Chapter 49: Visiting Sui Wen’an Again

Chapter 49: Visiting Sui Wen'an Again

After lunch, Sui Yu scooped some flour to make dumpling wrappers. Food was precious, so she focused on the filling. Dumplings and buns were economical and filling, perfect for her to cook and take to Sui Wen'an.

"I'll knead the dough." Zhao Xiping rolled up his sleeves and took over. Her chilblains had worsened, making kneading difficult; pressing on the swollen spots would hurt.

"Then I'll go dig up some radishes." Sui Yu stepped aside and left, asking before she went out, "Do you want radish filling or pickled cabbage and egg filling? The leeks in the garden should have grown again, but I haven't checked."

"Radish filling is fine, to keep things simple."

She knew he preferred pickled cabbage and egg filling. Sui Yu dug up two short radishes from the camel pen and fished out some pickled cabbage from the jar. The two jars of pickled cabbage were almost empty; this was the last bowl, and any future pickles would be made with radishes.

The dough was kneaded, and Zhao Xiping washed his hands and came out. He saw Sui Liang sitting on a stone picking fleas off Cat Guan. He waved and said, "I'm going to chop wood on the mountain. Are you coming?"

Sui Liang looked at Sui Yu, who said, "It's up to you. If you're not afraid of the cold, help your brother-in-law find dead trees on the mountain. If you don't want to go, stay home and help me make dumplings."

Zhao Xiping had already led out the camel and brought out the wolf skin, saying, "If it gets cold, wrap yourself in the wolf skin. Come out with me for a run; moving around will help you grow taller."

Sui Yu sensed that he wanted to mentor Sui Liang, so she encouraged him, "Go with your brother-in-law. I'll wait for you to come back for dinner."

Sui Liang had no choice but to follow, wrapping himself in the wolf skin and climbing onto the camel's back.

Cat Guan stayed on the stone, watching as its mistress prepared food inside.

The sun was bright outside, and the courtyard walls blocked the wind, making it warm enough to sit outdoors. Sui Yu moved a low couch from the main room outside and began chopping the filling, starting with the pickled cabbage and then the radishes.

"What are you cooking?" a passerby asked, stopping.

"I'm planning to make some dumplings." Sui Yu looked up and smiled, asking, "Where are you going, Sister?"

"Just taking a walk." The woman carrying a sewing basket walked in, saying, "Everyone says your cooking is excellent. I came to learn."

"If you don't mind, come and learn." Sui Yu pointed to several stones in the yard, saying, "They're warmed by the sun. Feel free to sit down, or pull some dry grass if they're too hard. Sorry, I'm busy and can't entertain you properly."

"You're always so polite. Don't worry about it; just do what you need to do."

Sui Yu's smile faded, and she sighed, "Don't tease me, Sister. I'm not a lady anymore."

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. You have a good background, that's all." La Mei waved her hand, "If you don't like it, I won't say it again."

Sui Yu glanced at her, then continued her work, changing the subject.

After chopping the pickled cabbage and radishes, Sui Yu rinsed the cutting board, hung it up to dry, and brought out the rolling pin. She rolled the dough into long strips and cut them into small pieces, then started making wrappers.

To make more dumplings, Sui Yu tried to roll the dough thinner, making the wrappers larger.

La Mei watched her kneel on the ground, repeatedly rolling out the dough without complaint. By the time she finished sewing one pant leg, only half the dough was left. She exclaimed, "I'm used to being clumsy; I can't do such delicate work."

"For cooking, as long as it fills your belly, it's fine. Xiping complains that I spend too much time on fancy dishes." Sui Yu smiled, put down the rolling pin, and stretched her neck, saying, "If we had enough food, I wouldn't bother."

"Do you not have enough food? My family has extra; you can borrow some if needed."

Sui Yu laughed, appreciating her kindness, and stopped making polite excuses.

After another half-hour, she finished rolling out all the wrappers. Sui Yu brought out a steaming cloth to cover the bowls and boards, then went inside to stir-fry the fillings. La Mei followed her to help with the fire.

"Your kitchen is well-kept," La Mei commented.

"Just clean it often," Sui Yu said, pouring oil to fry the fillings, starting with the radish, then the eggs and pickled cabbage.

When it was time to make dumplings, La Mei offered to help, but Sui Yu refused, "Sister, please sit. It's not right to have you work on your first visit. Just relax and let's chat."

When Zhao Xiping returned from chopping wood, he heard an unfamiliar voice before entering. He double-checked the alley before leading the camel in. Inside, he saw Sui Yu learning embroidery from a familiar woman.

"Oh, it's getting late. I should go make dinner." La Mei, intimidated by Zhao Xiping, hurriedly packed her sewing basket and rushed out, saying, "Sui Yu, I'll come back another day to teach you sewing."

"Sure, feel free to drop by anytime," Sui Yu said, seeing her off.

Zhao Xiping stood in the yard watching her. When the gate closed, he asked, "Do you know her?"

"We just met today. She passed by and came in," Sui Yu walked over, brushing off grass from his shoulders, saying, "You're back early today. Are you hungry? The dumplings are ready."

Zhao Xiping shook his head, glancing at Sui Yu, thinking how true it was that her personality could charm anyone.

"I'll cook dinner. While it's still light, let's eat early and go to bed. You didn't sleep well last night," Sui Yu went to the kitchen, saying, "I made plenty of dumplings. We'll have them tonight, and save the tofu for you and Liang tomorrow."

Sui Yu made two trays of dumplings, cooking one tray for dinner, all filled with pickled cabbage and eggs.

As for the radish-filled dumplings, she steamed them and cooled them down before wrapping them in a steaming cloth to take to Sui Wen'an.

At dawn, Sui Yu wrapped herself in the wolf skin and rode the camel out. As soon as she left, Zhao Xiping took Sui Liang to chop wood, bringing along Cat Guan.

La Mei tidied up her home and came to find Sui Yu, only to see her door locked.

Sui Yu traveled for half a day, arriving at the city wall before noon. Concerned about drawing attention, she dismounted far away and carried the wolf skin and steamed dumplings on foot. She waited until the laborers' break to find Sui Wen'an.

"Aren't you supposed to stop coming? Why are you here again?" Sui Wen'an rubbed his waist as he climbed down the wall.

"I'm worried about your health. I brought you some food," Sui Yu walked over, saving him the extra steps, "I brought you dumplings. Eat them now. If there are leftovers, share them with your fellow workers."

Sui Wen'an sighed, "Thank you, Yu."

Sui Yu remained silent, stepping on stones nearby, listening to his clumsy eating. Once he finished, she turned and said, "This is for Sui Hui. Before the New Year, you asked me to visit her. I did, and she became a concubine to Hu Jiancha."

Sui Wen'an's face went blank for a moment. After a pause, he struggled to speak, "At least it's a way out. As long as she behaves, she won't lack for food and clothing."

"She wants to free herself from slavery and free you too. She fears you might not survive this year," Sui Yu said truthfully.

Sui Wen'an choked, his dry eyes shedding a tear mixed with dust.

"Sigh, I... Why bother? You should take care of yourselves. My life has no meaning; I'm just another mouth to feed." Sui Wen'an looked up at the sky.

"How can you say it has no meaning? Your existence is a comfort to her." Sui Yu kicked a stone and said, "She can't come out, so she can't visit you anymore. She entrusted me to look after you more often and promised to free me from slavery if there's a chance."

Sui Wen'an clutched his chest in distress, taking a deep breath. How could freeing slaves be easy? How dare she make such a promise? As a young woman, how could she bear the hopes of two or three people?

"She has already..."

"Yes, she's already with Lord Hu."

"Yu, don't come anymore." Sui Wen'an waved his hand and said, "Don't come anymore. Let her live her own life peacefully."

Sui Yu shook her head and said, "She's not a child. Even if she were, she wouldn't listen to others entirely. She has her own mind. Everyone has their own persistence. Even if I tell her, it won't work. Besides, fate doesn't always listen. People don't always live safely by being obedient. Sometimes stirring things up might lead to a way out. Sui Hui grew up in a noble household and went through the destruction of her family and exile. Her spirit shouldn't be underestimated. Cousin, you are like the carrot dangled in front of a working donkey for her. If you live well, she'll have something to strive for. From now on, I'll bring you a meal every five days. Remember the dates and pay attention. Bring this steamed cloth with you."

With that, Sui Yu crossed the bridge, "Cousin, I'm leaving. Take care."

Sui Wen'an mulled over Sui Yu's words several times. His three sisters, raised like delicate flowers, had all grown up. He walked to the riverbank and looked into the water, determined not to be dejected anymore.

He stuffed some uneaten steamed dumplings into his chest pocket and then shared the rest with his uncles and brothers.

When Sui Yu mounted her camel, she saw him climbing the city wall. She wrapped herself in wolf fur, patted the camel's rear, and it trotted home familiarly.

The camel, tired from running all morning, moved much slower on the return journey. By the time they entered the city, it was dusk, and as they turned into the Military Settlement, lamps were already lit in every household. Entering Thirteen Villages, Sui Yu slid off the camel and saw two figures, one tall and one short, standing at the entrance of the second alley.

Zhao Xiping led the camel and said, "We're back. Dinner is ready."

Sui Yu walked over and linked arms with him. She sighed and hopped a few times, stomping her feet, saying, "It's really cold, especially in the early morning and evening."

Zhao Xiping grunted and went inside. He let her warm herself by the stove while he took the camel to the stable, fed and watered it, and then came back to serve dinner.

"I made taro porridge and stir-fried pig's blood. Try it." Zhao Xiping placed the dishes on the bucket lid and asked, "Did you eat lunch?"

"I had a few steamed dumplings, but I didn't get full." Sui Yu took large gulps of the porridge and picked up a piece of pig's blood. She lied, "You can open a restaurant. I'll hire you as the chef."

Sui Liang chewed the pig's blood, swallowed it with difficulty, and drank some porridge to help it go down.

"Fool," Sui Yu laughed. "You can't even pretend."

"You're better than him," Zhao Xiping glared at her. "I hate people who lie."

Sui Yu glanced at him and put another piece of pig's blood in her mouth, saying, "It's really delicious."

Zhao Xiping ignored her.

"Are you going to chop wood tomorrow?" Sui Yu asked.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'll go with you. I'll borrow an axe from Sister La Mei later." Sui Yu finished eating and handed him her bowl, saying, "Fill it again, please, thank you, my son's father."

Zhao Xiping nearly choked.

Sui Liang dropped his chopsticks in surprise, staring wide-eyed at Sui Yu.

"You're going to be an uncle. Aren't you happy?" Sui Yu pretended to pat her belly.

Sui Liang nodded vigorously and reached out to touch her belly.

"Don't listen to her nonsense." Zhao Xiping exploded with anger.