Chapter 285: Eccentric and stingy
It was the golden autumn of October, the wheat harvest season. The golden wheat fields were filled with the joy of a good harvest. Da Zhuang ran around the ridges with a long pole, shouting constantly to drive away the sharp-billed sparrows that flew into the wheat fields to steal food.
After the wheat was ripe, in order to drive away the birds, Zhao Xiping drove the children who were running around the guesthouse to the wheat field. Running is running anywhere, and running around the wheat field can also drive away birds.
The sound of camel bells was brought by the wind, and the boy slowed down his pace. He pricked up his ears and turned his head to look to the west. Through the long city wall, he saw yellow sand outside the city. It must be a caravan returning.
The sound of camel bells became clearer and clearer, and the cub was overjoyed. He dropped the bird-chasing stick in his hand and ran to the end of the field with his short legs.
Da Zhuang also heard the camel bells. Seeing the cub running away, he hurriedly chased after it.
"Is my wife back?" Hua Niu asked loudly in the wheat field in the distance.
"Winter will come after the autumn harvest. It won't be long. Most of the caravans from outside the Great Wall have already returned. The master should also be back this month." Ding Quan straightened up and looked west. He listened carefully and said, "It's a large caravan. It's probably our caravan."
"Then I'll go and take a look too." Hua Niu dropped the long pole and chased after him.
The kid had short legs and was not very old, so running for a cup of tea was already his limit. He was panting heavily, his legs were too heavy to move, but his figure was still happy.
Dazhuang caught up with him and pulled him away.
"My mother bought me a pony, Dazhuang. When the pony grows up, you can ride it too." The boy said generously.
"Then I'll brush the pony's fur." Dazhuang took the job conscientiously.
"Wait for me." Hua Niu caught up. "It only took a few words to catch up with me. You two run pretty fast."
After the kid took a break, he pulled Dazhuang and started running again. This time, with the help of Dazhuang's strength, he ran much more easily.
The three children ran into the city and saw people blocking the city gate from afar.
"Make way, don't block the road. Don't touch the horse, it has a bad temper and will really kick people." Qin Wenshan and his cousins protected the horse. After they squeezed out a path, he led the horse and ran away first.
"Wow! What a white horse!" the cub exclaimed. "Its fur is all white. It's so beautiful."
"Will your mother buy you a white horse too?" Hua Niu's eyes lit up, and she stared at the majestic tall horse and said, unable to move.
When Sui Yu was mentioned, the boy immediately came back to his senses. He stood on tiptoe to take a look at the dispersed crowd, then quickened his pace to meet him.
"Hey—" Qin Wenshan turned around, pulling his horse back and asking, "That kid? The one with the pigtails, are you Shopkeeper Yu's son?"
The kid turned his head to look at him and said happily, "Yes, I am Shopkeeper Yu's child. Is my mother behind me?"
"No, she won't be back until next year. She asked me to give you a message. Is your father at the guesthouse? Come back with me. Your mother asked me to bring you something."
The smile on the boy's face disappeared. He looked as if he had heard some terrible news. He looked blankly at the person who was speaking and then at the caravan at the city gate.
The horse struggled to move, and Qin Wenshan couldn't hold it back, so he had to follow it. As he walked, he turned back and told Dazhuang and Huaniu, "You two are also from Shopkeeper Yu's family, right? Keep an eye on the child. I'm going to the guesthouse first."
Hua Niu came to her senses. She walked over to the boy, put her arm around his shoulders, and said soothingly, "Your mother brought too much goods out of the customs. She must not be able to sell them all this year. That's why she has to spend the winter outside the customs."
"He must be lying to me. I don't believe him." The boy stubbornly continued walking towards the city gate, saying, "My mother wouldn't lie to me. She told me she would come back when the wheat is ripe."
"You've been tripped up by something." Hua Niu hurried to catch up, explaining to her master, "Your mother wasn't lying to you. She couldn't come back, so she sent someone to send a message back."
The cub didn't listen and he ran away.
At the city gate, the members of the Qin caravan paid the entrance fee and came in. Following behind them was a group of Hu merchants, and the city guards were checking the goods of the Hu merchants.
The boy stood on tiptoe to look into the doorway. He could not see anything except camels, as there were only people there. He could only stand at the foot of the wall out of the way and wait.
"Isn't this the young shopkeeper from Shopkeeper Yu's family? He's grown up so much!" The escort walking behind the caravan caught sight of the child looking around. He thought for a moment, then walked over and asked, "Why are you here? Are you waiting for your mother?"
The cub nodded, "Is my mother behind here?"
"No, she is still in Dayuan, or maybe in Shule. She won't be able to come back this year." As he spoke, he saw the child's eyes turned red, and in the blink of an eye, tears welled up in those big eyes.
"Why are you crying? Do you miss your mother? She will be back next year." The escort said embarrassedly, "Don't cry, come with me. I remember your mother asked someone to bring you a box of goodies."
Hua Niu pulled the boy, and he shook off his arm, wiped away his tears, and stood silently against the wall.
The city guard who was counting heads noticed the movement here. Huang Ancheng strode over. He glanced at the boy, then frowned and looked at the escort.
"I didn't bully him." The escort immediately explained, "Do you know this kid? Indeed, his father is a captain, so you should know him. Then keep an eye on him and don't let him escape from the city. I'm leaving now."
"What happened?" Huang Ancheng asked.
"The kid's mother sent a message back saying she couldn't come back this year but would come back next year." Hua Niu answered for him, "Then he started crying because he missed his mother."
It would have been better if he hadn't said it. After he said that, the kid cried even harder. He squatted down, buried his head in his knees and sobbed.
Huang Ancheng glanced at the caravan that had already turned north of the city. He didn't bother to ask about his wife and daughter's whereabouts. He leaned over and picked up the crying child, saying helplessly, "Why are you crying? Your mother is not coming back. She is making a fortune outside the Great Wall. You and your father should stay home."
After saying that, he sent Dazhuang to the training ground to find Zhao Xiping.
The kid was not familiar with Huang Ancheng. After he got over his sadness, he struggled to get down.
"You stay here, your father will come over later." Huang Ancheng instructed, "I still have things to do, call me if you need anything."
The cub nodded and said in a crying voice, "Thank you."
Huang Ancheng chuckled, patted the child on the head, and continued to work.
"Is that Captain Zhao's son?" asked the city guard who had taken over Huang Ancheng's head count. "Why is this kid here? Why is he crying?"
"His mother asked someone to tell him that he would not be back this year but next year," Huang Ancheng explained.
"Will your sister-in-law and niece also be returning next year? Or will they not be traveling with Shopkeeper Yu?" the city guard asked. "Did your sister-in-law send you a message?"
Huang Ancheng didn’t know. If he hadn’t seen the kid crying and asked, he would have had no idea about it.
"She'll be back next year, too." He ignored his colleague's last question and said with certainty, "She must be traveling with Shopkeeper Yu. They go in and out together and are inseparable."
Another caravan entered the city. The sound of hooves and camel bells drowned out the voices. Huang Ancheng walked over and counted the number of people and livestock, changing the subject of the previous conversation.
The three caravans entered the city one after another, and the city gate became empty. There was no one else except the farmers who were going out of the city to the market.
The cub looked away in disappointment, and only then noticed a figure behind him.
"Dad, my mother said she won't be back this year." He cried.
Zhao Xiping had already learned from Dazhuang. He reached out and wiped the tears from the child's face and said, "If he doesn't come back this year, he will definitely come back next year."
"She promised me she would come back when the wheat turned yellow."
"The wheat will also turn yellow next year." Zhao Xiping leaned over and picked up his son. He nodded and thanked Huang Ancheng, then left with the child in his arms.
"I can hardly hold you anymore. You're as heavy as a millstone." He interrupted and talked about something else.
The kid rested his head on his shoulder and said nothing.
"You are five years old and still crying. Don't laugh at Aning crying in the future. You are also a crybaby." Zhao Xiping continued.
"Five is still young." The kid sniffed, "I'm still young, I miss my mother."
"Your mother misses you too. If she could come back, she would definitely come back." Zhao Xiping sighed softly and said, "In order to stay home with us for the next two or three years, she brought too much goods with her this time. It will definitely be difficult to sell. If she doesn't sell all of it, she will lose money. So she can only stay outside the customs for another winter. I promise you, she will be back next year when the wheat is ripe."
"What if he doesn't come back?" asked the kid.
"I'll take you out of the quarantine to find her." If no one comes back by the wheat harvest next year, Zhao Xiping will be unable to sit still, not to mention worrying.
Sui Liang carried the child all the way back. Just as he had settled the caravan, he also received the news brought back by the caravan. He was completely listless.
Zhao Xiping put the cub on the ground and asked, "Which caravan brought the news to your sister?"
"The Qin caravan is the one that my sister helped write the biography for." Sui Liang said.
"I'll go over and ask what's going on. Don't follow me and cause trouble." Zhao Xiping instructed.
"He's in the livestock pen," Sui Liang reminded. "He bought two tall horses, one white and one chestnut."
Zhao Xiping went over and saw Qin Wenshan feeding the horses. The two horses lived luxuriously in their own pen, with soybean meal, wheat grains and grass in the stone trough.
Qin Wenshan turned around when he heard footsteps and saw Zhao Xiping staring at the horse. He boasted, "Isn't my horse pretty good?"
"Yes, it's the best horse I have ever seen," said Zhao Xiping.
"When your wife saw my horses, she also wanted to buy one. However, the city where the horses are raised is a bit remote, and the horse dealers are not easy to deal with. She probably knew that would delay her return, so she asked me to tell you that she would come back next year." Qin Wenshan knew the purpose of his visit and said patiently, "We met in Dayuan in July. She had just arrived in Dayuan, and I was about to leave. We met and exchanged a few words before parting ways. I don't know what happened after that."
Zhao Xiping thanked him and asked, "Are you spending the winter in Dunhuang this year?"
"Yes, it's getting cold, and snow is already falling on the mountains. We can't keep going." Qin Wenshan dusted his hands off and walked out of the livestock pen. "Can you build a shed for my two stables? I'm worried they can't adapt to the Dunhuang winter."
Zhao Xiping nodded and said, "I'll ask the carpenter to come over later."
The matter was settled, and Zhao Xiping left the livestock pen. When he returned to his master's yard, he saw the cub staring at the wood chip with puffed cheeks.
"Do you understand?" Zhao Xiping sat down on a chair and asked, "What did your mother say?"
"She apologized to me and said she broke the appointment." The kid snorted.
"Then are you willing to forgive her?" Zhao Xiping found it amusing. He took the wood chip and took a quick glance at it. He said, "I think your mother's attitude is quite sincere."
The cub sighed, "Forgive me, she's my mother, I won't blame her."
Zhao Xiping picked up the wooden box and placed it on his lap. In addition to a large stack of wood chips with words on them, the box contained a handful of smooth lamb knee bones, a bag of sour-smelling cheese, five oddly shaped flat stones, two small hats worn by foreign children, and three pairs of cowhide boots of different sizes.
"Your uncle and I only have one pair of leather boots, and the rest of the things are all for you." Zhao Xiping said with a sigh, "Your mother is really partial. She is always thinking about you."
"She is my mother." The kid was proud again.
Zhao Xiping didn't bother to pay attention to him. He picked up the leather boots and put them on his feet. They were a little big, so he just needed to wear two more pairs of socks. It was a small problem.
The kid happily put on the leather boots, which were the perfect size. He put on the shoes and took a few steps. His joy didn't last long before he said worriedly, "What will I do next year when my feet grow bigger?"
"Give it to me." Aning ran in, "Brother, I'll give you half of my mother, and you give me your shoes next year."
"I don't want it." The kid refused.
"Hey, hey, did I offend you? You despise me so much?" Zhao Xiaomi walked in angrily.
The kid chuckled twice and didn't respond to her.
Aning walked over to the wooden box, picked up two jade-colored lamb knee bones, and asked, "What are these? Is this the string to wear around your neck?"
"I don't know." The boy calmly took the things in his hands and put them in the box. He took his brother's hand and said, "I'll take you to see the horses. Today a merchant brought a white horse. It's very impressive."
Aning didn't know what he meant, but Zhao Xiaomi could see it clearly. She curled her lips and poked her nephew with her finger, calling him a stingy guy.
After the two children walked away hand in hand, Zhao Xiaomi asked, "Didn't the little one cry?"
"I cried for a while." said Zhao Xiping.
"That's good. I thought he would cry for a few days." Zhao Xiaomi picked up a piece of wood and took a look at it. The dense words on it made her dizzy, so she put it down again.
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