Chapter 230 Punishment of Erhei
Zhao Xiping walked out of the courtyard with light steps and saw Zhang Shun and others washing camels by the river. He blew a whistle and called a camel that was grazing on mulberry leaves with its neck tilted back. He rode on it and left the guesthouse, rushing towards the city without even having time to eat breakfast.
The camels had been working hard going back and forth outside the Great Wall for half a year. Their fur was dirty and tangled, and their hooves were worn outward, making them look dirty and miserable. Zhang Shun and other servants woke up in the morning and had nothing to do, so they led the camels and drove them into the river. People stood on the shore and bathed and combed their fur with brooms and wooden combs.
Sui Liang and his nephew took the foal for a long walk in the wilderness. The uncle and nephew diligently pulled grass to feed the horse, and they were busy and sweaty early in the morning.
Kurban and Anle stood side by side in the wilderness, leisurely watching the two black dogs fighting and biting each other in the grass, and occasionally glancing at the clucking chickens and the camels grazing everywhere. This lively morning made people feel very good.
The merchants all got up and went into the inn in groups of three or five to eat, or came out arm in arm, chatting and laughing, and stood in the open space to discuss something. They each moved out some goods, led their camels and left the inn.
"It's time for dinner!" Ah Shui came out of the kitchen and called out to the servants by the river. Then she turned north, around the guesthouse, and shouted to the uncle and nephew who were trying to please Xiao Ma, "It's time for dinner! The food is getting cold. Come back and eat!"
"Uncle, let's go back and have dinner." The kid wiped his sweat.
Sui Liang responded and walked back leading the brown pony.
The kid hurriedly followed, but suddenly felt tired. He was too lazy to walk anymore, so he asked if he could ride a horse.
"No." Sui Liang refused. "Hongri is still young and can't carry you."
"I'm not heavy." The kid stopped and said, "I can't walk anymore."
"I'll go back and ask your mother to carry you." Sui Liang said without even turning his head.
The boy squatted down, pulled out a handful of grass, and threw it away one by one. Seeing that his uncle really didn't intend to wait for him, hesitating for a while, and then he had to stand up and catch up.
Sui Yu also got up. She went to the kitchen and saw that Sui Liang and Zhao Xiaozai had not returned yet. She took a tofu bun with oil residue and went out to eat it, then went around to the livestock pen to wait for the two children.
When the cub saw her, he immediately started running.
"Mom, are you awake?" he asked happily.
"Well, when did you wake up?" Sui Yu broke off a bun and fed it to him, using her free hand to wipe the sweat off his face.
"I woke up very early, with my uncle." The kid said vaguely, chewing the bun in big mouthfuls, holding Sui Yu's hand and twisting like a snake.
Ma Guan entered the pen. Sui Liang came over, nodded at the cub, and said, "Aren't you tired now?"
The kid didn't respond, he smiled and stretched out his hand to hold hands.
"Let's go back and have dinner." Sui Yu led the child away and instructed, "Brother Liang, that pony has been kept wild in its hometown. Let it out during the day and let it run around. Put it in the pen after dark."
"Won't it get lost?" Sui Liang worried.
"You pay more attention. Now that I'm back, I'll take care of the affairs of the guesthouse. You can go and do what you like." Sui Yu said.
Sui Liang smiled and nodded heavily in agreement.
After breakfast, Sui Liang took advantage of the kid's inattention and ran away. He took the horse to the city to buy pig liver and pig blood.
Sui Yu called Kurban and Anle to go back to the master's yard next door and move the four waist drums out. She asked the two to find a shady place to play waist drums with Xiaozai, Dazhuang and Ashui.
While the weather was not too hot, Sui Yu took out his bag and poured out the dirty clothes, headscarves, and face towels he had worn on the road and soaked them in the wooden basin. He also took off the sheets and thin mattress from the bed and soaked them in the wood ash water.
When Zhao Xiping returned, drums were beating outside the guesthouse, frightened by the sound, and the chickens and camels had all run away. He passed by to take a look. The youngsters were beating the drums purely by heart, just to listen to the sound. Ah Shui and Hua Niu were learning diligently, but their faces were filled with deep resentment. The two teachers standing nearby also frowned.
"Why don't you let Dazhuang play the drum?" asked Zhao Xiping.
"Da Zhuang has already learned it." A Shui said sullenly.
"He's a fool, but he's smart about this," Uncle Niu continued. He pointed at the children and said, "Aqiang's been busy in the kitchen. I wonder how she's doing. Of all the kids, Dazhuang learns the fastest. Kurban taught him twice, and he remembered it."
Dazhuang gave a silly smile.
After confirming that it was not the children who were ostracizing Dazhuang, Zhao Xiping felt relieved and asked where Sui Yu was. He had left his camel and gone to look for his wife.
"Why are you washing clothes? Even if you didn't let Mrs. Zhang and the others wash them, you should have waited for me to come back and wash them." Zhao Xiping rolled up his sleeves and said, "Move over and I'll do it."
Sui Yu walked away, and she dragged a chair over and sat aside, saying, "I have nothing to do, so I'll find something to do myself."
"If you have nothing to do, just take a rest, eat more and sleep more, and gain back the lost weight." Zhao Xiping said.
Sui Yu didn't say anything. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and swayed for a while before asking, "You came back early today. Didn't you go on patrol?"
"No, Captain Gu helped me." Zhao Xiping wrung out some clothes and threw them into the laundry basket, saying, "I wanted to come back and spend more time with you, so I asked him for help. When the weather gets cold, I'll treat him to a mutton hotpot."
Sui Yu smiled, feeling happy.
The drumbeats outside stopped, and Zhao Xiaozai came running back. He stood at the door and shouted, "Mom, I want to drink some water."
Sui Yu got up and walked out, taking him to the kitchen to drink water. When she came back, she brought two bowls of warm water to the man.
Zhao Xiping had strong hands and could wash clothes and mattresses quickly and cleanly. He poured out the dirty water, picked up the mallet and carried the basket to the river to wash them.
Sui Yu followed, she stood under the mulberry tree, searching for mulberries among the mulberry leaves.
"No result." The weather was getting hot, and Sui Liang came back with the horse.
The pony walked to the river to drink water, and then stood on the riverbank to watch people washing clothes.
"Brother Liang, I didn't touch the sheets and mattress on your bed. If they are dirty, you can wash them yourself." Sui Yu instructed.
"Okay, by the way, sis, what else are you going to do this afternoon?"
"I'm going to the pharmacy to see what the herbs I brought back are worth." Sui Yu twisted a mulberry leaf and threw it into the river. She paddled the water to send the mulberry leaf away, looking at its reflection on the river. She said, "There's nothing to do in the days ahead. I'll stay here at the guesthouse and make you some clothes out of cashmere cloth for when the weather gets cold."
Speaking of clothes, Sui Liang thought of Xiaozai's ruined trousers. He learned that they couldn't be washed in hot water, or rubbed too hard, and even after washing, they couldn't be hung in the sun to dry. He exclaimed in amazement, "What a precious thing."
When the aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen, Zhao Xiping went back with the laundry basket to hang out the clothes and mattresses.
Sui Liang scooped up a basin of river water, took out the white cashmere pants and soaked them in the basin, saying, "Sister, I don't want white pants anymore. They get dirty too easily."
"I think you look good in white clothes." Sui Yu said.
Sui Liang felt the same way, but he was too impatient to wash them, and was afraid that if he gave his pants to the helper, they would be ruined.
"Just make me black pants." Sui Liang felt that he didn't need to look so good.
"Okay then." Sui Yu walked out. She heard the sound of camel bells. She went out and saw that it was the merchants who had come to the city to sell goods.
"Madam, the chicken is stewed and the pork liver is fried. Come and have dinner." Cui Sao walked out of the kitchen and shouted.
"Okay, I'll be right there," Sui Yu responded. She went to call the children still playing drums. As she approached, she found Da Zhuang beating a waist drum. The beat was familiar; it was the kind of music she often heard while walking around Qiuci City. The drum music was a little sluggish and unfamiliar. Sui Yu didn't understand the music, but she could tell the difference. Da Zhuang was getting started.
When Dazhuang saw her coming, he felt a little reserved and embarrassed to continue clapping. He stopped clapping the waist drum and laughed awkwardly.
"It's a good shot, and it looks pretty good." Sui Yu praised, "From now on, learn from Kurban and Anle. Once you've mastered it, I'll let you perform in the teahouse and pay you."
Da Zhuang scratched his head, smiled foolishly and nodded.
"Sister-in-law, can Hua Niu, A Qiang and I make money by performing on stage?" A Shui asked.
Sui Yu glanced at Uncle Niu and said, "Okay, if you guys learn how to do it, you can go on stage. I'll pay you."
"Then let's come back to study in the afternoon." Hua Niu said excitedly.
"The chickens will lay eggs this afternoon, so don't scare them off," Sui Yu said. "It's still early in the winter, so take your time and learn. You can spend half a day studying and half a day playing. There's no rush. Okay, pack up and go eat. We've got a chicken stew for lunch."
Kurban and Anle carried the waist drums back to the master's courtyard. They handed the four big drums and one small drum to the male master. The two ran away quickly, scrambling to eat.
What makes them most satisfied when they come to Dahan is the delicious food.
…
The midday heat was unbearable. After dinner, everyone went back to their houses to sleep. Outside, only camels gathered by the river to drink water, and chickens huddled under trees or stood in the branches to avoid the shade.
It was not until the sun set and the buildings cast large shadows on the ground that people came out.
Sui Yu moved a box of medicinal herbs and called Xiaozai and Sui Liang to go into the city to buy malt sugar.
"My dad isn't going?" the kid looked back.
"No, he's going to the parade grounds soon." Sui Yu got on the camel and said, "Hold on, we're leaving."
The camel ran away, and the sound of its hooves and camel bells gradually disappeared. Zhao Xiping walked into the second guest house.
Xiao Chunhong was collecting clothes when she saw her master come in with a sullen face, and she was startled.
"Where is Erhei?" Zhao Xiping asked.
Xiao Chunhong's heart trembled. She pointed eastward and said, "In the livestock pen."
"Where are the others? Call them out." Zhao Xiping strode towards the east door. As soon as he went out, he saw Erhei helping Li Mutou clean the livestock pen.
All the servants who were sleeping and talking in the house came out, each of them nervous and embarrassed, fearing that Erhei's affairs would involve them.
"What's going on?" Li Mutou looked at the situation and asked in confusion, "Did you make a mistake?"
Erhei didn't say anything. He put down the wooden shovel and walked over silently. He was mentally prepared that he would be beaten when he returned, but when the time came, he was still trembling with fear.
"grown ups--"
Before he could finish his words, Zhao Xiping raised his leg and kicked Erhei, who fell heavily to the ground. His body felt numb at first, and then he felt pain.
He supported himself with his hands and climbed up, then walked over with his head down. He knew that a kick would not quell the host's anger.
Zhao Xiping kicked him again, and seeing that he fell to the ground and couldn't get up, he walked over and stepped on Erhei's heart.
"You are lucky to have met a kind-hearted mistress. When you betrayed her, she even told me not to beat you to death."
Erhei wiped his tears and said, "I have no conscience. I have failed my two masters."
"Stop talking nonsense." Zhao Xiping kicked him again and said, "Stand up. I don't want to get anyone killed. Now run around the guesthouse. Keep running. Don't stop. When I come back, you stop. If you are lucky enough and don't die, I will let you stay at home to farm. If you die, I will give you a thin coffin. There is another option. I will send you back to the Duwei Mansion."
Erhei crawled up covered in dust. He didn't say a word, endured the pain, and ran, making his choice with his actions.
Zhao Xiping stared at him, then turned his head to glance at the other servants. Seeing that they all lowered their heads, he said nothing, turned around and led the camel away.
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