Chapter 150: Camel Business

Chapter 150: Camel Business

The Song family's prosperity began with the grandfather of Song Xian, who traded horses between the Huns and the Han during times of war. By the time it came to her father's generation, the Huns had been driven away, and the court was raising military horses on the grasslands of Northwest. The Song family's horse trading business plummeted, and the horses they raised could not be sold. Later, problems arose with the grasslands, and many of their horses fell ill or died. By the time it reached Song Xian's generation, the business had completely declined. After taking charge, she almost entirely sold off the horses, bought camels, and brought in a man to support the household, gradually becoming more low-key over the years.

"As a woman, I am not as strong as a man, and with Ancheng unable to help me in business, I had no choice but to give up the idea of capturing camels in the desert. Ten years ago, I bought fifty camels, and over the years, the female camels have given birth, and the young camels have grown, forming quite a herd," Song Xian said slowly. "Ten years is a long time; my father's acquaintances have either passed away or aged, and they can neither speak for me nor offer any help. The traders in Eastern City have long been replaced by new faces. Now that I want to get into the camel business, I can't even get a foot in the door."

Sui Yu understood the gist of it and nodded, signaling her to continue.

"So I thought of relying on Sister Yu's assistance. The guesthouse in the northern part of the city is never short of business, and travelers coming and going cannot do without camels for transportation. I want to connect with these people and sell them the camels I have trained." Song Xian leaned forward, speaking sincerely, "As a woman, my ancestors' reputation has long been forgotten. If I approach the travelers directly, they won't trust me. It would be better if Sister Yu acts as an intermediary for me, and for every deal made, I will give you ten percent of the profit."

Sui Yu's mind raced. She pondered that what Song Xian was really asking for was a guarantee. Song Xian had no reputation in the camel trade, and the travelers wouldn't trust her, but the guesthouse in the north was a fixed establishment. If there were any issues with the camels, the travelers could come to the guesthouse for redress.

Song Xian did not urge her. She poured water from the teapot into Sui Yu's cup and took a sip herself to moisten her throat.

"If I agree, I will be making enemies," Sui Yu said, twirling the warm cup in her hand. "Taking customers from camel traders, even if Zhao Xiping is a thousand-household official, he can't stop people from causing trouble openly or secretly."

"For each camel sold, I'll give you fifty coins," Song Xian said, reluctantly offering a share of the profits.

"Do you know Old Wan? His younger uncle seems to be called Wan Xingshan?" Sui Yu looked at Zhao Xiping and asked, "Is that his name?"

"Yes, I know both of them," Song Xian replied. "Does Sister Yu also know them?"

"I've dealt with them before," Sui Yu said, somewhat hesitant, then asked, "How many camels do you have? I can introduce you to some buyers."

Song Xian shook her head without hesitation, saying, "I'm not just looking to sell camels for money. My main goal is to establish a foothold and build a reputation, securing a steady customer base for the long term." She pointed to her son sitting beside her and continued, "In another five or six years, Song Congzu will be able to take over the family business. I want to pave the way for him first."

Sui Yu understood; Song Xian wanted to revive the family's former glory.

"How many camels do you have?" she asked.

"Three hundred and twenty-seven adult camels, and about seventy others of various sizes. In another two or three months, the female camels will give birth again," Song Xian explained.

Sui Yu was impressed. "Quite a large and prosperous family."

Song Xian smiled proudly.

Sui Yu was inclined to agree. On one hand, she wanted to form a connection with this person. Song Xian was ambitious, stable, and had a long-term vision and strategy. Such a capable woman would bring more benefits than drawbacks to form a friendship with. On the other hand, she wanted to earn money. Selling dozens or even a hundred camels would allow her to buy back a dozen or so, giving her own camel caravan a good start.

"Can I give you an answer tomorrow? I'll come back, and you can show me your herd of camels," Sui Yu said.

Song Xian readily agreed.

After finishing their meal and as night deepened, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping left the Song residence.

"Has Huang Ancheng mentioned anything to you?" Sui Yu asked.

"No, he seemed quite shocked, probably unaware of his wife's plans," Zhao Xiping sighed, adding, "It seems that being a son-in-law isn't easy."

"You didn't know about his situation?" Sui Yu was surprised.

Zhao Xiping shook his head. He truly didn't know much. They had only met on the battlefield, and after the war, they had barely kept in touch, only greeting each other when he left the city.

"Had it not been for your stall selling buns at the West City Gate, we might hardly have spoken a word in a year," Zhao Xiping said.

The street was already deserted, and their footsteps and conversation drew the barking of dogs. Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping suppressed their conversation and quickened their pace.

They knocked on the door, and Sui Liang came to open it.

"Have you eaten dinner?" Sui Yu asked.

"Yes, we cooked two bowls of soup noodles," Sui Liang said, following them inside. "Where did you go?"

"Someone invited us for dinner," Sui Yu said, pushing the door open. "We're going to sleep now. You should go to bed too."

"There's hot water in the earthen pot, still warm," Sui Liang reminded them.

Zhao Xiping took a basin to fetch water and noticed embers in the stove. He brought the water inside and said, "Sui Liang must have been keeping the water boiling, the fire in the stove hasn't gone out yet."

"My brother is always considerate; he's a meticulous child," Sui Yu said happily.

Zhao Xiping agreed; Sui Liang was selfless towards Sui Yu.

"What do you think about tonight's events?" Sui Yu knew that if she cooperated with Song Xian, she would eventually be involved in the competition among camel traders like Wan Xingshan, and ultimately, she would need Zhao Xiping's support.

Zhao Xiping chuckled. He knew her well enough; her interest was evident since she hadn't refused tonight. Did his opinion matter?

He splashed water in the courtyard, placed the wooden basin against the wall, and entered the house, closing the door and sitting on the bed. "I think this money won't be easy to earn. The traders are old customers of the camel traders. Even if the quality and price of the camels are similar, they prefer to buy from familiar faces."

"Given what you said, I'm less worried. I was concerned that if all the traders bought camels from us, we would offend all the camel traders in the city," Sui Yu laughed. "I was also worried they might cause trouble for our guesthouse, which would be counterproductive."

"Do you think buying camels is like buying eggs? Camel traders need a good reputation. If it were as easy as selling buns, she wouldn't need your help," Zhao Xiping tapped her lightly, saying, "You can try; it's a risk-free deal anyway."

The next day, Sui Yu went alone to Song Xian's residence in Dinghu Lane. Huang Ancheng was on duty, and Song Xian was home alone.

After exchanging pleasantries, Song Xian led Sui Yu out. They mounted camels and left through the West City Gate, heading southwest. Near Yang Guan, Sui Yu saw a herd of camels moving in the desert.

"The traders travel west into the desert, where the camels find food and water. I keep them in the desert, so although they haven't traveled far, they are familiar with the environment. When the traders buy them, they won't be a burden," Song Xian explained as she led Sui Yu into the herd. "Don't worry; the male camels in heat are tied up and won't hurt anyone."

Sui Yu noticed that there were many people guarding the camels, and it must have been challenging to manage a herd of three or four hundred camels.

Riding around the desert, seeing the strong, gentle, yet alert camels, Sui Yu put aside her concerns and agreed to cooperate with Song Xian.

"Besides our family's guesthouse and the reputation of Thousand-Household Zhao, we don't have much of an advantage compared to other camel traders," Sui Yu began planning for the future business. Climbing a sand dune and looking at the moving herd, she asked, "If a camel gets sick, do you have a veterinarian here to treat them?"

Song Xian nodded.

"Why don't we promise the traders that for any camel they buy from us, we will provide free veterinary care whenever they pass through Dunhuang," Sui Yu suggested, looking at Song Xian. "My family also raises camels, and with proper care, they rarely get sick. If they do, it's usually minor illnesses like hoof rot, eye infections, or skin sores, which shouldn't cost much to treat."

Song Xian agreed.

Descending from the sand dunes, the two mounted their camels and returned to the city. After settling some matters in the city, Sui Yu returned to the inn in the northern part of the city.

In the afternoon, Sui Yu went back into the city to find Song Xian, borrowing a servant skilled in castration from her. She had all five of the little black boars castrated.

Two days later, the five little boars were still lively and active, putting Sui Yu at ease. She then asked Zhao Xiping to hire people to build mud beds.

On the second day of the second month, twenty soldiers came to break ground, digging soil and mixing it with straw shreds from under the hay stacks. Once the mud was ready, they began constructing the beds.

The weather in February was still cold, and ice would form at night. To prevent the newly built mud beds from cracking due to the cold, Sui Yu instructed Gan Da, Gan Er, and Uncle Niu to light fire basins after dark. They raised the temperature inside the room, closed the doors and windows, added more wood at midnight, and removed the fire basins when the sun came up.

Ten days later, the mud beds in the three-section inn were completed. Sui Yu paid the twenty soldiers eight hundred coins for their work and used the remaining money to buy five bolts of coarse cloth from a fabric shop.

Now she had very little money left.

While Yin Po, along with two female helpers and two official slaves, cut and sewed the bed covers, Sui Yu took Sui Liang and Zhao Xiaomi out of the city to hunt. Occasionally, when Zhao Xiping had free time, he would join them. The four of them would exchange their game for reed flowers and cattail fluff on the street.

After half a month of hard work, the new mattresses were plump and ready. They were aired in the sun before being laid on the mud beds.

At the beginning of March, the tinkling of camel bells echoed through the streets of Dunhuang once again.

Sui Yu's spirits lifted; business was coming in.