Chapter 79 Sui Wen'an's Departure
As soon as Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping returned, accountant He came with He Qing, who was half covered in blood, and a gift to apologize. It happened to be dinner time, and half of the people in the alley heard the noise and came out to watch.
"Were the injuries on his body caused by the captain?" someone asked.
"Of course, the captain is always fair."
"A foolish son has a sensible father."
"Let me see. The gift is not light. There is food, meat and cloth. It is worth it."
"It didn't cause any big trouble..."
He achieved his purpose in coming here: first, to apologize, second, to show it to those who knew about it, and third, to use his son's injuries to prove that the captain was a fair man. As long as the captain's anger subsided, the matter would be over.
After the He family father and son left, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping went out to see them off. At this time, she was very glad that she did not make the matter a big deal.
After seeing the neighbors off, Sui Yu closed the door and went into the kitchen to cook. Zhao Xiping sat in front of the stove and helped light the fire.
Brother Zhao stood in the yard and took a look. He shook his head and walked to the pigpen without saying a word to look at the pig. He bought this pig with his mother. It was quite big and could be sold in more than a month.
As it got dark, the rich aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen. The chicken soup was stewed into a golden color, and the soaked dried vegetables were thrown in. They quickly softened under the heat.
"Dinner can only be eaten in the kitchen." Sui Yu said.
"We're not strangers, so just eat in the kitchen. It's warm." Zhao Xiping shouted outside, "Brother, it's time to eat."
"Okay." Brother Zhao Er responded. He walked into the kitchen and said, "The pigs are doing well. Should I buy another one next year?"
"I'm not buying it. I'm going to keep it and sell it as a piglet next year." Sui Yu adjusted the wick, and the light from the oil lamp became much brighter. She moved the oil lamp to another position and said, "Second brother, go back and ask mother and the sisters-in-law if they want to raise piglets. When Xiao Hei gives birth next year, I'll have Xiping send one back to you."
"Okay, let's try raising another one."
"You have to pay." said Zhao Xiping.
Sui Yu kicked him and said, "Don't pay attention to him, second brother. I raise the pigs. I have the final say. I don't want any money."
"Trade a pig to your mother for your son?" Brother Zhao joked.
"If mother is willing to exchange, I can give her both the piglets and the sow." Sui Yu glanced at the man and said, "Zhao Xiping is worth the price."
"Thank you for your kindness." Zhao Xiping said sarcastically.
Sui Yu laughed, and the pot began to gurgle again. She lifted the lid and stirred it with a spatula, blowing away the white hot steam. She picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it. It was delicious.
Sui Yu shoveled the chicken stewed with dried vegetables into the wooden basin, added two ladles of water to the pot, and said, "Eat it. Eat the chicken first. After you finish the vegetables, we'll make the dumpling soup."
The Zhao Xiping brothers had been on the road for seven or eight days, eating one meal a day and then going hungry. Their mouths watered as soon as they smelled the aroma of meat. The brothers had good teeth and could chew the chicken bones into pieces when they spat them out.
Four people shared half a pot of chicken stewed with dried vegetables and ate it all, including the soup. There was not much left in the dumpling soup that was cooked later.
"I'll stew another rabbit tomorrow," Sui Yu said. "Do you still want to eat steamed buns or flatbread? I forgot to make soup noodles. I'll make it for you tomorrow morning."
Zhao Xiping breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved to be back.
At night, Zhao Erge and Sui Liang slept next door. When there was no more noise from the other side, Sui Yu held up the oil lamp and lifted Zhao Xiping's collar. The bumpy ride had left the wound on his chest unable to properly heal; half of it had scabbed over, while the other half still had bright red flesh visible.
Sui Yu quickly closed her eyes. Her scalp was tingling from watching this. The injury was not on her body, but her chest also hurt.
"It hurts." she murmured.
"It hurts a lot." Zhao Xiping uncorked the bottle and sprinkled medicine on the wound, saying, "I almost didn't make it back."
Sui Yu hugged her knees and watched his movements silently.
Zhao Xiping raised his eyelids to look at her, and said with some disappointment: "You didn't cry?"
"My tears have dried up."
"I don't believe it."
Sui Yu glared at him and said frankly, "Compared to being buried in the ground, your return is already a happy event. Why am I crying? Or do you want to see me cry?"
The man curled his lips into a smile.
"You're such a bitch." Sui Yu sat down cross-legged and said, "Wait for me to think it over."
Zhao Xiping took the oil lamp and placed it on the wooden box. He leaned against the wall with his chest bare, staring at her with interest.
Thinking of the difficult and hopeless road to escape, Sui Yu burst into tears. She sat in the light, looking at the much thinner man with sadness in her eyes, tears dripping down her chin and falling on the dark mattress.
The smile on Zhao Xiping's face slowly faded. He stretched out his hand to catch the falling tears, clenched his fingers, and the warm and wet feeling in his palm turned cold, and another tear fell on the back of his hand.
"It's salty." He licked it.
Sui Yu looked at his lips and tongue and forgot to cry.
Zhao Xiping hooked his hand around the back of her head, leaned over and kissed away the tears on her cheeks bit by bit, and whispered, "Your tears are not to be trusted. They come out of nowhere, and they are all fake."
"If it's salty, it's real." Sui Yu tilted her head and kissed his ear, murmuring, "Thank you for coming back alive."
One word is worth thousands of tears, and the man is satisfied.
There was someone sleeping next door, so Zhao Xiping didn't dare to do anything. In addition, he was weak and a little listless. The two of them held hands and lay down side by side, and soon fell asleep.
After a night, when the rooster crowed three times, Sui Yu got up to make breakfast. Sui Liang also woke up when he heard the noise. He dressed and went out, first opening the gate to let the chickens out. Once the chickens were out, he began to water and sweep the yard.
The pigs in the pen grunted, the two sheep bleated, and the camel walked back and forth with a tap-tapping sound.
Brother Zhao stood under the eaves and looked at the dark blue sky. He suddenly felt that the third brother was living a very happy life and did not need anyone to interfere.
After the noodles were cut, Sui Yu took a basket and went to the vegetable garden to pick radish seedlings. Zhao Xiping wanted to go with her.
After returning from the vegetable garden, he said bluntly: "Second brother, my vegetable garden is dry. After dinner, go and help me fetch water to water the garden."
"OK."
After eating clear soup noodles and a poached egg for each person, Sui Yu took the dried rabbit and soaked it in water, then went to the vegetable garden to pull weeds for an hour, and then came back to prepare lunch.
For five consecutive days, the Zhao family smelled the aroma of meat every day. Zhao Xiping ate well every meal and was in a good mood. Under Sui Yu's careful care, the wound on his chest showed signs of growing tender flesh.
"Well, I plan to go back tomorrow." said Brother Zhao.
"Why so sudden? Second brother, please stay a few more days. It's winter now and you will have nothing to do if you go back." Sui Yu kept the guest.
Zhao Erge waved his hand and said, "It's getting cold. According to previous years, it will snow soon this year. I have to go back before it snows. Besides, the camel is borrowed. If it takes so long, the owner will be unhappy."
"Then stay one more day. I'll make the dough tonight and steam some buns tomorrow. You can take them with you and eat them on the way." Sui Yu said.
"That's fine." Brother Zhao nodded hesitantly. He was still craving the food made by Sui Yu.
Since he wanted to steam buns, Sui Yu simply made more dough at one time and steamed two more pots so that his family could eat them for a few days.
The autumn radishes were still small, but the leeks were growing lushly. Sui Yu cut a basket of leeks and came back. With so many people around, it took less than half a day to pick and wash the whole basket of leeks.
Cut the leeks, fry the eggs, mix the raw leeks and cooked eggs with the raw minced meat, and Sui Yu skillfully knead the bread filling.
Zhao Xiping washed his hands and came over to help. Although he had difficulty doing big movements, he had no problem making dumplings.
Brother Zhao leaned in to take a look, but when Sui Yu looked over, he shrank back embarrassedly.
It took most of the day to cook three pots of steamed buns. When they were ready, four people ate up the whole pot on the same day. Sui Yu thought that it was a good thing that there were few people in the family, otherwise cooking would be exhausting.
When Zhao Erge left, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping went out to see him off. When they reached the East City Gate, he stopped and said, "That's enough, no need to see him off. You can go back now."
Sui Yu stared at him. Seeing him stepping on the stirrups and sitting between the camel's humps, she looked up and asked, "Second brother, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Zhao Erge glanced at Lao San and said with a smile: "I will go back with Lao San during the New Year."
"Ignore him, he has no say in the matter." Zhao Xiping dismantled the stage.
"What's the big deal about whether you make the decision or not? You don't listen to anyone." Brother Zhao shook his head and said, "You guys live your life well. I'm going home."
The camel pulled the wooden cart out of the city gate. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping turned around and walked back. She turned her head and said, "I thought my second brother came with orders from my parents."
"You think too much. My parents are not unreasonable people." Zhao Xiping felt guilty after saying this. He cleared his throat to hide his discomfort.
"It's probably you who persuaded my second brother." Sui Yu knew it.
"You're quite clever now." Zhao Xiping tugged at her braid and snorted, "How can you not tell fake news?"
"I'm too worried and worried about you."
The man was secretly happy, but looked disdainful.
The guests had left and there was not much meat left at home. Sui Yu picked up hunting again and left Sui Liang at home to keep an eye on Zhao Xiping. She took the camel out alone to wander around the fields, or to the wasteland north of the city to hunt rabbits and field mice. She urgently needed to make a fur coat and knuckles for herself and Sui Liang before the snow fell.
As November approaches, the air becomes increasingly dry and cold. When the cold wind blows, my whole body becomes completely chilled.
Sui Yu hunched her neck and tiptoed to search in the withered grass. There was movement behind the mound in front of her. She moved quietly and went around it. A person with a bruised face and nose came into her sight. She was stunned.
Sui Wen'an hadn't expected to run into her. He wiped the blood from his nose and said, "You've gone too far. It's not safe here."
Sui Yu nodded, looked at him again, turned around and left with her bow and arrow.
Sui Wen'an smiled bitterly and looked towards the northwest. He had had enough of this kind of self-abuse. It was time to make a decision.
…
On November 27th, it was snowing heavily. Sui Hui, who had been bedridden for more than seven months to protect the fetus, gave birth to a thin baby boy at dawn after a night of suffering.
The eldest lady came to visit after breakfast and saw that the child's nails had not grown fully, his belly was not even as big as her palm, his breathing was weak, and his crying sounded like a kitten. It was obvious that the baby was going to die prematurely, so she gave up the idea of taking him away to raise him.
Sui Hui lay silently on the bed listening to the noises outside. The eldest lady came and left, the old lady came, sighed and left, and even the doctor came, shook his head and sighed, saying that he could not feel the child's pulse.
On the day of the third day of the baby's birth, Sui Wen'an arrived. He hung a small silver locket, the size of a fingertip, around the child's neck and comforted his sister, saying, "I heard from the elders in the village that this child is a lifesaver. He looks weak, but you should take good care of him and he will grow up."
"I also think he can grow up." Sui Hui's eyes were full of anticipation.
Sui Wen'an looked at the kitten-like child. He hoped very much that the child could survive. Only when his sister had new hope could he leave with peace of mind.
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