Chapter 254 Enlightenment
"Hey!" Seeing Sui Yu about to leave, Li forced herself to cheer up and shouted, "Sister Yu, wait a minute."
She took down the basket hanging on the tree branch, picked up the mulberries scattered on the ground, and threw all the mulberries that were not covered with dust into the basket. When the basket was full, she chased Sui Yu to the official road.
"Whether or not those dried vegetables can cure illnesses, I appreciate you thinking of us." Mrs. Li handed her the basket filled with mulberries and said, "Eat them on the way. Remember to come back next year if you pass by here. Then I'll tell you if those dried vegetables can cure goiter."
Sui Yu's eyes tightened. She clutched the basket and asked, "Besides your Dalang, do you know anyone else with goiter?"
Li nodded. There were several such people in Qijia Village, both old and young. When outsiders entered the village, they would hide in the cellar to prevent outsiders from thinking that their village was cursed and affecting the village's reputation.
"Then I'll get you another half a bundle," Sui Yu said. "But the kelp I bought isn't much. If you want more, you should go to Taiyuan County as soon as possible and find that caravan. Ask them to bring back dried kelp for sale next year or the year after. They've been walking from the coast for a year, and the cargo they bring back is so small. If they can't make money, they probably won't come back."
Li nodded and took the kelp handed to her by Sui Yu. It had a fishy and salty smell that hit her nose. She turned her head and vomited.
Sui Yu looked at her for a second longer. She had given birth before, so she was not unfamiliar with this reaction. She couldn't help but have some guesses in her mind.
Li smelled the kelp again, the fishy smell entered her nose, and a feeling of nausea rose in her throat. She leaned over and retched. Now she had a clue in her mind.
"Mom?" Erlang ran over. "What's wrong with you?"
Li smiled and waved her hand.
"Sister-in-law, congratulations." Sui Yu tied up the kelp and handed the basket of mulberries to Gan Da. She pulled the reins and mounted the camel, saying, "Eat more kelp when you're pregnant. It will nourish you and him."
"Can I eat it even if I'm pregnant?"
"Yes, it's just a dish. It won't affect the child." Sui Yu explained, "I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go. The caravan is still waiting for me."
"Okay, you must come back next time." Li followed a few steps and asked loudly, "You're coming back the year after next, right? Then we'll save all the silk cloth and mulberry wine in our village for you."
Sui Yu rode away on her camel. She waved and didn't respond.
Song Xian saw Sui Yu coming with his servants on camels. She blew the whistle and urged the servants sitting by the roadside to get on the camels, and the caravan continued on its journey.
"Madam, do you still want to dry some mulberries for the young master to take back?" Gan Da asked.
Sui Yu shook his head. He had already dried mulberries in the nearby village and saved up a large jar of dried mulberries, enough for the children at home to enjoy.
"Share it with everyone. It's so hot out, eat some mulberries to moisten your throat." Sui Yu took out a handkerchief and said, "Give me two handfuls, and you can share the rest."
Song Xian turned her head and saw it. She shouted, "Give me more. I like it."
The handkerchief couldn't hold any more, so Sui Yu said, "Send it to her and let her grab it first."
"Hey." Gan Da chased after him with a basket.
Sui Yu followed him. She took a few sips of water from the water bag to moisten her throat and said, "Sister Li's eldest son actually died of goiter."
Song Xian paused while eating mulberries. "He's got goiter at such a young age? Can this disease really be fatal?"
"Besides her eldest son, she knows other people with goiter. If they're from Qijia Village, I think there might be something wrong with the soil and water here." Sui Yu shook her head again and denied it, "That's not right. If it's the soil and water, why don't other people get this disease? I don't understand. I don't know much about this disease."
"So this dried vegetable can really cure goiter?" Song Xian asked again.
Sui Yu nodded, "I'm sure. If you don't believe me, we can come back next year to see it."
Seeing her words were so convincing, Song Xian believed them. She pondered and said, "You know so much. You know about things on the seashore, the climate in the desert, and the flowers outside the Great Wall. You can even tell that someone has poop by looking at their acne. Did you learn all this from bamboo slips? You're making me want to learn to read, too."
"You can't read? Didn't your father teach you?" Sui Yu was surprised.
Song Xian shook her head. "He's just a rough guy."
After a moment, Song Xian said, "What do you think about us finding a teacher in Chang'an who can read and write? We can take him back to Dunhuang and have him teach the children to read."
Sui Yu felt that such people were hard to find. The truly learned were recommended for official positions, while the less learned were perhaps even inferior to her, and she looked down upon them. In this situation, only those scholars with bad luck who had given up on pursuing an official career and had no access to the rich and powerful would be willing to return to Dunhuang with them, and how difficult would that be to find.
"Okay, then you can ask around and see if you can find someone available." Sui Yu did not pour cold water on Song Xian.
"Where can I ask? I can't get in touch with people like that." Song Xian spread her hands. "I don't know if I can run into Zuo Du Hou again. If I do, ask him to find out something. He might have connections."
Sui Yu looked at her, and she smiled and said, "I have no friendship with him, and I can't talk to him."
"Aren't you worried that the honey water won't work for him? If the acne on his face doesn't go away, he'll pick a fight with us." This is what Sui Yu meant.
"No, no, no, I believe you." Song Xian laughed. She clasped her hands together and bowed to Sui Yu, saying in a prayerful tone, "Sui Suanpan, you must show your divine power and make the acne on Zuo Duhou's face disappear and turn him into a handsome man."
"He's crazy." Sui Yu couldn't help laughing.
Song Xian also thought this was a bit crazy. She laughed until she was exhausted, and insisted, "I'm doing this for your own good. You still have 34 jars of honey left. If his acne goes away, with this living sign, how much trouble will you have to sell your honey?"
"Then thank you?" Sui Yu said.
"No need to thank me, just don't forget my entrustment." Song Xian suppressed her smile. "Seriously, it doesn't matter if I can read or not, but my great-grandfather must be able to read. I plan to save enough money to buy him an official position. An official can't be illiterate."
"Buy an official position? How to buy it?" Sui Yu asked.
Song Xian shook her head. "This is an idea I just had recently. I don't know the details, but the money to buy an official position and a title is definitely necessary."
"Then can he still do business after becoming an official? No, right?" Sui Yu asked.
"It's okay. If he can't trade, he can just raise camels. As long as he has camels, he'll never be short of money." Song Xian pointed at herself and said, "I'm not that old. I can still do business for at least another ten years, right? Even if I can't do it anymore, I still have my daughter."
"Alright." Sui Yu praised loudly, "Based on what you said, Sister Song, I admire you. You value your son and also care about your daughter. Your son has an official position and your daughter has money. Well done."
Song Xian was startled by her, but then she came to her senses and said with a wry smile, "Because I'm a girl, my father has always looked down on me. He regretted not having a son until his death. I've suffered this hardship, so how could I let my daughter suffer the same injustice I did? I wanted my great-grandfather to revive the glory of our ancestors before, because I inherited the business from them, and he's a boy. In this case, I would definitely consider my great-grandfather. Now that I've traveled more and seen more, I have another way to make a living. Since both children can achieve wealth and honor, why should I give it all to one? It would be much better if both siblings could achieve success, just like Guanjun Hou and Da Sima."
Sui Yu nodded in agreement. It is true that the more you experience, the more open-minded you become.
"Although our business life is hard and dangerous, to be honest, it's also free and easy. Now that I've made it out, I don't want to stay in one place all year round." Song Xian said, "So, I don't care whether Lu Ya is willing or not. If I decide to buy an official position for Congzu, she will have to leave home and become a businessman with me. She will also have to stay at home and find a son-in-law like me, and I will pass on the Song family's servants to her. Sister Yu, what do you think of my idea?"
"It's feasible." Sui Yu agreed.
"What about your child? What are your plans for him? When he grows up, you'll have earned enough money to buy him an official position. Will you let him go down the military path? Or take over the caravan?" Song Xian asked. "You'll need two more children. With Captain Zhao here, your family has connections in the army, and you have the caravan and the guesthouse. If you have enough money, you can even buy an official position. You have too few children to inherit everything."
"Yes, I still want to have one or two more children, but it's not because I don't have enough children. I still have a younger brother. He grew up with me and is like a son to me. He can get a share of the family business from me." Sui Yu corrected, "As for what Liang Ge'er and Xiaozai will do in the future, I won't make any arrangements. I'll leave it to them. They have so many paths to choose from."
"There must be a successor." Song Xian said.
Sui Yu shook her head, "I'm still so young, let's not think about this for now."
Who knows what the situation will be like in thirty or forty years? The country may change its owner, and her caravan does not have to be passed down from generation to generation. If her children are not interested in trading, the caravan can be managed by reliable servants.
After hearing this, Song Xian didn't ask any more questions. Sui Yu was still young and the child was still small, so there was no need to rush to arrange a way out.
In the scorching heat of June, people stopped traveling at noon and rested in the shade of trees at midday, allowing both people and camels to rest. After noon, when the heat gradually subsided, the caravan packed up and set off again.
In order to avoid heatstroke, Sui Yu arranged for the caravan to travel at night, traveling in the first half of the night and sleeping in the second half. They would set off when the roosters crowed and take a nap when the sun was overhead. After enduring this for thirteen days, the caravan entered Chang'an City.
"Sister Song, do you want to buy anything else in Chang'an?" Sui Yu asked.
Song Xian shook her head.
"Then let's rest in Chang'an for two days, replenish our supplies, and leave when we're well." Sui Yu looked up at the sky. "I've been feeling a bit stuffy these past couple of days. Do you guys feel the same?"
"I have a feeling it's going to rain," Zhang Shun continued. "We bought a lot of cloth this time. Should we also prepare some camel skins? If it rains along the way, if we stuff the cloth into the tents, there might not be enough room for everyone left."
"There may not be many camel hides in Chang'an. Go to the city tomorrow and buy some oilcloth. If it rains, use the oilcloth to cover the camels." Sui Yu instructed, "But you still have to ask around. If there are camel hides available, buy them."
Zhang Shun agreed.
"Let's cook." Song Xian took out some money and handed a dozen strings of copper coins to Xiao Chunhong, asking her to go to the village to buy some meat and vegetables.
Xiao Chunhong called Liu Yaer out, and as soon as they went out, they saw a man on horseback galloping towards them. She took a closer look, recognized him, and hurried into the house and shouted, "Master, Zuo Duhou is here."
"Has the acne on his face gone away?" Song Xian asked nervously.
Sui Yu came out of the house and saw Xiao Chunhong shaking her head. Her heart skipped a beat. In a blink of an eye, she saw the chestnut horse parked outside the door. She hurried out to greet it.
"You are finally back. I thought you took a detour and left." Zuo Duhou turned over and dismounted.
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