Chapter 193 About to Depart
On the morning of the first day of the New Year, Captain Qu gave New Year gifts to his subordinates as he did in previous years. This time, Zhao Xiping brought his son to pay New Year's greetings to Captain Qu.
"A rough man has a son who looks like a fairy, Captain Zhao, you are so lucky." Captain Qu teased the child. Seeing that the child was not shy or stingy, he stretched out his hand and said, "Come, let me hold you."
Zhao Xiping handed the child over.
Seeing this, the others said goodbye and left.
Zhao Xiping stopped Captain Gu and said, "Please give my New Year's greetings to Captain Hu. I'll take the children with me to talk to the Captain. It might be too late to go to the Captain's Mansion later."
"Okay." Captain Gu agreed readily. Now he finally understood Zhao Xiping's intention of carrying his son out.
Captain Qu had a dagger adorned with gems brought to the boy. He then said to Zhao Xiping, "Your son has a large frame, long arms and legs. He's a good candidate for martial arts training. You must teach him well. In the future, we'll have a Jade-faced General in Dunhuang."
"You think too highly of him," Zhao Xiping said modestly. He looked at the cub and said, "I don't ask for anything else. I just want him to grow up safely and live to old age in peace."
Captain Qu waved his hand, "Your perspective is quite shallow. We all grow from children to teenagers and then to young adults. You were content to farm and collect firewood when you were young, then marry a woman you didn't know well and have a bunch of children, only to end up dead? In the end, no one will remember you except your children and grandchildren. If you're not mediocre, your son won't be either. Don't ask for nothing. Since you have the means, raise him well and show him the way forward from a young age."
Zhao Xiping lowered his eyes in thought and said, "What if he doesn't want to join the army when he grows up?"
"He has a lot of kung fu skills, so why are you worried that he can't do other things?"
"That's right." Zhao Xiping nodded. "There are servants practicing martial arts every day in his mother's guesthouse. Every winter, the escorts also come out to practice their legs and feet early in the morning and late at night. He grew up there and has seen a lot, so he's no doubt running out of ideas."
"How many slaves? By the way, the slave you mentioned going out of the city for some reason didn't come back. Have you found him?" asked Captain Qu.
"They came back on their own, bringing with them a herd of wild camels," Zhao Xiping replied, and continued, "Including the gifts from Captain Hu, my family now has twenty-three private slaves and five official slaves."
At this point, Zhao Xiping remembered that Captain Qu had promised to send him two more official slaves, but he had not seen them until now.
"What do you want to do by having twenty or thirty slaves practicing martial arts? Are you going to train a team of elite soldiers?" Captain Qu said with a half-smile.
Zhao Xiping instantly understood that someone had come to complain about him. How could a few slaves who had only practiced rudimentary martial arts become elite soldiers? Clearly, Captain Qu didn't believe it either, and his words were merely a warning.
"After the spring, my wife plans to take her slaves to the interior of the country. She's thinking of forming a caravan to trade," Zhao Xiping said calmly. "She might go outside the country again later. I'm training her slaves to keep her safe."
Captain Qu lowered his eyes and saw the child sitting on his lap was getting impatient and struggling. He returned the child to Zhao Xiping and said, "Trading is indeed profitable."
"She wants to go outside the Great Wall to have a look."
"The child is staying at home with you?"
Zhao Xiping nodded.
Captain Qu smiled. He was not surprised at all. A woman who could make a law-abiding man go to the battlefield to earn military merits and escape slavery for her would definitely not be someone who is content with the status quo.
"Master, a guest has arrived." The servant came in to report.
Zhao Xiping snatched the dagger from the boy's hand, stood up and said, "Then I will take my leave and will not disturb you any longer."
Captain Qu nodded, and when he saw Zhao Xiaozai turning around and waving at him, he smiled and waved back at the child.
This child is good-looking and well-raised. Zhao Xiping is indeed blessed. He has found a treasure in picking up a wife.
After Zhao Xiping returned, he gave the short knife that his son had obtained to Sui Yu. This unsharpened short blade was not suitable for men, but was suitable for women to use for self-defense.
"I'll take it to the blacksmith's shop someday and have it forged again. I'll also make a scabbard for it, a wooden one will do." Sui Yu packed up his things and went to the guest house as soon as Zhao Xiping came back.
"Where is Sui Liang?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"He's already run away. He's probably at the guesthouse by now."
"Then let's go too." Zhao Xiping looked around and saw wild cats lying on the wall basking in the sun. It was good to have them there to prevent mice from destroying the house.
"Next time you return to the city, please bring back some leftovers." Sui Yu instructed.
"Alright."
The gate was locked and the footsteps faded away. Several cats on the wall went up to the roof to see. After making sure that the people had gone far away, they jumped into the yard to eat half a bowl of dumpling soup that had cooled in the corner.
As she approached the guesthouse, Sui Yu noticed many unfamiliar faces on the road. She started talking to them and found out that they were there to listen to stories.
Last night, people who went out of the city to throw torches heard the sound of gongs in the north of the city. Curious idlers invited three or five acquaintances to come over. They listened to Qingshan and Zhang Shun telling stories about merchants across the courtyard wall, and were intoxicated by the aroma of barbecue in the middle of the night. After returning, they told others how lively the guesthouse in the north of the city was and how interesting the stories were.
Look, the idle person who had no guests at home came over.
After Qin Wenshan learned about this, he paid for Qingshan and Zhang Shun to go on stage and once again publicize his experiences and glorious deeds. The other two merchants rushed to follow suit.
The merchants who had contacted Sui Yu before came to her again and urged her to write their business stories as soon as possible.
Sui Yu agreed to all of their requests. Zhao Xiping was not on duty yet, and someone was taking care of the child. She devoted herself to the task of compiling the storybook, and privately marked the business routes and locations, as well as the names of relevant people and the places where goods were purchased based on the merchants' stories.
After the first month of the lunar year, the temperature rose slightly, and Zhao Xiping began to report to the parade grounds early in the morning and late at night. Sui Yu reminded him to go to the Qianhu Office every day and pour some leftovers into the wooden basin in the yard. Thinking that the cat official was in heat again and who knew where it would go if it was not tied up, he caught the cat official on his way back to the city that afternoon.
"Go in. You can stay in this house temporarily. I will come to pick you up after spring." Zhao Xiping opened the door to throw the cat in, then quickly closed and locked the door.
"What are you doing?" Captain Gu asked as he walked out.
"Send some food to the cats." Zhao Xiping patted the cat hair stuck to his clothes and explained, "We don't come back often, so a few stray cats have come home. It's good to have them guarding the house, which makes it more lively."
Captain Gu nodded nonchalantly and asked, "I heard your guesthouse is rehearsing some kind of storybook?"
"Yes, my wife wrote it based on the merchants' experiences, and then told it to others. She found the merchants' business life quite interesting." Zhao Xiping walked with Captain Gu on a camel and continued, "They traveled outside the Great Wall, saw and heard a lot. Not to mention those related to people, there were also many rumors about gods and ghosts. Just picking out one of them would attract everyone in the city to listen."
Captain Gu also became interested. After the training on the training ground was over, he and Zhao Xiping returned to the guesthouse together.
The ground had not yet thawed, there was no farm work, and after the first month of the lunar year, people did not visit relatives and friends. Everyone in the city who heard the news rushed over. The low hill formed by the ruins in Hexi was surrounded by people, and vendors setting up stalls were scattered around. The Changgui Guest House was completely bustling with activity.
Sui Yu also took the opportunity to do business. She asked Xiao Chunhong and Liu Yaer to help in the kitchen, steaming buns and pancakes, rolling out dough and cooking soup noodles. When it was time for dinner, she would invite people to come and eat. Sui Liang, on the other hand, sat behind his house in the sun with a stove, cooking braised eggs. The aroma of the braised eggs wafted out, and passersby would buy one for their children or one for everyone.
As for the remaining slaves, Xiaoxi and Sancao were running in different ways on the top of the ruins, and Sui Yu would go up and run back and forth from time to time. With such training, it would be easier to cross mountains and ridges in the future.
The bustling days lasted until mid-February. The snow melted, the river began to flow, and after drying the furs, the merchants packed their luggage and goods, stocked up on dry food, and left the city.
The farmers who came to watch the fun also returned to the fields, applying fertilizer, plowing, turning the soil, and watering in preparation for the upcoming spring planting.
Gan Da and Gan Er helped the male servants to carry manure to the fields, while the female servants stayed at home and were busy rolling and cutting noodles and then taking them out to dry in the sun, preparing dry food for the caravan.
"I have taken everyone away. You still need to buy three or five more servants to farm the land, so that the farming work won't pile up and exhaust you again." Sui Yu said to Zhao Xiping.
Zhao Xiping nodded silently, and handed the "pass" he had obtained to Sui Yu. With this, she could go in and out of the customs with her slaves and goods.
The closer it got to Sui Yu's departure day, the more silent Zhao Xiping became. He looked tired and heavy every day, as if he was carrying a stone.
Sui Yu grabbed his hand and said, "It won't be dangerous for me to go back inside the pass. I've been on that road before."
Zhao Xiping sighed deeply and said frankly, "I can't bear to leave you."
There were hurried footsteps outside the door. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping looked over and saw Sui Liang, holding the baby in his arms, approaching with an excited look on his face. When they reached the door, Sui Liang put the baby on the ground and said, "Go find your parents. They'll give you candy."
Sui Yu immediately understood. She let go of the man's hand, took a few steps forward, squatted down and said, "Baby, come to your mother."
The kid held up his arms and took trembling steps, one step, two steps, three steps... Zhao Xiping stared at him nervously, not daring to breathe.
The cub walked faster and faster, and soon his butt could not keep up with his legs. His body was bent like a bow. Just before he fell, Sui Yu ran over to catch him.
"Oh, our little one can walk." Sui Yu was happy.
The kid hadn't come to his senses yet. He turned his head to look and struggled to get down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he grabbed Sui Yu's hand and took a step forward.
Slowly, he let go of her hand and walked towards the door step by step. Halfway there, he stopped, turned his head and smiled at his parents.
The golden sunlight generously filled the small courtyard, and the children's laughter like silver bells echoed. Zhao Xiping smiled unconsciously, and most of the depression in his body dissipated.
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