Chapter 149 Test
Han merchants returned east, Hu merchants went west, and individual merchants and travelers also left with the caravans they had met. In just a few days, all the people in the guesthouse left, and the guesthouse in the north of the city became deserted.
Three official slaves and two female helpers worked together to take apart and wash the mattresses. The doors and windows that had been closed for a whole winter were opened, and the cold sunlight leaked in between the doors and windows, dispelling the stench in the house.
"The person living in this room is so uncouth. The bedspread is so smelly, as if he has never washed his feet." Mrs. Yin was disgusted.
"All men are so bad and lazy." The female helper took off her headscarf and covered her face with it, at least to hide the smell.
"By the way, can we use hot water to wash the mattress?" another female helper asked. "The river water is so cold at this time of year. The river bank was frozen this morning."
Mrs. Yin accepted the job and said, "I'll ask the master later."
Sui Yu certainly had no objection. She had suffered from frostbite before, so how could she harm her former self again?
Sui Yu was frying Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans. A jar of soybean paste she'd made earlier had gone bad, and she figured it was probably because it had been overcooked, killing the fungi in the paste and ruining it if she refilled it. This time, she planned to use raw soybean paste and mix it with the stir-fried Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans to see if it would still go bad.
After working for half a day, half a jar of raw sauce was filled. Sui Yu tasted it and found it had a richer taste. However, because a lot of peppercorns were added, the price would definitely not be cheap. As a result, more people would tend to buy homemade soybean paste from farmers, which is cheaper.
The jar of sauce was moved to the foot of the wall. When Sui Yu stood up, she suddenly thought that after the sauce was ready, she could use it to mix with cold noodles in the summer. The pepper powder and fermented black bean powder tasted better than the fried oil.
"Why are you laughing so foolishly?" Zhao Xiping came in.
Sui Yu was startled by him and complained, "Why are you walking without making any noise?"
"I almost crushed the ground. You were lost in thought." Zhao Xiping lifted the lid of the pot and asked, "Nothing to eat?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Um."
"Then I'll cook right away. There's no leftover rice. There are no guests in the guesthouse, so I didn't steam extra buns this morning." Sui Yu took a basin to scoop rice.
"Sister, sister—" Sui Liang ran in excitedly, "Brother-in-law, where is my sister? I shot a hare."
This was the first time he had killed prey.
Sui Yu came out of the barn and said, "You've made considerable progress. Practice for another two months, and when the spring planting season comes, you can take your bow and arrow and go hunting in the fields."
Zhao Xiping took a knife and went out to peel the rabbit skin, saying, "We'll stew the rabbit meat for lunch."
The rice was boiling, and Sui Yu soaked a handful of dried vegetables in hot water. She shoved two thick sticks of firewood into the stove, dusted off the ashes on her hands, and walked out. Outside the courtyard, the open space was lined with poles and ropes, on which black, green, and gray mattresses were hung to dry.
"Take down all the hay from the mud couch and spread it out in the sun for two or three days before laying it down again," Sui Yu instructed. "Grandma Yin, be mindful. In the fall, when the wheat is harvested, have Gan Da and Gan Er bring back more wheat straw. Soak it in water, wash off the ash, dry it in the sun, and spread it on the couch. Then replace the hay."
Grandma Yin nodded in agreement.
Hearing voices coming from the fourth guest house, Sui Yu walked over and saw several people sitting in the yard scrubbing sheets and bedspreads. Zhao Xiaomi and A Shui were also there. The two girls took off their shoes and stood in a basin of warm water to wash the sheets.
"Third sister-in-law, are there any guests coming today?" Zhao Xiaomi asked.
"No, we probably won't see merchants coming to Dunhuang again until mid-March," Sui Yu replied. She told the two female helpers, "By then, merchants who come here will be staying for a short time. A mattress that's been used once or twice doesn't need to be washed. Just take it out and dry it in the sun."
The helpers were happy because if they washed the bedding every time they slept on it, their hands would be rubbed raw.
Sui Yu found a place to sit down, her chin resting on her hand as she pondered what to do with her free days ahead. Should she go camel-harnessing in the desert? Or hire someone to build the mud couches in the three guesthouses at the back?
"Shopkeeper Yu, are you going to take care of the rice in the pot?" Zhao Xiping shouted.
Sui Yu heard the noise and quickly ran to the west kitchen. "I forgot, I forgot. I haven't cooked properly for a long time. I even forgot that the firewood would fall and the fire would go out."
Zhao Xiping sneered at her, and she sneered back.
"Since you're here, why don't you just add some more firewood? Why are you shouting?" Sui Yu muttered.
Zhao Xiping said nothing. He chopped up a rabbit in three or five strokes. He picked up a chair and sat against the wall. He asked, "Do you want to go hunting this afternoon? I'll go hunting with you outside the city."
Hunting was a small matter. Sui Yu told him her idea and asked, "Can you take a leave of absence to accompany me to harness the camel?"
"Go ahead and buy a camel." Trekking in the desert was too painful, and Zhao Xiping didn't want Sui Yu to suffer that.
"That's fine. I'll use the money I have to build the couch first. When the caravan arrives in the city, I'll save up to build a house." Sui Yu sighed and said helplessly, "If we build four more guesthouses and a master courtyard this year, plus buy camels, I'm afraid I'll have to owe labor until the end of the year."
"How can I make a lot of money?" she said to herself.
"You're too greedy! The money you earn in one year is enough for others to earn in a lifetime." Zhao Xiping held her hand and said, "Take your time. It won't be a big deal if you start earning money two years later."
Sui Yu glanced at him twice, smiled and said nothing.
Zhao Xiping always felt that she was planning something bad next, so he got up to get some rice and prepare to wash the pot and fry the meat.
"Why--"
"Don't talk to me."
"What for?" Sui Yu walked over, grabbed his sleeve and said, "Why don't I go with the caravan to do some business? With a little bit of back and forth, we'll have enough money to build a house."
Zhao Xiping looked at her deeply, then turned his head and continued what he was doing.
Sui Yu looked at him motionlessly, following his movements with her eyes, until the pot was clean, then she took the spatula to scoop oil and start cooking.
The rabbit meat was put into the frying pan, and the oil splashed everywhere. Sui Yu made small talk: "You forgot to ask about the iron pan, right? Can the blacksmith flatten the iron pan?"
"No." Zhao Xiping went to ask.
"Are you willing to speak now?" Sui Yu smiled at him, "I thought you suddenly became mute."
"Sui Yu, don't joke. Trading is dangerous. Don't believe the boasts of those merchants." Zhao Xiping lowered his eyes to the fire. He heard the sound of spatulas clattering and continued, "You hear them say it's easy to make money, as if once you get out of the customs, there are treasures everywhere. Are the people outside the customs all fools? Look, most of the people in the caravan are uncles and brothers from the same clan. They don't feel at ease with the company of their clan members, but they still pay a high price to hire a escort team. Are you willing to spend money to hire an escort? Who will you team up with? What will you sell after you get out of the customs?"
"You're right." Sui Yu nodded. "I just said it casually. It was just a sudden thought. I heard from those merchants that Dayuan seemed to be a very rich place."
"No matter how rich it is, can it compare to our Han Empire?" Zhao Xiping sneered.
"Then can I go inside the Great Wall? I can transport the goods inside the Great Wall to Dunhuang, and then resell them to the caravans going to the Western Regions." Sui Yu clapped his hands, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
The man was speechless. He suspected that she was setting a trap for him.
"No, you can't leave. I can't bear to leave you." He confessed, "Can you bear to leave me? If you leave, who will take care of this guesthouse?"
Sui Yu looked at him and said matter-of-factly, "That's true. It would be great if I could pack you up and take you away."
Zhao Xiping raised the corner of his mouth and continued to ask: "You and I are both leaving, so you don't want the guesthouse anymore?"
"Why bother with material possessions? Throw them away, I don't want them anymore!" Sui Yu spoke nonsense, speaking with boldness and elegance. She flirted with the man and said in a delicate voice, "I just want to wander around the world with you, my love. I'm willing to eat coarse food."
Zhao Xiping couldn't stand her. She was both ridiculous and funny. He was so happy that he didn't even remember the sadness he felt just a moment ago.
"Come on." Sui Yu hooked her finger with one hand, "Let's seal the love with a kiss."
Zhao Xiping didn't move and watched her bend over.
"Ah!" Zhao Xiaomi covered A Shui's eyes and ran away quickly.
The two separated quickly. Seeing that there was no one outside the door, Sui Yu raised his shovel to hit someone, "Did you hear footsteps?"
"I thought you heard it too." Zhao Xiping grinned.
"Ah! I'll beat you to death." Sui Yu was so angry that she clenched her fist to hit the man, but the man easily caught her fist.
Zhao Xiping held the back of her head, bent down and kissed her hard, then jumped up and ran away, walking out the door laughing.
Sui Yu wiped her mouth, smiled, squeezed the dried vegetables dry and threw them into the pot, stir-fried them for a few times, scooped two bowls of hot water and poured them into the pot to stew. She ran out and shouted, "Wash your hands, it's time to eat."
When Ah Shui saw Sui Yu again, she leaned over and looked at her curiously.
"What are you looking at your sister-in-law doing? Eat." Uncle Lao Niu handed her a piece of rabbit meat.
Sui Yu smiled and glared at her, while Ah Shui chuckled and ate a mouthful of millet rice.
She actually didn't see clearly, she only saw a back, but she noticed something was wrong from the reactions of others and found it interesting and novel.
After dinner, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping put aside their trivial matters, took their bows and arrows and went out of the city to hunt. In the evening, they returned to the city and went to the training ground with the city guard who was on duty.
When Zhao Xiping was training his troops, Sui Yu went to the east city gate to observe the people coming in and out. When it was completely dark, she walked back to the training ground and stood with Luotuo to wait for him.
After the evening training, Zhao Xiping quickly put down his martial arts stick and, ignoring his colleagues who were laughing behind him, strode out of the training ground to take his camel and wife.
Huang Ancheng chased after them and asked, "Where are you two planning to go?"
"Go back to the Qianhu Division." Zhao Xiping turned around and asked, "What do you want?"
"I'd like to invite you two to my house for dinner. It's a rare opportunity to meet you, so come and get acquainted with me." Huang Ancheng walked up to Sui Yu and said, "Your sister-in-law has only heard of you but hasn't met you in person. Would you like to come over and have a chat?"
"Okay, but you have to wait. Let's go back and tell them that someone is waiting for them at home." Sui Yu said.
The three of them agreed to meet at the end of Nanshui Street later.
Huang Ancheng also lived in Juntun before he got married. Later, when he married a local girl, he moved into his father-in-law's house, which was equivalent to marrying into his wife's family. The house in Juntun was sold to a neighbor.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping went back and let Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang prepare their own dinner. She took thirty eggs from home and put them in a basket before going to Nanshui Street with Zhao Xiping.
Walking into Dinghu Lane, Sui Yu was surprised and said, "The real person never reveals his face. Are all the people living in this lane rich?"
"The ancestral home left by the previous generation was once prosperous but has also declined." Huang Ancheng smiled.
"By the way, you said last year that your eldest brother and his family were coming over. Did they come?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"Come and stay at home."
Zhao Xiping knew that there must be a lot of right and wrong involved, so he didn't ask any more questions.
When Sui Yu entered the Song family's house, he saw Huang Ancheng's wife. She had a shrewd look and smiled before speaking to people. She seemed to be a smart and capable woman.
"Sister Yu, is it okay to call me that?" Song Xian held Sui Yu's hand and said, "Let's not worry about what men do. I'm a few years older than you, so calling you sister makes us feel closer."
Sui Yu gladly accepted it. She handed over the basket of eggs and said, "I came here in a hurry, so the gift I prepared is simple. Please don't be offended, Sister Song."
"Don't blame me, I was in such a hurry to prepare the feast." Song Xian scolded Huang Ancheng and said, "He has been to your house for dinner several times. If I hadn't urged him, he wouldn't have thought to invite you two to come over."
"Only twice, how could it be several times." Sui Yu understood that this dinner tonight had been prepared in advance. She was not sure about Song Xian and Huang Ancheng's purpose. They invited them in a hurry, as if on a whim, but from their conversation, it seemed that it was not the case.
After sitting down, Sui Yu took a quick look around. The furnishings in the room seemed a little old. The bronze oil cup had heavy burn marks, which were the marks of years. It should be an old item from his ancestors. The blanket on the floor had a very obvious fuzzy feel. It seemed that it was just as Huang Ancheng said, that Song Xian's ancestors were once rich, but now they were down and out.
Someone walked in from outside the door, and Song Xian introduced her, "This is my sister-in-law."
The slightly older woman was very reserved. She smiled at Sui Yu and said, "My lady, you are really beautiful."
"Sister-in-law, come and sit down." Sui Yu stood up and gave way.
"You sit down, you sit down, you are the guest."
After a few long words, Sui Yu felt a little tired. It had been a long time since she had to deal with such a situation where half a sentence was said and half was left unsaid. She felt very uncomfortable. Fortunately, the meal was served soon. At the table, there was food and drink. With their mouths shut, the number of conversations decreased significantly.
Song Xian noticed that Sui Yu was not interested. After thinking for a while, she said directly, "Sister Yu, are you interested in cooperating in business?"
Sui Yu paused, put down her chopsticks, and asked, "What business?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com