Chapter 317: Everyone has their own uses
After the caravan left the customs with the goods, Sui Yu planned to go to Zhangye. The round trip would take eleven or twelve days, and it would be almost September when she returned. By then, she would have time to take care of twisting cotton thread, weaving cotton cloth, and fluffing cotton quilts.
A caravan is leaving Dunhuang and heading east tomorrow, and Sui Yu plans to go with them.
Uncle Niu and Ah Shui were in charge of the guesthouse business, Ding Quan was in charge of the cotton fields, and Zhao Xiping was in overall charge. When he was away, Xiaozai would watch over the fields, so Sui Yu had nothing to worry about. Before leaving, she visited Old Chen and asked him to keep an eye on the cotton business. If agricultural officials came to visit while she was away, it would be best for Old Chen to entertain them, as he was well-versed in literature and knew the laws of the Han Dynasty. He could stop the officials from confiscating the cotton and make it official property.
"What are your plans? Tell me the lowdown," Old Chen asked. "You've discovered a new crop, and the agricultural officials will definitely report it to the court. Your area is remote, and it's not harvest time yet, so the agricultural officials haven't come to inspect your crops yet. It's inevitable that this will happen."
"I know that cotton cultivation is a serious matter. I certainly can't plant it secretly without telling the court, let alone go against it." Sui Yu leaned forward and said, "I've grown cotton in Dunhuang. Cotton can be spun into yarn, woven into cloth, and even made into quilts. This is a huge achievement for the local agricultural officials. If they want to use this to get promoted, they have to discuss it with me. I want to present the quilts, cotton cloth, and cotton seeds to the emperor and let him know that I'm the one who can grow cotton."
Mr. Chen understood, "This is not difficult. Your contribution will definitely not be erased."
"What if I want the Emperor to summon me to an audience? Instead of having someone else present the cotton-growing method to the Emperor," Sui Yu asked, "is it possible?"
"Tell me how you planned it?"
"To whet people's appetite, we need to send cotton seeds, quilts, cotton cloth and cotton clothes to the emperor before the end of the year. Next year, we need to plant all the cotton seeds harvested this year before the imperial envoy arrives in Dunhuang. By then, there will only be two places with cotton seeds, namely Chang'an and Dunhuang. If the cotton seeds in Chang'an die and the cotton harvest in Dunhuang is good, I can take the opportunity to have the caravan transport a batch of quilts and cotton cloth to Beijing to sell. Is this situation sufficient for the emperor to summon me?" Sui Yu asked.
Elder Chen thought for a moment and said, "We can give it a try, but what do you want to say to the Emperor?"
"I want to visit the inner city of Chang'an and see what the Imperial Palace is like. If Zhao Xiping and I could go there with my little cub and Liang Ge'er, I'd have no regrets in my life." Sui Yu was fascinated. She said proudly, "When the time comes, I'll write a personal biography for myself and pass it on to future generations. My descendants can brag to them: My great-grandmother grew cotton, and she even entered the Imperial Palace and was received by the Emperor. What an honor!"
Old Chen stroked his beard. Based on his limited understanding of Sui Yu, he felt that honor was only one aspect of her life. She must have other purposes for going through so much trouble to see the emperor.
"Manager Yu will be very successful in the future. I served the Grand Marshal when I was young, and now that I'm old, I'm able to witness your family's rise. I'm quite lucky." Old Chen sighed. "If you were a man, you could have been granted a title of nobility for your contribution to the introduction and cultivation of cotton. It's a pity that you're a woman, and you weren't born into the right dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Gaozu, Empress Lü recommended the title of nobility to women..."
Sui Yu's eyes lit up, "There's such a thing? Why was she made a marquis?"
"She will inherit the title from her husband and son's merits, and the next step is to make her own sister a marquis."
It was really amazing, Sui Yu was surprised. She was ignorant. She didn't even know that there had been female marquises in history.
She asked one more question: "How is the style nowadays?"
Old Chen stroked his beard again. This question was a bit bold, but this place was far away from Chang'an, so he was not afraid of people knowing if he made a comment.
"Cautious and wise." Old Chen said in a low voice with trembling eyebrows.
Another meaning of being cautious is being conservative, and being wise also means being steady and rational. Sui Yu probably understood that it was hopeless for her to be granted a title of nobility as a girl.
"I've strayed from the topic. I'm telling you this because I want you and Captain Zhao to consider guiding Zhao Mingguang down the path of becoming an agricultural official. I've noticed that Zhao Mingguang knows quite a bit about farming and mulberry cultivation. You can help him grow cotton, and when he grows up, you can let him take the path of an agricultural official. The official in charge of agricultural affairs in the court is called the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Let's see if he has the luck to be promoted to that position." Elder Chen glanced at Sui Yu and said, "You have a high level of understanding in farming, and Zhao Mingguang probably inherited this from you. You also contributed to the introduction of cotton cultivation. This will be very beneficial to him, both in terms of reputation and achievements."
Sui Yu felt a little guilty. The boy's skill in farming was probably due to Zhao Xiping. In Sui Liang's opinion, the Sui family's bloodline had no talent in farming.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. It's my honor that you're willing to come with us to Dunhuang, and it's also my honor that Zhao Mingguang has you to help him." Sui Yu said sincerely. She smiled apologetically and apologized, "I've offended you with my words in the past. It's all my fault. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."
Chen Lao laughed. He nodded at her and said, "You are too snobbish. It is good for you. You should immediately put aside all your contempt and try to please others with a respectful attitude."
Sui Yu refused to admit that the word "snobbish" had anything to do with her. She smiled and said, "You are prejudiced against me."
"Just as you do to me."
"It's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding." Sui Yu stood up and walked out, saying, "I'll leave the matter of dealing with the agricultural officials to you. I'll probably be back in half a month."
Mr. Chen didn't say anything, which was considered as his agreement.
Sui Yu stood outside the guesthouse looking at the fiery clouds in the sky. Her eyes moved downwards and she saw a maid sitting under a tree by the river, crushing cotton seeds. A Shui, Hua Niu and A Qiang were sitting around them. They crushed cotton seeds with the maid and learned to speak the Xiongnu language from them.
Without her knowledge, these three girls had learned a lot of Kucha language from Kurban and Anle, and now they seized the opportunity to learn Xiongnu language.
"Sister-in-law, Xiaozai took Dazhuang to the field to check on the cotton. It seems that the cotton needs to be watered again." A Shui shouted.
"Okay, I'll go check out the fields too." Sui Yu went back, put on her straw hat, and headed south. She crossed the river but didn't see anyone. She followed the ridge westward and spotted a black dog sprawled across the bed, sleeping like a human. Before she could say anything, it hopped down from the bed in shame. Afraid of a beating, it guiltily circled around to the river to lap up the water.
"Where's the person?" Sui Yu shouted. She glanced at the dog, whose ears pricked up, and complained, "Ding Quan, the dog has slipped into bed again."
"Dahei, your skin is itching again!" Ding Quan was furious. He stood up from the cotton field with a shiny bald head. His newly grown hair was shaved off again because it was infected with lice by the dog.
"Mom, are you here to find me?" the little boy asked while standing on the field.
"Well, what are you busy with?" Sui Yu walked over and scolded: "Dahei, you are not allowed to sleep on the bed again."
The cotton stalks were so tall that most of the boy's body was blocked when he stood in the field. There was no wind in the field and he was sweating all over from the heat. When he walked out of the cotton field and felt the hot wind blowing, he suddenly felt comfortable.
"It's time to water the fields again. Cotton doesn't tolerate drought," the kid said. "It's easier to plant wheat and millet."
"Dunhuang has little rain, faces a desert to the west, and has strong winds. The soil dries out quickly, so it might not be suitable for growing cotton." Sui Yu led him back, pointing to the towering snow-capped mountains to the south as they crossed the river. "Next year, come with me to Chang'an," she said. "Once we're over this mountain, the climate will be much more humid. By comparison, the area inside the Great Wall might be more suitable for growing cotton. However, where it rains a lot, cotton bolls tend to mold and rot, which will also affect the harvest."
"So if we water the cotton regularly, the cotton harvest in Dunhuang will be better?" asked the cub.
“Production may be more stable.”
"oh--"
"I'm going to Zhangye tomorrow and will be back in half a month. The cotton in the field will be handed over to you."
"Ah?" The kid made a bitter face, "You're not taking me? I miss my uncle."
"Who will look after the cotton in the field if we all leave? Your father is not at home early in the morning and late at night. You are the person I trust the most. You are serious, responsible, careful and capable. I can only leave it to you." Sui Yu flattered him.
Zhao Xiping couldn't resist Sui Yu's sweet talk. His son was still young and didn't know how to resist the constant flattery. When Sui Yu said this, Zhao Xiping immediately puffed out his chest and promised: "Mom, you can go out without worry. I'll take care of the house and the fields."
Sui Yu couldn't help laughing and said, "My son is really capable."
The kid jumped a little and he laughed.
"If there is no trouble in Zhangye, I will bring your uncle back with me when I come back." Sui Yu said.
The cub responded loudly.
After arriving home, Sui Yu took him to tell the maids about their work. After all the seeds in the cotton were squeezed out, they could start to make cotton thread.
"Do you have any idea about how to make cotton thread? Do you know how to do it?" Sui Yu asked. She knew nothing about textiles and only knew a little about fluffing quilts.
"I know. It's not difficult. Cotton is just like wool. Pull the fluff loose, then pile it together and beat it until it tangles..." The maid couldn't explain. She grabbed a handful of cotton balls, the seeds removed, and pulled and twisted them until they were as fluffy as cotton candy. Then she flattened and rolled them into long strips. Then she broke off a mulberry branch, removed the leaves, pulled out the cotton wool, and twisted it around the branch, creating a loose cotton thread.
"Then we need to use a spinning wheel to twist the cotton thread tightly, right?" Sui Yu understood.
The maid nodded. "The thread is tangled around the spindle. Shake it with your hands and press it with your feet. Once you take it off, the cotton will be tight." She handed over a handful of cotton thread and said, "This won't do. It's not strong enough and will break if you pull it."
Sui Yu handed the cotton thread to the kid. He exerted a little force and the cotton wool fell apart. He rubbed it in his hand and it was not easy to break when he pulled it again.
"Mom, can we shear wool and camel hair and twist them together with cotton to make yarn?" The little boy suddenly had an idea.
Sui Yu looked at him appreciatively and said, "Yes, you can, but camel hair is coarse. If you twist it with cotton, will the spun cloth be uneven? Wool is also delicate. Will the cotton cloth with wool added shrink when washed?"
The cub thought of his cashmere trousers and puffed out his cheeks.
"These are all my guesses. I don't know the specific situation. You can try it later." Sui Yu encouraged him.
"What are you talking about?" She asked as Ah Shui passed by with a basket of eggs.
"I won't tell you." The cub jumped up.
"Tsk, I don't care to know." Ah Shui knocked him and urged, "Don't be lazy, come with me to pick up eggs. You should climb up the hill on the other side of the river to pick up the eggs."
"I'm not going."
"You have to go even if you don't want to."
The bickering faded away, and the "clucking" sound of calling chickens was heard. The scattered chickens rushed back, and the camels of all sizes wandering in the wilderness walked back in the sunset.
It was dark. Sui Yu packed her bag and put it at the end of the bed. The sweaty man came back and she heard the sound and walked out.
"Get me some clothes, I'm going to take a bath in the river," said Zhao Xiping.
"good."
The footsteps of varying weights dispersed, then quickly gathered together and walked downstream together.
The man was bathing in the river, and Sui Yu stood on the shore and told him about his conversation with Mr. Chen today.
The crisp beads of words rolled down, accompanied by the clear sound of water, drowning out the chirping of insects on both sides of the river.
Zhao Xiping came out of the river. He wiped the water droplets off his body and put on his clothes. When Sui Yu was not paying attention, he picked her up and carried her back.
"Look at the road, I can't see the road," he said.
"Where can I look? I can only see the path you walked behind me."
"Turn your head and look."
"Don't look at it. If you fall, remember to turn around and cushion me."
After people left, the insects in the grass began to chirp again, from dusk to dawn. When chickens foraging for food and camels drinking water appeared by the river, the chirping of insects disappeared.
After breakfast, Sui Yu rode on a camel and left the inn with the caravan. This time, the little boy did not see him off. As he grew older, he no longer shed tears over a short separation.
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