Chapter 146 Paying Debts

Chapter 146 Paying Debts

There were plenty of radishes, and someone knew how to pickle them. Sui Yu bought three large water barrels and asked her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to help her pickle three barrels of sour radishes.

The newly bought small radishes were sweet and fresh, perfect for pickling without turning bitter, making them ideal for cold noodle dishes next summer.

"It's about to snow; you can't pickle sour vegetables now," Zhao's mother, who was skilled in her old trade, firmly said, "Autumn is the best time for pickling. It won't work now; they'll freeze before they turn sour."

"The pickling barrels will be kept in the warehouse; they won't freeze," Sui Yu insisted. "If not, I'll put them in the guesthouse boiler room where it's warm all day and night. They definitely won't freeze."

Zhao's mother had no choice but to agree. They used hot water to wash the radishes, but once out of the water, they cooled quickly, freezing the hands that touched them until they turned red and stiff.

"Trying to get a meal from you is such a hassle," Zhao's mother grumbled.

Sui Yu wasn't upset; after all, she was getting what she wanted.

"You watch me do this, and you can pickle your own next year," Zhao's mother said. "You don't seem like a fool. How many times have I shown you? Haven't you thought about it?"

Of course, she had thought about it. When the pickled vegetables ran out, she would add more radishes and leaves, but either the broth would turn sour or lose its flavor. Sui Yu had spent considerable effort on this.

"I've tried pickling, but your son says mine isn't as tasty as yours," Sui Yu said.

Zhao's mother didn't believe it, skeptical: "He dared say that? He acts like a well-behaved grandson in front of you."

Sui Yu almost choked on her saliva, coughing repeatedly until her face turned red.

"We've bought pickled vegetables from many places, but he really thinks none are as good as yours," Sui Yu explained. "Each family has their unique taste, and he's accustomed to yours."

"We should have listened to you and brought those two jars of pickled vegetables with us," Zhao's mother looked at her eldest daughter-in-law and said, "You said the third son doesn't need those pickles. Listen to him; he only likes mine."

Zhao's eldest sister-in-law felt embarrassed, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we should have listened to you. You should pickle more barrels for the third son."

Zhao's mother had no complaints then. She called her two daughters-in-law every day to wash, cut, and pickle the radishes, checking several times a day to prevent them from freezing. If the boiler room wasn't warm enough, she would send Gan Da and Gan Er to stoke the fire.

Snow began to fall heavily, and the weather grew colder. Merchants stayed indoors all day, while the guards occasionally went hunting. Zhao Xiping couldn't avoid his duties, riding around the city from morning till night, patrolling village by village.

For him, Sui Yu prepared a pot of ginger soup daily and bought herbs from the Hu merchants to keep him warm and healthy. When Zhao Xiping returned from patrol, he could drink two bowls of the sweating-inducing soup, soak his feet, and sit by the stove to warm up.

Thanks to him, guests staying at the guesthouse could also ask for a bowl of ginger soup if they felt cold. The guards hunting outside would drink a bowl of spicy hot ginger water before and after their outings.

Days passed quickly under the blanket of snow, the world white and indistinguishable between day and night. One could easily confuse morning with noon, and after a nap, it might already be dinner time.

In a blink, the last month of the lunar year arrived, ushering in the new year.

Zhao Xiping finally had some free time, no longer needing to patrol outside the city. He stayed at the guesthouse in the northern part of town. Sometimes his parents and siblings found it too cold to leave their home in the city, leaving only Sui Yu, Sui Liang, and him at the guesthouse.

One evening, long before dark, they had an early dinner. After eating, Zhao Xiping led Sui Yu and Sui Liang back home, finding a frozen gray rabbit along the way.

"Good omen for wealth next year," Sui Yu weighed the rabbit and said, "It's heavy, a good sign."

"Tomorrow we'll settle the wages," Zhao Xiping remembered.

Sui Yu looked at Sui Liang and said, "Liang, tomorrow you come with us. Bring another money box and give each person fifty extra coins. You're responsible for this."

"Why?" Zhao Xiping was puzzled, "You never mentioned this before. Why suddenly fifty extra coins?"

"Owing wages isn't good. People talk behind your back, affecting your reputation. With the New Year approaching, I thought giving fifty extra coins would show your goodwill and apology. Those receiving it will be happy, and others won't complain," Sui Yu looked at him, seeking his opinion: "What do you think? Other commanders won't think much of it since you have a valid reason."

Zhao Xiping hadn't considered these aspects, limited by his perspective.

"You're better suited for officialdom," he sighed, "If you were a man, you'd be stronger than me."

Sui Yu laughed. She didn't have that ability, not even in her previous life, where she lived an ordinary life, going through school and working a routine job.

"I'll follow your advice," Zhao Xiping put his arm around her shoulder and gestured to Sui Liang, "You two are siblings. The sister is smart, and the brother can't be dumb. Learn from your sister."

Sui Liang nodded earnestly, "I'm practicing archery. Next time there's a war, I'll fight on the battlefield."

Zhao Xiping: ...

He looked at Sui Yu, who showed no reaction. The future was uncertain, and in this era, one couldn't become an official through education. Sui Liang might follow her or his path, either in business or military service.

Returning home, they found the night had fallen.

Upon entering, Sui Yu sensed something was off. She motioned Zhao Xiping to check, while she took Sui Liang to the kitchen to boil water and skin the rabbit.

After cutting off the rabbit's head, Sui Yu realized Cat Official lived at the guesthouse.

"Bring it to Cat Official tomorrow," Sui Liang took the head, "I'll take it tomorrow."

"What are you bringing?" Zhao Xiping approached.

"What happened?" Sui Yu asked.

"It's about Xiaomi. They talked about her marriage today, and she refused, leading to an argument," Zhao Xiping took over skinning the rabbit, "The water in the clay pot is steaming. Go wash your faces first."

As he spoke, hurried footsteps approached, and someone burst into the room. The three inside looked at her.

"Someone is chasing you?" Zhao Xiping asked.

Zhao Xiaomi choked, closing the door, "I need to talk to my third sister-in-law."

"Then talk to me. She can't make decisions for you," Zhao Xiping wouldn't let Sui Yu handle this, to avoid his parents blaming her again.

Zhao Xiaomi gritted her teeth, leaning against the door, "I've decided. I don't want to go back. I want to marry a man living in Dunhuang. I don't care about his abilities, as long as he's hardworking." She cautiously observed her brother and sister-in-law, whispering, "I want to do grain business, storing and selling grains to merchants staying at the guesthouse."

Sui Yu thought it was feasible. As long as Zhao Xiaomi had a plan, everything would be easier.

Zhao Xiping didn't express an opinion, asking, "Have you chosen someone?"

Zhao Xiaomi hurriedly shook her head, her face blushing as she said, "I still need you to help me find a reliable person."

"After the New Year, I'll talk to my parents. For now, let's not argue and have a good New Year," Zhao Xiping agreed.

Zhao Xiaomi jumped up in joy, leaving with a face full of happiness despite arriving with a gloomy expression.

Zhao Xiping hung the rabbit skin outside, salted the meat, and rubbed his hands with grass ash before following Sui Yu into the house.

The couple discussed Zhao Xiaomi's situation for a bit longer before retiring for the night.

...

The next day, after breakfast, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping led out their camels, tying four boxes of money onto the camel's back. The couple, along with Sui Liang, set off through the snow towards the city.

The air in the military settlement was filled with the aroma of fried meat and steamed buns. Zhao Xiping didn't know which households the workers lived in, so he first gathered several hundred-householders who then led him to knock on doors.

"Tomorrow is the last day of the year. Didn't you say that Zhao the Hundred-Householder would come to settle wages by the end of the year? Where is he?" In a small courtyard deep within the military settlement, a woman looked worried.

"He doesn't seem like the type to renege on his debts," the man said, sitting dejectedly by the stove.

"Go ask him for the money; we can barely make ends meet," the woman urged.

The man remained seated, seemingly ignoring her.

The woman threw down the spatula in her hand and cursed, "Never seen such a shameless person..."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of knocking on the door startled the couple, unsure if it was their door or their neighbor's.

"Wang Shuanzi, open the door. Zhao the Hundred-Householder has come to deliver your wages."

The couple, previously frowning, immediately opened the door with smiles. Wang Shuanzi lived next door, and when they opened the door, they saw two strong camels, the wooden boxes rattling with coins.

"This is Song Quanxi," the hundred-householder introducing him said.

Zhao Xiping recognized him and handed over a string of coins, saying, "Fifty-six days, four coins per day. Here are two hundred and twenty-four coins. Please count them."

"No need to count; you wouldn't deceive us." Song Quanxi passed the string of coins to his wife and said, "Hundred-Householder, please come in and have some steamed buns while they're hot."

"I've already eaten breakfast, so I'm not hungry," Zhao Xiping glanced inside and explained, "We only managed to gather the money these past two days, delaying your New Year preparations."

"No, no..." Song Quanxi looked embarrassed, fearing their earlier conversation had been heard.

"Uncle, please take these fifty coins." Sui Liang handed the counted coins to Wang Shuanzi, then walked over to give another string to Song Quanxi, saying, "Thank you for building our house and understanding our difficulties. This fifty coins is for your children to buy some sweets for the New Year."

"This, this..." Song Quanxi held the coins as if they were burning hot, unsure what to do.

"Just take it," Zhao Xiping led the camels away, saying, "You're busy, and we need to go to the next house."

"It's for the children to buy sweets," Sui Yu added as she followed behind.

Song Quanxi's wife, feeling ashamed, ran into the house with the string of coins, grabbed three steamed buns, and thrust them at Sui Yu, stammering, "E-eat a bun, t-they're still warm."

Sui Yu accepted them but didn't eat them, continuing on to the next house.

...

Though fifty coins were not much, everyone who received them smiled happily, even pleasantly surprised.

From morning until noon, they delivered wages to thirty-four people. The boxes of coins were empty, but filled instead with steamed buns, fried dough leaves, and other treats.

"There are still over three hundred coins left," Sui Yu patted the box, which contained all their savings. Though not much, having settled their debts made her feel relieved.

"Let's buy a fat sheep," Zhao Xiping suddenly suggested, "We'll roast mutton tomorrow night and have a hearty New Year."

Sui Yu had no objections, not dampening the mood in the slightest. She walked towards Eastern City, saying, "Use up the money; I can always earn more."

"Madam Yu is truly generous," Zhao Xiping teased with a smile.