Chapter 352: Don't accept the toast and drink the penalty wine
Sui Liang hugged his nephew and strode towards Sui Yu, "Sister, are you here to pick me up too?"
"If I didn't come, I was worried you wouldn't want to go back." Sui Yu joked, "You've improved this time compared to last time. You didn't stay outside the city and refuse to come in."
Sui Liang was not ashamed. He reached out and touched his bulging belly under his thin coat and said, "Second son has come to pick up his uncle. I brought you a rattle."
"What about me?" asked the cub.
"You have it too." Sui Liang's excitement subsided. He hugged his nephew and turned back to the road, saying, "I've brought your grandparents here. Go and say hello."
After he reminded him, the kid finally saw his grandparents and cousins. He greeted them enthusiastically and asked, "Big brother, you went back home to help with the spring planting. Why haven't you come here since the planting was over?"
"After the spring planting, we started to deal with my eldest brother's wedding. By the time we were all done, it was already May. By then, there were no caravans passing through, and we didn't dare travel alone. So we had to finish the autumn harvest and come here with grandpa and grandma," Zhao Sanlang explained. He then congratulated the people who came by, "Aunt San, are we going to have another little brother?"
"It could be either a brother or a sister." Sui Yu corrected, "Dad Lang got married? Why didn't you tell us?"
"Not yet, but the marriage is settled." When Zhao Dalang mentioned his marriage, his neck turned red with embarrassment.
"Dad, Mom, you've been exhausted. Let's go back first and talk on the way." Sui Yu greeted her parents-in-law, and she asked with concern, "Are you all well? Are you feeling unwell on the journey? If you're feeling unwell, don't hide it. Let's go straight to the clinic to see a doctor."
Father Zhao waved his hand and said, "I'm not feeling unwell. Just go back and drink two bowls of ginger and scallion water."
Seeing they were in good spirits, Sui Yu stopped talking. She wondered if her parents-in-law looked old, perhaps because of years of hard work, but their bodies were strong. They were about the same age as Uncle Niu, and could still ride camels from Jiuquan to Dunhuang for five or six days in winter, but Uncle Niu couldn't even ride a camel.
"Aunt, does my mother still live in the north of the city? Or has she moved back?" Song Congzu finally found the opportunity to interrupt.
"Your mother? She led the caravan out of the country in early August, and your sister went with them," Sui Yu said. "After the cotton harvest, the weaving workshop made a batch of cotton-padded jackets and quilts. Your caravan and mine split them equally, and both caravans left the country together. This trip might be a bit farther, so they might be back in late autumn next year, or maybe in the spring or summer of the year after."
Song Congzu frowned. "They've been gone for so long? They should have waited a little longer. They could have left the border with the other caravans in the spring of next year. That way, they'd have someone to look after them along the way. They've traveled so far, and the goods they carry are so valuable. What if they were robbed?"
"Quilts and jackets are most sought after in cold weather. If you wait until spring to go outside the customs and it's hot outside, and there are still caravans carrying quilts, you'll have lost the opportunity and won't be able to sell them at a good price," Sui Yu explained to him. "If you want to make more money, you have to seize opportunities and take risks."
Song Congzu sighed, "I'm worried about them too."
"Your mother is already familiar with the roads outside the Great Wall, and she's bringing your sister with her, so she won't take any risks." Sui Yu consoled him, "Do you want to go home or come back to the north of the city with us?"
"I want to go to the desert and see if there's enough food and fodder for the camels," Song Congzu said. "I'll rest for a couple of days before going back to listen to the old master's lecture."
Sui Yu nodded, "You go first."
Song Congzu and his servants rode camels ahead. The clattering sound of copper coins in the wooden boxes carried by the camels attracted the attention of people on the road.
Sui Liang walked over to Sui Yu, supported her, and said, "Let's go home too."
Sui Yu raised her hand and placed it on his arm, raised her chin, and said, "Let's get going."
Sui Liang was very happy. He was neither riding in a sedan chair nor on a camel, so what was the point of setting off?
The cub took two steps forward and said playfully, "Mother, I will clear the way for you."
Sui Yu covered her mouth and smiled, a happy smile filled her eyes. She walked away briskly with a smile on her face.
The seven Zhao family members, grandparents and grandchildren, followed behind, leading the camel. Zhao's father curled his lips. "Mother? That's so corny."
Mother Zhao thought to herself that she had given birth to three sons and one daughter, and had seven grandchildren. Including the old bones, there were twelve people with the surname Zhao, and only the youngest was sweet-mouthed, eloquent and good at coaxing people. He really didn't seem like a member of the Zhao family.
Walking out of the bustling city, there are farmlands on both sides of the road where crops have been harvested. The land is barren and the scene is full of desolation.
When houses and smoke from cooking fires came into view, and the sounds of people, chickens crowing and dogs barking were heard in the wind, the desolation came to an end.
"Why are there two more houses?" Zhao's mother muttered, "They weren't there when we left in the spring."
"Someone's going to build a guesthouse next to yours again?" Zhao's father asked. "What about those ruins piled up west of the river? Are they going to tear them down and build a house?"
"My third uncle is already a General of the Central Army, and someone is trying to steal your business?" Zhao Erya looked proud when she mentioned her third uncle.
"On the way, my uncle and aunt asked me what rewards you got in Chang'an, and I told them." Sui Liang explained to Sui Yu.
"Both houses are ours. The unfinished house on the west side of the river is our home, the General of the Central Army's residence," the boy said proudly. "The house just completed to the north of the guesthouse was built by my mother and is intended to be used as a warehouse."
At this point, Sui Yu spoke up, "The Qianhu Mansion in the city has a new owner, and the Zhonglangjiang Mansion is not yet habitable. Dad, Mom, you will stay in the courtyard this winter. My servants who were traveling for business have been released, and their houses are empty. I'll have someone clean them up later, and you and Dalang and the others can move in."
"If we come back next year, can we live in a big house?" Zhao's father said excitedly.
"Yeah." Sui Yu nodded.
"Okay, we'll live in the hospital this year." Father Zhao had no objection at all.
After returning to the guesthouse, Sui Yu was tired. She wanted to go back to her room and lie down for a while, so she left her in-laws' family to be entertained by Erhei.
Sui Liang went to the warehouse next to the kitchen to take a bath. After coming out, he went to the old man's room with wet hair to dry his hair.
In the entire guesthouse, only the room where Old Chen lived had a kang heated as soon as winter began.
The ten-story guesthouse was packed with people, including fourteen caravans and more than twenty tourists. Except for the early mornings and evenings, the inn was never quiet. Old Chen, however, remained undisturbed, lost in his thoughts, writing at his desk.
Sui Liang took out a scroll of bamboo slips from the bookshelf and unfolded it. It was a new work, a eulogy to the trade routes. The emergence of cotton attracted caravans to gather in Dunhuang. When the caravans entered the city, the sound of camel bells drowned out the noisy voices in the city and continued for a long time.
The boy pushed the door open a crack and poked his head in, "Uncle, come and eat, aren't you hungry?"
Sui Liang put down the bamboo slips and asked, "Master, would you like to eat something?"
Old Chen waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly and not to disturb him.
"Master, please don't sit for too long. Remember to put down your writing brush and get up and move around." The kid went over to interrupt him, "My mother said that if you sit still for too long, you'll get sores on your buttocks and your body will become weak."
"I understand." Old man Chen didn't even look up. "Let's go."
Sui Liang took the kid out. A merchant came out from next door. They greeted each other and walked out together.
"Just got back today?" asked the merchant.
"Yes, I just got home less than an hour ago." Sui Liang nodded, "Are you going to eat too?"
"No, I'm visiting."
The boy saw the headmaster Qin standing outside the kitchen and waving at him. He pointed at himself and when the other party nodded, he pulled his uncle over.
"Second Shopkeeper just returned?" Qin Wenshan said in a greeting, then asked, "Young Shopkeeper, where's your mother?"
"My mother is resting in the room. What do you want to talk to her about? You can also tell me." The boy pushed his uncle to go eat first.
Qin Wenshan handed him the bundle and said, "This is the biography your mother wrote for me. Ask her to stamp it on me so that I don't brag to others later that Madam Xianhua wrote it for me and they will call me a braggart."
The boy readily agreed. He carried the two bamboo scrolls back to the main courtyard. An oil lamp was lit in the room.
He pushed the door open and saw his father rubbing his mother's legs.
"Dad, when did you come back?"
"Just got back."
"Oh, mother, Boss Qin asked you to stamp his personal biography." said the kid.
"Please check to see if it is a personal journal. If the content is correct, please stamp it with your seal," said Sui Yu.
The boy untied his bag, unfolded the bamboo slips and sat under the oil lamp to read carefully. When he encountered a word he didn't know, he would just turn his head and ask.
After Sui Liang came over after eating and drinking, the boy checked the contents on the bamboo slips, took out the seal and ink, and printed the four words "Madam Lianhua" on the bamboo slips.
The bamboo slips were wrapped tightly with a cloth, and the kid quickly opened the door and ran away.
"Brother-in-law, when did you come back?" Sui Liang stood outside the door and didn't come in. "I brought your parents here. Do you want to thank me?"
Zhao Xiping raised his hand and said, "Come in, I'll give you a slap."
Sui Liang was not afraid. He strode in, first glanced at his sister, then looked at his brother-in-law provocatively.
Sui Yu looked at him with a smile, and she said in a smooth talk, "How's the food store business?"
"It's just average. I spent more than 8,700 yuan to buy the shop and renovate it. I worked in the cooking business for the whole winter this year, and sold food and fodder, and I made more than 900 yuan in a month and a half. Probably because there is cotton in Dunhuang, most of the caravans entering the customs stayed in Dunhuang and did not go east. Only the caravans coming from the interior passed through Wuwei County, so the business was not very prosperous." Sui Liang said.
"Business will be better with the start of spring," Sui Yu said. "There are a lot more merchants staying in Dunhuang this year. Our guesthouse is full, and so is Minxiang. Some even have nowhere else to stay but don't want to leave, so the government arranges for them to live in brothels."
"Next year will be even more lively." Sui Liang had a premonition. "Brother-in-law, are you going to leave home and go to Jiuquan and Zhangye to arrange cotton planting next spring?"
Zhao Xiping nodded. "I've already submitted a petition to the court. Let's see what the court plans to do. Your sister has nearly 30,000 kilograms of cotton seeds, enough to plant about 7,000 to 8,000 acres of cotton. Dunhuang doesn't have enough land and manpower, so we must expand to the three eastern counties. I must go there."
"Then I will stay at home next year. My sister is going to give birth in the spring." Sui Liang was worried.
"I'll definitely be home when your sister gives birth. I've already made arrangements," Zhao Xiping said. "The agricultural supervisors from Jiuquan and Zhangye should be here in the next few days. I'll instruct them on the arrangements before planting the cotton, so they can start preparing in the spring. I'll leave home after your sister is out of confinement and the cotton seedlings are almost ready to be transplanted."
"That's more like it." Sui Liang was quite satisfied. "I'm sleepy. I'll go back to my room and sleep. I won't have dinner."
After Sui Liang left, Zhao Xiping snorted, "You little brat, you're testing me again."
Sui Yu was full of pride, "This is my family."
The kid came running in, there was a shout from the next room, and the footsteps turned into the next room.
"You should go see your parents too." Sui Yu pushed him, "Let your parents see your precious child."
"I'm not the real treasure." Zhao Xiping pulled the quilt for her and said, "Lie down for a while. I'll call you when the meal is ready."
There were extra quilts this year, so Sui Yu had left two quilts and two thick cotton-padded jackets for Zhao's parents when she prepared them last month. As for her nephews and nieces, they each had a set of cotton-padded jackets, but no quilts.
When Zhao Xiping went over, the seven members of the Zhao family, including grandparents and grandchildren, had already put on their cotton-padded clothes and were gathered in a room, talking and laughing loudly.
The door opened and the room fell silent. Then, Zhao Erya smiled and congratulated her third uncle on his promotion, and others also congratulated him.
Zhao Xiping ignored him. He sat down and asked about his parents' health. When he found out that there was nothing serious wrong with them, he immediately turned around and asked his five nephews and nieces, "Why are you here? I thought you were gone and would not come. I asked you to come here so that you could learn to read with the teacher. How many words can you write?"
The smiles on Zhao Dalang and the others' faces froze, and they all shrank like quails.
"Your eldest brother and his wife arranged a marriage for Dalang. The in-laws came to visit on the second day of May. After the marriage was finalized, they wanted to come over, but there were no passing caravans at that time. We were worried about them going on the road alone, and then we were busy with the autumn harvest." Zhao's mother explained dryly.
"What are you worried about? Were they kidnapped by some kidnapper? Or were they just lost and lost?" Zhao Xiping remained unmoved. "My brother-in-law took Dazhuang with him, and the master and servant went from Wuwei County back to Dunhuang, and then from Dunhuang to Wuwei again. We made two round trips in the middle of summer, and nothing happened."
"We are not as good as Sui Liang." Zhao Erya said angrily.
"With your attitude, you'll never be as good as him. Don't be angry, it's a fact. You can't tell good from bad. What else can you do besides working hard on the land? When you were not allowed to come, you racked your brains to come. Now that I've given you the opportunity to improve yourself, you're playing around and being lazy. There are five brothers and sisters, and the eldest is already married, but you don't even dare to go on a long trip together. Not to mention that you can't compare to him, you can't compare to me either." Zhao Xiping was blunt. He looked at Zhao's father and mother and asked, "What are my eldest and second brothers busy with at home? After the spring planting is done and the marriages are settled, won't they send their children here? Just let them play at home for half a year? Are these my children or theirs?"
Mr. and Mrs. Zhao were speechless.
"If you come to my place only thinking about eating and drinking well, and wanting to be a young master or young lady, then you have come to the wrong place. I didn't even raise my own son as a young master." Zhao Xiping stood up. "You can figure it out for yourselves. If you can't satisfy me this year, you can leave in the spring of next year and don't come again."
Zhao Xiping left, leaving the room in silence.
"General Zhao, are you off duty? Do you want to go for a drink?" asked a merchant who was about to go to dinner.
"No, you guys go drink, but don't get drunk." Zhao Xiping smiled again.
When Master Du heard his voice, he slowed down and saw Zhao Xiping preparing to return to the main courtyard, so he followed him.
Zhao Xiping turned around, and Escort Du took a few quick steps forward and said, "Sir, I've thought it over. I'll work with you and be your bodyguard."
"Have you told the merchant who hired you?"
"I told you, it doesn't matter if I'm missing from the escort team."
"Okay, you'll take over tomorrow. Teach us boxing tomorrow morning, and I'll practice with you," Zhao Xiping said. "I'll give you a salary at the end of the month, and when it snows, I'll prepare a cotton jacket, cotton pants, and cotton shoes for you."
Escort Master Du sighed and said, "I'll be waiting here tomorrow morning."
Zhao Xiping nodded and said, "Go and have your meal. Tell Ah Shui that you don't have to pay for your meals anymore."
Master Du let out another "Ah" and walked away quickly.
The next morning, Zhao Dalang heard a door opening in the yard, then heard Dazhuang's voice. He heard the footsteps going out and continued to sleep with the mattress covered.
But after a cup of tea, loud footsteps were heard outside the guesthouse. Zhao Dalang shuddered and felt something was wrong. He hurriedly woke up his brother who was sleeping on the same bed, and called out to his sister who was sleeping next door. The five brothers and sisters ran out shivering in the cold wind. As soon as they opened the door, they heard the voice of their third uncle.
Only after the sound faded away did Zhao Dalang and his two siblings dare to go out. They ran with the escort and only stopped when they were about to vomit from exhaustion.
However, as the sky brightened, they found that Uncle San was practicing boxing with a group of children in the open space, and they were not running.
When the boy saw them, he waved enthusiastically, "Cousin, cousin, come and practice together. Master Du is amazing."
It was a freezing cold day, and Zhao Dalang was exhausted and hot, practically panting like a dog. But he didn't dare complain, so he just gritted his teeth and led his brothers and sisters over to endure Master Wu's constant criticism and admonitions.
Once they joined, Zhao Dalang and his five siblings could not escape. They got up early every day to practice martial arts, and went to school to attend classes after dawn. When the school was dismissed, everyone else left, and only the five of them would sit there for the whole day.
They had forgotten everything they had learned before, so they had no choice but to beg Xiaozai and Aning to teach them again in private. They buried their heads in practicing and studying hard.
Two months have passed in a flash and the New Year is approaching.
Part of the caravan has already bought quilts from the weaving workshop, and the rest can only wait until the weaving workshop resumes operations after the New Year before they can buy more quilts.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was free during this period, Sui Yu was thinking about discussing business with them.
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