Chapter 47: An Extra Chapter for 10,000 Nutrient Fluids

Chapter 47: An Extra Chapter for 10,000 Nutrient Fluids

"Sui Liang," Sui Yu called out from the courtyard. "It's time to cook; come and start the fire for me."

Zhao Xiping glanced at her. At this hour, she still had the mood to eat?

"Give me the paper." Sui Yu held out her hand.

Sui Liang pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his sleeve, which he had warmed up. He quickly glanced at Zhao Xiping, then lowered his head and followed Sui Yu into the kitchen.

Sui Yu cleared out the remaining ash in the stove and stuffed a handful of dry grass inside. She shook the two sheets of paper she had spent a month making, sighed regretfully, and then pushed them into the tree stump. In an instant, flames shot out from the stump and were quickly shoved into the stove.

The fire caught, and the crimson flames rapidly devoured the wrinkled paper. Sui Yu stepped aside to let Sui Liang tend the fire.

"I do want to be free from slavery, but I also want to live. I don't want to leave this family either. I choose to stay with you," she said.

Zhao Xiping clenched his fists, suppressing the surge of emotions and the thoughts that arose within him. He looked at the water barrel and said, "I'll go fetch water. How did you manage when I wasn't here?"

"The camel brought it back," Sui Yu replied, feeling relieved after burning the paper. "We have some salted meat left. Should we stew it with pickled cabbage or turnips?"

"Stew it with turnips." Turnips were larger and more filling.

Zhao Xiping left with the water buckets, taking the fishing net off the wall. Under the guise of fishing, he lingered by the river until he estimated the food would be ready.

"Did you catch any fish?" Sui Yu asked as usual.

"No, the water was too cold, so I didn't go in. I didn't find any fish along the riverbank," Zhao Xiping said, washing his hands before entering to eat. "After eating, I'll go chop wood."

"I'll go with you. I have nothing else to do at home," Sui Yu said.

Zhao Xiping could only agree.

After the meal, they set out with the camel, and the cat followed excitedly. The people in the alley found it amusing and stared at them.

Most of the wild trees and grass along the road had been cut down by passersby. Zhao Xiping planned to go to the sand mountain southwest, despite the distance, as the camel made the journey easier.

From atop the camel, the melting snow in the distant desert revealed a vast expanse of yellow. On the adjacent sand mountain, there was still snow, and not-so-short trees grew. Further south, the snowy mountains gleamed white, one side bathed in golden sunlight while the other still saw snowfall.

Sui Yu marveled each time she saw this, amazed at nature's wonders.

Zhao Xiping glanced at her several times on the way, finding her hard to fathom. She wanted to be free from slavery, yet he was the one worrying. Could it be another dream? Was everything that happened in the morning just his imagination?

At the foot of the mountain, the camel went off to graze, and Zhao Xiping took his hatchet and rope, heading up the familiar path. Sui Yu led Sui Liang behind, while the cat trailed lazily at the end.

"Only cut dead branches and trees. Don't touch the living ones," he instructed.

"I know," Sui Yu replied. Deforestation could lead to soil erosion, a fact she understood, though she was surprised that ancient people shared this knowledge.

"Why can't we cut living trees?" she asked.

"Living trees grow more branches."

Sui Yu: ...

Sui Liang spotted a dead tree and pointed it out to Sui Yu. She kicked it, and it snapped. Zhao Xiping came over with the hatchet to trim the branches, separating the trunk and smaller branches.

Sui Yu and Sui Liang continued searching for more dead trees, kicking them down if possible, or calling out if not.

Zhao Xiping worked tirelessly, finishing his own tasks and then rushing to cut and carry wood elsewhere. Even with his strength, he was panting heavily.

"Where did the cat go? Cat—Cat—" Sui Yu called out loudly. "Cat—go home—"

A large, fat cat meowed from a tree, its tail upright, watching the people below.

"Don't wander off; you'll lose your home," Sui Yu warned.

After cutting another bundle of wood, Zhao Xiping called a halt. "Let's head back. The slope is steep over there; don't slip."

He cut a thick branch to use as a pole, attached the bundles of wood, and led the way.

The cat dashed ahead, meowing continuously.

"Become a wild cat," Zhao Xiping muttered.

"What did you say?" Sui Yu didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing."

Following the cat down the mountain, they reached the foot. Zhao Xiping whistled, and the two camels grazing nearby ran back.

"They're so obedient. How did you train them?" Sui Yu asked curiously.

"It's a long story," Zhao Xiping replied without interest.

Sui Yu glared at him from behind, but immediately smiled when he looked her way.

"You're not worried?" he couldn't help asking.

"Worried or not, it doesn't change anything. So I'm not worried," Sui Yu said, helping Sui Liang onto the camel. "The decision is yours. This time, I'll follow your lead."

"What if I don't agree?"

"I'd be disappointed, but we can continue our little life together," Sui Yu smiled, candidly adding, "I'm not sure if Sui Hui can get pregnant or help us gain freedom. If I need to take care of my cousin, I'd worry too. Feeding myself and Sui Liang is already challenging, and there's no specific timeline. It's a lot of pressure. If I place too much hope on her and it doesn't work out, I don't know what to do."

Zhao Xiping stared at her without speaking. Suddenly, he stepped forward and pinched her hard. "If you understand all this, why tell me?"

Sui Yu cried out in pain but laughed aloud. "I can't make the decision alone. You're my man, and you're supposed to share my worries."

Her laughter and straightforward words relaxed his tense face, and the sense of dependency satisfied him.

On the way back, Zhao Xiping remained silent all along, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons of his decision.

As the camel entered the military settlement, people huddled around the fire for warmth looked over. Someone recognized Sui Yu and called out, "Sis, it's been a while since we've seen you. Not selling buns anymore?"

"Not anymore. I got chilblains on my hands; they broke open and looked disgusting. It's not convenient to knead dough, so I stopped making them." Sui Yu extended her hand to show them.

After they left, someone by the fire asked, "Were her buns tasty? You still remember them."

"The taste wasn't bad, but what I appreciated was how clean she kept things. When she had her stall, I would buy from her. Her bowls for dough and fillings were always covered, and she wiped them clean at the slightest dust. Unlike the other vendor on the street, whose buns felt gritty in your mouth."

Arriving home, Zhao Xiping made up his mind. A person like Sui Yu needed freedom to thrive.

"What do you want for dinner? I'll make it for you," Sui Yu said as she opened the door, adding, "I'll boil a pot of water tonight. You can take a bath. The weather has been good these past few days, so I'll wash your clothes too."

Zhao Xiping agreed, standing in the courtyard and staring at their spotlessly clean home. He thought Sui Yu was worth giving up some unnecessary stubbornness. After all, it was just about delivering a few bowls of food to someone he despised, not cutting off a piece of his flesh or taking his life. What was so difficult about that?

But he didn't say anything. He wanted to see if Sui Yu was genuinely carefree or just pretending.

"Captain Zhao, the grain officer told me to pass on a message: it's time to collect your rations," a man passing by said from outside the gate. "Do you still have enough food?"

"It's running low," Zhao Xiping replied, leaning a bundle of firewood against the wall. "I'm going to collect the rations now."

"Okay, how about bean porridge for dinner?" Sui Yu asked, following him out.

"Sour cabbage soup," Zhao Xiping responded, specifying, "fry the cabbage in oil and simmer it for a while."

Sui Yu rolled her eyes; he sure knew how to eat.

When Zhao Xiping returned, he not only collected the rations but also received his annual salary of six hundred coins. Upon returning, he handed five strings of coins to Sui Yu for her convenience in buying things.

"Keep the money where it usually is. Let me know if you need to take any," he instructed.

"I won't take any. I'll let you know when I need something," Sui Yu replied, thinking about earning money again. She felt more at ease spending money when she earned it herself.

While eating, the stove continued to burn, and steam rose from the pot. After the meal, the room became warm.

Sui Yu first fetched water to wipe herself down, then did the same for Sui Liang. Shivering, the siblings climbed into bed, and only then did Zhao Xiping go to bathe. Midway through, he heard footsteps and shouted, "Who's there?"

"It's your wife," Sui Yu deliberately walked to the door, stifling a laugh as she asked, "Do you want me to scrub your back?"

"No!"

"You don't know how to enjoy a good thing," Sui Yu huffed, removing her socks and entering the room.

Zhao Xiping was startled, and after finishing his bath, he entered the room silently, lifting the quilt to lie down. Once Sui Liang fell asleep, as expected, Sui Yu crawled over.

"After the bath, you don't smell anymore," Sui Yu said, snuggling close and placing her foot on his leg. "You're so warm. I wake up every night from the cold when you're not here."

Zhao Xiping closed his eyes, ignoring her.

"Have you noticed that I look better?" Sui Yu nudged him. "Not saying anything means you agree."

The man remained silent.

"Tsk... you're such a difficult person. I didn't even peek at you bathing. Your precious body, so valuable," Sui Yu quickly touched him, chuckling.

Zhao Xiping opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Don't provoke me."

"Then talk to me."

"You act like you're missing a few screws. I don't feel like talking to you," Zhao Xiping said, using his hand as a pillow. He couldn't help but think about things.

"I agreed to deliver food to your cousin, but only that. Even if they all become free citizens, we won't have any family ties with them." He found those three people too troublesome, especially anyone named Sui.

"Okay." Sui Yu turned and hugged him, feeling the muscles under her hand stiffen. She pretended not to notice and rested her head on him. "Zhao Xiping, I'm so lucky to have met you."

Zhao Xiping pushed her away impatiently, saying gruffly, "Enough nonsense. I'm counting on you two getting free status so I can get forty more acres of land."

"Okay, it's all yours."

The man choked. Forty acres of land given to him would keep him busy day and night. What did he need so much land for? His salary was enough for food and drink.

"I don't want it," he said.

"Okay, okay, you don't want it."

Zhao Xiping couldn't stand her, pushing her away and telling her to sleep on the other side.