Chapter 298: A Sudden Decision

Chapter 298: A Sudden Decision

The medicine at home had run out, so Sui Yu left her two tails behind and rode into the city alone on a camel. After having her pulse read and picking up the medicine, she left the clinic and headed to the Song family on Dinghu Lane.

"You left the horse to me, and you’re really at ease, not even going to check on it," Sui Yu teased as she walked in. "Aren’t you afraid I might sell your horse?"

"Sell it, that would save me some trouble," Song Xian replied with a laugh. She explained, "I slept for two days after returning home, and then I’ve been busy dealing with my relatives, so I haven’t had time to go over. Huh? Are you also drinking that bitter brew?"

Sui Yu put down the medicine package and said, "The old doctor said I’m weak and have some deficiencies, so I need to take medicine to replenish. How’s Lvya'er? How is she doing?"

"She’s a bit weak too, but it’s not a big issue. She’s young, so eating and sleeping more will naturally help her recover. I plan to leave her at home to rest when I go to Chang'an this time," Song Xian said.

"What about you? Aren’t you going to rest?" Sui Yu asked.

"I’m alright, just a bit low on blood and qi, and my menstrual cycle is irregular. But since I’m not having children anymore, it doesn’t affect me much," Song Xian said without hesitation. She had also brought back some herbal medicine from the clinic. The doctor advised her to think less and worry less, which was almost impossible, so she planned to take a few doses just to show she was trying.

"When are the Xu and Li family caravans planning to leave?" she asked again.

"In three days," Sui Yu replied, having come to inform her of this news. "The horses from our four families are all in the north of the city, drawing a lot of onlookers. It’s chaotic, and they’re getting fed up, so they said they’ll leave in three days. I suspect they’ll set off as soon as they’ve prepared the provisions."

Song Xian sat up straight and said, "Then I’ll get ready too."

"Do you want me to lend you some people to help? Honestly, I’m a bit worried that your household servants might get any funny ideas. If I lend you some people to accompany you, even if they don’t do much, they can keep others in check," Sui Yu said.

Song Xian felt touched and said, "Thanks, Sister Yu. But this time I’m going into the pass, where there are laws to keep things in check. My servants are stuck without me. Unless they plan to disappear into the deep mountains and forests, but life there would be worse than sticking with me. They know what’s important and won’t harm me. Besides, this time I’m taking servants who have elderly mothers and children. With the example of Song Jiu from last year, no one dares to follow in his footsteps."

"If you’ve got it all figured out, I’m just worried someone might risk their life to make things difficult for us," Sui Yu said.

Song Xian chuckled and said, "I’m taking them on a business trip, not to their deaths. They’ll make three hundred coins on this trip, which is a good deal. Even a fool would know to keep me safe."

With both threats and incentives, and traveling within the pass, Sui Yu thought it over and felt it was safe, so she didn’t press further.

"By the way, has the inn been busy lately? Are there any caravans from the east?" Song Xian asked. "I want to ask passing caravans to look for Song Jiu, Da Gen, and Er Zhu for me. Dead or alive, as long as they bring back the person or their head, I’ll reward them with a camel or rent five camels without charge."

With this measure in place, Song Xian could ensure that her servants wouldn’t betray her when going out of the pass. Song Jiu and the others had fled outside the pass, thinking they’d be free, but she was determined to thwart their plans. She was willing to spend money to put a bounty on their heads, so even if they didn’t die, they’d live in fear.

Sui Yu tapped her forehead and fell silent for a moment before saying, "I’ll write a bounty notice for you and hang it on the kitchen door. Tell me, what do these three look like?"

...

On the other side, after seeing off the Commandant, Zhao Xiping called Zhang Shun over and asked, "Who does your master usually rely on the most?"

Zhang Shun wasn’t sure what to say and thought for a moment before saying, "I reckon I’m the master’s favorite."

"Who’s next?"

"Xiao Chunhong, Gan Da and Gan Er, Liu Ya'er, Qingshan, Li Wu... Sir, what are you getting at?" Zhang Shun was confused. "The master trusts us, and we’re all loyal to her. Last year, when we encountered ghost fires outside the Gobi Desert, none of us were cowards. We fought to the death to protect the master and the goods."

Zhao Xiping let out an indifferent "Oh" and said, "That’s what you’re supposed to do. Is it worth boasting about?"

"No," Zhang Shun lowered his head and said, "I just wanted to say that we won’t have any ulterior motives anymore. What happened with Er'hei won’t happen again."

"Can you guarantee that?" Zhao Xiping seemed to mock.

Zhang Shun nodded without hesitation. With such a master, what more could they ask for?

"How about we put it to the test? Let’s see if your conscience is up to it."

"How?" Zhang Shun readily agreed, wondering what method would be used. Then he heard the master say he wanted him to lead a team to take the Ferghana horses to Chang'an to sell them. He was too stunned to reply.

"What? Any issues?" Zhao Xiping asked.

"...Sir, do you know how much these forty-seven horses, thirty saddles, and thirty silver items are worth? At least three hundred thousand coins. You’re really trusting me with this? This isn’t the way to gamble! Does my master know about this?" Zhang Shun was so shocked that he forgot his place, firing off a series of questions.

Zhao Xiping laughed, crossing his arms. "Didn’t you say you had no hidden agendas?"

"It’s too much responsibility; I can’t handle it," Zhang Shun admitted honestly. "I don’t even have five hundred coins on me. You’re asking me to handle a business worth three to four hundred thousand coins? You’re giving me too much credit."

"Since you don’t dare take it, I’ll call Li Wu and Xiao Chunhong over to ask," Zhao Xiping said decisively.

Zhang Shun fell silent. Wasn’t he going to add anything? At least give him some time to think? Seeing Zhao Xiping really about to leave, he hurriedly stopped him. "Sir, let me think about it."

Zhao Xiping saw Sui Yu returning. He left the distracted man behind and said, "I’ll give you half a day. Come see me once you’ve decided. If you miss today, even if you talk the sky down, I won’t give you a chance to change your mind."

Sui Yu went to check on Sui Liang and the kid changing mulberry leaves for the silkworms. She looked and saw white threads at the edge of the box, a sign they were spinning cocoons.

"So soon? Weren’t you planning to sell the big silkworms in the military settlement? If they’re cocooning, won’t they be unsellable?" she asked.

"We’ll go sell them in a couple of days. This is the perfect time to sell. Once the silkworms start spinning, they stop eating mulberry leaves, which saves the buyers trouble," Sui Liang explained.

"If you sell the cocoons, won’t you have nothing to sell next year? By then, everyone will have small silkworms, and yours won’t be special anymore," Sui Yu wondered why the frugal one was only planning to sell silkworms for one year. Then she quickly realized, "Oh, you’re planning to sell mulberry leaves instead?"

"Smart," Sui Liang praised. "In all of Dunhuang, we’re the only ones with mulberry leaves. Once everyone has a box of silkworms, our business will thrive."

"Wow, that’s really impressive," Sui Yu admired.

"Mom, can you talk to Uncle Xu and Uncle Li? When they come back next year, could they bring us twenty mulberry saplings?" the kid hugged Sui Yu’s leg and pleaded.

"No need to involve outsiders. Next year, I’ll have Zhang Shun bring you mulberry trees," Zhao Xiping chimed in. He didn’t shy away from the children and openly shared his thoughts with Sui Yu.

"Money matters, but you’re the most important thing in this family. I can’t just sit back and watch your business trips harm your health and shorten your life," Zhao Xiping said. "As you get older, traveling will become more strenuous, and your health will deteriorate further, truly affecting your lifespan. I know you’re reluctant to let go of the caravan business. If we really stop, I’ll miss the income too. So, for the future, I think we can try to let go and have Zhang Shun and the others handle it. At worst, they might take a cut, and we’ll make less."

"Sis, stay home. I’ll handle the caravan for you," Sui Liang interjected.

Sui Yu glanced at him but didn’t respond.

"In the future, once you’re healthier, if you want to travel, I won’t stop you from joining the caravan every now and then," Zhao Xiping continued.

Sui Yu was conflicted. This model would make her the boss, sending out buyers and sellers. The only difference was that the money and goods would follow the buyers and sellers, completely bypassing her hands. It’s too risky.

"Sister, I’ll go with the caravan. I’ll guard the money and goods for you," Sui Liang said again.

"No need. Elder Sister Song will take care of it for me," Sui Yu refused. She turned to Zhao Xiping and said, "Okay, let’s give it a shot. We’ll take it easy for a few years. Once our cotton is harvested, I’ll turn into a big-time merchant selling cotton quilts, clothes, and fabric. By then, I’ll be able to manage a caravan. If the caravan doesn’t cooperate, I can still trade with passing caravans."

Sui Yu suddenly realized that in ancient times, many big merchants had their own caravans. The difference was that their caravans were run by their own clansmen, while hers would be managed by servants. But with shared interests, she felt she could keep them loyal.

Having made her decision, Zhang Shun also made up his mind. He hurried over and said, "Master, if you trust me, I won’t disappoint you."

"Prepare yourselves. In a couple of days, you’ll leave with Song the Head of the Household’s caravan. You’ll travel alongside the Xu and Li family caravans," Sui Yu said.

Zhang Shun left, and Sui Yu went inside to find the wooden board she used for practicing calligraphy. She cleaned off the characters, dried it, and rewrote new ones. While the merchants were eating, she nailed the board to the door with an iron bar.

"Jade Merchant, what are you hammering?" an escort asked.

"A bounty notice. Song the Head of the Household wants to capture three of her runaway servants, dead or alive. Whoever brings them back, or their heads, will be rewarded with a camel. If renting camels, five camels’ rent will be waived," Sui Yu explained. "Let’s see which caravan lands this deal."

"It doesn’t have to be a caravan. There are knights who specialize in this kind of work. Hang it up, and by next spring, someone will surely take the job," the escort said.

Sui Yu felt more at ease. In the future, if she encountered disloyal servants, she’d also post bounties.

The next day, Sui Yu found Sui Liang and first explained the various safeguards she had implemented for the caravan: the servants were familiar with the routes and her business methods; the servants at home had been tested and were loyal without major issues; there were legal constraints, so even if there were runaway servants, she could report them to the authorities; and with Song Xian's help in overseeing things, there wouldn't be significant problems with the trade.

"Do you still want to leave Dunhuang with the caravan?" Sui Yu asked, holding Sui Liang's hand. "Forget about overseeing the caravan for me, just ask your own heart—do you want to stay at home or go out and explore with the caravan?"

Sui Liang withdrew his hand slightly and asked, "Will you still lead the caravan in business in the future?"

"Yes," Sui Yu gave a firm reply. In fact, the key reason she was willing to let the servants lead the caravan was her concern about the cotton planting. She wouldn’t feel at ease leaving home for most of next year, so she had to adopt this plan.

Hearing this, Sui Liang said a bit shyly, "Then I'll go with you when the time comes."

He still preferred to stay with his sister and her family.