Chapter 190: Shamelessly Bold

Chapter 190: Shamelessly Bold

Seeing Zhao Xiping return, the little one loudly called out "Daddy." He clung to Sui Liang's leg and shakily stood up, greedily trying to take steps toward his father.

"You can't even stand steady, and you want to walk?" Sui Liang grabbed the collar of his clothes, lifted him by the buttocks with the other hand, and handed him over to Zhao Xiping, saying, "Brother-in-law, if you have nothing else to do, play with him. I'm going to find my sister."

"Where is your sister?" Zhao Xiping followed, holding his son.

"My sister is preparing for the storytelling event; she plans to build a stage in the next couple of days." Recalling that his brother-in-law might not know, Sui Liang briefly explained the previous events, saying, "It looks like she plans to build a teahouse next year and maybe even form a troupe of performers."

Zhao Xiping thought about it and found it feasible. As long as they had enough money, building a teahouse would be good, and inviting a troupe of performers would make the place lively.

Sui Yu was leading people to survey the location. She walked around and thought the area west of the kitchen courtyard was quite suitable. The river had frozen, so people could walk on it without breaking through. Another advantage was that Officer Hu's guesthouse, which had collapsed, lay across the west side, running north to south, perfectly blocking the cold northwest wind.

The kitchen courtyard and the master's courtyard stood on the east bank of the river, while a hill taller than two people loomed on the west bank. When the north and south ends were blocked with stacks of firewood, as long as it didn't rain or snow, setting up a stage for storytelling would be no problem.

"Mommy—" the little one called out happily.

Sui Yu turned around and saw Zhao Xiping. She sized him up and asked, "How is it?"

"No issues. Are you planning to set up the stage here?" Zhao Xiping asked.

"Yes, what do you think? Or should we clear an empty guest courtyard for the stage?"

The courtyard of the guesthouse was somewhat narrow, smaller than the kitchen courtyard, and probably couldn't accommodate many people. Zhao Xiping thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it here. We don't know if it will work, but let's give it a try."

Sui Yu rolled her eyes at him, "Can't you say something auspicious?"

"Next year, you'll definitely bring back a troupe of performers. Then I'll buy two acres of land to build a theater for you," Zhao Xiping smiled and changed his words, "Is this better?"

Sui Liang didn't bother listening to their flirtatious banter. He circled around the slope and climbed onto the collapsed ruins, stepping on wooden beams, saying, "This is perfect for setting up a stage."

"Forget it, if the stage collapses again, it will be hilarious," Sui Yu rejected the idea outright. She instructed Gan Da and Gan Er to lead people to chisel out a platform on the ruins that could accommodate three to five people, supported by thick logs below to ensure it wouldn't collapse. On the twentieth day, Qingshan and Zhang Shun would perform on the stage.

"Little one, come up quickly. Look how high I am standing," Sui Liang shouted from the highest point of the ruins.

"Be careful, don't step into a void and fall down," Sui Yu warned, "There are broken wooden beams buried under the wall soil; a splinter could draw blood."

"I'll go up and check," Zhao Xiping handed the little one to Sui Yu and nimbly jumped onto the ruins, stepping on protruding bricks.

The little one let out a startled cry. Sui Yu looked down at him, smiling and adjusting his hat so the brim wouldn't cover his eyes.

As she lowered her head, the image of Zhao Xiping's movements replayed in her mind. She looked up at the ruins, took a few steps back, and took in the entire uneven mound.

Zhao Xiping walked around the top and came down from another direction with Sui Liang.

Zhao Xiping moved gracefully and lightly, while Sui Liang appeared much clumsier, hesitating as he followed the footprints, due to his lack of martial arts practice and confidence in his reflexes.

"What are you thinking?" Zhao Xiping walked up to Sui Yu, took the little one into his arms, and said, "Let's go inside; it's cold outside."

"I want to walk up there," Sui Yu said, "I have another idea."

Zhao Xiping handed the little one to Sui Liang and accompanied Sui Yu back up the ruins.

Snow had accumulated on the collapsed roof, and the surface had melted and refrozen into ice, making a crunching sound underfoot. Where the thatch covered the roof, it was hollow, and each step created a hole. Sui Yu avoided the areas covered by thatch and walked on the earth and deeply buried wooden beams.

"Have you seen acrobatics before?" Sui Yu turned and asked.

"I saw them once when I was a child, a vague memory. What I remember most clearly is someone swallowing a sword," Zhao Xiping said.

Swallowing a sword, Sui Yu roughly understood the technique, but knowing and doing were different. She had never tried it and didn't dare attempt it, as a mistake could ruin the livelihoods of other performers.

"I think we can put on some tricks on this small hill, like pole vaulting, somersaults, handstands, human pyramids, or relay races with people carrying others on their backs," Sui Yu pondered. "These tricks can involve both the guards and merchants. Each round can have a prize, making it more exciting with competition."

Zhao Xiping nodded repeatedly, finding it feasible. This way, he could take charge of the ruins.

Deciding, Sui Yu called over the idle servants and instructed, "Xiao Chunhong and Liu Ya'er, come up and do a somersault every three steps. If you take one step too many or too few, go back to the starting point and start over. The first one to reach the rotten beam gets a bowl of steamed egg at noon."

"Lady, can we try too?" Gan Da asked eagerly.

"You have other tasks. Try the pole vault first, see if it works," Sui Yu said. "Xiao Xi, go find Aqiang and Huaniu. You and Sancao each carry one, then come up and race."

"Okay," Xiao Xi ran off immediately.

"Boss, what about us?" Er'hei asked.

Sui Yu told him and Shi Tou to come up. Shi Tou, who was slender, wrapped himself around Er'hei, and Er'hei carried him, jumping and moving on the ruins.

After making the arrangements, Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping found a spot where they wouldn't get in the way and watched everyone get into position. With a whistle, they began their tasks.

The merchants and guards in the guesthouse heard the commotion and, driven by curiosity, put on their fur coats and walked over.

On the small hill, Gan Da leaped into the air with a pole, swiftly descending in the biting cold. He squinted to find his landing spot, crouched down, and landed lightly, pulling out the pole and inserting it into the gaps between the earth blocks to jump again.

"Great!" the merchants watching applauded.

Gan Er glanced over and, unwilling to be left behind, quickly ran to catch up with Gan Da. However, his pole slipped into a snow pit, causing him to fall awkwardly.

Laughter erupted from the crowd below.

"Move out of the way," Xiao Chunhong shouted. Seeing a pole blocking her path, she had to flip early to avoid it, losing a step. Frustrated, she punched Gan Er and hurried back to the starting point to begin again.

"What's this all about?" a guard asked.

"Three steps, one somersault. If you take one step too many or too few, you go back to the starting point and start over," Sui Liang explained, rubbing the little one's thigh. If he weren't holding the child, he would have joined in.

Er'hei, carrying Shi Tou, also came into view. Shi Tou hung upside down on Er'hei's back, and the two coordinated their jumps, using the slanted wooden beams. Er'hei shouted and leaped, grabbing a beam, and Shi Tou swung along, the two flipping in mid-air, earning cheers from the crowd.

Sui Yu also clapped. The move wasn't her instruction but likely something they had planned privately, bold and interesting.

Xiao Xi and Sancao stood at the starting point, nervously rubbing their hands. After Sui Yu blew the whistle, the two of them carefully and steadily took steps forward, carrying Aqiang and Huaniu on their backs.

Xiao Xi and Sancao were timid and honest by nature, and with Sui Yu's instructions, they completed the run without any incidents.

The trial run ended, and Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping walked down from the small hill. She said to the many merchants and bodyguards, "I'll make the arrangements over the next couple of days. On the 20th, these competitions will officially begin."

"Can we participate?" the bodyguard asked eagerly.

Sui Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll think about it."

"I'll pay the entry fee. You just organize it, Keeper Yu. You're responsible for figuring out the competition format and rules," a bodyguard standing next to Sui Liang called out loudly.

Sui Yu agreed without hesitation. Her mind raced as she said, "For each competition, we'll invite five merchants to be judges. Everyone can place bets, which can be in the form of chickens, ducks, fish, meat, or the price of buns, cakes, and noodles. No more than that."

"Agreed, agreed," the merchants responded in unison.

No one objected. Once Sui Yu left, the merchants and bodyguards dispersed.

After lunch, Sui Yu gathered her family of four to discuss plans. Because she had seen a lot, she had the most ideas, but they were numerous and not all refined. Sui Liang and Zhao Xiping needed to follow her thoughts and provide additional input. As for the little one who couldn't even speak clearly, he just alternated sitting in his parents' and uncle's laps, babbling along with the adults for the entire afternoon.

On the 19th of winter, the servants carried bundles of firewood and stacked them on both sides of the ruins. Piles of firewood for burning and dry grass for livestock were transported there. They worked all day, and between the ruins and the kitchen yard, two walls of grass, about a person's height, were erected.

Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping walked back and forth on the small hill formed by the ruins for half a day, reinforcing unstable areas, removing sharp broken wood, and setting up obstacles in appropriate places.

Merchants and bodyguards came and went constantly, passing the time by watching the preparations.

The long night passed, and as dawn broke, the sound of roosters crowing was accompanied by the sound of gongs. This was sponsored by a group of merchants, used during travel to scare away wolf packs.

As the gongs sounded, Zhang Shun and Qingshan climbed onto the three-foot-high stage. Zhang Shun held the gong, dressed like a wandering traveler, carrying a short staff, and introduced Qin Wenshan's life story as an observer.

"Qin Wenshan is from Longguan. He grew up under Dazheng Pass, where his ancestors built a fortune through commerce during turbulent times. Benefiting from his ancestors' legacy, he dedicated himself to creating greater wealth for future generations. At the age of seventeen, he bid farewell to his elders, sold half of his family's assets, and set out with four kinsmen to Chang'an to purchase shoes, clothes, pottery jars, and cooking utensils. Leading a camel, the five of them crossed Dazheng Pass, traversed the Long River, and trekked through the snow-capped mountains. Their original plan was to reach beyond the pass, but a snowstorm led them astray into Hongchiling, inadvertently entering the southern slope of the snow mountain. This marked the beginning of their fortune and the formation of their merchant caravan."

Qin Wenshan's face turned red. He stood up and bowed to everyone, feeling both shy and excited. Keeper Yu's narration was exactly to his liking—refined yet understandable. Oh, how he wished his fellow villagers could hear this.

The other merchants were very impressed. They had previously doubted Sui Yu's abilities and were skeptical about her storytelling, but now they believed it. The story was concise and not verbose, more thrilling and exciting than their own boasts.

Sui Yu watched with great interest when suddenly an unexpected gong sound rang out. She looked at Xiao Chunhong and saw Sui Liang waving from behind the kitchen yard.

Sui Yu thought it might be the little one causing trouble, so she asked Zhao Xiping to go check.

"Hu Officer's wife has come. She says she is, but I'm not sure if it's true," Sui Liang said.

Zhao Xiping went over and indeed found Hu's wife. He greeted her calmly.

Hu's wife sneered, "A few days ago, you broke my brother's leg?"

"Yes, it was me," Zhao Xiping admitted frankly. "Is Madam here to demand an explanation?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"Indeed, you shouldn't," Zhao Xiping replied without fear. "He acted unjustly first, and I responded accordingly. He took advantage of my absence to bully my wife, and I naturally had to settle the score upon my return. He is a villain, and I am no saint. There's nothing to explain."

Hu's wife was speechless. Since he admitted it, she couldn't easily scold him, given Zhao Xiping's high rank.

"What's going on in the west? When you had the chance to buy the houses, you didn't, and now you're taking advantage of our place?" Hu's wife had been keeping an eye on the activities here. As soon as the gongs and drums started, she came over, determined to catch them in the act.

"It's not taking advantage; it's exorcising ghosts," Zhao Xiping lied without changing his expression. "The collapsed guesthouse killed someone, and at night, ghostly cries can be heard. Ma Wu's clan said he enjoyed lively scenes, so my wife came up with this idea to drive away evil spirits with human activity."

Hu's wife: ...

"If you could move those five-zhang-long earthen beams and not leave them piled up like a graveyard, we wouldn't have to go through this trouble," Zhao Xiping continued.

In other words, as long as the ruins remained, he would continue to make money from them, shamelessly and openly.