Chapter 154: Menstruation Delayed
After entering the city, Sui Yu went straight back to the Qianhu Residence. She went inside, took out a menstrual belt from a wooden box, and went to the toilet. From the initial discomfort, she had now accepted it. When she was broke, she used to fill the menstrual belt with grass ash, which was heavy and uncomfortable. Later, she replaced it with steamed and dried reed fluff, which made it much easier to get up, lie down, and walk.
While making a fire and cooking, Sui Yu couldn't help but sigh at people's strong ability to adapt.
The sauerkraut and egg dumpling soup had just been cooked when Song Xian came over to send the money. She gave Sui Yu four hundred coins for renting out eight camels.
"Haven't you eaten yet? Let's have a bowl of dumpling soup at my house?" Sui Yu said casually, "I'm alone, so cooking is simple."
"Is there extra?" Song Xian followed her into the kitchen.
Sui Yu served her a bowl, and the two of them moved a chair and sat in the yard, eating while basking in the sun.
"How do you plan to deal with Lao Wan?" Sui Yu asked.
"Just tell me the truth. Although I'm taking a share of their profits, it doesn't affect their ability to make money. When he has camels, merchants won't choose to buy my camels. So, although he's wary of me, he won't try to suppress me." Song Xian wiped her mouth and said, "You know I'm like a rat hiding in a crack. I can only do business with a low profile. In this situation, I can only befriend these big merchants."
"Besides Lao Wan and his crew, who else are there in the city?" Sui Yu asked.
"The big vendors are the He family, the Wan family, and the Duan family, and there are many small vendors."
The situation was similar to what Sui Yu knew. The He, Wan and Duan families had gathered all the merchants who stayed with her. If it had not been the camel-harnessing season, it would have been impossible for Song Xian to rent out dozens of camels.
After dinner, Song Xian left the Qianhu Office. Sui Yu cleaned up the stove and went back inside to count the accounts. She had earned over 3,700 coins from Song Xian. This was a zero-cost business, pure profit. For the past two weeks, the income from the guesthouse's food and lodging, as well as the dry food taken away by the merchants, totaled over 3,600 coins, with a profit of about 2,000 coins. From this, she selected 270 coins for tax and stored them in a separate box. No matter how tight her finances were, she couldn't touch this portion of money.
After counting the accounts and money, Sui Yu felt a little sleepy. She boiled some water, washed her face and soaked her feet, then went to bed for a nap.
When Zhao Xiping came back, he found the door bolted from the inside. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He simply stepped on the camel, climbed over the wall, and jumped off the roof.
The house was quiet, and there was a puddle of water in the yard. He approached the main room and peeked through the crack in the door, and saw the bulge under the mattress.
"Sleeping so soundly?" Zhao Xiping muttered. He went to the toilet to pee without disturbing Sui Yu, and climbed over the wall on a chair to go out.
When the sky was filled with red clouds, Sui Yu woke up. She was startled when she saw the sky clearly. She hurriedly put on her clothes and shoes and went out without noticing the extra chair against the wall.
The guesthouse was bustling with activity. Merchants selling food and fodder were transporting them, four or five barbers were soliciting for business, and there were also farmers' wives carrying chickens and ducks to sell, and there were also many errand boys waiting there.
All six guesthouses were occupied, and there were an unusually large number of people coming in and out.
Sui Yu seemed to see a familiar face. She pushed through the crowd and walked over. It turned out to be her old boss in Minxiang.
"Shopkeeper Yu." The bald old man said in a gloomy voice.
"You're welcome." Sui Yu lowered his eyes and smiled, saying, "According to my calculations, not all the caravans in Dunhuang City are staying at my place. Why are you coming here instead of entertaining the merchants at home?"
"I'm just bored." The old bald man looked out at the wilderness in the distance and said, "What do you think about us buying a piece of land south of you and building a guesthouse?"
Sui Yu's smile faded, and her voice grew colder. She forced a fake smile and said, "Then you've lost your last bit of advantage. Merchants who choose to live in Minxiang all do so for the convenience of the location."
"Won't you be affected?" The bald old man turned around.
"Uncle, you have to believe that the merchants who choose to stay here don't come just because of the good conditions of the guesthouse, and I don't just rely on accommodation to make money." Sui Yu looked at these people and asked sincerely: "Isn't the purpose of business to make money? Instead, you plan to bankrupt me to fight with me? Not to mention that you can't outlast me, even if you do, do you think there won't be someone else to replace me? What good will it do to you?"
The old bald man gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "If you hadn't come up with this thing, would our business have been affected? If this continues, the money we make this year won't be even half of what we made last year."
"You're too old-fashioned." Sui Yu shook his head. "If it weren't for our past friendship, I wouldn't be telling you this. Money has always been earned by those with the ability. According to you, your house shouldn't be rented out, and you shouldn't even have merchants. Everyone should just farm honestly and not try to make money from anyone else."
"Can you give us some advice?" Aunt Erhua's husband asked, "I see the ditch dug on the ground. Are you planning to build another house?"
Sui Yu nodded.
The old bald man was so angry that he wanted to beat someone up. He shouted, "Are you planning to take away all our business?"
"I can build four more rooms here at most. Ten rooms will accommodate up to 600 people." Sui Yu explained, "Now that my place has become famous, merchants from other places will rush over to stay overnight. If you plan your place well, most of your regular customers will choose to stay in Minxiang."
"How can we improve it?" Aunt Erhua's husband asked directly. He now understood that asking Sui Yu to stop building houses was impossible. Only if they learned from her could they retain customers. The problem was that they were in a mess and didn't know where to start.
Sui Yu smiled and said, "You hate me so much that your teeth itch. Who knows how you curse me behind my back, and you still want me to give you advice? Am I stupid or crazy?"
"Then we will come next to you to buy land and build houses to steal your business." The bald old man threatened her.
Erhua's husband made an impatient "tsk" sound. He suppressed the old bald man's words and said, "With Captain Zhao by our side, we can't do anything to you. We can only watch anxiously and angrily. We don't do evil, so you can't do anything to us. You can only watch us cause trouble for you. This kind of mutual hostility is not good for anyone. Why don't you give me a suggestion to prevent the business in Minxiang from declining day by day, and we won't come here to bother you in the future."
Sui Yu pointed to his guesthouse and said, "Follow the tiger and draw the cat. You have what I have. Even if you are not as good as me, you have a convenient location and will not become worse day by day."
Aunt Erhua's husband sighed and said, "That's what he said, but there are so many people here and they have complicated minds. They are all old neighbors who are competing with each other for business. No one wants to obey anyone else and no one wants to listen to orders."
"But you have to accept the fact that you will not make as much money as before in the future," said Sui Yu.
"Accept it, of course. We're just angry." Someone else snorted coldly, his words stinging, "Forget it, let it be. At least it can support the family."
Sui Yu looked at him critically. With so much disunity, Minxiang was unlikely to see significant change. Unless someone stepped up and made a major move, showing others the benefits of renovations and changes, they'd be compelled to follow suit. Alternatively, if business in Minxiang continued to decline, someone would eventually rent the alley long-term, make drastic improvements, and then use it to attract more merchants. The thought tempted Sui Yu, but he felt it was too much trouble. He'd be better off buying land and building guesthouses in other cities.
"It's getting dark. Would you like to come in for dinner? I'll treat you all." Sui Yu asked.
With the idea that it would be a waste if they didn't eat it, Lao Tu and his group of six walked into the western kitchen.
"Third sister-in-law, where have you been all day?" Zhao Xiaomi jumped out.
"I'll tell you about your in-laws."
Zhao Xiaomi choked, looking a little uncomfortable.
Sui Yu laughed twice and asked, "Is braised pork on the menu today? Give Uncle and the others a bowl of braised pork soup noodles each."
Zhao Xiaomi agreed and walked into the kitchen.
Most of the food was ready in the kitchen. When merchants came in to buy food, Yin Po and others served the dishes and food. Sui Liang, A Shui and the female helpers gathered here. When the food was served on the table, they went over to collect the money.
Sui Yu took a look around and then went out. She walked around the guesthouse, reminding the merchants to remember to lock the door and telling the small vendors from outside not to enter the guesthouse rashly.
When it was completely dark, Zhao Xiping came back on his camel. Seeing Sui Yu standing outside the livestock pen, he asked, "Are you looking at the camels again?"
"Well, these two camels are about to give birth." Sui Yu walked to the pigpen and said, "It's spring now, Xiao Hei will be able to have another litter of cubs."
Sui Yu felt his leg being rubbed, and he turned around. It was the dog wagging its tail towards him. The puppy had grown into a big dog after being raised for half a year. It had enough food every day, and its black fur was smooth and shiny.
"Why didn't you tie it up?" Zhao Xiping pulled the leash around the dog's neck and led it into the pen, saying, "There are a lot of people in the guesthouse. Don't run around. Someone might steal your dog and eat it."
“Woof——”
Zhao Xiping patted the dog's head and held Sui Yu's hand, "Let's go, let's go eat too."
…
At night, Sui Yu returned to the Qianhu Office and went to the toilet with an oil lamp. The menstrual belt she had was clean, so she changed into a new one. When she came out, she saw Zhao Xiping carrying a chair and asked casually, "What are you doing?"
"You didn't know I climbed over the wall this afternoon, did you?" Zhao Xiping held her back and said, "You didn't sleep late last night, so why are you still so sleepy? You slept very soundly."
Sui Yu suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Xiping turned around.
Sui Yu shook her head. She planned to wait a few more days to see the situation.
The next morning, when Sui Yu woke up, the first thing she did was to check her menstrual belt. It was still clean. She was surprised, happy, and worried, afraid that it was all in vain.
"Third sister-in-law, it's time to go." Zhao Xiaomi knocked on the door.
"You and Liang Ge'er go first, I just got up." Sui Yu decided not to run with them for the time being.
"Why did you get up so late this morning? Oh, you're on your period?" Zhao Xiaomi realized, "Then you should rest at home. Sui Liang and I will go to the guesthouse to watch over you."
Hearing the footsteps, Sui Yu slowly opened the door. After packing up, she went out briskly, first went to the street to buy five pounds of pork, and then bought a small jar of wine, carrying them together and walking towards the north of the city.
When they met a caravan leaving on the road, they said hello and continued on their way.
The sun was already high in the sky when Sui Yu walked into the west kitchen and handed the meat and wine to Yin Po. She took two buns and sat outside to eat.
Not long after, Song Xian came over first. Sui Yu said a few words to her and went into the kitchen to prepare the pork. In order to make Lao Wan satisfied with the meal, she planned to steam some pork with dried vegetables, cook a bowl of meatball soup, and stir-fry the remaining meat with radishes.
When the aroma of steamed meat wafted out of the kitchen, Lao Wan came over. He came here not only to have dinner with Song Xian, but also to discuss business with customers.
At noon, merchants followed the smell into the western kitchen, and from time to time someone would ask, "Did you stew meat today? What did you use? It smells so good. How much is it?"
Grandma Yin came out with a large plate of braised pork with dried vegetables. Sui Yu followed behind with an apron on her arm, saying, "We only steamed one portion of braised pork today. It was ordered by Master Wan. If anyone wants some, please tell me after dinner. I'll go to the city to buy some meat this afternoon."
The braised pork with dried vegetables was served on the table. Lao Wan also came in. He gestured for Song Xian to sit over and asked, "Where's the wine?"
Sui Yu offered some wine and said, "You two should enjoy your meal and talk, I won't disturb you."
She didn't know what happened after that, but Lao Wan didn't look unhappy when he left. He paid the bill quickly and said, "Pick me a table in two days. I want the same three dishes as today. You can decide what else to add."
Sui Yu responded crisply.
"Master Wan, is the braised pork belly delicious?" a customer asked. Without waiting for Master Wan's reply, he said, "Shopkeeper Yu, I'll order three plates of braised pork belly tonight."
"Give me two plates." Someone else said, "How much is one plate?"
"Twenty coins," Sui Yu replied. "Anyone else want to order any dishes? Besides braised pork with dried vegetables, there's also meatball soup. I can also make steamed chicken."
"Give me some steamed chicken."
"Five plates of braised pork belly and a bowl of meatball soup."
Sui Yu wrote down everything, and after lunch, she asked Zhao Xiaomi to run errands to buy meat and chicken.
"Sister, I'm going to water the trees. Do you want to come with me?" Sui Liang asked.
Sui Yu waved her hands. She felt sleepy again. She found a clean guest room to sleep in and asked A Shui to wake her up when the sun set.
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