Book 1: Chapter 24
<strong>The Hatching Chicks Show Their Heads</strong>
<em>Idlers Note: I will be taking around a week off. For a detailed exnation for why, please read my post . Sorry for the wait but I will be back in the beginning of August with more chapters!</em><hr>
The distance from Luo River to Little Ox Manor outside of Xinping City was not near at all. For the sake of figuring out the reason earlier, Song Jing-gong couldnt avoid boarding a horse carriage to be jolted along the way. When it had nearly reached noon, he could only climb down from within the carriage as if about to fall apart.
Bearing a pale whiteplexion, he turned his headthat fool of a stalker had actually gotten a hold of a horse carriage, too. Song Jing-gongpletely understood now. They werent following him but monitoring him, afraid that he would run.
Song Jing-gong already had no time to care much as he, along with that person guiding him, quickened their footsteps to walk toward Little Ox Manor. Twisting left and turning right, after around a quarter-hour, that person stopped in front of a very tiny courtyard.
In the middle of a fence made out of tree branches that was half as high as a mans height was a small wooden door and it hadnt been locked. With a blow of the wind, it swayed in and out. Within the courtyard stood a person that Song Jing-gong had seen before that previously stood by Songri Nigans side. Since he was here, Songri Nigan was certainly in the room.
If there really is a chick in this egg, when I return, Ill buy 10,000 of them. Song Jing-gong hadnt even stepped a foot inside and he could hear the familiar sound of Songri Nigans voice from within the room. From the words, he knew that those chicks hadnt hatched yet. If so, it was even more evident that these chicks were a scam.
Feeling grounded in confidence, Song Jing-gong tidied his clothing, smiling as he walked inside. Upon entering the door, he directly said: Whoevers selling chicks at 2 wen [cash</a>] for each onehowever much, Ill buy that much.
Aftering to a standstill, he saw an old man, two young men, and a woman facing Songri Nigan. The womans face was hidden by half of a piece of cloth. From those areas that were slightly revealed, a green birthmark could be seen. No wonder she had to cover it.
The two young men stood while the old man sat on top of an object that he didnt know what it should be called. That thing took up a portion of the entire room with the other end adjoining the wall.
Great Schr Song, youve also arrived here. Thats good. Look here. This is called kang [bed-stove]. Its a ce that they specifically designed to substitute for a hens brooding nest. This woman said that with another 2 or 3 days, there would be chicksing out of the eggs. Im preparing to stay here and wait until the chickse out. At that time, Ill buy up 10,000 to bring back to raise.
Upon seeing the person entering from outside, a burly-figured man in the room used a stiffly ented voice to speak. This person was Songri Nigan, a barbarian.
Song Jing-gong smiled as he replied: Songri Nigan, how can you also trust this kind of thing? If using this thing called whatever kang [bed-stove] could help hens brood, then wouldnt that mean that from now on, itll be fine as long as hensy eggs? Go, go back to sort out our cargo.
Songri Nigan, hearing Song Jing-gongs words, shook his head as he persisted: No, I have to see if this really can produce chicks. On top of the kang [bed-stove] are 200 of them. Ive already given the down payment. By then, if there are no chicksing out, theyll pay me back tenfold. Wait 2 days and we can know.
Song Jing-gong gazed at the top of the kang [bed-stove]. A mat wasid on top. He thought underneath were the chicken eggs. Could it be that they really can be hatched?
Before when Song Jing-gong was entering the courtyard, he had already seen that there were chickens being raised within the courtyard. If they really could use such a method to hatch chicks, then wouldnt it be that making more of these kinds of kang [bed-stove] and going elsewhere to buy chicken eggs and it would seed? 1 chick for 2 wen [cash</a>] was really too cheap. If they were sold for 3 wen [cash</a>], there would still be people rushing to buy them. It really was getting rich.
Considering it for a while, Song Jing-gong said to that old man: Old Father, can you allow me to also check out these chicken eggs?
The old man nced at Song Jing-gong, then looked at that woman and said: Have to ask my daughter-inw on this matter. These eggs are all her work.
Song Jing-gong followed the old mans gaze to once again look at that woman. The woman was rather agreeable, nodding and then walking by the kang [bed-stove] to reach out a hand to gently lift the matting. Neatly lined up inside was, as expected, quite a few chicken eggs.
Songri Nigan, since you want to see, then Ill apany you for 2 days. As a thought shed through his mind, Song Jing-gong also wanted to stay to keep himpany.
As for a ce to live, it was also simple. Now that the weather was hot, just having a ce to stay was good. Meals were eaten in this house. If some money for food was given, this family would likely not reject it. For these past few days, Song Jing-gong had eaten such bitter hardships that he had grown ustomed to the taste.<sup>[1]</sup> So there was no loss in enduring for 2 days. He wanted to see whether this household actually could produce chicks.
The old man didnt refuse. Not only did he promise to make food for Song Jing-gong andpany to eat, he even promised to empty out a room for them to stay in. The money he asked for wasnt that much6 wen [cash</a>] for 1 day per person. There were only some vegetables so if they wanted to eat meat, they could buy it themselves, and the old man could make it.
At once, the three of them prepared to stay. Song Jing-gong thought of the person doing surveince on him. When he went to the doorway to look outside, as expected, that person hadnt left and was just standing outside the courtyard, their gaze firmly fixed on the door here.
Seeing this, Song Jing-gong wasnt angry. If they were willing to stay, then stay. He took out some money to give to the old man and get him to go buy some vegetables and wine; he would eat here for lunch.<hr>
Dont slice it with the skin. First peel the skin. Slice it. Fry it.<sup>[2]</sup> Continue.
In Tuqiao Vige, within the back kitchens of Zhang Manor, Zhang Xiaobao was directing the two people dedicated to cooking who were upied there. If it wasnt for Zhang Xiaobao feeling that he wasnt able to pick up that kitchen knife, he wouldnt even need other people to make it. He trusted that his own skills would be even better.
Fine, ~ah. Xiaobao, your level as an armchair general<sup>[3]</sup> here isnt low, ~yaspeaking with reason and eloquence. Seeing that Zhang Xiaobao was so busy that it could be called a mess, ~ah, Wang Juan was genuinely praising him to the side.
I feel that these words shouldnt being out of your mouth, General Wang who has studiedmand. Do the people studyingmand at the military academies all charge especially to the very front while holding guns to line the soldiers up into battle formations? Im a little worried now. If we really find some people to let you teach battle tactics to, the biggest possibility would be that the general wouldnt bemanding from the rear but charging on horseback while rying orders to the troops.
Zhang Xiaobao did not care one bit; while directing others on how to make the dishes, he even had the time to use lip speech for a rebuttal.
Thats right. Once you mentioned it, I thought of it. Here, there is no field intelligence disy system. I dont even have a map. The distribution of firepower isnt the same, either. I still need to reconsider it from scratch.
If thats so, the research thats most needed is on thebat matters of individual soldiers or teams. We must have powerful long-range striking capabilities to be able to effectively prate and surround [the enemy]. Comrade Xiaobao, can you draw maps?
Wang Juan unexpectedly didnt refute it, nodding as she admitted to her own shorings.
Dont knowhow would I learn this stuff? ording to his many years of experience swindling, Zhang Xiaobao felt a little uneasy right now.
Really dont know? You forgot to study it back then? Confine you a few more times and maybe youd know how. Its nothing even if you dont know how. Ill teach you; I know how.
Wang Juan stuck her face close up to Zhang Xiaobao as she spoke threateningly.
Its fine. Dont wait till the oil has boiled to add the sugar, otherwise itll burn. Put in the eggnt. All right. Thest dish has been finished. Prepare cool water. Withdraw.
Zhang Xiaobao selectively forgot about Wang Juans existence, turning around to leave after instructing a final sentence. When passing over the door threshold,<sup>[4]</sup> he who was usually alert was even tripped up for a bit and nearly fell down. It was good that Wang Juan gave him a hand.
See, this is the end result of not being familiar with the terrain. Wang Juan said with all smiles as she grabbed onto Zhang Xiaobao.
Lunch could be said to be sumptuous to the extreme with eight dishes, one soup, as well as a staple food.
When everything had been served, all four of the adults, save for Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao, were dumbfounded. It wasnt because everything had eggnts that they were dumbfounded but because they didnt know how Xiaobao used eggnts to make so many different types of things.
Eat, Mom. You [honorific] eat; Wang Juan and I can eat by ourselves. Other than the fried eggnt cakes and that dried stir-fried eggnt not being easy to eat, the rest are fine.
Zhang Xiaobao directly used a hand to pick up an eggnt cake to ce in his mothers te, rmending the dish.<sup>[5]</sup>
Mrs. Zhang-Wang looked at this one table of eggnts and nodding her head, she praised: My son is impressive. Which familys child can have eggnts made into such a feast for the eyes?<sup>[6]</sup>
Zhang Xiaobaos grandfather and grandmother also smiled while approving of Mrs. Zhang-Wangs words. The result was that the four adults along with two children ate more than half of this one table of food.
Upon seeing that there were leftovers, Zhang Xiaobao regretted it then. He couldnt bear wasting stuffit was fear of starving from those several years of wandering around.
Simmer it all together for the night, we two will eat it. Wang Juan rather understood Zhang Xiaobao, signaling from the side.
Never mind. Ill be more mindful in the future to try my best not to be wasteful. Deal with it like in the past. Zhang Xiaobao helplessly replied.
Under the previous approach, that was to throw away these dishes to feed the pigs. Some of them would be eaten by the servants but this was something that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didnt wish to see. Servants were people, too.
The two of us can both eat this kind of thing. Its better than during our previous trainings. Wang Juan continued urging.
I know. I previously avoided arrest by escaping deep into the mountains. I even used grass roots and tree bark to satisfy my hunger but who would let us eat like that? Zhang Xiaobao didnt wish to think too much as he stood up and greeted each rtive before he walked out.<hr>
Two days time wasnt long if it was said to be long and wasnt short if said to be short. On top of the kang [bed-stove] within that room in Little Ox Manor, when the first chick broke itself out of its eggshell to wetly mber out, however long the wait was, it could be considered eptable.
Song Jing-gong almost couldnt believe his own eyes. They really could use this thing called kang [bed-stove] to substitute for the hen brooding the nest. At once, the chick turned into a golden chicken in his eyes. A chick being worth however many wen [cash</a>], he didnt care about. He cared about that method that could hatch chicks.
He understood that this process wasnt as simple as what his eyes saw. There must be a knack to it. Imagining the days of havingrge amounts of money, when Song Jing-gong looked at the birthmark on that womans face, he felt that this woman had such a special kind of beauty.
Songri Nigan also dazedly watched as the chicks body slowly dried. Even if only 200 came out from these chicks in total, he was still happy. It looked like there was hope for 10,000 chicks.
Just as several of the people were surrounding the chick to look, the sound of people speaking could be heard from outside.
Its this house? They can use a thing called kang [bed-stove] to stand in for a hen brooding?
Owner, you [honorific] have spoken correctly. Its here. The voice of an individual that was probably a servant rose in reply.
Song Jing-gong started and then immediately reacted as he said to that old man sitting there who was still bearing a serene look: Old Father, you [honorific] must definitely not divulge this matter. Ill give you [honorific] money.
This isnt good. Great Schr Song, all who enter are guests. You~, the second chick hase out. The old man narrowed his eyes and after saying a sentence in reply to Song Jing-gong, the head of a chick popped out of those eggs on top of the kang [bed-stove] again.<hr><ol><li>
There is a bit of wordy here as chi ku (), which literally means eat bitterness, is usually tranted as enduring hardship and Song Jing-gong says that he had grown used to the hardship so that he has grown used to eating itthe bitterness that is, (chi xi guan/) making a slight joke out of the situation.</li><li>
Guo you (</a>) literally means over oil and describes a process where the prepared ingredients are quickly fried in boiling oil in order to try to enhance the foods vor so its not meant to be a simple frying. However, because Xiaobaos instructions are very monosybic and brief in the original Chinese, it exins my trantion choice.</li><li>
This 4-character couplet, zhi shang tan bing (</a>) [Baidu</a>], literally trantes to speaking of troops on paper and describes someone knowing how to talk the talk but not necessarily how to walk the walk. In other words, someone who is knowledgeable about theory but who may not be good at putting it into practice. The source of this proverb is from the 81st biography chapter of the Records of the Grand Historian</a> (Taishi Gongshu/) AKA the Scribe''s Records (Shiji/) by Sima Qian</a> (), which are the biographies of Lian Po</a> () and Lin Xiangru</a> (). The armchair general of the story is Zhao Kuo</a> () from the State of Zhao</a> during the Warring States period</a>, who was the son of a famous general named Zhao She</a> (). Zhao Kuo had been known to love discussing battle strategy and tactics since childhood; the fact that no one could win a debate on military theory or tactical game against him made him very arroganta personality trait that his father found worrisome. During the Battle of Changping</a> (</a>), Zhao Kuo was sent to rece themanding general, Lian Po, after years of stalemate. Instead of keeping to Lian Pos existing strategy that chose a cautious approach, Zhao Kuo threw it out in exchange for an all out assault, thinking he knew better. However, he was unable to adapt or apply his theoretical knowledge in practice when needed so he wasnt able to adjust his tactics or respond in time to avoid defeat. He ended up dying in that battle. Thus, this proverb is a distition of Zhao Kuos father voiced worry and criticism of him as recorded in the Scribes Records.</li><li>
The threshold of a doorway in Chinese culture, a men kan (</a>), was a horizontal board made out of materials such as wood, stone, or metal that was like an elevated ledge or sill for the door. They were high enough that passing through a doorway required a person to step over them, leading to a higher chance of tripping over them if not careful than with door thresholds of European houses. To see some examples, visit the Baidu page here</a>.</li><li>
Quan cai (), meaning persuade dish, is the Chinese dining custom where one will rmend one of the dishes being served to another one. The extent to which this urging is done can vary from a simple verbal suggestion out of politeness to direct action where a portion of the dish is ced in the bowl or te of the person to whom the dish is being rmended to. In Chinese dining etiquette</a>, thetter action is very rude and presumptuous if the people involved are not close enough such as mere acquaintances and guests versus family members or intimate friends. This practice normallyes up as a way to show filial piety</a> with children picking dishes that are the parents favorite or vice versa to show parental love.</li><li>The Chinese expression used here is linng man mu (</a>), which literally means linng full eyes. Linng () describes a beautiful jade. So this phrase is usually either used literally to describe actual gems and riches or metaphorically to illustrate the visual variety. </li></ol>