Chapter 156 Pregnancy
The martial arts staff fell, and Captain Gu grabbed his hand. He rubbed his knuckles and cursed, "What kind of tonic did you take this morning? You're full of energy."
Zhao Xiping laughed, picked up his martial arts stick, and performed a few tricks. Seeing that the time was almost up, he threw down the stick and said, "I'm leaving first this morning."
As soon as he finished speaking, he ran out of the training ground.
Zhao Xiping went straight to the guesthouse in the north of the city. He ran all the way, overtaking one hawker carrying bundles of grass after another. When people greeted him, he waved his hand in response.
Sui Liang took over the accounting work, and Sui Yu went out for a walk. She went to the livestock pen to lead out the big black dog and let out the little black dog as well. The big ram tied to the tree bleated. She went over to untie the sheep rope. The pigs skillfully pushed the sheep to where there was more grass, and Sui Yu followed behind them.
The big-bellied camel snorted, Sui Yu whistled in response, and the big black dog pricked up one ear and tilted its head to look at her.
Sui Yu whistled at the dog again, and the big black dog wagged its tail happily.
"Go." Sui Yu picked up a stick and threw it out, and the big black dog chased after it quickly.
Zhao Xiping saw this scene when he came over. Sui Yu also saw him and threw the stick that the dog brought back at him.
"Dad, you're back a little early."
Zhao Xiping was delighted. He walked around the wagging dog, walked over to sit next to her, and said, "Shout again."
"My son's father."
"Why!"
"Fool." Sui Yu punched him. She sat in the spring breeze, smiling like a blooming winter jasmine.
The couple was immersed in joy, just sitting there quietly. Without saying anything, the happiness in their hearts kept pouring out. Occasionally they would look at each other, and the smiles on their faces would widen.
The big black dog was tired from running, so it ran to Sui Yu's feet and lay down, gnawing on the saliva-covered stick and grinding its teeth.
Merchants in the distance were brushing their camels. The camels snorted, and the rams nibbling the grass looked in the direction of the sound, looked for a moment, and then lowered their heads to nibble on the newly sprouted grass.
There were white clouds floating in the sky, and birds were flying by in the air, flying towards the clouds, facing the dazzling golden light, chirping a few times, and a few more bird shadows appeared on the branches of the weeds in the wasteland.
As smoke rose from the chimneys on the roofs, the tinkling of camel bells came from south to north, and the sound of hooves was loud; this was another large caravan.
"Guests are coming, guests are coming." A Shui shouted.
Zhao Xiaomi came out and asked, "Have you bought the chicken?"
"I bought them back. I bought two hundred chicks, and gave them three as a gift." Grandma Yin carried two baskets of chicks and asked, "Where is my wife? Where are these two hundred chickens?"
"Isn't the pigsty empty? You can lock the chicks in there and let them out to feed once they're well-fed," Zhao Xiaomi instructed. "If you need anything in the future, come to me first. If I'm unsure, I'll ask my third sister-in-law. Oh, we still have four old hens. Catch one tonight and kill it. Put the chicken meat in a clay pot and shove it in the stove. Take it out and give it to my third sister-in-law to drink tomorrow morning."
Grandma Yin's heart moved. She guessed that Sui Yu might be pregnant, but she didn't ask unless the master of the house said anything.
The caravan approached and Zhao Xiaomi went over to greet them. Ah Shui took a look and chose to go with Yin Po to see the chicks.
The sun rose higher and higher, and Sui Yu felt slightly hot from the sun. She was also a little sleepy, so she leaned her head against the man's arms.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"I'm not thinking about anything." Zhao Xiping raised his arm to hold her and said, "The weather is so nice today."
"Yes."
It was noon and the pig was thinking about going back to the pen to wait for food. It took the initiative to drive the ram back. The ram refused and tried to push it with its horns. The big black dog sleeping on the grass jumped up and barked softly. The big ram was attacked from both sides and immediately became obedient.
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping watched silently. After the pigs, sheep and dogs walked away, the couple got up and walked back.
"I don't need you to accompany me. Just go ahead and do what you need to do." Sui Yu said cheerfully, "I eat and sleep as needed. I have things to do here without getting tired. You don't have to worry about me."
"I'm not worried about you, I just want to stick with you." After saying this, Zhao Xiping said, "I'm going to work in the fields this afternoon."
Sui Yu smiled at him, put her arm around him, and when they were near the guesthouse, she let go of his arm.
Uncle Niu came out of the fifth guesthouse. He took Ah Shui's thick clothes out to dry. When he saw Sui Yu, he said with some dissatisfaction, "Look at what your cat has done. It slept in Ah Shui's suitcase, and the clothes are covered with its cat hair. You can't wash it off."
"Don't let it in."
Uncle Lao Niu choked. He could prevent the cat from entering the house, but he couldn't prevent Ah Shui from secretly bringing it in.
"Get ready, dinner is ready." Zhao Xiping called out.
"Okay, you go first." Uncle Niu shook his clothes again.
When they walked into the west kitchen, they happened to meet the merchants who had just checked in and were also going to eat. The kitchen was too busy, so Sui Yu went over to help cook noodles and serve rice, while Zhao Xiping was responsible for serving the rice and dishes.
"What kind of meat is that? Bring us a plate."
"This is braised pork belly. We need to buy fresh meat, boil it, deep-fry it, and then steam it. If you want to eat it, I can only make it for you tonight," Zhao Xiping explained. "This pot contains five pounds of meat, and it costs fifty cents. What do you think?"
"Okay, prepare a pot for us tonight, and cook a pot of dog meat."
Zhao Xiping waved his hand and refused, "We raise dogs, so we don't eat dog meat, nor do we sell dog meat."
"You still raise pigs? Why don't you eat pork?" the merchant who was eating noodles asked with a smile.
Zhao Xiping gave a weak smile, "I can't help it. My wife eats pork, not dog." He turned to the big merchant and said, "We have chicken and duck. We can make soup or steamed dishes. How about changing one?"
"His wife is the head chef. She cooks delicious dishes such as fish soup, fried chicken, stewed meat, and braised meat. They are all amazing." The merchant who had known Sui Yu for a long time echoed.
"Two ducks then."
Zhao Xiping made a note that when he went to work in the fields, he would go back to the military village and visit Aunt Sun in Shisan Village, asking her to buy two ducks and send them to the guest house.
"Captain Zhao, wait a minute." Aunt Du, Uncle Lao Niu's next-door neighbor, called out to the resident. "Lao Niu lives in the north of the city, right? Is he here today? I'd like to rent his house to raise chickens, but I'm not sure if he'd agree."
"He is in the guest house. You and Aunt Sun go find him together." Only then did Zhao Xiping realize that there were many chickens and ducks raised in the military settlement, and every household could hear the crowing of chickens and the quacking of ducks.
"By the way, Aunt Sun, you should buy an old hen and send it to the guesthouse every other day." Zhao Xiping instructed.
"One every two days?" Aunt Sun asked. "Old hens are not cheap."
"Yeah, I know." Zhao Xiping planned to take a bow and arrow to the fields tomorrow to see if he could hunt some wild animals for money. It would be great if he could make up for the money he spent on buying the chicken.
Days without trouble and going smoothly always pass quickly. When the weeds in the wild are over the ankles, the first wheat planted sprouts quietly.
Time flies, and April is already halfway through. Her period still hasn't come. Sui Yu touched her flat belly and felt completely relieved.
Finding a sunny day, she and Zhao Xiping walked into the clinic after lunch.
"Congratulations, although the pulse is shallow, it is a sign of happiness," said the doctor.
Sui Yu lowered his hands and smiled, saying, "It looks like it will be born in the twelfth month of this year."
The doctor nodded and said, "You are in good health. Judging from your pulse, there is nothing wrong. Please go out and don't delay my consultation."
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping left and stood on the side of the road. Sui Yu planned to go for a walk in the fields with him.
This year, Sui Liang planted half of his 20 mu of land with soybeans and half with sesame. The soil had been fertilized for two years, especially last winter, when it was fertilized with manure, making it infested with insects. Ah Shui somehow found out about this, and she came every day to catch insects in the fields to feed the chickens.
Not long after Sui Yu arrived, A Shui was brought here by her father. When Uncle Niu saw Sui Yu was there, he left A Shui behind and went back to work.
"Uncle Niu, I have good news for you." After holding it in for a month, Zhao Xiping couldn't hold it in any longer. He said proudly, "I'm going to be a father too. I'll be able to hold my baby by the end of this year."
"My daughter is already over four years old, and you haven't even got your child yet. You're really slow." Uncle Niu continued walking with his hands behind his back, saying, "Congratulations to you two. It's not been easy for you two."
"Sister-in-law, are you going to give birth?" Ah Shui asked, "Can you give me a little sister?"
"My sister can't give birth, but my niece can." Sui Yu flicked her and said, "Go dig out your worms, don't dig out the bean sprouts."
Leaving A Shui to dig insects in the field, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping walked around the ridges. The soybeans had sprouted and the sesame had just sprouted. The whole field looked lush green.
"This row of land is planted with broad beans. I heard that broad beans make delicious porridge, so I asked the agricultural official for two kilograms of seeds. After the autumn harvest, we will keep the broad beans for ourselves to eat. If you like, you can plant another two acres next year." Zhao Xiping said.
Sui Yu had seen broad bean seeds before. Two years ago, she bought a bag of them from a merchant, but she lost them somewhere when she moved and had forgotten about them since. Broad beans, she remembered, bore fruit in the summer. When they were tender, they could be stir-fried and eaten, and when they were older, they could be made into porridge.
"In another half month, there will be fewer merchants passing by. Then I will have more free time. I plan to hire someone to build the four guesthouses at the back." Sui Yu said.
"Okay, when the farming season is over, I'll go find someone."
After a stroll, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping went to help A Shui dig out insects and pulled out the weeds that were growing wildly in the field. The three of them were busy until the evening before returning home.
Chickens grow fast because they eat insects. The chicks I bought in mid-March grew a lot bigger after a month. They grew wings and flew out of the pigpen every day to dig the soil for food.
When the chickens shed their feathers and the roosters started crowing, two pregnant female camels gave birth to two camel calves late one night. Sui Yu's camels increased to eleven, and next year, the three female camels brought back from the desert will also give birth.
"Eggshell will be weaned this year, and when winter comes, her mother will be in heat and bear cubs again. The third and fourth cubs will be five next year, and the year after that, we'll have three more camel cubs." Sui Yu calculated and said, "Next spring, we'll have fourteen camels, and the year after that, we'll have seventeen camels, enough to form a camel caravan."
Zhao Xiping came out of the camel pen and said, "I've found someone to build the house. They'll come the day after tomorrow."
"Okay." Sui Yu nodded.
On April 20th, construction of the guesthouse began again.
When Lao Tu and the others heard the news, they came over with worried faces. The yellow earth that was piled up by shovels seemed to bury them up to their necks, making them look blue and black in the face.
Sui Yu went over to greet him calmly and said, "It only has four entrances."
"This winter, the big caravans will probably stay here with you." The old baldy snorted.
"Then you can take over the small caravan." Sui Yu shrugged.
No one else said anything. On the way back, Lao Tu said, "Let's do as we agreed before. If the others don't want to, forget it. We'll tear down the house and rebuild it like the guesthouses in Sui Yu, with some for people to live in and some for camels to live in."
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