Chapter 31 You Want Too Much
Sui Yu not only bought a bucket of flour, but also half a bucket of millet. She had been wanting to eat rice for a long time, so when she was cooking, she asked her husband to grind the millet.
Zhao Xiping didn't argue and went out obediently carrying the grain.
When he came back, the pickled cabbage dumpling soup was ready. Sui Yusheng handed it to him and asked, "Did you sell the fish?"
"Well, I sold it for two cents and threw it in the box."
Sui Yu picked up a pickled radish and ate it, then asked, "Are there any fish in the net?"
Zhao Xiping had forgotten about this incident and didn't go to the river when he came back from the fields. "I'll go check it out when I fetch water tonight."
"Will you pick me up tomorrow?" Sui Yu asked in a low voice, tilting his head.
Zhao Xiping wanted to say she was being too arrogant, but he swallowed a mouthful of the dumpling soup and the words on the tip of his tongue. He lowered his eyes and said calmly, "If you come back early, I'll pick you up. If you come back late, you can come back on your own."
Sui Yu was satisfied. She said, "Come back early tomorrow. If you spend a whole day in the fields, the cows will be tired too."
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything.
After dinner, he picked up his shoulder pole and a change of clothes and went out, locking the door from the outside again. This time he did not linger in the river and came back after a while.
Sui Yu was kneading dough when she heard the noise and popped her head in and said, "You go to sleep first. I'll come in once I'm done kneading this bowl of dough."
"good."
Sui Yu kneaded an extra bowl of noodles tonight. She washed her hands and went to bed only when the moon was at its highest point. Both people on the bed were asleep. She acted mischievously and deliberately walked to Zhao Xiping's side and stared at him. Seeing that he was not awake, she tiptoed around to the other side.
The three of them fell asleep due to exhaustion and slept soundly all night. When the sun rose, they felt refreshed again.
One went to the fields, the other herded camels. Two of them went out together, and then went their separate ways.
After the dough had risen, Sui Yu skillfully led the camel and the cat to set up the stall. Sui Liang walked in front, picking up the fallen branches from the trees and the cow dung scattered on both sides of the road.
"What are you doing?" the old woman in the alley was curious. "Why are there steamers? Are you moving?"
"No, I'm going to set up a stall at the West City Gate to sell buns." Sui Yu could no longer be vague.
"Can I make money?"
"To earn some food money." Sui Yu pointed at the cat and said, "I had nothing to do at home, so I was fooling around."
In the military settlement, where every household is connected, word spreads quickly. By evening, when Sui Yu returned with her camel, everyone in her lane knew she had set up a stall selling steamed buns.
"You really can't sit still. After finishing your work in the fields, you find new ways to make money. Your brain is smarter than those of us who only know how to dig for food in the fields." The old lady next door was a little jealous. Everyone said that the wife that Mr. Zhao married was not good in this or that way, but now it seems that she is not that bad.
Sui Yu laughed and said loudly, "If I'm not smart, I won't have enough to eat. If my family had 60 or 70 acres of land like yours, I could work there to make a living. But there's not enough land and too many mouths to feed. If I don't find a way to make some money, my family of three won't have enough to eat."
Hearing this, the sour atmosphere in the alley dissipated for the most part. A pregnant woman across the street asked, "Is business good? You're making money, so it seems you're well fed."
Sui Yu shook his head. "The northwest wind is strong at the west city gate. I've been bloated all afternoon. It's not very comfortable. You said my food was good, but the people who bought the buns weren't satisfied. If I could just dig in the fields for food, I really wouldn't want to suffer this."
The door opened, and Luotuo went in. Sui Yu said to the others, "You guys chat while I go in to cook. If Xiping comes back hungry and sees no smoke coming out of the chimney, I'll be in trouble again."
"Mr. Zhao has a bad temper, so you should go back to your room and get busy." The old lady next door felt a little sympathetic towards her. The two families lived close to each other, and she could often hear Zhao Xiping's loud and low voices of anger.
As the wooden door closed, the people in the alley chatted for a few words and went back home.
When night fell, Zhao Xiping came back with the cow covered in dust. From a distance he heard Qian's mother cursing in a shrill voice again. The harsh sound was unpleasant to the ears.
"I've been using this cauldron for three years and it's still working, and you've been cooking for two days and it's already burned to pieces?" Mother Qian was desperate. She slumped to the ground and pointed at Sui Ling, who was hanging her head. "Tell me, what can you do? What would you do? Did you put too much water in the cauldron?"
"I added water. I finally started the fire, but suddenly water leaked from the bottom of the pot." Sui Ling said guiltily.
The broken cauldron meant they couldn't eat tonight. The Qian family had been busy in the fields all day and were tired and hungry. They had no time to watch the show and started to blame Sui Ling for being useless.
"When I came back, I heard people say Sui Yu was selling buns at the West City Gate. We're from the same family, and he's already doing business, but you're having a hard time even cooking a meal." Qian Wei's sister-in-law pulled her mother-in-law and said, "She'll go to the fields tomorrow, and I'll cook at home."
"I won't get off the ground." Sui Ling looked at Qian Wei pitifully.
Qian Wei turned his head away. Last time he was able to beg for mercy, but this time he was too embarrassed to speak.
"Okay, you cook at home tomorrow and take the pot to the street to find someone to repair it." Qian's mother made the final decision.
The next morning, she pulled Sui Ling out of bed and dragged her to the field to chop sorghum.
Zhao Xiping met someone on the road, so he took his cow on a long detour to the field.
…
Sui Yu set up her stall again. As the weather was getting cold in October, there were a lot of merchants and travelers entering the city these days. The city gate was very busy. Street vendors selling food saw the business opportunity and more than ten of them came in at once. She had to come early every day to prevent her stall from being occupied.
The person who collected the stall fee came over, and Sui Liang skillfully handed him two copper coins.
"It's still two cents short. The price has gone up."
Sui Yu looked up at him and said, "Why did you raise the price for no reason? We are a small business, how much can we earn in a day?"
"Stop talking nonsense. If you don't want to, just give up the stall."
Sui Yu understood that someone might have taken a fancy to her stall. She nodded to Sui Liang, and Sui Liang took out two copper coins and handed them to her.
"What's going on?" Huang Ancheng saw that there seemed to be a dispute here, and he strode over.
"Brother Huang, you're here at the right time. I'd like to ask if there is any regulation regarding the stall fees at the city gate? It was only two cents half a month ago, and it increased by two cents today. Will it increase by two cents again the day after tomorrow?" Sui Yu hurriedly spoke up to prove to others that there was someone behind her.
"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding." The soldier who collected the money returned the four coins in his hand to Sui Liang. He smiled ingratiatingly at Huang Ancheng and said, "I didn't know you were a relative of Huang Chengguan. I'm sorry to bother you. From now on, my sister-in-law can set up her stall here in peace."
After saying that, he left in shame.
Sui Yu handed two buns to Huang Ancheng and said with a smile, "I am using the name of Huang Chengguan to show off my power today. I will treat you to some."
Huang Ancheng took it. The bun was still hot. He nodded and said, "If there are any more hooligans causing trouble, send your brothers to tell them."
Sui Yu agreed with all her heart, but when a customer came, she looked away to greet him. While picking up the buns, she glanced over and saw that Huang Ancheng had already left. Four coins were placed on the lid of the steamer.
"Did Huang Chengguan give it to you?" Sui Yu asked, leaning down.
Sui Liang nodded, waved his hand, put down the copper coins and left.
It happened that Zhao Xiping came to pick someone up in the evening. Sui Yu told him what happened at noon, "Go ask Brother Huang which day he is not on duty. We will invite him to our house for dinner."
Zhao Xiping nodded, dusted himself off, and went to Huang Ancheng to thank him when there were few people around, and asked him which day he was not on duty.
"It's just a small matter, just a few words. It won't waste any time. It's not worth thanking me for." Huang Ancheng refused the offer of a meal. He could only make a few dollars a day selling buns at the stall. Meat and wine were quite expensive. It would be a waste of a month's work to treat him to a meal.
Zhao Xiping was not good at arguing, and after Huang Anchengdu refused twice, he had no choice but to give up and went back to Sui Yu and said, "He has other things to do when he is not on duty. Let's talk about it when he is free."
"That's fine." Sui Yu sat on a tree stump and watched him busying himself. He had been busy for the past half month and his arms had been hurting every day.
"How many acres of land are left uncultivated?" she asked.
"The plowing is done, and the oxen have all gone back." Zhao Xiping stuffed the steamers and baskets into the basket, cleared away all the other odds and ends, and tossed the cat official onto the camel's back. He looked at the tree stump beneath her buttocks and asked, "Still sitting there? Aren't you going back?"
Sui Yu stood up and picked up the tree stump and carried it on his shoulder.
"I've noticed you've become more diligent. In the past, you'd be stubborn if I asked you to do some work." Sui Yu caught up with him and walked beside him, taking the time to say, "Sister-in-law, it's time to go home. It's getting dark."
The bun lady didn't say anything. She pointed at the steamer and the buns were not sold out yet.
"You stole someone else's business and still have the nerve to say hello?" Zhao Xiping sometimes admired her ability to play deaf and blind.
"Unless she is running a unique business, there will be other people setting up stalls even without me. Isn't there a grain shop diagonally opposite the Chenji Grain Shop on the street?" Sui Yu swung his arms and asked him what work he would do next.
Zhao Xiping understood what she meant and asked directly, "What do you want me to do now?"
Sui Yu gave him a flattering smile and said, "Come and help me make the dumplings."
"Impossible." Zhao Xiping refused.
"Then you can help me make and knead the dough at home. I have to knead several bowls of noodles a day, and also cut radishes. My arms are about to be broken." Sui Yu spread out her hands and raised them in front of him, her fingers trembling unconsciously.
Zhao Xiping glanced and then looked away.
"Is it okay?" Sui Yu held him back.
Zhao Xiping reacted as if he was stabbed and struggled to free his hand.
Sui Yu refused to believe it. With a stern face, she tried to pull his hand again, and then she used all her strength to clamp it under her armpit. She struggled to pry open her tightly clenched fingers and clenched them. She gritted her teeth and said, "Who are you trying to show me this? I want to see if I get pregnant if I hold your hand."
"Outside, outside...someone's coming." Zhao Xiping pushed her and reminded her, "Be careful, Sui Liang is watching."
"Watch him and let him learn from him, so that he won't have to put his wife on the bed as a sacrifice after he gets married."
Sui Liang didn't understand, so he just grinned behind him.
Passersby stared at her like they were watching a show, and Zhao Xiping's ears turned red. In order to prevent her from making trouble again and making a fool of herself, he agreed to her wish and let her hold his hand.
But when she relaxed a little, he struggled hard, picked up the tree stump and ran away.
"If you have the guts, don't go home." Sui Yu yelled in anger.
She led the camel over, muttering indignantly, "Let's sell his camel and cat, and when he goes out to work, we'll sell his house too." Turning around, she saw Sui Liang laughing with his tongue sticking out. She rolled her eyes at him and said unhappily, "What are you laughing at? Do you think he's mentally ill?"
Sui Liang still smiled.
Sui Yu stopped talking. She was thinking that she must give him a lesson in the evening.
When she got home, Zhao Xiping had already returned. When he saw her, he took the initiative and said, "Don't flirt with me outside in the future. You'll make people laugh at you."
Sui Yu ignored him. She sat down on a rock and said, "You cook tonight. If you don't, we won't eat. Liang Ge'er and I aren't hungry anyway."
Zhao Xiping wanted to curse, but he didn't want to argue with her. The more he talked, the more affected he would be. He took two deep breaths, unloaded the steamer with frustration, and went into the kitchen to cook.
Sui Yu was surprised at how obedient he was. She folded her arms and watched for a while. When she saw smoke coming out of the chimney, she said again, "Boil a basin of water for me. I want to wash my hair."
"Whoever washes it should burn it. Don't look for me." Zhao Xiping couldn't hold his breath.
"I'm your wife. If I don't choose you, who else should I choose?" Sui Yu walked into the kitchen. She confidently added water to the pot and said with a playful smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Captain Zhao."
Zhao Xiping ignored her.
The water was hot, so Sui Yu scooped some water to wash her hair, and then washed Sui Liang's too. Afterwards, the siblings sat side by side in the yard, drying their hair and combing for lice. When the meal was ready, they both stood up and went to get their bowls for the rice.
"I cooked the meal." Zhao Xiping emphasized.
"You've eaten a lot of the food I cooked." Sui Yu snorted coldly.
"Meow——" The cat officer came in and asked for food.
The host and hostess ignored it, so Sui Liang gave it a small portion of his meal, and the man and the cat squatted in the yard to eat.
Zhao Xiping cooked, and Sui Yu washed the dishes. She scooped water for Sui Liang and said, "Wash up and go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, go sell fish with your brother-in-law."
Children are sleepy and they sleep well. Sui Liang didn't play around when he went to bed. He closed his eyes and fell asleep in a short while.
Sui Yu rarely waited for anyone to come back. After washing up, she lay on the bed and pretended to sleep.
Zhao Xiping walked in quietly. As soon as he lay down, a dark shadow fell over.
"What are you going to do?" Zhao Xiping jumped up.
Sui Yu chased him barefoot all the way to the yard. She put her hands on her hips and said, "If you have the guts, run away."
Zhao Xiping laughed in anger. He sat down on a stone under the eaves and said, "I have no ability, but you do. Just use whatever ability you have."
Sui Yu walked over barefoot, raised her hips and sat on the man's legs. She felt her legs shaking under her buttocks and laughed softly.
Zhao Xiping pinched her, and she raised her hand to his neck and said, "Why did you run away before? I can't kill you." As she said that, she exerted force on her hand and moved closer. She leaned her head against his chest and whispered, "Or are you afraid you can't help it? Captain Zhao, your heartbeat is so fast, so urgent, so loud."
Zhao Xiping raised his head, but was restrained by a hand on his neck. He pushed her face away and said in a rough voice, "Get off."
"You like me." Sui Yu was proud.
"Impossible." Zhao Xiping pinched her chin and said, "Go away."
"Why not? It's not shameful to admit that you like me." Sui Yu leaned closer against his strength and said seriously, "I like you too."
Zhao Xiping shook his head. The price of falling in love with her was too high. Life like this was just right for her. He would give her a place to stay, a stable home. He didn't have to worry about anything else.
"Don't like me. You want too much, I can't give it to you." Zhao Xiping loosened his hand, carried her back to the bed, and said, "I agreed to make the dough."
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