Chapter 83 Making a Wish
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Sui Wen'an once again passed through the second side gate of the Hu residence. Sui Hui's child had reached the full moon, and mother and child had endured the most difficult month, but there was no joyful celebration in the residence. He entered the side courtyard where Sui Hui lived. It was also deserted, with only two dusty red lanterns emitting a festive glow.
The dozing old servant guarding the gate was startled by the footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw it was Sui Wen'an. She hurriedly bowed to greet him and explained, "The fifth young master finally fell asleep. The concubine told us not to do anything too fussy."
Sui Wen'an nodded. The master of the mansion was devoted to his children and had no intention of bothering with trivial matters, so the servants would naturally be lazy and avoid doing things.
"Take down these two lanterns, wipe off the dust and hang them up again," he said.
The old servant was reluctant and said, "In two days, the lanterns in the mansion will need to be replaced with new ones."
Sui Wen'an stopped talking after hearing this.
When Sui Hui heard the sound, she had lost a lot of weight and looked tired, but she was in good spirits.
"Brother is here. What were you talking about just now?" Sui Hui asked.
"The lantern is covered in dust. I told someone to take it down and wipe it." Sui Wen'an took off his shoes and went into the house.
Sui Hui glanced at the old slave, who immediately bent down and asked someone to bring a ladder.
Sui Wen'an stood by the stove to cool off the cold. He took off his outermost dusty clothes, walked into the inner room and asked, "How's the child? He's gained some weight, and his features resemble yours."
"I think it's more like you. A nephew takes after his uncle." Sui Hui walked in and said, "Don't leave at noon today. I'll have the kitchen send over some dishes so we can celebrate with Shitou."
"Shi Tou?" Sui Wen'an laughed. "Who named him that? There are so many kids with that name in the village."
"I chose it. I heard people say it's easier to raise a child born from a lowly family."
"What's your name?"
Sui Hui shook her head. She was afraid that the child would not grow up, so Mr. Hu did not give the child a name at all, nor did he enter the child in the family tree, saying that he would give the child a full name when he was one year old.
Sui Wen'an didn't ask any more questions.
"Brother, tell me what you do on weekdays." Sui Hui sat down. She was almost forgetting the world outside the side courtyard.
"Farming and hunting." Sui Wen'an thought for a while and picked out a few interesting things to tell her.
Shitou woke up in the middle of the night, and Sui Hui carried him back to the inner room to feed him. Sui Wen'an went out and saw the dusty lantern still hanging on the wall. He asked someone to bring a ladder and climb up, took down the lantern, wiped it carefully, and refilled the lamp oil, and lit the fire before waiting for dark.
The big red lanterns cast a bright red light. Sui Wen'an stood below and looked at it, and finally felt a little relieved.
After lunch, he was about to leave. Before leaving, he asked Sui Hui, "Is Master Hu treating you well?"
Sui Hui glanced around. The sky had turned overcast again, and the servants had all gone inside to avoid the cold. She smiled brightly and said, "You're free now, and I have a child. Now I only hope that Shitou can grow up safely. Nothing else matters to me."
She couldn't sleep with him until she was out of confinement. Stonemen take many naps and are weak. Lord Hu came twice at first, but probably found it boring and rarely came after that. Sui Hui didn't feel disappointed. He had taken her in because of her body, and she had attached herself to him for her brother. So the current situation was understandable.
Sui Wen'an's eyes were sore. His elder sister shouldn't be like this.
He didn't dare to think about it anymore and left in a hurry.
Sui Hui watched him leave, then turned back inside to look after the child.
In the evening, Lord Hu came over, walked through the dim corridor, turned into the moon gate and saw two bright lanterns. The festive red color was eye-catching. He breathed a sigh of relief, and most of his fatigue disappeared.
Walking through the halo of light, Lord Hu pushed the door open and smelled the scent of milk. He walked into the warm bedroom and saw Sui Hui lying on the bed with her long hair draped over her shoulders, teasing the child. He took off his shoes and sat back on the soft couch, saying, "Your place is still more comfortable."
"Since Shitou woke up, I didn't go out to greet you." Sui Hui said in a low voice.
"Well, is it time for dinner?"
"Not yet. I'm looking forward to you coming to see us."
Lord Hu's sympathy for the weak was touched, and he took out a pair of silver bracelets from his bosom. But then he felt embarrassed to show them off, so he asked someone to get a pair of exquisite jade rings and a gold headdress that he had recently acquired to make the beauty happy.
After dinner, Sui Hui was pulled to bed by Master Hu. After a good time, while he was relaxed, Sui Hui took the opportunity to say, "I have a wish. I wonder if Master will agree to it."
"Tell me."
"These past few days, I dreamt of my third uncle, who tragically died trying to save me. He called me heartless, and even when I woke up, I felt guilty, which kept me up for ages. I haven't heard from my cousin in ages, and I wonder if she's in trouble. That's why my third uncle came to me in my dream." Sui Hui leaned against Lord Hu's chest and said dejectedly, "I don't know if my third uncle is still haunting me. I'm afraid our child will be affected by this... Lord, could you please help me and bring some blessings to our child?"
Lord Hu reached out and lifted Sui Hui's chin. Seeing her eyes filled with tears, he hesitated for a moment and compromised, "I'm really scared of you."
Sui Hui smiled with tears in her eyes. She knelt on the bed and said, "There is still a silly cousin. My Lord, please remember to take him with you. I thank you on behalf of our child."
Lord Hu patted her, and Sui Hui lay down. As she swayed, she tilted her head to look at the burning candlelight, thinking that in the future she would only plan for herself and her child.
However, on New Year's Eve, Lord Hu took the time to say, "Don't worry about your cousin. Her husband is willing to redeem her from slavery with his military merits. Zhao Shiping is now serving under the command of the captain, so I cannot take action privately."
He was glad he hadn't agreed to redeem Sui Yu's slavery. This woman was extraordinary. She could let a man earn military merit to redeem her slavery. Her character and ability were remarkable. Once she was free, she would definitely not be content. If the couple met with bad luck one day and their past was discovered, he, the one who forged the household registration, would be in big trouble.
"Don't have any contact with her. I've already told the concierge that she won't be able to blame you for anything she does." Lord Hu instructed.
Sui Hui was dejected, thinking that it was a good thing she didn't send anyone to tell Sui Yu, otherwise it would have been a waste of joy.
After Lord Hu left, Sui Hui stood under the lantern and thought about the news he brought. It was difficult to persuade a man to go out and fight for military merit, and it was even more difficult to get a man to give up his military merit to redeem his slavery. She put herself in his shoes and felt that she was not capable of doing it.
In this way, Sui Hui no longer considered Sui Yu's affairs, because Sui Yu was far more capable than her.
Sui Yu knew nothing about this. She was stewing lamb legs while Zhao Xiping and Sui Liang were making torches outside. This year, he was at home, so the tasks of making torches, buying Tusu wine, changing peach charms, and sweeping the roof were all his.
"After the lamb legs are cooked, ask your sister to skim out three bowls of soup and let them cool down. The soup will contain lamb fat. You can spread the lamb fat on the torch and it will last for half the night." Zhao Xiping said. He made three torches, each as thick as a thigh, firm and fire-resistant.
"What did you put on the torches last year?" he asked the people in the kitchen.
"Lard." Sui Yu smiled, "Are you generous?"
"He's so generous. He's a person who is always stingy when cooking, but now he's being generous during the New Year." Zhao Xiping also laughed.
"Good oil brings a good harvest. This year's life is much better than last year," Sui Yu said proudly. She calculated, "Two sheep sold for nearly four hundred coins, two wolves sold for one hundred and twenty or thirty coins. We have pigs, camels, and a flock of chickens at home. Our family is quite wealthy."
With this calculation, the family's savings, four camels and a pig added up to a total of four hundred taels of silver. Zhao Xiping was astonished. How did they suddenly become rich without saying anything?
"I attract wealth." Sui Yu always takes credit for good things he does.
"You're making money, you're making money. It's all thanks to you." Zhao Xiping put down the torch and walked in, saying, "If you want to get rich, you still have to work hard. If you were still selling buns at the stall this year, you would have made a lot of money in a year."
"Yes." Sui Yu nodded. She stared at the flames rising from the stove and said, "This fortune will come into our family sooner or later."
Zhao Xiping loved her confidence and vigor.
The lamb legs in the pot were cooked, and Zhao Xiping took a basin to scoop them out. The lamb legs had been stewed for a long time, and the meat was soft and rotten. The soup was thick and white, and the aroma was tempting. He could drink three bowls of porridge just by smelling the smell.
He pierced the lamb leg with chopsticks, scooped up the radish and soup, and filled a large bowl with them.
"Come, let's eat." Zhao Xiping shouted.
"The soup hasn't been scooped out yet." Sui Liang was still thinking about grease the torch with frozen mutton fat.
"Spread lard." Zhao Xiping looked at Sui Yu with a smile and said, "Let's burn another prosperous year tonight."
Sui Yu nodded at him in appreciation, "You have good judgment. You will definitely be right if you listen to me."
Zhao Xiping was very happy.
With a good mood and an even better appetite, the family of three sat in front of the warm stove with the cat official and ate and drank a little wine from time to time. After the meal, they felt warm all over.
"Play outside for a while tonight and then come back." Zhao Xiping was sweating from the heat.
Sui Yu didn't care. She scooped out a large spoonful of lard, rubbed it on her hands, and then spread it on the wood outside the torch. Finally, she scooped out a small spoonful of lard, melted it in the stove, and poured it on the torch. Sparks flew up and the torch ignited as soon as it was touched.
"Let's go." Sui Liang raised the torch in both hands and shouted loudly.
Leaving Maoguan at home, the family of three locked the door and left home. They were one of the first people to leave this year and met many people along the way.
"Happy New Year."
"All diseases will be prevented."
"good luck."
"No worries every year."
“…”
No matter whether they are known or not, everyone they meet will say blessings.
Walking along the long street, there were more people. Zhao Xiping protected Sui Liang so that he would not get lost. He followed behind Sui Yu and saw her walking happily with her head shaking. Blessings kept coming out of her mouth.
When they arrived at the government office, the Nuo dance had already begun. The passionate drumbeats surged into her heart, stirring her emotions. Sui Yu threw down the torch and stood by the fire, carefully observing the Nuo dancers' movements. More and more people came, and the drumbeats became more and more intense.
Suddenly, the sound of the drums changed, the Nuo dancers chanted loudly, the noisy crowd became quiet, and only the crackling sound of burning torches could be heard.
The chanting stopped, the drums began to beat loudly, and everyone began to dance. Sui Yu recalled the movements she had just learned and immediately began to move her limbs in a realistic manner. The people behind her saw this and stopped their chaotic movements to follow her.
Zhao Xiping was one of them. With Sui Yu's encouraging eyes, he danced along with the crowd. Amid the dense drumbeats, he protected Sui Yu and Sui Liang and changed their postures around the fire. He danced until he was sweating and his face turned red. Looking at the woman with bright eyes, the beating in his chest became faster and faster.
The drumbeats changed again, the chanting started again, and everyone picked up torches from the fire and ran out of the city.
"Hurry up, hurry up." Sui Yu grabbed Zhao Xiping's clothes, with Sui Liang still hanging behind her. She cheered and shouted, "I want to be the first one out of the city."
The first one was definitely impossible, but with Zhao Xiping paving the way, when the three of them arrived at the fire pit for dispelling evil, there were no more than a hundred people around them.
The burning torch was thrown into the fire pit, and Sui Yu immediately made a wish. When the words were about to come out of her mouth, she turned into a prayer: "I wish Zhao Xiping a peaceful life."
The man's eyes warmed, and he muttered to himself, "I want to free her from slavery in the new year."
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