Chapter 159: Happy New Year

Chapter 159: Happy New Year

Before the heat rose, Sui Yu went to the market to buy five pounds of pork and walked alone to the inn in the northern part of the city. The wilderness was barren, with no trees or houses, and under the scorching sun, if the wind ever stopped, walking on the plain felt like being trapped in an endless steamer.

After a long walk to the inn, Sui Yu was drenched in sweat. She first scooped water to wash her hands and face upon entering the room.

"Madam, we'll take care of the meal preparations. You sit outside and enjoy the breeze; the kitchen is stifling and hot, you wouldn't be comfortable inside." Yin Po took the meat, and Sui Yu had always been kind to her and her son, so she treated this mistress with great care.

Sui Yu nodded and said, "That's fine. If there's anything uncertain, come ask me."

Yin Po entered the kitchen and soon brought out a plate of boiled peas soaked in cold water for Sui Yu to eat.

"A'shui!" A'shui ran in like a little wild child, "You haven't been here for so long, I missed you."

Sui Yu fed her a pea and smiled, asking, "Who taught you that? How sweet your mouth is?"

"A'shui is telling the truth," A'shui said with a smile, gently touching Sui Yu's belly and then dramatically pulling her hand away, "Your belly is big."

Sui Yu nodded lightly, "What have you been up to all day?"

"Chasing bugs with my brother to feed the chickens." A'shui stared earnestly at Sui Yu's belly, gnawing on her finger, her eyes darting around. When Sui Yu wasn't paying attention, she gently touched it again, as if bitten, quickly retracting her hand.

Sui Yu let her look, leaning back in her chair and eating peas, her gaze drifting to the door. Suddenly, the figure of Cat Official appeared. It stretched its long legs to scratch its head, turned around, saw someone sitting under the eaves, immediately stopped scratching, and meowed loudly before running into the kitchen.

"Cat Official, did you miss me too?" Sui Yu bent down to pet the cat, but ended up with a handful of cat hair. She flicked the cat's head in annoyance, saying, "Go find Brother Liang, let him brush your fur with the camel brush."

Cat Official, not understanding a word, raised its tail and rubbed against Sui Yu's leg, causing cat hair to fly everywhere. It left after a pat and lay down next to the water jar, cooling off on the damp ground, licking its fur.

The aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen. A'shui sniffed and ran into the kitchen, coming out with a full mouth.

"What did you eat?" Sui Yu asked.

"Braised meat," A'shui giggled, "Aunt Yin fed me."

"Go get a comb, I'll help you comb your hair and tie two pigtails."

A'shui darted off. Her skin, fair like Tong Huaer's, couldn't withstand the daily sun exposure, turning her as dark as a donkey dung ball.

"Sister," Sui Liang strode in, setting down his bow and arrows and holding three birds. He proudly walked over to Sui Yu, showing off, and asked, "Do you want to eat bird meat?"

Sui Yu played along, saying, "Yes, I've been craving bird meat, but it's a pity your brother-in-law isn't home."

"I'm home, wait, I'll go boil water to scald the feathers." Sui Liang ran into the kitchen, "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang, boil a pot of water for me, I need to scald the feathers."

A'shui came back with a red ribbon and a wooden comb, sat down by Sui Yu's legs, and leaned over for help with her hair.

"Who usually braids your hair? Your father?"

"I do it myself, sometimes the aunts braid my pigtails."

Sui Yu tied two small three-strand braids on either side with the red ribbon, smoothed out her bangs, and said, "There, now you look neat."

A'shui took the comb but didn't leave. She turned and gently held Sui Yu's belly, her eyes clear, and asked, "Do babies grow inside the belly?"

"Yes."

"When I grow up, will babies grow in my belly too?" A'shui patted her own belly, muttering, "My belly is getting bigger... Ah! I know, there's a baby in my belly, and when I grow up, he'll grow up too."

Sui Yu laughed heartily, explaining, "There's no baby in your belly. Kids' bellies are naturally big, they get smaller as they grow taller. You'll have a baby only after you get married."

A'shui nodded half-understandingly, then asked cautiously, "Was I also born from my mother's belly?"

"Of course, just like camels give birth to calves, humans are born from their mothers' wombs," Sui Liang interjected, beckoning A'shui, "Stop talking nonsense, come help me pluck the feathers."

Distracted, A'shui forgot her previous question, dropped the comb, and ran over to pluck the feathers, mumbling random childish words.

"Madam, we don't have garlic cloves, how can we mix the cold noodles?" Yin Po wiped her sweat and came out.

Sui Yu remembered her soybean paste and asked Yin Po to bring out the jar. It was hot, and she wondered if the paste had gone bad.

Yin Po tasted a bit with chopsticks and said, "It should be fine."

Sui Yu also tasted it. After fermentation, the fragrance of Sichuan pepper and fermented black beans became even more intense, especially the Sichuan pepper, which transformed from a pungent smell to a rich aroma without masking the bean scent of the soybean paste.

"Mix this with the cold noodles. Drain the noodles, mix them with pickled radish strips and bean sprouts, and finally pour this sauce over and stir well," Sui Yu said, "Bring out a plate first for me to taste."

"Sure thing."

Sui Yu savored the lingering flavor of the soybean paste, thinking that if the cold noodles were good, she could start making more soybean paste, selling it to returning merchants in the fall. And since it didn't require lard, there was no worry about the fat solidifying and turning white in cooler weather, allowing the cold noodles to stay fresh longer.

"The cold noodles are ready." Yin Po brought out a plate of noodles, saying, "Try it first. If the pickled radish isn't enough, I'll cut more."

Sui Yu took a bite, and Sui Liang and A'shui came over to try as well. The pickled radish balanced the sticky texture of the soybean paste, and the finely chopped fermented black beans added a rich flavor that melted in the mouth. The crunch of the pickled radish and bean sprouts in the mouth, followed by a refreshing and cool sensation, was truly delightful.

"Yin Po, make another plate for me," Sui Liang rushed into the kitchen.

"And me, and me," A'shui chimed in.

When Old Wan entered with eight guests, he saw them sitting side by side under the eaves, already eating. He teased, "Being the innkeeper sure is comfortable, you can eat whenever you want."

"We made a new dish, trying it out for you," Sui Yu stood up and said, "There's water in the vat, wash your hands yourselves. I'll have Yin Po serve nine plates of cold noodles to fill your stomachs and cool you down."

"Alright." Old Wan pointed outside, "We rode camels here, keep an eye on them."

Sui Liang immediately ran out to watch over them.

Seeing that Old Wan and his group seemed to have business to discuss, Sui Yu took A'shui and left, finding a shady spot in the inn to wait.

After eating their fill and with the weather still hot, Old Wan and his eight companions didn't want to brave the scorching sun to return to the city. They greeted Sui Yu and found a few rooms to sleep on the mud beds.

It wasn't until dusk that Old Wan and his companions left the inn, asking Yin Po to cook another bowl of cold noodles. Only after they were full did they prepare to leave.

"Manager Yu, I'll send someone over tomorrow to pick up the cold noodles. Are you still in the food business?" Old Wan asked.

"Just for you?" Sui Yu hesitated, "My place is far from the city, and I don't plan on doing small-scale food sales. If you want a set meal, I can arrange it."

"A few dozen people, thirty in total, two plates per person," Old Wan said.

"Or you could buy the sauce for the noodles from us," the man standing next to Old Wan suggested.

"Alright, I'll sell you the sauce," Sui Yu stood up, "A jar of noodle sauce as high as a palm, I'll sell it for seven coins. How many jars do you need?"

"Nine jars, one for each person," Old Wan said.

"Then I'll have someone deliver them to Eastern City tomorrow. I don't have enough jars here," Sui Yu said, "Pay when you receive the sauce."

"Deal." Old Wan whistled, and they rode their camels away.

Sui Yu and Sui Liang also went inside to eat. The siblings had cold noodles and bird meat that had been simmered over a low flame all afternoon, making it tender and flavorful.

"Lady, this is the 120 coins from Manager Wan," Yin Po handed over the money.

"You keep it, take it back later," Sui Yu's mind flashed with an idea, suddenly coming up with another way to make money.

In the following days, Sui Yu visited the inn in the northern part of the city every day. Old Wan bought half a barrel of soy sauce, and she continued to stir-fry Sichuan pepper and fermented black beans, grinding them and mixing them into the large soy sauce jars for further fermentation. These soy sauces were bought, but this year, their land would yield soybeans, so Sui Yu planned to brew three or four barrels herself.

On June 20th, Old Wan sent someone again to buy the noodle sauce, specifically requesting her pickled radish.

The next day, Sui Yu, along with Sui Liang and Yin Po, carried ten jars of soy sauce through the streets of the city, selling them door-to-door. Thanks to her previous trips, she knew which alleys and streets had food stalls and restaurants, and she went to promote her noodle sauce.

"Where are they? It's so hot, yet they're still at the inn?" Zhao Xiping returned on his camel, seeing the gate locked. He threw his bag over the wall and rode to the inn. Though he missed them, he got accurate information.

Leaving the camel at the inn, Zhao Xiping walked back into the city, where he encountered the three of them walking briskly. He quietly approached, passing Yin Po, and gently tapped Sui Yu on the shoulder.

Sui Yu turned around, seeing Yin Po trying to suppress a laugh. She sensed something was off and turned to see the smiling man.

"Who's back?" Sui Yu pretended not to recognize him.

"Guess who?" Zhao Xiping quickly glanced at her, noting her good complexion, rosy cheeks, and bright eyes—signs he recognized, indicating she had made money again.

Sui Yu flicked her fingers, saying, "You smell so sweaty, stay away from me."

Zhao Xiping: ...

"Let's go back," he stepped back, "You walk ahead, I don't want to stink up the wind."

The four returned home, and Zhao Xiping went to the kitchen to fetch water and wash in the bathhouse, scrubbing his hair and body clean before coming out.

"Where's Xiaomi?" Sui Yu asked.

"At home, she didn't come. Her wedding is set for the second day of the eighth month, and Mother wants her to stay there for a while. Closer to the wedding, my elder brother and second brother will bring her over," Zhao Xiping rinsed his mouth with water, "How have you been while I was away?"

"The bed is very spacious, and I sleep much cooler alone. It feels great."

Zhao Xiping paused, his face darkening.

"But..." Seeing his expression change, Sui Yu chuckled, "But without you, the food often goes to waste."

"Don't you have pigs and dogs? Why worry about leftovers?" Zhao Xiping sneered.

Sui Yu smiled at him, "Pigs and dogs can't sit beside me, and it's such a waste to throw away good food."

Zhao Xiping couldn't help but laugh.

Sui Yu burst out laughing.

"I have something to tell you," Sui Yu pointed to her belly, "Our little one is moving."

Zhao Xiping was stunned, then overjoyed, "Really? Let me feel."

Sui Yu led him inside, asking him to speak to her belly. When the baby moved, the man pressed his ear to her stomach, listening intently to the gurgling sounds inside.

This was the first time Zhao Xiping felt the presence of their child, and he was so excited he didn't know what to do. He looked up at Sui Yu, pointing to her belly, and said hoarsely, "I'm going to be a father."