Chapter 221: The Washed Pants

Chapter 221: The Washed Pants

The cashmere fabric had an excellent drape and felt soft to the touch, with wide pant legs shaped like bells.

Sui Liang held Xiao Zai and examined the pants closely. They looked very nice on him, loose and wide, with frog buttons at the cuffs to prevent drafts from getting in.

"Uncle, do I look good?" Xiao Zai asked coquettishly, lifting a short leg to show off. Before Sui Liang could respond, he giggled happily.

"You look really good," he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Sui Liang was amused and gathered all the scattered items on the ground, putting them into the bundle. He slung the bundle over his shoulder and stood up, holding the silkworm box with both hands.

"Let's go back. You can put your shoes on yourself."

"Okay," Xiao Zai obediently replied, slipping his feet into his shoes and dragging them along with a shuffling sound.

Sui Liang looked back and said, "You've put them on backwards."

Xiao Zai ignored him, now resembling a big-eared donkey, walking noisily with shoes that couldn't contain his heels.

Old Uncle Niu, having settled the caravan, came out from the inn and saw the uncle and nephew. He smiled and asked, "Have you heard from Sui Yu?"

Sui Liang smiled and nodded, "My sister brought back a few pairs of pants for us. I've never seen such fabric before. It's soft and thick, and it's warm to wear."

"Look." Xiao Zai lifted his leg to show off.

Before Old Uncle Niu could get a good look, Xiao Zai lost his balance standing on one foot, his shoes getting in the way. He bounced a couple of times before falling to his knees.

The sound of "slap" made Sui Liang realize something was wrong. Before he could put down what he was holding, the child, in pain, started wailing.

"Let me see, where did you fall?" Sui Liang lifted Xiao Zai, "Did you hurt your knee? Now you know to wear your shoes properly?"

Xiao Zai clung to his uncle's arm and wiped his tears.

"Check for any injuries, make sure you didn't hit any stones," Old Uncle Niu came over and squatted down, coaxing the child, "Those pants look really nice. Your mother has good taste; she gives you good things."

Xiao Zai stopped crying and smiled with his tear-streaked face.

Sui Liang undid the frog buttons at the cuffs and rolled up the pants to above the knees. A red circle marked the right knee, with a scraped skin mark, but it wasn't bleeding.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, rubbing gently.

Xiao Zai shook his head, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Alright, since it doesn't hurt, get up," Old Uncle Niu said, picking up the shoes and putting them on him, advising, "Walk properly. If you get hurt, your father and uncle will be heartbroken."

Xiao Zai smiled at Sui Liang with narrowed eyes.

Sui Liang patted his little forehead and pulled him up to dust off his clothes.

"Old Uncle Niu, we'll take these things back first," Sui Liang said, "Is A'shui in the house? Ask her to come over. This jar should contain food. I smell something sweet. Let's try it together."

Old Uncle Niu smiled and said, "A'shui went to the city with Huaniu to buy hair ties. When they return, I'll send them over."

Sui Liang agreed and took Xiao Zai's hand to leave.

The jar indeed contained food, a full jar of raisins, large and plump, sweet to the taste.

Sui Liang ate a handful of raisins, savoring them, and pulled out a pair of pants from the bundle, one black and one white. The black pair clearly wasn't his size, and he compared the white pair, confirming it fit him.

"Uncle, we have the same pants." The little boy sat on the chair, swinging his legs.

Sui Liang could tell that the boy's pants were probably made from the leftover fabric of some long trousers. He found it amusing, though he kept it to himself.

"Uncle, you wear it too," the boy said.

Sui Liang had been thinking the same. He removed his two thin trousers. The wind this season was strong, and one layer of trousers wasn't enough to block the wind; he needed two to stay warm.

Wearing the soft and thick new trousers, Sui Liang walked to the riverbank. The boy hadn't lied; they were really warm. What he liked most was that they didn't cling to his legs. When autumn came, he could add more layers underneath.

"Oh, these trousers look nice, but they won't stay clean for long," a laundry helper passing by advised, "Second boss, don't sit on the grass with these trousers on."

The boy ran out just in time to hear this. He bent down to brush the dust off his knees, but it wouldn’t come off.

"Uncle, it's dirty," the boy sought help.

"It’s fine, the dust will wash off. Just don’t sit on the grass; grass stains are hard to wash off," Sui Liang said as he headed inside.

The boy followed quickly.

Sui Liang felt that his outer jacket didn't match the trousers. He went into the room and dumped out the clothes from the trunk, trying them on one by one, even asking his nephew's opinion on which looked the best.

The uncle and nephew spent some time fussing. When Zhao Xiping entered, he heard laughter coming from the side room. His expression relaxed. However, when he reached the doorway, he saw clothes everywhere on the bed, both winter and spring clothes. His son sat in the middle of the pile, wearing a red jacket.

"It's almost summer, why are you wearing a jacket again?" Zhao Xiping grumbled, "Aren't you afraid of overheating?"

"Dad—" The boy stood up quickly, laughing and asking, "Do I look good?"

"Yes, you look good," Zhao Xiping said absentmindedly, focusing on the winter clothes and giving a perfunctory response. He went over to take off the jacket from the boy, whose back was damp with sweat. The silly boy didn’t seem to know he was hot.

"What are you two up to?" Zhao Xiping asked Sui Liang.

Sui Liang felt a bit flustered, as if he'd been caught. He quickly put the winter clothes back into the trunk and explained in a low voice, "My sister sent us some trousers. They look nice, and I'm trying to find a matching jacket."

Zhao Xiping's hands paused for a moment. He then realized that Sui Liang and the boy were wearing the same white trousers, the same style with tight cuffs and a wide middle.

He couldn’t wear pants like that. It meant there weren’t any for him again.

But the boy was still smiling proudly, holding the red jacket he had taken off, saying, "I look good in this, Uncle said so. Dad, isn’t that right?"

Zhao Xiping couldn’t bring himself to say otherwise. The boy did look cute in the outfit. If his hair were tied with a red ribbon, he would look like a little celestial child.

"Brother-in-law, move aside, let me get a jacket," Sui Liang said, coming closer.

Zhao Xiping's eyes swept over him. Sui Liang looked good in these trousers too; the white trousers and black jacket were refreshing and clean, fitting his face well.

Sui Liang felt a bit flustered but was secretly delighted.

"Besides these two trousers, did my sister send anything else? Any messages?" Zhao Xiping asked calmly.

"Yes, by the way, brother-in-law, there are trousers for you too. Let me get them for you to try on," Sui Liang said.

Zhao Xiping clenched his fist and slowly exhaled, releasing his pent-up frustration. He picked up the boy with one arm and strode into the adjacent room.

"Brother-in-law, try them on and see if the length is correct," Sui Liang encouraged.

Zhao Xiping felt the trousers and said, "They’ll definitely fit. I’m not growing taller; my sister knows my size."

After washing his feet by the river and returning to put on the black trousers, they fit perfectly in both length and size. The fabric was even elastic, making it comfortable for movement.

"It's quite good." Zhao Xiping smiled.

"Brother-in-law, this pair of pants doesn't have a waistband?" Sui Liang crouched down to lift the pant leg and observed, "Indeed, it doesn't have one. Both Xiaozai and I have waistbands on our pants."

"Kids suit those better. I don’t like them." Zhao Xiping was about to take them off.

"Why take them off now?" Sui Liang pressed him down, "It's getting hot soon, make the most of wearing them while you can."

"I, I... alright, I won’t go to work this afternoon."

Yin Po had come to call them twice; the food was getting cold, so she urged again, "Masters, aren’t you coming to eat?"

"Let’s eat, let’s eat." Xiaozai grabbed a handful of raisins and ran out, "Granny, have some."

Yin Po hurriedly reached out, "What is this?"

"Mother gave these to me to eat." Xiaozai said loudly.

Zhao Xiping took a large pottery bowl and scooped a bowlful, saying, "These are raisins. I've seen them at Commander Qu's house. Take these to the kitchen, and share them among yourselves."

On his way out, he bumped into the Hu merchants who had just arrived that day. Hearing the old woman mention boiling raisins with water, one of the merchants advised, "Boiling raisins doesn't make the water sweet. They are better when steamed with mantou or wrapped in pancakes with jujubes; they taste much better."

"Thank you all for bringing us this bag." Zhao Xiping expressed his gratitude.

The merchant waved him off, "We’ve been compensated, no need for thanks."

"Are you looking to buy fodder and camels? If you need anything, we can help you connect with reliable vendors. You seem unfamiliar here. If you're leaving, inform the kitchen staff two days in advance so they can prepare dry rations for you."

"Alright, then please help us contact some camel dealers. We want to look at camels. We need fodder too."

Zhao Xiping agreed, and in the afternoon, he rode a camel back to the city to send a message to both Zhao Xiaomi and Song Congzu.

The caravan stayed in Dunhuang for five days, selling off various goods, and left with ten newly bought camels carrying fodder and trade goods.

Zhao Xiaozai's white pants were stained with black and gray patches; they had to be washed.

After his evening bath, Zhao Xiping soaked the pants in the warm bathwater. To clean them thoroughly, he even used bathing powder.

Xiaozai sat by the basin holding an oil lamp to provide light. He supervised, pointing out spots that hadn’t been scrubbed properly.

Zhao Xiping got annoyed and lifted his eyes to glance at him.

Xiaozai wasn't afraid; he grinned unabashedly.

Zhao Xiping raised his hand, and Xiaozai stretched his neck toward him, trying to be clever, "Daddy, you're working hard."

Implying that if he was going to be spanked, he was willing to accept it.

Zhao Xiping couldn't hold back and laughed, lowering his hand naturally. He continued scrubbing the child's pants.

"When I'm old and have no strength, will you wash my pants for me?" he asked.

Xiaozai nodded heavily, "I'll wash for Daddy, Mommy, and Uncle too."

"You mustn't find it tiring then."

"It won't be tiring. When I grow up, I'll be tall, as tall as Daddy." His eyes glanced at the tree outside the wall, and Xiaozai let his imagination run wild, "Taller than the tree, and I’ll have lots of strength."

Amidst the childish chatter, the pants were scrubbed clean. Zhao Xiping took them out and rinsed them several times in the river, wrung out the water, and hung them on the clothesline.

The water droplets dripped down the trousers all night. By morning, the sun was up, and the trousers on the clothesline dried within half a day.

Xiao Zai ran back to get the raisins for Yin Po to make pancakes. Running from the yard back into the house, it wasn’t long before he came out again with an empty bowl, staring blankly at the trousers hanging on the clothesline.

“Xiao Zai?” A’shui came looking for him. “Where are the raisins? Why haven’t you brought them yet?”

“A’shui Auntie, have the trousers shrunk?” Xiao Zai asked, puzzled.

The wool trousers, which had been washed clean, were taken down from the line. A’shui held the leg of the trousers against Xiao Zai’s leg and stretched it out to compare. They were much too short, not even reaching his knees.

“What happened?” A’shui said, looking at the trousers in her hand. “Is this the same pair you wore yesterday, Xiao Zai?”

Xiao Zai wasn’t sure anymore.

“Let’s go ask your uncle, Xiao Zai.” A’shui took him by the hand and led him out. They forgot about the raisins and left.

Sui Liang held up the trousers, which were less than the length of two palms, and asked, puzzled, “Xiao Zai, what happened here?”

No one knew.

“Ah Liang, you should wash your trousers too.” A’shui said.

Sui Liang reacted strongly. Was she joking? Wash them so they’d shrink for Xiao Zai to wear?

A’shui realized her error and hugged Xiao Zai to comfort him. “Don’t be sad. When your father and uncle wash their trousers, they’ll be too small for them, and then they’ll be yours.”

“I want mine. This is the pair my mother made for me.” Xiao Zai said, holding the shrunken trousers to his face. He suddenly felt like crying. He had wanted to wear these to welcome his mother back.

The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. He squatted on the ground and silently shed tears.

Sui Liang sat beside him, frowning and unwilling to give up his trousers.

When Zhao Xiping returned, he saw a group of children looking glum as they squatted by the wall. He stopped in his tracks and asked, “Did you all have a fight?”

Xiao Zai gave him a resentful look. Sui Liang handed him the trousers that were now too small, even for his bottom, and said, “Look, you ruined Xiao Zai’s trousers while washing them.”

Zhao Xiping couldn’t believe it. These… these were smaller than the trousers Xiao Zai wore when he was one year old, weren’t they?

“How could that happen?” he asked.

“They got washed and shrank. Think about it, did something go wrong?” Sui Liang inquired. He didn’t want to be blamed for ruining the trousers.

“Washing clothes can cause them to tear or fade, but not to shrink.” Zhao Xiping refused to take the blame. He handed the trousers back to Xiao Zai and said, “Wait until your mother comes back and ask her. She knows more about it.”

“But I wanted to wear them.” Xiao Zai said in a hoarse voice.

“It’s getting hot. It’s time to wear single trousers. Besides, don’t you still have another pair? The black ones are more dirt-resistant, so we won’t wash them.” Zhao Xiping hid in the house. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

Xiao Zai didn’t throw a tantrum or cry, but he sat holding the trousers that barely covered his face for half the day, looking dejected. He didn’t even collect the eggs or feed the silkworms.

At night, as Zhao Xiping watched his child’s dispirited state, he thought it might have been better if he had cried or thrown a fit.

“Your mother will make you another pair when she comes back.” he said.

Xiao Zai mumbled, “Hmm,” and then asked, “Dad, when will Mom come back?”

“When the wheat turns golden.”

There was a knock on the door, and Sui Liang pushed it open, leaning against the doorframe, trying to make small talk. "Still awake?"

Zhao Xiping suddenly had an idea. "Your pants are the same color as his..."

Before he could finish, Sui Liang firmly refused. "No way. Why don’t you cut yours?"

"I don’t have any white pants," Zhao Xiping sat up and said. "Your sister can make you a few more when she comes back. Besides, it's getting hot. You won’t need them until autumn, and by then, your sister will be back."

Sui Liang still shook his head. He incited, "Xiaozai, Dad ruined your pants when he washed them. Go ask him to compensate you."

"Hey!" Zhao Xiping jumped off the bed. "Looking for trouble?"

Sui Liang ran outside, standing in the yard defiantly. "You started it."

"I didn’t ruin the pants," Zhao Xiping refused to take responsibility. "Speak with a clear conscience."

Sui Liang snorted.

Zhao Xiping approached, putting his arm around his brother-in-law's shoulder. "I’m missing a pair of pants. You still have your cargo pants. If I lose this pair, I’ll have nothing left."

Sui Liang gave him a sideways glance.

"Should I go teach him a lesson?" Zhao Xiping asked again. "If he cries, he’ll tire himself out and fall asleep."

"Xiaozai hasn’t done anything wrong. Why should you hit him?" Sui Liang, like a protective hen, immediately got angry.

"Then you sleep with him tonight. I have early training tomorrow and need to get up early. I can’t afford to stay up with him." Zhao Xiping walked into the house, saying, "Xiaozai, go sleep with your uncle. Stop whining in my ear."

Sui Liang took Xiaozai away. The uncle and nephew lay head-to-head, and seeing Xiaozai still holding the ruined pants, Sui Liang relented. "Fine, I’ll cut mine to make you another pair."

Xiaozai didn't jump up in joy. He refused. "Mom gave those to you. I don’t want them."

"Then we’ll wait for Mom to come back," Sui Liang smiled, pulling the ruined pants away and tossing them to the foot of the bed. "Go to sleep. If you don’t, even your uncle will have to start hitting."