Chapter 301: Origins

Chapter 301: Origins

Before departure, the kid climbed up the mulberry tree again to pick a box of mulberry leaves, intending to give them away as a gift.

"Sister-in-law, where are you going?" A’shui came out of the guesthouse and casually asked.

"We're going to sell silkworms. Aunt A’shui, are you coming?" the kid blurted out.

Sui Yu tensed up. Just as Sui Yu feared, A’shui jumped at the chance. Sui Yu couldn’t refuse, so she thought about avoiding Thirteen Villages to avoid anyone who might recognize A’shui.

"I'll go get the silkworm box," A’shui said, running off. "Dad, I'm going with my sister-in-law to sell silkworms. If you need anything, wait until I get back."

Old Uncle Niu grunted in response, but as the sound of her footsteps faded, he suddenly remembered something and hurried out to ask, "Where are you going to sell the silkworms?"

"To the military settlement. Do you want me to bring anything back from the city?" A’shui replied.

"You can't go!" Old Uncle Niu reacted strongly. Seeing A’shui's displeasure, he backpedaled, saying, "You can't go. I still have some things for you to do here."

A’shui didn’t listen. She angrily retorted, "Why can’t I go to the military settlement? I knew it! You must be hiding something from me. I’m going anyway."

Old Uncle Niu glanced at Sui Yu, waved his hand, and said, "What could an old man like me possibly hide from you? When have I ever stopped you from going to the military settlement? You’re reading too much into it. Go ahead, I won’t stop you. Go wherever you want. I’ll ask Da Zhuang to pick broad beans."

A’shui hesitated for a moment but mostly trusted her own judgment. She insisted on going herself to see what was hidden in the military settlement that made the old man so defensive.

Sui Yu went to fetch the camels, taking a detour north to call Huaniu, who was feeding the chickens, and asked her to bring the silkworm box and join them in selling silkworms at the military settlement.

"Let's go," Sui Yu called. "Kid, come quickly. You’ll ride with me."

The three camels left the guesthouse one after another. On the way, A’shui vented to Sui Yu, "Sister-in-law, do you think my mother is still living in the military settlement in Dunhuang? There were several times when I mentioned the military settlement in front of my dad, and he always changed the subject. He even gave back the house I grew up in to the authorities. I don’t even know when that happened, and he refuses to take me back to see it."

"Don’t fish for answers. If you don’t know, I certainly don’t," Sui Yu said bluntly. "All I know is that your mother couldn’t still be in the military settlement. Your dad often worries that he might not wake up one day, fearing that if he dies, you’ll be left without a home. If your mother were still in Dunhuang, he’d move heaven and earth to reunite you. The only possibility is that he has enemies in the military settlement, or people he’s had disputes with. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with them anymore and is worried they might take it out on you. You have to understand, as people get older, they lose their strength and can’t protect their children as well, so they become more cautious."

A’shui was mostly convinced, as her own speculations weren’t reliable.

"Why don’t I handle the silkworm sales, and you head back, A’shui?" Huaniu suggested.

"Forget it. I’ve never set foot in the military settlement, and I don’t look like my dad. Even if I run into his enemies, they won’t recognize me," A’shui refused. "Sister-in-law, let’s not go to Thirteen Villages or Seventeen Villages."

Sui Yu agreed.

After entering the city and heading to the military settlement, Sui Yu led the three youngsters along the streets, calling out to sell the silkworms. She targeted every spot with kids.

"One silkworm is only three coins. They’re about to spin cocoons. When the cocoons break, a moth will come out, and the moth can lay hundreds of eggs. Next summer, if you wrap the eggs in cloth and tuck them under your armpit, the baby silkworms will hatch," the kid explained earnestly. "Look at the silk in the box. This silk is the raw silk used to weave silk fabric and satin. If you raise enough silkworms, you can even sell the cocoons for money."

"I’ve seen this at my cousin’s place. My cousin bought two from Li Baihu’s eldest son. He treasures them so much, he only lets me look at them, and I can’t even breathe heavily while doing so," a kid with a runny nose snapped. "Hold on, I’ll hit up my grandma for some cash. I’ll buy ten silkworms and make my cousin jealous."

Hearing this, the other kids bought it and dashed home to grab their money.

"Stay put, don’t leave," the snotty-nosed boy instructed. He waved his hand and said, "Maoshao, you keep an eye on things. When I buy the silkworms, I’ll give you one."

"Okay, big brother, hurry back," a barefoot runt shouted back.

Sui Yu couldn’t help but chuckle. These kids were already playing big brother and little brother.

"Sister-in-law, stay put. Huaniu and I will go to another alley to sell," A’shui said.

"No, you’ll get lost," Sui Yu firmly refused.

"We’re not little kids. How could we get lost?" A’shui protested.

Sui Yu stayed silent and didn’t budge. Huaniu, not wanting to upset her master, naturally didn’t leave with A’shui, who had no choice but to stay, though she wasn’t happy about it.

Word must have gotten around, as a large group of children soon emerged from the alley. Sui Yu backed the camels up a little, leaving the space to the three young merchants.

One silkworm was sold with five mulberry leaves. The boy gleefully pocketed the coins while reminding them that silkworms only eat mulberry leaves. He explained that once the silkworms hatched next year, they should go to the Changgui Inn in the north of the city to pick mulberry leaves. His uncle had told him to do this—not to mention that mulberry leaves cost money when selling silkworms, so they wouldn’t scare off customers. Once the silkworms hatch, people will naturally spend money on mulberry leaves to raise them.

With the crowd growing, A’shui and Huaniu jumped into the action. With the little boy enthusiastically promoting their goods, they didn’t need to explain much. They took cash in one hand and passed over the silkworms with the other.

“It’s right over there—come on!” Children from another alley ran over, led by a little girl who shouted, “What’s for sale?”

“Silkworms. Silkworms make the silk for fabric and brocade,” A’shui replied. Her legs were numb from crouching, so she stood up and said, “Three coins for one silkworm. One silkworm lays hundreds of eggs. Raise them for four months, and you’ll get hundreds of cocoons, which you can sell for a lot of money.”

“Who buys the cocoons? How much are they worth?”

“Merchant caravans passing through buy cocoons, but they usually want a lot, so maybe one coin per cocoon,” A’shui explained.

“If they’re just cocoons, why are you selling them for three coins each? And these silkworms haven’t even spun cocoons yet,” a clever kid pointed out.

A’shui smirked, clearly pleased with herself. “Because we’re the only ones with silkworms right now. Of course, you could also ask a caravan to bring you cocoons from inland.”

The others went quiet. That was something they couldn’t do.

“So, are you in or not?” Huaniu asked.

“Yes, grab me five silkworms. I only have sixteen coins. Can you give me one for free?”

“I’ll run and grab some cash. I want ten. Save ten for me!” a lively little girl shouted.

Sui Yu backed up even more. The kids were way too loud.

Soon, elderly people and women came out of their houses, drawn by the commotion. They wandered around the crowded stall but were quickly pushed out. They came over to talk to Sui Yu. Learning that Sui Yu was the owner of Changgui Inn and confirming that the silk from the silkworms could indeed be woven into silk fabric and brocade, they were thrilled and started shelling out cash to let their children buy the plump silkworms that were about to spin cocoons.

After an hour, the stall finally quieted down. The boy, who’d been grumpy earlier, was now beaming with joy amidst the clinking of coins. His voice was shot from all the talking, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Mom, look, I made so much money,” he said, using his clothes to hold the heavy coins. “I forgot to bring a money box. Next time, I’ll bring my uncle’s money box.”

Sui Yu glanced at him. This time, when he mentioned his uncle, he didn’t seem embarrassed.

“Are we going back? Your father will probably be off duty soon,” she asked. “Or should we move to another spot to keep selling?”

“Let’s move to another spot and keep selling,” the little boy said, still caught up in the excitement of making money.

Sui Yu spent six coins to buy three broken clay pots to hold the coins. She closed the silkworm box and led the three children, who were still loudly promoting their goods, to another location.

By noon, the silkworms were almost sold out. Sui Yu called out to the three children sitting by the wall counting their coins, “Can’t you count them later? Aren’t you hungry?”

No one responded.

Footsteps sounded at the end of the alley. Sui Yu looked over and saw a girl about A’shui’s age leading a fair-skinned woman. Her gaze fell on the girl, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Mom, look, this girl looks like me. Are you sure she’s not your daughter?”

The woman’s expression turned serious as she looked at A’shui. The girl bore a striking resemblance to her husband.

“Sister, are you buying silkworms?” Sui Yu spoke up, eyeing the girl who was staring at A’shui with interest. She smiled and said, “What a coincidence. Our girls look like sisters. Is this my lost daughter?”

“What? Mom, am I not your real daughter?”

“Don’t be silly,” the woman slapped her lightly and asked, “Sister, is this girl yours?”

A’shui came over just then, looking astonished as she turned and asked, "Huaniu, do I look like her?"

Huaniu nodded; standing side by side, they looked like twins.

"My name is Tu Xiaoyan, I’m thirteen years old. What’s your name, little sister?" Tu Xiaoyan asked with excitement.

"My name is A’shui, not yet twelve," A’shui replied, looking at Sui Yu and asking, "Sister-in-law, is this lady my mother?"

"No."

"No."

Sui Yu and the woman answered in unison.

"What a coincidence, but in a world full of people, it’s not rare to find look-alikes. Xiao Chunhong once met someone who looked just like her in Taiyuan Commandery, but unfortunately, they weren’t related," Sui Yu said calmly.

The woman calmed down; she had no reason to take in a stray child, so she went along with the explanation, glancing at A’shui once more before leaving with her daughter.

"Little sister, where do you live? I’ll come find you to play later," Tu Xiaoyan turned and asked.

"All you care about is playing," the woman said with a stern face, slapping her hand. "Come back with me."

A’shui’s smile faded, and a doubt arose in her heart, though she didn’t show it on her face. When Sui Yu called them to go home, she hurried to pack up.

As they returned to the inn, they spotted Old Uncle Niu waiting under the jujube tree in the distance. Huaniu felt envious and said, "A’shui, your father really cares for you. You only went into town, not into some dangerous place, yet he’s out here waiting for you."

A’shui smiled, urging the camel to hurry toward him.

"Why are you back so late? The food is almost cold," Old Uncle Niu glanced at her expression, relieved, and asked, "How much did you earn?"

"Three hundred and eighty-three copper coins, and some I haven’t counted yet. Two people showed up and interrupted me at the end. Dad, today I met a sister who looks exactly like me, and she brought her mother over. Tell me the truth, did you steal me?" she teased.

Old Uncle Niu’s face stiffened, but he quickly recovered, saying, "Don’t be ridiculous, if you weren’t mine, why would I raise you?"

A’shui said "Oh," and then, "I’m going to eat."

She first took the silkworm box and the broken jar with money into the inn. After entering, she quietly stepped back, hiding by the door and peeking out, seeing Sui Yu talking to her father, who looked very annoyed.

Later, when the boy went back to the Military settlement to sell silkworms, Old Uncle Niu absolutely forbade A’shui from going, even when she threw a tantrum.

Two months flew by, during the autumn harvest season. A’shui seized the moment when her father let his guard down and, under the pretext of going to work in the fields, walked to the Military settlement.

After returning, A’shui developed a high fever that night. The cat that slept in the same room squeezed through the door crack and started meowing loudly. Old Uncle Niu came out, cursing.

"Who’s knocking?" Sui Yu woke up.

Zhao Xiping dressed and went to open the door, saying, "Sounds like Old Uncle Niu, I’ll check."

"Xiping, A’shui is sick, I can’t get her to wake up. I can’t run, please take her into the city to see a doctor."

A’shui was sick for a whole month and lost a lot of weight. When she finally stepped out of her room, the jujube and persimmon trees outside the inn were nearly bare, and the fruits were nowhere to be seen. The autumn wind was chilly, and winter was approaching.

Old Uncle Niu carefully brought over a pot of chicken soup, looking at the thin girl, he said, "You can’t go work in the fields anymore. Look at you, I’ve made you soft. Half a day in the fields, and you’ve been sick for a month. For you, your sister-in-law has lost more than ten chickens."

Whether A’shui had worked in the fields, everyone knew clearly. She pursed her lips and smiled, agreeing, "I definitely won’t go to the fields anymore, I’m scared of being sick."

Old Uncle Niu’s heart settled, and he happily said, "Come and have some soup, it’s been simmering all night, the bones are all soft. Drink more, get back the weight you’ve lost."

A’shui followed him in. More caravans were passing through, and six solo travelers had moved into the second part of the inn. Smelling the rich aroma of chicken soup, they all came out.

"Was there chicken stewed this morning?" someone asked.

"No, this is stewed for my daughter, but there will be stewed chicken at noon," said Old Uncle Niu. "If you want a small pot of stewed soup, let us know ahead of time so the cook can prepare it separately; otherwise, you won't get a whole chicken."

"Just go to the kitchen and ask?"

"Yes."

The six travelers went out, and Old Uncle Niu asked A’shui, "Is it okay to eat in the yard? Otherwise, the room will smell of oil, and you don't like that. You're quite particular—you don't mind the cat sleeping on your pillow, but you dislike the smell of oil and meat."

He rambled on, and A’shui's lips trembled as tears fell. She felt incredibly fortunate to have a father who cherished her, and kind-hearted people like her sister-in-law, who had been hiding her unfortunate background to let her grow up happily.

Seeing her cry, Old Uncle Niu fell silent. He put down the pot and hunched over to move the table.

"I'll move it," A’shui wiped her tears and ran inside, moving the table. She then grabbed two bowls and said, "Dad, have some soup and meat too. Take care of yourself and live to be a hundred so I can look after you."

Old Uncle Niu smiled again. He decided not to bring up the past. This was just perfect. Whether or not she was his biological daughter, A’shui was his daughter, and he was her father.

Finally, he didn't have to worry anymore. If he had known this would be the outcome, he wouldn't have returned the house in the Military settlement. He was really kicking himself for it.