Chapter 9
Having been vegetarian for so long, Sui Yu suddenly had a taste of meat. As night fell, she rushed out the door and into the toilet. Following her, Sui Liang vomited. Sui Hu called out to Sui Wen'an, asking him to take Sui Liang out. He was busy digging dirt to cover up the mess, fearing anyone would discover they had eaten meat.
All six people from the two families ran out of the woodshed. Those who heard the noise sat up one after another. Someone asked worriedly, "Could there be poison in the porridge?"
"Who would poison you, a worthless life? I think the young man and woman in that family must have stolen something to eat." The man sneered. He and Sui Hu were from the same clan. His bedding was not far from where Sui Hu slept. He saw everyone coming in and out in the evening. No matter how clean he wiped his mouth, he could still smell the aroma of meat and oil.
"They can't even leave the backyard, so where are they going to steal food? I'm afraid you're thinking the wrong thing." Aunt Chun started to defend the Sui Yu family. She hugged her grandson and lay down again, saying, "We've received kindness from others along the way. We've all been through hardships. Those who deserved to die have died. Why hate them anymore?"
"You have no daughter and no granddaughter, and you are an old woman. You don't have to worry about being liked by men, so it's easy for you to say it. My granddaughter and my wife went there and were humiliated. Tell me, do I hate it?" The man couldn't bear to hear others say anything good about Sui Wen'an and others.
Aunt Chun didn't say anything.
The people at the other end of the woodshed couldn't hear what they were shouting, but they were annoyed and shouted, "What are you shouting about? Can't you let us sleep?"
The woodshed immediately became quiet.
When Sui Yu came back, clutching her stomach, she found everyone asleep. She tiptoed in slowly and just as she lay down, a head popped over. The old lady asked in a low voice, "What did you eat?"
"I eat whatever you eat." Sui Yu said.
"I don't believe it. I smell meat on you."
"You must be dreaming." Sui Yu pulled some hay to cover himself, waved his hand and said, "Go away, don't come near me. I don't know if I drank unclean water or I'm sick, but I have severe diarrhea. I don't want to infect you."
The old lady was half-believing and half-doubting, and took a deep breath before she shrank back, muttering.
Sui Yu lay down on her side, and only dared to close her eyes and sleep after Sui Hu came back with Sui Liang in his arms. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her stomach rumbled again. Without saying a word, she grabbed a handful of hay and ran out the door.
Sui Liang pinched Sui Hu, and he also ran out with his son in his arms.
"Don't run inside, look at the moon outside." Sui Ling squatted outside the toilet, holding her stomach, and said, "It's really painful. It was all in vain. I finally got some meat to eat, but I didn't keep any of it. I pooped it all out."
There were a few scattered stars in the sky. Sui Yu came out of the toilet and squatted at the foot of the wall. Across the wall was the stable. The sounds of the old horse chewing food and the plowing ox chewing the cud were clearly audible.
"How many more days will it take?" Sui Ling asked again.
"Two to three months, three to four months, it's all possible. I heard from my father that the northwest is mountainous and the most difficult to travel." Sui Wen'an had never been to the Western Regions, so he couldn't say for sure.
"It's spring now, and it's getting warmer as you go west. Snakes are about to come out of their holes. There are many insects and ants, as well as wolves, on the alpine grasslands... In any case, we can't let our guard down and don't lose our vigilance." Sui Hu said.
Sui Hui and Sui Ling wailed together, wondering when this day would end.
Someone's stomach rumbled again, and everyone else followed suit and rushed to the toilet.
It was not until the moon was at its highest point in the sky and their stomachs were empty that the six people went into the woodshed to sleep.
Sui Yu just sat down and touched the water on her hand. Just as she was about to speak, she smelled a strong smell of urine. She jumped up immediately and said, "Someone peed on our straw mat."
The surroundings were quiet and silent, and at that moment even the snoring seemed to have stopped. No one would admit it, and no one would expose it. No one was willing to do anything that would offend others.
"Go wash your hands, I'll clean up." Sui Hu suppressed his anger and could only swallow this loss in silence. He fumbled to uncover the urine-soaked straw and found that the soil under the straw was also wet.
"I'm wet here too." Sui Hui said in a low voice.
"You bastard." Sui Wen'an cursed softly.
Moonlight streamed in through the small window, filtering through a few rays of firefly light. Sui Ling stared at the person lying on the ground with gritted teeth, wishing she could pounce on him and fight him.
"Can't you sleep anymore?" Sui Yu came in and asked.
"It's all wet." Sui Hui said.
"Then, then..." Sui Yu couldn't continue. No matter how dirty she was, she couldn't force herself to sleep in the smelly urine pit for a night.
Sui Hu picked up a bundle of straw and carried it to the back of the door, then told someone to go out. Half an incense stick of time later, just when Sui Yu was about to go out to look for him, he came back with a bundle of hay.
"Where did it come from?" Sui Wen'an asked.
"It's late, go to sleep first and talk after dawn." Sui Hu moved to a new position, spread out a bed of hay next to the person on his left, took off Sui Liang's straw sandals, and called Sui Yu to carry him over to sleep.
One night later, when Sui Yu was trying to grab food, she approached Aunt Chun. However, before she could speak, Aunt Chun waved her hand and said, "Don't ask me, I don't know anything."
"I haven't asked yet." Sui Yu smiled.
Aunt Chun didn't bother to talk to her. She made her porridge and turned to leave. Feeling bad, she whispered, "Be careful, many people are going crazy even if they don't die."
Sui Yu thought about it for a moment, then took the jar and went to find other people.
"Did you find out who it was?" Sui Ling asked. She curled her lips and said, "No one paid any attention to me. I didn't ask anything."
"Don't ask about it. This is over. We should be careful and keep a low profile from now on." The last words were meant for Sui Yu. Sui Hu took the can and drank some millet porridge. He wiped his mouth and said, "Last night, Liang Ge vomited, and I buried the mess. After we left, I don't know who dug it up. I guess they smelled meat."
"The journey was arduous. They were frightened and terrified. They had nowhere to vent their accumulated anger, so they turned it all on us. Countless eyes were watching us from behind. If we did anything good, they would feel worse than being stabbed by a knife." Sui Wen'an hadn't slept well all night. He had already figured out what these people were thinking. He said apologetically, "Third Uncle, Sister Yu, we've caused you to suffer."
Sui Hu glanced at him and didn't say much else. They both understood that he was willing to be implicated because they hoped that he had a conscience and could show Sui Yu a way to survive with a clear conscience.
"Just bear with it for now. The one who makes it to the Western Regions alive will be the winner." Sui Yu said frankly, "We'll talk about it when we get there. We can't just keep putting up with them and let them get even more arrogant."
She didn't care what Sui Wen'an and Sui Hu thought. After all, she was also a victim, so it was not a question of who owed whom.
"By the way, where did you get the hay last night?" she asked.
"I bought it from the groom with silver." Sui Hu said.
After dinner, Sui Hu picked up the bundle of wet straw behind the door, rubbed it in the snow, washed it after removing the smell, and spread it on the ground to dry. The next day, when he was on his way, he folded it up and carried it on his back.
When we got out of the city gate, there were already more than 300 people waiting outside. Nearly 200 of them were wearing prison uniforms, and the remaining 100 or so were volunteers who were going to the Western Regions with their families to cultivate land.
Since the recovery of the Hexi Corridor 32 years ago, the imperial court has carried out four large-scale immigrations to garrison the border and cultivate land. In addition, there have been several small-scale immigrations, including prisoners from all over the country, refugees without land, property or jobs, and free people who were willing to move because of the westward migration policy.
After the two sides of soldiers exchanged blows, the escort officer counted the number of people and blew the whistle and set off.
The snow on the road had thawed, and when the warm sun came over the sky, the snow melted. Nearly a thousand people walked on it, and the snow became muddy.
"A flock of birds has appeared." Sui Ling looked up at the sky and said, "Spring has finally arrived."
Sui Yu also looked over. The bird had become skinny after the winter. It stood on a bare branch, its feathers wet and sticking to its body, looking really ugly.
"It's so ugly." She thought so and said so.
"She looks better than you." Sui Ling felt that she was spoiling the fun.
Sui Yu choked, she couldn't refute, at least the bird still had feathers, but she was almost turning into a scarecrow, with thin arms and legs, no different from bamboo poles stuck in the ground.
"If you two are not tired, hold the baby for me for a while." Sui Hu said while panting.
The snow on the ground was soaked with water, making wooden planks useless. Once outside Chang'an, walking on the road was like wading through snow, and the feeling below the knees was long gone. Sui Hu was worried that his son would get sick like the children who died on the road, so he and Sui Wen'an took turns carrying the child.
Sui Yu refused. She only argued with Sui Ling to divert her attention because she couldn't walk anymore.
Sui Ling didn't respond, but instead said, "There's a pavilion in front."
Another ten miles walked.
They passed by the thatched pavilion and stopped to rest. The birds that landed on the pavilion were scared away by the crowd. Eight escort officers walked in, and the others squatted down to rest.
Sui Yu took off the straw bundle he was carrying and put it on the ground, saying, "Dad, sit down and rest for a while."
"It's okay, I still have some conscience." Sui Hu sat down with difficulty, leaning on his knees.
Sui Yu did not argue with him. She used the stick she used as a crutch to poke the snow and turn over the soil. The soil in Yu County was green, but after passing Chang'an, the soil turned yellow.
The soil became thicker and thicker. Sui Ling came over to help dig when she saw it. Sui Hui thought it was childish and stood aside watching.
"Huh? There's a hole down there?" Sui Yu was surprised, and immediately became excited. "Dig quick, dig quick, and see what's down there."
"What's the matter?" Sui Wen'an walked over and asked.
"Is it a rat hole? Rats are good at storing food, there might be food underneath." said the refugee who fell behind.
When the people around heard this, they all came over to join in the fun, forming three layers inside and outside.
"Go and see what's going on." The bearded officer ordered under the thatched pavilion.
When the young escort officer approached, Sui Yu also dug the hole down and picked out a black snake that was still hibernating. After it came out of the hole, the black snake, which was coiled into a large ball, opened its eyes and spit out its tongue.
Sui Yu was quick-witted and swift-handed. He swung his stick and shouted, "Sui Ling, what are you doing? Hit me!"
The two sticks rose and fell, causing mud and snow to fly everywhere. The onlookers did not mind the dirt at all, and did not dodge or avoid it. They stared at the bleeding black snake with greedy eyes.
"Snake meat is very nutritious. This snake is estimated to weigh three pounds. It will be a treat to stew a pot of it tonight." said the refugee who loves to eat snake meat.
The snake stopped moving, and Sui Yu put away the stick. She looked up and saw the escort officer standing beside her. After thinking for a moment, she picked up the snake's tail and handed it to him, saying, "Sir, this is a gift for you."
The escort officer was delighted, but still pretended to ask, "You look so greedy, you and your family can eat it."
"No, I dare not eat it." Sui Yu waved her hand decisively. Without waiting for anyone to ask, she raised her voice and said, "Seven days ago, at the Chang'an post station, my family drank dirty water and had diarrhea in the middle of the night, with diarrhea and vomiting. Our tribesmen thought we had stolen meat, and when we went to the toilet, someone urinated on our straw bedding, and we didn't sleep all night."
"People from the same clan? That's vicious enough." The refugee from Chang'an didn't know the inside story, so she chimed in.
The escort officer took the still-bleeding dead snake and asked, "Do you know who it is?"
The two men huddled in the crowd shuddered, cursing in their hearts, but their expressions remained unchanged.
"I know, but never mind. We are all from the same clan." Sui Yu's eyes swept over the man's face, and he spoke generously. He turned around and said, "Don't cause trouble for the official, lest anyone say that I am bullying others by taking advantage of my power."
The escort officer smiled. Seeing that the girl was understanding, he was happy to do her a favor. "If you need this kind of thing again, come to me."
"Hey, thank you, sir."
Sui Yu was in high spirits. When she turned around, she found Sui Hu staring at her. She didn't know how long he had been staring at her. She felt nervous and stopped smiling. She said, "What are you looking at?"
Sui Hu didn't respond. He glanced at her twice before looking away.
The whistle blew again and we continued on our way.
We arrived at the post station in the evening. The post station was built halfway up the mountain. The road ahead was steep and there were many mountains.
"We've arrived in Longzhou."
When Sui Yu heard what people said, she took another look and saw that the top of the mountain in the distance was covered in white.
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