Chapter 95: Pig's Merit
At dusk, Sui Yu was closing up her stall. She was leading a camel carrying the steamer and stove back home. When she reached the street, she saw the two vendors with faces as black as the bottom of a pot. She peeked into the steamer and asked with a smile, "Haven't you sold out yet? We'll go back first. You guys wait a little longer."
"Sui Yu, don't be so proud. You are a sinner..."
"Yes, yes, yes, I am a slave, I am humble to you nobles." Sui Yu smiled, "You noble people are imitating a lowly person like me to set up a stall on the street, how noble!"
When two parties quarrel, the most feared thing is that one party is furious while the other is smiling. Wang Xiu Niang and Chen Er Niang, the sisters-in-law, were so angry at Sui Yu's attitude that they covered their chests and gasped for breath.
Sui Yu smiled and walked away.
"Sister-in-law, hasn't there been any response from Inspector Hu yet?" Chen Erniang glared at Sui Yu with jealousy. "She's a criminal slave, she should be stuck in the brothel, being ridden by countless men. She was lucky to have escaped punishment, but she's not satisfied with her peaceful life. Look how arrogant she is now, letting those stinky men flatter her to their heads. She's even calling her a 'Bun Xi Shi'. Ugh, disgusting."
"There's no response. Your elder brother went to see Supervisor Hu yesterday, but Supervisor Hu refused to see him." Wang Xiu Niang opened the steamer. The buns in the steamer had been steaming and cooling down. Passersby looked at them and left. No one bought any. Now they had become a mushy mass, and she could only take them back home to eat at home.
"Make bigger buns tomorrow." Wang Xiu Niang's mind was still on making money. She looked into the street and said, "I don't believe she can make money. Those stinky men like to look at her, but most people who go to the street to buy oil and grain are still women."
"Then let's go back too?" Chen Erniang was worried that Sui Yu would come over again, and she didn't want to be ridiculed again.
"Okay, I'll go back and lead the camel." Wang Xiu Niang didn't want to see Sui Yu again.
When Sui Yu came over again, Chen Erniang lowered her head with a stern face, not giving Sui Yu a chance to speak again.
Sui Yu smiled silently. She led the camel to pull the dismantled tables and chairs. On her way back, she saw Wang Xiu Niang also leading a camel. She greeted her as if nothing had happened: "You've sold out too? Are you packing up and going back too?"
Wang Xiu Niang and her sister-in-law were so angry that they wanted to roll up their sleeves and fight her.
"Hehe." Zhao Xiaomi was delighted. She ran away quickly, walked out of the long street, hugged Sui Yu's arm and said, "Third sister-in-law, you are quite mean. You are going to piss them off to death."
"I won't die, but I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."
When she got home, Sui Liang had already come back from the vegetable garden with vegetables. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiaomi worked together to carry the steamer back to the stove. She arranged for Zhao Xiaomi to cook porridge at home. She carried the basket and the scale, and asked Sui Liang to bring the money box. The brother and sister went out to collect the eggs.
Every household living in the alley raises chickens, with two or three at least and twenty or thirty at most.
When the weather is hot, the radish leaves in the vegetable garden are worthless, and there are many weeds in the field. A basket of radish leaves is enough to feed a group of chickens for a day. Chicken farmers are willing to feed them, so there will be more laying chickens. A dozen hens can produce two kilograms of eggs a day.
"Uncle Daguang, do you have eggs to sell at home?" Sui Yu asked outside the door.
"Yes, your aunt kept all the eggs during the day when she heard you wanted to buy them. Come in and pick some."
Sui Yu and Sui Liang entered the house, weighed the baskets first and then picked out the eggs. After they were done, they hung them on the scale and weighed them. Sui Yu held the scale bar and showed it to Uncle Daguang: "The basket is five catties, and now it says thirteen catties and six ounces on the scale. The eggs are eight catties and six ounces. If you spare me one ounce, I'll give you sixty-eight coins."
Uncle Daguang had a headache listening to the string of numbers. He counted on his fingers, repeating to himself, "The basket weighs five catties, the basket and eggs weigh thirteen catties and six ounces, the eggs, the eggs weigh eight catties and six ounces. Yeah, that's right. Eight catties and six ounces... eight cents a catty, eight cents a catty, two catties..."
"Alright, alright, I've already prepared the meal, but you haven't calculated the amount yet." Aunt Daguang came out, weighing a kitchen knife, and said, "Don't calculate it. Just listen to Sui Yu. She's literate and has worn gold and jade before, so she won't cheat you out of your money. Sui Yu, just go. By the time your uncle finishes the calculation, it will be dark."
Sui Yu smiled and carried the basket out, saying as he walked, "Uncle, take your time to calculate. If you feel something is wrong, come find me again."
"I won't look for you, your aunt believes you." Uncle Daguang smiled.
Sui Yu went to the next house and bought two pounds of eggs for sixteen cents. This was an easy price to pay and the owner had no questions. She paid and left.
When they arrived at Aunt Sun's house, Aunt Sun took out fifty-two eggs, all of which were carefully selected. Sui Yu made sure that the eggs were fresh, weighed them, and paid for them according to their weight.
"I'll give you one hundred and one coins for twelve pounds and six ounces of eggs."
Aunt Sun nodded. "You calculate really fast. I weighed it before, and it took me half a day to figure it out."
"I'm young, so my brain works quickly."
Aunt Sun took the copper coin and shook her head. "It has nothing to do with age. When my family collects and sells grain, I'll ask you to help me with the accounting. Otherwise, I'll be worried for days, afraid that the grain shop owner will cheat me."
"Okay, call me when the time comes." Sui Yu went out with the basket. After collecting enough eggs, she went straight home.
As soon as she entered the door, Aunt Daguang came over. She asked Sui Yu to help her calculate how much she would have to pay for three feet six inches of cloth tomorrow.
After seeing Aunt Daguang off, Sui Yu closed the door, washed his hands and went into the house to eat.
After eating, people wash the pots and bowls and use the slop to cook pig food.
After feeding the pigs, Sui Yu washed the pot and boiled eggs. He used the brine that had been boiled previously, which was still in the jar. He poured it into the pot and boiled it until it became salty.
After boiling and cracking a hundred eggs and putting them into jars, Sui Yu told Zhao Xiaomi to go back to her room and sleep. She walked to the front door and quietly lifted the bolt, then propped it up with a stick to prevent the wind from blowing it open.
After doing all this, Sui Yu went into the camel pen and opened the fence of the sheep pen to release the pigs.
"Come out, come out." Sui Yu kicked the pig's butt and whispered, "You sleep in the yard tonight."
The three little lambs bleated and hid under the wall and refused to move. When it got dark, they refused to leave the pen.
The black pig was driven out, Sui Yu put up the fence and ignored the three sheep.
"Third sister-in-law?" Zhao Xiaomi came out after hearing the noise. "What are you doing?"
"Shh, go back to your room and sleep. I have plans, don't ask." Sui Yu closed the door of the camel pen. She stood outside the pen and confronted the black pig. It wanted to enter the pen, but she stopped it.
The full moon rose higher and higher, and the black pig could not wait any longer. As Sui Yu wished, it lay down beside the ditch near the gate.
Sui Yu looked at the sky, took off her shoes that were stained with pig and sheep dung and put them outside the door. After going in, she lay down on the bamboo mat with her clothes on, with the bow and arrow at her side.
In the middle of the night, the black pig sleeping against the outer wall opened its eyes vigilantly. As footsteps approached outside the wall, it turned over and stood up.
The person outside the door stopped when she heard the noise in the yard, and listened closely against the door. It was a pig grunting. She cursed softly and kicked it hard.
The wooden door supported by a wooden stick could not withstand the force and bounced open instantly. The person who kicked the door could not stop his feet, and she fell in with a scream.
Before she could stand up, a hot wall of flesh hit her in the face.
“Ah—get out—”
The woman's scream broke the darkness, and the sleeping people suddenly got up. Sui Yu got up and opened the door. A cool breeze blew in her face, carrying a faint smell of blood. She clutched the bow and arrow and stared silently at the battle between man and pig at the door.
Qin Dashun was the first to run over. He thought something had happened to Sui Yu and was so anxious that he didn't even put on his shoes.
"What is this? A pig? Sui Yu?" He didn't know how to start.
"Save me quickly." Chen Erniang cried.
Sui Yu then took Zhao Xiaomi out of the door and shouted coldly, "Xiao Hei, come here."
"Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei—" Sui Liang also came out. He asked confusedly, "What happened? Why did the pig get out? Who is in our house?"
The black pig loosened its grip after being hit twice with sticks. It grunted as it walked to Sui Yu's side. When Sui Yu entered the kitchen, it followed him over to ask for credit and food.
The oil lamp was lit, a group of people gathered outside the door, and several people also came into the yard.
Sui Yu walked to the door holding an oil lamp, and the firelight illuminated the wailing woman. Everyone was frightened by her appearance. There were bloody marks on her face from being stepped on by pig's trotters, her sleeves were torn, and her arms were bitten, with blood all over them.
"Sui Yu, I want you to pay with your life."
Sui Yu pulled her hand back and slapped him, but not satisfied with just one slap, she slapped him again, "First, explain why you broke into my house at night."
"Make way." Chen Erniang's husband squeezed in from the crowd, picked up the person on the ground, and said, "Come and help me, I'll take her to the clinic."
"Put him down!" Sui Yu shouted. She raised her rattan bow, put an arrow on it, and pointed it at the man who was about to leave. She said coldly, "Don't force me to shoot. Put down the thief who broke into my house."
Influenced by her, Zhao Xiaomi ran into the kitchen, took out a kitchen knife and ran over.
Chen Erniang's man turned around and saw Sui Yu's eyes. He realized that she really dared to shoot the arrow, so he turned back with a dark face.
The people around were quiet. Sui Yu stood in the crowd like a god of war. The people facing her outside the door dispersed, fearing that her hand would shake and the arrows would fly towards them.
"Sui Yu, put down your bow and arrow, and have your sister-in-law put down her kitchen knife." Qin Dashun said. He walked to the door and said, "Neither of them can leave tonight without your permission."
After putting on a show of force and displaying her power, Sui Yu sheathed her bow and arrow. She snatched the kitchen knife from Zhao Xiaomi's hand, grasped it in her own, and walked over to the wailing man. She asked, "What did you want to steal from my house?"
"No……"
"Why didn't you come to my house in the middle of the night?" Sui Yu shouted.
Chen Erniang was shaking with fear, her body was still bleeding, and her legs were in so much pain that she couldn't move. There was a knife hanging next to her. If Sui Yu went crazy, the first person he would chop would be her. She was so scared that she couldn't run away even if she wanted to.
Seeing that her man didn't say anything, she became at a loss.
"Ten taels of silver were lost from my house, and you stole it." Sui Yu said affirmatively.
"It's not me. I haven't been here. I just wanted to scare you. I only kicked the door twice." Chen Erniang retorted subconsciously.
"Seven or eight days ago, one night I heard the door open. It was you who kicked it." Qin Dashun suddenly realized, "You vicious woman, did Sui Yu offend you? You did such a disgusting thing."
"What's going on?" Wang Xiu Niang came over. "Didn't you say you ate too much last night and couldn't sleep, so you wanted to go out for a walk? Why are you here at Captain Zhao's? And why are you bleeding?"
"Why is a toad pretending to be a frog? You're disgusting. Why are you selling buns? You can make more money by being a storyteller. The moment you open your mouth, a thief emerges from your mouth and becomes a judge. How wonderful." Sui Yu couldn't bear her equivocation and didn't give her any face at all. He scolded her: "I was wondering how she dared to steal money and kick the door in the middle of the night. It turns out that the whole family is like this. In two hours, it will be daybreak, and you tell me that she was too full to sleep and went out for a walk? Did she eat stones that are so hard to digest? You are two sisters-in-law from the same family, and you don't sleep together. You were eavesdropping under their bed? You even knew she went out for a walk in the middle of the night."
She spoke so fast that Wang Xiu Niang had no time to interrupt. When she heard the laughter outside, her face turned pale and she remained silent. Nothing she said now could make up for it.
"Take your sister-in-law back, she needs to see a doctor." She didn't want to embarrass herself here again.
Chen Erniang's man looked at Sui Yu, but he didn't dare to move because he was worried about the knife in her hand.
"Take me away quickly, it hurts so much, that pig is about to bite my arm off." Chen Erniang cried.
Wang Xiu Niang squatted down to help her. The next moment, a sharp kitchen knife was placed in front of her. Sui Yu said stubbornly, "You broke into my house and you think you can walk away so arrogantly? Do you think I'm a weakling? Oh, you look down on me because I'm a criminal slave, so you come to bully me. Listen carefully, my life is worthless. Whoever dares to force his way out of this door tonight will follow me to the underworld to seek justice from the King of Hell."
"How can you let him go? This is Er Niang's fault..."
"Shut up. I don't want to hear whether I'm right or wrong." Sui Yu pulled the bow again, looking crazy.
"Sui Yu, Sui Yu, don't be impulsive." Qin Dashun was frightened. "Let's discuss this properly. Don't be impulsive."
Wang Xiu Niang took two steps back and said, "You decide what to do."
"Twenty taels of silver were lost from my house, and she stole it."
"No, I didn't." Chen Erniang still didn't understand what he meant.
Her husband understood, but he thought Sui Yu's price was too high. He was so angry that he couldn't help but sarcastically said, "You said before that she stole ten taels, how did it become twenty taels now?"
"Okay, then she stole ten taels." Sui Yu smiled. "It seems you also know about this. Go and return the silver she stole to me."
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