Chapter 262: Good Sister

Chapter 262: Good Sister

After soaking and cleaning the fish, Sui Yu cut them into small pieces and took them out to drain. While waiting for the water to drain, she picked nearly a bowlful of peppercorns. These were from last year’s harvest, and she was considering a trip back to Qianhusuo in the afternoon to check this year’s peppercorn yield.

"Auntie, Aunt Yin asked me to come out and see if we should start the fire," A’qiang said, taking small steps.

Sui Yu checked the fish pieces and replied, "Yes, start the fire. I'll be right in."

The kitchen was busy preparing lunch, with all the pots in use. The rice was already steamed, and two cauldrons of chicken were stewing. Two large pans of scrambled eggs with chives were ready, and three more pans of radish meatball soup were waiting. The stove was still braising eggs and meat, and three pottery cauldrons at the back were steaming bamboo baskets of pickled vegetable and egg buns, which were about to be served.

When the iron pot started smoking, Sui Yu scooped four large spoonfuls of lard into it. As the oil heated up, she tossed in the peppercorns and garlic cloves. Instantly, the aromatic but overpowering scent filled the kitchen and rushed outside.

"Achoo!" Old Uncle Niu had just stepped in when he smelled the aroma and quickly turned to leave.

A’shui rushed out of the kitchen, covering her mouth and sneezing uncontrollably.

A passing merchant, smelling the scent, peeked in and asked, "What dish are you cooking?"

"Fried dry fish," A’shui said, her voice muffled as she waved her hand. "Move aside, let me out, I can’t take it anymore."

Outside, she saw Xiao Zai leading his father toward the kitchen. A’shui stretched out her arms to block them. "Big brother, my sister-in-law is frying fish. It’s very smoky; you should go in later."

"It’s okay, I’ll go in and see," Zhao Xiping said. He had just received good news from Xiao Zai and was determined to go in, no matter how strong the smell was.

Sui Yu was stir-frying the dry fish when she turned her head, sneezed, and covered her mouth. Seeing Zhao Xiping and Xiao Zai enter, she waved them away, signaling them to scram.

Xiao Zai slipped away, but Zhao Xiping insisted on staying close. He asked A’qiang to leave and sat by the stove to start the fire.

Once the dry fish was fried dry, Sui Yu picked a piece to taste and checked the seasoning. Then, she added two more bowls of garlic sprouts and continued stir-frying for a few more moments before transferring everything into a large basin.

Two dried fish filled an entire basin. Zhao Xiping carried the basin out, and Sui Yu put down her wooden spatula and followed him.

"It’s time to eat! A’shui, go get your dad. Xiao Zai, take Ah Ning to check if your aunt, uncle, grandparents, and Uncle Chen have arrived," Sui Yu looked around and said, "It’s mealtime. Where did everyone disappear to?"

"Coming, coming!" Sui Liang entered in big strides. "We were all waiting outside. It was too smoky in the yard."

Cui Sao carried a pot of chicken and a pot of radish meatball soup out and added, "The peppercorns from our own farm are very strong. Your sister also fried a large bowl of them. How could it not be pungent?"

"That’s exactly the flavor I want," Sui Yu said, "Cui Sao, bring another dish basin. Transfer half of the fish so you all can have some later. By the way, have the people who went to harvest wheat returned?"

"They’re back," Xiao Chunhong replied, "My lady, should we bring over a jar of mulberry wine?"

"Bring one jar over. Today’s dishes pair well with wine," Sui Yu rolled up her sleeves and sat down. Seeing Zhao Xiping sitting next to her, she leaned over and said, "I’m not planning to take any mulberry wine to sell beyond the pass this year. I only bought four jars, and they’re for you."

Zhao Xiping’s lips curled up, and he leaned half his body on the table. "Xiao Zai mentioned that once this batch of goods is sold, you won’t be traveling anymore?"

As the people called for the meal returned and the servants came in, the courtyard suddenly filled with people. Seeing this, Sui Yu stopped the private conversation and said, "We’ll talk about it tonight," before urging everyone to sit down and eat quickly.

A merchant peeked over and said with chopsticks in hand, "May I try a piece of dry fish?"

Sui Yu nodded. "If you find it delicious, next year, you can help me spread the word. Ask the merchants traveling west to bring me more boxes of dry fish. I’ll have my people prepare them for you. This year, we carried a lot of goods, and the camels were overloaded, so we only bought one box of dry fish to sample."

Hearing this, the other merchants politely refrained from reaching for the fish.

Four male servants carried over two jars. The wine jars were placed by the table, and the honey jars were moved to the storage room.

Xiao Chunhong brought over a stack of bowls, and Liu Ya’er took the wine utensils from Dream Mom. She stood next to the wine jar, ready to pour.

"Mulberry wine isn’t too strong. Everyone, have a bowl," Sui Yu said, turning to Chen Lao and her in-laws. "Let them be busy. We’ll start with the dishes and rice."

"Mom, can I have some?" Little One whispered.

Sui Yu shook her head. "You can't. You drink the radish meatball soup."

Xiao Xi, overhearing this, quickly served a bowl of soup for the young master.

Sui Yu placed two pieces of dried fish in Little One's bowl and then said to Zhao Xiaomi, "Give Aning some fish too. This fish is big, and so are the bones. Pick the meat from the belly of the fish for him so he doesn’t choke."

"Third Sister-in-law, just focus on yourself and don’t worry about us. We're not outsiders, so don’t pretend to be polite and make yourself uncomfortable," Zhao Xiaomi said.

"Spicy!" Little One slurped. "It's both spicy and numbing."

"If it’s too much for you, pass it to me," Zhao Xiping said, seeing the child leaning against Sui Yu again. He pulled the child aside and whispered, "Tell me what you want to eat instead of bothering your mom."

Little One pointed to the dark red wine with a sly glance at his father.

Zhao Xiping looked up and saw Sui Yu watching them. He held out the bowl for Little One to take a sip.

"Ugh—too spicy!" Little One wrinkled his face and pushed the bowl away. "It's not good."

"Eat calmly," Zhao Xiping said, scooping a spoonful of chicken into his bowl and sending him off to eat.

The dried fish was fried in lard, infused with the flavors of Sichuan pepper and garlic. The more you ate, the more flavorful it became. As Sui Yu had said, the dried fish was extremely good with wine; a piece of fish could accompany an entire bowl of wine.

Zhao Xiping still had duties in the afternoon, so after finishing one bowl of wine, he stopped and focused on his meal.

Sui Yu had nothing to do in the afternoon. She nibbled on fish pieces, occasionally sipping wine.

When her wine bowl was empty, Zhao Xiping promptly refilled it for her.

"Will I get drunk?" Sui Yu murmured.

"If you do, just sleep it off in the room. Just don’t get too drunk; it’s uncomfortable," Zhao Xiping said.

The table of servants dispersed, but there was still some dried fish left. They each took a few pieces to munch on as they went about their work.

Huang Lianzheng was full as well. He put down his chopsticks and said, "Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, there's still work in the fields, so I'll be off first. Father, Mother, tomorrow you should come to my place for a meal with my third brother and sister-in-law."

Madam Zhao waved her hand. "Your home is busy, no need to worry about inviting us. Your father and I will be staying for a few months. We'll definitely have a meal at your place, just wait until things are less busy."

"No matter how busy, family should always make time to eat together. It's just a matter of adding a few more dishes. Plus, we've added someone to the family this year. With my younger sister-in-law helping Xiaomi, cooking is no trouble," Huang Lianzheng said.

"Oh? Your second brother has married?" Sui Yu asked.

"They got married in June," Zhao Xiaomi said. "The second daughter-in-law is called Cui Hongxia. She’s quite capable, and with her help, we can manage the cooking without any delays. Third Sister-in-law, come over tomorrow at noon. I'll catch an old hen tonight."

"Alright," Sui Yu agreed. She had planned to send two jars of honey with Zhao Xiaomi, but upon hearing this, she decided to bring it over tomorrow instead.

Zhao Xiaomi and Huang Lianzheng left together. Madam Zhao helped Yin Po and the others collect the dishes. Only Sui Yu and Master Zhao were left at the table, still eating fish and drinking wine.

"I'm off too," Zhao Xiping said, placing his hand on Sui Yu's shoulder. "If you feel dizzy from drinking, stop. Go to the room and sleep. I'll tell Little One not to disturb you."

"Okay," Sui Yu nodded.

The father-in-law and daughter-in-law finished the fish in the bowl, sharing piece by piece. Sui Yu had consumed a bellyful of mulberry wine and was quite tipsy. She even raised her bowl to toast her father-in-law.

"Your tolerance isn’t good," Master Zhao said, enjoying the rare opportunity to drink freely, which greatly pleased him.

"My tolerance isn’t bad—I’ve had five bowls already," Sui Yu said, her head spinning but her mind still clear. She finished the last sip of wine, left the table with steady steps, but as soon as she lay down on the bed, she lost consciousness.

When Sui Yu woke up, it was nearly dusk. The room was dim, and she felt weak and lazy, not wanting to move. Lying in bed, she could hear a group of children outside calling out to each other to go collect eggs.

"Is Sui Yu still asleep?" Zhao's mother entered the courtyard carrying a basket. Hearing no sound from the room, she closed the door and left. According to Sui Liang, there were over 400 chickens that roamed freely near the guest house, and they could collect more than 300 eggs each day, which was quite delightful to hear. She decided to join in the activity.

Sui Yu dozed for a while longer. When she woke again, the room had grown completely dark. She got dressed, got out of bed, and opened the door, greeted by the fragrance of food from the neighboring room. She stretched lazily and thought to herself, *What a comfortable sleep! It's like I've caught up on all the sleep I missed during the trip.* She felt so energetic that she thought she could run a few laps around the guest house.

Her child came to check on her again. "Mom, you finally woke up."

"Has your father come back yet?" Sui Yu asked, stepping out briskly.

"Yes, he's back. He's talking with... with Mr. Chen."

Sui Yu took his hand and jogged out.

Zhao Xiping heard the commotion and, after exchanging a few more words with Mr. Chen, walked over and said, "You slept for a long time. Are you still tired?"

"No, I'm not."

"Father, you should hold my hand too," the child said, stretching out his other hand. "Swing me high, really high."

"I'm going to talk to Mr. Chen for a bit," Sui Yu said. "Come with me, and be quiet."

When the three of them approached, Mr. Chen asked, "Do you have something to say?"

"Yes, I want to ask, what do you think of the children in my guest house? Would you be willing to teach the girls how to read? There's my child, my younger brother, my nephew, and then A’shui, Aqiang, Huaniu, Da Zhuang, and the two children of Song the Head of the Household. That makes nine. Afterward, I'll spread the word and let you choose another ten or so students you like. How does that sound?"

Mr. Chen nodded. "I advocate teaching without discrimination. If you're willing, the servants can sit together with their masters to learn how to read. I don't mind. However, the attitude must be diligent and serious. If anyone is lazy or disrespectful, I will not tolerate it and will kick them out of class."

"Agreed," Sui Yu said. "Take some time to rest first, and feel free to explore the city. We'll wait until the busy autumn harvest is over before you start the classes, alright?"

Mr. Chen was satisfied with this arrangement and added a request, "I will only teach for one hour a day. For the rest of the time, your brother can manage. If there's anything he doesn't understand, he can come to me for guidance."

Sui Yu immediately conveyed this to Sui Liang, saying seriously, "Liang Ge, I don't require you to practice martial arts, join the army, or even help me manage the guest house business like you do now. As long as you're happy, I won't think you're wasting your time. I have no expectations for you in terms of establishing a family or a career. However, when it comes to martial arts and literacy, I'm providing you with the opportunity, and you must study seriously. I don’t expect you to become an expert, but you should at least know the basics. In the future, if there's a need for these skills, I don't want you to be in danger because you don't know martial arts, or miss out on opportunities because you're illiterate."

Sui Liang felt that learning a little of everything was more demanding than mastering one thing, but he didn't want to disappoint his sister. After thinking it over, he nodded in agreement.