Chapter 174: Innocent Fun

Chapter 174: Innocent Fun

While the foundation was being laid on the other side of the river, Sui Yu went into the city to order a signboard. Previously, there was only her inn in the northern part of the city, so she hadn't thought much about naming it or making a sign.

"What should I engrave?" the craftsman asked.

"Longgui Inn." Sui Yu took out a small wooden block and said, "I've already written it."

"You can write?" The craftsman rummaged through a pile of wood, pulled out a board, and said, "Since you can write, why don't you do it? Sketch the outline on the board, and I'll carve it according to your design."

Sui Yu rolled up her sleeves, picked up a piece of charcoal, and walked over, saying, "If I write the characters myself, can you reduce the labor cost?"

The craftsman had no objections; he walked to one side and continued hammering.

In Sui Yu's memory, the characters she knew how to write were taught by her aunt. She didn't know many, but after years of practice, they looked decent. She calculated the spacing, held the charcoal in her right hand, and with her left hand gripping her right wrist, she carefully wrote the four characters.

"I'm done." Sui Yu handed the board to the carpenter and asked, "Can it be painted? I want the characters on the signboard to be black."

"Yes, the cost of the characters will cover the paint. Come back in two days to pick it up."

Characters really were valuable; four characters were worth one coin.

Back at the inn, Sui Yu saw Sui Liang and walked over to ask, "Do you remember how to write the characters I taught you?"

"Yes, but I still can't write the character for 'zai' in 'xiaozai.'"

Sui Yu thought for a moment. Then she spent three days in the room, gathering all the characters she knew and writing them on a board for Sui Liang to practice.

Zhao Xiping saw this and asked Sui Yu to write another set for him.

"I'll practice first, and when Xiaozai grows up, I'll teach him," he excused himself.

"You're quite eager to learn," Sui Yu glanced at him.

"All for the child," Zhao Xiping said earnestly.

Sui Yu laughed, "I don't know many characters either, and some might be incomplete."

Zhao Xiping felt that was already quite a lot, at least he had never seen Sui Yu struggle with any character.

The next day, Sui Yu found another board and copied the characters she had written for Sui Liang.

When she handed it to Zhao Xiping, he looked through it and found this set to be more difficult.

"Just these? Any more?" he asked.

"No more." As she spoke, Sui Yu realized something and remembered the characters she had written while keeping accounts. "You mean the characters I wrote in the accounts? Those are just my own scribbles, as long as I can understand them."

Zhao Xiping fell silent. He had learned many of her self-created characters?

Seeing his expression, Sui Yu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The man sighed inwardly and thought, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll buy a couple of bamboo scrolls."

"Whatever you like." Sui Yu took off her shoes and lay down on the bed, looking at the light patterns on the wall. Suddenly, she thought that if they left the pass, wouldn't they face language and script barriers?

"Hey, when you were on the road to Wusun, how did you communicate with the locals? People outside the pass don't speak Han, right?" Sui Yu turned to ask.

"No, but there are locals who can speak Han." Zhao Xiping put down the board and lay down beside her. "Shh, let's not talk about such discouraging things."

Taking advantage of Sui Liang taking Xiaozai away, Zhao Xiping pulled the quilt over them, and the couple engaged in a private session under the covers.

Their rapid breathing gradually calmed, and footsteps sounded outside the door. Zhao Xiping quickly got out of bed, grabbed his clothes, and dressed. With a child, their intimate moments felt like stealing.

"Sister? Are you asleep? Xiaozai is hungry."

"Take him to your room first; your sister is sleeping," Zhao Xiping said.

"But what about Xiaozai being hungry?"

Before he could finish, Zhao Mingguang started crying. Hearing the door open, he stopped.

Sui Liang chuckled, "Look, he knows how to call for attention."

Zhao Xiping took the baby and said to Sui Liang, "It's late, go back to your room and sleep."

"Alright."

Zhao Xiping carried Xiaozai back inside. Sui Yu had already put on a jacket and was sitting up. She took the baby and said, "Go get me some water."

Zhao Xiping went out, and the kitchen lights were still on. A group of over fifty merchants had arrived just before dusk, leaving behind two bright red carnelian stones, asking the cook to prepare chicken and mutton for them.

When Zhao Xiping arrived, the food had just been served. The merchants sat in the courtyard, eating meat and drinking wine, speaking with a foreign accent. If it weren't for their Han appearance, one might think they were from beyond the pass.

"Sir, there are steamed lamb buns in the pot. Would you and your wife like some?" Yin Po asked.

Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "Give me a plate; I'll take it back."

"Ah, the sheep we bought today wasn't big, but the meat is tender, and the buns are delicious." Yin Po placed four buns on a plate and said, "I'll have Sui Liang eat a couple too, but he doesn't like the scallions I put in, so he refuses to eat them. They're so good."

"Leave two for him; fry them tomorrow morning and then give them to him. He likes the crispy ones," Zhao Xiping said, holding a basin of hot water and a plate. "After these people finish eating, close the door and go to sleep. Clean up in the morning."

"Alright," Yin Po replied.

Back in the main courtyard, Zhao Xiping called out, "Sui Liang, do you want to eat the lamb buns? I brought them over."

"Not hungry, I'm already asleep."

Zhao Xiping went straight back to the room. Xiaozai was still nursing. He put down the basin of hot water, washed his hands, and took a lamb bun in one hand, feeding one to Sui Yu and eating the other himself.

After the little one had his fill, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping were also full. Sui Yu held the child upright and asked, "Are those merchants still eating?"

"Yes, when I went over, they had just started serving the dishes." Zhao Xiping washed his hands and took the child, saying, "I'll soothe him; you tidy up."

"While they were unloading today, I saw ivory in one of the boxes," Sui Yu whispered.

"What's ivory?" Zhao Xiping had never heard of it, let alone seen it. He warned, "Stay away from these people. They've probably roamed beyond the border for years, with a strong bandit air. They're all very cautious, and they must have killed many people."

Sui Yu had noticed that too. These people could no longer be called merchants. With treasures in their possession, they viewed everyone as a thief. It was normal for them to speak calmly one moment and draw their knives to kill the next.

When the kitchen quieted down, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping also cuddled with the child to rest.

The next day, the sound of digging across the river woke them up. Zhao Xiping left the inn early to return to the city for training. After he left, Sui Liang came over to take the child, and Sui Yu slept a bit more before getting up.

As the weather warmed in April, Sui Yu washed her face by the river in the morning. She squatted by the river, watching the people digging foundations on the opposite bank. The slaves who started working before dawn were already there, and now the paid soldiers were arriving.

It wasn't until mid-morning that Hu Officer's brother-in-law slowly showed up.

Sui Yu was practicing archery with Xiao Chunhong when she heard an argument. She slung her bow and ran over to see what was happening.

"The work hasn't even been ten days, and he's already withholding wages. These soldiers are demanding payment," Zhang Auntie said excitedly, beating a bedsheet while talking. "I heard that construction here is paid daily, and they want Mr. Cui to do the same."

Hu Officer's brother-in-law glared at them and stormed off, his face dark with anger.

Sui Yu waited until he was far away and called out, "Hey, what did he say? Is he going to pay you?"

"He went to get the money," a soldier shouted back. "My cousin's brother-in-law works as a bouncer in a gambling den. I heard that Mr. Cui took the money his brother-in-law gave him and lent it out for interest, which is why he's withholding our wages. I'll quit after twenty days or so, so I don't end up without pay."

Sui Yu: ...

What a way to make money!

"Madam, do you think the inn across the river will be built?" Zhang Auntie asked.

Sui Yu nodded, "It will be built. Mr. Cui has taken the money, and he needs to show his brother-in-law the house."

"That's true. If they can't hire workers, they still have slaves," Zhang Auntie sighed. "These slaves are really unfortunate. They come here before dawn and leave only after dark. Their meals are worse than what we feed our pigs. They're not treated like human beings at all."

Sui Yu sighed, losing her interest in the spectacle.

She slung her bow and left the riverbank, thinking about finding the child. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a zither coming from the first inn. The side door of the inn was closed, and she couldn't see what was happening inside.

Sui Yu stood there for a moment, thinking the music sounded quite pleasant. Just as she took a few steps, she heard drumming.

"Sister, here's the little one," Sui Liang appeared from somewhere, handed the child to Sui Yu, and darted around the corner to the east.

Sui Yu and the child stared at each other. She put down her bow and chased after Sui Liang with the child in her arms.

As she suspected, there was a stack of hay between the eastern part of the inn and the animal pen. Sui Liang, A'shui, and the big black dog had climbed up, peering over the wall from the top of the hay stack.

"Can you see anything?" Sui Yu asked.

"Only a little. There are Hu Ji dancing," Sui Liang said. "The courtyard seems to be covered with carpets. Sister, this merchant caravan is really extravagant. Previous caravans would hang their carpets to dry, covering them with cloth and setting up racks to prevent dust and fading..."

"Let me see," A'shui helped Sui Liang. Being short, she rode on the dog to see over the wall.

"Ah—" the child shouted at Sui Liang.

Sui Yu looked down at him, and in a blink, the two children on the hay stack screamed and rolled down, while the big black dog stood innocently on top.

"What happened?" Sui Yu laughed. "Get up quickly, are you hurt?"

The southern door of the inn opened, and a man with eyes like an eagle's stepped out. Sui Yu looked at him and apologized, "Did we disturb you? We'll leave right away."

Sui Liang and A'shui, with hay on their heads, got up and fed the fallen hay to the camels in the pen.

The man said nothing and went back inside, but he didn't close the door. The drumbeats and zither music continued in the courtyard.

"Sister, does this mean we can go over and watch?" Sui Liang asked.

Sui Yu picked the hay out of his hair and said, "Watch from a distance. Don't bring the big black dog, don't enter, and don't make any noise to disturb them."

Sui Liang and A'shui tiptoed over, stopping three feet from the door to see the scene in the courtyard. Carpets lined the path, and eight Hu Ji danced barefoot on them, wearing bells and holding small drums. As they moved, the bells jingled and the drums beat rhythmically.

In the distance, the melodious sound of camel bells could be heard as another caravan arrived to rest.

Sui Liang's gaze shifted from the courtyard to his sister, who was taking care of the child. He needed to greet the new guests.

"A'shui, let's go," he whispered.

A'shui glanced a few more times, then reluctantly left.

The big black dog quickly caught up, glancing into the courtyard as it passed the door.

With no one outside, a man drinking from a bowl walked over and closed the door.

"Who's staying in that courtyard?" the new caravan leader asked, leading his camels past.

"It's another caravan, returning from beyond the border. They brought Hu Ji with them," Sui Liang explained.

The new caravan leader perked up, and the leader handed Sui Liang some copper coins, saying, "Call us when they come out to eat."

Sui Liang shook his head, returned the money, and said, "You'd better keep an eye out yourselves. They're quite fierce and not easy to provoke."

At noon, the caravan staying in the first inn came out to eat. Sui Liang saw the man who had left the door open and approached him, saying, "Today's new caravan wants to meet you. Do you need me to pass the message?"

The man waved his hand.

"I'll tell them not to bother you, then," Sui Liang chuckled, and darted off, quickly adding, "You're a good person."

The man was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, and those with him also smiled.

"Do you need any tidying up in your quarters?" Sui Yu took the opportunity to ask.

"No, no one is allowed to enter our courtyard before we leave."

"Alright, I understand." Sui Yu left.