Chapter 85: Slavery
This spring, there was no rain, and after the snow melted, there were several sunny days. Before the oxen could be plowed, the soil was already dry and crusty. In such a state, who dared to plow the land again? I was afraid that the soil would turn over and become barren after being exposed to wind and sun.
The government ordered every household to draw water from the river to irrigate the land.
Zhao Xiping had not returned yet, so Sui Yu had no choice but to take Sui Liang and lead the camel to the river to fetch water, and then transport the water to the fields one trip at a time.
"Pooh." Sui Liang swallowed a mouthful of sand in the wind, and he bent down and spat wildly.
Sui Yu squinted his eyes and looked to the west. The sky in the northwest was grayish yellow, and the yellow sand in the sky was blown up by the wind, like an airtight barrier, which made people feel uneasy.
"After two years of hard-earned peace, now comes the sandstorm. I'm afraid our crops will suffer this year," a man fetching water from the river grimaced. "It's just my bad luck. If I had settled east of Jiuquan, I wouldn't have to worry about drought. My brother-in-law's family farms in Zhangye County, and they can even grow rice there."
"Come on, come on. Even if the production decreases further, we won't starve." An old man, unable to bear his dejected look, said, "If you add two more buckets of water, the soil in the field will grow two more buckets of grain. A grown man with such a nagging face is really annoying. Why don't you blame your parents for not giving birth to you on Chang'an Street?"
Everyone who heard this laughed out loud. Farmers rely on the weather for their livelihood. Whether in the south of the Yangtze River or the northwest, there will always be droughts.
Sui Yu bent down and scooped half a bucket of water into the big bucket on the camel's back, filling it up. Sui Liang led the camel and the two little camels followed behind.
The little camels cannot carry weight yet, so Sui Yu brought them out to let them learn first.
Sister Lamei led her camel to the riverside. Seeing this, she asked, "Has Captain Zhao not returned yet?"
"Not yet. I guess he'll be back in the next two days."
"You'll be relieved when he comes back."
Sui Yu smiled and went to chase the camel with a small bucket of water.
When scooping water to irrigate the land, a bucket of water was only enough to irrigate a distance of one step. A camel carried two buckets of water at a time and could make ten trips in half a day. Sui Yu could only irrigate one and a half ridges of land a day.
After working from dawn to dusk, both the man and the camel were exhausted. The camel lay down as soon as it was led back, and ate grass while lying down.
Sui Yu cooked a pot of porridge, and she and Sui Liangjiang ate it. After their stomachs were full, they went back to the room to sleep.
After daybreak, we continued to lead the camels to fetch water for irrigation.
The families whose fields were close to the river were already digging ditches to divert water. Sui Yu passed by and said, "Brother, my fields are in the middle, not close to the river. Now that you have dug this diversion ditch, can I draw water from it?"
"Let's wait until the water in my fields is sufficient."
"Oh well."
"Are you fetching water by yourself?"
"Well, my man will be back in the next two days." As she was speaking, Sui Yu heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw that it was Zhao Xiping who came back.
"He's back." Sui Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Xiping came over carrying a shovel and said, "No need to carry water. I'll dig a ditch to divert the water."
"That would require digging a very long ditch." Sui Yu looked towards the end of the field.
Zhao Xiping pointed at the people digging the ditch and said, "Just dig along this ditch. I'll help them dig first. When they reach the edge of their land, I'll continue digging eastward."
As he spoke, he took the bucket from the camel's back, poured out the water in it, and said, "You take the camel back first. The things I brought back are still scattered in the yard. You go back and clean them up."
"good."
Sui Yu left with the camel, feeling relieved.
The places where the ditches were being dug now were all ditches dug in previous years that were filled with dead branches and leaves. Digging along the old ditches was not difficult. Zhao Xiping jumped in with the shovel, dug a few times and then put the shovel down.
"Is that your wife?" someone came over and asked.
Zhao Xiping nodded.
"She doesn't know how to farm." The man said with certainty, otherwise she would not be unaware of digging ditches for irrigation.
Zhao Xiping smiled and said, "She doesn't understand, but after this year, she understands a little more."
Sui Yu went back to feed the camels first. There were two jars in the yard. She walked over to take a look and found that they were jars of sauerkraut. The sauerkraut water she brought back from her hometown two years ago was no longer flavorful after repeated use.
"Brother Liang, go into the house, grab some money, and go to the pork stall to see if they have any pig blood left. If there is no pig blood, buy a piece of tofu." Sui Yu said.
"Okay." Sui Liang strode in.
He strode out again.
"Take a bowl." Sui Yu reminded, "Put a bag of soybeans in it and bring it with you. You can exchange the soybeans for tofu."
Sui Liang strode in again.
Sui Yu went to light a fire and cook. She washed the rice and millet and put them into the pot. She lit the fire in the stove and went to the woodshed to get a dried field mouse to soak in water.
The rice was steamed and Sui Liang came back with a bowl of tofu. Sui Yu asked him to light the fire. She washed the field mouse meat, chopped it into small pieces and fried it in a pan. After the aroma came out, she added the tofu. After frying the tofu on both sides until golden brown, she added two bowls of water to stew it, and finally added salt and sauerkraut.
After the meal was ready, Sui Yu and Sui Liang ate first. After they were full, they went to the field to deliver the meal to Zhao Xiping.
The ditch had been dug to a length of two meters. Zhao Xiping was covered in dust. He casually brushed the dust off his hands, took the food and squatted by the ditch to eat.
"During droughts in previous years, did you dig ditches to divert water for irrigation?" Sui Yu asked. "When I was fetching water, many people were also using camels or mules to carry water."
"In some places, the terrain is high, so water can't be brought up. We have to use animals or people to carry water." Zhao Xiping choked, drank some rice soup to smooth it over, and continued, "Last year, we had to use animals to carry water to the two plots of land where we planted sorghum."
"I won't talk to you anymore. Let's eat first." Sui Yu walked away.
In the afternoon, she and Sui Liang brought camels to carry water, mainly to irrigate the two high-lying fields.
The ditch was dug for a day and a half, and there was water in the ditch the next night. The water from the river flowed into the land. Zhao Xiping, Sui Yu and Sui Liang all went down to the land to dig ditches to divert the water into the land.
Zhao Xiping had been unable to plow the fields before the snow fell last year due to an injury, so this year the soil was exceptionally hard, with wheat stubble, bean roots, and millet roots still sticking out. He walked around the fields, then went back to the government office to borrow a plowing ox, hoping to plow the fields while they were still wet.
Sui Yu was no longer needed to plow the fields, so she returned home from the fields. In addition to preparing three meals a day, she also had to take care of the vegetable garden. Herding camels and pigs was Sui Liang's job.
"Sui Yu, someone's looking for you." Sister Lamei came over with a guard. She pointed at the person in the vegetable garden and said, "This is Mr. Zhao's wife."
"Is Captain Zhao not at home? Captain Qu wants to see him."
Sui Yu sighed and said, "He's plowing the fields. I'll go find him right away."
"Let him go directly to the government office. The captain is waiting for him."
It seemed quite urgent, so Sui Yu didn't delay any longer. She left the vegetable garden and hurried to the field to look for someone.
Zhao Xiping got the letter and got up from the field with half his legs covered in mud. He unloaded the iron plow and placed it on the ridge. He said, "You take the cows out to graze. Leave the iron plow here first. No one will steal it. I'll move it when I come back."
"Okay, go quickly, it seems urgent." Sui Yu handed his shoes over and said, "Go around the river and remember to wash your feet."
Zhao Xiping ran away with his shoes in his hand. When he got to the river, he rubbed them roughly, put them on, and hurried to the government office.
Captain Qu was training his troops. After being reminded by his subordinates, he noticed Zhao Xiping who was rushing over. Half of his body was covered with mud, his clothes were tattered, and there were mud marks on his face.
"Did it just get out of the ground?" asked Captain Qu.
"I'm plowing, Captain. What do you want from me?"
"Have you finished the work in the fields?" Unlike Zhao Xiping's hasty and anxious expression, Captain Qu was more than willing to chat: "It's been dry this year, with no rain. Will that affect the harvest?"
"If we can divert water for irrigation, sowing won't be affected. Whether the harvest will be affected depends on whether it rains after planting." Zhao Xiping scraped mud from between his fingernails and said, somewhat bewilderedly, "I still have two mu of land left to plow. In another day, we'll have almost finished it."
"That's good. I have a great job for you." Captain Qu pointed to the nearby post station and said, "A Han envoy group arrived half a month ago. Did you know about that?"
Zhao Xiping smiled and said, "I was returning from my hometown half a month ago when I happened to meet a delegation. I was traveling with them and stayed at an inn for a few nights. I wonder if it was them."
"That's right. Since you already know each other, I'll send you. The envoy leading the delegation is Lieutenant Chang from Chang'an. This trip is to Wusun. You're familiar with the route west, having crossed the Gobi Desert last year. You'll be responsible for leading the escort." Lieutenant Qu walked a few more steps into the open area. Zhao Xiping followed him and heard him whisper, "This is good fortune for you. If it weren't for the desert dust, the delegation wouldn't have needed my troops to escort them."
Zhao Xiping was silent. The desert was filled with dust. Once people entered, they couldn't see anything and it was easy to get lost and never get out.
"Escorting the diplomatic mission is both an escort and a mission. Upon your return, you will have made contributions, and you can help your family, wife, and brother escape slavery." Captain Qu further explained, "If it weren't for your proper handling of the matter and your ability, this good thing wouldn't have happened to you."
Zhao Xiping was delighted. The wish he made on New Year's Eve could come true so soon? He was about to agree when he asked again, "Sir, how long will it take me to go back and forth?"
"That depends on how long the delegation stays in Wusun."
Zhao Xiping's face darkened. If he could go back this year, the earliest would be late autumn. If he couldn't go back this year, it would probably be next summer.
Zhao Xiping rubbed the corner of his clothes, looking at Captain Qu hesitantly. His mind was swirling with thoughts. After some hesitation, he mustered up the courage to plead, "Captain, I'm away from home for at least six months, a year, or even two. It's going to be hard for my wife to be alone at home. You know how beautiful she is. If someone bullies her while I'm away, she won't even be able to file a complaint." As he spoke, his voice trailed off, and he pleaded with a weak voice, "Can you please use my merits to free her from slavery first?"
Captain Qu glared.
Zhao Xiping immediately lowered his eyes and bowed deeply.
"I am not responsible for the slaves..." Captain Qu stared at Zhao Xiping, thinking that what he said was true. Not only could slaves not report to the authorities, but even if they sued officials, they would be beaten with a stick before being driven out.
"How about this? I'll go and ask Supervisor Hu about the situation. Whether this is successful or not, you are not allowed to publicize it. Even if your family's slavery is temporarily lifted, it won't be reported this year. Only after you escort the delegation back can she be officially freed from slavery."
Zhao Xiping knelt down and kowtowed, "Thank you very much, sir."
"Well, go back and prepare. We'll be leaving in two days." Captain Qu stared at him, suddenly kicked him, and warned him, "Do your job well. Don't let me down like He Qing did."
"promise."
The next day, the captain met Supervisor Hu outside the government office. He just mentioned it and Supervisor Hu immediately agreed without any objection.
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