Chapter 36: A Close Call

Chapter 36: A Close Call

The weather turned colder, and Sui Yu's business thrived even more. By the tenth month, she called on Zhao Xiping to carry baskets and jars to the grain store and bought back one dan of flour. In the past, one dou of flour lasted two or three days, but now, two dous only lasted three days.

"Can you sew?" Sui Yu asked softly before entering the cloth shop.

"You can't?" Zhao Xiping glanced at her, realizing he had never seen her handle a needle and thread.

Sui Yu smiled awkwardly. "I can't."

"Neither can I." He wasn't going to sew for her again.

"Then we'll just spend a bit more money on ready-made clothes," Sui Yu shrugged, leading the way into the cloth shop. She called out as they entered, "Sister, do you have any ready-made clothes for me and my little brother?"

"Yes," the shopkeeper glanced at her attire and led them to a side room filled with coarse linen clothes, mostly black, dark blue, dark gray, and light gray.

Sui Yu took a quick look; the styles were all similar, leaving little choice. She felt the fabric and inspected the stitching, then asked the shopkeeper to get her a set of thicker clothes. "My husband is standing outside. Measure him and get him a set of thick clothes in dark blue."

"How much for the coarsest linen?" Zhao Xiping asked from the doorway.

"Fifty coins per bolt. According to what the lady said, sixty coins will cover three sets of ready-made clothes."

Zhao Xiping waved his hand. Sui Liang was small and thin, so one bolt would be enough for him. Given Zhao Xiping's larger size, plus Sui Yu's, one bolt wouldn't be fully used.

"Let's buy the fabric directly and ask Aunt Sun to make the clothes," he said.

"Alright, give me half in dark blue and half in light gray," Sui Yu pulled out five strings of coins from the jar and handed them to the shopkeeper. "Count it."

The shopkeeper measured the coarse linen while Sui Yu watched, whispering to Zhao Xiping, "It's so expensive. Half of our monthly earnings are gone."

"Gone? We'll earn more."

"You say that easily," Sui Yu glared at him. "Sigh, spending money is easy, earning it is hard."

Zhao Xiping thought it wasn't easy at all. For the past half-month, he kneaded dough day and night, delivered in the morning and picked up in the evening, running errands in between. Where was the ease?

The shopkeeper handed over two rolls of fabric, which Zhao Xiping carried out, shouldering the load.

"I'll take the fabric," Sui Yu followed.

"One bolt isn't light; you can't carry it," Zhao Xiping moved past her. "Hurry back; it's getting dark."

The wind was cold and dusty, and there were few people on the streets. The alleys were also deserted, with doors closed as everyone stayed inside to avoid the cold. Entering Thirteen Villages, Sui Yu looked around and saw no one in the alley. She relaxed, relieved that no one would ask questions.

"Meow—" Cat Officer jumped down from the woodpile, wagging its tail like a dog to greet them.

"Cat Officer, did you catch another mouse? Your belly looks full," Sui Yu squatted down and patted the cat's belly, which felt hard. It had already eaten without waiting for dinner.

Sui Liang ran to open the door, Zhao Xiping carried the load inside, and Sui Yu followed last, closing the door behind the cat. Once shut, the courtyard felt warmer.

An eye peered through the crack in the opposite door. When the Zhao family's door closed, the old woman straightened up and went back to cooking.

Within two days, everyone in Thirteen Villages knew Sui Yu was making money selling buns and had bought two bolts of fabric. Quite extravagant.

When Zhao Xiping went to Aunt Sun for sewing, she asked, "Captain Zhao, selling buns must be quite profitable, right? I heard you bought two bolts of fabric. How much does fabric cost these days? Can ten taels of silver buy some?"

"Who said we bought two bolts? We only bought one," Zhao Xiping thought for a moment. "Half in dark blue, half in light gray. The dark blue is for my clothes, and the light gray is for Sui Yu and her brother. As usual, make three sets of clothes, and the leftover fabric is yours."

Aunt Sun readily agreed. Making three sets of clothes, she could use the leftover fabric to patch together a set for her son.

"Aunt, who's spreading rumors?" Zhao Xiping asked.

Aunt Sun was tight-lipped and evaded the question with a smile. "Everyone talks behind others' backs. This alley has many residents, and with so many people, gossip is inevitable. Every day, it's someone's business here or someone else's there. Even the fact that Wang Erniu's hen limped for a couple of days spread through the alley for two or three days. If you worry about such things, you'll have your hands full every day."

Zhao Xiping wasn't pleased.

"Fine, later I'll go out and explain it to them. Everyone buys fabric; during summer, when prices drop, I bought two bolts to stock up," Aunt Sun said.

Zhao Xiping had to let it go and awkwardly thanked her.

He thought the matter was settled, but the next day, when he accompanied Sui Yu to her stall, he noticed a new bun stand outside the wine shop. It offered not only radish-filled buns but also pickled cabbage-filled ones. Clearly, someone had believed the rumors and wanted a piece of the action.

Sui Yu paused, recognizing the woman tending the fire but not knowing her name. She must live in one of the neighboring alleys.

"Selling buns?" Sui Yu approached deliberately, noticing the woman's nervous expression. "How much are the buns?"

Dongniang kept her head down, silent.

"Let's go," Zhao Xiping pulled her away, worried she might cause trouble. "Karma, right? You took business from others at the West City Gate, and now it's your turn."

Sui Yu had anticipated this and scoffed. "Each to their own."

Zhao Xiping set up her stall and lit the stove, then left after giving her some instructions. He released the camel to graze and returned to draft some documents. But still uneasy, he locked the door and went to South Water Street.

Both stalls had customers, but Sui Yu's business was much better. Having been there for half a month, she already had regulars, and her friendly demeanor and sweet voice drew in passersby.

"Go play with the cat; I'll tend the fire," Zhao Xiping shooed Sui Liang away and sat down.

"Who will help me collect money if you chase Liang away?" Sui Yu looked down at him. "Why are you here?"

"To see if your business can still continue."

Sui Yu kicked him. "Shut your mouth. You're always jinxing me."

Zhao Xiping glanced at the other woman, who looked dejected and inexperienced. She couldn't bring herself to call out or attract customers, struggling under Sui Yu's silent pressure.

"Young lady, want to buy some buns? Three coins each, radish filling with lard."

The young girl approached but tensed upon seeing the stern-faced man sitting nearby. She quickly waved her hand. "No, no, I don't like radishes."

Sui Yu looked down and met the man's eyes. She raised her head and shouted, "Liang, come and start the fire. I don't need your brother-in-law's help; he's getting in the way of my business."

Zhao Xiping got up and started walking away. He thought it had been a while since he had visited the market and decided to take a detour into another alley. However, halfway there, he encountered a man with an unfriendly face. He immediately turned around and hurried toward South Water Street.

"How did you come back again?" Sui Yu was surprised.

"Cut the chatter, move the stall over there." Zhao Xiping wet his hands, grabbed two lumps of dough, and pressed them onto the steamer. He then moved the steamer along with the basket, not forgetting to tell Dongniang, "The owner of the wine shop is coming. He's someone you don't want to mess with; you should move your stall quickly."

However, Dongniang used a large clay pot, which was too heavy for her to move alone. She could only watch helplessly as Sui Yu swiftly moved her stall away, even shoveling away the ashes from the fire.

"The people are here," Sui Yu said, seeing the three approaching aggressively.

"How long has it been since I've been here? Where did this grasshopper come from, setting up a stall on my turf? And lighting a fire? Are you trying to bury your old man?" The wine shop owner started cursing before he even got close, and worse still, he ordered his servants to dismantle the stall. "Push it over, smash everything."

Sui Yu's stall was outside the oil shop, and she had a burly man by her side, clearly a former soldier. The two servants didn't dare touch her, so they both rushed at Dongniang, smashing her stall.

"Stop, I'll leave right away. My husband serves under Captain Sun; you can't do this..." Dongniang protected the hot clay pot and shouted, "If you destroy my stall, I will definitely report you to the authorities."

The mention of reporting to the authorities made the two servants stop. Their master was already embroiled in legal troubles, and causing more trouble now would be unwise.

"Get lost, get out of here," the wine shop owner hated these soldiers. Damn it, one small official after another, one dies and another sticks around.

Dongniang looked at Zhao Xiping. Sui Yu nudged him, and reluctantly, he went to help move things. "Go back and get some help; I'll watch over things for now."

Dongniang wiped away her tears and hurried back.

"Are you also from the military camp?" the wine shop owner asked.

Zhao Xiping nodded.

"Damn it." The wine shop owner felt extremely unlucky, tossing the wooden sign to his servant and stomping through the scattered buns, leaving directly.

For Sale—

A few thuds later, the For Sale sign hung on the door of the wine shop.

Once the servants left, Sui Yu smiled apologetically at the oil shop owner and called Zhao Xiping to help move the stall back.

Dongniang arrived with her husband, whom Zhao Xiping recognized as a squad leader under Captain Sun, named Du Sanchun.

Du Sanchun blushed upon seeing Zhao Xiping and mumbled an apology and thanks. He loaded everything onto a camel's back, picked up the buns, and left with his wife, dejected.

"Still trying to drive me away?" Zhao Xiping glared at Sui Yu, repeating, "Still trying to drive me away?"

"No, no." Sui Yu quickly admitted her mistake, bowing and extending her hands to invite Chief Zhao to the stove, flatteringly saying, "Please help me start the fire, Chief Zhao."

Sui Liang squatted nearby, grinning widely.

"Close up early tonight; I want to eat flat noodles," Zhao Xiping demanded.

Sui Yu didn't hesitate and agreed readily.

In the following days, Zhao Xiping spent his time at home kneading dough and chopping fillings. The rest of the time, he stayed on South Water Street. He moved a low bed there and brought along a shovel. Whenever the wine shop owner brought people to inspect the premises, he and Sui Yu would move their scattered stall away like cats carrying their kittens. As soon as the people left, they would move the stall back.

The wine shop owner eventually lost his patience and couldn't catch them in the act. He couldn't forcibly remove them either. Sui Yu always cleaned up the ashes and grass residue when she went home, leaving no room for complaint. Gradually, he gave up.

No one came to snatch their business anymore, and their smooth days flew by. Before they knew it, it was late October.

At midnight, Zhao Xiping finished kneading three basins of dough. When he opened the door, he found it was snowing. He went inside to wake Sui Yu and said, "It's snowing. We can't set up our stall tomorrow."

"Why not? The stove is warm, so it's not cold." Sui Yu sat up quickly, rubbing her arms, and said, "Fewer people make steamed buns when it's cold, which means better business for us. Go light the stove and keep the fire going with charcoal. Fill the pot with water and let it heat overnight. Once the kitchen warms up, the dough will rise faster."

Zhao Xiping followed her advice and went out again.

Sui Yu also got dressed and went out. She circled around the kitchen, went outside to fetch a bundle of dry grass, spread it in the pot, and placed a basin of dough on top. The other two basins she put on the kitchen counter.

"Cat Guard, be careful tonight. Don't mess up our stall," Sui Yu patted the cat's head and instructed.