Chapter 258 The Impetuous Adult
"Captain Zhao?"
There was someone outside the door. Zhao Xiping stopped restraining Sui Liang. He pulled Sui Liang up and asked through the door, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Second Brother Yan," replied Second Brother Yan. "I'm so sorry to bother you so late."
Zhao Xiping looked at his clothes. He had no intention of leaving. He walked to the door and asked, "What's the matter? Just tell me. I won't open the door. I'm going to sleep."
"It's like this. We plan to leave Dunhuang tomorrow, but we haven't prepared any dry food and fodder yet, and we haven't had time to rent camels. I'd like to ask if you could please tell the cook to rush to prepare a month's worth of dry food for us for forty-eight people tonight. Also, for your convenience, please ask Zhao Dangjia and Song Xiaodangjia to deliver seven hundred kilograms of food and fodder and fifty camels to me early tomorrow morning." Yan Erdangjia said through the door.
Zhao Xiping thought about it and agreed without making things difficult for him.
"By the way, was Manager Yu still in Chang'an when you came back?" he asked.
Second Master Yan understood what he meant and said, "From what I've heard from Shopkeeper Yu, he should be leaving for the return trip in July. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll probably be back in Dunhuang in mid-September."
Zhao Xiping breathed a sigh of relief. It would be great if he could get back before October, and he wouldn't have to travel in the wind and snow again.
"By the way, I don't know if you've heard that the Grand Marshal has passed away." Second Master Yan lowered his voice and said, "I don't understand officialdom, but I heard some news on the road. Although the Grand Marshal never went to the battlefield, he was the one who made the decisions on whether to fight and how to fight. Now that he's passed away, it's hard to say what the situation will be like outside the Great Wall. Well... if you want to go to the battlefield, you'd better be well prepared."
Zhao Xiping thanked him sternly and said, "Thank you for the reminder, but we must trust the imperial court. The peace outside the Great Wall has only been achieved for a few years. It took the blood and sweat of several generations. The imperial court will not give up easily. Just listen to the false news and don't scare yourself."
After hearing what he said, Yan Erdangjia felt that it made sense. After thinking about it carefully, businessmen like them were reluctant to give up the interests outside the Great Wall, so how could the court give them up?
"Thank you, Captain Zhao, for reminding me." Second Chief Yan felt relieved, his anxiety calming down after a whole day. "I won't disturb you and will go back to the guesthouse."
Zhao Xiping said "hmm". When he heard the footsteps fade away, he turned back to look at Sui Liang and said, "Go to the kitchen and tell Yin Po and the others to hurry up and prepare more dry food. If there's not enough time to make pancakes, prepare some fried noodles and rice."
Sui Liang didn't move, pretending not to hear.
Zhao Xiping walked towards him. Sui Liang subconsciously wanted to run away, but when he tried to move his legs, he felt embarrassed and stopped abruptly. He stiffened his neck and raised his head to ask, "Do you know you are wrong?"
Zhao Xiping wanted to laugh, but he didn't say anything. He just grabbed his brother-in-law by the scruff of the neck and pushed him out.
"If you don't admit your mistake, I won't say anything even if I leave." Sui Liang didn't struggle. He said arrogantly, "Are you jealous of me?"
"I'm jealous of you?"
"Yes, you and your son are jealous of me, jealous of my elegant demeanor and handsome appearance." Sui Liang was excited. He hugged the door bolt with one hand and turned around and said, "It's okay if you don't admit your mistake, but you have to admit that I am elegant and handsome."
"Okay, okay, you're so graceful and heroic." Zhao Xiping couldn't hold it in any longer. He smiled and said, "Can we get out now?"
Sui Liang snorted, shook his arms proudly and walked out.
Listening to the footsteps fading away, and then, Sui Liang's voice echoed in the kitchen yard, Zhao Xiping shook his head. Sui Liang's personality now was very different from when he was a child. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were two different people.
"Dad." The kid moved closer. He jumped up and down, grabbed Zhao Xiping's hand, and asked shyly in a low voice: "Am I graceful... graceful... graceful?"
Zhao Xiping laughed heartily. He pulled his son's arm up, then hugged him with one arm and said, "He is graceful and heroic."
The kid grumbled in embarrassment, but still insisted, "So, what do you think of me?"
"You are just like your uncle." He is conceited and loves to show off. He loves his own appearance.
The boy misunderstood. He thought his father said he was just like his uncle, handsome, heroic, and extraordinary. He happily hugged his father and kissed him, saying, "Dad, I believe you."
Zhao Xiping wiped the saliva off his face. He reached out and flicked the kid's bulging belly. A child's belly is like a big belly. It is bulging whether it is hungry or not, and it makes a sound when it is flicked.
The kid generously lifted up the hem of his clothes and let his father play with it as much as he could.
"Son..." Zhao Xiping touched the baby's belly and listened to his childish response. He touched his head again and kissed the child's forehead in the dark night where no one could see. The little kid who used to need to be held for poop and pee has grown up so big.
"Thank you, little one." Zhao Xiping was filled with emotion.
The cub was puzzled. He called out and asked suspiciously, "Thank you for what?"
"Thank you for being my and your mother's child." Zhao Xiping pulled down his shirt and said, "Sleep with me tonight, not your uncle."
The kid had no objection, and Sui Liang had even less. He was angry that his nephew and the Zhao guy bullied him, and he wanted to abandon this ungrateful little guy.
The kid slept with his father lovingly all night, and when the sun rose, his father became quiet again.
Zhao Xiping gave a few instructions and then rode his camel into the city to take up his post. The boy watched his figure getting farther and farther away. He turned his head to look at the merchants who were busy packing their bags, and sat alone under a tree in a daze.
The big black dog licked its mouth and came over and lay down. Dazhuang also came over with a basin of sauerkraut. He sat next to the cub and busied himself washing the sauerkraut without saying a word.
Erhei passed by with a basket and a camel. He said, "Da Zhuang, keep an eye on the young master. You two can play here at the guesthouse. Don't run too far. You can't follow the caravan."
The boy came back to his senses and said, "My father asked you to pick some broad beans for me. I want to shell and dry them while I wait for my mother to come back and make bean cakes."
"Okay, I'll bring back two baskets at noon." Erhei led the camel away.
Not long after Erhei left, Zhao Xiaomi brought Aning and drove twenty camels to deliver food and fodder. When Aning saw his cousin, he ran over happily and took out a box of young silkworms as if presenting a treasure.
"Aren't the silkworms making cocoons?" the cub wondered.
"It's covered again." Aning whispered, "Brother, I'm picking mulberry leaves."
The cub got up and followed him. Whenever he moved, the big black dog and Dazhuang followed.
Uncle Niu was sitting by the river brushing his shoes. When he heard the noise, he looked back and shouted at the top of his voice, "Don't go near the river! Anyone who goes near the river will be beaten."
Aning was afraid of the toothless and missing-hand old man, so whenever he came to the guesthouse, he was always on guard. If he wasn't alone, he would rather stand in the wilderness in the sun than go near. Suddenly seeing the old man's face, he turned pale with fear, stuffed the silkworm box into the cub, and turned and ran away.
The cub's attention was focused on the mulberries. He had several boxes in his hands. He turned his head to look at his cousin who was running like a rabbit and shouted, "Brother, do you want to eat some mulberries? I can climb trees."
"Tsk, what a coward," Old Uncle Niu sneered. He said to himself, "Don't eat mulberries. Even if he eats tiger gall, it won't help."
Xiaomi looked at the child who had shrunk back to her legs. Seeing his panicked expression, she didn't know why. She sighed in disappointment, "Why don't you just follow me?"
Aning twisted his fingers helplessly. He looked at the road ahead and said, "Mom, I want to go back."
Zhao Xiaomi ignored him. She went to deliver food and supplies to the merchants. When she heard them complain that they often couldn't find her, she had to smile and promise to stay at the guesthouse except in the morning and evening.
The kid has already climbed up the mulberry tree. The tree is only two years old, and the branches are not thick, so it can only withstand the climbing of a two or three-year-old child. He sits astride the branches, plucking the tenderest leaves on the branches to feed the silkworms. When he picks the half-red and half-purple mulberries, he eats one and keeps another in his pocket.
Ah Shui came over with a basin of dirty clothes. She stood under the tree and asked, "How many mulberries have you picked?"
The kid raised his hand and slapped it, then retracted two fingers.
The four mulberry trees by the river have been burdened with a heavy responsibility since they sprouted. They have to support hundreds of silkworms. The leaves are picked and then grow, and then picked again, leaving no room for fruit. Furthermore, the mulberry trees are frequented by people and camels, so whether a few red berries remain depends entirely on luck and good will. If it weren't for the child who longed to eat the mulberries, they would have picked all the mulberries before they even turned purple.
After the grain and grass were delivered, Song Congzu brought fifty camels with his servants. Zhao Xiaomi made room for him and drove the camels to the river to drink water, and by the way, she forced Aning to come over.
As soon as Aning saw Uncle Niu, he was so scared that he couldn't walk, but he kept staring at him. Every time the old man moved his mouth, he was scared and burst into tears.
"Dad, don't scare him." Although Ah Shui was unhappy, she still spoke up to stop him. She frowned and looked at the old man, scolding him, "You know he's afraid of you, so why are you still talking to him?"
"Can't I vent my anger?" Uncle Niu was not convinced.
"Stop talking nonsense." Ah Shui pushed him away. "The kid's cousin is only two years old. What does he know? Don't be angry with him."
"Uncle Lao Niu, I'm sorry, this one of mine is a reincarnated coward." Zhao Xiaomi said apologetically, "I hope he's a little older."
"The kid wasn't afraid of anything when he was one or two years old. You should teach him well." Uncle Niu sneered.
Ah Shui hit him, and Uncle Niu yelled at her why she hit him.
Zhao Xiaomi lowered her head dejectedly. She squatted down and asked, "I'm holding your hand, what are you afraid of?"
The cub slid down from the tree. He walked to Aning and hugged him, "Don't cry, don't cry. Brother will give you mulberries."
Da Zhuang also came over. He couldn't say anything to comfort her, so he just squatted on the ground and watched.
Aning gradually stopped crying. He took the mulberry fruit and took small bites. Tears were still on his face, but there was a smile in his eyes again.
"Here, your little silkworms." The kid returned the silkworm box filled with mulberry leaves to him and said, "Come back tomorrow..."
"No, no, no." When Aning heard that they would come again, he didn't want the silkworm box anymore. He threw himself into Zhao Xiaomi's arms and said in a crying voice that he wanted to go home.
Zhao Xiaomi was annoyed. She raised her hand to hit the child, but the next moment the kid held her hand and glared at her.
"Hey! Why are you glaring at me?" Zhao Xiaomi was both angry and amused, "You dare to glare at your aunt."
The kid glared at her again and said angrily, "You're bad."
"What's wrong with me?" Zhao Xiaomi's annoyance dissipated, and she asked with interest, "Shouldn't your brother be beaten? He's so troublesome, afraid of this and that. No one hit him or bit him, so why are you crying?"
The kid didn't understand, so he puffed out his chest and said seriously, "My mother never hit me, so you can't hit Aning either."
"That's because you're obedient."
"Aning is also obedient." The boy wiped Aning's tears and said, "Kiss him, and he won't cry. Look, I hug him and he won't cry."
The nonchalance on Zhao Xiaomi's face disappeared. She sighed softly, embraced her timid son, and looked at her nephew with an approving look on his face. She found it funny, but also felt sorry in her heart. Why couldn't her own child be frank?
She asked, "Am I still bad?"
The kid held his head high and said nothing, but Aning shook his head seriously.
"My son is still the best." Zhao Xiaomi smiled somewhat sadly. Never mind. She couldn't compare to her third sister-in-law, and Huang Lianzheng couldn't compare to her third brother. How could she force Aning to be better than the kid?
"When will your mother come back?" Zhao Xiaomi asked.
"Mid-September." The boy still remembered what he had said last night. He squatted down and pressed against Zhao Xiaomi, cupping his hands around her face and said happily, "Auntie, my mother bought me some nice clothes, but they're thin and cool. When I put them on, it was windy, windy..." He couldn't remember what the words were, so he could only look up at the sky and think, "Windy... Ying..."
"It's cloudy?" Zhao Xiaomi continued. "How can you wear it when it's windy and cloudy? Is the weather going to change?"
"No, it just looks good." The kid glanced at her and said angrily, "My dad understands. I'll put it on and show you."
"Okay, okay, let me see what amazing clothes your mother bought you." Zhao Xiaomi took Aning's hand and followed.
Sui Yu, who was being missed, had just crossed the river. She was buying dried fish by the river, intending to take them back for her children to open their eyes and see the big carp in the Yellow River.
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