Chapter 348 Parents' Love for Their Son
A Shui called Xiaozai to pick up eggs, and Xiaozai followed him with the basket. After he left, Zhao Xiping hugged Sui Yu and walked to the mulberry tree by the river.
"The blueprint for the house is out. It's a four-story house, covering quite a large area. Take a look." Zhao Xiping pulled out a parchment scroll from his pocket and showed it to Sui Yu. "Including the baby in the belly, there are only five of us in our family. The two of us can live in one story, and the three of them can each live in one story. What do you think?"
"Your son and his uncle are so close. Even if they sleep in separate beds, they're separated by a wall, not a separate courtyard." Sui Yu stared at the layout on the parchment scroll and said, "This is really spacious. If they live too far apart, you might not even be able to hear me even if you shout."
"Sui Liang is going to get married and have children, and the little one will always be able to stick with him?" Zhao Xiping pointed to the last courtyard and said, "This courtyard is allocated to Sui Liang. When the house is built, I will ask the craftsmen to build a small kitchen inside and open a door on the south-facing wall. When he gets married, he will have a separate door and courtyard, so he can keep in touch with us and we can stay away from each other if he wants to. The third courtyard is for the little one, so it will be convenient for him to visit his uncle. He can still live here after he gets married. We will live in the first courtyard, and the second courtyard will be left empty for the little one in your belly."
Sui Yu was silent for a moment, then she turned and threw herself into the man's arms, wrapping her arms around his strong and sturdy waist. He smelled of dust and a faint scent of sweat, but Sui Yu did not dislike it. Instead, she felt particularly at ease.
Not far away, Ah Shui saw it. She quickly looked away as if she was scalded, and pulled the kid away to stop him from watching.
The little boy laughed at her for making a fuss. He looked back calmly and asked in confusion, "My parents are husband and wife. They even sleep together at night. What's wrong with hugging me?"
"It was night time, and we were in the house. There was no one else around, so there was naturally no problem." A Shui retorted.
"You're trying to cover your ears and steal the bell." The kid muttered, "Auntie Shui, you're quite old-fashioned."
Ah Shui: ...
After a few words from him, the shyness in Ah Shui's heart disappeared without a trace. She stopped hiding and watched him openly.
"What's so good about it?" The kid was unhappy again. He didn't let her see it.
"What's there to not see?" A Shui teased him.
"How can you stare at others? It's really rude." The kid stood up to block her and said, "When you get married, you will hug my uncle too. When I get married, I will hug my wife too. Everyone has it, just like eating and drinking. Stop looking, stop looking."
"You're so shameless! Who's your uncle? Don't yell at me like that." Ah Shui slapped him in embarrassment. She walked away with the basket of eggs, muttering, "It's strange that you're so young and have so much wisdom in your head."
She was a little puzzled. The boy grew up under her nose, and she and he were even taught by the same teacher. Was it because of the age difference or some other reason, the boy's ideas were very different from hers. Although what he said was a bit rough, it made sense when she thought about it carefully.
Hugging and kissing are things that couples do. Everyone knows it, but is too embarrassed to talk about it. If they can sleep in the same bed at night, why can't they hold hands or hug in front of others during the day?
"Auntie, where are you going? Aren't there eggs in this grass nest?" The little cub followed behind.
Ah Shui came back to her senses and turned back.
"Aunt Shui, I have a secret. It's a happy news, but I can't tell you." The kid said happily.
Ah Shui looked at him deeply and said in astonishment, "You have seen a lot of things."
She was still struggling with the previous question, but he had already turned the page without any care.
"What good news? Is your uncle getting married?" she asked.
The cub shook his head proudly, "I didn't guess right."
A Shui glanced at him and decided not to guess anymore, as it would make him die of constipation.
The cub looked at her again and again, then ran away with the basket.
Ah Shui laughed.
The days of scorching summer were getting hotter day by day. Zhao Xiping couldn't bear to let his little boy stand in the fields with him under the scorching sun. He was a big, rough man with thick skin and strong muscles. It was okay for him to lose two kilograms of sweat a day. But the little boy couldn't do that. If he stood in the fields for half a day, he might get heatstroke.
"Your mother's pregnancy is not confirmed yet, so we can't tell anyone for now. If others don't know about it, they won't be able to take care of her all the time. Your uncle and I can't stay home to watch over her, so can you take care of your mother for me? There's also your uncle's mulberry silkworm business." Zhao Xiping discussed with his son, "Wait until the eighth month, when your mother's pregnancy is stable, I'll take you to work in the fields and the agricultural company."
The cub readily agreed, "Okay, leave it to me."
Under his diligent care, after half a month, everyone with eyes could see that Sui Yu was pregnant.
The delayed period never came, and Sui Yu became more and more certain that she was pregnant. When Song Xian came to ask her, she nodded happily and admitted it.
"This child is lucky to be born in your family." Song Xian was happy for Sui Yu. "You got what you wanted. You've been thinking about this child for three years, and now he's finally here."
"Yes." Sui Yu touched her belly. "It was difficult for me to conceive. When I was pregnant with my first child, I thought about it for two years. The guesthouse was built, his father was promoted to a thousand households, and then the little cub came into my belly. The second child was picky. He was willing to reincarnate only after our family became wealthy."
Song Xian glanced at the kid, who looked a little embarrassed.
Sui Yu touched her son's head and said, "After giving birth to him, I realized that all the waiting was worth it."
The little cub smiled, he was satisfied, and ran out to play happily.
"You won't leave home to do business in the future, right?" Song Xian asked.
"How is that possible? Why not trade? I haven't even been to Wusun or Kangju yet." Sui Yu rejected the idea without hesitation. She couldn't leave the caravan entirely to slaves. Three to five years would be fine, but after a while, the slaves would get used to being the masters and wouldn't necessarily obey her. She also couldn't let the remaining seventeen slaves run the caravan forever. In two or three years, when Ah Shui and the other four were older, she would definitely want to include them in the caravan. Then she would lead them on a trip or two inside and outside the Great Wall.
However, Sui Yu did not intend to tell these plans to outsiders, lest the news leak out and cause a rift between her and the servants.
"Xiaozai and Liangge'er haven't left the border to see the scenery of the Western Regions yet. When the second child can eat and drink, I will leave him in Xiping's care and take Xiaozai and Liangge'er to Wusun. Merchants say that Wusun has unique scenery, and the grasslands at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains stretch for thousands of miles. I have to go and see it." Sui Yu said, "When the 21st child is 12 years old, I will take him to travel inside and outside the border. I brought them into the world, and I will personally show them the world. I have given them life and vision, and the future path is up to them to choose."
Song Xian sincerely felt that being Sui Yu's child was the greatest luck in her life. She didn't dare to think about it anymore. If she did, she would fall into self-reflection and entanglement again.
"By the way, I came to see you about another matter. What do you think about me buying land and building a house in the north of the city? I can't always live in the guesthouse with Lu Yaer." Song Xian asked.
Sui Yu was surprised. "You don't live in your house in the city anymore? That's your Song family's ancestral home. Are you willing to give it to Lu Ya'er's father?"
Song Xian laughed, "Why would I give it to him? The house in the city is for my great-grandfather. From now on, Lv Yaer and I will live there, and Huang Ancheng will live with my great-grandfather. They can each support an old man."
As she spoke, her expression became complicated. She hadn't forgotten how Huang Ancheng and his great-grandfather had once colluded to exclude her and Lüyaer. Huang Ancheng had been reluctant to let his son risk his life with her, yet he hadn't hesitated to push Lüyaer out. His great-grandfather and his father were in cahoots over this. Although they had fallen out, they still had a close friendship. So Song Xian had unilaterally decided to award Huang Ancheng to her son.
"That's fine. Lu Ya'er is good friends with Ah Shui, so she won't be short of good neighbors when she lives here." Sui Yu paused, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll ask Uncle Lao Niu about how much money he has. I'll see if I can pick out a good plot of land for Ah Shui while no one is buying land in the north of the city."
"Okay, go ask. If he wants to buy, he can come with me. It's easier to negotiate the price based on the amount of land he wants." Song Xian agreed. "If Ah Shui doesn't get married in the future, it would be nice for her to be our Lu Yaer's neighbor."
When Sui Yu went over, A Shui was washing Uncle Niu's hair. Old people have a strong body odor, and she didn't want her father to be disliked by others, so she boiled hot water for the old man to wash his hair every two days. She also watched him take a bath and change clothes every day, worried that he didn't wash himself clean, so she hired Da Zhuang to give the old man a bath every five days.
Old Blind was extremely envious of this. He envied Uncle Niu for having a good daughter who kept the old man and the old cat clean every day.
"A Shui is so filial." Sui Yu praised, "Uncle Lao Niu, you are enjoying your life."
"Enjoy your life." Uncle Niu loved to hear people say this, but he also said disdainfully, "It's so tiring. Washing my hair every day, I'm almost bald."
"How can I wash it every day?" Ah Shui was unhappy. She scooped a ladle of hot water to rinse the foam off her hair and said, "Wipe it yourself. I'll go move a chair for my sister-in-law."
"I won't sit down, no need to move. I'll just say a few words and then I'll be leaving." Sui Yu waved her hand, "Uncle Lao Niu, Lv Ya'er's mother wants to buy some land and build a house near the guesthouse, so Lv Ya'er will live here from now on. I'm thinking that Ah Shui is getting older, and the house you guys in the military settlement have been returned to the government, so she doesn't have a proper home. How much money do you have saved? How about buying a piece of land first, and then Ah Shui can build her own house when she makes money. Even if she plans to get married and doesn't live here anymore, we can sell the land later."
Uncle Lao Niu sat up and said, "Ah Shui, go thank your sister-in-law. She's thinking about you. I hadn't thought of this before."
"No need to thank me. I watched her grow up. She is like half a child to me. It's not worth thanking you for such a small thing. I didn't give her any of my wealth." Sui Yu joked.
"Since she is half a child, you should take better care of her." Uncle Niu took advantage of the situation and was quite thick-skinned. He took off the linen towel he used to wipe his hair. His gray hair was as messy and lifeless as the withered yellow weeds in late autumn, which also suppressed his spirit and made him look old.
"I can't say when I might die. Fortunately, Ah Shui is fourteen years old now. She's not a weak person. I'm not worried that she'll be bullied after I die..."
"Dad, what are you talking about?" Ah Shui scolded him, "Why are you saying all this for no reason? Shut up."
Uncle Niu was not afraid of her. He proudly said to Sui Yu, "Look at her. She's very powerful and has a sharp tongue."
"That's a good temper." Sui Yu complimented.
"It's neither good nor bad. She's too stubborn, too harsh, and never asks for help. She's too strong-willed, which makes her suffer. She doesn't open up easily, which makes people disappointed, and ultimately, she's the one who ends up hurting." Uncle Niu understood Ah Shui's personality thoroughly, but unfortunately, he couldn't teach her, nor did he dare to change her. He would rather she be more resilient and endure more hard work than suffer from being bullied and deceived.
"She's only fourteen. I may not be able to marry her off, nor can I help her choose a husband." Uncle Niu sighed. "Everyone has their own destiny and luck. I've let go of all that. I won't ask you to help her choose a husband, lest she blame you if she's unhappy. Sui Yu, when Ah Shui is two years older, or when you take the caravan out of Dunhuang for business again, can you take her with you? I've seen Xiao Chunhong and Xiao Xi and the others wandering around for a few years. They've all changed, like they've lost all their skin and flesh. They're completely different from when they first came to the guesthouse. It seems that traveling for business can really hone a person. Let Ah Shui go with the caravan too, let her go out and gain some experience, suffer some hardships, and strengthen her bones, so that she doesn't get used to serving me, and then when she gets married, she'll just focus on serving heartless and stinky men."
"Dad—" Ah Shui yelled again, "What are you talking about?"
"Don't yell at me." Uncle Niu motioned her to be quiet.
"Okay." Sui Yu agreed readily. She had originally planned to have Ah Shui work with the caravan. "In two or three years, I might lead the team out of the customs. If Ah Shui can leave then, she'll come with me."
Uncle Niu understood what she meant. After Sui Yu left, he grabbed Ah Shui and told her, "Don't worry about me. As long as you live well, I can rest in peace when I die. When your sister-in-law leads the team out of the border, whether I am dying or still alive, you will go with her. Don't worry about whether you can see me for the last time, and don't worry about my funeral. There are so many people at home, they definitely can't let me stay in the house and stink. Someone will take care of the funeral. Just come back and kowtow to me."
Ah Shui was already in tears. She sobbed, "Why are you saying all this? You still have ten years to live. I won't listen. I won't leave either. I want to stay with you."
"What a fool!" Uncle Niu slapped her. He went into the house and brought out half a piece of silk. He said, "Take this to the city and exchange it for money. Ask Lu Ya'er's mother when she's going to buy land, and then go with her."
A Shui didn't move.
Uncle Niu glanced at her twice and went out with the silk in his arms.
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