Chapter 153 Give Me Another Ten Years
With the business on track, Sui Yu had less to worry about. She stayed in the guesthouse every day to receive the caravans and help Song Xian with business. When she had nothing to do, she would plant trees and even choose a vacant lot to dig the soil to make a vegetable garden, planning to plant some garlic sprouts, onions and ginger. She was just waiting to collect the money.
In a flash, more than half a month had passed. More and more caravans were passing by. When I went into the city, I looked around and saw that most of the streets were filled with merchants. The sound of camel bells drowned out the sound of the wind and floated over the city all day long.
Zhao Xiping led the garrison troops to patrol the city. As there were more merchants in the city, disputes and fights occurred from time to time. They just stopped quarreling because of a disagreement, and then they quarreled again because a camel blocked the road.
At the end of the day, Zhao Xiping was so upset that he felt his head was buzzing even when he lay in bed. The tinkling sound of camel bells seemed to be stuck in his ears and he couldn't get rid of it.
"Have you chosen a partner for Xiaomi?" Sui Yu asked.
"No." Zhao Xiping said lazily with his eyes closed. "I found a few in the garrison. Those who are good-looking have bad tempers. Those with mild tempers love to drink and fill their mouths with any salary. These people don't worry about anything. Xiaomi will suffer if she marries him."
Sui Yu snorted coldly.
The man opened his eyes and looked at her in confusion.
"Look how thoughtful you are." Sui Yu patted his face and pinched it. "Think about yourself. How much money did you save when I entered your house? Didn't you just stuff it all into your mouth?"
"No, I'm different from him. I don't like drinking, I only like eating meat." Zhao Xiping defended himself, muttering, "Could it be that I'm too demanding?"
Sui Yu grabbed his face, spat softly, and complained, "You had a sullen face at first, acting like you were taking advantage of me, and now you think a man who can't save money won't worry? Haha! Can I bear it?"
Zhao Xiping stubbornly denied it, saying, "I didn't make you suffer."
Sui Yu said nothing.
"It's you who's ambitious, and you're so busy every day that you can't rest." Zhao Xiping smiled and praised her. "Shopkeeper Yu is so capable, so clever and calculating. You've transformed a shabby stall into a grand guesthouse. There's no one else like you in the whole city of Dunhuang."
Sui Yu felt relieved after hearing this and said modestly, "You're exaggerating. Song Xian is not inferior to me."
"She has a fortune built up by her ancestors, and you have nothing..."
"I have Liang Ge'er."
"Yes, yes, you have a brother."
After a long chat, the couple lay down. Zhao Xiping looked at the moonlight coming through the crack in the door, figuring that Sui Yu's period was about to come. He reached out and rubbed her waist, asking, "Is your waist sore?"
"It's not sore, my lower abdomen is a little bloated." Her chest was also a little bloated, but Sui Yu didn't say anything.
"Have Xiaomi run more errands these days. If you feel uncomfortable, just rest." Speaking of Zhao Xiaomi, Zhao Xiping felt worried and said, "It's hard to find a good in-law. Do you have anyone suitable?"
"I think you can go ask Xiaomi. I think something is wrong with her. Maybe she has met someone she likes." Sui Yu brought up the topic just to talk about this. She had seen Zhao Xiaomi laughing for no reason several times. That expression could not lie. Most likely, the girl was in love.
However, before Zhao Xiping had the chance to ask, Song Xian brought her eldest sister-in-law to the house, saying that she was asked by her eldest nephew to propose marriage.
"My eldest nephew is nineteen years old. He's about the same height as Huang Ancheng and has a handsome appearance. He's a bit quiet, but he's hardworking and willing to work." Song Xian said, "The two children already know each other. Xiaomi was clearing land at the foot of the sand hill to plant goldenrod, and Lian Zheng met him while he was collecting firewood on the mountain."
"I haven't heard Xiaomi tell me that. I'll ask her third brother to ask someday." Sui Yu didn't respond directly, but instead asked, "Where does my eldest sister-in-law live now?"
"In the settlement near the west city gate, my second brother used his connections and the government allocated us eighty acres of land. My second son is fourteen or fifteen years old now. The three of them are plowing the land quite quickly with the help of oxen. We will be able to start sowing in about ten days." Sun Lihua smiled and explained the situation at home.
"Work can be done faster when there are more people," said Sui Yu.
"I only have one son and one daughter. When they grow up, they will definitely need help from their brothers. Brothers Lian Zheng and Lian Qing can't rely on farming for their livelihood anymore." Song Xian chimed in.
"I'll ask her later. As long as my younger sister is willing, we won't talk about anything else. But my younger sister has indeed never suffered. She is the youngest in the family and has never worked in the fields in her hometown. She has suffered more when she comes to me." Sui Yu then praised Zhao Xiaomi.
Song Xian glanced at Sun Lihua, who said, "If Xiaomi is willing to marry into my family, I will definitely not let her suffer any injustice. Saying I treat her like my own daughter is just empty talk, and you wouldn't believe it. Anyway, his father and I won't interfere in the affairs of the next generation."
This promise is good. Of course, Sui Yu thinks it would be even better if she didn't have to live with her in-laws, but that's not something she should worry about.
After seeing off Song Xian and her sister-in-law, Sui Yu waited for Zhao Xiping to come back and told him directly, "The Huang family's wealth is a little limited, but they have a lot of land. Even without Huang Ancheng's help, they won't starve. Mrs. Sun doesn't look frivolous. Her hand joints are thick, and you can tell at a glance that she's willing to endure hardships and can help the young couple raise the children. You can ask Xiaomi again. She's a very opinionated person. If she's willing, then there's no need to be picky."
Zhao Xiping vaguely remembered Huang Lianzheng. He was not ugly and didn't talk much. As for the rest of him, he had no impression of him.
He found Zhao Xiaomi and asked directly, "Do you know Huang Lianzheng?"
Zhao Xiaomi was startled. This man said he would ask his mother to come and propose to her, so he came so soon?
"It seems they do know each other. His mother and his aunt came to propose marriage, and your third sister-in-law asked me to ask your opinion." Before she nodded, Zhao Xiping emphasized, "His family is not well-off. They only moved here this year. In the future, they will definitely rely on Huang Ancheng's family. You should think it over carefully."
"I've thought it over. My own conditions are average, and I rely on you and my third sister-in-law, while he relies on his second uncle and second aunt. We're evenly matched," Zhao Xiaomi confessed calmly. "I'm attracted to him because he's a man who doesn't talk much but has his own opinions. He's hardworking and doesn't fear hardship. If I follow him, as long as we're not afraid of hard work, we won't be poor."
"You've never felt tired at home..." Zhao Xiping felt a little complicated. "Even cows and horses are afraid of being tired, so how can a human not be afraid of being tired?"
Zhao Xiaomi tilted her head to look at him and said happily, "Third brother, I thought you hated me, but you actually think of me."
Zhao Xiping was too lazy to pay attention to her.
"Let's choose him." Zhao Xiaomi made the decision.
"When the spring planting is over, go back with him and show it to your parents." Zhao Xiping walked out and said, "I'll tell your third sister-in-law."
"I'm going too."
The brother and sister found Sui Yu, who pointed at Xiaomi and joked, "When did you meet? You've been keeping it a secret for quite some time."
"It's been half a month. I was on my way to Dinghu Lane to deliver a message to Shopkeeper Song, and I ran into him on the way. He led me there." Zhao Xiaomi picked up a stone and threw it into the river before continuing, "Then I was clearing land at the foot of the mountain to plant goldenrod, and I ran into him again, collecting firewood. I asked him to help me keep an eye on the saplings I was planting, and he kept carrying trees down for me every day. He even transplanted two jujube saplings from his second aunt's house."
Zhao Xiaomi trusts Sui Yu and is willing to tell her everything.
Sui Yu thought of the jujube tree sapling planted beside the vegetable patch and asked, "Where's the other one? Is it planted in his yard?"
Zhao Xiaomi chuckled.
Zhao Xiping's rejection was much less. He had a good relationship with Sui Yu, so he naturally understood that if a couple loved each other, it could outweigh a thousand injustices.
"Huang Lianzheng's second aunt is a smart and capable person. She will treat you well at first for my sake, but you have to be careful and be polite to her. Don't push her too far. Since we are two families, you should treat each other as two families. Don't lose your sense of propriety and make others dislike you." Sui Yu warned her.
"I know. I have a sister-in-law. Why should I try to please others?" Zhao Xiaomi muttered, "I'm definitely best with you."
"Well, I'm not worried anymore. You're quite good at deceiving people." Sui Yu smiled.
Zhao Xiaomi also laughed, "I'm not kidding you, I'm speaking from the heart. Don't worry, sister-in-law, I understand."
Three days later, Sui Yu followed the caravan to meet Song Xian. While the caravan was selecting camels in the desert, she stood with Song Xian and said, "Zhao Xiping has no objection, but he can't make the decision for Xiaomi. He wants Lian Zheng to go back to his hometown with him after the crops are planted. If the two elders are satisfied, the marriage will be settled."
Song Xian nodded. "Now we are relatives, real relatives. When Xiaomi gets married, I will ask her to come and help me."
Sui Yu refused on Zhao Xiaomi's behalf, saying, "My sister-in-law is a girl with her own ideas. She plans to do the grain business."
Only then did Song Xian look at Zhao Xiaomi seriously. She admired women who had their own opinions and dared to think and act.
"That's right! Young people should make a living. The more adventurous they are, the more opportunities they have." She looked at the camels moving across the desert and said, "From now on, I will be her biggest customer."
"That's not necessarily true." Sui Yu smiled confidently, "There are many caravans coming and going from my place, but are they still inferior to you?"
Song Xian laughed heartily. She waved her hands wantonly and said, "Give me another ten years, and I'll fill this desert with camels."
"Give me another ten years, and I will have guesthouses in the four northwestern counties." Sui Yu was unwilling to be outdone.
"In another ten years, Xiaomi will become the largest grain merchant in the northwest, and the three of us will take care of all the merchants' food, accommodation and transportation." Song Xian's imagination became more and more imaginative.
"Manager Song, come here for a moment. We'd like to rent seven camels," the merchant called out. "We'll go back to the city and get a deed from the government, and then we can take the camels with us."
Sui Yu rode a camel and followed the caravan back to the city. When entering the city, he met Lao Wan and his group. They had dark circles under their eyes and looked disheveled, but they couldn't hide their joy.
"Master Wan, we've got quite a good harvest this time," the merchant asked eagerly, "Can you spare me five of these camels?"
Lao Wan saw Song Xian, then looked at the camels led by the merchants. He slowed down and said, "Could it be that Mr. Song's camels are not enough for you to buy?"
"We have rented eight camels and haven't decided to buy any yet."
Rent? Lao Wan looked at Song Xian, and saw Huang Ancheng walking out of the city. He bowed and said, "Congratulations to Shopkeeper Song on your fortune."
"I'm just making a small fortune, not as much as Master Wan." Song Xian spoke kindly. She didn't want to offend anyone, so she took the initiative and said, "If Master Wan is interested, I'll host a banquet for you someday, okay?"
Lao Wan was genuinely interested and said, "Tomorrow I'll host Mr. Song and invite him to meet at Manager Yu's guesthouse."
Sui Yu, not wanting to miss out on a good deal, asked, "Do you want some meat dishes? I'm going to buy some meat in advance. Do you want some wine?"
Lao Wan: ...
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