Chapter 228 Sui Liang Gets a Horse
After cleaning myself from head to toe, the sunset glow had faded and the summer heat had mostly subsided. The wind was blowing from the southeast, bringing with it the smell of ripe crops.
The merchants in the inn took advantage of the cool weather to come out for a walk, standing by the fast-flowing river, chatting or sitting, and keeping an eye on the slowly approaching camels, which fearlessly broke into the crowd, stood beside people and drank water.
"Mom, look, this is the wheat my uncle and I planted."
The merchants heard the sound and turned their heads to look over. When they saw Sui Yu, those who were closest to him called out, "Shopkeeper Yu, I heard you've also come out of seclusion?"
"Yes, I just came back today. When did you arrive?" Sui Yu walked over with the cub.
"I came from the interior of the country. I entered the city two days ago and was just figuring out when to leave. Did you encounter any problems on your way back?"
"No, we met the caravan of Master Yu when we were in Kucha. We came back together and had a smooth journey." When Sui Yu mentioned Master Yu, he asked the kid, "Has the caravan I told you about leaving?"
The cub nodded, "We'll be gone after spending the night."
Sui Yu looked up and asked the person who had just spoken, "Are you planning to go to Loulan or Cheshi? I heard from the head of the You family that he was traveling from Cheshi to Wusun last year and encountered Xiongnu soldiers on the way. A lot of their goods were robbed. It seems that there is some instability over there."
"It seems the news is true. When we crossed the river, we also heard that there were Xiongnu activities north of Cheshi." The merchant who spoke thought for a moment and said, "Then we will take a longer route."
"Shopkeeper Yu, how much money can you expect to make on this trip?" someone else asked.
Sui Yu smiled and shook his head. "I don't have much capital. I went to Chang'an last year and didn't buy much. How much could I have exchanged for goods after crossing the border? I didn't make much, but it was barely enough to justify the hard work I put in over the past two years."
"It's good enough to make money. The first time we led a caravan out of the customs, we paid the escort fee to the escort, but in the end we still lost a thousand coins." Someone laughed.
"You are a woman, but you brought more than 20 slaves with you, half of whom were female slaves. How come you didn't encounter any problems when you left the country?" Some people were surprised that her business journey was so smooth.
"There weren't just twenty or thirty of us. Headmaster Song was also traveling with her, and she brought twenty servants with her," Sui Yu explained. "There were forty or fifty caravans, mostly men. We only ventured out during the day, so we didn't run into any ruffians or scoundrels. We were also lucky. When we were in Loulan, we ran into Headmaster Qin's caravan, and he helped us connect with them for buying and selling goods. Later, we ran into some Hu merchants we knew in Qiuci, and on our way back, we ran into Headmaster You. Thanks to the help of noble people along the way, we made it back safely."
Hearing her say this, everyone was envious. She was indeed lucky.
As they were talking, Zhang Shun and his group came back. Kurban and Anle were particularly conspicuous among them. They had different hair colors, Kurban had brown hair and Anle had light blonde hair, but they both had blue eyes and fair skin. Standing among a group of black-haired and black-eyed male servants, they seemed to be glowing.
"Did you buy this?" asked the merchant who was two steps away from Sui Yu.
Sui Yu shook his head. "I invited them back. The teahouse was in need of entertainers who could play and dance, so I spent a lot of effort to invite two back from outside the Great Wall."
"Master, is there anything you want us to do?" Zhang Shun came over and asked.
"No, go back to your room and rest. I'll call you when the meal is ready." Sui Yu said, "By the way, clear out a spare room and arrange for Kurban and Anle to sleep in the same room. Prepare mattresses, wooden basins, and cloths. When you have time, take Cuisao to measure their sizes and have her make them two sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes each."
Zhang Shun agreed to all of them.
"Mom..." The boy pulled Sui Yu's hand and shook it. He didn't want to listen to the merchant and pulled her away.
"You guys chat, I'll go see what the kid wants to do." Sui Yu said to the merchant and followed the kid.
"By the way, Manager Yu, we are going to Chang'an in a few days. Do you want to come with us?" asked a Hu merchant.
Sui Yu waved her hand and said, "No, I want to stay at home with my children. I will go to Chang'an in the spring next year."
Sui Yu didn't avoid the little cub when speaking. She met his gaze and said with a smile, "I'll stay at home with you for the next six months, okay?"
The cub nodded.
"Then I'll leave." Sui Yu asked tentatively, "Are you going to be sad?"
The cub shook his head.
"Really?" Sui Yu was a little surprised.
The boy led her to a small patch of wheat he and Sui Liang had planted and said, "Next year I will plant wheat again. When the wheat is ripe, you will come back."
Sui Yu squatted down and looked into his eyes. The child had a serious expression and no trace of sadness could be seen on his face.
The cub also looked at her with wide eyes. The mother and son seemed to be comparing the size of their eyes and stared as wide as they could.
Sui Yu smiled first.
"I will stay at home with you and your father for half a year, and then leave for half a year. Although I will not be home for the next six months, I will ask the caravan to send you delicious and fun things." Sui Yu explained to him seriously, "Although mother is not at home, she will miss you every day. Don't be sad, little boy."
"Baby will miss mommy too." The little boy threw himself into Sui Yu's arms.
"Yes." Sui Yu supported his buttocks and stood up holding the child, saying, "When the wheat ears turn yellow, I will come with you to harvest the wheat, grind the wheat grains, and I will steam big white steamed buns for you."
"Dad took me to plant wheat in the fields."
"Then after we finish harvesting here, we will go to the fields to harvest the wheat. If there is any leftover, Mom can take it away to eat on the road next year. This is the wheat planted by my son himself, and I won't let anyone else eat it." Sui Yu said affectionately.
The cub was happy and satisfied. The fruits of his labor were appreciated, and bubbles of joy were popping up all over his body.
"Mom, I'll plant more wheat next year. I'll plant a lot and give it all to you."
"Okay."
Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, Sui Yu heard the sound of camel bells and hooves. It was Sui Liang who came back from buying tofu. She took her cub to greet him.
When they got close to the guesthouse, Sui Liang stopped the camel, handed the bucket to Sui Yu, and jumped off.
"There are many caravans coming and going in the city, and tofu is in short supply. When I went there, all the tofu was sold out. Fortunately, the tofu seller still had some tofu at his house, so I went back with him and bought a bucket, which delayed us. By the way, is my brother-in-law back?" Sui Liang started talking a lot as soon as he landed.
"I'm back and I'm killing chickens." Sui Yu took a piece of tofu from the bucket and broke it in half. She broke off a piece and fed it to her mouth. She hadn't eaten this for half a year.
The camel stretched its neck and came over. Sui Yu stuffed a lump of food into it. After getting the food, it left contentedly and returned to the livestock pen.
Sui Liang walked towards the kitchen with a bucket of tofu and asked, "Sister, do you want fried tofu or mixed tofu? Or tofu buns? I'll ask Grandma Yin to steam two pots tomorrow morning."
"I want to eat them all."
"Then I'll tell Grandma Yin."
The three of them walked into the kitchen, and Zhao Xiping also came in carrying five chickens. Meng Ma and A Shui followed behind, each holding a bowl of chicken offal.
"Sister-in-law." Ah Shui pursed his lips and called out.
Sui Yu sensed something was wrong. This expression looked familiar. She stared at Ah Shui for a few more seconds. When she heard Sui Liang talking in the kitchen, she suddenly said, "Ah Shui, you lost a tooth."
A Shui subconsciously covered his mouth.
"She did lose a tooth, just one." Cui Sao continued with a smile, "When the tooth fell out, she cried for a long time, making us laugh."
"Liang Ge'er cried when he lost his teeth." Sui Yu held Ah Shui's head and said, "Time flies. I still remember the way Liang Ge'er lost his teeth. Now he is taller than me."
"Sister, your memory is not very good. Just forget the things you shouldn't remember." Sui Liang felt a little embarrassed.
"I can't help it, I just have a good memory." Sui Yu shrugged. Seeing Zhao Xiping coming out, she walked over quickly and asked, "Isn't the meal ready yet?"
"Are you hungry?" Zhao Xiping asked. "The meal prepared for the merchants is almost ready. Once the stove is free, we can stew the chicken."
"Then cook a bowl of braised soup noodles for each of us first. We will have lunch on the road and we don't eat much, so we are already hungry." Sui Yu said.
When Sui Liang heard this, he immediately went into the kitchen to pass on the message.
Sui Yu took the cub to the guest house and called the servants out for dinner, and Zhao Xiping followed.
"You didn't buy servants to farm this year?" Sui Yu asked.
Zhao Xiping waved his hand, "No, I hired help."
Sui Yu raised her eyes and glanced at him. She knew that he was probably reluctant to spend the money.
"During the spring planting season, do you also go to the fields to work every day?" she asked.
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything and agreed.
"I'll tire you to death." Sui Yu stomped on him angrily, "You're such a stubborn idiot."
When the kid saw it, he also raised his foot to step on it. Zhao Xiping reacted quickly, took a step back, and gently stepped on his little foot again.
The kid tried to pull the shoe out, but couldn't. He squatted down and held his father's leg to pull it up. When he couldn't, he tried to pick at the sole of his father's shoe.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping both looked down, and seeing that he was about to bite, Zhao Xiping quickly moved his feet away.
"Silly boy, are you a puppy?" Sui Yu pulled him up, "Are you dirty? Your father's shoes have stepped on dog shit, how can you bite it with your mouth?"
The kid tilted his head and hummed twice, then said proudly, "I scared him."
Zhao Xiping twisted his ear, picked up the child with one hand and went to the river to wash his hands.
Sui Yu followed him and, looking at the rippling river, she said, "Little boy, you can't run to the river, let alone go into the water. The river is deep and the current is fast. If you go in, you will be washed away."
"If you run away, you will drown and you will never see your mother again," Zhao Xiping added.
Zhao Xiaozai knew that his uncle and Grandpa Lao Niu had reminded him of this many times.
"I'll keep Erhei at home to help you take care of the crops." Sui Yu said.
The words changed so quickly that Zhao Xiping was stunned for a moment. He wanted to say that he could ask someone to help him, but after thinking about it for a while, he felt something was wrong.
"Why is it Erhei?" he asked. "Gan Da is not good enough? He is a good worker."
Sui Yu told him about Erhei's situation, "I don't feel comfortable taking him on business trips anymore, and I can't trust him anymore. I might as well keep him at home and let him farm."
"Damn it, damn..."
"Ahem!" Sui Yu interrupted him. She looked at the boy, glared at the man and said, "Speak properly."
"Okay, let him farm at home from now on." Zhao Xiping suppressed his anger and asked, "What about the others? Do they have the same idea? If you can't bring yourself to discipline them, I'll show them some authority and give them a hard time."
Sui Yu shook her head. She had already taken care of the matter. There was no need to beat or scold other servants to establish her authority.
"Sister, the soup noodles are ready." Sui Liang came out and shouted.
"Use Erhei to scare the monkeys, but don't be too harsh." Sui Yu instructed. She looked up and replied, "I'll be right there."
When it was time for the merchants to eat, there were already quite a few people in the kitchen yard. Some people felt that the yard was too crowded, so they took their bowls and took a bench to sit outside to eat.
Zhao Xiaomi and Huang Lian were walking on the last ray of light in the sky to deliver food and fodder to the caravan. The food and fodder business was dirty and tiring work. The couple's faces were covered with dust, and they sweated and then worked hard, leaving dust marks on their faces.
After settling the bill with the caravan, Zhao Xiaomi walked to the river, rolled up her sleeves, and washed her face and arms. Overhearing her nephew calling out for her mother, she didn't bother to wipe the water off her face. She quickly walked into the kitchen and exclaimed in surprise, "Third sister-in-law, you're back?"
Sui Yu looked up, and she stood up to greet him, saying, "I just got back this afternoon. Why are you here at this time? Are you delivering food and fodder to the caravan?"
"Yes." Zhao Xiaomi held Sui Yu's hand, sighed, and said, "You've suffered a lot. You've become thinner and darker. Come to my house tomorrow and I'll stew two old hens for you to nourish you."
Zhao Xiaomi has also lost weight, probably because she is tired. Her face looks very exhausted, and she has completely lost the lively and energetic spirit she had as a girl.
Sui Yu pulled her to sit down and said, "Xiping, go outside and call your brother-in-law in. Let them eat here tonight. Liang Ge'er, go into the room and serve two more bowls of soup noodles."
"No, no." Zhao Xiaomi pressed Sui Liang's shoulder and said, "When we came, his grandmother was cooking. I had to go back to comfort the child. He got sunburned these past two days and he's not feeling well."
"Did you take the child to the fields?" Sui Yu asked. "When you are busy, send the child here and let Aning play with the cub."
"Forget it. My son has the same personality as his father. He's shy and clingy, and he's not sensible. He'll cry if he leaves me." Zhao Xiaomi stood up and said, "Third sister-in-law, I'm home. I'll invite you to my house for dinner when I'm free in a couple of days."
"Okay, I'll go see Aning in a couple of days." Sui Yu saw her out.
"Manager Zhao, please send me 200 kilograms of food and fodder early tomorrow morning. We will leave the city before noon tomorrow." The merchant who had said by the river that he planned to take a long detour to Wusun came out of the dining hall and shouted.
Zhao Xiaomi agreed and disappeared into the night in an instant.
"Xiaomi is very tired." Sui Yu said to Zhao Xiping.
"Yeah, she's busy all year round." Zhao Xiping nodded. "Before, I asked her to buy two servants to help, but she was reluctant to spend the money."
"You two brothers and sisters are the same. Don't talk about your second brother, your eldest brother." Sui Yu sneered at him.
"We can handle the work by hiring some helpers. Besides, we already have a lot of servants." Zhao Xiping argued.
Sui Yu ignored him and finished her bowl of noodles. The chicken in the pot was not yet cooked. She took the oil lamp on the table and said, "Brother Liang, come with me. I brought you a treasure."
"Me?" Sui Liang jumped up, quickly followed, and asked excitedly, "What good stuff?"
Zhao Xiping followed with the cub in his hand. Uncle Lao Niu and A Shui were curious, so the father and daughter also followed.
"Have you ever seen a foal in the livestock pen?" Sui Yu asked.
Sui Liang shook his head. He didn't even know she had brought back a foal.
Li Mutou heard the noise and came over, with two black dogs following him.
"Which pen is the foal I brought back kept in?" Sui Yu asked.
"The fifth circle, I'll take you there."
Zhao Xiping was dissatisfied with his son's slow pace, so he picked up the child and walked quickly to catch up with him.
The half-grown foal was lying on the hay after eating its fill. When it saw someone coming, it stood up.
Sui Yu walked around the horse, holding an oil lamp, and said, "Take a look first. Come back tomorrow morning. This foal was born at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. I bought it for you. Take good care of it and develop a bond with it. It will only obey you from now on."
"I want one too." the kid yelled.
"Only one horse?" Sui Liang was shocked. "For me? One without a cub?"
"He has a carrot head and is not even as tall as a foal. It's useless to give him a horse." Sui Yu wanted to buy a foal just to give it to Sui Liang. He was only about ten years old and it was really difficult for him to help her take care of the children every day.
"I'll grow up next year." The kid was unconvinced.
"When you grow as tall as your uncle, I will buy you a horse." Sui Yu promised.
Sui Liang was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He reached out and touched the horse's head, saying loudly: "My horse is your horse, my son. We will raise it together and ride it together."
"Okay then." The boy was satisfied with the title of horse owner.
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