Chapter 296 "Follow me, follow me, I'm stingy"
Wenzhu Garden was in the northwest corner of the backyard, just around the corner from where the servants lived. From its location near the back door, one could clearly hear the voices of passersby outside the wall. The small courtyard was even narrower, but neatly maintained. A row of wildflowers, red and yellow, were planted against the wall, in full bloom.
Sui Liang walked in and said, "Sister, please go inside and talk. The little one and I will be waiting in the yard."
Sui Hui wiped away her tears and looked around angrily. The yard was small, and the house was small too. It was spacious enough for her and a maid to live there, but it couldn't accommodate any extra people.
"Brother An will come over later. Let him take you to his yard to sit for a while." Sui Hui said a little embarrassedly, "The child is here, and I don't have much to eat here. Chunqiao, you can sneak out through the back door and buy some cakes from the street."
"No need, we came here after breakfast." Sui Yu lowered the topic and said, "Don't be polite, we are not here to be guests, let's go inside and talk."
Sui Hui glanced at the maid, who went into the room and then quickly left.
"I met your brother in Dayuan. After leaving Dunhuang, he followed the monks to Shentu the following year. He came back last year and stayed in a remote town for a month. Then he left again, saying that he wanted to spread Buddhism." Sui Yu stopped chatting with her and talked about business. She opened the wooden box. On the neatly folded monk's robe lay two pairs of cloth shoes with worn soles and patches on the uppers.
"He's become a monk, unwilling to care about worldly affairs, and he doesn't plan to come back. This box of rags and rags was what he was going to throw away. I picked them up, washed them, and brought them back to you. Keep them as a keepsake." Sui Yu pulled out a string of Buddhist beads from the bottom of the box and said, "He gave them to me before he left. I think he asked me to bring them to you."
Sui Hui stared blankly, tears already streaming down her face.
"Is he really not coming back?" she asked unwillingly.
"That being said, I don't know if he will come back."
"Did he ask about me? Did he ask about his nephew?"
Sui Yu was silent.
Sui Hui looked disappointed, her complexion suddenly turned pale, and she seemed to have aged four or five years in an instant.
"He still cares about you and hopes you're well." Sui Yu couldn't bear to watch. She added, "I asked him to come back, but he said he didn't want to be involved in the past. He was also afraid that bringing up the past lawsuit would harm those who had been kind to us. The only people who could be involved now are you, Supervisor Hu, and the captain of Yumen Pass."
"Aunt." A skinny, short boy strode in. When he saw Sui Yu, he immediately bowed. "Are you Aunt Yu? I often hear my aunt mention you. She admires you very much, and so do I."
"This is An Ge'er, you haven't seen him yet." Sui Hui's eyes lit up again.
Sui Yu looked at his figure, not sure whether this was the first child or the one born later. If it was the first child, he should be the same age as A Shui, but he looked not as tall as A Shui.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"I'm twelve years old in lunar age." Anger replied.
He is the same age as A Shui, and seeing that he is as thin as a bamboo pole, Sui Yu concluded that he is weak, but fortunately he has grown up.
"Time flies! Twelve years have already gone by in the blink of an eye." Sui Yu picked up a stack of stone-blue Shu brocade and said, "Your cousin likes this color. It looks good on a boy your age and doesn't look old-fashioned. This is the first time your aunt has met you, so she doesn't know what you like. I can only prepare some material for you. Go downstairs and make two sets of clothes."
Sui Liang heard this from outside. He leaned in, greeted him, and said loudly, "Hello, nephew."
"Take your uncle and cousin to your yard and sit for a while." Sui Hui said, "I want to talk to your aunt."
"Can I listen? Is there any news about my uncle?" An Ge'er noticed something was wrong with his aunt as soon as he entered the room. He bowed to Sui Yu and said, "Forgive my nephew for being rude. I'm really worried about my aunt. She misses my uncle very much."
This child is intelligent and insightful. Even at such a young age, he speaks with courtesy and decorum. Most importantly, he knows how to cherish and be close to his biological mother. Sui Yu looked at Sui Hui and said, "He's already freed. He lives a freer life than you, and has found his own path. Don't worry about him all the time, or he'll worry about you every day."
"My uncle is alive! I was so scared." An Ge patted Sui Hui's shoulder and said, "As long as my uncle is still alive, you will be able to meet him sooner or later."
Sui Hui sighed and didn't want to say more.
Sui Yu glanced outside and happened to see the little boy fanning himself with his hand. She immediately felt like leaving and without further delay, she continued, "I ran into my cousin in Dayuan by chance. By the way, his Buddhist name is Le Jing. The owner of the horse we bought from is a Buddhist, and because of my connection with Master Le Jing, I got a bargain when he bought the horse. On the other hand, I also got a few seeds from Master Jing. Apart from making him some monk robes and shoes and socks, I couldn't give anything in return. Later, I thought it would be better to give you the money. Your life will be better, and it will also be a way to relieve his worries."
"He has nothing to worry about." Sui Hui smiled sadly, wiping away her tears. She pointed to the things on the ground and said, "Take these things back. I can make a living and I don't need these valuable things. Sister Yu, we are all brother and sister. Whether he gave you the seeds or you borrowed his light to benefit from it, these things do not require anything in return. You met him, which means that the seeds should be in your hands. He owed you, and you borrowed his light to benefit from it as he repaid the debt. You saw that he was short of clothes and shoes, and you gave him clothes and shoes. He should thank you. I should also thank you. You came all the way to bring me his news and his clothes, and put my worries at ease."
Sui Yu was silent.
The room fell silent for a moment.
The maid who bought the cakes came back sweating profusely. She carried a large bowl of oily aroma and walked up to Sui Liang and Xiaozai and said, "Young masters, these cakes are fresh out of the pan and are still hot. Would you like to try one?"
Ang'er came out and said, "Uncle, cousin, I'll take you to my yard to talk and you can get to know me so that you won't meet me on the street later."
Sui Liang looked inside the door and saw Sui Yu had already stood up. She came out and said, "Brother An, don't bother. Your uncle is off duty now and will come to pick us up later. We still have to go to Aunt Xiaozai's house."
"Little boy?" Ang'er looked at his handsome little cousin. He had big eyes and looked innocent. His gaze was clear and pure. It was obvious that he was a doted child. No wonder he had such a narrow-minded nickname.
"My name is also Zhao Mingguang. It was given to me by my uncle," said the kid.
"What a nice name." Anger suddenly felt competitive and said, "My name is Hu Ansui. My parents gave me this name together. It also shares a character with my uncle."
At this time, he no longer called Sui Hui "aunt".
The boy's eyes rolled, and he understood and said, "Good name, I'll remember it."
Ang'er smiled. He touched the kid's bun and said, "It looks very nice."
"My mother made it for me." The boy looked at Sui Yu proudly.
Sui Yu smiled and said, "Let's go now so as not to keep your father waiting."
The cub nodded.
"Sister Yu, take the things. I'll just leave two jars of honey. An'er likes to eat this." Sui Hui came out with a blanket and some clothes and said seriously, "I won't take these. I'm not being polite. An'er, go move the boxes off the floor and help me see your aunt out."
"Well, I'll take the blanket and fabric, and you can keep the box," Sui Yu said. "There's a thousand coins in the box. Keep it with you for easy access. An Ge'er is growing up, so you should give him some money from time to time so he doesn't get short of money."
Sui Hui hesitated for a moment, but still refused. She was not qualified to take Sui Yu's money.
"Ang'er doesn't need this money. He's smart, loved by his father, and raised by the mistress. He has enough food and clothing. If he really needs money, he can find a way to ask his father for it himself. I don't need to worry about it." Sui Hui said calmly, "Sister Yu, you can take the things. You shouldn't pay for it, and I don't deserve your money."
"Aunt, I don't have much money to spend. Thank you for your kindness." An Ge'er came forward and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, my aunt will not be treated harshly with me here."
Having said that, Sui Yu stopped forcing him. She gestured for Sui Liang to take the cash box. This kid was really weak. His legs were shaking just from moving the box.
After bidding farewell to Sui Hui, Sui Yu and the other two followed An Ge'er and left. When they reached the door, they actually saw Zhao Xiping. They realized that what she had said before was all nonsense, just to make it easier for her to escape.
"Uncle, why don't you come in when you come? I'll talk to my dad some other day. My family's hospitality is really bad." An Ge'er embarrassed.
Zhao Xiping glanced at Sui Yu and said, "I just got here."
"Okay, let's go." Sui Yu waved his hand, "You can go in too, it's quite hot."
Anger let out an "Ah" but didn't move. He watched Sui Yu and his group ride away on camels. He stood at the door for a while before going in.
"Is my mother still busy?" he asked the maid serving in the main courtyard.
"No, my wife just asked about you."
Anger shouted first, then lifted the bamboo curtain and went in.
"Is your aunt gone?" Mrs. Hu leaned on the bamboo couch and fanned herself with a small fan.
"Yes, she just left and took away the things she brought with her. My aunt refused to accept them."
Mrs. Hu snorted and laughed, "Pretending to be so noble."
Ango lowered his eyes and said nothing.
"Didn't she invite you to her house? I heard she hired a tutor from Chang'an. Oh, and a few days ago she brought back a batch of tall horses from outside the Great Wall. I don't know if they were Dayuan horses or Wusun horses. Your uncle really likes Dayuan horses."
The uncle here naturally refers to her brother from her mother's side.
"No, I feel like this aunt is quite distant from my aunt, and it seems like she doesn't intend to keep in touch often." An Ge'er shook his head, a hint of indignation on his face, and said, "This aunt is not good, my Aunt Cui is better."
Mrs. Hu was delighted. She sat up and said, "You are already twelve years old, and this is the first time you have seen her. You have never even had a bite of her candy before. How can she really miss you?"
Ang'er nodded.
"Why did she come to see Madam Wen? And why did she send so many things?" Mrs. Hu asked seriously.
An Ge'er concealed the matter of the seeds and explained his encounter with Sui Wen'an and the purchase of the horse. He was sensitive and could sense that Sui Yu was evasive when she mentioned the seeds, presumably because she didn't want others to know.
Meanwhile, Sui Yu and his group were heading north out of the city. Zhao Xiping inquired, "I remember Sui Hui gave birth to a child when your cousin was freed from slavery. Was the boy you just brought out hers her son?"
"That's it."
"He looks a little young." Zhao Xiping looked at his son in his arms and said, "I thought he was only two or three years older than the kid, and I was amazed that he could speak so eloquently at such a young age."
"I can do that too." The kid was jealous. "What do you want to hear? I'll tell you."
"You're nothing! You and your uncle combined are no match for him. Let me tell you, your cousin takes after your mother... Hey! You're biting me again, are you born in the Year of the Dog?" Zhao Xiping pinched his chin and said deliberately, "Look at your stingy character! You don't take after your mother at all."
"Follow me, follow me. I'm stingy." Sui Liang claimed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com