Chapter 196 Departure (Two in One)
In April, the weather became much warmer. Gan Da, Gan Er and other male servants planted crops on forty acres of land. Coincidentally, a group of Hu merchants arrived at the guesthouse. Sui Yu talked to Song Xian and planned to follow this caravan out of the city.
The night before leaving, Sui Yu leaned against the head of the bed and looked at the child doing somersaults on the bed. When she heard footsteps coming in, she turned her head to look over.
"Should we wake him up tomorrow morning?" asked Zhao Xiping.
"Wake him up, and take him with you to get me out of the city," Sui Yu said. "He can't understand what I'm saying right now. If he wakes up and can't find his mother, that would be even more frightening to him than seeing me leave with my own eyes."
"Then go to bed. Go to bed early and get up early tomorrow." Zhao Xiping took off his clothes and got into bed. He patted the empty space between them and said, "Zhao Mingguang, come to bed."
The cub responded happily, crawled over in a few steps, and lay down obediently.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping also lay down quietly, the couple closed their eyes and pretended to be asleep. Seeing that his parents were asleep, the little boy also closed his eyes and went to sleep obediently.
After the cub's breathing became steady, Sui Yu opened her eyes. She looked at the dark roof and turned sideways to stare at the man opposite. The room was dark and she could vaguely see some undulating lines.
She reached out and touched it, but was held down the next moment.
"Can't sleep?"
"Can you sleep?"
The man was silent for a few breaths, then he sat up and moved the child to the end of the bed. He hadn't dared touch her for a while, fearing she'd get pregnant again. That night, too, he held her in his arms, the two of them sitting opposite each other, comforting each other.
When the tide overflowed the embankment, Sui Yu raised her beautiful face covered with sweat. Her shoulders ached and she whimpered, her ten fingers tightly gripping her tense waist and abdomen.
The man pushed her down, kicked the ground with one foot, bent one knee, lowered his head and leaned over her, a smooth and gentle whimper spreading like ripples in spring water.
Moonlight leaked in from the crack in the door, a few rays of light crawled on the ground, and then climbed up the wooden bed along the taut tendons. The wind blew the door open, and the bright white moonlight flashed by, and the amazing charm was hidden in the darkness in an instant.
The dark clouds that had been lingering for a long time dispersed, thunder sounded, Sui Yu slid down, and she collapsed on him, just like rain falling and soaking into the earth, she also wanted to melt on him.
"Did you bite my shoulder and make it bleed?" she asked in a soft voice.
The man shook his head. He didn't have the strength to speak anymore.
Sui Yu raised his hand and touched his shoulder. The pain seemed to still be there, but the teeth marks had disappeared.
Zhao Xiping raised his hand and rubbed it roughly, saying, "I didn't use any strength."
"Zhao Xiping, you have to think of me every day." Sui Yu rested her chin on his chest and made a request: "Think of me every day when you open your eyes and close them."
"So domineering?"
How could he be so overbearing? Sui Yu pinched him lightly.
"Not only that, when I eat, sleep, and take care of the children, or when I see people and things related to you, I will think of you." Zhao Xiping calmed down, he pulled up the mattress and wrapped them both in it, "Let's go to sleep, it's late."
Everything that needed to be explained and reminded had already been said a few days ago, so there was no need to repeat it now.
Although they slept late, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping woke up as soon as the rooster crowed in the morning.
"Go get some water." Sui Yu said.
"good."
After washing, Sui Yu changed into the men's clothes prepared last night. These were altered from Zhao Xiping's clothes, and there were signs of wear and tear on the clothes.
"Little one, wake up, it's dawn." Sui Yu picked up the child from the end of the bed, "Haven't you slept well yet? Send me away later, and you can come back to sleep."
"I'm afraid I can't sleep." Zhao Xiping came over with the child's clothes. He pointed at Sui Yu and asked, "Little boy, is this your father or your mother?"
Although the boy wondered if there was something wrong with his mother's clothes, he was not stupid enough to be unable to tell the difference between the two.
After tying up the kid's hair, Sui Yu carried him out. Sui Liang heard the noise and opened the door to come out.
"Uncle——" the kid shouted happily.
Sui Liang touched his little head and followed him out.
The camels had been led out. Eight camels were left at home, two large and six small. The other thirty-two camels had camel bells hanging on them and carried wooden boxes of money or pots and pans, two pieces of silk and three bundles of tents on their backs.
After dinner, Zhao Xiping carried the baby and rode on the camel. Sui Yu checked the luggage, said hello to Hu Shang, and waved to the servants to mount the camels and prepare to set off.
"Protect your wife well and listen to her on the way." Grandma Yin instructed her two sons, "Mom will wait here for you to come back."
Gan Da and Gan Er nodded.
Meng Ma gestured to Liu Yaer for a few times, and Liu Yaer nodded. She then rode the camel and left.
"Why did my sister-in-law leave?" Ah Shui held Uncle Niu's hand and said, "The kid will miss her and cry. It's so pitiful."
"He's not to be pitied. His mother will come back, and his father and uncle are still at home with him." Uncle Niu smoothed Ah Shui's braids, thought for a moment, and said, "You should learn from your sister-in-law. She's a smart person."
"Will my mother come back?" A Shui asked suddenly.
Uncle Lao Niu was speechless for a moment.
"You won't come back, right?" Ah Shui seemed to have expected this. She had grown up and understood things, and the lies of the past could no longer deceive her.
Uncle Lao Niu said nothing.
"When I have children in the future, I will never leave home." Ah Shui said angrily.
"You can't think like that." Uncle Niu squatted down. "You don't have a mother, and your father has treated you badly? Haven't you grown up? Even if the kid's mother is away, he will still grow up happily. When his mother comes back, his father may also be away, and it's impossible for him to always be with the child."
Uncle Niu is not good at preaching, nor does he know how to raise children, but Sui Yu is a living example here. Sui Yu wants fame and fortune. Apart from being burdened by her family background, her life after marriage is smooth and easy. Uncle Niu decided to raise A Shui by figuring out Sui Yu's personality.
"If you say that, no one is allowed to leave. Then when the kids grow up and want to leave home, you're going to kill yourself?" Uncle Niu patted Ah Shui's head and said, "Go out and have fun. You're just a little old and you're already thinking about having kids. You should go catch bugs with Hua Niu to feed them. Earn some money and you can support me when I'm old."
"Okay." Ah Shui sighed, "I'll go make some money. When the kid comes back crying, I'll buy him some candy."
Uncle Niu smiled and said that the little master had no shortage of sweets.
At the east city gate, Sui Yu took the "pass" to the city guard for inspection. After registration, she led the camel caravan and servants out of the city to avoid blocking others from entering and leaving.
Song Xian had already brought people to wait outside the city. Huang Ancheng came with his two children to see them off with a dark face.
Zhao Xiping saw it, but he didn't go over. He stopped outside the city gate holding the baby.
Sui Yu turned around and waved at them, and Zhao Xiping also waved while holding the child's hand.
"Mom——" The kid was puzzled and pointed his finger to go over.
"Mom went to catch big fish for you, and there was also a talking bird that could sing songs. Don't you remember? Your mom told you about it." Zhao Xiping comforted him in a gentle voice.
The boy remembered it, and looking at the people walking further and further away, he suddenly felt like crying. His mouth pursed and tears came down.
"Okay, okay." Zhao Xiping wiped his tears away. "I'm still home. Your uncle is also home. We're waiting for your mother to come back."
"Brother-in-law, let's go into the city." Sui Liang said.
"Okay." Zhao Xiping looked up to the east. Sui Yu seemed to be looking back as well. He waved his hand and drove the camel into the city.
"Come to my house and sit for a while?" Huang Ancheng caught up and looked at the kid. The kid had a bewildered look on his face, clenching his hands and even wiping his tears. Such a good kid, but his mother was so heartless that she just abandoned him.
Zhao Xiping waved his hand, he wanted to go back to coax the child.
Before returning to the guesthouse, Zhao Xiping took Sui Liang and Xiaozai back to the Qianhu Office. There were mice in the guesthouse again, so he wanted to invite the cat official back.
As soon as the door was opened, cat hair flew all over the yard. The cats were frightened and ran away, leaving only cat hair all over the ground.
"Cat Officer, why are you running? Do you want to be a wild cat too?" Sui Liang shouted.
The cat official lost a lot of weight after two months of dating. His fat belly was gone, the fat on his cheeks also decreased, his cat hair became dry and dull, and his spirit became much weaker.
As soon as he saw his owner, the cat jumped down from the wall and meowed aggrievedly one after another.
The little cub lowered his head and looked at it seriously, and he meowed too.
Seeing this, Zhao Xiping asked Sui Liang to take the cub to play with the cat official, while he went out to fetch water from the river. When he came back, he went to the street to buy twenty buns.
The yard was sprinkled with water to suppress the dust and cat hair. Zhao Xiping swept the yard with a large broom. After sweeping, he cleaned the cat bowl and broke open twenty buns and threw them into it. When he finished all this, the sun was already high in the sky.
The little cub was whining for his mother again, and no matter how much the cat official called, it was of no use.
"Let's go, let's go back." Zhao Xiping picked up the child and said, "Sui Liang, you carry Maoguan up."
"good."
When Zhao Xiping met Captain Gu coming back, he said hello: "Is the morning training over?"
"Yes, you didn't go today."
"Isn't Captain Hu saying anything about taking care of the kids at home?"
"You're not here, who can he tell?" Captain Gu walked into the house and said, "Come in and sit down?"
"No, it's time to go back." Zhao Xiping looked at the child in his arms and remembered Captain Qu's words. He looked at Sui Liang and asked, "What are you planning to do in the future?"
Sui Liang was stunned. He said in confusion, "Follow my sister. I'll help her."
"I remember when you were little you said you wanted to join the army and fight in war."
Sui Liang nodded. He still remembered this incident. "If there is another war at the border, I will go and kill the enemy. If there is no war, I will go with my sister. She has no one to help her, and I can help her."
"Then you'll come with me to the training ground starting tomorrow. You can watch me with your little one while I train." Zhao Xiping made the decision. "Just follow along and see for yourself. If you're interested, you can practice with me."
Sui Liang had no objection. When his sister was around, he would listen to her. When his sister was not around, he would listen to his brother-in-law's arrangements.
At the guesthouse, all the people and camels had left. It was very deserted and there were no guests staying there. The remaining people were idle.
After the little cub came back, he suddenly burst into tears and sobbed. Zhao Xiping held him and coaxed him patiently. He walked out of the guesthouse and went down along the river. The further north he went, the fewer people there were.
Suddenly, there was a splash in the river; a fish jumped out of the water. The boy looked over with tears in his eyes. Zhao Xiping squatted down and scooped up some water to wash his face. He said, "How about we go fishing this afternoon?"
"mother--"
"Look at that mountain. They're building the Great Wall on it. Dad will take you to see it tomorrow."
The kid was about to cry again, but Zhao Xiping interrupted him, saying, "Today, let's go see it today. Let's go back and eat first."
The little cub was indeed hungry. He was quiet for a while while eating, but when he felt sleepy after eating, he started whining and looking for his mother.
Zhao Xiping carried him back to the room to sleep. The bed smelled of Sui Yu. The little guy turned over a few times and fell asleep hugging the mattress.
Zhao Xiping let out a long sigh. Before Sui Yu left, she was often away from home for a day or two. At that time, the little cub didn't cry and look for her. It was probably because he saw her leave with his own eyes that he was still thinking about her.
He was also tired, so he leaned against the head of the bed to rest. Thinking that the kid should be awake by now, he tidied up the dirty clothes on the bed, intending to wash them when he was free.
The child on the bed sat up, opened his eyes and saw his father, and immediately thought of his mother who had left home. His mouth pursed, and tears came out before he could say a word.
"Come on, come on, I'll take you out. Don't flood the guesthouse. This is your mother's hard work." Zhao Xiping carried him and went out to say hello to Sui Liang. He called the big black dog and walked north together.
The two men and the dog walked north, stopping and starting from time to time. When it was getting dark, they could vaguely see the shape of the Great Wall on the mountain and the sound of a rushing river at the foot of the mountain.
The big black dog barked a few times, and Zhao Xiping stopped it. He looked down at the child and asked, "Shall we go back?"
"Okay." The kid didn't want to come at all.
After staying for only a short while, Zhao Xiping returned with the child in his arms. The sky became darker and darker, with stars twinkling in the sky. He looked up at the sky and guessed that it was time for Sui Yu to eat.
"Hungry." The kid covered his stomach.
"You're crying because you're hungry. Can you stop crying tomorrow?"
The cub ignored him and opened his mouth to cry again. The more he cried, the hungrier he became. He missed his mother again.
The big black dog was annoyed. It followed behind with its ears drooping and looked dejected, walking slower and slower.
"Come on." Zhao Xiping turned around, "You're acting like a big shot."
The big black dog whimpered a few times.
"Hungry." The kid said again.
"Stop crying. If you don't cry, you will feel less hungry. We will go back soon." Zhao Xiping quickened his pace.
The little boy really stopped crying. He was tired of crying and was hungry and thirsty. He lay on his father's shoulder and suddenly opened his mouth and took a bite.
"Hiss—why are you biting me?"
The cub said nothing.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Xiping saw a fire in the distance. The big black dog heard a familiar voice and perked up and barked a few times.
The cub woke up with a start, looking at the dark night, feeling like he was still walking. He opened his mouth to cry, but no tears came out, so he simply gave up.
"Brother-in-law, where have you been? It's dark and you haven't come back yet. You scared me to death." Sui Liang was extremely anxious.
"Let's go home." Zhao Xiping didn't stop walking. "Is there food at home?"
"Yes, little cub, are you hungry?"
"Well, he's hungry." Zhao Xiping quickened his pace.
When they got home, Grandma Yin brought some warm water, and the kid drank it in big gulps. After that, he ate some noodles with vegetables, eggs, and tofu, and he ate them quickly and hurriedly.
"My sister never let the kid suffer this when she was at home." Sui Liang was about to cry with anger.
Zhao Xiping didn't explain. After the kid had eaten, he boiled some hot water for him to wash.
"Would it be okay to sleep with your uncle tonight?" Sui Liang came over and asked.
The kid shook his head. His father was still his father. Even if he was starving and thirsty, he would still stick to his father.
"Go to sleep. I know what's going on." Zhao Xiping smiled. "Don't worry. This is my own flesh and blood. I won't harm him."
Sui Liang gave him a glare and said, "Just wait."
He will complain when his sister comes back.
After washing the kid's face, Zhao Xiping scooped up a piece of camel oil and rubbed it into his face to prevent cracks tomorrow.
"Let's go back to the house and sleep." Zhao Xiping picked him up and walked towards the master courtyard.
Lying on the bed, the kid hugged the mattress again. Zhao Xiping patted his back gently, and soon the child fell asleep.
He slept until dawn, and Zhao Xiping noticed any movement of the cub and stayed by his bedside.
"Awake?" He took the child out to pee. "You woke up late today. Let's not go to martial arts practice. I'll take you fishing and bring your uncle too."
Breakfast consisted of egg pancakes and vegetable and chicken porridge. Sui Liang fed the kid half a bowl of porridge and a small piece of pancake. He put two eggs in his pocket, filled a bottle of boiling water, and carried a small stool to go fishing.
Heading north again, the kid kept yelling, "No, no, no," he said he didn't want to go.
"If you don't cry, we won't go." Zhao Xiping stopped and put the child down. He said, "Let's go fishing. If we catch any fish, we can take them back and make fish soup."
Sui Liang looked at him suspiciously, then put down the small stool and sat down.
The water in the river flows fast, making it impossible to catch any fish. The empty hook is left there. Zhao Xiping goes to help the kid dig worms. After playing with the worms enough, he plays with the mud.
When they returned at noon, both the father and the son were covered in mud. The boy's face was covered in mud, but he was smiling.
After eating and taking a bath, Zhao Xiping sat under the eaves with the door open and washed clothes while the kid was taking a nap.
"Brother-in-law, why did you bother the kid last night?" Sui Liang was still angry and wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Zhao Xiping wrung out a small jacket, shook it, and hung it on the clothesline. Then he said, "Dad is different from Mom. The little boy likes your sister more. When she left, he cried for ten days or half a month. If it were up to him, he would cry when he slept, cried when he woke up, cried when he ate, and sometimes cried when he suddenly remembered something. His throat was almost broken from crying."
"He must like my sister more. She conceived him, gave birth to him, and nursed him. What a great contribution she made."
Zhao Xiping glanced at him dimly.
"Oh, that's it." Sui Liang realized that he had missed the point. "It's about crying until your voice is damaged."
"Give him something to be afraid of, something to be cautious about when he cries, and spend more time playing with him, and he'll probably be able to fool me for a while." Zhao Xiping hadn't really figured it out, but it was just a sudden thought that struck him as he was walking towards the Great Wall yesterday. The child was very well behaved when Sui Yu was around, but without her, he became very stubborn. He cried for a long time yesterday afternoon, and it would be bad for him to keep crying like that.
Sui Liang reluctantly believed it.
"I've been with him this month, even taking him to the training ground." Zhao Xiping wrung out another pair of panties and hung them up, saying, "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare neglect your nephew. He's your sister's darling."
Sui Liang smiled sheepishly and explained, "I just feel sorry for the little one..."
"I know. It's good to have your supervision. I'm also afraid of making mistakes."
As he was talking, Uncle Niu came over. He glanced into the house and asked, "Did the kid cry today?"
"I didn't cry much," said Zhao Xiping.
"That's fine." Uncle Niu was a little relieved. "A Shui cried until his voice was hoarse, but he still cried. I was really scared of her crying. At that time, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself so that I couldn't hear anything."
"What happened next?" Sui Liang asked.
"Later, she lost several pounds. I guess she was used to crying, so she stopped crying later." After saying this, Uncle Lao Niu saw the child sitting up on the bed. He pointed to Zhao Xiping, and Zhao Xiping immediately took the child out.
"A Shui said he wanted to buy some candy for the kids and asked Sui Liang to take them into the city," said Uncle Lao Niu.
"I'll buy them some candy." Zhao Xiping put on the child's shoes, went into the house, grabbed a bag of copper coins, and said, "Little boy, let's go to the city to buy some candy."
A Qiang, Hua Niu, Da Zhuang, A Shui, Sui Liang, and Zhao Xiping were all called up. They took turns pulling the baby to walk. When they were tired, he would carry the child again.
After walking around the city and eating the malt candy, Zhao Xiping went to buy twenty more and then led a group of children out of the city.
I walked and stopped along the way, picked a flower, caught a butterfly, sat on the ground and watched ants carrying insect corpses, rested when I was tired, drank water when I was thirsty, licked some candy when I was bored, and when I returned to the guesthouse, it was time to eat.
Half a day passed by. After helping the kid wash up, I went back to bed. The kid hugged Zhao Xiping and cried for his mother. He fell asleep while crying. After all, he was tired from walking.
The next day before dawn, Zhao Xiping held the sleeping child in his arms and led Sui Liang back to the city to the training ground. When they arrived at the training ground, the child woke up. When he opened his eyes, he saw so many people that he no longer had the mind to think about Sui Yu.
After the show, Captain Hu wanted to catch Zhao Xiping and scold him, but Zhao Xiping slipped away under the pretext of coaxing his child. The three of them had breakfast in the city and then wandered around.
At dusk, Sui Liang carried the baby and followed Zhao Xiping to the training ground again. People coming in and out came to entertain the child. The baby was very busy. After dealing with the adults, he continued to watch them practice swords and sticks. He was busy clapping his hands and could not go home until dark.
As usual, she cried again before going to bed. Zhao Xiping was satisfied and he coaxed her to sleep skillfully.
The days that followed continued like this. Zhao Xiping never let the little cub out of his sight. With him by his side, he had things to play with and eat, and he didn't have to stay in the guesthouse every day. The little cub gradually got used to this kind of life and no longer thought of Sui Yu all the time.
Half a month later, Sui Yu and his group walked out of Wuwei County and were about to head towards Hongchiling. It was an uninhabited place, and pedestrians all walked in the direction of the river.
"Is there a snow-capped mountain above? Are we going to cross the snow-capped mountain?" Song Xian looked up and saw the snow-capped mountain right in front of her. It was no longer the snowy shadow she saw when she was standing outside the city of Dunhuang.
"It's not the highest peak, but there is indeed snow on the mountain," Sui Yu replied. "Don't be afraid. There is also a post station on Hongchi Ridge, and people are building the Great Wall. I don't know if the Great Wall above this is finished."
The river was rushing, and the clear water from the snow-capped mountains was gurgling down. The water grass along the river bank was lush and green. The goats scattered nearby came over from time to time to pluck a bite of the water, but were quickly driven away by the shepherds with whips, for fear that it would pollute the water source.
The mountain road is winding, with crisscrossing hoof prints. The caravans coming and going have trampled out a gray-yellow path.
The Hu merchants' team was in the front, and Sui Yu and Song Xian led their men following not far away. Behind them was a child carrying a dung basket, staring at the camel's butt, and occasionally his eyes moved to the wooden box on the camel's back.
Qingshan walked behind and waved his stick to drive the child away.
After making a big circle and climbing to a high place, Sui Yu looked back and saw that the children who were picking up dung had stopped and were busy cutting grass. Wuwei County at the foot of the mountain became small, and the farther away became unreal. Dunhuang City had disappeared from sight.
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