Chapter 257: Show off
Sui Liang and Xiaozai left Zhao Xiaomi's house. The uncle and nephew planned to go to the parade ground to find Zhao Xiping. They met him halfway and the three of them went home together.
"Brother-in-law, why did you come back so early today?" Sui Liang asked.
"Nine out of ten soldiers who were training have left. The training ground is empty, so we'll just disband." Zhao Xiping looked west and said, "I'll be busy patrolling for the next few months and won't be at the training ground most of the time. Don't look for me anymore, you two."
Sui Liang nodded.
"Dad, the broad beans are old." The kid poked his head out, "Will you still take me to the fields to pick broad beans?"
"I'm busy, you call Dazhuang and Erhei to pick them." Zhao Xiping felt a little worried after saying this. Erhei had been punished, and he looked honest on the surface, but who could be sure whether he was really honest in his heart.
"Forget it, don't go to the fields. Just stay home. There are many caravans passing by these days. Wait for your mother's letter." Zhao Xiping said, "Your mother left early, so she will probably be back early too. When she comes back, you two can go to the fields together to pick broad beans."
The boy grunted. He wanted to pick some broad beans, dry them while the weather was good, grind them into powder, and make pancakes for his mother when she came back.
"If you want to dry the broad beans, let Erhei go to the field to pick them. After they are picked, you can sit at home and shell the beans." Zhao Xiping saw what he was thinking.
The kid nodded.
When the camel approached the inn, the big black dog and the little black dog heard the sound, and the two dogs got up from the river, splashing water and running to greet them.
"Hey! Get lost." Sui Liang raised his feet. "It's so dirty. Don't jump on me."
His words had no deterrent effect. Zhao Xiping said nothing, and the two dogs did not dare to pounce on him. They only dared to circle around the camel that Sui Liang and the little guy were riding.
Zhao Xiping saw a group of camels coming out of the east door of the guesthouse and said, "A caravan is coming."
"Dad, my eldest brother is back." Ah Shui walked into the guesthouse and looked at the merchants who were moving goods.
"Captain Zhao is back. Go ask him if you have anything to say." Uncle Niu sent away the merchant who was pestering him to inquire about the situation.
Yan Erdang immediately called the escort, and the two of them carried the heavy wooden box out.
Sui Liang and Xiaozai rode their camels closer, staring at the big wooden box with burning eyes.
"Guessed it?" The escort laughed. He patted the wooden box with one hand and said, "When we parted ways with Shopkeeper Yu's caravan in May, she asked us to bring it back to you."
The kid cheered and said happily, "Thank you, uncle."
"You should thank me." Yan Erdang retracted his gaze and said, "I haven't seen you for half a year. The young shopkeeper has become much darker."
The boy touched his face, then he rolled off the camel's back, holding onto its legs and sliding down. He walked up to Yan Erdang and said solemnly, "Thank you, uncle."
Zhao Xiping came over and asked casually, "Just entered the city?"
"Yes, it's been less than an hour since we entered the city. When we entered the city, we heard that there was going to be a war outside the pass? What's going on?" Yan Erdang asked seriously.
"The Xiongnu were harassing the Cheshi Kingdom, and our dynasty sent troops to assist them." Zhao Xiping took the wooden box from the escort and asked bluntly, "What do you want to know? Ask, and I'll tell you if I can."
"Where will the battlefield be? What's the situation outside the pass? Will the shadow affect the caravan's exit?"
"The battlefield will probably be in Cheshi State, and the army will also stop the Xiongnu from moving south. However, fighting has already occurred outside the Great Wall. We don't know whether the Xiongnu moved south from spring to summer, or whether there were any Xiongnu stragglers in Shanshan and other states." Zhao Xiping said frankly, "If the war breaks out, there will definitely be deserters moving south. If you plan to leave the Great Wall this year, for your own safety, you can go through Ruoqiang State and take the trade route at the southern end of the desert to avoid Shanshan and Cheshi State."
Yan Erdang didn't say anything else. Zhao Xiping let him think about it. He carried the wooden box and led the lively uncle and nephew back to the house.
"What did your mother send back? It's so heavy." The wooden box fell to the ground, and Zhao Xiping's hands were red.
The kid picked up his hand, rubbed it, blew on it perfunctorily, and urged, "Dad, come and open the box."
When the wooden box was opened, a stale smell came out. Zhao Xiping reacted quickly and pulled his son away. He kicked over the lid of the wooden box, and the rotten wood that had been covered in dust for nearly four months came into view.
When the first and second leaders Yan came over, they saw this scene. The two brothers were curious about what was in the box, which made Captain Zhao feel like he was facing a great enemy.
"Brother-in-law, it looks like rotten wood." Sui Liang covered his nose and approached. He picked up a piece of wood and said, "I didn't take the wrong box. This is indeed sent by my sister."
"Rotten wood?" Boss Yan approached and said, "Could it be that Shopkeeper Yu installed something wrong?"
"No, my sister said that these two pieces of rotten wood can grow wood ear mushrooms." Sui Liang didn't know what wood ear mushrooms were. He took out something wrapped in coarse cloth, untied it, and saw that dried wood ear mushrooms and dried mushrooms fell out.
The kid picked it up with his lips pursed, held it in his hands and blew away the dust carefully.
Sui Liang continued to look at the wood chips. He sat cross-legged on the ground and said, "Your mother said that these two things should be soaked in water, like dried vegetables, and then they are delicious when stir-fried with lean meat. Oh, the rotten wood should also be sprinkled with water. Put the rotten wood in a dark and moist place, and it will grow wood ear mushrooms again in a few days."
Zhao Xiping saw that he had nothing to do here, so he asked the Yan brothers to go out and talk.
"Shopkeeper Yu is such a loving mother. She always thinks of bringing back any rare things she sees on the road for her children." Boss Yan flattered.
Zhao Xiping smiled and asked, "What else do you want to talk to me about?"
"It's like this. I'm thinking of the army setting out today, and we'll follow them out of the border tomorrow, and leave from Loulan and other countries before the war. What do you think?" asked the head of the family, Yan.
"I won't make the decision for you. You decide for yourselves." Zhao Xiping waved his hand. "But there are two caravans planning to leave tomorrow. If you've made up your mind, you can go with them."
"Which two caravans? Could you please ask them to come out..." Before he finished speaking, the three people outside the door heard happy shouts coming from the house.
When Zhao Xiping entered, he saw Sui Liang and Xiaozai each holding a silk outer coat and trying it on themselves. He interrupted them and said, "Sui Liang, go out and show the way to Yan Dazhang and help him find the two caravans that are leaving tomorrow."
Sui Liang let out an "Oh" and leaped out lightly like a bird. After a while, he strode back in.
Zhao Xiping also had a set of clothes in his hand. The silk cloth was gray-green, darker than the color of duck eggshell. But because it was silk cloth, the fabric glowed faintly under the sun. The color was dark but not dull. This was the first time he had seen clothes of this color.
"Dad, help me." The kid had already taken off all his clothes. He stood on the ground barefoot, pinching the button and saying, "The buttonhole is too tight. I can't button it in."
Zhao Xiping squatted down, looked down at his son, buttoned his clothes, lifted up the collar, and patted it roughly. The material with excellent drape stretched out smoothly.
"The size is just right. Your mother's eyes are like a ruler. When she bought the clothes, she knew how tall you would be by the time they were delivered to you." Zhao Xiping picked up the straw sandals and asked him to put them on, saying, "This outfit looks great."
"It's so cool." The little boy laughed happily. He grabbed his father's smooth sleeve and touched his father's face, saying, "Isn't it very cool?"
Zhao Xiping nodded. The silk cloth was made of silk. It was thin, light and breathable, and felt very cool to the touch.
"You can't go to the fields to pick broad beans or sit or crawl on the ground after you put on your new clothes." Zhao Xiping was worried and gave another instruction.
The kid nodded happily.
Sui Liang also changed into new clothes. He picked up the cloth that looked like an apron and asked, "Brother-in-law, how do you wear this?"
Zhao Xiping saw it all at once. The silk cloth was thin and close fitting, so it didn't matter to the kid because he was young, but Sui Liang still needed to be covered. He took the silk cloth with strings on both sides, gestured twice, and wrapped it around Sui Liang's waist, wrapping it around twice more before tying a knot and tucking it in.
Sui Liang lifted up his shirt tied into his apron, looked down, and asked hesitantly, "Does this look good? Is this how I wear it?"
"It looks good." The kid nodded seriously, "Why don't I have that piece of cloth?"
Zhao Xiping took two steps back and looked around. Sui Liang's clothes, dark blue pants, light gray top, and dark green cloth tied around his waist, looked very good together. He couldn't describe it, but he felt comfortable just looking at it.
"It looks good." He nodded. "Put it on and don't take it off. The clothes will smell. Wear them for half a day and take them off and wash them at night."
Sui Liang chuckled twice, put on his shoes, and said, "I'll go see what to make for lunch."
"I'm going too." The kid quickly followed.
"Oh! What are you two wearing?" The female helper who was washing the mattresses was surprised.
Sui Liang stopped and shook his clothes. He said, "My sister bought us clothes from Chang'an. They are made of silk and are very cool."
"It looks good, it looks good." The female helper put down the wooden basin and came over. She said with a sigh, "It looks really good. The color is nice, the style is nice too. Is it comfortable to wear? I feel comfortable just looking at the material. Let me see, is it made of silk? How much is it? I want to make one for my son too."
"I don't know how much it is. My sister asked a caravan to bring it back from Chang'an." Sui Liang was happy.
"Could you ask for me? The caravans from Chang'an probably have this kind of cloth, right?" the female servant said. "Could you ask for the price? How much does it cost to make this dress for you?"
Sui Liang readily agreed, but he didn't ask immediately. He took the cub to show off in the kitchen yard, receiving a series of praises. When merchants came to eat at noon, he stood under the eaves and collected the meal money.
"This dress looks good on a skinny young man. The second shopkeeper looks like a young official's son in this dress." A big-bellied merchant looked at Sui Liang and said, "We can't wear silk clothes. We look like grasshoppers wearing fly skins."
The kid pretended to be unintentional and came around, with his slightly protruding belly, standing right in front of the merchant.
"You two uncle and nephew are wearing the same color clothes. Shopkeeper Yu is really thoughtful." The merchant took out a handful of copper coins and handed them to Sui Liang, saying, "Give me two large bowls of cold noodles, and some pickled shredded radish."
"I'll go tell Aunt Cui." The kid said loudly, trying to attract the merchant's attention.
"Okay, thank you for your help, little shopkeeper."
The cub lowered his head and walked away weakly.
"Aunt Cui, two bowls of cold noodles, with extra pickled radish." The boy passed the message listlessly. He walked to the stove and asked in a low voice, "Sister Aqiang, do I look good?"
Ah Qiang nodded. "It looks good. Go out and play. Don't come here. It's too hot in front of the stove."
The boy went out for a stroll again and saw his uncle talking to a merchant, so he ran over to listen.
"We do have silk cloth, but we don't sell it individually. You must buy at least one piece, and one piece costs five hundred coins," said the merchant.
After asking for the price, Sui Liang went to pass on the message. The female helper shook her head in disappointment and said, "Forget it. Coarse cloth clothes are also very comfortable to wear."
Sui Liang turned around and saw his brother-in-law washing clothes by the river. Before he could go over, Zhao Xiping came over with the wet clothes in his hand.
"Brother-in-law."
"Yeah." Zhao Xiping went into the house to hang out the clothes. Afraid that the silk clothes could not be dried, he hung the clothes under the eaves.
When it got dark, Zhao Xiping washed and cleaned himself. He put on his silk clothes and pants. Looking down, he hurriedly tied on the cloth like an apron. When he stepped out of the door, he paused, thinking that if Sui Yu wore such clothes...
"Dad..." The kid put on a bellyband and shorts, and seeing that the man was still in a daze, he shouted again: "Dad, what are you thinking about? I'm calling you."
"I won't tell you." Zhao Xiping came back to his senses. He walked out and asked, "Where are your clothes? I'll rub them for you and hang them outside. You can wear them again tomorrow morning."
"My uncle took it to wash."
Sui Liang had already come in. He took one look and couldn't help laughing: "Brother-in-law, you are so funny. You don't look good in this dress. You look like a big discolored loach."
Zhao Xiping glared at him coldly and said, "I'm not wearing it outside."
"Then let's not waste it. Just give it to me to wear." Sui Liang brushed the hem of his clothes, raised his head and said, "Neither you father nor you are as good-looking as me."
The boy had been holding it in all day, but as soon as he said this, he was instantly defeated. He cried out, and like a calf, he rushed over and hugged his uncle's legs, trying his best to trip him up.
Sui Liang was disdainful and said provocatively: "You can't do anything to me."
"What about me?" Zhao Xiping rolled up his sleeves and strode over.
Sui Liang tried to run away, but the kid grabbed him tightly. After a while, he started yelling, "I'm going to complain to my sister! You two are ugly in appearance and ugly in heart... Ouch..."
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