Chapter 52 Meeting Sui Hui
After the rain, the sky cleared. Two days of wind blew the ground, leaving a layer of dry crust. Sui Yu took a rake to the vegetable garden, plowed the patch, and dried it for two days. She then took the rapeseed seeds her mother-in-law had given her from a wooden box. Unable to distinguish one from the other, she took them to her sister-in-law, La Mei, for advice. That same day, at noon, she scattered half the seeds of radish, leek, bitter greens, and shepherd's purse across the patch.
"It's a bit early to plant vegetables now. We should wait until the sun warms up and the spring breeze arrives in March," said a passerby. "It rained a few days ago, and the night it stopped, my yard was frozen over. The ground was frozen solid."
Sui Yu looked up and said, "When it gets cold at night, I'll cover it with hay and uncover it when the sun comes out."
"That's fine, if you don't mind the trouble, try it."
"My family has little land, and I have nothing to do, so I'm not afraid of trouble." Sui Yu buried his head and continued to sow vegetable seeds.
After half a day, the vegetable seeds were all planted. Sui Yu took a wooden rake and went back to collect manure, which was actually just the dust accumulated from sweeping the yard, mixed with dry chicken manure. When she arrived at the vegetable garden, she scooped two shovels of soil and mixed it with the dry manure, then spread it over the vegetable patch. She covered the sown seeds with a thin layer of soil and finally brought two bales of hay to cover them.
They turned over the hay at sunrise and covered it with hay at sunset. After ten days, the rapeseed seeds sown by Sui Yu sprouted.
When people nearby saw this, they followed suit.
By the time the vegetable seeds they planted sprouted, the bitter herbs and shepherd's purse planted by Sui Yu had already grown complete leaves, which were half a finger long. She followed the densely grown vegetables and picked a basket of them first.
"Sister Lamei, are you home?" Sui Yu shouted outside the door.
"Home, home, come in."
"I won't go in. I'll bring you two handfuls of fresh vegetables." Sui Yu grabbed a few handfuls of tender vegetable seedlings and put them on the ground, saying, "The vegetables I planted are ready to eat. I'll give you a taste. I'll bring some more to Aunt Du."
"Hey! Wait a minute..." Sister Lamei walked to the door and turned back inside. She picked up a thin, bare sapling from the corner of the wall and walked out, saying, "This is a pepper tree I dug up from somewhere nearby. Take one and plant it in the yard. Who knows, it might bear fruit next year."
Sichuan peppercorns are not cheap, and Sichuan peppercorn trees are hard to come by. Sui Yu hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take it and said, "Then I'm getting a great deal. Thank you, sister-in-law."
"What's the point of thanking you? I'm not going to tell you anymore. I'm going back to the house to cook."
Sui Yu went back carrying the pepper tree. Zhao Xiping had gone to buy sheep with Sui Liang and had not returned yet. She opened the door and went into the house to leave some food for her family, then went out to deliver food to Aunt Du.
"Daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, I think the vegetables you grow are pretty good, but mine are not edible yet. I'll go to your vegetable garden and pick a few." The old woman next door said while standing in the yard.
"That won't do, old lady. You're too late. My husband Zhao wants to eat dumplings. The vegetables in the garden are all useful." Sui Yu locked the door and left.
She walked to the entrance of the alley and said hello to Auntie Sun. Auntie Sun pulled her mouth to signal her to look back. Sui Yu didn't turn around, but even without turning around, she knew it was Mrs. Wang who was glaring at her. She went straight to Shiqitun. This was her first time to see Auntie Du. Just as she was about to ask for directions, she saw Uncle Niu coming out of a courtyard.
"Niece-in-law, you came to see me?" Uncle Niu asked with his hands in his sleeves.
"No, I came to see Dongzi's grandma."
"Then come with me. Her house and mine are neighbors." Uncle Niu pointed to the west and they would arrive in a few steps.
"Mrs. Du, are you home?" he called out.
"I'm busy, don't bother me. Cook your own dinner tonight, and don't bring rice to my house to share." Mrs. Du didn't even raise her head and yelled, "You wander around all day, so lazy that you're covered in worms. Twenty acres of fertile land have been wasted in your hands. It makes me feel upset just seeing you."
Farmers hate to see their land barren and overgrown with weeds. Uncle Niu didn't take good care of the 20 acres of land he was allocated. He waited for servants to come and work every year for spring sowing and autumn harvest. If the government didn't arrange servants to plow the land one year, his crops would almost fail.
Uncle Niu was annoyed by her nagging. He waved at Sui Yu and shouted into the yard, "Someone's looking for you."
After saying that, he walked into his house.
"Aunt, the vegetables I grew are ready to eat. I'll send some over for you to try." Sui Yu walked in, poured the vegetables in the basket into the basin, said a few words to Aunt Du, and left.
When Sui Yu got home and heard the sheep bleating, he ran in and saw Sui Liang feeding two lambs with shepherd's purse. One of the lambs had a black back and white hooves, and the other had a brown head with white hair all over.
"She's quite good-looking." Sui Yu liked her very much. "Where's your brother-in-law?"
Sui Liang pointed outside, then at the water tank. Sui Yu realized the shoulder pole was gone, but the bucket was still there. Unable to understand what Sui Liang meant, she didn't ask any more questions. She turned around and went to look for a shovel to dig a hole to plant the pepper tree. After searching around, she found the shovel was gone too.
"Did your brother-in-law take the shovel away?" Sui Yu asked.
Sui Liang nodded.
Sui Yu gave up and went into the kitchen to bring out the vegetables and pick and wash them. The shepherd's purse was too tender to withstand frying. She planned to make noodles tonight. After the noodles were boiled, she could blanch the vegetables and eat them.
Just after washing half a basin of shepherd's purse, Zhao Xiping came back carrying two baskets of dry soil. Without waiting for Sui Yu to ask, he spoke first, "I'll build two earth walls to divide the camel pen into three."
"Okay, but you have to dig a hole in the yard and plant the pepper tree first. Sister Lamei gave it to me." Sui Yu said.
"Where to plant it? Not in the vegetable garden?"
"Plant it in the yard to prevent the peppercorns from being stolen. Choose a place with good sunlight." Sui Yu went into the house to prepare cooking.
While she was kneading and rolling dough in the house, Zhao Xiping and Sui Liang were busy building a mud wall in the camel pen. To make it stronger, he picked out four thick branches from the woodshed, measured their lengths, and inserted them between the two walls. Later, finding that branches were more convenient for making a fence, he dragged another bundle of firewood from the woodshed, sharpened the bottom, and hammered it into the hard soil below the sand pit.
"It's time for dinner." Sui Yu shouted.
"You guys eat first, there are only two left and it will be ready." Zhao Xiping didn't even raise his head.
Sui Yu scooped up a bowl of noodles and walked over. She stood beside him and ate while watching him busy himself. Sui Liang ran around to help. When he was not needed to hold the stake, he would stagger to pick up the chopped twigs and carry them into the kitchen.
"Meow——" The cat official who was visiting outside came back.
“Mee——”
“Mee——”
The two lambs cried out one after another.
The cat official ran over quickly, jumped onto the wall and stared at the new member of the family.
"Meow, come here." Sui Yu picked up a piece of noodles for the cat and turned to ask, "How much are the two lambs?"
"One hundred and fifty coins." After the last wooden stake was driven in, Zhao Xiping picked up the machete and carried the stone out of the circle.
"How do the sheep get out?" Sui Yu found that the sheep pen was sealed.
"There are three wooden stakes just stuck in the sand pit, they can be pulled out." Zhao Xiping threw down the stone and went to wash his hands and face.
Sui Yu went to make noodles for him and Sui Liang. Since men have strong tastes, she added an extra spoonful of vinegar to their bowl.
"I met the messenger on my way back, and my mother also bought some piglets. I'm going back tomorrow. When I get back, it's time for spring plowing and wheat and millet planting." Zhao Xiping glanced at Sui Yu and asked, "Are you coming back?"
"I'm going to stay home and raise sheep and camels. You go back alone."
"That's fine."
Just like last winter, when Zhao Xiping left home, Sui Yu and Sui Liang sent him to the city gate. Only after he left the city did the brother and sister go back.
Walking to the long street, Sui Yu was just looking for something new and cheap when Sui Liang suddenly pulled her in another direction. Seeing Sui Hui, she called out twice but got no response, so she followed her.
Sui Hui came to see the old doctor to take her pulse. After the first month of the year, she started taking medicine to recuperate. Most of her monthly allowance and the jewelry given by Lord Hu were spent on the clinic.
"Doctor, I have been drinking the medicine for two months. Can I get pregnant now?" Sui Hui asked anxiously.
"Take two more doses and I'll change the dosage. You'll feel much better."
Another month passed after taking two more doses of medicine. Sui Hui suppressed her anxiety and asked again, "Will I be able to get pregnant if I take two more doses of medicine?"
"After you finish the two doses of medicine, you should have your period." The old doctor was used to seeing all kinds of patients and didn't mind Sui Hui's anxiety. He stroked his beard and said, "Luckily, you're still young and can recover. If you were two years older, the root of the problem would be damaged and even magic pills would be useless."
Having said that, Sui Hui had no choice but to calm down and continue waiting. She took the prescription, went to get the medicine and paid. The bag was empty when she came in, but it was so bulging when she left.
"Cousin." Sui Yu waved from the street. "I thought I recognized the wrong person. Can you leave the house?"
Sui Hui cheered up and walked over, saying, "I can leave the house once a month. The eldest lady is kind and doesn't make things difficult for me."
"That's good." Sui Yu looked at her and was suddenly speechless.
"My elder brother..." Sui Hui looked panicked. She wanted to ask but was afraid of hearing bad news.
"He is not building the Great Wall anymore. He has been busy with spring plowing in the fields since early February, clearing wasteland, and then ploughing and sowing. Working in the fields is easier than building the Great Wall. He will be busy until the end of March at least." Sui Yu comforted her.
"That's good, that's good..." Sui Hui's shoulders relaxed and a smile appeared on her face. She would stop taking the medicine at the beginning of April. If God blesses her, she might get pregnant next month.
"By the way, Sister Yu, I'm no longer a slave." Sui Hui smiled. She didn't mention the hardships and grievances she had endured. These were nothing compared to the suffering she endured during exile, and compared to being freed from slavery, they were even less worth mentioning. "Just wait. When I get pregnant, I'll discuss the matter of your being freed from slavery."
Sui Yu bit her lip. She felt a little uncomfortable, pointing at Sui Hui, a woman who had used her body in exchange for the opportunity to escape from slavery... She shook her head to get rid of the absurd idea, and could only convince herself that this was the path Sui Hui had chosen herself.
"Don't be anxious, but also take care of yourself and don't make the eldest lady angry," she instructed.
Sui Hui felt warm in her heart, and she nodded and said, "I know what I am doing. I was raised by my mother, and I know what kind of concubines the wife hates. I know my limits. Okay, I won't talk to you anymore, I should go back home."
Sui Yu watched her leave, and when she could no longer see anyone, she also walked home.
There was a camel, two lambs, and a cat owner following behind the sheep wanting to smell their scent. Sui Yu and Sui Liang took them out for a run and to graze.
In Dunhuang in March, the spring breeze still carries the chill of late winter. The yellow earth is covered with dead grass. Only by pulling away the grass roots can you see scattered patches of green.
The lambs were unable to chew the dry grass, so they stood huddled together in the wilderness, staring at the tall camels and mules around them, bleating from time to time, attracting the sheep in the distance to look back.
Sui Yu took out a handful of oily bean dregs from his cloth bag and fed them to the sheep. He touched the soft wool and said, "Don't miss your mother. This is your new home."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com