Chapter 162 Buying a Private Slave
In September, it was the busy time for the autumn harvest. In order to finish their farm work as quickly as possible and return to the guesthouse to work to get the reward, the two brothers Gan Da and Gan Er told Zhao Xiping about it, rolled up their bedding and slept in the fields. They would sleep when they were tired, and continue to harvest wheat when they woke up, without stopping day and night.
Every day before mealtime, Grandma Yin rushed to the fields to deliver food. Seeing her two sons working tirelessly, she said with heartache, "Money is not as important as life. We have food, drink, shelter and clothes in the master's house. The private money we save is not of much use. Don't let money make you lose your mind."
Gan Da then explained, "I've heard the shopkeeper's wife mention using money to redeem slaves before. It must be true, otherwise she wouldn't have known about it. My second brother and I want to save more money. If we have the chance in the future, we'll use it to redeem slaves and become good citizens."
Yin Po choked up, and after returning home she asked Sui Yu how much it would cost to redeem her slave status.
"There may not be such a decree yet. I'm not sure." Sui Yu looked at her inquiringly and asked, "Do you want to redeem your slavery?"
Grandma Yin rubbed her hands and said, "We were once good citizens and don't want to be slaves for generations. It's good to have a hope. Madam, do you think that in twenty or thirty years, the court will allow us to redeem our slavery with money?"
Sui Yu nodded affirmatively. Today's slaves are more like slaves. With the change of dynasties, the attributes of slaves will definitely gradually weaken.
"That's all I need." Grandma Yin's eyes lit up. She smiled at Sui Yu a little embarrassedly and said, "Let's work harder and save more money."
This was the first time the master and servant mentioned money. Sui Yu opened her mouth to talk about wages, but thinking about her subsequent plans, she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
"By the way, when you go to deliver food tonight, tell Gan Da and Gan Er to harvest the wheat and dry it in the fields first. Then bundle it. Don't rush to transport it to the grain field. I'll borrow a group of camels from Mr. Song and we can transport the wheat bundles in one trip." Sui Yu instructed, adding, "There's no need to transport the grain. It will save a lot of time."
Grandma Yin nodded in agreement, and seeing that Sui Yu had nothing else to say, she went into the house to get busy.
It took five days to harvest the ten acres of wheat, and then millet. When the twenty acres of crops were almost harvested, Zhao Xiping took a day off. He went to Song Xian to get fifty camels, and added his own eight big camels. They transported the wheat bundles from the ten acres in one trip. In less than a day, all the wheat, millet and sorghum planted in the twenty acres were transported to the granary.
Official slaves were driving oxen to crush wheat in the grain field. Zhao Xiping found the grain official and had a few words with him. After explaining his identity, he effortlessly transported a hundred bundles of wheat straw on a camel.
Taking advantage of the night, Zhao Xiping brought his servants and helpers to unload the wheat bundles carried by the camels and piled them on the ground. That night, they gave the camels, which had worked hard all day, a snack and sent them back to the desert early the next morning.
The narrow river was blocked with wooden beams, and a hundred sheaves of wheat were thrown into the river. Gan Da and Gan Er were harvesting soybeans in Sui Liang's field, so Zhao Xiping had to do the work of washing the wheat straw. He walked into the river in his trousers, first untied the ropes that bound the wheat straw, and then used a long pole to push the straw into the water.
The flowing river water carried away the floating dust, insects, ants and grass debris on the wheat straw. The scattered wheat straw accumulated in a thick layer on the riverbed. Zhao Xiping walked in it with difficulty, constantly dipping the wheat straw into the water and then pushing away the grass debris floating on the water.
Sui Yu stood under a tree, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. When a merchant approached, she pointed upstream and said, "If you want to take a bath, go upstream, or come back later."
"What are they for?" the merchant found a rock to sit on and said, "In two years these trees will grow up and the riverside will be cool and shady."
The trees planted by the river were dug from the mountains in early spring. The soil on the mountains was poor and the saplings grew weak. After being transplanted here, they were fertilized with manure, which enriched the soil and made the trees more vigorous.
"What are you washing the wheat straw for?" the merchant asked again.
"Wash away the insects, ants and grass residue, then pick it up and spread it on the table to dry. After it's dry, replace the hay on the mud couch." Sui Yu explained.
"So meticulous?" the merchant was surprised. "I don't even change the hay on my bed that often."
"You guys who make a lot of money still sleep on straw mats?" Sui Yu asked with a smile.
"The straw mat is comfortable to sleep on, soft and warm. It's a good thing," the merchant explained.
Sui Yu took the opportunity to inquire: "You have seen a kind of white flower outside the Great Wall. When it is not in bloom, it is green, like an unripe peach. After it blooms, it is soft white, like reed catkins."
After hearing her description, the merchant speculated, "Can it be used for heating?"
Sui Yu nodded, "Have you seen it?"
"No." The merchant shook his head. "What kind of flower is that? Where have you seen it?"
"I've seen this description on bamboo slips before, but the record isn't very detailed, and I don't know what kind of flower it is. I only know it grows outside the Great Wall, but I don't know where it grows." Sui Yu explained, adding, "Please keep an eye out for it for me. If you do find this flower, bring some back to me. I won't charge you for room and food if you stay at my guesthouse again."
The merchant laughed and said, "Okay, this deal is done."
"You also take on missions when you go out to do business, right? For example, helping someone find something or someone." Sui Yu asked.
"Yes, we'll take it if someone pays." The merchant took off his shoes and walked into the water, saying, "Captain Zhao, I'm here to help you. Please stop glaring at me. Your wife is beautiful, but I don't have any feelings for her."
Zhao Xiping was a little embarrassed. He explained guiltily, "You misunderstood. I was listening to what you were saying."
The merchant smiled but didn't say whether he believed it or not.
After washing the wheat straw for a whole day, in the evening when the merchants had finished their meal, the servants and helpers moved out the dining table and benches. The men went down to the river to fetch the wheat straw, and spread the wet straw on the dining table and benches to drain the water.
The merchants who had their meals in the western kitchen these past two days had to make do with the dining tables and benches being used to turn and dry wheat straw, so everyone had to stand or squat to eat.
After the wheat straw was dried, the hay that was spread on the mud bed last year was pulled off one after another and used as firewood, and clean wheat straw was spread on the mud bed.
Autumn was coming to an end. Gan Da and Gan Er had harvested the crops for their master's family and pulled back all the soybean stalks in the field. Just when they had time to go to the guest house to work, it started to rain.
The government issued an urgent order, and all the slaves who were clearing wasteland and digging canals everywhere went to the fields to harvest the crops. Zhao Xiping also became busy. He took the officers and soldiers who had nothing to do to work in the fields, and Gan Da and Gan Er were also taken away by him.
The merchants on the road urged their camels into the city, and the hurried caravans had to stop. The camel caravans that walked out of the city gate considered for a while and decided to continue returning east.
However, just three days later, the caravan that left Dunhuang returned again because the temperature dropped sharply after the rain, and even snow fell without any warning.
"It got cold early this year! It's snowing before October," the merchant complained as he sipped his hot noodle soup. "Look at this awful weather. I don't dare go east this year. The snow is so thick on the mountains. What if it snows for a few days and then clears up for a few days? Then the snow melts and turns into ice. People and camels will fall to their deaths if they try to walk on it."
The others nodded when they heard this, and they also thought about changing their itinerary.
"It's a good thing you built a big guesthouse here, otherwise there would be no place for so many of us to stay," someone said.
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Not only here, but the houses over in Minxiang have also been renovated and can accommodate quite a few people."
"If you guys do a good job here, we'd all like to stay in Dunhuang."
"This year we slaughtered the New Year pig, and everyone gathered together to have a great time during the Lunar New Year," Sui Yu said. "Last year we also roasted a lamb, and there were bodyguards fighting and wrestling each other, which was quite lively."
"When will the baby in your belly be born?" someone asked.
"Before the Lunar New Year, maybe in the twelfth lunar month."
"Then we'll have fun, and you can only watch with envy."
Sui Yu smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he saw four or five ragged men flash by the door. The man holding the whip turned back when he heard the voices. He was wearing a black sheepskin and asked through the door, "Is this the North City Guesthouse?"
"Yes." Sui Liang put down the wooden board he was practicing calligraphy on and walked out, saying, "Sister, I'll go and greet them. Don't come out. It's snowing outside."
But within a moment, he walked in again, full of trepidation, and said, "Sister, these are people who sold slaves. Can we let them live here?"
Sui Yu, supported by Yin Po, walked out cautiously. What she saw was a group of emaciated slaves, while the slave trader looked wealthy. Her gaze shifted to the trembling slaves, and she recalled her past experiences.
"Has it been registered with the government?" Sui Yu asked.
"They've been registered. My slaves aren't stolen," the slave trader explained. "Can they live here? Just give me a straight answer. If not, we'll find another place."
"Yes." Sui Yu asked Sui Liang to lead them to the last guesthouse, saying, "There are twelve guest rooms and twelve barns in the first guesthouse. The guest rooms, barns, and livestock pens are all included. Each room costs one hundred coins per night."
"Rent a yard." The slave trader had plenty of money. He simply paid half a month's rent, took away the copper lock and key, and drove the slaves into the house.
Zhao Xiping came back and saw this scene. He jumped off his camel and asked, "What's going on?"
"The slave traders came from nowhere, bringing a group of private slaves with them. They said they had already been registered with the government." Sui Yu turned his gaze away and asked, "Have you harvested the crops in the fields?"
"We've finished harvesting. We've rushed to get everything back." Zhao Xiping helped her into the house and said, "Eat something here. We'll go back when the snow stops. Don't come over for the next few days."
"OK."
Sui Yu rested at home for seven days, waiting for the snow to stop and the sky to clear up. She then went back to the guesthouse. On the way, she encountered a group of slaves being driven by slave traders. Sui Yu found that the slaves, who had previously been wearing thin clothes, were now wearing padded jackets and shoes. Their treatment was much better than when she was exiled.
"Are you leaving?" Sui Yu asked.
"No, there are several families in the city who want to buy private slaves. I will take people over and let the masters choose."
"How is it sold? What's the price?" Sui Yu became interested.
The slave trader heard this and said, "A male slave costs 2,000 coins, and a female slave costs 2,500 coins. What are your requirements? Do you want her to serve you or to farm?"
Sui Yu hesitated again. She looked at the private slave in front of her and was speechless for a moment.
"How about this? I'll discuss this with the shopkeeper when we get back." The slave trader glanced at the sky, not wanting to delay any longer. "It's okay if you don't like this batch. If you want to buy it, I can send it here for you."
"I need to discuss this with my man." Sui Yu revealed.
"Alright, we should discuss this. Buying a slave is a big expense." The slave trader shook the sheepskin over his shoulders. He glanced at the sun and continued walking towards the city, cursing, "What a horrible weather! If these families didn't have so many slaves to buy, I wouldn't have made this trip."
Sui Yu understood that these words were meant for her, and urged her to make a decision quickly.
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