Chapter 119: Conspiracy
Sui Xinlin took Tong Ge'er to find Tong Huaer, but neither of them knew where Tong Huaer lived. However, Sui Wen'an knew Sui Yu's residence. He told Sui Yu that his family lived in a military village and asked them to go to Shisantun to find Sui Yu.
It was at this time that Sui Wen'an learned about Sui Yu's plan to rescue Tong Huaer from the brothel camp. Thinking of Zhao Xiping's character, he sighed that the two of them were a perfect match.
Sui Xinlin entered the city and asked around until he finally found a military settlement. He was dressed in rags and smelled terrible, so passersby in the settlement avoided him.
Tong Huaer led A Shui out of Dinghu Lane and saw a child standing on the fork in the road. He looked familiar, but she felt that it couldn't be Tong Ge'er.
Sui Xinlin turned around when he heard footsteps and recognized the woman who used to sleep beside him. Seeing her glance at him with a strange look, he swallowed the words on his lips and stared at her quietly.
Tong Huaer stopped and turned her head to look at the man, then her gaze shifted to the child who had his back to her.
"Mom?" A Shui pulled her trouser leg.
Tong Ge'er heard the sound and looked over. When he saw Tong Huaer, he was surprised, and then tears welled up in his eyes. He ran over barefoot.
"Is it really Brother Tong?" Tong Huaer squatted down and hugged him, then looked at the silent man.
"Mom, Dad and I are here to find you." Tong Ge'er choked.
"It's my mother." Ah Shui pushed him away. She didn't want Tong Huaer to hold him. She squeezed into Tong Huaer's arms and cried, "Mom, hold me."
Tong Ge'er wiped away his tears and looked over, then he looked at Tong Hua'er.
"This is your sister." Tong Huaer said with difficulty.
Only then did Tong Ge'er understand what he had heard last night.
"This is your big brother." Tong Huaer pushed Ah Shui away from her embrace and said, "You and your big brother wait for a moment. I'll be right over."
People nearby peeked over. Tong Huaer led Sui Xinlin toward the alleyway behind the wall. She asked softly, "Why are you here? What happened?"
"Sui Wen'an served in the battlefield and made great military achievements. He used these to free us from slavery." Sui Xinlin handed over the bamboo slips in his hand. They were given to him by Aunt Chun last night. "This is your household registration. From now on, you are no longer a criminal slave."
Tong Hua lowered her head. Even though her extravagant wish had come true, she couldn't be happy. Her life had already been ruined. She lived like neither a human nor a ghost. She couldn't go back to the past, nor could she see the future. What was there to be happy about? She could only be thankful for her two children.
"It's a good thing," she said.
Sui Xinlin hummed and said, "We plan to leave Dunhuang after the New Year and live in the west. We won't be coming back. Do you want to leave with me and Tong Ge'er, or stay here?"
"Are you just leaving like that?" Tong Huaer tilted her head to glance at Dinghu Lane, then raised her eyes and asked, "You're just going to let go of the culprit who caused us to fall into this situation?"
"It was Sui Wen'an's military exploits that saved us from slavery. He could have left us alone." Sui Xinlin looked out the alley. Life or death didn't matter to him, but he still had a son to raise. With the prospect of life, he became timid. Compared to his son's future and stable life, Sui Wen'an's life was worthless, not worth risking his own.
"He promised to give us a ride and some money to stay, so I am satisfied. We will leave after the New Year. Are you willing to go with us?" Sui Xinlin asked again.
Tong Huaer was disappointed, and her husband's retreat made her feel even more angry and betrayed. Anger fueled her courage, and the plan in her mind quickly took shape.
"I'm going with you. I want to leave this filthy place and go somewhere where no one knows me." Tong Huaer looked up, laughed miserably, and said, "I was a camp prostitute, gave birth to a child by some beast, and even followed a toothless old man..."
Sui Xinlin wiped his face, wiping away his angry tears. He raised his arms to hold her and begged, "Don't say it, don't mention it from now on, just forget it. It's my fault for not protecting you, and it's the men of the Sui family who have let you down. Let's go somewhere where no one knows us, forget all this, and start a new life."
Tong Huaer finally cried her heart out. Why did she have to go through all this suffering?
When A Shui heard her crying, she anxiously called out to her mother and wanted to run over, but was held down by Tong Ge'er.
Uncle Niu happened to come out and when he heard the child crying he strode over.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Whose child are you? How dare you bully my daughter?" Uncle Niu shouted loudly.
Tong Ge'er was so scared that his face turned pale and he immediately let go of his hand.
A Shui immediately ran towards the alley and saw Tong Huaer coming out. She called out to her mother in grievance.
Uncle Niu walked over with his old eyes wide open. Amidst the surrounding onlookers, he looked at the man standing with Tong Huaer. With just one glance, he confirmed the man's identity.
"Tong'er, we're leaving." Sui Xinlin didn't say anything to Uncle Niu. He took Tong'er's hand and left. Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell him, "We live in Lijiatun, outside the west city gate."
Tong Huaer picked up A Shui and went home with Uncle Lao Niu in silence.
After closing the door, Uncle Niu asked, "Have you escaped slavery?"
"Well, I will leave with him after the New Year." Tong Huaer said frankly.
Uncle Niu was speechless. He looked at the child chasing the chicken and said, "Can you bear to leave Ah Shui? She likes you."
Tong Huaer didn't say anything.
"You should stay. Who knows how many years I have left to live? When I die, this house and those twenty acres of land will be yours." Uncle Lao Niu tried to persuade him to stay.
Tong Huaer shook her head firmly. She looked at Ah Shui. This child knew nothing. If he was taken away... Tong Hua sighed. She pulled her hair in pain and said, "If you die early, give the child away."
Uncle Niu glared at her, a chill in his heart. He completely gave up the idea of keeping her. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "You are so cruel. You throw away your own child. You are worse than an animal."
Tong Huaer can be scolded as he pleases, what does he understand?
Ah Shui ran over, pouting and glaring at Uncle Niu, saying angrily, "Don't curse at me."
Uncle Lao Niu glared at Tong Huaer again, then he picked up A Shui and went out.
When he came back at noon, he saw smoke coming out of the chimney and asked angrily, "Why haven't you left yet?"
"They won't leave until after the New Year. For the remaining one or two months, I'll stay here with Ah Shui." Tong Huaer smiled at Ah Shui. After this New Year, the fate of mother and daughter would end. She stretched out her hand and said, "Mom will braid your pigtails. Come with me into the house."
For the rest of her life, she wanted to put aside all the barriers and treat the child wholeheartedly.
The next day, Tong Huaer took out the money she had saved from working for Sui Yu, and took A Shui to the street to buy five feet of red cloth, intending to make A Shui a brightly colored dress.
When she came back, Sui Yu happened to be moving. She was leading the camel and talking to her neighbors, and everyone congratulated her.
Tong Huaer stood at the entrance of the alley, waiting for Sui Yu to come over. She said sincerely, "Sui Yu, congratulations. I wish you a smooth life."
"Congratulations to you too." Sui Yu smiled. After the reward was given, Zhao Xiping explained everything about Sui Wen'an.
"We are leaving." Tong Huaer spoke vaguely out of consideration for A Shui.
Sui Yu glanced at the smiling child, raised his head and said, "Congratulations on getting out of the quagmire. It hasn't been an easy journey. Make yourself happy."
Tong Huaer finally smiled sincerely. Sui Yu was a really good person, good in every way. She envied him. She envied Sui Yu's personality and the life he led.
Sui Yu led her camel away. She and Zhao Xiping's new home was in Qianhu Suo, near the government office and the military governor's residence. It was a two-story house with a front yard for the people and a back yard for servants and livestock. The previous owner of the house had divided the back yard into two side yards, one large and one small, which was exactly what Sui Yu wanted.
The pigs, sheep, camels and chickens were kept in the west wing, which was spacious enough to accommodate four more camels.
The east wing was given to Zhao Xiaomi. When she returned to her hometown, this wing would belong to Sui Liang. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping lived in the front yard, free to do whatever they wanted without worrying about the walls.
After moving all his belongings over, Zhao Xiping chose an auspicious day and prepared two banquets for his guests, first inviting Captain Qu and the other nine captains of the Qianhu Division. He was the youngest of the ten, but despite his youth, he had risen through the ranks through solid military merit and, having earned Captain Qu's favor, the nine long-time acquaintances didn't bother to show him any respect and came over as soon as they received the message.
After entertaining his superiors and colleagues, Zhao Xiping also invited Huang Ancheng, Qin Dashun, Lao Niu Shu, and ten centurions under his command to come for food and drinks.
Uncle Lao Niu also brought Ah Shui with him and took her to eat delicious meals.
After Uncle Niu and Ah Shui left, Tong Huaer pocketed her few remaining copper coins and headed for Dinghu Lane. It was snowing, and there were few people outside, even the gatekeeper was lazy. She handed over a handful of copper coins, and the woman guarding the back door beamed and invited her in to warm herself by the fire and chat.
Tong Huaer had long been familiar with this woman. Talking about Concubine Wen in Captain Hu's backyard, she revealed, "Actually, I'm Concubine Wen's distant cousin. Her brother asked me to come and inquire about her from time to time." Then, she stuffed the last handful of copper coins into the woman's hand and said, "Don't be offended, Auntie. I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's her cousin who was afraid that poor relatives like us would embarrass Auntie, so he kept it a secret. Now, her brother has returned from the battlefield, having made meritorious service and was injured. He only recently recovered, so I took the time to come and tell her. And please pass on a message, Auntie. Auntie will appreciate your kindness from now on."
This old woman had often gossiped about Sui Ling to Tong Huaer. She felt guilty and didn't dare to look at Tong Huaer. She sighed a few times and said a lot of nice things. After Tong Huaer repeatedly assured her that she would not mention it to Sui Ling, she quickly ran into the backyard to tell her.
After a while, a little maid came and led Tong Huaer in.
Sui Ling had long forgotten Tong Huaer. Before being exiled, she had never had any dealings with the side branches. Everyone on the road to exile had lost a lot of weight, and Tong Huaer had gained a lot of weight compared to three years ago. Sui Ling did not recognize that this was the person who wanted to push her out of the brothel.
As for her life in the military settlement, she regarded it as a shame and had long since deliberately forgotten it.
"Do you have any news about my elder brother?" Sui Ling asked.
Tong Huaer glanced at the room's furnishings and said, "Sui Wen'an returned from Wusun two months ago. He made military achievements and freed us from slavery."
Sui Ling was first happy, then surprised, and then annoyed. She looked at Tong Huaer with disdain and cursed, "What a nosy person! You think your life is too long."
Tong Huaer smiled. She was now certain that Sui Ling had no idea about Sui Wen'an. She quickly changed her plan and said, "Sui Wen'an asked me to tell you that he wants you to meet him. He has something for you."
Sui Ling was a little unhappy. She couldn't get out at all, and it was freezing cold, so she didn't want to go out.
"Send him over," she said.
"He is injured and it is inconvenient for him to go out. I mentioned that I would bring the things to you, but he seemed worried. I don't know what treasures he got in Wusun, but he insisted that you go and get it yourself." Tong Huaer muttered.
Sui Ling's eyes turned and she asked, "Is my sister going too?"
Tong Huaer nodded and said, "I'll come to your place first, and then I'll go find her. I don't know if I can see her."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll go over there. My sister has a child and it's not convenient for her to go out." Thinking of the child, Sui Ling couldn't help but worry. Why could her sister get pregnant and give birth, but she couldn't?
Sui Ling twisted her fingers and said, "I took something to send to my sister. You don't have to go look for her."
Tong Huaer looked hesitant.
Sui Ling immediately became annoyed, "It's settled, where does my eldest brother live?"
"Outside the West City Gate."
Sui Ling wondered why he lived so far away, so she asked, "He didn't let Sui Yu go over there?"
"No, Sui Yu's man has also gone to the battlefield. He has just been promoted to a thousand households. If there are treasures, he must have gotten a lot of them." Tong Huaer looked up at her. Sure enough, she was the one who couldn't stand others doing well. When she heard that Sui Yu was doing well, her face changed immediately.
"I'm going out on New Year's Eve, you come and pick me up then." Sui Ling's household registration was not in her hands, so she could only take the opportunity to sneak out of the city on New Year's Eve.
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