Chapter 254: Gaining Wisdom

Chapter 254: Gaining Wisdom

"Ah!" Seeing that Sui Yu was about to leave, Mrs. Li called out with a forced spirit, "Sui Yu, wait."

She took down the basket hanging from the branch and picked up the mulberries that had fallen on the ground. The unsoiled ones went into the basket until it was full. Then, she ran after Sui Yu onto the main road.

"No matter whether that seaweed can cure the illness, I thank you for thinking of us," Mrs. Li said, handing her the basket of mulberries. "Eat these on the road. Next year, when you pass by here again, come visit. By then, I'll tell you if the seaweed can cure the swollen neck."

Sui Yu's eyes narrowed, and she asked with the basket in her hand, "Besides your eldest son, do you know anyone else with a swollen neck?"

Mrs. Li nodded. There were several in Qi village, both old and young. When outsiders entered the village, those with the swollen neck hid in the cellars to avoid being seen, so outsiders wouldn’t think the village was cursed and to protect the village’s reputation.

"Then I'll give you another half bundle of seaweed," Sui Yu said. "But I didn’t buy much. If you want more, go to Taiyuan soon and find that merchant team. Ask them to bring more dried seaweed next year or the year after. It took them a year to walk here from the seaside, and they brought very little. If they don’t make money, they might not come again."

Mrs. Li nodded as she took the seaweed Sui Yu handed her. The fishy smell hit her nose, and she turned to vomit.

Sui Yu watched her a little longer. Having given birth before, she recognized the signs and guessed what was happening.

Mrs. Li sniffed the seaweed again, and the fishy smell made her nauseous. She bent over and dry heaved, but this time with some certainty.

"Mother?" Erlang ran over. "What's wrong with you?"

Mrs. Li smiled and waved him off.

"Congratulations, Sister-in-law," Sui Yu said, tying up the seaweed and handing the basket of mulberries to Gan Da. She pulled the reins and mounted her camel. "When you're pregnant, eat more seaweed. It nourishes both you and the baby."

"Can you eat seaweed while pregnant?"

"Yes, it's just a dish; it won’t affect the baby," Sui Yu explained. "I have to go now; the merchant team is waiting for me."

"Alright, you must come again next time," Mrs. Li said, following a few steps. "Will you come again the year after next? By then, we’ll save the silk fabric and mulberry wine for you."

Sui Yu rode off into the distance, waving without replying.

Song Xian saw Sui Yu approaching with her servants on camels. She blew her whistle, urging the servants by the road to mount their camels, and the merchant team continued their journey.

"Master, should we still dry mulberries for the young master to take back?" Gan Da asked.

Sui Yu shook her head. They had already dried mulberries in a previous village, filling a large jar, enough for the children at home to enjoy.

"Share them with everyone. It's so hot; eating some mulberries will moisten your throat," Sui Yu said, taking out a handkerchief. "Grab two handfuls for me; the rest, you all can divide."

Song Xian saw this and called out, "Give me more; I like eating them."

The handkerchief couldn’t hold any more, so Sui Yu said, "Take it to her and let her grab first."

"Yes," Gan Da said, chasing after her with the basket.

Sui Yu followed as well, drinking two mouthfuls of water from her water sack. "Mrs. Li's eldest son actually died from the swollen neck."

Song Xian paused in her mulberry eating. "So young, and the disease can be fatal? Is it really that deadly?"

"Besides her eldest son, she knows others with the swollen neck too. I suspect the water and soil in Qi village might be the problem," Sui Yu said, then shook her head. "No, if it were a water and soil issue, why don’t others have this illness? I don’t understand it, and I’m not very familiar with this disease."

"So can this seaweed really cure the swollen neck?" Song Xian asked again.

Sui Yu nodded. "I'm sure. If you don’t believe me, we’ll check again the year after next."

Seeing her confidence, Song Xian believed her. She mused, "You know so much. You know about things from the seaside, understand the desert climate, and even know about the flowers beyond the Great Wall. You can guess someone’s constipation from their acne. Did you learn all this from ancient texts? You’re making me want to learn to read too."

"Can't you read? Didn't your father teach you?" Sui Yu asked in surprise.

Song Xian shook her head. "He was uneducated himself."

After a moment, Song Xian continued, "Do you think it's a good idea to find a scholar in Chang'an who can read and write? We could bring him back to Dunhuang to teach the children."

Sui Yu thought someone like that would be hard to find. Those with real knowledge were usually recommended for official positions, and the half-baked scholars might not even be as capable as Song Xian, whom she would look down upon. In situations like this, only scholars with bad luck would give up on pursuing an official career and had no connections to enter high-ranking families as retainers. Such people might be willing to return to Dunhuang with them, but they would be quite difficult to find.

"Alright, you can ask around when the time comes and see if you can find someone suitable," Sui Yu said, not wanting to discourage Song Xian.

"Where should I ask? I can't reach people like that," Song Xian said, spreading her hands. "I don't know if we'll run into Du Hou again. If we do, you could ask him to inquire a bit. He might have the connections."

Sui Yu looked at her and smiled. "I don't know him well enough to ask him."

"Aren't you worried that the honey water won't work for him? If the pimples on his face don't disappear, he might cause trouble for us," Sui Yu added.

"No, no, I trust you," Song Xian laughed heartily, pressing her palms together toward Sui Yu in a prayer-like gesture. "Sui Yu, I hope your skills work their magic and make Du Hou's acne disappear, turning him into a handsome man."

"You're crazy," Sui Yu said, unable to help but smile.

Song Xian also thought her suggestion was a bit over the top, but she laughed until she was weak and insisted, "I'm doing this for your benefit. You still have thirty-four jars of honey unsold. If the pimples on his face disappear, he'll be a great walking advertisement for your honey."

"Should I thank you, then?" Sui Yu asked.

"No need to thank me, just don't forget my request," Song Xian said, putting away her smile. "Seriously, it's fine if I can't read, but I want Congzu to be literate. I plan to save enough money to buy him an official position. A person in an official position can't be completely illiterate."

"Buy an official position? How do you buy one?" Sui Yu asked.

Song Xian shook her head. "This is an idea I've only had recently, and I'm not sure about the details, but the money needed to buy an official title must be substantial."

"If he becomes an official, can he still engage in commerce? Probably not, right?" Sui Yu asked.

"It's fine. If he can't engage in commerce, he can raise camels. As long as he has camels, he won't lack money," Song Xian said, pointing at herself. "I'm not that old yet, and I can still engage in commerce for at least ten more years. When I can't do it anymore, I still have my daughter."

"Alright," Sui Yu praised. "With those words, Sister Song, I admire you. You care about your son and also think about your daughter—a son with an official position and a daughter with wealth. Well done."

Song Xian was startled by the compliment and, realizing what she had said, wore a wry smile. "Because I'm a girl, my father always looked down on me. He regretted not having a son until he died. I've suffered because of this, so how could I let my daughter suffer the same way? I wanted Congzu to revive the family's glory because the business was passed down to me from our ancestors, and he's a boy. In that situation, it's natural for me to consider Congzu. Now that I've traveled more and gained more experience, I have another way to make a living. Since both children can achieve wealth, why focus everything on just one child? Like the Champion Marquis and the Grand Marshal, both siblings achieved success in their own ways."

Sui Yu nodded in agreement. Indeed, the more one sees, the more open-minded one becomes.

"Although our commerce is hard and dangerous, to be honest, it's quite freeing. Since I've stepped out, I don't want to be stuck in one place all year round," Song Xian said. "So, I won't consider Lü Ya's willingness. If we decide to buy an official position for Congzu, she'll have to leave home and engage in commerce with me. She'll also stay at home and arrange a marriage for herself, just like I did. I'll pass the Song family's household servants down to her."

"Feasible," Sui Yu agreed.

"What about your children? What's your plan for them? When they grow up, you'll probably have saved enough money to buy an official position for them. Will you have them pursue a military career? Or take over the caravan?" Song Xian asked. "You'll need to have at least one or two more children. With Commander Zhao in your family, you have connections in the military, a caravan, and a guest house. With money, you can even buy an official position. With so few children, not all of them can inherit everything."

"I do plan to have one or two more children, but not because of the number of children. I have a younger brother who was raised by me and is like a son to me. He can receive a share of the family business from me," Sui Yu corrected. "As for what Liang Ge and the little one will do in the future, I won't make any arrangements for them. They can choose their own paths. They have too many options."

"There has to be a successor," Song Xian said.

Sui Yu shook her head. "I'm still so young; I'm not thinking about that yet. In thirty or forty years, who knows what the world will look like? Even empires change hands. My caravan doesn't have to be passed down through generations. If the children aren't interested in commerce, the caravan can be managed by reliable household servants."

Song Xian didn't ask further upon hearing this. Sui Yu was still young, and her children were still small. There was no need to rush their arrangements.

In the scorching heat of June, the caravan didn't travel at noon. They rested in the shade of trees during midday, allowing both people and camels to rest. After the hottest part of the day passed, the caravan packed up and resumed their journey.

To avoid the heat, Sui Yu arranged for the caravan to travel at night, journeying in the first half of the night and sleeping in the latter half. When the rooster crowed, they set off, and when the sun was overhead, they took a nap. After thirteen days of this schedule, the caravan arrived in Chang'an.

"Sister Song, is there anything else you need to buy in Chang'an?" Sui Yu asked.

Song Xian shook her head.

"Then we'll rest in Chang'an for two days, restock on provisions, and leave once everyone has recovered." As she spoke, Sui Yu looked up at the sky. "I've been feeling it's pretty stifling lately, or am I the only one?"

"I do feel that way. I reckon it's going to rain soon," Zhang Shun added. "We've bought a lot of fabrics this trip. Should we also prepare more camel leather? If it rains during the trip, we'll store the fabrics in the tents, and there might not be enough tents for everyone to sleep in."

"There might not be much camel leather available in Chang'an. Tomorrow, go into the city and buy some oilcloth. If it rains, we can cover the camels with the oilcloth. But check around first. If there's camel leather available, buy that instead."

Zhang Shun agreed.

"Let's start cooking," Song Xian said, taking out money. She handed a dozen or so strings of copper coins to Xiao Chunhong, asking her to go to the village to buy some meat and vegetables.

Xiao Chunhong called for Liu Ya'er to go with her. As soon as they stepped out, they saw someone riding toward them in a hurry. After taking a closer look and recognizing the person, Xiao Chunhong rushed back inside to announce, "The master, Lord Zuo has arrived."

"Is his face clear now?" Song Xian asked anxiously.

Sui Yu came out of the house and, seeing Xiao Chunhong shake her head, her heart sank. Moments later, the chestnut horse stopped outside. She quickly went forward to greet him.

"You're back. I was worried you'd taken another route and missed us," the Left Capital Marquis said as he dismounted his horse.