Chapter 52: Meeting Sui Hui

Chapter 52: Meeting Sui Hui

After the rain, the ground dried under two days of wind, forming a crust. Sui Yu took a rake to the vegetable garden and turned over the soil. She then left it to dry for another two days. From the wooden box, she retrieved the seeds her mother-in-law had given her. Unable to distinguish one seed from another, she went to consult Sister La Mei. By noon that day, she had sown half the seeds of radishes, leeks, chicory, and shepherd's purse in the garden.

"It's a bit early to plant vegetables now. Wait until March when the sun warms up and the spring breeze arrives," said a passerby. "A few nights ago, after the rain stopped, our courtyard froze over. The ground was as hard as a rock."

Sui Yu looked up and said, "When it gets cold at night, I'll cover the ground with dry straw and uncover it when the sun comes up."

"That could work. If you don't mind the extra effort, give it a try."

"My plot of land is small, and I have nothing else to do, so I don't mind the trouble." Sui Yu bent down again to continue sowing the seeds.

It took her most of the day to finish sowing all the seeds. Then, she took the wooden rake to fetch some manure, which was actually a mixture of accumulated ash from sweeping the yard and dried chicken droppings. At the vegetable garden, she dug two shovelfuls of soil, mixed them with the dry manure, and scattered the mixture over the seeds. She covered the seeds with a thin layer of soil and finally brought two bundles of dry straw to cover the garden.

She uncovered the straw at sunrise and covered it at sunset. After ten days, the seeds Sui Yu had sown began to sprout.

Seeing this, the neighbors started to follow her example.

By the time their seeds sprouted, Sui Yu’s chicory and shepherd's purse had already grown leaves about half an inch long. She picked a basketful from the dense patches.

"Sister La Mei, are you home?" Sui Yu called out from outside the door.

"I'm here, come on in."

"I won't come in. I've brought you some fresh vegetables." Sui Yu placed a handful of tender green sprouts on the ground and said, "The vegetables I planted are ready to eat. Try some. I'll also bring some to Aunt Du."

"Wait a moment..." Sister La Mei walked to the door, then turned back inside. She emerged carrying a bare sapling and said, "This is a Sichuan pepper tree I dug up elsewhere. Take one and plant it in your yard. It might bear fruit next year."

Sichuan pepper is not cheap, and the trees are rare. Sui Yu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it. "That's very kind of you, Sister."

"Don't mention it. I need to go cook dinner."

Sui Yu carried the Sichuan pepper tree back home. Zhao Xiping and Sui Liang had not returned from buying sheep yet. She entered the house, set aside some vegetables for her family, and then headed out to deliver some to Aunt Du.

"Daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, your vegetables look good. Mine aren't ready yet. Can I pick a couple from your garden?" asked the old woman across the street from her yard.

"I'm afraid not, Old Granny. My husband needs the vegetables for dumplings. Everything in the garden has its purpose." Sui Yu locked the door and left.

At the alley entrance, she greeted Aunt Sun, who gestured with her mouth for Sui Yu to look behind her. Sui Yu didn't turn around but knew it was Granny Wang glaring at her. She continued straight to Seventeen Villages. This was her first visit to Aunt Du's place. Just as she was about to ask for directions, Uncle Old Niu walked out of a nearby courtyard.

"Niece, are you looking for me?" Uncle Old Niu asked, hands in his sleeves.

"No, I'm looking for Dongzi's grandmother."

"Follow me; she lives next door to me." Uncle Old Niu pointed west, and they walked a short distance.

"Aunt Du, are you home?" he called out.

"I'm busy. Don't bother me. Make your own dinner tonight; don't come asking for food." Aunt Du shouted without looking up. "You wander around all day, lazy as can be. You've ruined twenty acres of fertile land. Seeing you makes my head spin."

Those who till the land can hardly bear to see it overgrown with weeds. Uncle Niu hardly tends to the twenty acres he was allotted, waiting for the government-assigned laborers to work the fields during the spring sowing and autumn harvest each year. If, by some chance, the authorities fail to arrange for laborers to plow his land in any given year, his crops would almost certainly fail.

Uncle Niu found her talkative and waved to Sui Yu, then shouted towards the courtyard, "Someone's here to see you."

Having spoken, he entered his own door.

"Auntie, the vegetables I've grown are ready to eat. I've brought some for you to taste the freshness," Sui Yu said as she walked in. She poured the vegetables from the basket into a basin and exchanged a few words with Aunt Du before leaving.

Upon arriving home and hearing the bleating of sheep, Sui Yu rushed in to find Sui Liang feeding two little lambs with shepherd's purse. One of the lambs had a black back with white hooves, while the other was brown-headed, with the rest of its body covered in white wool.

"Quite good-looking indeed." Sui Yu quite liked it, "And what about your brother-in-law?"

Sui Liang pointed outwards, then gestured towards the water vat. Sui Yu noticed the carrying pole was missing, but the buckets remained. Unable to discern Sui Liang's intent, she didn't inquire further and turned to search for a shovel to dig a hole for planting the Sichuan pepper tree. After looking around, she found that the shovel had also vanished.

"Your brother-in-law took the shovel away?" Sui Yu asked.

Sui Liang nodded.

Sui Yu gave up, then she went into the kitchen to fetch the vegetables for washing and picking. The shepherd's purse was too tender to withstand stir-frying, so she planned to make noodles for tonight. Once the noodles were boiled, she could simply blanch the vegetables and they would be ready to eat.

A half basin of shepherd's purse had just been washed clean when Zhao Xiping returned, carrying two baskets of dry soil on a pole. Before Sui Yu could inquire, he spoke up first, saying, "I'll build two earthen walls to divide the camel pen into three sections."

"Alright, but first you should dig a hole in the courtyard and plant the Sichuan peppercorn tree there, it was given by Sister La Mei," Sui Yu said.

"Where to plant? Not in the vegetable garden?"

"Plant it in the courtyard to avoid having the Sichuan peppercorns stolen, and choose a spot with good sunlight," Sui Yu said as he entered the house to prepare the meal.

In the house, she was busily kneading and rolling dough, making a clattering sound. Zhao Xiping, accompanied by Sui Liang, was in the camel pen, grunting as they built an earthen wall. To ensure its sturdiness, he selected four thick branches from the woodshed, measuring their lengths and fitting them between the two walls. Later, he found it more convenient to use branches as a fence, so he dragged another bundle of firewood from the woodshed, sharpened the bottom ends, and hammered them into the hard soil beneath the sand pit.

"Time to eat." Sui Yu called out.

"Please start without me, I'll be done in two more." Zhao Xiping didn't lift his head.

Sui Yu scooped a bowl of noodles and walked over. She stood by, eating while watching him work busily. Sui Liang followed, running around to assist, and when he didn't need to hold the post, he would hop on one foot, gathering the cut branches and carrying them into the kitchen.

"Meow—" The cat who had been wandering outside has returned.

"Baa——"

"Baa——"

Two little lambs bleated one after another.

The cat official swiftly ran over, leaping onto the wall to stare at the new member of the family.

"Meow, come here." Sui Yu picked up a strand of noodles with chopsticks for the cat, then turned and asked, "How much for the two little lambs?"

"One hundred and fifty coins." With the last stake driven in, Zhao Xiping picked up his machete, hoisted a rock, and left the enclosure.

"How did the sheep get out?" Sui Yu noticed that the pen was sealed.

"There are three wooden stakes just stuck in the sandpit; they can be pulled out." Zhao Xiping tossed a stone aside and went to wash his hands and face.

Sui Yu went to fetch noodles for him and Sui Liang. Men prefer strong flavors, so she added an extra spoonful of vinegar to his bowl.

"When I came back, I met the messenger. My mother bought piglets too. I'll go back tomorrow, and when I return, it will be time for spring plowing and planting wheat and millet." Zhao Xiping glanced at Sui Yu and asked, "Are you coming back?"

"I need to stay home and take care of the sheep and camels. You go back alone."

"Alright then."

As last winter, Zhao Xiping left home, and Sui Yu took Sui Liang to see him off at the city gate. After he left the city, the siblings walked back home.

Walking down the main street, Sui Yu was looking for something fresh and cheap when Sui Liang suddenly pulled her in another direction. Sui Yu saw Sui Hui and called out twice without getting a response, so she followed her.

Sui Hui had come to see the old doctor for a pulse check. Since the beginning of the lunar month, she had been taking medicine to improve her health, spending most of her monthly allowance and the jewelry given by Lord Hu on medical treatments.

"Doctor, I've been taking the herbal decoction for two months. Can I get pregnant now?" Sui Hui asked anxiously.

"Take two more doses, and I'll adjust the dosage. Your body has improved significantly."

Another two doses would take another month. Sui Hui suppressed her anxiety and asked again, "Will I be able to conceive after these two doses?"

"After these two doses, you should have your menstrual cycle." The old doctor, accustomed to all kinds of patients, was unperturbed by Sui Hui's eagerness. He stroked his beard and said, "Fortunately, you're still young and can recover. If you were a few years older and damaged your foundation, even elixirs wouldn't help."

With that, Sui Hui had no choice but to calm down and wait. She took the prescription, got the medicine, and paid. Her empty bag was now bulging as she left the clinic.

"Cousin," Sui Yu waved from the street, "I thought I might have mistaken someone else for you. Can you leave the residence?"

Sui Hui gathered her spirits and walked over, saying, "I can leave once a month. Lady is kind and doesn't make things difficult for me."

"That's good." Sui Yu looked at her and fell silent.

"My brother-in-law..." Sui Hui looked worried, wanting to ask but afraid of bad news.

"He's not building the Great Wall anymore. Since early February, he's been busy with spring plowing and clearing land. After that, there's still more plowing and sowing. Working in the fields is easier than building the wall, at least until the end of March." Sui Yu reassured her.

"That's good, that's good..." Sui Hui relaxed, a smile appearing on her face. By early April, she would stop taking the medicine, and if blessed by heaven, she might conceive next month.

"Oh, indeed, Yu, my days as a slave are over now." Sui Hui smiled, glossing over the hardships and grievances. They were trivial compared to the ordeals of the banishment journey, and even more so when set against the liberation from servitude. "Wait for me. Once I am with child, I will assist you in shedding your bonds of servitude."

Sui Yu bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable about the idea of a woman using her body to gain freedom... She shook her head, dispelling the absurd thought, convincing herself that this was Sui Hui's own choice.

"Don't rush, take care of yourself, and don't upset Lady." She advised.

Sui Hui felt warmth in her heart and nodded. "I know what I'm doing. I was raised by my mother, who taught me what a wife dislikes in a concubine. I have my limits. Well, I must go back now."

Sui Yu watched her leave until she was out of sight, then headed home.

A camel, two lambs, and a cat trailing behind them, Sui Yu and Sui Liang took them out to graze.

In March, Dunhuang still felt the chill of late winter. The yellow earth was covered in withered grass, and only by parting the grass could one see sparse green shoots.

The lambs couldn't chew the withered grass. They huddled together in the wilderness, watching the tall camels and mules around them, occasionally bleating, drawing the attention of distant flocks.

Sui Yu took out a handful of oily bean residue from her cloth bag to feed the sheep, stroking their soft wool and saying, "Don't miss your mother; this is your new home."