Chapter 101 Announcement to the Public
When it was getting light, voices could be heard in the alley. People who had not yet finished harvesting their crops were preparing to go to the fields with their farm tools in hand.
Zhao Xiping woke up when he heard the noise. He opened his eyes and looked at the woman in his arms. The warmth under the mattress made her face slightly red. He suppressed his restless hands and quietly lifted the mattress to get out of bed.
Sui Yu was startled. She squinted her eyes and looked for a moment. Before she could figure out anything, a mountain of sleepiness swept over her and she fell asleep again on the mattress.
Zhao Xiping chuckled, put on a thin shirt and trousers, picked up the clothes that were stepped on and soiled, and took them out.
The door opened a crack and then closed again.
The chickens were walking around in the yard, and when they saw people coming out, they clucked at the top of their lungs.
Zhao Xiping went into the kitchen and scooped out a bowl of beans so that the chickens would have something to eat and stop crowing.
Zhao Xiping scooped water to soak the dirty clothes and bedding, bent down and went into the kitchen to cook. As soon as the fire in the pot was lit, Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang got up.
"Third brother, what are you cooking for breakfast?" Zhao Xiaomi asked.
"I see there's still taro. I'll make taro porridge this morning." Zhao Xiping thought she was too loud, so he handed her a bowl and said, "You and Sui Liang go to the street and buy a bowl of pig's blood. We don't have much vegetables at home, so we'll fry a plate of pig's blood to go with the porridge later. Do you have any money? You can pay first, and I'll pay you back when we get back."
Zhao Xiaomi tilted her head to look towards the main room. Just as she was about to speak, a thick slap landed in front of her. She hurriedly turned her head and ran into the side room to get the money.
Zhao Xiping stood outside the kitchen door with a dark face, staring at her. Zhao Xiaomi took out the money and lowered her head, not daring to look around.
Sui Liang was puzzled. Why did he suddenly hit someone when they were just talking peacefully?
"Go out with her. If she says anything nonsense to you, come back and tell me and I will slap her in the mouth." Zhao Xiping said to Sui Liang.
Zhao Xiaomi waited outside the door with her neck shrunk, and when Sui Liang came out, they walked towards the alley together.
"Why did your brother hit you?" Sui Liang asked, "Are you reluctant to give up the money? He said he would return it to you."
"No, you don't understand." Zhao Xiaomi shook her head. She decided to control her eyes and stop looking around. Her third brother was not the kind of person who could tolerate others. If you really provoke him, he would not care who you are and would send you away.
The chickens had eaten and gone out, and the yard returned to silence. Zhao Xiping took advantage of this quiet time to scrub the clothes and bedding, then washed them clean and hung them on the clothesline.
By this time, the porridge in the pot was boiling. Zhao Xiping propped up the lid with a spoon and opened the door to call Sui Yu to get up. At this time, he felt it was inconvenient again. If Xiaomi hadn't been there, he could have made up a random excuse to fool Sui Liang and let Sui Yu sleep in as long as she wanted.
The satisfied man was very considerate. He took out clean clothes from the wooden box and put them on Sui Yu. Considering that the two people who bought pig blood might come back at any time, his actions were very polite.
Sui Yu narrowed her eyes at him and raised her hands and legs in cooperation.
"Dinner is almost ready, you should get up." Zhao Xiping picked her up horizontally, shook her with his hands, and said, "You've lost a little weight."
Sui Yu raised her arms and put her arms around his neck, saying softly, "It's great to have you home."
"That's not what you said last night."
Sui Yu instantly became angry and bit him through his clothes.
After a while, she woke up. Sui Yu landed on the ground, combed her hair, and went out to wash her face and rinse her mouth.
The door was wide open and Zhao Xiping was tidying up the bed in the room. When the smell in the room dissipated, he went out with twenty copper coins in his pocket.
Zhao Xiaomi brought Sui Liang back. When she saw Zhao Xiping, she subconsciously lowered her eyes and dared not look at him.
"Give me the pig's blood." Zhao Xiping stretched out his hand and handed her twenty cents.
Zhao Xiaomi didn't want to, "It's not necessary to make such a clear distinction, right?"
"You can use the money you save yourself. You don't have to spend money on food and drink when you live in my house." Zhao Xiping forcefully stuffed a handful of copper coins into her hands.
Sui Yu came out of the woodshed and said, "At my brother and sister-in-law's house, you are not asked to spend money on food. You should save your money."
Zhao Xiaomi stood there for a while holding the copper coin. When the aroma wafted from the kitchen, she walked over and said, "Third sister-in-law, please pay me less next time. Just give me five cents of silver."
Sui Yu cast a puzzled look.
"While my parents were still alive, I shouldn't have been raised by my third brother..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Liang'er isn't his biological brother, but he's still supporting him. What's more, you're his biological sister." Sui Yu frowned. She didn't want to support Sui Liang and deduct her own sister's food expenses. She leaned against the stove and said, "If it were last year when the family income was low, I wouldn't have given you more money even if you didn't tell me. This year, your third brother and I are both making money, so we can feed one more mouth to feed. Just stay here and don't think too much."
Zhao Xiaomi glanced at her brother and said, "My sister-in-law is still the best."
Zhao Xiping ignored her.
"The dishes are ready, let's eat." Sui Yu called out, "Don't delay, I have something to do after dinner."
The dining table became a bed, and the family had to squat in the kitchen to eat. Sui Yu's legs felt sore, and she couldn't squat any longer. She took the bowl and went out to sit on a stone to drink the porridge.
After breakfast, Zhao Xiaomi washed the pots and dishes and fed the pigs. Sui Yu asked Zhao Xiping to take out the braised eggs from the jar, and she led him to deliver the eggs.
"Old Baldy doesn't like people looking at his bald head. When you go over there, don't stare at his head." Sui Yu instructed.
When he saw the person, Zhao Xiping didn't know where to look for a moment. The bald old man was shorter than him, and when he lowered his head, his head looked like a boiled egg.
"Is this your man?" asked the bald old man.
Sui Yu nodded and explained, "He just came back from his errand yesterday. I brought him here to meet you. If there are any extra things in the future, I'll have him deliver them to you."
The old bald man had a bad impression of Zhao Xiping. He was timid and looked down upon people. A poor soldier, he acted like a nobleman in the imperial city. He was too lazy to pay for the bad face, so he specifically asked Sui Yu to go with him to deliver the goods.
After paying for the eggs and walking away, Zhao Xiping said, "Old Baldy really doesn't like people looking at his bald head. I didn't even dare to look at it, but he still got upset."
"If you're unhappy, then don't be unhappy. There won't be much business this year. When the weather gets cold, there won't be any caravans heading south." Sui Yu fiddled with a string of copper coins and said, "Buy Xiaomi a bed as soon as possible. I still need that table for my stall."
Zhao Xiping did not go back after hearing this. He took Sui Yu straight to the carpenter's house. The carpenter happened to have two beds, so he spent two taels and three cents of silver to buy one.
In the afternoon, Zhao Xiping asked around for old doors he didn't want. After two days of searching, he bought four. He divided the wing room into two halves, dug a trench in the middle to bury the door panels, and left a small door on the side for entry and exit, which he could cover with a curtain.
"Xiaomi, you sleep inside. You're a girl, and it'll be more convenient for you to change clothes if you sleep inside." Sui Yu made arrangements. "It's a little dim inside, so I'll put a lamp inside for you. It'll be a bit more troublesome to go in and find things during the day, so you can light an oil lamp. It won't affect anything else."
Zhao Xiaomi had no objection.
"Brother Liang, don't go into Xiaomi's room unless you have anything to do." Sui Yu instructed.
Sui Liang nodded.
"Let's make do with it for now. When we save enough money, we'll move to a bigger house," said Sui Yu.
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door in the yard. It was the person who came to deliver the reward. As Zhao Xiping said, it was fifty kilograms of pork and a small jar of wine.
After the person who delivered the reward left, the person who was very lively asked, "Captain Zhao, I heard that you were escorting an embassy this time and were away for half a year. Is this all you got as a reward? No promotion?"
Zhao Xiping hesitated for a moment, but considering the matter was already settled, he didn't hide it any further: "No promotion, I will use this achievement to help Sui Yu and Sui Liang escape from slavery."
Those who had not left yet were in an uproar, looking at him in disbelief, and then looking at Sui Yu inquiringly.
Sui Yu had imagined this day many times, and every time she would consider what expression she should make, but when this day finally came, she could no longer pretend. She looked at the man in the crowd with gratitude, thanking him for saving her from danger and allowing her to regain her freedom.
There were twenty or thirty people in the yard, but they suddenly fell silent. The onlookers didn't know how to react. They couldn't speak. They could only think in their hearts that this man was so stupid. He risked his life for a woman.
"Haha, that's great." Uncle Niu said, holding the child in his arms, and said enviously, "I don't have the ability, but if I did, I would also like to fight for my Ah Shui."
The women around thought that it was a good thing that their sons did not marry the convict slave, otherwise they would have been at a great loss.
"Let's go, we are going to pickle meat at home." Zhao Xiping said to drive them away.
These people didn't stay long. They left the Zhao family's house and started talking about this matter.
"Third sister-in-law, from now on you are no longer a slave?" Zhao Xiaomi was overjoyed. "From now on, my parents won't look down on you anymore. Come back with us for the New Year this year."
Sui Yu smiled and hugged her, saying, "You are really like my sister, always thinking about me."
Zhao Xiaomi held her face in her hands and tilted her head, saying, "Marrying a man is all about hoping he'll support and help you through any difficulties. You're so beautiful, you can make money, and you're not afraid of the hard work and dirt of raising livestock and growing crops. How many men wouldn't want to marry you? My third brother is an illiterate wretch, and there are men like him everywhere. If he doesn't do anything, he won't be able to keep you."
Zhao Xiping chuckled, and he began to look at his sister in a different light.
Sui Yu took Zhao Xiaomi's hand and said, "Sister, you are a clever person. Thank you for speaking well for me."
"I'm telling the truth. That's how it is. If you hadn't fallen on hard times, my third brother wouldn't have been able to marry you." Zhao Xiaomi spoke the truth. She had lived here for half a year and had heard about Sui Ling's affairs. Every time she saw her third sister-in-law's face, she was glad that Sui Yu was not like Sui Ling, otherwise this family wouldn't be able to keep anyone.
"When I get back, I will tell my mother that you are free now. If she continues to be a wicked mother-in-law and drives you away, she won't even have time to cry." Zhao Xiaomi said playfully.
"How can I? I'll be with your third brother for the rest of my life." Sui Yu walked towards the kitchen and said, "Don't tell Mom anything. I'm not going back just because of her. We have camels, pigs, and a flock of chickens at home. We can't live without someone."
"Okay then." Zhao Xiaomi didn't force it.
Among the fifty pounds of pork, there were six pounds of pork belly. Sui Yu took a knife to cut off the pork belly and prepared to stew it. The rest was rubbed with salt and hung up. Now that the weather is cool, it can be made into bacon.
There are no spices in the stewed pork belly, but Sui Yu has braising liquid. The pork is first boiled to remove the blood, then cut into pieces to extract the oil. When it is almost cooked, Sui Yu scoops two bowls of braising liquid into the pork to color it, and then scoops a spoonful of wine into the pork to remove the fishy smell.
"Third sister-in-law, why do you do this?" Zhao Xiaomi was puzzled.
"The brine is flavorful, didn't you use it to mix noodles before?" Sui Yu scooped noodles and prepared to mix them, saying, "After this meal, we'll go back to setting up a stall to make money."
Zhao Xiaomi had no objection. She thought about it and stuffed some firewood into the stove. She ran out to find her third brother and whispered a few words to him.
"Okay, I got it. You guys go set up the stall next time, and I'll go over when it's time for dinner."
"Then remember to change into clean clothes and dress neatly before going over." Zhao Xiaomi was a little worried that he would be outdone by others, and she also wanted to save face.
"Where is the person who is burning the fire? The fire is about to fall out." Sui Yu shouted loudly.
"Coming, coming." Zhao Xiaomi ran over quickly.
Sui Liang came in to take a look, and seeing that he was not needed, he called the cat official and turned around to go out and continue digging insects for the chickens.
By the time I'd kneaded about ten pounds of dough and it was getting dark, the meat in the pot was emitting a rich aroma. The brownish-red pork belly was stewed until tender, and the dried vegetables that came with it had absorbed the broth. After removing it from the pot and placing it in a bowl, it was sprinkled with chopped green onions. It looked very appetizing.
Both the man and the cat came. The cat official was so anxious that he circled around the man's legs, barking left and right, and hooked the man's trouser legs to try to climb up.
Sui Yu put two pieces of meat into the cat bowl and muttered, "Here, here, here, I'll give it to you first. Please scratch off my meat."
The cat had eaten, and the kitchen finally quieted down. Zhao Xiping brought the wine jar and said, "Let's drink a little. Xiaomi and Sui Liang should also drink a little."
Zhao Xiaomi had never tasted wine before, so she actively brought the bowl over and poured the wine into it. She took a sip first and found it unpalatable and spicy.
"Come, let's clink our glasses to celebrate Liang Ge'er and I being freed from slavery." Sui Yu raised the bowl.
The four of them drank together.
"Another, to celebrate the safe return of Captain Zhao."
The four of them took another sip.
"This last one has nothing to do with Xiaomi, Liang'er, let's toast to your brother-in-law and thank this man for everything he has done for us." Sui Yu's hand dropped down, and the bowl lowered half an inch. The two bowls clinked lightly, and she tilted her head back and drank the wine in the bowl.
Zhao Xiping fainted before getting drunk. He looked at Sui Yu and looked into her eyes, where tears were glistening. He clenched the edge of the bowl and drank the remaining wine in one gulp.
Zhao Xiaomi quickly added another spoonful to his bowl. Sui Liang had already raised his bowl, but before he could say anything, tears started streaming down his face, and he choked as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Okay, okay, everything is in the wine." Zhao Xiping clinked his bowls together. He couldn't bear to see other people's tears.
Zhao Xiping drank it, and Sui Liang also puffed out his cheeks and drank the bowl.
After the cat finished eating the meat, it meowed again.
"You spoil the fun." Zhao Xiaomi threw a piece of meat to it. "We humans haven't even tasted it yet, how much have you, a cat, eaten?"
"Let's eat too." Sui Yu picked up a piece of meat and fed it into his mouth. The meat was stewed until it was soft and glutinous, fragrant but not greasy, which was worth the effort.
The four of them had good appetites and ate meat like dumplings, taking two bites of a piece of meat and chewing it a few times before it went down their stomachs.
After eating half full, Sui Yu boiled water to cook noodles. When the noodles were out of the pot, she scooped out half a bowl of noodles, poured oil on it and fed it to the cat. The cat kept barking until its throat was hoarse but it still didn't stop.
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