Chapter 312 Buying Camels

Chapter 312 Buying Camels

As the wine drinking reached its peak, Sui Liang remembered that the mulberry saplings they had bought were still unplanted. However, considering they were transplanted in wooden boxes, a day earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference. He took another dizzy sip of the mulberry wine.

The little boy knelt on the chair, resting his chin on his hands, watching his uncle’s flushed face, his gaze occasionally falling on the bright red wine in the bowl.

"Master, I offer you a toast," Xiao Chunhong came over with a bowl, somewhat embarrassed, "To be honest, when we were in Chang’an, we privately discussed whether you would share this large sum of money with us. We were being petty, and I apologize."

Taking advantage of her parents’ attention being on Xiao Chunhong, the little boy quickly leaned over and eagerly asked, "Uncle, is the wine good?"

"A bit spicy, haven’t you had it before?"

"I haven’t."

"Really? Did I remember wrong?" Sui Liang, already tipsy, handed over the bowl, "Here, try it."

The little boy eagerly took a big sip, the wine stinging his throat, making him want to spit it out. But seeing everyone enjoying it, he thought maybe swallowing it would let him taste the flavor. After a big sip, he quickly scooped some chicken soup to drink. The soup went down, and he licked his lips, seemingly starting to appreciate the wine’s charm.

"Dad, I want a sip of wine."

Zhao Xiping looked at him, recalling that Sui Liang had tasted Tu Su wine when he was six or seven. He tilted the wine bowl, "You’re still young, just a sip or two to taste, don’t get drunk."

The little boy nodded repeatedly, first taking a sip of the rich chicken soup, then holding his breath to taste the wine. The strong aroma of mulberries sprouted like grass in his mouth, quickly dispelling the greasiness of the soup. He furrowed his brows and exhaled, seriously saying, "Wine goes well with meat."

Zhao Xiping scoffed, "You’re starting to analyze, no more drinking, or your mom will spank you."

"What?" Sui Yu only caught the last two words, turning to see Sui Liang’s gaze already vacant. She quickly said, "Don’t allow him to drink anymore. Little boy, you and your dad take your uncle back to sleep. Don’t wash tonight, clean up tomorrow when he’s sober."

Even in his drunken state, Sui Liang remained calm, just kept giggling. When Zhao Xiping fetched water to wash his feet, he pointed at him and chuckled, annoying Zhao Xiping, who then called the little boy over and stepped aside, refusing to serve.

The little boy served eagerly, running back and forth like a busy ant, washing his uncle’s feet, fetching his shoes, combing his hair, and even wiping his face after he lay down.

Zhao Xiping stood at the foot of the bed watching. When the little boy finally got Sui Liang to sleep, he said, "Let’s go, we should check on your mom, she might be drunk."

The little boy shook his head, pointing to his own head, "Dad, I feel dizzy too."

Zhao Xiping immediately walked over, pinched his son’s face, and looked at it under the oil lamp. With a "smack," he slapped the little boy.

"You secretly drank from your uncle’s bowl," he said firmly, undressing him as he spoke, "You lie down too, I’ll get you two big bowls of honey water, drink it if you wake up thirsty at night."

By the time the honey water was brought, the little boy and Sui Liang were already asleep, heads touching. The drinkers were warm, and the June heat didn’t help, so Zhao Xiping didn’t cover them with a thin quilt. He closed the door and left them to sleep.

The moon rose above the willow branches, the chickens and dogs were asleep, and the noise at the wine table finally died down. Over twenty people drank two jars of mulberry wine, most of them were drunk and worn out from the trip. As the alcohol took effect, Xiao Chunhong and the other female servants fell asleep at the table.

Sui Yu was still sober. All night, she estimated she had only drunk half a bowl of wine. When the servants toasted, she either drank chicken soup or fish soup, not joining them in heavy drinking.

"Cui Sao, take some people to help Xiao Chunhong and the others to the third guesthouse for sleep, give them some honey water to sober up. Zhang Shun, you all will sleep in the second guesthouse, the same rooms as before. Be on guard tonight, slap anyone who acts up from drinking," Sui Yu arranged, standing up and stretching, looking at the leftovers under the moonlight, "Take a rest tonight, leave this here, lock the door when everyone is gone, and clean up tomorrow morning."

Yin Po agreed, volunteering, "Madam, you go and rest, I’ll take care of the rest, nothing will go amiss."

Sui Yu "hmm"ed and left with Zhao Xiping.

"Your son became drunk," Zhao Xiping immediately reported as they stepped out, "He secretly drank from Sui Liang’s bowl when we weren’t paying attention, then tricked a sip from me."

"Then make sure to scold him tomorrow," Sui Yu handled it lightly, her eyes were filled with the sight of the courtyard brimming with money boxes. The boxes were opened, the moonlight casting a cold gleam on the copper coins, she opened all the boxes, lighting up the courtyard.

"What a lot of money!" Sui Yu was ecstatic, she grabbed a string of coins and draped it around her neck, pretending to sniff it, then feigned disgust, "Yuck, the smell of copper is unpleasant."

Zhao Xiping sat on a money box, not interrupting, letting her vent her pent-up joy in the courtyard. In front of the servants, she had to maintain her dignity, but now that everyone was asleep, she could laugh and jump freely.

The guesthouse across the way quieted down, and even the sound of the stream behind the house softened. Sui Yu finally felt tired. She walked over to the man and sat on his lap, saying, "Let’s buy the wasteland to the north—ten acres of it. After the fall, we’ll plow the land and fertilize it. Next year, we’ll plant a big patch of golden flowers. Once the soil is nurtured, we can switch to growing crops or even build houses later. Let’s secure the land first so no one else grabs it."

"Alright," Zhao Xiping had no objections.

"We’ve rented eighty camels. Let’s buy all eighty of them. In a few days, I’ll go talk to Elder Sister Song."

"Fine. If you want to buy land to grow golden flowers, we won’t need to buy fodder for the winter anymore. Buying camels is cheaper than renting them," Zhao Xiping agreed.

"After the fall harvest is done, let’s go to Zhangye and buy three to five acres of land. Next year, we’ll build a guesthouse there. No, no, we should buy the land next month and hire more people to try and finish the guesthouse before winter." Without waiting for Zhao Xiping to ask, Sui Yu continued, "Some of the servants want to get married. I’ll pick two of them to stay and manage the construction in Zhangye. I’ve got to focus on the cotton business, so I can’t be away for long, but I can make it to Zhangye once or twice a month."

"And Sui Liang, I think you can put him in charge of it," Zhao Xiping suggested.

"I heard my name," Sui Liang said, opening the door with a bowl of honey water in hand. He looked at the sky and asked, "What time is it? You’re still up? How long did I sleep? Was I drunk?"

"It’s midnight. You slept for a little over two hours," Sui Yu said, estimating the time based on the position of the moon. "You sober now? Go back to bed. You probably didn’t get a full night’s sleep on the way back."

"I can’t sleep. I’m wide awake now," Sui Liang walked over. When he saw his brother-in-law, a sudden image flashed in his mind, and he was so startled he almost dropped the bowl.

"Brother-in-law..." he laughed wildly, "You washed my feet—"

"...It was the kid who washed them."

Sui Liang waved his hand, "Don’t mess with me. I wasn’t that drunk."

"Ask him when he’s up."

"I remember it, so why ask him?" Sui Liang remembered what happened afterward, but he insisted on blaming Zhao Xiping for washing his feet.

Zhao Xiping’s face darkened, while Sui Liang was overjoyed and deliberately added, "Don’t feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick. When you’re old and can’t move, I’ll wash your feet too."

Zhao Xiping ignored him. The more he responded, the more Sui Liang would provoke him.

"Sit down. You’re making me dizzy with all your moving around," Sui Yu interjected.

"By the way, sister, what were you guys saying about me earlier?" Sui Liang remembered the topic.

"Your sister’s planning to buy land and build a guesthouse in Zhangye. I suggested you oversee the project," Zhao Xiping replied.

Sui Liang pondered for a moment, staying silent.

"Your brother-in-law will take care of buying the land and building the guesthouse. Afterward, I’ll arrange for two servants to oversee it. But I’ll also need to go there every half month. If I’m unavailable, you can go in my place," Sui Yu explained.

"Alright," Sui Liang agreed immediately. "Can I take the kid with me?"

"No, he’s too young. When you were little, I only took you to Jiuquan because I had no other way to take care of you. Riding a camel all day is tough even for adults, let alone a child," Sui Yu explained.

"Fine, then I’ll make it a quick trip," Sui Liang said with some regret. "When he grows up, I’ll take him on long trips with me."

Zhao Xiping gave him a complicated look, "Why don’t you just carry him around on your hip? Is he your nephew or your brother? There’s a ten-year age gap between you two, and you still manage to get along?"

"Don’t be jealous of us," Sui Liang said smugly, raising an eyebrow. He spun the bowl in his hand and swayed as he walked away, "I’m going to sleep. I won’t keep you company anymore."

The wooden door gently closed, and the oil lamp inside was extinguished. Zhao Xiping and Sui Yu turned their heads at the same time. After a moment of silence, he said, "Still the same old him—all size, no brains."

Sui Yu pinched his waist, and he gasped in pain but still insisted, "My older brother was already married at his age, but he seems like he hasn’t even started to mature... Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore. Let go."

"Come on, let’s get to bed," Sui Yu got up and headed back to the room.

Zhao Xiping rubbed his waist and limped back to the room with a numb leg.

The next day, it was lunchtime before those who had gotten drunk the night before started trickling out, having slept well, all looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Yin Po thought they reeked and wouldn't let them into the kitchen courtyard. She passed out the food and dishes, making these stinkers eat outside the door.

"After eating, go wash in the river quickly. You'll have to wash the bedding you slept on last night yourselves," Yin Po instructed.

Sui Yu didn't bother with these matters. She waited until sunset when it wasn't hot anymore, put on a straw hat, carried a water pouch, and went to the cotton field to check the work of the five servant women.

The cotton had already bloomed. She topped the plants and pruned the excess buds to keep the plants from getting too bushy, as too many shoots would hurt the yield.

Sui Yu made her way up and down the drainage ditch, and she plucked any buds the servants missed.

She finished the two-acre field just as it got dark. Sui Yu washed her hands by the river and headed back with the big black dog that had followed her to the field.

"Ding Quan, it's time to water the cotton. Tomorrow, take Da Er and the others to carry water and irrigate the field," Sui Yu got right to assigning the field work when she got back.

Da Er was the new Xiongnu hire, tall and strong, a real whiz at farming.

"Alright, I'll take them to the field before dawn tomorrow," Ding Quan said.

Sui Yu returned to her room, and the courtyard was already empty. The money boxes were stacked in the next room, and the unfinished ones were stored in the warehouse of the second guesthouse.

The next morning, Sui Yu used camels to carry 220,000 coins into the city to discuss the camel business with Song Xian.

"The rent for eighty camels is 40,000 coins. I've inquired, and this year camels are 2,300 coins each. Eighty camels would be 184,000 coins. Since I'm buying in bulk, you can reduce it by 4,000 coins," Sui Yu cut to the chase as soon as she sat down.

Song Xian's ears perked up, saying, "You're indeed my biggest customer. I'll waive this year's rent. The camels will be 2,000 coins each. Out of these eighty camels, you've rented forty for three years. I haven't shelled out a dime for fodder these three years, so I'm still making a profit at this price. Don't refuse."

Sui Yu laughed, "Is there anyone who does business like you?"

"Yes, and you've just met one," Song Xian waved her hand with gusto. "Sister's rolling in it now, so I won't make a profit off you. But you have to promise me one thing. When you're not crossing the border, have your servants lead the caravan with me and help keep my crew in line. I know you have this in mind, otherwise you wouldn't have had Zhang Shun buy 200,000 coins worth of fabric."

Sui Yu admitted, "I did have that idea, starting with just 80,000 coins worth of goods to test the waters."

"Is it this year? I'll take Lvya'er across the border in August."

"Alright," Sui Yu nodded, "but Liang Ge won't be following the caravan across the border."

"I know, your brother's not the ambitious type, he's a homebody," Song Xian suddenly leaned in and whispered, "What do you think of my Lvya'er? If Sui Liang is interested, I wouldn't mind not having Lvya'er marry into another family."

Sui Yu was taken aback, then shook her head, "Liang Ge hasn't caught on to that yet, surely you've noticed."

"You go back and plant the seed."

Sui Yu refused, "I won't do that. Whether he gets married or not, at twenty or thirty, it doesn't matter as long as he's happy. If he does marry, I hope he marries a girl he likes."

"Then it's up to fate," Song Xian didn't press the matter, Lvya'er was still young. She sighed, "With you doting on him, no wonder Sui Liang has turned out this way."

Sui Yu smiled proudly.

"By the way, this stays between us. Let's not bring up the matter of the two children, lest they find out and feel awkward around each other," Sui Yu instructed, "If you stir up any trouble, I'll be mad."

"Alright, alright, I won't mess with your precious one."