Chapter 216: The Surprise Brought Back

Chapter 216: The Surprise Brought Back

"Lian Auntie, did a Han caravan come by?" At noon, a man wearing woolen trousers arrived.

Sui Yu looked up and noticed a faint scent of alcohol as the man approached.

Before Lian Auntie could respond, the man spotted Sui Yu and asked, "Madam, do you still have the mulberry wine from Chang'an? I'd like to buy ten jars."

Sui Yu nodded and asked, "What price are you offering?"

"Old Wo bought mulberry wine from you yesterday. I'll match the price he paid."

Sui Yu glanced at his woolen trousers. If she was right, the fabric was wool velvet, much thicker and with a better drape than linen. She thought about buying a few pairs to bring back for Zhao Xiping. Of course, if she transported them back to Dunhuang for sale, the market would likely be good.

"I'll trade you this kind of cloth," Sui Yu said.

"Oh, alright, but this is more expensive than a blanket."

Sui Yu shook her head and said, "Don't try to fool me. The blanket I traded with Old Wo wasn't a plain one woven by an ordinary household; the pattern was carefully designed, and the dyes were expensive. Your cloth is priced high because wool velvet is less produced than wool, hence the higher price. One jar of mulberry wine for a piece of wool velvet cloth, six feet long and four feet wide. I can cut it into one long and one short pair of trousers when I return."

Impressed by her expertise, the man chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll take a small loss this time. I guess I have myself to blame for coming here."

Sui Yu had Zhang Shun and Qingshan lead the team, using camels to deliver ten jars of mulberry wine.

"Do you have any other goods?" the man asked.

Sui Yu led him inside, and Song Xian followed.

"The several pieces of silk you brought are of excellent quality and beautifully woven. How do you want to trade?" The man was tempted when he saw the silk.

"Goods from Chang'an are naturally of high quality," Song Xian chimed in to raise the value.

Sui Yu shook her head and said, "I haven't decided what I want in exchange yet. What do you have to offer?"

"A fox fur. I recently acquired a fox fur with excellent luster."

Sui Yu hesitated. Fox furs are difficult to preserve. A round trip would take half a year, and if it got moth-eaten or mildewed, it would be unsellable.

Seeing Sui Yu's hesitation, Song Xian picked out a piece of sky-blue silk from her goods and said, "Take a look, and if it meets your approval, I'll trade with you. But I don't want the fox fur either. I'll trade for wool velvet and blankets."

The man took the silk outside to inspect it, and realizing that Sui Yu didn’t intend to trade, he accepted Song Xian's silk.

The sky-blue silk Song Xian brought was bought in Dunhuang at a higher price than in Chang'an. This silk was worth 1,500 coins, equivalent to twenty-five jars of mulberry wine. However, twenty-five jars of mulberry wine could be exchanged for 125 sheepskins, but one piece of silk couldn’t be exchanged for that much, not because of its value, but due to the quantity difference.

After some bargaining, Song Xian and Sui Yu left with the camel caravan carrying mulberry wine. Song Xian selected a rug half a zhang long and ten feet wide from the man's storeroom, which could cover the entire floor of a room. In addition, she personally measured twenty feet long and six feet wide of wool velvet. These two items were the equivalent of one piece of silk.

As night fell again, Sui Yu sat by the fire, finishing a sling bag for her nephew.

Song Xian sat across from her and pondered, "Should I bring some gifts back for my ancestor and Green Sprout?"

"You can. Have Qin Wenshan deliver the items to the guest house for Zhao Xiping. He can then send them to your home."

"What should I give?" Song Xian rested her chin on her hand.

Sui Yu smiled at her without answering.

When Sui Yu finished the nephew's bag, she took out a black-and-white woven blanket, planning to make a large bag for Sui Liang. The aunt and her nephew would each have their own bag, so one wouldn’t be left without and feel sad.

The next day, Sui Yu led her team out with camels to set up a stall and sell pottery. Along the way, they encountered a Han caravan, and it was someone they knew.

"Mr. Jade, which day did you arrive?" the merchant asked.

"Today is the third day since we arrived," Sui Yu answered.

"Your speed was quite fast. We left a day after you," the merchant said, and, recalling an incident, he added, "Did Commander Zhao not catch up with you at Jade Gate Pass? We met them on the road. They said they were looking for you."

Sui Yu was stunned into silence by his words.

Seeing her reaction, the merchant quickly added, "I don't think it's anything serious. They both seemed quite lively that evening, so it shouldn't be anything major."

Sui Yu, recalling Zhao Xiping's words when they left Dunhuang about seeing her off at Jade Gate Pass, snapped back to reality and said, "He didn't manage to catch up with us. He’s traveling with his child, so they’re moving slowly."

"Ah, I'm just letting you know. Carry on with your work," the merchant said.

Sui Yu thanked him and continued into the city.

Returning to where they had sold the wolf skins, Zhang Shun went to ask the Han merchants about the regulations. He found out they had to pay to set up a stall. He took a string of copper coins and went to the end of the street, returning with a wooden token.

"Chief Merchant, how should we set the prices?" Xiao Chunhong asked.

"We bought nearly two hundred pottery items for a total of seven hundred and forty coins. You can set the prices as you see fit, but we need to sell them for three thousand coins. If you sell them for more than three thousand coins, you can split the extra earnings immediately," Sui Yu said, intending to give them some practice. She couldn't always be the one handling the negotiations.

The servants huddled together and started discussing among themselves. Sui Yu called Song Xian and, along with Gan Da and Gan Er, the four of them went for a stroll down the street.

"What is this?" Sui Yu picked up an irregular brown cup that felt cool to the touch, not like something carved from wood.

"What material is this made from?" Sui Yu asked the man who was looking down.

The unkempt man with dark circles under his eyes looked up gloomily. Song Xian, meeting his gaze, jumped in fright. She nudged Sui Yu, signaling that the man seemed odd and they should leave quickly.

"It’s made from human bones," he croaked.

Sui Yu nearly dropped the cup in shock but managed to set it down and force a smile. "Quite interesting. I almost recognized it."

The two of them hurriedly left with Gan Da and Gan Er following closely.

"What a madman," Song Xian muttered under her breath once they were far enough away. Uncertainly, she asked, "Was it really made of human bones?"

Sui Yu wasn't sure either. She rubbed her hands vigorously and said, "Let’s not talk about it. What a bad omen."

A caravan of Western traders approached from the west, the sound of camel and horse hooves stirring up dust. Sui Yu and Song Xian moved aside with their people to let the caravan pass.

"Which caravan is this? They look unfamiliar," Song Xian said.

Sui Yu understood what she meant. People from the same area often had similar bone structures, and though they had met many Western traders before, this group looked different from those they had encountered before.

As the caravan passed, aside from the dust and the typical smell of livestock, Sui Yu detected a strong scent of spices. This group of Western traders was carrying a significant amount of spices.

The caravan stopped in front of a shop, and the Loulan people inside hurried out to greet them. After a quick exchange in their language, the Western traders unloaded two large crates of spices and handed them over.

"I want to buy spices," Song Xian said, pulling Sui Yu along. She approached and asked, "How much for the spices?"

The Loulan man looked over and then gestured to the other Loulan man, indicating he should translate.

After a quick exchange, the Loulan man said, "You're from the Han Dynasty, right? They’re interested in your silk fabric."

"How much spice for one bolt of silk?" Sui Yu asked.

The Loulan man raised two fingers.

Sui Yu raised three fingers. Silk fabrics were unique to the Great Han, but no small country had a monopoly on spices, allowing her to quote a bold price.

"They want to see your goods," the Loulan merchant said.

"Where are they from?" Song Xian inquired.

"Kangju, have you heard of it? They're from Kangju. It's very far away, beyond many large mountains," the Loulan merchant said as he lifted the boxes of spices, adding, "I must be on my way; I have business to attend to."

Many large mountains? Perhaps the Iranian plateau? Or somewhere else? Sui Yu wondered.

She and Song Xian waited there, dispatching Gan Da and Gan Er to ride camels back to fetch the silk fabrics.

When Qin Wenshan learned that a large caravan from Kangju had arrived, they brought their goods and joined Gan Da and Gan Er, using gems to trade for spices.

"Didn't you go to Kangju last year?" Sui Yu asked.

"No, the mountains were too high; we didn't dare to try," Qin Wenshan shook his head, "By the way, this morning I came across fishing boats at the Salt Marsh and purchased a dozen saltwater carp. I'll share half with you, so you won't need to buy vegetables for lunch."

"Are there fish in the Salt Marsh?" Song Xian asked.

"Yes, and the fish are quite fat."

They hadn't sold much pottery, and Xiao Chunhong and the others had no plans to pack up their stall. Sui Yu left them to it, saying that when the food was ready, she would have Gan Da and Gan Er deliver it before heading back.

Sui Yu had never tasted saltwater carp before. After boiling them, she found the fish weren't salty and had to add water and salt to cook them a bit longer.

"Before we leave Loulan, let’s visit the Salt Marsh and see if we can purchase some dried salted fish to sell in Kuqa and Luntai. This might be the only large lake in the desert, and it's difficult to get fish elsewhere," Sui Yu planned, thinking that even small profits are better than nothing.

"Alright," Song Xian had no objections.

That evening, Sui Yu completed a sling bag and combined the two bags before seeking out Qin Wenshan, asking him to help take them back.

"Remember the favor you promised me," Qin Wenshan reminded.

"I won't forget. The next time you come to Dunhuang, I promise you’ll receive the complete copy," Sui Yu promised.

"Alright, tomorrow I'll introduce you to some business. Bring all the goods you have with you," Qin Wenshan said.

Song Xian brought her goods as well, and when Qin Wenshan's caravan went to pick up the goods, Sui Yu and Song Xian both led their teams to follow along.

With Qin Wenshan still present, it was convenient to leverage his influence to negotiate with the merchants. Sui Yu traded two bolts of silk and two jin of silk floss, plus five jars of mulberry wine, for exquisite carpets, jade, and agate bracelets from the Loulan merchants. Song Xian exchanged seven bolts of silk for a blood-sweat horse and a box of agate stones.

The so-called Loulan merchants were not just a single individual but a gathering of traders from various places. Merchants from all over brought rare treasures to Loulan, where these treasures changed hands.

Afterward, the caravans set off in different directions with their precious goods.

…

More than half a month later, in early April, Zhao Xiping led the child to the fields to plant wheat. After sowing the wheat seeds and covering them with a thin layer of soil, they only needed to wait for the seeds to sprout.

The child intended to plant a small plot of wheat in the vegetable garden outside the inn and wanted to be the first to see it when the wheat turned yellow.

He would ask his uncle to help with the digging since he couldn't manage such work himself.

In the distance, the sound of camel bells echoed. Sui Liang took a glance and saw a caravan approaching. While digging, he kept an eye out. As the caravan drew near, he dropped his hoe and went to greet them.

"It's Master Qin, your stories have already spread between Dunhuang and the caravans," Sui Liang said with a smile, knowing what the man liked to hear.

Qin Wenshan noticed that a new building had been constructed on the south side of the kitchen courtyard. He was surprised, "The teahouse is built? You acted fast."

"That's right, we've been spreading stories of your business adventures all through the winter last year," Sui Liang brought up again.

Qin Wenshan smiled and gestured to his nephew standing behind him. Immediately, Sui Liang received a tip.

Sui Liang chuckled and said, "Would you like to stay in the same guest house as last year?"

"Do as you think best."

The camel caravan entered the guest house to unload the cargo and retrieved the backpacks entrusted by Sui Yu. Qin Wenshan sent someone to deliver them to Xiao Zai.

First, the backpacks landed in Sui Liang's hands, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Zai, your mom sent us something!"

Xiao Zai was kneeling in the vegetable garden, digging a hole and planting wheat seeds. Upon hearing this, his small hand trembled, and he dropped half a handful of seeds into one hole.

"Xiao Zai, look," Sui Liang ran over with two backpacks slung across his shoulders, "This is from my older sister."

"And mine!" Xiao Zai shouted loudly, running excitedly over and trying to grab Sui Liang's leg, "Uncle, hurry up and give it to me."

Sui Liang didn't hand it over.

"Please, Uncle—" Xiao Zai was about to cry but still knew to say something nice to please him.

Sui Liang laughed and handed the red backpack over.

Xiao Zai grabbed it eagerly, but his eyes were still on the bigger bag, his heart itching to want another one.

"It's very nice," Sui Liang kept touching the backpack slung over his shoulder, both surprised and pleased.

Xiao Zai looked away from the bigger bag and, mimicking his uncle, slung the red-and-white backpack over his shoulder. Seeing the dog on it, he happily shouted.

"Mine is the best-looking!" Xiao Zai declared loudly, "This is from my mother!"