Chapter 148: The Caravan Leaves

Chapter 148: The Caravan Leaves

A squad of ten soldiers entered, and the bodyguards and merchants were initially intimidated. However, reason could not withstand the lure of alcohol. Under the glow of the fire, they resumed their revelry. Some eager bodyguards even approached with wine jars to toast, goading the soldiers into a drinking contest.

The ten soldiers looked at Zhao Xiping. Seeing he did not object, they continued eating meat leisurely until they were half full, then drank another bowl of turbid wine, warming themselves from head to toe before stepping back into the cold wind, holding torches to patrol the city.

At the third watch of the night, roosters began to crow. More wood was added to the kitchen yard's bonfire, and the roasted lamb slowly reduced to bones. Drunken merchants supported each other, returning to their lodgings with the smell of alcohol permeating their bodies.

The more sober bodyguards stayed behind to help clean up the kitchen yard. Zhao Xiping lit two torches and said, "We have people cleaning here. Follow me to check on the lodgings. Make sure no one has drunk too much without covering themselves or fallen asleep on the ground; they might lose half their life to the cold."

The bodyguards followed him, saying, "Commander Zhao, you are so responsible. You can play hard and still take care of everything. Next year—no, it’s this year now—your business will surely thrive. These merchants will definitely stay here again when they come next time."

"That’s great. This year, I’ll earn some money and build more lodgings on the northern acres. Future New Years will be even more lively," Zhao Xiping replied.

Entering the lodgings, Gan Da was delivering hot water to the merchants. Seeing Zhao Xiping, he nervously clutched the tip given by a merchant.

Zhao Xiping pretended not to notice and instructed, "Be more vigilant. Ensure no one gets hurt, and prevent them from wandering around. Don’t enter their rooms unless called."

This was to prevent theft and protect his servants. If anything happened, they wouldn’t be blamed.

Gan Da cautiously responded and returned to the boiler room to continue heating water.

After checking each room, he reminded those still conscious to look after the drunk ones. If everyone in a room was drunk, Old Uncle Niu would need to wake up frequently to check on them.

Having settled the merchants, it was almost dawn. Zhao Xiping returned to the west kitchen. The smell of alcohol had dissipated, leaving only the rich aroma of roasted meat. The fire pits were filled in, and the stoves were relit.

There was still plenty of meat on the lamb bones. Zhao Da and Zhao Er split the bones with an axe, washed them twice with hot water, and placed them in earthen pots to stew. Three lamb skeletons could make three pots of lamb soup.

The younger ones were drowsy. With no beds or quilts, they lay on piles of dry grass in front of the stove, dozing off by the fire.

"Later, we’ll cook a pot of noodle soup with the lamb broth. We’ll eat and then return. No guests will come today, so we’ll close the door and sleep all day," Sui Yu yawned.

Zhao Er’s wife rubbed her stomach; she hadn’t stopped eating all night. She wasn’t hungry but felt thirsty. Drinking some lamb broth would warm her up.

"It’s lively here," Zhao Da’s wife commented. "We live far out in the village. It’s not worth the trouble to come to the city late at night. In past years, during the New Year, a few people from each family would gather around a fire, and once it went out, they’d sleep."

Sui Yu didn’t respond, yawning again and pretending to be tired.

Zhao Xiping also remained silent. On New Year’s Day, one doesn’t talk about the previous day. Whether to let the family from the old home visit this year would be decided later.

"Madam, do you want porridge? Shall I cook a pot of millet porridge?" Yin Po asked. "Lamb is quite hot, and after roasting all night, drinking more lamb broth might cause heatiness."

Sui Yu perked up and said, "Sure, I’m not very hungry, but I don’t want to go back with an empty stomach. I just want something warm."

Yin Po went to the warehouse to scoop rice, saying as she washed it, "I’ll cook it thin."

"Alright."

The dough was rolled and cut, and the millet porridge was cooked. Sui Yu served herself a bowl and said, "Serve yourself. Those who want lamb broth can wait."

People who rarely ate meat wouldn’t find it greasy. The Zhao family, young and old, lacked fat in their diets and wouldn’t touch the bland porridge with the lamb broth available. Only Sui Yu, Sui Liang, and Zhao Xiping’s siblings drank the porridge.

The lamb broth noodles were cooked, and Zhao Da’s wife and Zhao Er’s wife woke the five children. The older boys, being more mature, were fine, but the three younger ones, who hadn’t slept well, cried and refused to eat when woken.

"Just skip it. I’ll ask Yin Po to save half a pot of lamb broth for them to eat tonight," Sui Yu said.

"Stand up, no sleeping." Zhao Da’s wife pushed her youngest daughter up and told Sui Yu, "It’s not about missing a meal. When we go out, sleeping can lead to catching a chill. Wake them up, have them drink some broth, and walk back awake. They can sleep when we get home."

Sui Yu, annoyed by the crying, squatted down with a bowl and said, "Raising children is quite troublesome."

Zhao Da’s wife smiled and said, "Once they grow up, it’s easier. The eldest takes care of the second, the second takes care of the third. As long as they’re not hungry and have a place to sleep at night, they grow up quickly if they don’t get sick."

Sui Yu bit her chopstick and said nothing. Seeing Xiao Nuan still crying, she tried to coax her, "Stop crying. I’ll buy you candy when we get back to the city."

Xiao Nuan didn’t listen; candy didn’t work anymore.

In the end, Zhao Da carried his youngest daughter back to the city, the little girl crying and sleeping all the way.

Just as they took off their clothes smelling of wood smoke, Zhao Xiping came in with water. Sui Yu stretched and washed her face with the water.

Zhao Xiping also took off his clothes and shoes, came over to wash, and said, "After roasting all night, my skin feels dry."

Sui Yu made a sound, took off her shoes, and soaked her feet. When the water cooled, she dried her feet, jumped onto the bed, and slipped into the cold quilt, urging, "Come up and warm the bed."

But Zhao Xiping became restless as soon as he got under the covers. Lamb is a hot food, and his heart was racing.

"I’m so sleepy," Sui Yu bit his hand and closed her eyes, saying, "Don’t touch me, I’ll bite you to death..."

Her thoughts were already muddled.

The man took a deep breath, fiddled with himself for a while, moved to the edge of the bed, and tried to fall asleep.

When he woke up again, the room was dim, and it was quiet outside. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was day or night. Sui Yu turned over, and as she moved, the person behind her pressed closer. Memories of the night before flooded back, and she was already lying on the bed.

"Cold!" she shouted in a high-pitched voice.

Zhao Xiping pulled the quilt over her, but it covered the top but not the bottom, exposing her long, white legs in barely hanging underwear.

As things progressed, Sui Yu forgot about the cold. She gripped the bedpost and asked sideways, "Didn’t you sleep?"

"I did," Zhao Xiping replied briefly, leaning down to kiss her, then moving downward.

Time lost its meaning, and the duration blurred, like cicadas chirping through an entire summer.

When the sounds ceased, a tingling sensation spread through her body. Sui Yu held his sweat-soaked waist and fell into a deep sleep again.

When she woke up again, it was truly dark.

"Is my third sister-in-law still sleeping?"

Zhao Xiping pushed the door open and glanced inside. Seeing no movement on the bed, he closed the door again and said, "I'll reheat her meal when she wakes up. Go back to the backyard, don't loiter around here."

"Mother..." Zhao Xiaomi hesitated.

"I know."

Zhao Xiaomi then left.

Only then did Zhao Xiping push the door open again. He took an oil lamp in and out, the tiny flame gradually stretching to illuminate half the room.

"Still pretending to sleep? Are you hungry? I brought back two buns and a bowl of thick porridge."

Sui Yu chuckled, opened her eyes, and said, "How did you know?"

"Breathing, the breath of a sleeping person is different from that of an awake one." Zhao Xiping went out again.

Sui Yu lay there for a while longer, but seeing him not return, she got up and put on her padded jacket.

"It's dark, you don't need to get out of bed." Zhao Xiping brought in a basin of hot water and said, "Wash up, I'll reheat your meal."

Sui Yu put on his sheepskin trousers and quickly ran to the outhouse, then returned to wash up. Just as she sat down on the bed, the steaming porridge and buns were brought in.

Sui Yu sat at the edge of the bed eating, with Zhao Xiping keeping her company. After Sui Yu finished eating, the couple lay down together and fooled around.

Tossing and turning through the night, they woke up to find it was already bright outside.

Sui Yu's face was rosy, and her mood was good. She tidied up, humming a tuneless song as she followed Zhao Xiping to the inn.

"Lao San, the weather is nice today, let's go take a walk around your fields," Zhao's father said.

Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "I might have official duties any day now. Let's use this quiet day to talk about Xiaomi's situation?"

The family gathered in the warehouse, where Sui Liang led the children away and considerately closed the door.

"Xiaomi told me she plans to stay here and get married, and asked me to find her a good husband," Zhao Xiping came straight to the point, asking directly, "Father, Mother, what do you think?"

The room fell silent, everyone looking at Zhao's parents, who in turn looked at Zhao Xiaomi and Zhao Xiping.

"That's fine. The older brothers can look after each other back home, and you two staying here will also be a help," Zhao's father said. "Xiaomi has been with you for a couple of years, her heart has grown wild, and she doesn't want to go back with us. So, let her stay if that's what she wants."

Zhao Xiaomi hung her head, saying nothing. She felt a mix of shame and anger. Hearing these words from her own father, it was almost as if he was saying she looked down on people from their hometown. Even though she got her wish, she couldn't feel happy about it.

"Do you have any requirements?" Zhao Xiping asked.

Zhao's father waved his hand, irritated, and said, "Don't ask us, ask her. She's the one making the decisions."

Zhao Xiping frowned, unwilling to speak to him further. He turned to Zhao's mother and said, "Mother, what do you think?"

"Find someone from an ordinary family. Apart from you, we're all farmers. Find someone from a similar background, so Xiaomi won't be looked down upon. With you here to support her, she won't be bullied," Zhao's mother looked at Zhao Xiaomi and said, "This decision must follow my advice, not your whims."

Zhao Xiaomi nodded and said, "As long as the man is hardworking, whether the family is poor or rich doesn't matter. But I do have one requirement: his parents shouldn't be chronically ill, at least they should be able to help with the children."

These conditions were not too demanding, and Zhao Xiping nodded in agreement, saying, "I'll keep an eye out. When I find someone suitable, if Xiaomi agrees, I'll bring him back."

Zhao's mother and father had no objections.

Seeing the matter settled, Zhao's second sister-in-law rubbed her hands together, smiling, and asked Sui Yu, "Sister-in-law, do you need any help? What do you think of me?"

Before Sui Yu could respond, Zhao's second brother cut in, "Aren't you going back? Who will take care of the children? Spring is coming, and farming will be busy. How can you stay here to work as a helper?"

Zhao's second sister-in-law shot him a glare and said, "Let our parents take more responsibility. We can come over during the off-season to earn some money."

"I'll come with your brother too," Zhao's first sister-in-law wouldn't let them have the upper hand. In the countryside, there was no such thing as an off-season. Seeds needed watering, sprouts needed weeding, crops needed protection from birds, and the land needed fertilizing. If the second couple left, the first couple would be stuck at home taking care of the old and young. It was a bold idea.

"Everyone go back," Zhao's father scowled, scolding, "Have your hearts grown wild? After a few days of meat, you've forgotten the taste of grain? If you abandon the land, you'll starve to death."

Zhao's second sister-in-law was still afraid of her father-in-law. Though she hated it, she didn't dare argue.

Throughout the conversation, Zhao Xiping and Sui Yu remained silent.

"When are these caravans likely to leave?" Zhao's father asked.

"Probably at the end of the month, or early next month. It's around that time," Zhao Xiping pondered and asked, "Do you plan to leave with them?"

Zhao's father grunted, "I'm still thinking about home. Your uncle's camels are needed, so I need to return them soon. By the way, I see you have many camels here. I'll take one, so I don't have to borrow others every time."

Zhao Xiping was silent, looking at Sui Yu.

"The camels are well-trained. Taking one halfway back might make it disobedient," Sui Yu spoke up, leaning forward. "Here's what I suggest: I'll give you three hundred coins. Use the money to buy a young camel locally, raise it from a young age, and it will only listen to you."

Zhao's mother, unaware of her plan, thought it was unnecessary to spend more money since Sui Yu had plenty of camels. She said, "Don't you have a young camel here? We can take this one."

Sui Yu shook her head, "I promised not to let them suffer."

"Who? To whom did you promise?" Zhao's mother looked at her with a complex expression. "You mean the camel?"

Sui Yu nodded.

Zhao's mother looked at her as if she were crazy, treating an animal like a human. She felt uncomfortable hearing this, as if a swarm of bees was buzzing in her chest. She had to go chop some wood to feel better.

...

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Xiping received his annual salary, which amounted to a thousand coins. In those twenty days, the inn's food revenue alone reached eleven hundred coins. After deducting the costs of rice, flour, oil, and salt, Sui Yu made seven hundred coins. Adding the accommodation fees and his salary, she had a total of two thousand four hundred and seventy coins.

When the eleven members of the Zhao family left with the caravan, Sui Yu gave Zhao Xiping three hundred coins, which he then gave to his father.

"Uncle, can we come over for the New Year this year?" Zhao Dalang asked.

"We'll see at the end of the year," Zhao Xiping replied vaguely.