Chapter 73 A Taste of Sweetness

Chapter 73 A Taste of Sweetness

After harvesting ten acres of wheat, they immediately moved on to harvesting millet. Harvesting millet only required cutting the ears, and Sui Liang joined in. Sui Yu and he walked ahead to gather the ears and fill baskets, while Zhao Xiping followed behind with a scythe to cut the stalks.

It took eight days to finish five acres of millet. When the last bundle of millet stalks was thrown onto the camel's back, Zhao Xiping patted the dust off his clothes and said, "You two go back and start cooking. I'll take the camel to the granary for registration."

"Alright." Sui Yu led Sui Liang back home, passing by the soybean field. She picked a pod and peeled it open; the soybeans were ready to be harvested too.

She was contemplating taking a couple of days off to rest before harvesting the soybeans when she saw a servant standing outside her house as soon as she entered the alley. Her heart skipped a beat.

Sui Yu had been working all day, and her clothes were dirty and torn. The sweat on her face had mixed with dust, turning into mud, and there were millet leaves stuck in her hair. No matter how beautiful someone might be, after such a day, their beauty would be reduced to just a fraction. The servant glanced at her quickly, thinking who had spread the rumor that Captain Zhao's wife was a great beauty; even the widow who made tofu on East Street was more attractive.

"Please inform Captain Zhao that the Lieutenant wants him to assemble outside the government office at noon the day after tomorrow. This time, he doesn't need to bring the camel; the army will provide horses," the servant said.

Sui Yu acknowledged it and asked, "Do you know what the mission is? It's not going to war, is it?"

"The servant isn't quite sure," the servant refused to say more and turned to leave after delivering the message.

Sui Yu stood outside the door in a daze for a moment before coming back to her senses and unlocking the door. With only one day left to prepare, she couldn't afford to worry and got straight to work.

There were two dried pheasants stored, and only one rabbit. Sui Yu used a stick to take down the dried pheasant and rabbit, planning to steam them tonight, let them cool overnight, and then hang them out to dry again tomorrow. The next day, she would send them with the men so they could eat them on the road if they couldn't find food.

She started cooking taro porridge in the pot and steamed the dried pheasant and rabbit on the rack above. Sui Yu asked Sui Liang to tend the fire while she fetched water to wash six salted eggs and put them in a bowl.

"I smell meat. Aren't we out of meat?" Zhao Xiping asked, leading the camel inside.

"I'm steaming the dried pheasant and rabbit for you to take on the road." Sui Yu wiped her hands and came out, saying, "Lieutenant Qu sent someone over to notify you to assemble outside the government office at noon the day after tomorrow. They didn't say what the mission is, but you don't need to bring the camel. Horses will be provided."

Zhao Xiping paused for a moment, then resumed his normal pace. He led the camel into its pen, closed the gate, and strode into the kitchen, acting nonchalant, "Good news. When I return with honors, we'll have pork again."

Sui Yu forced a smile and said, "We'll wait for your good news at home."

"Okay." Zhao Xiping dismissed Sui Liang and sat in front of the stove to tend the fire. Thinking about how the remaining five acres of soybeans and sorghum would fall on Sui Yu's shoulders once he left, he sighed, "If only it were ten days later. In ten days, the fieldwork would be done."

"Don't worry about things at home," Sui Yu lifted the pot lid and used a spoon to put the six salted eggs into the boiling porridge, saying, "I don't know how long this trip will take. In another month, it'll get cold. I'll rush to make a fur vest from the collected rat skins and two rabbit skins. If there's any extra, I'll make fingerless gloves and knee pads. If it were half a month later, I could collect more rat skins and make more knee pads. You'll definitely freeze your legs riding a horse."

"We might be back before it gets cold."

"Let's hope so."

The taro porridge was cooked, and the two chickens and one rabbit were steamed. Sui Yu held up an oil lamp to fish out the eggs, hearing a sound behind her. She turned around to see a chicken leg in Zhao Xiping's mouth.

Annoyed, she glared at him, took the chicken leg away, and kicked him angrily, "Why are you touching my stuff? This is for you to take on the road. You're so annoying, go away. Oh, this wasn't meant for tonight..."

"The chicken leg is too thick to dry. We might as well eat it tonight." Zhao Xiping quickly broke off another leg for Sui Liang and ran away.

Sui Yu chased him with a ladle, seeing him run towards the front door. She raised the ladle and shouted, "Go away, don't come back..." but then turned and spat, "Come back, dinner's ready."

Zhao Xiping smiled and stopped teasing her. He closed the door and walked into the kitchen.

Since the chicken leg was already broken off, they had to eat it. Sui Yu pulled the meat off the bone and shredded it. During the meal, everyone shared the chicken leg. She hung the leftover chicken and rabbit meat in the room and brought it out to dry in the yard the next morning.

"Knead a pot of dough and bake some flatbreads today. I'll go find Sister La Mei and ask her to help me sew the fur vest," Sui Yu worried about finishing everything in one day.

Considering the flexibility needed for horseback archery, Sui Yu started with the fingerless gloves. The back of the hand was lined with rabbit fur, and the palm with rat skin, both with the fur facing inward and the leather outward. Last night, she had marked the size of the man's hands, so today she only needed to cut and sew them together.

Sister La Mei glanced over and said, "This is good. The fingers are separate. When it gets cold, I'll make one too. It'll be easier for sewing."

"Yes, I'll make one too, so I don't get chilblains on my hands this year," Sui Yu responded casually, focusing on her needlework without looking up.

After an hour, two bulky fingerless gloves were completed. Sui Yu tried them on; though ugly, they were warm. She set them aside and started sewing the rat skins. The rat skins were small, and if cut, the usable parts would barely cover a palm. Sui Yu decided not to cut them and simply sewed them together, letting the extra pieces dangle inside the outer jacket.

Eight rat skins were patched together into a sleeveless vest. Sui Yu looked at the remaining rat skins and decided not to make sleeves. The remaining six rat skins could barely make two knee pads. As for the rabbit skins, she sewed them onto the outside of the vest and inserted two wooden boards into the chest area for protection.

By late afternoon, the vest, fingerless gloves, and knee pads were finished.

"Sister La Mei, thank you for helping today. Tomorrow I'll help you with your fieldwork," Sui Yu didn't know how else to express her gratitude for the delay in her own fieldwork.

"After the fieldwork is done, you can teach me archery. I'll catch field mice and make myself a warm vest for winter," Sister La Mei swept the floor, saying, "Go back to your work. There's no need for you to help with the fields. Haven't you finished your own fieldwork yet?"

"There's still sorghum and soybeans left. If the weather holds, Sui Liang and I can finish within half a month," Sui Yu picked up her basket and left, saying, "Sister, I'm heading back. I'll visit another day."

"Alright."

Sui Yu returned home just as Zhao Xiping was baking flatbreads. She was hungry, washed her hands, and grabbed one to eat, saying, "I'll bake the rest. Go try on the vest to see if it fits. If it doesn't, I'll adjust it."

Zhao Xiping went to close the front door. Once it was shut, he stripped off his clothes and put on the fur vest right in the courtyard. The rat skin touched his skin, with the rabbit fur facing outward, making him look even stronger. The wooden boards in the chest area created a noticeable bulge.

Sui Yu laughed at the sight; it was truly ugly.

Zhao Xiping regretted not trying it on indoors. He took off the vest and said, pretending nothing happened, "It fits perfectly, no need to adjust it."

"Then keep it, along with the fingerless gloves and knee pads. Put them on when it gets cold," Sui Yu instructed.

After baking all the flatbreads, it was dark. Sui Yu washed thirty salted eggs and boiled them. The next morning, Zhao Xiping could take them with him.

"The eggs aren't very salty yet, and they might spoil quickly. Take them with you and eat them first," Sui Yu said.

"I understand. Let's go to bed," Zhao Xiping couldn't wait. He lifted Sui Yu and carried her into the room with the oil lamp.

As the atmosphere grew heated, he murmured, "Give me a taste of sweetness first."

Sui Yu leaned on his shoulder, her hand reaching down.

Her fingers were rough from daily archery practice, with calluses on the pads of her index and middle fingers. Despite the roughness, the flesh beneath was soft, contrasting with the man's large, rough hands.

A light scrape of her fingertips caused his lean waist to tense, and his breath hitched. Sui Yu felt the shoulder under her face trembling.

She pursued, and as soon as she touched him, Zhao Xiping couldn't bear it anymore. He took a deep breath, pushed her away, and fled to the water barrel, splashing water on himself.

Sui Yu came out to wash her hands. As soon as she stepped outside, the man darted away like a frightened rabbit.

Sui Yu was also a bit shy. She silently rubbed her hands and then quickly went back inside to lie down on the bed and sleep.

Zhao Xiping sat in the courtyard for a long time. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that his chaotic thoughts finally calmed down, and only then did he push the door open and enter the house.

By this time, Sui Yu had already fallen into a deep sleep.

The rooster crowed three times, and the night sky was torn by the first light of dawn, revealing dewdrops forming on the grass. When the water droplets coalesced, the sky brightened considerably.

In the dimly lit bedroom, the man's heavy breathing echoed like a bull. Sui Yu listened to the intermittent breaths beside her, feeling goosebumps rise on her skin. She gripped her damp hand and quietly watched the morning light seep through the crack under the door.

Zhao Xiping endured the entire night, but eventually couldn't resist the itch in his heart. He woke up early and roused Sui Yu.

There was movement in the neighboring room. Sui Liang, mindful that Zhao Xiping had to leave, woke up early.

"Up," Sui Yu reminded him.

Zhao Xiping responded vaguely, hurriedly pulling on his clothes and avoiding her gaze with lowered eyes.

With more than an hour before the hour of Snake, Sui Yu kneaded dough. Using pickled radish and eggs as filling, she swiftly made fifty dumplings, cooked them, and divided them among the three of them. Then they all left together carrying their supplies.

Sui Yu and Sui Liang accompanied Zhao Xiping to the government office. They stopped at the gate and watched him walk away.

Zhao Xiping carried a bundle on his back and a bow and arrow in one hand, and another bundle in the other. Captain Qu saw him and teased, "Moving house?"

Zhao Xiping smiled slightly and asked, "Captain, what's the mission this time?"

"The scattered few Xiongnu have banded together. A couple of days ago, we received news that a group of cavalry is raiding villages to the south, killing half the villagers. You're going to investigate the situation," Captain Qu said, looking towards the distance. "Tell your wife to go home; don't let her linger here and disrupt our morale."

Zhao Xiping put down his bundle and ran over in large strides. He explained the purpose of his trip to Sui Yu, saying, "Wait for me at home. I'll definitely come back safely."

Only then did he dare to look at her.

Sui Yu playfully winked at him, a simple gesture that dispelled the fear in his heart. He regained his spirit and said confidently, "Wait for me at home."

With that, he turned and ran off.

Sui Yu took Sui Liang and left. The siblings went around for a while, then gathered their spirits and returned home to lead the camels, pigs, and sheep. Before the sun became too harsh, Sui Yu took a patched linen bag and went to the fields to pick soybeans.

With one person missing from the household, both Sui Yu and Sui Liang initially felt a bit disoriented, such as instinctively setting three pairs of chopsticks or scooping rice for three people. When serving meals, they would absentmindedly pour an extra bowl of rice. Even when working in the fields, Sui Yu would occasionally turn around to speak, only to realize no one was behind her.

After four or five days, Sui Yu and Sui Liang adapted to life without Zhao Xiping. They resumed their old habit of opening the door at sunrise and closing it at sunset, sleeping early and waking up before dawn to cook breakfast. In the courtyard, they played shuttlecock and practiced archery. Once the neighbors started moving about, they led their livestock to work in the fields.

The two young camels hadn't seen the man who had shot them for nearly half a month. Gradually, they got used to their well-fed, penned lives. One day, when the two adult camels walked out of their enclosure, the young ones followed tentatively.

Sui Yu felt a surge of joy but kept her expression calm. She nonchalantly collected her farming tools, pushing Sui Liang's face away so he wouldn't stare at the young camels.

The young camels walked out on their own, their once-injured legs now fully healed, walking steadily behind the adult camels as they headed out of the alley.

"These are your new camels? They have quite a sturdy build," Aunt Sun remarked, eyeing the young camels.

"They are wild camels after all; if they grow up, they won't be weak," Sui Yu replied.

"This year, your family seems to be blessed with thriving livestock. Whatever you raise thrives," Aunt Sun said enviously, watching the pig herding the sheep. "Is it a boar or a sow? Are you selling it for the New Year? I'll buy it."

Sui Yu shook her head. "I'm not selling the pig; I want to keep it for breeding."

"In that case, I'll buy a piglet then."

"Sure, I'll save a healthy one for you."

When they arrived at the field, Sui Yu noticed someone standing in the sorghum patch—it was Uncle Old Niu, sitting on the ridge and gazing at the tall sorghum stalks.

"Uncle Old Niu, why are you here so early?" Sui Yu asked, puzzled.

"I came to help you with the work. Your aunt has been urging me for days," Uncle Old Niu sighed. "Only two acres of sorghum left?"

"There's no need for help. I can finish it in another week or so," Sui Yu declined, smiling. "But thank your aunt for her kindness. However, if you come to help me instead of tending to your own fields, others might laugh at us."

Uncle Old Niu waved his hand. "Let them laugh. I'll give you a hand; you can't move these sorghum stalks alone."