Chapter 324: Spring Planting
The land bought by Master Du was twenty miles away from the guesthouse. It would take Sui Yu at least an incense stick of time to get there on a camel. The last time she went there was when she marked out the land and bought it. Half a month later, she heard that Master Du had hired people to dig a canal to divert water. She thought of the river mud she needed to make clay bricks for growing cotton, so she went there again.
The person in charge was Du Sangzi. He heard the sound of hooves and recognized the person riding the camel as Sui Yu. He dropped his shovel and walked over, asking, "Manager Yu, are you strolling around for no reason?"
"I came to see, how many days has the excavation started?" Sui Yu asked.
"The third day. Dyeing and washing cloth requires a lot of water, so the canal cannot be too narrow or too shallow. This is a time-consuming task, so we started construction before the end of the first lunar month." Du Sangzi explained.
Sui Yu swiftly jumped off her camel and walked over to take a look. The soil here was even poorer than the one near the guesthouse. It was a mixture of sand and gravel, and the soil was so hard that the shovel could only dig two knuckles deep before it could stop. The shovel head dug into the stone, and the harsh sound made her scalp numb and the bones in her cheeks ache.
"It will probably take two or three months to dig," said Sui Yu.
"Yes, we just want to finish digging it before the river's flood season arrives." Du Sangzi continued.
Sui Yu pointed to the river channel connected to the canal and said, "Should we dig here too?"
"No, don't dig the river channel too deep, don't let the river channel hold water. In the future, we'll divert the water into the canal, and when it gets dirty, drain it out the other end. No waste water will enter the river. My father heard from the caravans returning from outside the Great Wall that the water from this river flows through the desert. He said it's life-saving water for the wild animals in the desert and for the caravans passing through. If it's mixed with wastewater from washing cloths, it's killing people."
"Your father has a conscience." Sui Yu said.
"Our weaving workshop has been passed down from generation to generation, and it will have to be passed down in the future. We can't do anything that will damage our reputation." Du Sangzi was very proud.
Sui Yu stood up and said, "The river channel has been dug deeper. If there is silt underneath, please tell me and I will have the servants come and pick it up. I need river mud without grass seeds to make mud blocks for growing cotton."
Du Sangzi suddenly realized, "Okay, if there is silt, I will tell you."
"Then you're busy. I won't bother you anymore." Sui Yu stood up and left, but she didn't go back. Instead, she rode her camel and continued north. An hour later, the earthen wall stretching across the north was getting closer and closer. This part of the wall had been repaired at some point. There was no one on it, and the wind whistled past, sharp as a ghost's howl.
Sui Yu drove the camel around for a while, and around noon she returned from the east side of the guesthouse. When she got off the camel, her hands and feet were almost numb from the cold. She walked quickly into the teahouse, and the warm breeze blew, and her face and ears felt the pain first.
Many merchants brought mutton pots to eat in the teahouse. Two black dogs were wandering under the table. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Big Black and Little Black dropped their bones and ran over to meet them.
Sui Yu picked up the copper kettle and poured herself a bowl of boiling red date and ginger water. She sat by the fire pit and drank it slowly. After finishing a bowl of water, her hands and feet returned to warmth.
"Where have you been?" asked the merchant who was chewing crispy soybeans three steps away.
"I rode a camel to the north and it was so cold. I stayed at home all day, either sitting by the fire or in the warm warehouse. I almost forgot how cold the winter in Dunhuang is." Sui Yu took out a thumb jar of camel oil from her bosom. The camel oil in the jar melted, and she poured some on her hands, rubbed it evenly, and applied it on her face and hands, not missing her ears.
"The wind in the north of the country is as sharp as a knife. I almost froze to death." Sui Yu sighed exaggeratedly.
The merchant laughed and said, "You've enjoyed life too much, and now you're asking for trouble."
"That's right. I won't tell you anymore. I'm going to eat. Don't you want to eat? Just chewing beans at noon?" Sui Yu poured another bowl of red dates and ginger water and drank it in his hand.
"I got up late and had breakfast and lunch together."
Sui Yu went out and happened to run into the man who came out to look for her. Zhao Xiping hadn't seen her for a long time and couldn't help asking, "Where have you been? Or are you still in the teahouse? That's not right. I've been to the teahouse twice to look for you."
"I've been out for a while and just came back. The sun is hanging in the sky day after day, but it's useless. My ears are still frozen off every time I go out." Sui Yu was a little impatient. These idle days were a bit of a temper and it was really boring.
Entering the kitchen, Sui Yu saw Song Congzu. He now went into the city early every morning to attend the old teacher's lectures in the north. After school, he was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he continued to sit in the heated kang in the schoolroom, learning to read and practicing calligraphy. He ate lunch in the guest house. If there was business in the afternoon, he would take merchants out of the city to see the camels. If there was no business, he would stay until the evening before leaving the city.
No matter how slow-witted Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping were, they understood that he had a conflict with his father when they saw him not returning home every day. She had tried to inquire about it indirectly, but Song Congzu always glossed over the matter vaguely, so she stopped asking. He was such a grown-up, there was no way he could have gone wrong.
"Grandfather, are the camels about to give birth?" Sui Yu asked, "How many female camels are pregnant this year?"
"There are two hundred and seventy-two camels, and thirteen baby camels have been born," said Song Congzu.
"Are the 272 cows going to be born this spring? Or do they include those bred last autumn and winter?" Sui Liang asked.
"She's going to be born this spring."
"Your family business is really huge." Sui Liang sighed.
"There are so many camels, so they eat a lot. Unfortunately, there's so little land in Dunhuang for growing grass. We can't grow it ourselves, so we have to buy grass, and every year we buy more." Song Congzu was worried. He took a bite of his rice and said, "Auntie, don't raise too many camels. A hundred is enough. If you have too many, you'll worry too much."
"Well, I'm not planning on buying more right now." Sui Yu took the food handed to him by Zhao Xiping and said, "There are so many camels that we're worried. Ask your mother to drive some out of the border and sell them, and then use the camels to exchange for horses in Dayuan."
"Let's talk about it later. I'm thinking of going to Jiuquan or Zhangye to buy land to grow forage. Raising camels is not easy, so I can't bear to sell them off casually."
"Would you like to rent some land?" Brother Zhao suddenly said, "I have land in Jiuquan, and I'd like to rent you twenty acres. My children are all staying in Dunhuang this year, and the family land is too big for my husband and me and my eldest brother and his wife to take care of."
Old man Zhao smacked his lips and said gruffly, "If we don't rent it, once the land is overgrown with weeds, we won't be able to get rid of them. How can we grow crops then?"
Song Congzu said without even looking up, "Farmland is controlled by the government and cannot be used to grow anything freely. What I want to buy is reclaimed wasteland."
Sui Yu didn't interrupt. She thought back to the days when the population of the four counties of Hexi was small, and if you had a child and raised him to three years old, he would have 20 mu of land. The more children you had, the more land you got, so a family of ten could have 100 to 200 mu. Everyone was happy then. But now, the first wave of people to receive land have aged, and the children haven't grown up yet. The whole family, young and old, is exhausted like old oxen, unable to handle the work. Much of the land is left uncultivated, and those who need it can't buy it.
I don’t know what changes will happen in the future.
After dinner, Sui Yu walked around the guesthouse twice, digested the food, and then went back to his room to lie down and sleep.
Although this kind of life of eating and sleeping is boring, and the days and nights seem very long when connected together, half a day is gone after a nap, and a new day comes after another nap. One day is spent with open eyes, and a night is spent with closed eyes. When the winter is over and the wild grass under the wall outside the teahouse, which absorbs the warmth in the house, sprouts new leaves, Sui Yu suddenly feels that the days have passed too quickly. He has been eating and drinking without doing any serious work, and two months have passed.
With the arrival of spring, merchants are busy buying food and supplies, preparing to leave.
Sui Yu also arranged for Ding Quan and Erhei to take the maids to dig river mud. She took out the silk cloth from the warehouse, cut the seam and stuffed it into the tung oil barrel. Then she took it out and hung it on a rack to dry. After repeating this three times, she could use it.
The days that followed seemed to speed up. They were busy plowing, leveling the land, making mud blocks, drying mud blocks, drying manure, and burning manure until mid-March. All the 180 kilograms of cotton seeds in Sui Yu's hand were planted. The two acres of land where cotton was planted last year were all covered with mud blocks covered with oilcloth. It was a sea of white and very conspicuous.
"Sister, the work in the fields has come to an end for the time being. I'm going to Zhangye to take a look at the situation." Sui Liang said.
Zhao Dalang's heart moved when he heard this. He looked at his brothers and sisters and said, "Uncle San, Aunt San, our family will be busy with spring planting at the end of the month. I want to go back and help. I'll come back after we're done."
"I'll go back too. There's too much land at home. My father and uncle are the only ones left. Even if my grandfather joins us, we still can't handle it." Zhao Sanlang said.
"I'll go back too. I'll be gone for a month and come back at the end of April," said Zhao Silang.
Zhao Erya rubbed her hands and said, "Then my fifth sister and I will stay and help Third Aunt plant cotton."
Sui Yu waved his hand. "The cotton won't be transplanted into the fields until mid-April. My caravan will probably be back by then, and I'll have enough manpower. I won't need you."
"Then I'll go back." said Zhao Wuya.
Dalang, Silang and Wuya are from the eldest family, Erya, Sanlang and Liulang, who is less than five years old, are from the second family. Sui Yu has long noticed that the children from the eldest family are more honest, and she also prefers children with simple temperaments.
"All of you follow Sui Liang, he will pick you up when he comes back from Zhangye." Sui Yu said.
Zhao Erya pursed her lips, looking a little unhappy.
The next day, Sui Liang rode a horse and took Zhao Dalang and others on camels to leave Dunhuang City. Sui Yu suddenly felt a lot more at peace.
The caravan that left the border in mid-February had already left the Gobi Desert after a month, and the melodious sound of camel bells could be heard in the desert that had been silent for a winter.
The caravans from the east headed west, and the caravans from the west headed back east.
"We should probably be able to reach Yumen Pass by the end of May." Xiao Chunhong glanced at the city of Kucha behind her and asked, "Master Song, are you going to Chang'an this year? Or next year?"
Song Xian glanced at Lu Yaer and said, "Let's see what your master's plan is. If she goes to Chang'an, I will let Lu Yaer go with her, and I will stay in Dunhuang for a year."
"Maybe I can try to lead the team myself." said Green Bud.
Song Xian smiled but didn't respond.
In early April, the caravans traveling east and west met in Loulan. The caravan coming from Dunhuang brought news from the interior. Zhang Shun and Xiao Chunhong were so excited to learn that their master was going to get rich again. If their master made a fortune, they could also make a small fortune.
"Have you seen my son in the guesthouse?" Song Xian couldn't help asking.
"Little Master Song, right? He's been going to the Changgui Inn every day since the New Year, seemingly learning to read. He hasn't neglected his business either, and from time to time he takes merchants to the desert to see camels."
Song Xian breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile on her face. The only thing that made her worried was gone.
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