Chapter 210 The happy days have an end
When Dunhuang welcomed its second heavy snowfall, it coincided with the end of the year. Because of this inhumane snowfall, the joy of the end of the year was largely diminished.
The north wind was blowing hard, and no one could stand on the street. All the vendors who were not relying on the vegetable sales to make money for the New Year had packed up their stalls these days and did not dare to stand in the wind and snow and suffer the cold.
Without the hawking sounds, the whole city became deserted.
"I won't go back to the city for the New Year this year." Zhao Xiping looked at the falling snow and thought that the houses in Qianhusuo were uninhabited all year round. There was no smell of life and it was freezing inside. It would be better to be warm in the guesthouse.
"I won't go out on New Year's Eve this year. The snow is over my ankles," said Sui Yu.
Zhao Xiping had no objection. He was silent for a few moments, then turned and said, "It would be good if it snowed heavily. When the snow melts, the desert will no longer be dry, and you won't encounter sandstorms when you leave."
Sui Yu was silent for a moment, then she turned and walked into the house, not intending to talk about this depressing matter.
But Zhao Xiping did not do as she wished. The kid was playing in the warehouse of the west kitchen. Since he was not there at the moment, it was a good opportunity to talk.
"Talk to the kid before you leave. He's becoming more and more sensible now, and he can understand everything you say." He squatted down, held her hand, and said, "I'll take him to the fields to sow wheat seeds during the spring planting season. Tell him you'll be back when the wheat is harvested."
"Okay." Sui Yu responded softly. She held his hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work again."
"I'm happy to." Zhao Xiping chuckled.
Sui Yu lowered her eyes, feeling worried when she thought about the baby crying when she left.
However, no matter how worried you are, life still moves forward day by day.
The heavy snow stopped on New Year's Eve. Sui Yu did not allow anyone to remove the tables and chairs from the teahouse. She arranged for Gan Da and Gan Er to tie eight torches and bury them in the open space of the teahouse. Everyone had the New Year's Eve dinner together in the evening.
In order to prepare this New Year's Eve dinner, each caravan contributed money and labor. Those who were strong and willing to get dirty went into the pigpen to catch pigs, those who knew how to shave pig hair shaved pig hair, and experienced bodyguards rolled up their sleeves to roast the pig's head.
They slaughtered the New Year pig, bought live sheep, and everyone was busy chasing chickens in the snow.
A few children loved the fun and insisted on running in the snow. When they fell, they rolled around in the snow.
Zhao Xiping chased the people away with a club in his hand. The kid wasn't afraid of him, but he pulled Dazhuang along and ran with him, screaming as he ran.
Sui Liang grabbed the man and held the kid down, shouting, "Brother-in-law, they're stopping us. Come and beat them up!"
"No." The cub struggled.
Zhao Xiping came over with a club in his hand. The kid looked upside down and saw it. He was scared and screamed, "Uncle—Dad, I won't hit you."
Sui Liang held him down tightly.
The merchants around watched the excitement at their leisure, and some of them encouraged him, "Captain Zhao, the situation has been established. If you don't hit him, the young shopkeeper won't be afraid of you in the future."
Zhao Xiping was held up. He didn't know whether to hit him or not. He glared at Sui Liang. Wasn't this just looking for trouble?
Sui Liang smiled. He pulled the kid's pants and asked, "Do you want to take his pants off and spank him? He's wearing thick clothes, so it won't hurt if you don't take off his pants."
"Uncle is bad." Seeing his father approaching, the kid struggled again. Unable to escape, he shouted loudly for his mother.
Sui Yu stood at the door and nodded to Zhao Xiping while avoiding the kid's sight. If he didn't beat him once, this kid would still dare to roll in the snow.
Zhao Xiping opened his palm and slapped the child on the butt three times. As soon as he withdrew his hand, Sui Liang slapped him again.
"Wow——" Zhao Xiaozai cried.
Ah Shui wilted. She stood at the foot of the wall and rubbed her hands nervously. She was the oldest among the children and they all listened to her. It was she who took them to play in the snow. Now the little ones were beaten but she was not. This made her embarrassed and uncomfortable.
The little boy went crying to find his mother. Zhao Xiping followed him with a club. The boy thought he was going to be beaten again, so he ran away in fear.
The snow was too deep and he tripped, falling hard with a mouthful of snow. Zhao Xiping picked him up and strode into the house.
"Let's go." Sui Liang clapped his hands. He nodded at Ah Shui and said, "Go back and find your father to lead the beating."
Ah Shui nodded gloomily.
Hua Niu and Da Zhuang walked towards the west kitchen with pale faces. Seeing that several masters had entered the warehouse, the two of them stood under the eaves waiting.
The cub's crying subsided. Sui Yu took off his shoes and put them by the stove to dry. Her woolen trousers were wet. She reached out and hit his legs, saying, "You'll suffer if you get sick from the cold. And you're still crying. You still have the nerve to cry. Your father didn't hit you too hard."
The kid had lost all hope after being beaten and scolded by both sides. He knew he was wrong and just bit his fingers without saying a word.
"I'll go get him a pair of pants." Zhao Xiping stood up and walked out.
"If I don't change it for him, he'll just freeze to death." Sui Yu glared at him.
The little cub pouted and tried to please be kissed.
Sui Yu held him down with a stern face and said, "Next time you roll around in the snow, I'll beat you with a big stick and smash your butt into pieces."
"No." The cub shook his head, "I won't roll around anymore."
Zhao Xiping brought the pants, Sui Yu took off his wet pants and changed him into dry ones, then hung the wet pants around his neck and let Zhao Mingguang sit by the stove to dry his pants.
Sui Liang pulled Da Zhuang and Hua Niu in as well, and asked them to sit inside and warm themselves by the fire to avoid catching a cold and getting sick.
Outside, everyone was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, but on the other side of the wall, the warehouse was quiet. Three children stared at the flames in a daze without saying a word.
Sui Yu went out for something and there was no adult in the room. Hua Niu and Da Zhuang took the kid's pants and put them next to the stove to roast, each roasting one leg of the pants.
Hearing the footsteps approaching, the half-dry pants returned to the little boy's neck.
Sui Yu leaned over to take a look and asked, "Are Dazhuang and Huaniu's shoes wet? If they are, take them off and warm them up."
After that she left again.
After a while, Zhao's father and mother came in to warm themselves by the fire. Seeing their grandson looking listless, Zhao's father tutted his tongue twice and deliberately asked, "Did you get beaten?"
The cub ignored him.
"If you don't respect your elders, I'll let your father beat you again later."
The cub turned around and faced away from him.
"Okay, stop teasing him. It's New Year's Day, and you're making him cry for the second time?" Zhao's mother stopped him and took off her shoes to warm her feet. Life here is really comfortable. There is endless firewood to burn, and she doesn't have to worry about burning firewood when burning a fire in the stove. It's warm all winter.
After about an incense stick's time, the kid digested his emotions and recovered. He became energetic again. When he heard his father talking outside, he shouted loudly.
"How shameless!" said Zhao's father. "You've forgotten the beating you just received so quickly?"
It’s so annoying. Zhao Xiaozai doesn’t like this Mosquito Grandpa. He looked around and asked Dazhuang to bring him a hu flute, which he blew towards the stove.
Hehe, if he doesn’t brag to others, his parents won’t scold him.
Father Zhao endured for a while and was about to leave when Zhao Xiping pushed the door open and said, "It's time to go over to eat. You guys go ahead to avoid tripping over each other."
"Daddy, hold me." The kid lost his flute.
Zhao Xiping took off the pants hanging around his neck and picked him up.
Hua Niu followed behind, feeling extremely envious, because her father had never hugged her.
When they went out, the kid found an opportunity to kiss his dad on the face. Now he’s not angry anymore, is he?
Zhao Xiping ignored him.
The kid shouted in a long tone.
"She's like a little girl, and she even knows how to act coquettishly." A passing merchant laughed.
Zhao Xiping smiled, and the kid laughed when he saw him smile.
There were twenty-seven tables in the teahouse, and the dishes on each table were the same: two pots of pig-killing dishes, two pots of chicken stewed with dried vegetables, one pot of pickled fish, two pots of mutton and radish soup, two pots of braised pork soup noodles, one pot of scrambled eggs with bean sprouts, and two pots of pancakes and buns. Including the dishes and rice, there were twelve pots in total. Sui Yu charged twenty coins from each person.
The ten guest houses were full, with a total of 573 people. Sui Yu collected more than 11,000 yuan for the New Year's Eve dinner. He did not pay for the slaughtered pig, chicken, bean sprouts, and sauerkraut. Only the fish and lamb cost 3,500 yuan.
"Mom, I want to eat that." The kid pointed at the pig intestines in the pig-killing dish.
The pig-killing dish was made by Sui Yu. The pig intestines, pig lungs, pig hearts, pig livers, and pork were all braised. After braising and then stewing, there was no bloody smell of fresh pork.
The pig intestines were soft and rotten, but the kid couldn't eat too much, so Sui Yu picked up two pieces for him and two pieces of pig blood and put them in the bowl for him to eat.
Zhao Xiping fed his son a piece of fish belly meat and said, "Chew slowly. Are your eyes tired? Don't stare at the basin. Look at your own bowl."
"It's Chinese New Year, why are you scolding him? You're making him unhappy." Zhao's mother scolded the third child, "You don't scold children during Chinese New Year. He's only two years old, what does he know?"
"I didn't scold him." Zhao Xiping took a piece of bread, handed it to Sui Yu, and asked, "Do you want to eat it? It's getting cold."
"No, there's no point in eating bread with so many dishes." Sui Yu scooped a spoonful of mutton into the bowl and only gave a piece to the kid.
They all had big appetites. Except for a few tables of people drinking, everyone else was busy eating. They ate like they were snatching food away. It took less than an incense stick of time from the time the dishes were served to the time they were finished.
The dish bowls were put away, the tables and chairs were moved to the sides, and Zhang Shun led his men to carry in five sheep. There would also be roasted lamb and pork chops in the evening.
"Shopkeeper Yu, is this also included in the meal cost?" someone asked.
"Yes, I bought eight sheep, stewed three, and roasted these five tonight."
"I thought it was just that meal, Shopkeeper Yu, you're so generous. I'll stay at your place next time I come."
Sui Yu smiled, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Everyone, I have a favor to ask of you. As you can see, there aren't many repertoires in the teahouse, and I don't have many people available here. You've traveled a lot and have seen a lot. If you come across any artists in need in the future, you can bring them to me. Singers, pipa players, acrobats, etc. As long as they're not too expensive, I'll buy them out."
She had her sights set on the many merchants, otherwise if she wanted to get some skilled workers at a bargain price, Sui Yu could only take her chances, and she didn't know how long it would take.
"Next time you go out of the border, I will bring you a singing girl." said a merchant with Han Chinese appearance.
"There is a blind old man who is a ventriloquist in our village. I will go back and ask him if he is willing to come over." said a merchant at another table.
"That's great. Next time you come, I won't charge you for accommodation." Sui Yu agreed with a smile.
The Hu merchant who brought Hu Ji drank some wine and was a little drunk. Seeing that the atmosphere was good, he asked Hu Ji to go on stage to perform a dance.
There was music and dancing, meat and wine. All the merchants present were very happy. They clapped their hands and stared at the beauties dancing on the stage. They were very happy.
Zhao Xiping carried the baby out. Sui Yu arranged for Zhang Shun and Qingshan to watch inside, and she followed them out.
Zhao Xiping loved quiet, and since it was too cold outside, the family of three had no choice but to go inside. But Zhao Xiaozai had eaten too much and kept burping, so Sui Yu put another thick coat on him and took him outside for a walk to digest his food.
"Let's build a snowman." Sui Yu suddenly became interested.
"Your son was beaten for playing in the snow this afternoon, and you want to play again?" Zhao Xiping stood still.
"Adults don't get beaten for playing in the snow, but children do." Sui Yu was unreasonable. She went into the house and took out the leather gloves she had made for Zhao Xiping. There were three pairs in total, new and old, just enough for the family of three.
The snow in front of the house had been cleared, but there was still snow by the river. The wind was too strong, so Zhao Xiping shoveled the snow towards the door one shovel at a time, while Sui Yu squatted on the ground with the cub and rolled snowballs.
By the time the mutton was cooked, four snowmen had taken shape, three big and one small, standing neatly by the wall.
"This is me, this is mom, this is dad, and this is uncle." The little boy had his face wrapped in soft cloth and his mouth was covered, so he spoke in a muffled voice. He was very happy looking at the four snowmen of different heights.
"We will build four every year from now on," said Zhao Xiping.
"It could also be five, or six." Sui Yu pounced on him and laughed.
Zhao Xiping cleared his throat and said, "How about I pile up two more? I'd better pile up two more."
"No rush." Sui Yu pulled him, "It's not too late to pile it up after they arrive."
"Who?" asked the kid.
No one paid any attention to him, and he didn't care. He wrapped himself in big gloves and grabbed a handful of snow, throwing it up and shouting, "It's snowing—"
The snowmen stood outside the courtyard wall for a month. When they began to melt, it was not long before Sui Yu would leave.
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