping suddenly realized something. He twitched his fingers, thought for a moment, and then spoke frankly, "On our way back through Wensu Country, we encountered a merchant caravan. One of the merchants stared at me but didn't come forward to greet me. I later learned his name was Wen An. He didn't return with the caravan and stayed in Wensu Country alone."
Supervisor Hu stroked his beard with a smile. In the end, he was too cautious and overestimated Sui Wen'an, a young master from a wealthy family. He was indecisive and lacked ruthlessness, so no matter how many ideas he had, it would be difficult for him to accomplish anything.
"Okay, I understand. You can go back and don't mention this to anyone again." He said.
Zhao Xiping bowed and agreed. Before leaving, he asked, "I wonder about my wife and my brother-in-law..."
"I have reported this to the county magistrate. After he approves it, the matter is settled. You don't need to ask again." Supervisor Hu waved his hand.
Zhao Xiping bowed and thanked him. He left the duty room and strode out of the government office.
Sui Liang saw him come out and stood up to untie the cow rope.
Zhao Xiping sent the cattle back first, and then drove the pigs, sheep, and camels out to graze, leaving Sui Liang to guard the wilderness. He then went to find the agricultural official to look at the newly demarcated fields.
The 40 acres of land under the names of Sui Yu and Sui Liang were newly reclaimed this year. Crops have not been planted there yet. The soil is poor and mostly sandy. If you dig deeper with a shovel, you will find hard stones in the soil that is pried up.
"If we plant crops on this land, the harvest will probably only be enough to cover the cost of the crops." Zhao Xiping took the shovel and looked at the official who measured the land. He asked, "Is this really the only piece of land left without an owner?"
"This land is near the river, so it's not afraid of drought. If you work hard for a year or two, even the poorest soil can become fertile. Furthermore, you don't have to provide the seeds, so even if the harvest is small, you won't suffer any loss."
"How can I not suffer a loss? It's not worth the effort spent on this." Zhao Xiping disdained. Sui Yu was devoted to her business, and these dozens of acres of land were a burden to her.
The surveyor wasted no more words. He mounted his camel and said, "There's no war going on, and we just have to farm on weekdays. How can we talk about whether it's worth it or not? This is just in the northwest. If it were in the interior, your ancestors would have accumulated for two or three generations to buy 40 mu of land."
This is true. Zhao Xiping thought that he was not satisfied.
After the surveyor left, Zhao Xiping walked around the 40 acres of land that connected them. He decided to plow his own 20 acres first, then bring the oxen over to plow this side of the field. He'd have to pick up all the rocks in the soil. He'd be busy all winter, so he'd have to pick them up again next spring.
After Sui Yu learned that she had land, she took the time to come over with Zhao Xiping to take a look. Speaking of fertile land, she thought that she was not qualified to go to the ranch to pick cow dung, so she could only gather grass and spread it on the ground before the snow fell, and set it on fire to turn it into ash to fertilize the land.
In the days that followed, Zhao Xiping devoted himself to plowing the fields. Sui Liang, on the other hand, would run back and forth between them. At mealtime, he'd run to the street to eat steamed buns and drink oil-tea, then return to the fields afterward. Besides herding the pigs, sheep, and camels, he'd also cut grass, which he'd carry home on his camels and pile outside his door each evening.
By the end of October, the weather had turned cold, and most of the passing caravans had already headed south. Business at Lao Tu's stall had ceased, and Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi devoted themselves to their bun stall. Business was booming, so she bought a new stove and clay pot, and cooked a pot of braised eggs every night, bringing them to the streets at dawn. The aroma of the brine was a bigger draw than even Sui Yu's beauty.
A group of more than ten men came from the end of the street. Sui Yu noticed their eyes flicking towards her, so she called out, "Steamed buns are three cents each, braised eggs are four cents each, and two are seven cents each."
This group of men were merchants from inside the Great Wall. They came back late this year and it was not suitable for them to leave the Great Wall and go east, so they planned to stay in Dunhuang City for the winter.
"Is this Nanshui Street? Are you the Baozi Xishi?" the leading man asked. Without waiting for Sui Yu to answer, he looked at the braised eggs in the pot and asked his brother beside him, "Is this the same kind of egg we ate before?"
"I only sold it to caravans," Sui Yu said.
"That's right, give us brothers twenty... no, thirty eggs." The leading man stood up, looked at Sui Yu, and teased: "Baozi Xishi? You're in Nanshui Street, shouldn't you be called Nanshi?"
"You can call me Nanshi." Sui Yu didn't care. She took out thirty piping hot eggs from a basin and asked, "Do you want to buy some more steamed buns? The eggs are still hot. Do you want to take them away or eat them here?"
"Let's eat here. Do you have oil tea?"
"Yes, ten more bowls of oil tea?" Sui Yu asked.
"become."
"Okay, oil tea is also four cents a bowl, ten bowls of oil tea are forty cents, a basket of buns is ninety cents, and thirty braised eggs are seven cents for two, so I'll give you one hundred and five cents, a total of two hundred and thirty-five cents. There are only thirty buns in a basket, not enough, would you like another basket?" Sui Yu placed the steaming steamer on the table and lowered his eyes to prepare to stir the oil tea.
Zhao Xiaomi came over to help. She thought to herself that it was a good thing that she bought twenty more ceramic bowls, otherwise they would not be enough.
"Then I'll give you another basket of buns. Three hundred and twenty-five coins in total?" The man handling the money took out a copper skewer. He looked at Sui Yu with admiration and said, "You're quite quick at calculating."
Sui Yu tilted his head and smiled, saying, "Practice makes perfect."
Ten men were standing not far from the stall, eating buns and munching on braised eggs. It was hard for passers-by not to see them. The aroma of the braised eggs, the heat of the buns, and the salty aroma of the oil tea all tempted their noses, which were red from the cold wind.
"How much is this egg?" a man came over. "What kind of egg is this?"
"Braised eggs, four cents each, seven cents for two." Zhao Xiaomi answered crisply.
"Give me two."
"Nanshi, why do I feel that the braised eggs we eat today are better than the ones we eat in the summer?"
Sui Yu handed over the oil tea and said, "The recipe has been improved."
Every five days, she would buy two shanks to make soup, then mix the bone soup with the braised soup and simmer it over low heat overnight. The longer the braised soup was simmered, the more flavorful it became.
A snowflake fell, Sui Yu looked up and said, "It's snowing."
"It's cold when it snows, Nanshi. Why are you setting up a stall in the snow?" The man who paid earlier also followed suit and called out to Nanshi. He pointed at the pottery cauldron and said, "Sell me this pot of soup. We brothers will take it home and make soup noodles."
Sui Yu shook her head and said thoughtfully, "Come over if you want to eat soup noodles. I sell more than just steamed buns. I also sell soup noodles. A bowl of soup noodles with a braised egg, and then some braised tofu. I guarantee it will taste better than what you cook yourself."
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